Battle of Chieveley

Battle of Chieveley
Part of the Second Boer War

Illustration depicting the ambushed train and the battle.
Date15 November 1899
Location
Chieveley, South Africa
28°52′24.8″S 29°46′08.2″E / 28.873556°S 29.768944°E / -28.873556; 29.768944 (Battle of Chieveley)
Result Boer victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland United Kingdom

 South African Republic

Commanders and leaders
United Kingdom of Great Britain and IrelandCharles James Long
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Aylmer Haldane		 South African Republic Louis Botha
South African Republic Camillo Ricchiardi
Strength
120 men[1] ~200 Boers
Casualties and losses
2 dead
20 wounded
80 captured[2]		 unknown

The Battle of Chieveley took place on 15 November 1899, and was an ambush on a British armored train travelling from Estcourt to Colenso in a reconnaissance mission. Boer forces under the command of Louis Botha, which comprised primarily the Italian Volunteer Legion, ambushed the armored train, and derailed it, taking most of the British soldiers prisoner. Commanding the British forces on the armored train was Colonel Charles James Long, who had received reports a day earlier about Boers in the area, hence the reason for sending out the armored train.[1][3]

  1. ^ a b Spencer Churchill, Winston (May 6, 1900). "London to Ladysmith via Pretoria - Chapter 7". en.wikisource.org. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  2. ^ Conan Doyle, Arthur (September 1902). "The Great Boer War - Chapter 13". en.wikisource.org. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  3. ^ Rhys Jones, Richard (October 11, 2021). "Churchill and the Armoured Train Incident". Historic UK. Retrieved September 12, 2024.