This Locality Has Never
Been A Fortunate One For The British Arms.
The country is
peculiarly mountainous and broken, and it was held by the veteran
De la Rey and a numerous body of irreconcilable Boers.
Here in July
we had encountered a check at Uitval's Nek, in December Clements
had met a more severe one at Nooitgedacht, while shortly afterwards
Cunningham had been repulsed at Middelfontein, and the Light Horse
cut up at Naauwpoort. After such experiences one would have thought
that no column which was not of overmastering strength would have
been sent into this dangerous region, but General Dixon had as a
matter of fact by no means a strong force with him. With 1600 men
and a battery he was despatched upon a quest after some hidden guns
which were said to have been buried in those parts.
On May 26th Dixon's force, consisting of Derbyshires, King's Own
Scottish Borderers, Imperial Yeomanry, Scottish Horse, and six guns
(four of 8th R.F.A. and two of 28th R.F.A.), broke camp at
Naauwpoort and moved to the west. On the 28th they found themselves
at a place called Vlakfontein, immediately south of Oliphant's Nek.
On that day there were indications that there were a good many
Boers in the neighbourhood. Dixon left a guard over his camp and
then sallied out in search of the buried guns. His force was
divided into three parts, the left column under Major Chance
consisting of two guns of the 28th R.F.A., 230 of the Yeomanry, and
one company of the Derbys. The centre comprised two guns (8th R.F.
A.), one howitzer, two companies of the Scottish Borderers and one
of the Derbys; while the right was made up of two guns (8th R.F.A.
), 200 Scottish Horse, and two companies of Borderers. Having
ascertained that the guns were not there, the force about midday
was returning to the camp, when the storm broke suddenly and
fiercely upon the rearguard.
There had been some sniping during the whole morning, but no
indications of the determined attack which was about to be
delivered. The force in retiring upon the camp had become divided,
and the rearguard consisted of the small column under Major Chance
which had originally formed the left wing. A veld fire was raging
on one flank of this rearguard, and through the veil of smoke a
body of five hundred Boers charged suddenly home with magnificent
gallantry upon the guns. We have few records of a more dashing or
of a more successful action in the whole course of the war. So
rapid was it that hardly any time elapsed between the glimpse of
the first dark figures galloping through the haze and the thunder
of their hoofs as they dashed in among the gunners. The Yeomanry
were driven back and many of them shot down. The charge of the
mounted Boers was supported by a very heavy fire from a covering
party, and the gun-detachments were killed or wounded almost to a
man.
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