Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, nineteenth century

Majuba Hill

Majuba Hill was a battle fought on 27 February 1881 in what is now South Africa. It was part of First Boer War, which ran from 1880 to 1881. The recorded result: Boer victory. Recorded strength: 400 against 405.

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The Transvaal War, The Battle of Majuba Hill
The Transvaal War, The Battle of Majuba Hill. Richard Caton Woodville Jr., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought27 February 1881
WhereSouth Africa27.462S, 29.861E
OutcomeBoer victory
BelligerentsSouth African RepublicagainstUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Casualties and losses1 killed; 5 woundedand92 killed; 134 wounded; 59 captured
Part ofFirst Boer War1880 to 1881

Where it sits in First Boer War

Action at Bronkhorstspruit, 1880Siege of Rustenburg, 1880Siege of Lydenburg, 1881Siege of Marabastad, 1881Battle of Elandsfontein, 1881Battle of Laing's Nek, 1881Battle of Schuinshoogte, 1881Battle of Rooihuiskraal, 1881Majuba Hill, 188118801881Majuba Hill, 1881
9 placed engagements of First Boer War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date27 February 1881
PlaceSouth Africa
27.462S, 29.861E
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Strength400405
Casualties and losses1 killed; 5 wounded92 killed; 134 wounded; 59 captured
Commanders
  • Piet Joubert
  • Nicolas Smit
  • Stephanus Johannes Roos
  • Daniel J.K. Malan
  • Joachim Ferreira
  • George Colley (British Army officer)
Majuba HillMajuba HillBattle of Laing's NekBattle of SchuinshoogteBattle of Blood River PoortBattle of IntombeBattle of KambulaBattle of SchuinshoogteBattle of Blood River PoortBattle of IntombeMbabaneVryheidLobambaSpringsBethalBethlehemStandertonLadysmith100 km27.462S, 29.861E
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 1881

Combat data (CDB90)

Attacker: BOER ARMYDefender: BR ARMY
Strength1,200350
Casualties6 (0.5%)284 (81.1%)
Mission accomplishment, 1 to 1093
Outcomeattacker won
Duration1 day
Front width1 km1.4 km
Attacker advanced3 km

From the US Army Concepts Analysis Agency Database of Battles (CDB90, battle 232), 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.

Majuba Hill 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 Q2063236, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Majuba Hill, revision 1379907369, 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.