The Battle of Talana

20 October 1899

Pam McFadden

Pam McFadden grew up in northern KwaZulu-Natal and her fascination with the military history and stories of the area began at an early age. She has done considerable research into the military conflicts fought in the vicinity of Dundee and regularly conducts tours around these battlefields. Her involvement in promoting the battlefields and establishing the Battlefields Route has resulted in greater awareness of them and an increasing number of visitors to them.

The Anglo-Boer War Battle Series: The Battle of Talana: 20 October 1899 (978-1-928359-70-8 eBook) The Battle of Elandslaagte: 21 October 1899 (978-1-928359-67-8 eBook) The Battle of Modder Spruit and Tchrengula: The Fight for Ladysmith, 30 October 1899 (978-1-928359-68-5 eBook) The Battle of Colenso: 15 December 1899 (978-1-928359-66-1 eBook) The Battle of Spioenkop: 23–24 January 1900 (978-1-928359-69-2 eBook) The Battle of Vaalkrans: 5–7 February 1900 (978-1-928359-71-5 eBook) The Siege of Ladysmith: 2 November 1899–28 February 1900 (978-1-928359-73-95 eBook) The Relief of Ladysmith: Breakthrough at Thukela Heights: 13–28 February 1900 (978-1-928359-72-2 eBook) A Guide to the Anglo-Boer War Sites of KwaZulu-Natal (978-1-928359-62-3 eBook) The Anglo-Boer War Sites of KwaZulu-Natal: boxed set of 9 titles (978-1-928359-65-4 eBook)

First published in 1999 by Ravan Press

This edition published in 2014 by: 30° South Publishers (Pty) Ltd 16 Ivy Road Pinetown 3610 [email protected] www.30degreessouth.co.za

ISBN 978-1-928211-39-6 (Paperback) ISBN 978-1-928359-70-8 (eBook)

Copyright © Pam McFadden, 2014

Designed & typeset by Blair Couper Cover design by Kerrin Cocks Cartography by Toni Bodington & Olive Anderson, Cartographic Unit, University of Natal () & Phil Wright Photographs & sketches courtesy of the Talana Museum, Ken Gillings and the author Printed by Pinetown Printers, , South Africa

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, manipulated in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any mechanical, electronic form or by any other means, without the prior written authority of the publishers, except for short extracts in media reviews. Any person who engages in any unauthorized activity in relation to this publication shall be liable to criminal prosecution and claims for civil and criminal damages.

Contents Contents Preface Introduction The first encounter The start of the battle The attack up the hill The Boer withdrawal The capture of the cavalry Counting the cost Retreat to Ladysmith Conclusion Dundee under occupation Forces engaged The battlefield today Additional reading

Preface This Battle Book series has been written to make information, photographs and maps of the most significant Anglo-Boer War sites in KwaZulu-Natal more readily available. The books are not exhaustive studies of the various sites but rather field guides, designed to assist the reader in interpreting the terrain and understanding the events. Although the Battle Books form a series, each book has been fully contextualized and can be followed on its own. Contributors to this series share a long-term interest in the Anglo-Boer War and have each made their own unique contribution to the historiography and understanding of the conflict. With the assistance of an editorial committee, every effort has been made to maintain balance and accuracy. A slightly flexible approach has been adopted to the spelling of names. As a general rule, the most recent spelling utilized on the state’s Survey and Mapping 1:50 000 maps has been adopted. Thus for instance Laing’s Nek becomes Lang’s Nek. Where the name used to describe a topographical feature differs significantly from that in the historical literature to that appearing on the map, then the one used in the books and documents is adopted. The spelling of the river Thukela (Tugela) presents a slight problem. On maps it is spelt as given in the brackets. However, in most current academic historical literature the former form has been adopted, which spelling has been followed in this series of books.

Introduction At the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War on 11 October 1899, Britain had 27 054 troops of all ranks, both imperial and colonial, deployed over a wide area of southern Africa. The concentration of forces was in Natal, with Ladysmith as their base. A detachment of 4 000-4 500 men, under the command of Major- General Sir William Penn Symons, had been sent forward to Dundee, arriving in the latter part of September. British military consensus held that the northern Natal triangle, vulnerable to attack from several points from across the Buffalo River and over the Drakensberg, should not be defended and the principal towns evacuated. However, a strong lobby, swayed by colonial mining interests, demanded the defence of Dundee and Elandslaagte; their mines were vital to the shipping companies. The British Government was relying on the shipping companies to transport men and materials from Britain and the Empire. Moreover, rebellion by dissident Boers in the Biggarsberg and by disaffected Africans was a real threat. The decision was therefore taken to defend Dundee.

Major-General Sir William Penn Symons (1843–1899). He was educated at Sandhurst and joined the 24th Regiment in 1863. He served with his regiment in a number of campaigns and saw service in many countries. He was involved in the Anglo-Zulu war in 1879 and wrote a report on the . Shortly before the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War he was posted to Natal with orders to take precautionary measures on the northern borders.

Symons was familiar with the area and its inhibitants. Twenty years earlier, after the disaster at Isandlwana, he had spent two months in Fort Jones, a sod fort which had been constructed on what was later to become part of the town of Dundee. British intelligence relied on the Natal Scouts and Basuto guides. Their knowledge of the area and that of Boer movements was excellent. Once the decision was made to defend Dundee and the British troops started arriving from 25 September onwards, Symons made special arrangements for the evacuation of the women and children from Dundee. Not all of them left, however, as they had been assured by Sir Harry Escombe, ex-Prime Minister of Natal, that there was no danger from the Boer forces. He was later to escape from Dundee dressed as a fat old lady on the post cart. Asked what his plans were in case of attack, Symons asserted that he “had no plans but would be guided by circumstances”. No attempt was made to picket the hills around Dundee, to prevent the Boer forces from occupying them. Dundee is surrounded by a ring of hills with Mpati Mountain – “the place of good waters” – being of strategic importance as it was the source of the town’s water supply.

A in Newcastle on its way south into Natal.

Commandant-General Piet Joubert and staff having breakfast in Newcastle on 17 October 1899.

The military aims of the Boers were to neutralise the British forces threatening their sovereignty. They therefore decided to strike with significant numbers at the British forces, with the largest force focusing on Natal. The Boer leadership was expecting the biggest British attacks to come from Natal. The biggest concentration of Boer commandos was therefore centred on the northern triangle of Natal. At various Drakensberg passes, mainly opposite Ladysmith, there were between 6 000 and 8 000 burghers. A little further north, at Botha’s Pass, were the German Corps and Commando, numbering approximately 1 200 men. Still further north, near Volkskrust, was the South African Replubic’s Commandant-General PJ Joubert with 10 000 to 12 000 burghers. At Wakkerstroom were the local commando and that from Ermelo, totalling 1 800 to 2 000 burghers and at Doringkop, opposite Dundee, lay the Utrecht, Vryheid and Piet Retief commandos, numbering between 1 500 and 2 000 burghers. The Boer force poised to enter northern Natal thus numbered between 20 500 and 25 200. Once the Boers entered Natal they organised themselves into three columns. General Kock led the Johannesburg Commando and the Hollander and German Corps directly south over Mkupe Pass towards Elandslaagte Colliery and the railway station. General DJE ‘Maroela’ Erasmus with 4 000 men from Pretoria, Heidelberg and Boksburg, moved south-east through Danhauser and Hattingspruit. Swinging east, General Lucas Meyer led the Middleburg and Wakkerstroom commandos towards Utrecht and Vryheid to raise support in those areas. These two forces congregated at the Doornberg, the large flat mountain 19 kilometres to the north-east of Dundee, near the Blood River battlefield. Here they were led in prayer before advancing on Dundee. Their aim was to control the high areas around the town. Dietlof van Warmelo describes how he and the men with him moved from the Doornberg to occupy Mpati mountain: Before the commando started, a terrible thunderstorm came on that slowly passed over and was followed by gentle rain. We rode hard in the dark, through dongas, past farms and houses, zigzagging in a half-circle, to the mountains of Dundee…we had to await the dawn in the cold, drenched to the skin. A mackintosh is of small service in such rain. When the day dawned…a thick fog had come on. General Lucas Meyer was to begin the attack on the west, and we were to surprise the enemy from the heights. ‘Maroela’ Erasmus and his burghers were to hold Mpati mountain. Talana and Lennox (known also as little Talana) were to be occupied by Lucas Meyer and his 3 500 men.

General D.J.E. “Maroela” Erasmus (1845–1914). During the First Anglo-Boer War he was involved at Bronkhorstspruit and was wounded in a later engagement. He became commandant of the Pretoria commando and was a member of the Volksraad.

Lucas Meyer (1846–1902). He grew up in Natal, settled in Utrecht and became a field cornet. He fought in the battle of Ingogo (1880) where he was wounded. He served as landdrost in Utrecht and with the formation of the New Replublic became its president. When the New Republic merged with the ZAR he eventually became chairman of the Volksraad. At the outbreak of the war he held command in Natal as a general.

The first encounter On Friday morning at 03:20 in the wet, inky darkeness, Meyer’s advance guard clashed with Lieutenant Grimshaw’s picket some four kilometres beyond Smith’s Nek, which is the saddle between Talana and Lennox hills, along the present road to Vryheid. In this engagement the horses were stampeded, men wounded and the British picket forced to withdraw. A message to the British camp and Symons did not elicit any alarm. Symons believed this to be a raiding party, despite being warned the previous morning that an attack was imminent. It was only when a second message from Grimshaw was received to the effect that he and his men had taken up a new position in the bed of the Steenkoolspruit (also known as the Sandspruit) to prevent any further forward movement by the Boers that Symons sent out two infantry companies of the in support. By first light on the morning of the 20th the Boer forces had taken up their positions. On Talana Hill the commandos from Utrecht, Wakkerstroom, Krugersdorp, and a portion of the , together with three guns (two Krupp 75mm and one Creusot 75mm) under Major Wolmarans of the Staats Artillerie were ready and waiting. On Lennox Hill the commandos from Vryheid, Middelburg, Piet Retief and a few men from Bethal had taken up their position. Three guns were kept behind Lennox and were not used during the battle.

The members of the Dundee Town Guard and the Dundee Rifle Association who fought alongside the British forces in the battle of Talana.

The terrain over which the British troops advanced to attack the Boers on Talana Hill. Also visible is the plantation they passed through and the last stone wall along the upper terrace.

The start of the battle At daybreak the tops of the hills were covered in swirling mist. In the British camp, life started as usual with the troops standing to at 05:00 they were dismissed to get breakfast, water the horses and start the usual camp fatigues (duties). As the mist slowly swirled away from the top of Talana Hill the troops in camp could clearly see figures silhouetted against the skyline. Were they the Town Guard, the men sent out during the night, or the Boers? While waiting for signs of movement on Mpati mountain from ‘Maroela’ Erasmus, whose instructions were to support him in the attack, an anxious Lucas Meyer inspected the positions on Lennox. Erasmus’ position on Mpati was some 335m higher than Talana and was covered in mist for much of the early morning. Meyer soon returned to the top of Talana where the men were urging him to give them permission to “say good morning to the British”. Meyer eventually gave permission for the first shells to be fired. The Boers soon found the range, with their second shell landing near the entrance to Symons’s tent. It failed to explode as it buried itself in the damp ground. It was now about 05:40. Although confusion reigned briefly in the British camp, discipline and training soon prevailed. The 67th artillery battery immediately opened fire on Talana Hill but at 3 230 metres distant it was slightly out of range. Within 15 minutes the 69th and 13th batteries had limbered up and advanced to a knoll just south of the town from where they promptly opened fire on Talana Hill. Gunner Netley recorded his impression of the rapid movement through the town where the civilians were “supplying the men with coffee and cocoa, also some bread and butter, which comes very acceptable indeed”. The British bombardment of the hilltop was accurate. “Talana se kruin het ‘n ware hel van barstendebomme en vliegendeklipsplintersgeword.” (The crown of Talana Hill became a hell of bursting bombs and flying rock splinters.) Major Wolmarans withdrew his guns from the forward slopes of the hill to safety and thus they took no further part in the battle.

‘British troops advancing up the lower slopes of Talana Hill.