Battle of Elands River (1901)
| Battle of Elands River | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Second Boer War | |||||||
17th Lancers in action at Modderfontein, after a painting by Richard Caton Woodville Jr. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| 17th Lancers, United Kingdom | South African Republic | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Captain Victor Sandeman (WIA) | Jan Smuts | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 130 | 250 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 29 killed, 41 wounded, 60 captured | 1 killed, 6 wounded | ||||||
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The Battle of Elands River took place near the Elands River Poort mountain pass on 17 September 1901 during the Second Boer War. During the battle a Boer raiding force under Jan Smuts destroyed a British cavalry squadron led by Captain Sandeman, a cousin of Winston Churchill, on the Modderfontein farm. This battle is therefore also known as the Battle of Modderfontein.