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Military History – South Africa – Europe – England 19th Century
.Article – Online Historic Information | Military
.Page 202
P
Paardeberg, Battle of,
18–27 February 1900
The Boer attempt to withdraw to the east from Magersfontein when Kimberley was relieved was
hampered by the families and goods of the burghers. This enabled the British to surround them
between Paardeberg and Vendutie Drifts on the Modder River. Lord Kitchener failed to take the Boer
laager by storm and Lord Roberts then presided over a siege which ended in the surrender of the
entire Boer force, giving the new Commander-in-Chief an encouraging victory and the Boers their
first major set-back of the conventional phases of the war. An attempt by De Wet to raise the siege
failed.
As Lieutenant-general Sir John French developed his flanking movement to relieve Kimberley,
passing to the east of Magersfontein, Assistant Commandant-general Piet Cronjé was forced to
recognise that his position entrenched there was untenable. He could either go west, which would cut
him off from the Transvaal and the Orange Free State, or head east for Bloemfontein. He chose the
latter and the cumbersome convoy of 400 wagons, horses, men, women and children moved off on 15
February, passing to the north of the 6th Division encamped at Klip Drift during the night. At dawn
they were seen and actions against their rearguard developed and continued all day. From the south
the British summoned Major-general H. A. MacDonald’s 3rd (Highland) Brigade and Major-general
H. L. Smith-Dorrien’s 19th Brigade and the next day, 17 February, they came up to the south of
Paardeberg Drift while French’s cavalry, or what part of it remained operational after the extreme
exertions of relieving Kimberley, cut off Boer movement to the north-east. The 2nd Cavalry Brigade
under Colonel R. G. Broadwood occupied the kopjes north of the Modder River, crossing at Vendutie
Drift, east of Paardeberg, and the Royal Horse Artillery opened fire. The surprise was complete.
The senior British officer present was Lieutenant-general T. Kelly-Kenny and he made ready to
besiege the Boers. Lord Roberts, the Commander-in-Chief, was ill but his Chief of Staff, Majorgeneral Lord Kitchener, although with no staff, arrived and assumed command over his senior officer.
Kitchener decided to attack across the river from the south-east while, on the flanks, pincer
movements would contain the Boers. This complicated operation was made more difficult by
Kitchener’s
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