Battle of ElandslaAGEN
| date | October 21, 1899 |
|---|---|
| place | ElandslaAGEN , Natal , South Africa |
| output | British victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
|
|
|
| Troop strength | |
| 4,000 men | 2,000 men |
| losses | |
|
261 dead and wounded |
approx. 500 dead and wounded |
Talana Hill - ElandslaAGEN - Modder River - Stormberg - Magersfontein - Colenso - Spion Kop - Paardeberg - Ladysmith - Sanna's Post - Mafeking
The Battle of ElandslaAGEN was a battle in the Second Boer War . It was one of the few battles in this conflict that was clearly won tactically by the British. However, the British lost the advantage they had just gained by withdrawing early.
prehistory
After Boer soldiers invaded Natal , they occupied the Elandslaagt railway station on October 19, 1899 under General Kock , thus breaking the connection between the main forces of the British Army in Ladysmith and their detachment in Dundee . When the British noticed that the telegraph lines were broken, General White dispatched his cavalry commander, John French , to retake the station.
On the morning of October 21, when French reached ElandslaAGEN, he found strong Boer forces there. The Boers also had two field cannons. French telegraphed to Ladysmith for reinforcements, who arrived shortly afterwards.
The battle
While three batteries field guns fired at the positions Boer and an infantry battalion in order open attack the Boers frontal, circumventing two more battalions and dismounted Imperial Light Horse - cavalry under Colonel Hamilton the left flank of Buren. The sky had been cloudy the whole time and when the British attacked, a storm broke out. Despite poor visibility, pouring rain and a few barbed wire entanglements , the British soon managed to occupy most of the Boer positions.
When the first Boers were already beginning to surrender, General Kock launched a counterattack that initially drove the British back. However, Hamilton managed to regroup his troops and repel the attack. General Kock was killed in the process.
The remaining Boers mounted their horses and tried to retreat, but were attacked by two squadrons of British cavalry. This was the only British cavalry attack in the Boer War.
After the battle
The route of retreat to Ladysmith for the British detachment in Dundee would now have been clear. Sir White, however, feared a Boer attack on Ladysmith and therefore ordered the soldiers back from Elandslaiziert. The detachment in Dundee was therefore forced to retreat in a strenuous cross-country march.
Remarks
The Boers' two field cannons had previously captured them from the British during the Jameson Raid .
The battle in literature
- The battle is described in detail in the second part of the novel People Without Space by Hans Grimm (pages 454–475). In it the main character Cornelius Friebott takes part in the fight on the part of the Boers and is wounded.
- In his biography "23 Years of Storm and Sunshine in South Africa", Boer Commander Adolf Schiel , who was wounded during the battle, describes his view of the battle. Verlag FA Brockhaus, Leipzig 1902, p. 413 ff.
Web links
- The Great Boer War Arthur Conan Doyle: The Great Boer War , London 1902, Smith, Elder & Co., Chapter VI, Elandslaracht and Rietfontein (English)