Battle of Elandsfontein

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Battle of Elandsfontein" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (October 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Battle of Elandsfontein
Part of the First Boer War
Aftermath of the battle, in the foreground are British soldiers on patrol, a 7-pounder gun, and British Army Officers.
Date 16 January 1881 Location Elandsfontein, South Africa 25°45′00″S 28°01′59″E / 25.75000°S 28.03306°E / -25.75000; 28.03306 (Battle of Elandsfontein) Result Boer victory
Belligerents
South African Republic	United Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Unknown	Lt-Col George Frederick Gildea Col William Bellairs Lieutenant J.W. Glynn
Strength
Unknown	154 Pretoria Volunteers 129 Royal Scots Fusiliers 74 Pretoria Carbineers 62 Cavalry 39 men of the Royal Artillery 30 men of the 94th Regiment 170 mounted men including 45 mounted infantry a 9 and 7 pounder field gun a gun mounted cart
Casualties and losses
8 wounded	4 men killed and 6 wounded
class=notpageimage| Location within South Africa

The Battle of Elandsfontein on 11 January 1881 was a military engagement during the First Boer War which took place at Elandsfontein ridge just west of Pretoria. During the war horses proved to be the main means of transport across the South African plains. Because of this, much effort was put in grass mowers by the British for the production of hay. It was during one such expedition to collect the necessary horse fodder on 11 January 1881 in a valley near Elandsfontein, that the British were spotted and attacked by a party of Boers. This resulted in the Boers capturing the mowing machine, a wagon and some mules while the British escaped the encounter. With the belief that their attackers had originated from a laager at Elandsfontein, an escorted expedition force was sent to the laager's believed location on 16 January 1881 to either assert dominance in the area or to destroy the camp outright.^[1]