Two well-planned and energetic night attacks were made upon the enemy's siege batteries--on the 8th of December at Gun Hill, a kopje pertaining to Lombard's Kop, and on the 10th at Surprise Hill, north of the town, towards Nicholson's Nek.

The former, executed chiefly by Natal colonial forces, resulted in destroying a 6-inch gun and a 4.7-inch howitzer.

The second, by Imperial troops, destroyed another howitzer of the same size.

Like the sorties of Kekewich from Kimberley, these, by compelling the enemy's attention to the place, contributed to further the movements of Buller, between whom and the garrison communication, hitherto dependent {p.216} chiefly upon runners, had now been opened by heliograph and electric-light signals.
Frere had now become the British point of assembly.

On the 8th of December there were there concentrated four infantry brigades, designated numerically as the 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th, as well as the cavalry and artillery, which a week later took part in the battle of Colenso.