Battle of Kraaipan 1899
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 13 October 1899 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1899 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | South Africa | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Africa | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Second Boer War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | -26.2969, 25.3064 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Kraaipan was the first engagement of the Second Anglo-Boer War, fought at Kraaipan, South Africa on 12 October 1899.
On the 11 October 1899 President Paul Kruger of the South African Republic in alliance with the Orange Free State declared war on the British. That night 800 men of the Potchefstroom and Lichtenburg commandos under General Koos de la Rey (one of General Piet Cronjé's field generals) attacked and captured the British garrison and railway siding at Kraaipan between Vryburg and Mafeking, some 60 kilometres (37 mi) south west of Mafeking. Thus began the Second Anglo-Boer War. Under the orders of Cronjé the Mafeking railway and telegraph lines were cut on the same day.
The armoured train, "Mosquito", carrying two 7-pounder cannons, rifles, ammunition and supplies was derailed and after a five-hour fight the British surrendered the next morning. The cannons, rifles, ammunition, supplies and prisoners were taken. The Boer troops discovered British Mark IV ammunition (better known as dumdum) on the train.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Kraaipan (revision 1370446169), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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Other battles of the Second Boer War
- Battle of Belmont (1899) 1899
- Battle of Elandslaagte 1899
- Battle of Graspan 1899
- Battle of Ladysmith 1899
- Battle of Magersfontein 1899
- Battle of Modder River 1899
- Battle of Stormberg 1899
- Battle of Talana Hill 1899
- Relief of Ladysmith 1899
- Second Battle of Colenso 1899
All 35 battles of the Second Boer War →
Browse more: battles in South Africa · Africa · 19th century battles