Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, nineteenth century

Battle of Colenso

Battle of Colenso was a battle fought on 15 December 1899 at Colenso, in what is now South Africa. It was part of Second Boer War, which ran from 1899 to 1902. The recorded result: Boer victory.

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Battle of Colenso
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Fought15 December 1899
WhereColenso, South Africa28.734S, 29.823E
OutcomeBoer victory
BelligerentsUnited Kingdom; Cape Colony; Colony of NatalagainstSouth African Republic; Orange Free State
Part ofSecond Boer War1899 to 1902

Where it sits in Second Boer War

Battle of Doornkop, 1896Siege of Mafeking, 1899Battle of Kraaipan, 1899Siege of Kimberley, 1899Battle of Talana Hill, 1899Battle of Elandslaagte, 1899Relief of Ladysmith, 1899Battle of Ladysmith, 1899Siege of Ladysmith, 1899Battle of Belmont, 1899Battle of Graspan, 1899Battle of Modder River, 1899Battle of Stormberg, 1899Battle of Magersfontein, 1899Battle of Colenso, 1899Battle of Spion Kop, 1900Battle of Vaal Krantz, 1900Battle of the Tugela Heights, 1900Battle of Paardeberg, 1900Bloody Sunday, 1900Battle of Poplar Grove, 1900Battle of Driefontein, 1900Battle of Sanna's Post, 1900Battle of Boshof, 1900Battle of Laing's Nek (1900), 1900Battle of Diamond Hill, 1900Battle of Dwarsvlei, 1900Battle of Silkaatsnek, 1900Battle of Witpoort, 1900Battle of Elands River, 1900Battle of Bergendal, 1900Battle of Bothaville, 1900Battle of Leliefontein, 1900Battle of Nooitgedacht, 1900Battle of Vlakfontein, 1901Battle of Groenkloof, 1901Battle of Blood River Poort, 1901Battle of Elands River, 1901Battle of Bakenlaagte, 1901Battle of Groenkop, 1901Battle of Tweebosch, 1902Battle of Rooiwal, 190218961902Battle of Colenso, 1899
42 placed engagements of Second Boer War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date15 December 1899
PlaceColenso, South Africa
28.734S, 29.823E
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Battle of ColensoBattle of ColensoRelief of LadysmithBattle of the Tugela HeightsBattle of Vaal KrantzSiege of LadysmithBattle of LadysmithBattle of Vaal KrantzSiege of LadysmithBattle of LadysmithDurbanPietermaritzburgVryheidBethlehemUlundiHlotseMokhotlong100 km28.734S, 29.823E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1899

Combat data (CDB90)

Attacker: BR ARMYDefender: BOER ARMY
Strength13,4115,500
Casualties1,126 (8.4%)50 (0.9%)
Mission accomplishment, 1 to 1028
Outcomedefender won
Duration1 day
Front width9.5 km10 km
Attacker advanced0 km

From the US Army Concepts Analysis Agency Database of Battles (CDB90, battle 238), public domain, in the CC0 tidy edition by Jeffrey B. Arnold. Figures are the database's estimates, compiled in 1990 from published histories, and may differ from the Wikipedia infobox above.

Battle of Colenso is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 92 in present-day South Africa.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q868249, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Second Battle of Colenso, revision 1376502275, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.