On 2 March 1902 Lieutenant-General Methuen left Vryburg with a column to locate Boer General de la Rey who was engaged in guerrilla tactics in the Western Transvaal (now North West).
His force comprised over 100 men, with most of them mounted. However many of them were inexperienced in combat. On 6 March they camped on the farm Tweebosch, approximately 80 km from Vryburg.
Early the following morning (7 March 1902) the supply column started moving with the fighting force moving out an hour later. At around 5 am the rear-guard of the column was attacked on the farm De Klipdrift as they tried to cross the Harts River at the drift from which the farm got its name.
Major Paris who was in command of the cavalry, in trying to rally his overrun men, many of whom were experiencing their first engagement with the enemy, occupied a nearby building. Methuen, together with the Northumberland Fusiliers and the North Lancashires were left to protect the wagons. After a couple of hours of fierce fighting, amongst those killed were Lieutenants Venning and Nesham of the Royal Artillery. Methuen was wounded and when resistance ceased, de la Rey took Methuen and the rest of the column prisoners. Paris and the men in the nearby building, after some heated exchanges were also overrun and taken prisoner. Methuen who had been injured was allowed to leave the Boers and return to the British in order for him to obtain the necessary medical treatment which was not available on the Boer side.
The British had 68 killed, 130 wounded and over 300 taken prisoner, including a general. They also had 6 guns taken in an embarrassing defeat. Methuen was the only General to be taken prisoner in the South African War and Lord Kitchener believed that the force he had put together to hunt down de la Rey would succeed. He immediately sent for reinforcements and placed Colonel Ian Hamilton in command of the British force in the Western Transvaal.
