It was during one such expedition to collect the necessary horse fodder on 11 January 1881 in a valley near Elandsfontein, that the British were spotted and attacked by a party of Boers.

[2] When the British force arrived, they noticed that the Elandsfontein ridge was occupied by the Boers with its left side fortified with a stone blockhouse and a loop-holed wall.

Wasting no time, the British commanders began to prepare battle formations starting with sending out 50 Pretoria riflemen 5 kilometers out left to capture the Quagga Poort pass.

The remainder of the Pretoria rifle troops were put in reserve on a rocky rise while the Artillery was wheeled into position and the wagons were laagered.

In support of the attack wave, another 50 fusiliers alongside the mounted gun and the 94th regiment, were sent to the battle scene to drive the Boers off the ridge.

Despite still outnumbering the Boers and seemingly being within reach of capturing the laager, the British command didn't want to prolong the battle fearing the loss of many more men.

During the retreat, two men named Lance-Corporal James Murray and Trooper John Danaher, distinguished themselves after saving a fellow soldier from the battlefield under heavy fire.