Battle of Bronkhorstspruit

The Battle of Bronkhorstspruit was the first major engagement of the First Boer War. It took place by the Bronkhorst Spruit (river), a few kilometres east of the town of Bronkhorstspruit, Transvaal on 20 December 1880.

Background

On 12 April 1879 the Boer Transvaal Republic was formally annexed by the British Government. The decision was taken on the grounds of the bankruptcy of the Transvaal, and was believed to be supported by at least some of the burghers making up its male electorate. In fact the majority of the Transvaal's suffrage holders were opposed to the annexation as indicated by a petition of 6,000 out of a total number of 8,000 burghers. Only the mostly British commercial community of Pretoria were wholeheartedly in favor of this measure.

By the end of 1879 the elimination of the Zulu and Bapedi threats had removed any tolerance that the majority of the Boer population may have had for the protective presence of British troops and administrators in the Transvaal. Demonstrations were held against what was seen as an unjustifiable and unnecessary occupation. By March 1880 the election of a new Liberal Government in London, known to oppose the annexation and the reduction of the British garrison to two infantry battalions, had quieted unrest in the Transvaal. However Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, concerned with Irish and other issues, had informed the Boer leader Paul Kruger that "the Queen cannot be advised to relinquish her sovereignty over the Transvaal". On 13 December 1880 4,000 Boer burghers met near Pretoria under Kruger and Piet Joubert to preclaim the restoration of the Republic.

The small British military detachment and government office at Pretoria was now surrounded by armed Boers, as were the other scattered garrisons in the Transvaal. The bulk of the 94th Foot were ordered from Lydenburg to secure Pretoria and the British Transvaal Administrator Colonel O. Lanyon there.

Battle

A column of British soldiers comprising 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 the road from Lydenburg 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 metres/yards of the British, who were conspicuous in scarlet tunics and white helmets.

Lt.-Col. Philip Robert Anstruther had been ordered to take his troops to Pretoria because of unrest among the Boers, but had not had word of any declaration of war or of independence. An Irish regiment, the 94th Foot had seen recent active service against the Zulus at the Battle of Ulundi and the Bapedi leader Sekukini. The rear of the column was brought up by wagons and carts carrying the families and baggage of the troops.

A Boer messenger, Burgher de Beer, who spoke English well, approached the head of the column under a flag of truce and bearing a letter, and informed Lt.-Col. Anstruther that his men would shoot within a few minutes. This instruction came from the triumvirate who had declared the independence of the South African Republic from British administration. Anstruther refused to withdraw, ordering ammunition from accompanying ox carts to be distributed to a column which had been marching in unprepared order and was headed by the regimental band. The Boers opened fire, reportedly at 12:30 pm, before he could move his column into skirmish formation. De Beer had given Anstruther six minutes, but some of the Boers began firing early.

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

Aftermath

While only a relatively small-scale encounter, the Battle of Bronkhorstspruit, with its defeat of an experienced force, had a serious impact on British military prestige. It was followed by British setbacks at Laing's Nek (28 January 1881) and Ingogo (8 February 1881); and finally the major defeat at the Battle of Majuba on 27 February 1881. On 6 March a truce was agreed with the Transvaal, bringing the First Boer War to an end. Although the Transvaal accepted Royal suzerainty (subsequently revoked) the Republic achieved its effective independence.

References

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Further reading

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External links

British ladies win awards for heroism whilst under fire

{{DEFAULTSORT:Action At Bronkhorstspruit
Bronkhorstspruit
1880 in South Africa
Conflicts in 1880
December 1880 events