Battle of Driefontein

Last updated
Battle of Driefontein
Part of Second Boer War
Illiustratsiia k stat'e <<Abraamskraal'>>. Voennaia entsiklopediia Sytina. Tom 1 (SPb., 1911--1915).jpg
Date10 March 1900
Location
Result British victory
Belligerents
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Flag of Transvaal.svg  South African Republic
Flag of the Orange Free State.svg  Orange Free State
Commanders and leaders
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lord Roberts
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Robert George Broadwood
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Thomas Kelly-Kenny [1]
Flag of the Orange Free State.svg Christiaan de Wet
Strength
~6000 men
2 Vickers guns [1]
Casualties and losses
82 killed
342 wounded [2]
102 killed
22 POW [2]

The Battle of Driefontein on 10 March 1900 followed on the Battle of Poplar Grove in the Second Boer War between the British Empire and the Boer republics, in what is now South Africa. In the first half of 1900, the British made an offensive towards the two Boer republic capitals of Bloemfontein and Pretoria.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Battle

Original lithograph caption: A Gallant Feat. Private Martin Hanlon, C.I.V., getting water for the wounded during a fight near Bloemfontein. His horse was shot under him, and he had to make his way back - a distance of eight miles - on foot. From Forbes and Atteridge: Battles of the Nineteenth Century, 1901. C.I.V. means City of London Imperial Volunteers. A Gallant Feat (Forbes and Atteridge, Battles of the Nineteenth Century, 1901).jpg
Original lithograph caption: A Gallant Feat. Private Martin Hanlon, C.I.V., getting water for the wounded during a fight near Bloemfontein. His horse was shot under him, and he had to make his way back - a distance of eight miles - on foot. From Forbes and Atteridge: Battles of the Nineteenth Century, 1901. C.I.V. means City of London Imperial Volunteers.

The Boer forces under the command of Christiaan de Wet were holding a 7-mile (11 km) line covering the approach to Bloemfontein. Lord Roberts subsequently ordered a division under Lieutenant General Thomas Kelly-Kenny to attack the position from the front, while Lieutenant General Charles Tucker's division moved against its left flank. [3] The Boers were subsequently forced to withdraw losing 124 men killed and captured, while the British lost 82 killed and 342 wounded. [2] [4] [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Boer War</span> 1899–1902 war in South Africa

The Second Boer War, also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics over the Empire's influence in Southern Africa from 1899 to 1902.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Aylmer Maxwell</span> British Indian Army general and recipient of the Victoria Cross

Brigadier-General Francis Aylmer Maxwell, was a British Army officer in the Second Boer War and First World War. He was also a recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Paardeberg</span> 1900 battle of the Second Boer War

The Battle of Paardeberg or Perdeberg was a major battle during the Second Anglo-Boer War. It was fought near Paardeberg Drift on the banks of the Modder River in the Orange Free State near Kimberley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Boomplaats</span>

The Battle of Boomplaats was fought near Jagersfontein at 29°50′53.47″S25°38′56.54″E on 29 August 1848 between the British and the Voortrekkers. The British were led by Sir Harry Smith, while the Boers were led by Andries Pretorius. The British were victorious after one Boer opened fire too early and betrayed their position.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Magersfontein</span> 1899 battle of the Second Boer War

The Battle of Magersfontein was fought on 11 December 1899, at Magersfontein, near Kimberley, South Africa, on the borders of the Cape Colony and the independent republic of the Orange Free State. British forces under Lieutenant General Lord Methuen were advancing north along the railway line from the Cape to relieve the siege of Kimberley, but their path was blocked at Magersfontein by a Boer force that was entrenched in the surrounding hills. The British had already fought a series of battles with the Boers, most recently at Modder River, where the advance was temporarily halted.

The Battle of Sanna's Post was an engagement fought during the Second Boer War (1899–1902) between the British Empire and the Boers of the two independent republics of the Orange Free State and the South African Republic.

<i>The Great Boer War</i> 1900 book by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Great Boer War is a non-fiction work on the Boer War by Arthur Conan Doyle and first published in 1900 by Smith, Elder & Co. By the end of the war in 1902 the book had been published in 16 editions, constantly revised by Doyle. The Introduction describes the book as:

A very thorough account, including tables at the end of those killed or wounded up until the 8th September when he left South Africa. This account is compiled with as much accuracy as was attainable at this date, and with as much detail as a single volume will permit. In frequent conversations with Boers, Conan Doyle has endeavoured to get their views upon both political and military questions. Often the only documents he had to consult were the convalescent officers and men under his care, therefore some errors may have crept in. The closing scenes of the Boer War have necessarily been treated with less detail than the earlier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen's South Africa Medal</span> Award

The Queen's South Africa Medal is a British campaign medal awarded to British and Colonial military personnel, and to civilians employed in an official capacity, who served in the Second Boer War in South Africa. Altogether twenty-six clasps were awarded, to indicate participation in particular actions and campaigns.

Brigadier-General Arthur Henry Seton Hart-Synnot, (1870–1942) was a British Army general who saw service in the South African War; then in Japan, Hong Kong, Burma, and India; and finally in France in the First World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Kimberley</span> 1899–1900 battle of the Second Boer War

The siege of Kimberley took place during the Second Boer War at Kimberley, Cape Colony, when Boer forces from the Orange Free State and the Transvaal besieged the diamond mining town. The Boers moved quickly to try to capture the area when war broke out between the British and the two Boer republics in October 1899. The town was ill-prepared, but the defenders organised an energetic and effective improvised defence that was able to prevent it from being taken.

Marshall's Horse was a South African cavalry unit formed in 1899 at the start of the Second Boer War to provide military support for the British campaign. The unit was created from the Uitenhage Rifles and 1st City (Grahamstown) Volunteers. They formed in Grahamstown, initially comprising 244 members before rising to 500 in late 1899. The unit's first commanding officer was Major George Marshall CMG.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Scobell</span> British general (1859–1912)

Major-General Sir Henry Jenner Scobell, KCVO, CB was a British military leader who served as the last officer in command of Cape Colony before the formation of the Union of South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military history of Australia during the Second Boer War</span>

The military history of Australia during the Boer War is complex, and includes a period of history in which the six formerly autonomous British Australian colonies federated to become the Commonwealth of Australia. At the outbreak of the Second Boer War, each of these separate colonies maintained their own, independent military forces, but by the cessation of hostilities, these six armies had come under a centralised command to form the Australian Army.

Lieutenant-General Sir Geoffrey Weston Howard, was a British Army officer who commanded the 5th Division.

The 1st Australian Horse was a mounted infantry regiment of the Colony of New South Wales that was formed in 1897. The 1st Australian Horse wore distinctive myrtle green uniforms with black embroidery.

Colonel Sir George Murray Home Stirling, 9th Baronet CBE DSO was a Scottish British Army officer who was Lord Lieutenant of Stirlingshire from 1936 until 1949.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Australian Mounted Rifles</span> Military unit

The South Australian Mounted Rifles (SAMR) was a mounted infantry unit of the Colony of South Australia that served in the Second Boer War. The first contingent of South Australian Mounted Rifles was raised in 1899, followed by a second contingent in 1900.

The Australian Regiment was a regiment of troops from the Australian colonies that served in the Second Boer War. It began its existence as infantry but was soon mounted due to the conditions of the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Inglefield</span> British Army officer

Major-General Francis Seymour Inglefield (1855–1930) was a British Army officer.

References

  1. 1 2 "THE BOER WAR". The Barrier Miner . 13 March 1900.
  2. 1 2 3 Micheal Clodfelter (9 May 2017). Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures, 1492-2015, 4th ed. McFarland. p. 212. ISBN   978-0-7864-7470-7.
  3. Laffin, John (1986). Brassey's Battles: 3,500 Years of Conflict, Campaigns and Wars from A-Z. London: Brassey's Defence Publishers. p. 150. ISBN   0080311857.
  4. Conan Doyle, A.C. (1902). "The Great Boer War, London, Smith, Elder & Co., 1902. CHAPTER XX Roberts' Advance on Bloemfontein". pinetreeweb.com. Smith, Elder & Co. Archived from the original on 10 February 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  5. Rickard, John (2 March 2007). "Battle of Driefontein, 10 March 1900". historyofwar.org. Military History Encyclopedia on the Web. Retrieved 30 April 2023.