The Battle of Magersfontein was fought on December 11, 1899 at Magersfontein near Kimberley at 28°57′15″S, 24°43′51.78″ECoordinates: 28°57′15″S, 24°43′51.78″E, on the borders of Cape Colony and the Orange Free State. General Piet Cronje and his Boer troops defeated British troops under Lord Methuen. (The name is very difficult for foreigners to pronounce. "mar-GUH-ers-fon-tane" or "margs-fon-tane" is as close as most will get). 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... December 11 is the 345th day of the year (346th 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). ... The Magersfontein battlefield is a site of the Battle of Magersfontein, part of the Boer War in South Africa. ... Anthem: God Save the Queen Cape Colony Capital Cape Town Language(s) English and Dutch1 Religion Dutch Reformed Church, Anglican Government Constitutional monarchy Last Monarch King George VI Last Prime Minister  - 1908 – 1910 John X. Merriman Last Governor  - 1901 - 1910 Walter Hely-Hutchinson Historical era 19th century  - Dutch East India... This article is about the Boer people (Boerevolk). ... Paul Sanford Methuen, 3rd Baron Methuen (September 1, 1845 - October 30, 1932) was the third Baron Methuen and a British military commander. ... General Piet Arnoldus Cronje (1840?-4 February 1911) was a leader of the Zuid Afrika Republics military forces during the Anglo-Boer wars. ... 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 John French Ian Hamilton General Kock † Strength 4000 2000 Casualties 261 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... 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. ... December 11 is the 345th day of the year (346th 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). ... The Magersfontein battlefield is a site of the Battle of Magersfontein, part of the Boer War in South Africa. ... Kimberley is a town in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Anthem: God Save the Queen Cape Colony Capital Cape Town Language(s) English and Dutch1 Religion Dutch Reformed Church, Anglican Government Constitutional monarchy Last Monarch King George VI Last Prime Minister  - 1908 – 1910 John X. Merriman Last Governor  - 1901 - 1910 Walter Hely-Hutchinson Historical era 19th century  - Dutch East India... Flag of the Orange Free State Capital Bloemfontein Language(s) Afrikaans, English Religion Dutch Reformed Church Government Republic President  - 1854 - 1855 Josias P. Hoffman  - 1855 - 1859 Jacobus Nicolaas Boshoff  - 1859 - 1863 Marthinus Wessel Pretorius (also President of the South African Republic from 1857 to 1871). ... General Piet Arnoldus Cronje (1840?-4 February 1911) was a leader of the Zuid Afrika Republics military forces during the Anglo-Boer wars. ... This article is about the Boer people (Boerevolk). ... Paul Sanford Methuen, 3rd Baron Methuen (September 1, 1845 - October 30, 1932) was the third Baron Methuen and a British military commander. ...

The British intended to relieve besieged Kimberley, the diamond centre of South Africa and in which Cecil Rhodes was trapped. Advancing along the Cape Railway line, they had already driven the Boers out of positions at Belmont and the Modder River. The Boers originally intended to stand at Spytfontein, but when Methuen's exhausted troops were forced to delay at the Modder River for several days, the Boers moved forward to Magersfontein, only a few miles north of the river. Instead of occupying the prominent Magersfontein Hills, they dug trenches at the foot of the hills, a tactic suggested by Boer General Koos de la Rey, to make use of their Mauser rifles' flat trajectory. Kimberley is a town in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. ... Cecil Rhodes Cecil John Rhodes, PC, DCL, (July 5, 1853 – March 26, 1902[1]) was a British-born South African businessman, mining magnate, and politician. ... 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. ... Modder River is an irrigation and stock farming town situated south of Kimberley near the confluence of the Riet and Modder Rivers in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. ... Koos de la Rey (Jacobus Herculaas de la Rey) (22 October 1847 - 15 September 1914) was a Boer general during the Second Boer War and is widely regarded as being one of the greatest military leaders during that conflict. ...

After a day's bombardment of Magersfontein Hill, which harmed practically no Boers, Methuen sent the recently arrived Highland Brigade under Major General Wauchope forward at night, to make a dawn attack. A night march in close column followed by deployment into open order for the assault had been standard British tactics since the Battle of Tel al-Kebir in 1882, but at Magersfontein, there were delays caused by belts of rock and thorn scrub, and by compasses being nearly useless on terrain littered with ironstone. The highlanders arrived at the right place, but were late, and had only just begun to deploy when the Boers spotted them and opened fire. This redirect page has been listed on Wikipedia:Redirects for deletion. ... Major-General Andrew Gilbert Wauchope (July 5, 1846–December 11, 1899) was a British Army officer, killed commanding a brigade at the Battle of Magersfontein in the South African War. ... September 13, 1882. ... Year 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

The dense column was thrown into confusion. General Wauchope was killed by the first volley. Some of the Black Watch, leading the column, charged the Boer trenches. A few actually broke through and were climbing Magersfontein Kopje when they were engaged by Boer parties (including one led by General Cronje himself). Others became entangled in a wire farm fence in front of the trenches and were shot there, in a grim foretaste of the Western Front in World War I. The remaining three battalions of the Highland Brigade were unable to advance or retreat, and had to lie on the veld, tormented by ants and thirst. For other uses, see Black Watch (disambiguation). ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ...

Methuen was unable to send help to them. The artillery continued to pound the kopje and missed the Boer trenches. The cavalry and Guards Brigade tried to prevent Boers working round the right flank of the highlanders, but in mid-afternoon, the Highland Brigade broke and retreated under heavy fire.

The week from December 10 to December 17 where the British also lost battles at Colenso and Stormberg was known in England as "Black Week". December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, 21 days before the next year. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Categories: ‪Battle stubs‬ | ‪Boer War battles‬ ... 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...

See also

• Military history of South Africa
• Battle of Paardeberg
• Battle of Modder River

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

Reference

• Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: The Great Boer War, Chapter 9: The Battle of Magersfontein

Source

• Goodbye Dolly Grey, Rayne Kruger, New English Library, 1964