The Battle of Talana Hill was the first major clash of the Second Boer War. A hasty frontal attack by British infantry drove Boers from a hilltop position, but at the cost of heavy casualties, and without resolving a poor strategic position. The Second Boer War, also known as the South African War, was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902. ... October 20 is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 72 days remaining. ... 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 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 (28°10′S 30°14′E). ... KwaZulu-Natal (often referred to as KZN) is a province of South Africa. ... Casus belli is a Latin expression from the international law theory of Jus ad bellum. ... Boer is the Afrikaans (and Dutch) word for farmer which came to denote the descendants of the Afrikaans-speaking migrating farmers of the expanding eastern Cape frontier. ... The Second Boer War, also known as the South African War, was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902. ... Combatants Great Britain Boers Commanders John French Ian Hamilton General Kock † Strength 4000 2000 Casualties 261 c. ... Modder River - 28 November 1899 British Victory ~ Was a tiring day again with the heat and especially after forming at 430am and being the 3rd battle in a week. ... 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 {{{notes}}} The Battle of Spion Kop (Afrikaans: Slag van Spioenkop) was fought about 38... Bloody Sunday of February 18, 1900, was a day of high Imperial casualties in the Second Boer War. ... 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... The Siege of Mafeking was the most famous British action in the second Anglo-Boer War. ... The Second Boer War, also known as the South African War, was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902. ...

Prelude

Reinforcements sent to Natal by Britain immediately before the outbreak of war had moved into the northern path of the province, but not far enough forward to occupy the passes of the Drakensberg mountains. As a result, the Boers could invade Natal from three sides, and the British were spread in isolated and vulnerable positions. The Drakensberg Drakensberg Range from space, April 1993 The Drakensberg (Dragon Mountains in Afrikaans) mountains are the highest in South Africa, rising up at Thabana Ntlenyana to 3,482 m (11,422 ft) in height. ...

Major General Penn Symons commanded a brigade (four infantry battalions, part of a cavalry regiment and some mounted infantry, three field artillery batteries) which occupied the coal mining town of Dundee. He disdained to fall back on the major British force at Ladysmith. On the evening of October 19, two Boer forces, each of 4000 men under General Erasmus and Lukas Mayer were closing in on Dundee. Ladysmith is the name of several places: in Canada: Ladysmith, British Columbia in the United States: Ladysmith, Wisconsin in South Africa: Ladysmith, South Africa Siege of Ladysmith, 1900 Ladismith This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... October 19 is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

The Battle

Before dawn on October 20, Erasmus's force occupied Impati Mountain north of Dundee. Mayer's men occupied the low Talana Hill east of the town, and dragged several Krupp field guns to the top. As dawn broke and the British spotted the Boers on Talana Hill, these guns opened fire, ineffectually. October 20 is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 72 days remaining. ...

The British field batteries galloped to within range and opened fire, causing about 1000 Boers to run away. The British infantry rushed forward to make a frontal attack, and reached the foot of the hill, but were pinned down in a eucalyptus plantation by heavy rifle fire. Symons went forward to urge them on, and was mortally wounded. Under Symon's successor, Colonel Yule, the British infantry rushed the hill with the bayonet, suffering casualties from their own artillery as they reached the top.

Lukas Mayer's forces mounted their ponies and made off. The British mounted troops tried to cut off their retreat, but the larger part of the British horsemen strayed onto the slopes of Impati. Erasmus had so far played no part in the battle (partly because Impati was still shrouded in fog), but his men surrounded the British mounted detachment and forced them to surrender.

Aftermath

The British had won a tactical victory at high cost. They could have suffered a disastrous defeat had Mayer and Erasmus in particular not been cautious and indecisive commanders.

Yule's men were unable to contemplate attacking Impati Mountain, which held Dundee's water supply. They marched and countermarched beneath the hill for two days under intermittent shellfire. Other Boer forces had cut the British line of supply and retreat. Finally, despairing of help, the British force retreated across country at night. After a four-day march of 64 miles, they reached the temporary safety of Ladysmith.

Sources

Goodby Dolly Gray, Rayne Kruger, New English Library, 1964

External links

free-ebooks-uk The Great Boer War