Yaƙin Elandsfontein

Yaƙin Elandsfontein a ranar 11 ga watan Janairun 1881 yaƙin soji ne a lokacin Yaƙin Boer na Farko wanda ya faru a Elandsfontein ridge kusa da Pretoria. A lokacin dawakan yaki sun tabbatar da cewa sune manyan hanyoyin safara a cikin filayen Afirka ta Kudu. Saboda haka, Birtaniya sun yi ƙoƙari sosai a cikin masu yankan ciyawa don samar da ciyawa. A lokacin ɗaya irin wannan balaguron ne aka tattara abincin dokin da ya dace a ranar 11 ga watan Janairun 1881 a wani kwari kusa da Elandsfontein, wata ƙungiya ta Boers ta ga turawan Ingila suka kai musu hari. Wannan ya haifar da Boers sun kama injin yanka, keken keke da wasu alfadarai yayin da turawan Ingila suka tsere daga haɗuwar. Tare da imanin cewa maharan sun samo asali ne daga laager a Elandsfontein, an aika da sojojin da aka rako zuwa wurin da aka yi imani da laager a ranar 16 ga watan Janairu 1881 don tabbatar da rinjaye a yankin ko kuma su lalata sansanin. 

 Yanayin Kafin Yaƙin 
An umurci sojojin balaguron na Biritaniya da su ci gaba da zuwa wani jirgin ruwa na Boer laager a Elandsfontein, Yammacin Pretoria, a ranar 16 ga watan Janairu 1881. Ya ƙunshi 154 Pretoria Volunteers, 129 Royal Scots Fusiliers, 74 Pretoria Carbineers, 62 Doki, 30 maza na 94th Regiment, 170 hawa hawa ciki har da 45 hawa dakaru, 39 maza na Royal Artillery, 9 da kuma 7. Rundunar ta kasance ƙarƙashin jagorancin Lt-Col George Frederick Gildea da Kanar William Bellair kuma sun bar wurin da misalin karfe 4:00 na safe. An aika da ƙarin rundunar Injiniyoyi na Royal a ƙarƙashin jagorancin Laftanar RP Littledale tun da farko don ƙirƙirar karkatar da wasu ƴan kilomita gabas da wurin laagers. An yi wannan juye-juyen ne ta hanyar fashewar wani magudanar ruwa da misalin karfe 6 na safe, lokacin da babbar rundunar ta kai rabin inda suka nufa. Hankalin ya yi nasarar jawo ƴan ƙaramar mayaƙan Boer zuwa wajen fashe-fashen. 

 Yakin 
Lokacin da sojojin Birtaniyya suka iso, sai suka lura cewa Boers sun mamaye tudun Elandsfontein tare da gina gefen hagunsa tare da katangar dutse da bango mai madauki. Ana kuma ci gaba da samun gobarar sigina a sansanin na Boer, lamarin da ke nuni da cewa an riga an hango sojojin Burtaniya. Ba tare da bata lokaci ba, kwamandojin Birtaniyya sun fara shirya shirye-shiryen yaki da suka fara tare da aika 50 na Pretoria 50 kilomita daga hagu don kama hanyar Quagga Poort. Daga nan sai aka aika da sojojin doki don su leƙa dama kuma su tsaya a arewa don kare dutsen da ke daura da ƙoramar. An aike da Motocin Pretoria zuwa wani tudu mai nisan kilomita 2 zuwa hagu domin gudanar da duk wani aikin karfafa Boer mai zuwa. An ajiye ragowar sojojin na bindigu na Pretoria a kan wani dutse mai tsayi yayin da aka tuhume manyan bindigogin a matsayi da kekunan kekuna. An sanya Fusiliers na Royal Scots a wani hari na gaba zuwa sansanin abokan gaba. 
Lt-Col Gildea ya yanke shawarar cewa mafi kyawun hanyar kai hari zai kasance daga tudu inda sojojin dawakai ƙarƙashin jagorancin Lt JW Glynn suke. Sojojin dawakan suka sauka daga kan dawakansu suka yi musu kawanya kafin su shiga hannun abokan gaba da kafa, suna korarsu daga dutse zuwa dutse. Don nuna goyon baya ga guguwar harin, an tura wasu fusiliers guda 50 tare da bindigar da aka dora da kuma runduna ta 94, zuwa wurin da ake gwabzawa don korar Boers daga kan tudu. Dakarun da suka kai harin sun zo ne da nisan mita 200 daga babban tsaron Boers kafin daga bisani su dakatar da su. Birtaniya sun ci gaba da kai hare-haren bama-bamai na makiya tare da makamansu na bindigu wanda ya nuna ba su da wani tasiri. A martanin da aka samu, an jibge sojojin da ke hawa da kuma na'urori masu saukar ungulu a hannun hagu na yakin, kuma an mayar da bindigar filin bindiga mai lamba 7 a kan wani tudu wanda Birtaniyya ta samu matsala wajen ɗauke bindigar a kan tudu. "THE PRETORIA THEATRE OF OPERATIONS IN THE FIRST ANGLO-BOER WAR". samilitaryhistory.org. Retrieved 28 October 2020.

A wannan lokacin ne aka hango adadi mai yawa na ƙarfafa Boer suna zuwa filin daga kudancin Quagga Poort pass. Carbineers da aka ƙaura yanzu ba su da ikon kiyaye su idan aka kwatanta da matsayinsu na baya. Boers masu kare kansu, sun sabunta yunƙurinsu na ci gaba bayan sun ga ƙarfin isowa. Duk da cewa har yanzu yana da yawa fiye da Boers kuma yana da alama yana iya kaiwa ga kama laager, umurnin Birtaniya ba ya so ya tsawaita yakin yana jin tsoron asarar mutane da yawa. Lt-Col Gildea ya ba da umarnin janye sojojinsa da ke ƙarƙashin ikonsa da karfe 11 na safe. Rundunar ta dawo Pretoria da karfe 3 na yamma. "THE PRETORIA THEATRE OF OPERATIONS IN THE FIRST ANGLO-BOER WAR". samilitaryhistory.org. Retrieved 28 October 2020.

 Bayan haka 
Ko da yake yakin ya zama nasara Boer, Lt-Col Gildea bai yi la'akari da yakin a matsayin rashin nasara ba. A maimakon haka ya ɗora alhakin hasarar da aka yi a kan gazawar makamansa da kuma fasahar Boers. A yayin ja da baya, wasu mutane biyu masu suna Lance-Corporal James Murray da Trooper John Danaher, sun banbanta kansu bayan sun ceci wani sojan su daga filin daga da aka yi musu wuta mai tsanani. Dukansu an ba su kyautar Victoria Cross saboda ayyukan da suka yi. Yanzu an umurci sabbin masu yankan da su yi aiki ƙarƙashin gadi da makamai. "Nourse's Horse at Elandsfontein Ridge, 16 January 1881". samilitaryhistory.org. Retrieved 28 October 2020.

 Manazarta