General Buller was soundly defeated in his first two attempts to relieve the Ladysmith siege; first at Colenso on 15 December 1899 and then at Spioen Kop on 24 January 1900. He incurred over 3 000 casualties and the Boers only a few hundred.
Buller’s third attempt was again to cross the Tugela River, take Vaalkrans Hill on the left flank of the Boer positions around Spioen Kop – and advance on Ladysmith. Vaalkrans was a ridge of small hills east of Spioen Kop. Buller’s force totalled over 21 000 men (four infantry brigades and a cavalry brigade), 72 guns, and 19 machine guns! The Boers had 3 600 men deployed between Colenso and Spioen Kop and seven guns. Later on in the battle, 1 200 men held the Vaalkrans Hill area, under Commandant Viljoen.
After two full days of fighting (5 & 6 February 1900) General Lyttleton’s 4th Brigade, tasked with taking Vaalkrans Hill, having crossed the Tugela, was isolated on the lower slopes of the hill. The Brigade was almost surrounded by Boer forces and under heavy fire from Boer small arms and artillery.
The plan had been for the 2nd Brigade to follow the 4th Brigade and take the hills which dominated Vaalkrans Hill. The cavalry brigade would then cross and make for Ladysmith, followed by the 5th Brigade.
Envisaging another Spioen Kop and the annihilation of the 4th Brigade, Buller cancelled his plan for the 2nd Brigade’s Tugela crossing, called off the attack and ordered all his troops to withdraw back across the Tugela – on the night of 6 February.
The third attempt to relieve Ladysmith had failed and Buller had attracted the nicknames of “The Ferryman of the Tugela” and “Sir Reverse Buller”.
British casualties were 30 dead and 350 wounded with Boer casualties being 30 dead and 50 wounded.
References:
- SA Military History Society – The Battle of Vaalkrans
