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Soos te verstaan het genl. Koos de la Rey baie ongelukkig gevoel oor die feit dat die vyand se vlag oor sy tuisdorp wapper. Hy sou Lichtenburg graag van die Britte wou bevry. Op 2 Maart 1901 kom hy en 'n paar ander kommando's op die plaas Syferpan, sowat 20 km suid van Lichtenburg, byeen. Saam met hom was genls. Jan Smuts, J. Celliers, P.J. Liebenberg, H.R. Lemmer en kmdte. H.C.W. Vermaas en Du Toit. Die gesamentlike mag het uit ongeveer 1500 man bestaan. (Die huis op Syferpan waarin die Boereoffisiere vergader het, is reeds afgebreek maar die fondament daarvan is nog te sien). Die aanval sou ongelukkig op Sondagoggend 3 Maart moes plaasvind. Dit was teen genl. De la Rey se beginsels. Maar dit kon nie anders nie.
Die aanval is beplan vir 04h00 en sou vanuit drie rigtings plaasvind. Genl. Smuts, bygestaan deur genl. De la Rey en kmdt. Du Toit, sou vanuit die ooste aanval, genl. P.J. Liebenberg vanuit die noorde en genls. Celliers en Lemmer en kmdt. Vermaas, vanuit die weste. Dit was laat somer en die vlei aan die oostekant was dig begroei, met fluitjiesriet, palmiet en moerasgewasse en daarbenewens verraderlik moerasagtig. Ten noorde was daar forte en loopgrawe waarin die Britte hulle versteek het. Aan die westekant was die Ned. Herv. Kerkgebou in 'n fort omskep terwyl die sentrale deel van die dorp goed gefortifiseer was. Toe die eerste skote net na drie-uur die oggend klap, was die Britte spoedig elk op sy pos. Hulle perde is veiligheidshalwe in die Ned. Geref. Kerkgebou ingebring.
In "THE TIME HISTORY OF THE WAR IN SOUTH AFRICA" deur L.S. Amery word die aanval soos volg beskryf:
"Lichtenburg was held by 6 weak companies of the Ist Northhumberland Fusiliers and 100 Yeomanry (South Notts Company and Paget's Horse) with two guns manned by New Zealanders; 620 officers and men all told, under lieut. Colonel C.G.C. Money. The village which contained large stores of provisions, stood completely isolated in the midst of a hostile country.Volgens 'n weergawe van Boerekant het genls. Celliers en Lemmer saam met kmdt. Vermaas 'n verbete aanval vanuit die weste op die dorp gemaak en tot dig by die binnedorp gevorder. In hierdie proses is albei genoemde generaals ernstig gewond waarna kmdt. Vermaas die aanval verder gevoer het. Aan die ander twee fronte was daar nie veel gevorder nie."Methuen, its natural guardian was now far away, at the southern extremity of this vast district, and the nearest British columns were seventy or eighty miles to the eastward.
"De la Rey thought the time favourable for an assault upon his native town. With the contingents of Celliers and Smuts and his own picked commando he had about 1200 men and one gun.
''Lichtenburg is built around a central market-place where the waggons of the farmers are wont to out-span. It is a pretty little place. Streamlets of water flow down the streets and the houses stood in the midst of a profusion of trees and undergrowth, very pleasing to the eye but from the defensive point of view, embarrassing. Money's pickets, entrenched at intervals round the edge of the town had an imperfect field of fire, and the market-place, which was held in force as the main position, was under the same disability.
"In the course of the night of March 2nd the Boers, undetected by the British, completely surrounded the town, some of them, aided by sympathisers from whithin, even managed to creep between the pickets and penetrate the streets. At 3.15 a.m. on the 3rd the first alarm was given and immediately afterwards fire broke out on three sides of the outerline and from within thetown itself. In a few minutes the inner line was manned in full strength ...
"During the dark hours little execution was done on either side, but at dawn the attack was hotly pressed and lasted the whole day. Lieutenants James, De J. Larpent, Nelson and Wrefords Brown, all Northumberland Fusiliers, deserve especial mention for the galantry with which they defended their trenches and sangars ... At 5.30 p.m. firing was suspended by mutual agreement for two hours so as te permit the removal of dead and wounded before dark. It was renewed at the end of the armistice, but on the Boer side with no spirit. Before morning De la Rey withdrew his force with a loss of 14 killed and 38 wounded. General Celliers being among the latter. Money's casualties were two officers and 16 men killed and 24 wounded.
"After this attack the trees in Lichtenburg were cut down", aldus The Times History of the War in South Africa.
Teen sononder het kol. Money 'n wapenstilstand van 2 uur aangevra. Dit is aan kmdt. Vermaas oorhandig en in die hitte van die stryd het hy dit toegestaan. Toe genl. Koos de la Rey, wat toe juis 'n boodskap aan Vermaas deurgestuur het om die fort te hou sodat sy kommando, sodra dit donker was die dorp kan instorm, van die toegestane wapenstilstand hoor, het hy dadelik besef dat dit die vyand die geleentheid sou gee om sy posisie te versterk, sy troepe te herorganiseer en dat 'n aanval na twee uur vrugteloos sou wees. In die donker het die Boeremag die aftog geblaas.
Die plaaslike kerkhof lewer steeds 'n stille getuienis van hierdie geveg. Daar is o.a. 'n massagraf waarin 16 Britse soldate begrawe lê, almal op 4 Maart 1904 begrawe.
Die stryd tussen Boer en Brit het in 'n guerillaoorlog ontwikkel. Die Britse magte kon nie daarin slaag om die vinnig bewegende Boerekommando's vas te trek nie. Dit het die Britse opperbevel laat besluit om 'n netwerk van blokhuise op te rig om die Boerekommando's op dié wyse te probeer vaspen. Een van die blokhuislinies het vanaf Mafikeng, oor Rooigrond, Polfontein, Lichtenburg, Coligny (destyds nog Treurfontein) verder suid-ooswaarts tot aan die Skoonspruit geloop.