A quick email to my friend (Old Friend!)
Africa Travel Services for his notes on
Driefontein (Three Springs) yielded the following, which includes a run-up to the Battle of Driefontein:
15 Feb - Relieve of Kimberley by French circling from the east using a classic cavalry charge over Reit and Modder Rivers (104 days)
Broadwood - formerly relieves Kimberley
British provisions for 140,000 men in 170 wagons & 3000 oxen at Riet & Modder Rivers taken by De Wet @ Waterval Drift.
16 Feb - Roberts moves HQ to Jacobsdal
French finds Cronje's laager stretching six miles, includes woman and children
17 Feb - Robert�s first proclamation
18 Feb - Battle of Paardeberg, North bank on Modderrivier, Cronje's wagon laager halted, 10 Kms long, Kitchener orders frontal attack, 2,200 Brits killed, the most ever died in Battle while under Kitcheners command, Roberts was ill at the time, Roberts later stops the suicides.
27 Feb (Majuba Day)
Paardeberg @ 06h00 Surrender of Cronje with 4000 men to Roberts. De Wet takes Oskoppies (now Kitcheners Koppie) south of Cronje on the Modder River to make his escape, Cronje refuses and De Wet was forced to retire. Danie Theron establishes communications across the Modder River with Boers. Kitchener critised for using a frontal attack causing unnecessary British causalities.
Kruger on hearing the news states "They have taken my Majuba Day away"
Cronje & his wife where both sent to St Helena.
28 Feb - Buller�s final attempt # 4
Battle of Tugela Heights (also know as Colenso, Harts Hill & Pieters Hill) Boers retreated under heavy pressure, Siege lasted 118 Days
7 March - Battle of Poplar Grove, Kruger, Steyn, De Wet and De la Rey where almost captured, in vain De Wet attempts to stop Roberts
10 March - Battle of Driefontein, (Abraham's Kraal)
Lord Roberts split his forces into 3 columns about 16 kms apart, Gen Sir John French was leading his cavalry south of the Boer positions but Dela Rey had anticipated this and French rides straight into the Boer position which was setup to give Kruger time to build defences in Bloemfontein, 150 Boers hold 10,000 of French's colomn, when artillery arrived De la Rey retreats.
This site is near Bloemfontein between Paardeberg & west of Bloemfontein
The only one on my file is a Lt Parsons of the Essex Reg buried in Driefontein Cemetery with a VC , apparently awarded after a bayonet charge against the Boers The dates supplied don't correlate with my time line, that doesn't mean his dates are incorrect as British scouting parties where frequent
13 March - Capture of Bloemfontein, Roberts met no resistance, OFS government moved to Kroonstad.
Within 6 weeks over 5,000 British troops where down with Typhoid (enteric fever) due to bad water and conditions on the Modder River, because of the Boer Laager upstream.
From a total of 22,000 British dead it is estimated that 14,000 died from Typhoid.
Roberts orders farms to be burnt
15 March - Roberts first proclamation, amnesty except for the leaders,
The destruction of the farms in an attempt to stop Boer supplies
16 March - Roberts names OFS -- Orange Free Colony
Well HBB there you go as far as the Global Village! I am forwarding your links to Bob so he can have a look at them also.
Pieter
