They had suffered a reverse at the hands of a somewhat larger force of Boers who had selected a very strong position.  Firing did not cease until 11 p.m.  Here it is alleged the fatal military mistake of the expedition was committed.  No precautions had been taken to ascertain the road.  Instead of being well acquainted with the direction to be taken the force was dependent upon a guide picked up on the spot, a man who was never seen after the events of the following day and is freely alleged to have been a Boer agent.  It is stated by competent judges that, had Dr. Jameson’s force pushed on during the night on the main road to Johannesburg, they would have succeeded in reaching that town without difficulty.  As it was however they camped for the night in the direction of Randfontein and in the early morning struck away south, attempting a big detour to avoid the road which they had tried to force the previous night.  There is but little doubt that they were shepherded into the position in which they were called upon to fight at Doornkop.  The following description of the Doornkop fight was written by Captain Frank Younghusband, the correspondent of the London Times, who was an eye-witness: 

Galloping over the rolling open grassy downs in search of Dr. Jameson’s force which was expected to arrive at Johannesburg at any moment, my companion Heygate and myself saw between us two forces, both stationary.  Then one began to move away and from the regularity of its movement we recognized that this must be Dr. Jameson’s trying to round the opposing Boer forces.  We found a Boer guard holding the only ford across the stream; so going up to the Commander we asked for news.  He, after questioning us, told us all that had occurred.

He was a field-cornet from Potchefstroom, and leader of one division of the Boers.  He said that yesterday, January 1, Dr. Jameson had attacked the Boer force at the George and May Mine, two miles north-west of Krugersdorp, a small mining township twenty-one miles west of Johannesburg.  Fighting took place from three in the afternoon to eleven at night, Dr. Jameson making three principal attacks, and doing great damage with his artillery, which the Boers, having then no guns, were unable to reply to.

My informant, the Boer leader, said that both then and to-day Dr. Jameson’s men behaved with great gallantry, and he also said that admirable arrangements had been made at Krugersdorp for nursing the wounded on both sides.

This morning the Boers took up a position at Vlakfontein, eight miles on the Johannesburg side of Krugersdorp, on a circuitous road to the south by which Dr. Jameson was marching.  The Boers in the night had been reinforced by men and with artillery and Maxims.  Their position was an exceedingly strong one on an open slope, but along a ridge of rocks cropping out of it.  It was a right-angled position and Dr. Jameson attacked them in the re-entering angle, thus having fire on his front and flank.