File:Battles of the nineteenth century (1901) (14595805497).jpg

English: General Gatacre's fight at Cyphergat. General Gatacre, after his reverse at Stormberg, held the positions of Bushman's Hoek and Cyphergat a few miles south of Molteno, while waiting for reinforcements to arrive from Cape Town.^[1]

Identifier: battlesofninetee06forb (find matches)
Title: Battles of the nineteenth century
Year: 1901 (1900s)
Authors: Forbes, Archibald, 1838-1900 Atteridge, A. Hilliard (Andrew Hilliard)
Subjects: Battles Military history, Modern
Publisher: London New York : Cassell and Company
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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-, when their absence was perceived, would suppose that they had only gone for a few days and would soon be back with reinforcements, and that meanwhile De Wet at Colesberg would have his attention riveted on his left by the demonstrations of Clements infantry brigade towards Norvals Pont, which he would take to be the beginning of the advance of the overwhelming force of infantry. No such force was in the neighbourhood; French was getting away his cavalry and horse artillery, and was handing over the local command to General Clements, who had only an infantry brigade, two field batteries, and a very few mounted troops with him. General Kelly-Kennys other brigade was being withdrawn from Thebus and Rosmead junction, and was to be sent after the cavalry by the cross line through Naauwpoort to De Aaron the western border.
Text Appearing After Image:
196 THE BOER WAR. Further east, in the Stormberg district, Commandant Olivier, finding that Kelly-Kenny's threatened attack against his right was a mere feint and that Gatacre in his front was attempting nothing serious, made use of the reinforcements that had been sent to him for a sudden and well-directed attack on the British posts to the east of Sterkstroom camp. The movement was utterly unexpected, because it was still a fixed idea with most of our officers in South Africa that the Boers would never take the initiative. From Sterkstroom a branch railway runs east-ward through the hills to the Indwe coalfields near Dordrecht. In order to protect his right, Gatacre had pushed out two posts to the stations at Penhoek (seven miles) and Birds River siding (thirteen miles away) on this line. Penhoek, a bold spur of the mountain range below which the railway runs, was held by Colonial mounted volunteers and six companies of the Royal Scots Regiment. Birds River siding was held by a smaller det

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