Battle of Belmont (1899)
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Belmont is the name of an engagement of the Second Boer War
near the town of Belmont, 23 November 1899, where the British
under Lord Methuen assaulted a Boer
position on a kopje.
Lord Methuen’s task with his division was to force his way north up the railway to raise the Boer siege of Cecil Rhodes’s diamond town, Kimberley
.
Methuen moved off from his forward base on the Orange River
, with the Naval Brigade, the Guards Brigade
, the 9th Brigade, the 9th Lancers, 2 batteries of artillery and Rimington’s scouts.
Arriving at Belmont station it was apparent that the Boers were in position on the range of Belmont Kopje behind the road to the North.
Methuen directed the Guards Brigade to advance by way of a night approach march up to the Boer positions. Delays caused by agricultural fencing and defective maps found the Guards well short of the line of Kopjes at dawn. As a result of the faulty maps, the Grenadier Guards
discovered themselves not at the exposed flank of the Boers as was planned, but at their front below a steep incline. The 9th Brigade also found themselves in open veldt when dawn broke.
The two brigades launched their attack from the open ground up onto the hills under heavy rifle fire on the exposed lines from the Boers entrenched on the crest.
British losses were 75 dead and 22 wounded; among the wounded were Lieutenant Colonel Eyre Crabbe, the commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion, Grenadier Guards
, who was back in action soon, and a war correspondent, Edward Frederick Knight
of the Morning Post
, who lost his arm to a dumdum bullet.
The Boers did not wait for the final bayonet attack, hurrying away down the far hillside to where their ponies were tethered and riding back to the next line of kopjes, pursued for some distance by a small force of 9th Lancers and Mounted Infantry
.
Following the battle for Belmont the Boers fell back to the next station on the line, Graspan, where the fighting was similar in pattern and the British suffered another 200 casualties. The Boers occupied positions on the neighbouring kopjes and were this time assaulted by the Naval Brigade with the 9th Brigade. Again the infantry advanced across open country and stormed the Boers’ hilltop positions, a small force of 9th Lancers and Mounted Infantry
giving chase to the Boers as they cantered away across the veldt on the far side of the hill line, inflicting some casualties.
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
near the town of Belmont, 23 November 1899, where the British
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
under Lord Methuen assaulted a Boer
Boer
Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...
position on a kopje.
Lord Methuen’s task with his division was to force his way north up the railway to raise the Boer siege of Cecil Rhodes’s diamond town, Kimberley
Kimberley, Northern Cape
Kimberley is a city in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. It is located near the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. The town has considerable historical significance due its diamond mining past and siege during the Second Boer War...
.
Methuen moved off from his forward base on the Orange River
Orange River
The Orange River , Gariep River, Groote River or Senqu River is the longest river in South Africa. It rises in the Drakensberg mountains in Lesotho, flowing westwards through South Africa to the Atlantic Ocean...
, with the Naval Brigade, the Guards Brigade
Brigade of Guards
The Brigade of Guards is a historical elite unit of the British Army, which has existed sporadically since the 17th century....
, the 9th Brigade, the 9th Lancers, 2 batteries of artillery and Rimington’s scouts.
Arriving at Belmont station it was apparent that the Boers were in position on the range of Belmont Kopje behind the road to the North.
Methuen directed the Guards Brigade to advance by way of a night approach march up to the Boer positions. Delays caused by agricultural fencing and defective maps found the Guards well short of the line of Kopjes at dawn. As a result of the faulty maps, the Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
discovered themselves not at the exposed flank of the Boers as was planned, but at their front below a steep incline. The 9th Brigade also found themselves in open veldt when dawn broke.
The two brigades launched their attack from the open ground up onto the hills under heavy rifle fire on the exposed lines from the Boers entrenched on the crest.
British losses were 75 dead and 22 wounded; among the wounded were Lieutenant Colonel Eyre Crabbe, the commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion, Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
, who was back in action soon, and a war correspondent, Edward Frederick Knight
Edward Frederick Knight
Edward Frederick Knight was an English barrister, soldier, journalist, and author of 20 books, many based on his dispatches as a war correspondent.-Biography:...
of the Morning Post
Morning Post
The Morning Post, as the paper was named on its masthead, was a conservative daily newspaper published in London from 1772 to 1937, when it was acquired by The Daily Telegraph.- History :...
, who lost his arm to a dumdum bullet.
The Boers did not wait for the final bayonet attack, hurrying away down the far hillside to where their ponies were tethered and riding back to the next line of kopjes, pursued for some distance by a small force of 9th Lancers and Mounted Infantry
Mounted infantry
Mounted infantry were soldiers who rode horses instead of marching, but actually fought on foot . The original dragoons were essentially mounted infantry...
.
Following the battle for Belmont the Boers fell back to the next station on the line, Graspan, where the fighting was similar in pattern and the British suffered another 200 casualties. The Boers occupied positions on the neighbouring kopjes and were this time assaulted by the Naval Brigade with the 9th Brigade. Again the infantry advanced across open country and stormed the Boers’ hilltop positions, a small force of 9th Lancers and Mounted Infantry
Mounted infantry
Mounted infantry were soldiers who rode horses instead of marching, but actually fought on foot . The original dragoons were essentially mounted infantry...
giving chase to the Boers as they cantered away across the veldt on the far side of the hill line, inflicting some casualties.