Battle of Diamond Hill: Difference between revisions

The commandant-general of Transvaal, [[Louis Botha]], established a 40-kilometer north to south defensedefensive line 29 kilometers east of Pretoria; his forces numbered up to 6,000 men and 30 guns. The [[Delagoa Bay Railway|Pretoria–Delagoa Bay rail line]] ran eastward through the center of the Boer position. Personnel from the [[South African Republic Police]] manned positions at Donkerpoort just south of the railway in the hills at PienaarsportPienaarspoort, while other troops held positions at Donkerhoek and Diamond Hill. Botha commanded the Boer centercentre and left flank and General [[Koos de la Rey]] commanded north of the railway line.{{Sfn|Wessels|2017|p=|pp=236–237}}

`The cavalry of [[John French, 1st Earl of Ypres|John French]] with [[Edward Hutton (British Army officer)|Edward Hutton]]'s brigade attacked on the left in an attempt to outflank the Boers to the north, while the infantry of [[Ian Hamilton (British Army officer)|Ian Hamilton]] with Lieutenant Colonel [[Beauvoir De Lisle]]'s corps attempted an outflanking movement on the right. In the center, the infantry of [[Reginald Pole-Carew (British Army officer)|Reginald Pole-Carew]] advanced towards the Boer center, with the gap between Pole-Carew and French covered by Colonel St.G.C. Henry's corps of mounted infantry.{{Sfn|Wilcox|2002|p=|pp=86–87}}

On the left, the cavalry of French entered a valley and attracted fire from three sides. De Lisle's corps was similarly pinned down on the right flank in a horseshoe-shaped group of hills. As a detachment of 10th Hussars swung off to the right, they were attacked from Diamond Hill. A section of [[Q Battery Royal Artillery|Q Battery RHA]] attempted to return artillery fire, but had no infantry support, until the 12th Lancers arrived on the front line. [[David Ogilvy, 11th Earl of Airlie|Lord Airlie]] took 60 men to clear the Boers from the guns, and in the ensuing exchange of rifle fire at short-range, Lord Airlie was killed. The Boers pressed the matter hard. Two squadrons of the Household Cavalry Regiment and one squadron of the 12th Hussars charged at full gallop at Boers firing from concealed positions. The enemy dispersed.<ref>[http://www.angloboerwar.com/books/65-viljoen-my-reminiscences-of-the-anglo-boer-war/1342-viljoen-chapter-16-battle-of-donkerhoek-qdiamond-hillq Viljoen, My Reminiscences]</ref> Following the indecisive results of 11 June, Roberts decided to make a frontal attack on the next morning.{{Sfn|Wilcox|2002|p=|pp=86–87}}

The morning of 12 June with artillery fire from guns escorted to forward positions by a squadron of [[New South Wales Mounted Rifles]] led by Captain Maurice Hilliard, allowing a Regular infantry advance that captured Diamond Hill. A counterattack was planned by Botha, supported with fire from Rhenosterfontein Hill. The regular Mounted Infantry from De Lisle's corps advanced to a farm, where two rapid firing pom-poms were positioned, supported by the Western Australian Mounted Infantry of Hatherley Moor. The hill was attacked by the New South Wales Mounted Rifles, who trotted across the plain in extended order, then increased to a gallop under Boer fire before they dismounted at the base of the hill. The mounted rifles advanced up the hill and charged the Boer defenders, forcing the latter to retreat. They held the hill despite Boer artillery fire, which forced Botha to call off the counterattack, as British artillery fire from the hill carried the potential to confusion with the Boer retreat.{{clarify|date=April 2022}} Among those killed in the attack were Lieutenants Percy Drage and William Harriott of the New South Wales mountedMounted Rifles.{{Sfn|Wilcox|2002|p=|pp=86–87}}

On 13th the Botha's army retreated to the north, they were chased as far as Elands River Station, only 25 miles from Pretoria, by Mounted Infantry and De Lisle's Australians.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://historion.net/great-boer-war/chapter-26-diamond-hill-rundles-operations?page=4|title=Diamond Hill – Rundle's Operations|last=|first=|date=|website=Historion.net|publisher=|access-date=}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article186097915 |title=Letter From The Front. |newspaper=[[The Inverell Times]] |volume=21 |issue=2849 |location=New South Wales|date=18 August 1900 |accessdateaccess-date=22 November 2016 |page=2 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article190066961 |title=The Diamond Hill Fight |newspaper=[[The Age]] |issue=14,133 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=22 June 1900 |accessdateaccess-date=22 November 2016 |page=5}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article85853767 |title=The Battle of Diamond Hill |newspaper=[[Windsor and Richmond Gazette]] |volume=12 |issue=641 |location=New South Wales|date=26 January 1901 |accessdateaccess-date=22 November 2016 |page=1 }}</ref> Although Roberts had removed the Boer threat to his eastern flank, the Boers were unbowed despite their retreat. [[Jan Smuts]] wrote that the battle had "an inspiriting effect which could scarcely have been improved by a real victory."{{Sfn|Pakenham|19781992|p=160}}

* Brian Kelly, ''Best Little Stories from the Life and Times of Winston Churchill'', Cumberland House Publishing, 2008

* {{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/stream/historyofwarinso03mauruoft#page/n13/mode/2up|title=History of the war in South Africa, 1899–1902|last=|first=|publisher=Hurst and Blackett|year=1908|isbn=|editor-last=Maurice|editor-first=John Frederick|volume=III|location=London|pages=|ref=harv}} – Official history

* {{Cite book|title=The Boer War|last=Pakenham|first=Thomas|publisher=Harper Perennial|year=1992|isbn=9780380720019|edition=Paperback|location=New York|pagesurl-access=registration|refurl=harvhttps://archive.org/details/boerwar00thom}}

* {{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/timeshistoryofwa04amer|title=The Times History of the War in South Africa, 1899-1902|last=|first=|publisher=[[The Times]]|year=1906|isbn=|editor-last=Williams|editor-first=Basil|editor-link = Basil Williams (historian)|volume=IV|location=London|pages=|ref=harv}}

* {{Cite encyclopedia|title=Diamond Hill (Donkerhoek), Battle of (June 11–12, 1900)|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of African Colonial Conflicts|publisher=ABC-CLIO|location=Santa Barbara, California|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5rZCDQAAQBAJ&pgq=PA733&dq=%22battle+of+diamond+hill%22&hlpg=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjp7rK01PTbAhUHZKwKHQTvDLAQ6AEINDAC#v=snippet&q=diamond%20hill&f=falsePA733 |last=Wessels |first=André |dateyear=2017|editor-last=Stapleton|editor-first=Timothy J.|volume=I|isbn=9781598848373|ref=harv}}