Buller's eight-day engagement at Laing's Nek enabled British forces to cross the Buffalo River into Transvaal, supporting Roberts's Advance on Pretoria.
Key Facts
- Duration
- 2–10 June 1900 (eight days)
- British commander
- General Redvers Buller
- River crossed
- Buffalo River, into Transvaal
- Date of crossing
- 12 June 1900
- Prior engagement at same site
- 18 years earlier (1881, First Boer War)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Redvers Buller was advancing from Ladysmith toward Volksrust to support Lord Roberts's Advance on Pretoria. The Boers of the Transvaal fortified their positions at Laing's Nek, a strategically significant pass they had also defended eighteen years earlier during the First Boer War, blocking Buller's intended route across the Buffalo River.
From 2 to 10 June 1900, British forces under Buller engaged in a series of actions against entrenched Boer defenders at Laing's Nek. Over eight days of fighting, Buller gradually repulsed the Boer forces from their fortified positions, clearing the way to the Buffalo River.
By 12 June 1900, Buller successfully crossed the Buffalo River into the Transvaal. This opened the route to Volksrust and allowed his force to contribute to the broader British offensive under Lord Roberts aimed at capturing Pretoria and effectively ending organised Boer resistance.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Redvers Buller.
Side B
1 belligerent