Battle of Elands River (1901)
| Battle of Elands River | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Second Boer War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United Kingdom |
 Orange Free State | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Captain Sandeman | Jan Smuts | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 130 | 250 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 29 killed, 41 wounded, 60 captured | 1 killed, 6 wounded | ||||||
In the Battle of Elands River on September 17, 1901 a Boer raiding force under Jan Smuts destroyed a British cavalry company led by Captain Sandeman during the Second Boer War.
Background
After a year of guerilla war, the Boer leaders decided to send significant raiding forces into the Cape Colony and Natal. About 1000 Boers in six commandos already operated in the Cape Colony. The Boer leaders hoped to cause an uprising in that Dutch-majority territory or at least to widen the theater of war beyond the Boer republics of Orange Free State and Transvaal. Smuts led a commando south into the Cape Colony, while Louis Botha attempted to cross into Natal.
In fact, earlier Boer raids into the Cape Colony proved unsuccessful. All had been eventually hounded out by British mounted columns and had suffered painful losses. Smuts believed he could do better.[1]
The raid
During the trek south to the Orange River, Smuts' commando lost 36 men. He finally crossed at Kiba Drift on September 3.[2] Major General Fitzroy Hart's British force had been guarding the ford, but General Herbert Kitchener mistakenly sent them away on another mission.[3] Africans attacked the Boers on February 4, killing three and wounding seven with spears and ancient guns before being driven off with serious losses. On February 7, Smuts went on a scout near Mordenaar's Poort (Murderer's Gorge). All three of his companions were shot by the British and Smuts barely escaped.[4]
The cold spring rains tormented both men and horses as British pursuing columns under the overall command of Major General Sir John French closed in on Smuts' raiders. On February 13, the Boers were cornered atop Stormberg Mountain and only escaped when a friendly guide appeared and led them down a precipitous path to safety. The night of September 15 nearly finished the raiders as freezing rain killed over 60 ponies and fourteen men went missing. In front of the Boers, every mountain pass was reportedly held by the British.[5]
Battle
On February 17, as Smuts' commando threaded through a gorge that opened out into the Elands River valley, a farmer informed them that a British force held the pass at Elands River Poort. Smuts commented, "If we don't get those horses and a supply of ammunition, we're done for."[6] The British were C Squadron of the 17th Lancers. When Smuts' vanguard ran head on into a lancer patrol, the British hesitated to fire because many of the Boers wore captured British uniforms. The Boers immediately opened fire and attacked in front while Smuts led the remainder of his force to attack the British camp from the rear.
Since the Boers were hardened fighters while the British were "relative amateurs"[7] and confused because their enemies wore khaki, the resulting combat was a one-sided massacre. All six British officers were hit and four were killed, only Captain Sandeman and Lord Vivian surviving. The 17th Lancers lost 29 killed and 41 wounded before surrendering. Boer losses were only one killed and six wounded. One Boer noted, "We all had fresh horses, fresh rifles, clothing, saddlery, boots and more ammunition than we could carry away, as well as supplies for every man."[8] The Boers destroyed the lone field gun that they captured.
Aftermath
Smuts and his commando were able to operate for many months in the Cape Colony. Ultimately, 250 Boers were unable to affect the course of the war because, by this time, the Dutch in the Cape Colony were mostly convinced that the Boer republics were losing the war.[9] In addition, while Boers captured in the republics were treated as prisoners of war, Boer fighters captured from the Cape Colony were sometimes treated as rebellious subjects and executed by the British. On the other hand, the British refrained from burning Dutch farms in the Cape Colony as a matter of political policy.
Sources
- Pakenham, Thomas. The Boer War. New York: Avon Books, 1979. ISBN 0-380-72001-9