The Battle of Elandslaage was a battle of the Second Boer War fought at -28.4000° S 29.95° ECoordinates: -28.4000° S 29.95° E, and one of the few clear-cut tactical victories won by the British in that conflict. However, the British force retreated afterwards, throwing away their advantage. Combatants British Empire Orange Free State South African Republic Commanders Sir Redvers Buller Lord Kitchener Lord Roberts Paul Kruger Louis Botha Koos de la Rey Martinus Steyn Christiaan de Wet Casualties 6,000 - 7,000 (A further ~14,000 from disease) 6,000 - 8,000 (Unknown number from disease) Civilians... is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... KwaZulu-Natal (often referred to as KZN) is a province of South Africa. ... This article is about the Boer people (Boerevolk). ... The Earl of Ypres John Denton Pinkstone French, 1st Earl of Ypres, KP, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCMG, PC (28 September 1852–22 May 1925) was a British Field Marshal, the first commander of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in World War I. Biography Born in Ripple in Kent, the son... Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton (January 16, 1853 - October 12, 1947) was a general in the British Army and is most notably known for commanding the ill-fated Mediterranean Expeditionary Force during the Battle of Gallipoli. ... Combatants British Empire Orange Free State South African Republic Commanders Sir Redvers Buller Lord Kitchener Lord Roberts Paul Kruger Louis Botha Koos de la Rey Martinus Steyn Christiaan de Wet Casualties 6,000 - 7,000 (A further ~14,000 from disease) 6,000 - 8,000 (Unknown number from disease) Civilians... Combatants Great Britain Boers Commanders Major General Penn Symons † General Erasmus Lukas Mayer Strength 4000 8000 (c. ... Combatants Great Britain Boers Commanders Lord Methuen J. Prinsloo Strength 8,000 2,000 Casualties 200 casualties Unknown The Battle of Belmont is the name of an engagement of the Boer War in the town of Belmont, 23 November 1899, where the British under Lord Methuen assaulted a Boer position... Combatants Great Britain Boers Commanders Lord Methuen Piet Cronje Strength Unknown Unknown Casualties 70 dead 415 wounded 150 The Battle of Modder River was an engagement in the Boer War, fought at Modder River, on November 28, 1899. ... Combatants Great Britain Boers Commanders William Forbes Gatacre Field Kommandant Olivier Strength 1200 infantry 250 mounted infantry 12 guns 2300 total Casualties 90 killed and wounded 600 missing unknown {{{notes}}} The Battle of Stormberg was the first British defeat of Black Week, in which three successive British forces were defeated... Combatants Great Britain Boers Commanders Lord Methuen Piet Cronje Strength 13,000 8,500 Casualties Nearly 1,000 70 dead 250 wounded Unknown captured and deserted, but believed to be significant {{{notes}}} The Battle of Magersfontein was fought on December 11, 1899 at Magersfontein, on the borders of Cape Colony... Categories: ‪Battle stubs‬ | ‪Boer War battles‬ ... Combatants Great Britain Boers Commanders Charles Warren Alexander Thorneycroft Louis Botha Strength 11,000 infantry 2,200 cavalry 36 field guns 6,000 men Casualties 383 killed 1,000 wounded 300 captured 58 killed 140 wounded The Battle of Spion Kop (Afrikaans: Slag van Spioenkop) was fought about 38 km... Combatants Great Britain Boers Commanders Lt. ... Bloody Sunday of February 18, 1900, was a day of high Imperial casualties in the Second Boer War. ... Combatants The British Empire Boers Commanders Sir John French Colonel Kelly-Kenny Piet Cronje Strength 15,000 men 5,000 men Casualties 258 dead 1,211 wounded 86 captured 100 dead 250 wounded 4,096 captured The Battle of Paardeberg was a major battle during the Second Anglo-Boer War. ... The Siege of Ladysmith was a famous battle in the Boer War, taking place between 2 November 1899 and 28 February 1900. ... Combatants Great Britain Boers Commanders Brigadier General Broadwood Christiaan de Wet Strength 2000 12 guns 400 (1600 distantly engaged) Casualties 600 7 guns 8 (eight) {{{notes}}} Sanna’s Post (aka Korn Spruit) was an engagement fought during the Second Boer War (1899-1902) between the British Empire and the Boers... Combatants United Kingdom Boers Commanders Robert Baden-Powell Colonel B T Mahon General Piet Cronje Strength 2,000 8,000 Casualties 212 dead 600 wounded Unknown but significantly higher than British The Siege of Mafeking was the most famous British action in the Second Boer War. ... Combatants United Kingdom Boers Commanders Ian Hamilton, Kekewich, Rawlinson General Potgeiter, General Kemp. ... Combatants British Empire Orange Free State South African Republic Commanders Sir Redvers Buller Lord Kitchener Lord Roberts Paul Kruger Louis Botha Koos de la Rey Martinus Steyn Christiaan de Wet Casualties 6,000 - 7,000 (A further ~14,000 from disease) 6,000 - 8,000 (Unknown number from disease) Civilians... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

Prelude

When the Boers invaded Natal, a force under General Kock occupied the railway station at Elandslaagte on October 19, 1899, thus cutting the link between the main British force at Ladysmith and a detachment at Dundee. Learning that the telegraph had been cut, General Sir George White sent his cavalry commander, Major General John French to recapture the station. KwaZulu-Natal (often referred to as KZN) is a province of South Africa. ... is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Ladysmith is the name of several places: Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada Ladysmith, Wisconsin, United States Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Ladismith, Western Cape, South Africa Ladysmith, New South Wales, Australia Ladysmith can also refer to: Siege of Ladysmith, 1900 Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a South African choral group Category: ... Boers watch the fighting at Dundee in 1899 The coal mining town of Dundee is situated in a valley of the Biggarsberg mountains in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (). It is part of the Endumeni Local Municipality, Umzinyathi District. ... George Stuart White Field Marshal Sir George Stuart White VC, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, GCVO, (4 July 1835—24 June 1912) was an officer of the British Army and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that... The Earl of Ypres John Denton Pinkstone French, 1st Earl of Ypres, KP, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCMG, PC (28 September 1852–22 May 1925) was a British Field Marshal, the first commander of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in World War I. Biography Born in Ripple in Kent, the son...

Arriving shortly after dawn on October 21, French found the Boers present in strength, with two field guns. He telegraphed to Ladysmith for reinforcements, which shortly afterwards arrived by train. is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The battle

While three batteries of British field guns bombarded the Boer position, an infantry battalion advanced frontally in open order, while two more battalions and the dismounted Imperial Light Horse moved around the Boers' left flank, commanded by Colonel Iam Hamilton. The sky had steadily been growing dark with thunderclouds, and as the British made their assault, the storm burst. In the poor visibility and pouring rain, the British infantry had to face a barbed wire farm fence, in which several men were entangled and shot. Nevertheless, they cut the wire or broke it down, and occupied the main part of the Boer position. The Light Horse Regiment (formerly the Imperial Light Horse Regiment (ILH)) is an armoured regiment of the South African Army. ... Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton (January 16, 1853 - October 12, 1947) was a general in the British Army and is most notably known for commanding the ill-fated Mediterranean Expeditionary Force during the Battle of Gallipoli. ...

Some small parties of Boers were already showing white flags when General Kock led a counterattack, dressed in his top hat and Sunday best. He drove back the British infantry in confusion, but they rallied, inspired by Hamilton (and reportedly, a bugler of the Manchester Regiment and a Pipe-major of the Gordon Highlanders) and charged again. Kock and his companions were killed.

As the remaining Boers mounted their ponies and tried to retreat, two squadrons of British cavalry got among them with lances and sabres, cutting down many. This was almost the only time during the Boer war that a British cavalry charge made contact.

Aftermath

The way was now clear for the British detachment at Dundee to fall back. Unfortunately, Sir George White feared that yet more Boers were about to fall on Ladysmith, and ordered the force at Elandslaagte to fall back there. The British were tired and many officers had been killed. The retreat became a disorderly scramble. The detachment at Dundee was forced to make an exhausting detour before they could reach safety.

Boer guns captured

The two Boer guns, which fell into British hands, had originally been British and had been captured by the Boers in the aftermath of the Jameson Raid. The Jameson Raid (December 29, 1895 - January 2, 1896) was a raid on Paul Krugers Transvaal Republic carried out by Sir Leander Starr Jameson and his Rhodesian and Bechuanaland policemen over the New Year weekend of 1895-96. ...

See also

• Military history of South Africa

The military history of South Africa chronicles a vast time period and complex events from the dawn of history until the present time. ...

Sources

• The Boer War, Thomas Pakenham, Cardinal, 1979, ISBN 0-7474-0976-5

External links

• free-ebooks-uk The Great Boer War