Spioenkop by Angus Forbes

On the night of the 23rd of January 1900 this hill top was held by a detachment of some fifty Vryheid burghers and German volunteers. The British forces from Three Tree Hill, led by General Edward Woodgate, attacked early in the morning of the 24th. By 04h00 the Boers had retreated with one casualty.
At around 08h00 a force of sixty five Carolina men led by Commandant Hendrik Prinsloo attacked this position. The attacking force was supported by rifle fire from Twin Peaks, Aloe Knoll, Conical Hill and Green Hill. Prinsloo's heliographer, Louis Bothma, gave a situation report to General Louis Botha. Botha opened fire with two 75 mm Creusot field guns, one 75 mm Krupp field gun and a pom-pom from Tabanyama, a 75 mm Krupp field gun from his command post and the Krupp 75 and pom-pom on Twin Peaks.
At 22h00 that night Colonel Alexander Thorneycroft, whom Buller gave command on Woodgate's death, ordered the retreat from here.

Commandant Willem Pretorius of Heidelberg who counted the British dead on the summit, reported that there were 650. In addition there remained on the hill 350 seriously wounded soldiers.The official British casualty list for Spioenkop is 68 officers and 976 men.