Battle of Driefontein
| Battle of Driefontein | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Second Boer War | |||||||
.jpg) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United Kingdom |
 South African Republic Orange Free State | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Lord Roberts Robert George Broadwood Thomas Kelly-Kenny[1] |
Christiaan de Wet | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown |
~6,000 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]
Battle
[edit].jpg)
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]
British Order of Battle
[edit]| Infantry Units | Mounted Units |
|---|---|
| 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards | 2nd Dragoons |
| 1st Battalion Essex Regiment | 6th Dragoons |
| 1st Battalion Gordon Highlanders | 14th Hussars |
| 2nd Battalion East Kent Regiment | 12th Lancers |
| 1st Battalion Oxfordshire Light Infantry Regiment | 16th Lancers |
| 1st Battalion Welch Regiment | Royal Horse Guards |
| 1st Battalion Yorkshire Regiment | 1st Battalion Life Guards |
| 2nd Battalion Life Guards |
Order of Battle[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "THE BOER WAR". The Barrier Miner. 13 March 1900.
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Rickard, John (2 March 2007). "Battle of Driefontein, 10 March 1900". historyofwar.org. Military History Encyclopedia on the Web. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
- ^ Army, The British (5 May 1903), English: A description of all units, casualties, and battles of the Second Boer War (PDF), retrieved 28 August 2024
External links
[edit]- "BRITISH VICTORY AT DRIEFONTEIN. Clutha Leader, Volume XXVI, Issue 1384, 16 March 1900, Page 5". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 16 March 1900. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- Stirling, John. "The Boer Wars 1880-1881 & 1899-1902. THE NORFOLK REGIMENT. Extract taken from 'Our Regiments in South Africa' by John Stirling published by Naval and Military Press Ltd". boer-war.com. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
28°59′37″S 25°39′50″E / 28.99361°S 25.66389°E
