Modder River, Northern CapeModder River (Afrikaans: Modderrivier; "modder" is Afrikaans for "mud") is an irrigation and stock farming town situated south of Kimberley near the confluence of the Riet and Modder rivers in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. The Second Boer WarBattle of Modder River took place here.
Battle of Modder RiverBelligerentsUnited KingdomSouth African RepublicOrange Free StateCommanders and leadersLord MethuenPiet CronjéKoos de la ReyNaas FerreiraPetrus LiebenbergStrength 8,00020 guns 2,200–3,5004 guns2 pom pom gunsCasualties and losses 71 killed +400 wounded7 missing 75 killed or woundedThe Battle of Modder River (Afrikaans: Slag van die Twee Riviere, lit.'Battle of the Two Rivers', fought near the confluence of the Modder and Riet Rivers) was an engagement in the Boer War, fought at Modder River, on 28 November 1899.
Riet RiverThe Riet River is a westward-flowing tributary of the Vaal River in central South Africa. In precolonial times the Riet was known as the Gama-!ab (or Gmaap), a !Kora name meaning 'muddy'. Its main tributary is the Modder River and after the confluence the Riet River flows westwards to meet the Vaal.
South AfricaSouth Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. The country consists of nine provinces, and is bounded to the south by 2,798 kilometres (1,739 miles) of coastline that stretches along the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean; to the north by the neighbouring countries of Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe; and to the east and northeast by Mozambique and Eswatini. South Africa also encloses Lesotho.
Krugersdrift DamThe Krugersdrift Dam in the Modder River is 35 km northwest of Bloemfontein, Free State Province of South Africa with a capacity of 73.2 million cubic metres. It was built in 1970 with a wall length of 3114 m, height of 26 m and a surface area of 1 853 ha. The huge dam is very shallow and can lose its water in a short period of time due to usage and evaporation. The dam is situated in the Soetdoring Nature Reserve and holds yellowfish, Orange River mudfish, barbel and carp.
Second Boer WarBelligerentsUnited Kingdom and EmpireCape ColonyNatal ColonyBasutolandBechuanalandRhodesiaIndiaCeylonCanadaNew ZealandAustraliaSouth African RepublicOrange Free StateCapeBoersForeign volunteersAustraliaAustria-HungaryBelgiumDenmarkFranceGermanyGreeceIrelandItalyNetherlandsPolandRussiaSweden-NorwayUnited StatesCommanders and leadersRobert Gascoyne-CecilJoseph ChamberlainAlfred MilnerFrederick RobertsWilliam RobertsonPaul MethuenRedvers BullerHerbert KitchenerRobert Baden-PowellHerbert PlumerAndrew Wauchope†Penn Symons (DOW)Edward Woodgate†John FrenchThomas KennyWilliam OtterSam SteeleFrançois LessardWalter TunbridgePaul KrugerKoos de la ReyLouis BothaSchalk BurgerPiet CronjéPiet Joubert#Jan SmutsLucas MeyerJohannes Kock†Adolf SchielHendrik Prinsloo†Joachim Fourie†Jacobus SnymanSarel Oosthuizen†Ferdinandus Potgieter†Jan KempCamillo RicchiardiMartinus SteynChristiaan de WetNaas Ferreira†Jan OlivierCornelius WesselsPetrus LiebenbergStrengthImperial:365,693Native African auxiliaries:100,000Colonial:82,742In total:448,435Boer Commandos:25,000 (Transvaal Boers)15,000 (Free State Boers)6–7,000 (Cape Boers)Native African auxiliaries:10,000Foreign volunteers:5,400+In total:87,365Casualties and losses 22,092 dead75,430 returned home sick or wounded934 missing2,006 capturedTotal: 101,290 6,189 dead24,000 captured (sent overseas)110 missing21,256 bitter-enders surrendered (at the end of the war)Total: 51,555Civilian casualties:46,370 fatalities26,370 Boer women and children died in concentration camps20,000+ Indigenous Africans of the 115,000 interned in separate concentration camps.The Second Boer War was a conflict fought between 1899 and 1902 between the British Empire and the Boer republics (the South African Republic and Orange Free State) over Britain's influence in Southern Africa.BloemfonteinBloemfontein ( ; Afrikaans:), also known as Bloem, is the capital and the largest city of the Free State province in South Africa. It is often, and has been traditionally, referred to as the country's "judicial capital", alongside the legislative capital Cape Town and executive capital Pretoria. However, the highest court in South Africa, the Constitutional Court, has been in Johannesburg since 1994.
Free State (province)The Free State is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bloemfontein, which is also South Africa's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the Boer republic called the Orange Free State and later the Orange Free State Province. HistoryThe current borders of the province date from 1994 when the Bantustans were abolished and reincorporated into South Africa.
Northern CapeThe Northern Cape (Afrikaans: Noord-Kaap; Tswana: Kapa Bokone; Xhosa: eMntla-Kapa; Khoekhoe: Nama!hub) is one of the 9 provinces in South Africa. The Northern Cape is the largest province accounting for 30.5% of the country's overall land area while being the most sparsely populated province in South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.