Action at Bronkhorstspruit

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Action at Bronkhorstspruit
partof=First Boer War


caption=
date=December 20, 1880
place=A few miles east of Bronkhorstspruit, Gauteng
casus=
territory=
result=Boer victory
combatant1=flagicon|United Kingdom United Kingdom
combatant2=flagicon|Transvaal South African Republic
commander1=flagicon|United Kingdom Lieutenant-Colonel Anstruther
commander2=Unknown
strength1=268
strength2=250
casualties1=156 dead and wounded
Remainder captured
casualties2=2 dead
5 wounded

The Action at Bronkhorstspruit was one of the first serious clashes of the First Boer War. It was a skirmish between a British army column and a group of Boers, fought a few miles east of the town of Bronkhorstspruit, Gauteng on December 20, 1880.

A column of British soldiers consisting of six officers and 246 men of the 94th Regiment, as well as 12 men of the Army Service Corps and four of the Army Hospital Corps, were marching on a road to Pretoria, when at least 250 Boers appeared to the left of the column. Making use of the limited cover, the Boers crept to within 200 yards of the British. Lt. Col. Anstruther parleyed with a Boer envoy, who had brought a request from the Transvaal government to turn back. Anstruther refused, but before he could move his column into skirmish formation the Boers opened fire at 12:30 pm.

Within 15 minutes, most of the officers were killed or wounded, and the horses and oxen pulling the covered wagons at the front and rear of the column were killed, preventing any movement. Shocked by the sudden and aggressive nature of the attack, Lt. Col. Anstruther gave the order to surrender. In a battle lasting just 15 minutes, 156 British soldiers were killed or wounded, with the rest taken prisoner. Reported Boer casualties were only two killed and five wounded.

References

External links

* [http://rapidttp.com/milhist/vol052gd.html article] by South African Military History Society