Battle of Laing's Nek

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Battle of Laing's Nek
Part of First Boer War
Date January 28, 1881 Location Laing's Nek, Drakensberg mountains, South Africa Result Boer victory
Combatants
Great Britain	Transvaal Boers
Commanders
Major-General Sir George Pomeroy Colley	Commandant-General Joubert
Strength
1,216	2,000
Casualties
84 dead 113 wounded 2 captured	14 dead 27 wounded

First Boer War
Bronkhorstspruit – Laing's Nek – Schuinshoogte – Majuba Hill

The Battle of Laing's Nek was a major military action fought during the First Boer War on January 28, 1881.

Laing's Nek is a pass in the foothills of the Drakensberg mountains on the Newcastle–Standerton road in Natal, South Africa where the British were attempting to fight their way through the Drakensberg range to relieve their besieged garrisons in the Transvaal. The British Natal Field Force, commanded by Major-General Sir George Pomeroy Colley, numbered around 1,216 officers and men, including about 150 cavalry of the Mounted Squadron. The Boers, under the command of Commandant-General Joubert had about 2,000 men in the area, with at least 400 fortifying the heights around Laing's Nek.

The battle began at around 9:25 hours with a heavy bombardment with four 9-pound guns and two 7-pound guns of the British Naval Brigade pounding the Boer positions on Table Mountain. Ten minutes later, the main British force, made up of the 58th Regiment, went forward and had difficulty advancing over the broken ground towards the summit. Further down the line, the Mounted Squadron made a charge against the Boer positions on nearby Brownlow's Kop. But, on reaching the summit, the British cavalry were fired upon by a line of entrenched Boers on the reverse slope and suffered many casualties, forcing them to withdraw.

By 10:30, with their threat to their flank removed, the Boers moved to attack the 58th Regiment still advancing on Table Mountain where at 11:00, at reaching the top of the summit, the British were fired upon by concealed Boers in trenches just 160 yards away and suffered even more casualties, including both commanding officers, Major Hingeston and Colonel Deane being killed. While this was happening, a small party of Boers actually advanced from their positions on the lower slopes of nearby Majuba Hill and engaged the Naval Brigade near the British camp at Mount Prospect. Return rifle fire from the British kept the Boers back. By 11:10, two companies of the 3/60th Rifles moves up Table Mountain to cover the retreat of the 58th Regiment and by noon, the battle was over.

The British lost 84 killed, 113 wounded, and 2 captured during what was perceived as a fiasco. Most of the casualties were in the 58th Regiment with 74 killed and 101 wounded, around 35% of their total strength. The Boers reported their losses at 14 killed and 27 wounded.

[edit] Notes

This was the last occasion on which British troops carried their colours into battle. Four ensigns in succession were shot down carrying the colours of the 1/58th.