Battle of Stormberg
Map of the battlefield
| date | December 10, 1899 |
|---|---|
| place | Stormberg , Cape Colony , South Africa |
| output | Victory of the Boers |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 1,200 infantry 250 mounted infantry 12 cannons |
2,300 |
| losses | |
|
135 dead and use. |
few, exact number unknown |
Talana Hill - ElandslaAGEN - Modder River - Stormberg - Magersfontein - Colenso - Spion Kop - Paardeberg - Ladysmith - Sanna's Post - Mafeking
The Battle of Stormberg was a battle in the Second Boer War . It was the British 'first defeat in Black Week , when three British associations were defeated by irregular Boer forces within a week .
prehistory
The British plan for action against the Boer states provided that a division under General William Gatacre should secure the area south of the Orange Free State . Gatacre had to send troops to Natal, which was also threatened by the Boers . He therefore reached his area of operation late and with a reduced number of troops. In the meantime, Boers from the Orange Free State had already attacked the important railway junctions De Aar and Stormberg.
Gatacre learned of Stormberg's loss on December 8th and decided to immediately counterattack. 1,800 soldiers were brought by train to Molteno on December 9th , the last railway station before Stormberg that was still in British hands. From there they were to attack the Kissieberg, a hill that dominated the Boer positions. Since there was no time left for reconnaissance due to the rush and the preparations were hasty, the troops were already exhausted when they reached Molteno.
The battle
When the British reached Kissieberg on the morning of December 10th, a small Boer position with three cannons opened fire. Actually, the British should have bypassed the Kissieberg to force the Boers to retreat when about half of the British infantry attacked the hill without orders. However, they found the hill impregnable from this side due to steep cliffs. British artillery opened fire but only hit its own troops.
The remaining British soldiers began to retreat in disarray. Gatacre then issued a withdrawal order on Molteno. Meanwhile mounted Boer reinforcements had arrived and attacked from two sides. The retreat of the exhausted British was covered by mounted infantry and artillery, with two cannons lost. It was only in Molteno that Gatacre noticed that 600 men had been left behind on the Kissieberg. Hopelessly cut off, they were forced to surrender .
After the battle
The Boers were initially unable to realize the opportunities that arose for them from Gatacre's defeat. When they tried to do so later, British reinforcements had already arrived and secured the area around Molteno.
See also
Web links
- The Great Boer War Arthur Conan Doyle: The Great Boer War , Chapter X: The Battle of Stormberg