Waterloo
Page 69
3 Damitz, Geschichte des Feldzuges von 1815, 290.
4 Ollech, Feldzug von 1815, 242–3.
5 Wedell, 18.Infanterie-Regiments, 165.
6 Dupuy, Souvenirs, 290.
7 Ollech, Feldzug von 1815, 242, citing Chesney on Wellington’s reliance on Blücher’s support.
62 The Great Cavalry Charges
1 Dörnberg in Glover, Waterloo Archive, II, 29; Hellemann in 1815 Limited On-line Archive.
2 Barnett, NAM 1991-06-31; Hamilton, NAM 2002-02-1352.
3 Keppel, Fifty Years, 149–50.
4 Jeremiah in Glover, Waterloo Archive, IV, 189.
5 Wheeler, Letters, 172–3.
6 Lemonnier-Delafosse, Campagnes, 395–6; Foy, Vie militaire, 281.
7 Mercer, Journal, 168–9. Keppel, Fifty Years, 151.
8 Mercer, Journal, 169–70.
9 Mercer, Journal, 170.
10 Walcott in Siborne, Letters, no. 80.
11 Latimer, Talks of Napoleon, 186–7.
12 Guyot, Carnets de Campagnes, 396.
13 Létang in Field, French Perspective, 148.
14 Lot, Ordener, 94.
15 Macready, ‘Journals’, 526.
16 Pringle, ‘Remarks’, cxxviii n.
17 Field, French Perspective, 149.
18 ‘Campaign of Waterloo’, 468; Macready, ‘Journals’, 527; Wheatley, Diary, 67.
63 The Fall of La Haye Sainte
1 Shaw Kennedy, Notes, 122–3, commented, ‘This matter had certainly been grossly mismanaged. The arrangement for the brigades getting their spare ammunition was, that each brigade should communicate with the guard over the ammunition, and order forward what was wanted. How the brigade failed to do this has not been explained, as so many of its superior officers fell in action. Baring could not account for it, which I know from our having slept together on the ground close to the Wellington Tree on the night of the action … The spare ammunition should have been sent for early in the morning. What were 60 rounds per man for the defence of such a post?’ Other Hanoverian units also suffered shortages.
2 Glover, Waterloo Archive, II, 175 and 195; Ross-Lewin, With the thirty-second, 274–5.
3 Glover, Waterloo Archive, II, 81–2.
4 Mauduit, Derniers Jours, II, 334; Houssaye, 1815: Waterloo, 390, who also cites dossier of chef de bataillon Borel-Vivier of 1er régiment du génie.
5 Lindau, Waterloo Hero, 168–75; Bäring in Glover, Waterloo Letters, 244–8; Graeme in Siborne, Letters, nos. 179–80.
6 Cathcart in Siborne, Letters, no. 15.
7 ‘Campaign of Waterloo’, 465.
8 Linsingen in Glover, Letters, 253–4; 5th Line report in Glover, Waterloo Archive, II, 89–90; von Ompteda, Memoirs, 311–13; Wheatley, Diary, 69–70.
64 Guns and Horses
1 Wellington’s dispatch gave no time for the fall of La Haye Sainte. In a letter of 17 August 1815 he said that the farm fell at ‘about two o’clock’ through the ‘neglect of the officer commanding on the spot’ (WD, XII, 610). Gourgaud (Campagne, 93) timed its fall before 4.30. Most accounts place the time of the fall between 5.30 and 6.30.
2 Pontécoulant, Napoléon à Waterloo, 315–6.
3 Weiz in Glover, Waterloo Archive, II, 186–9.
4 Macready, ‘Siborne’s History’, 395; Morris, Memoirs, 78.
5 Morris, Memoirs, 78; Macready, ‘Journals’, 526.
6 Bäring in Glover, Letters, 247; Buhse in Glover, Letters, 239.
7 ‘Campaign of Waterloo’, 469; Haythornthwaite, Waterloo Men, 87–8.
8 Kincaid, Adventures, 351–2.
9 Sergeant Charles Wood letter of July 1815 in United Service Journal, 1834 part 2, 555–6.
10 A Soldier of the Seventy-first, 108.
11 Dehnel in Glover, Waterloo Archive, V, 32–3.
12 Lewis in Glover, Waterloo Archive, I, 159.
13 Soldier of the Seventy-first, 108; Barnett, NAM 1991-06-31.
14 Pringle, ‘Remarks’, cxxxi; Müffling, History, 32.
65 The Prussian Advance
1 There is a good description by Major Taylor of the 10th Hussars of the shape of the Prussian advance in Siborne, Letters, no. 75.
2 Wüssow in von Ollech, Feldzuges von 1815, 195; Houssaye, 1815: Waterloo, 381.
3 Reiche, Memoiren, 210–13, translation from Brett-James, Hundred Days, 148–50; Von Ollech, Feldzuges von 1815, 243–4.
4 Hornn, Narrative, 55–6; Pelet in d’Avout, ‘Infanterie’, 38–9.
5 Mauduit, Derniers jours, II, 390.
6 Rahden, Wanderungen, 365–6; Tromelin in Field, French Perspective, 164.
7 Damitz, Geschichte des Feldzuges von 1815, 296.
8 Macbride, With Napoleon at Waterloo, 184.
66 Slowly but Surely
1 Heymès in Documents inédits, 18, and Waterloo: Récits de combattants, 52; Houssaye, 1815: Waterloo, 393.
2 Thackwell in Siborne, Letters, 68. From Thackwell’s own account it looks as though he fell in the same desperate charge as Major Griffith, and not, as his biographer has it, charging the Guard; Siborne, Letters, no. 67, nos 62 and 63.
3 Girod de l’Ain, Vie militaire, 282; Lemonnier-Delafosse, Campagnes, 384; Trefcon, Carnet de campagne, 90–1.
4 Major Göben, commanding the 1st KGL line, confirmed to Siborne on a plan that this was the sheltered ground Foy meant.
5 Tomkinson, Diary, 306; Frazer, Letters, 548.
6 Gibney, Eighty Years Ago, 197–8.
7 James, Journal, 35.
8 Somerset in Siborne, Letters, no. 18; in this charge Joseph Lord’s brother John was killed (Glover, Waterloo Archive, I, 17).
9 Morris, Memoirs, 80.
10 Macready, ‘Siborne’s History’, 400–1; Morris, Memoirs, 80.
11 Glover, Waterloo Archive, II, 96–7, 112, 114, 115–18 and V, 63 and 137. See also Scovell in Glover, Waterloo Archive, III, 3.
12 Alten’s report: ‘The squares by this time had been so much reduced by the continued fire of cannon, musketry, and ultimately grape shot of the enemy, that they had hardly men enough left to remain in squares, and therefore were withdrawn from the position by Count Kielmansegge; and the remains of the Legion and Hanoverian brigades and part of the British brigade reformed on the high road in rear of the village of Mont St. Jean.’ WSD, X, 534.
13 Shaw Kennedy, Notes, 127–8. In reality Halkett’s brigade had also vacated its ground and Shaw doubtless told Wellington that too. Owen, Waterloo Papers, 13.
14 Bridgeman, Young Gentleman at War, 179; Lemonnier-Delafosse, Campagnes, 373.
15 Ord in Glover, Waterloo Archive, I, 228.
16 Tomkinson, Diary, 315; Hume in Glover, Waterloo Archive, I, 216–7; Wellington’s 19 June letter to Aberdeen in Pitt-Lennox, 121; he died about 3 a.m. next day.
17 Glover, Waterloo Archive, III, 3 and II, 115.
18 Bäring in Glover, Letters, 247.
19 Lawrence, Autobiography, 210.
20 Lawrence, Autobiography, 210–11; Wray in Keegan, Face of Battle, 160–1 and 1815 Limited Online Archive.
21 Robertson, Journal, 157.
22 Patton in Glover, Waterloo Archive, I, 177.
67 Ziethen Attacks
1 Glover, Waterloo Archive, II, 168.
2 Reiche, Memoiren, 214–15.
3 Reichenau and Rettberg in Glover, Waterloo Archive, II, 159–62.
4 Ingilby, Waterloo Diary, 57–8.
5 Drouot’s report to the Chamber of Deputies, translated in Waldie, Near Observer 1817, II, 112–13.
6 Gourgaud (Campagne, 99) later wrote that ‘At half past seven we could at last hear the cannonade of Marshal Grouchy; it was judged to be six miles distant to our right’; it is most unlikely that anybody on the battlefield of Waterloo could have heard a cannonade six miles away, but the noise of which Drouot spoke was evidently closer: the noise of Grouchy six miles away would hardly have caused Napoleon to unleash the Guard in the belief that the battle was won.
7 Hornn, Narrative, 56.
68 Planc
enoit
1 Von Hiller’s account in Ollech, Feldzuges von 1815, 248–9; Dörk, 15tes Infanterie, 129–30; Damitz, Geschichte des Feldzuges von 1815, 298; Houssaye, 1815: Waterloo, 380–2. Authorities differ on when and where the Young Guard was committed but it is unlikely that the first Prussian attack could have had any success if the Young Guard was already present at Plancenoit in force.
2 Rahden, Wanderungen, 367–73.
3 Pelet in d’Avout, ‘Infanterie’, 43.
4 Marchand, Mémoires, 222–3.
5 Marchand, Mémoires, 223–4; Combier, General Radet, 342–3; Fleury de Chaboulon, Mémoires, 190–1.
6 Duuring in d’Avout, ‘Documents’, 116–19; Canler, Mémoires, 28; Combier, General Radet, 342–3.
69 The Last Reserves
1 Greenock in Siborne, Letters, no. 7; Capel Letters, 116; Seymour in Siborne, Letters, no. 9; Hume in Glover, Waterloo Archive, I, 213–14; Glover, Waterloo Archive, III, 5.
2 Blair and Colborne in Siborne, Letters, nos 122–3; Frazer, Letters, 552; Girod de l’Ain, Vie militaire, 281.
3 Nixon in Glover, Waterloo Archive, I, 135 said that the following day the second battalion mustered 340 men.
4 The account of the Guard’s deployment is based on Petit in d’Avout, ‘Documents’, 107–10. His account is followed by Houssaye, 1815: Waterloo, 409–10; Friant, Vie militaire, 388–90; Mauduit, II, 397–8. The only variation concerns the 4th Chasseurs, who some give two battalions and others one and who Petit places in the centre, but others on the left. The highest officer casualties were suffered by the 3rd Chasseurs, so they may have borne the brunt of Colborne’s flank attack, although it is also possible that the Netherlands artillery caused most casualties.
5 Herzberg’s ‘detailed report’ on the Brunswick contingent in Glover, Waterloo Archive, V, 160; Scovell in Glover, Waterloo Archive, III, 2–3; Macready, ‘Siborne’s History’, 401.
6 Ingilby, ‘Waterloo diary’, 58; Murray in Siborne, Letters, no. 76.
7 Vivian in Siborne, Letters, no. 70.
8 Sleigh in Siborne, Letters, no. 53, Barton in Siborne, Letters, no. 58.
9 Bullock, ‘Journal’, 550. See also Taylor in Siborne, Letters, no. 75, ‘they rather fell back upon us’; and George Luard, 18th Hussars: ‘We were brought from the left of the line to support our infantry on the right who at that moment were excessively pressed and rather losing ground. Our appearance rallied them …’ Glover, Waterloo Archive, I, 93.
10 Glover, Waterloo Archive, II, 97, 109–10; van Delen in Franklin, Netherlands Correspondence, 125.
70 La Garde Recule
1 Mercer, Journal, 180.
2 Macready, ‘Siborne’s History’, 401. Elsewhere, Macready insists that their main opponents to their front wore blue greatcoats and belonged to the Guard, though he also gives them bearskins which the Middle Guard did not wear. The timing of this part of the action is very uncertain, but it would seem that if Halkett’s brigade did face Imperial Guardsmen they ran away from them. Billarderie, ADC to Napoleon says infantry fought in grey greatcoats, Guard in blue, and reckons they fought in trousers of same colour.
3 Taylor in Siborne, Letters, no. 75.
4 Courts martial of Charles Hames and Henry Ross Lewin, NA WO 71/242 161 and 164; Officer of the 95th in Waldie, Near Observer, 54–5.
5 Martin, Souvenirs, 296–7.
6 Swinburne in Glover, Letters, 165, who says there was a call for skirmishers and he went out; Maitland, Saltoun, Powell, Dirom in Siborne, Letters, nos. 105, 106, 109, 111. Nixon in Glover, Waterloo Archive, I, 135 mentions a Dutch brigade that charged with the Guards.
7 D’Avout, ‘Infanterie de la Garde’, says that from 16 to 18 June the 3rd and 4th Chasseurs lost 1141 out of 2168 in killed, wounded and prisoners, according to figures after the other ‘missing’ had rejoined.
8 Houssaye, 1815: Waterloo, 418n.
71 Right Ahead, To Be Sure
1 Robertson, Journal, 158–9.
2 Smith; Autobiography, 272; Morris, Memoirs, 80; Kruse in Glover, Waterloo Archive, V, 137.
3 Vivian in Siborne, Letters, no. 70; Taylor in Siborne, Letters, no. 75; George Luard in Glover, Waterloo Archive, I, 93.
4 Bäring in Lindau, Waterloo Hero, 197.
5 Ingilby, ‘Waterloo Diary’, 58.
6 Pelet, Guillemin and Christiani in d’Avout, ‘Documents’, 109–10, 113, 114.
7 Captain Barton in Siborne, Letters, no. 58.
8 Rigau in Field, French Perspective, 222.
9 Rullière, in Largeaud, Napoléon et Waterloo, 377–8. Much of Rullière’s account is open to doubt but his part in saving the eagle of the 95th is supported by a tribute in his army record, SHD Dossier Rullière, G.D. 2e Série 1135. Chapuis, Waterloo, 50.
10 Franklin, Netherlands Correspondence, 148–9.
11 Pelet in d’Avout, ‘Infanterie de la Garde’, 51–2; Tromelin in Field, French Perspective, 212 and 223.
12 Maitland and Reed in Siborne, Letters, nos. 105 and 126.
13 Wellington later said cattily and incorrectly that this was almost all the French Blücher knew. Gneisenau’s official report stated that Blücher met Wellington by chance at La Belle Alliance and used it as a reason to name the battle after the alehouse farm. For this reason, in 1816 the Duke denied emphatically that any meeting had taken place there and said that he visited Blücher’s headquarters at Genappe after 10 p.m. (WSD, X, 509 in a letter to William Mudford of 8 June 1816). This was not true: his aide Felton Hervey wrote on 3 July that he and the Duke went no further south along the Charleroi road than the village of Maison du Roi, before turning back for Waterloo which they reached between 11 p.m. and midnight. Wellington later told his biographer that he and Blücher met at Maison du Roi, and another aide said that Wellington rode back with Blücher as far as La Belle Alliance, confirming Jackson’s story (Williams-Wynne, Diaries of a Lady of Quality, 293). Müffling, who rode with the Prussian pursuit as far as Genappe, reported to Wellington at Waterloo on his return after midnight. Both the Russian representative Pozzo di Borgo and the Austrian Baron Vincent stated in their reports that Wellington and Blücher met at La Belle Alliance (Waldie, Near Observer, 1817, 208 and 214). WSD, X, 506. The scene forms a big set-piece in von Ollech, Feldzuges von 1815, 252 where Grolmann leads Ziethen’s men via Papelotte to La Belle Alliance, Gneisenau and Blücher ride there from Plancenoit, Röder’s cavalry appears and they all sing Luther’s hymn. Von Reiche stated that the meeting took place there although he implies that Ziethen, Röder and Gneisenau were elsewhere.
14 Gronow, Reminiscences, 138; Jackson, Notes and Reminiscences, 57–8.
72 The Pursuit
1 John Luard in Siborne, Letters, no. 61; Vivian in Siborne, Letters, no. 72.
2 Christiani in d’Avout, ‘Documents’, 111–13.
3 Canler, Mémoires, 298; Martin, Souvenirs, 298–301; Lindau, Waterloo Hero, 174–9; Wheatley, Diary, 74–7.
4 Hornn recovered. The entrepreneur William Bullock brought him to England, along with Napoleon’s coach and he was a fixture at Bullock’s Museum and wrote his memoirs.
5 Hornn, Narrative, 57–8; Houssaye, 1815: Waterloo, 440–1.
6 Duuring in d’Avout, ‘Documents’, 116–9.
7 Marchand, Mémoires, 224; Fleury de Chaboulon, Mémoires, 192. Dörk (142) and von Keller (‘Description of the … Carriage’, 13) variously site the capture of the headquarters convoy at Quatre Bras, Villers and Mellet. The quotations are from Fleury de Chaboulon.
8 It sounds ironic, but the inn had this name long before the advent of Napoleon.
9 Mach, Geschichte, 342.
10 Reiche, Memoiren, 216–17.
11 Houssaye, 1815: Waterloo, 434; Spectateur Militaire, III, 1827, 666–7; Nostitz, ‘Tagebuch’, 44.
12 Brett-James, Hundred Days, 184.
73 Victory! Victory!
1 Longford, Years of the Sword, 485.
2 Thornton, Cook, 49; Longford, Years of the Sword, 485. At least Felton Hervey, Percy, Arthur H
ill (another aide), Pozzo di Bogo and Vincent had shared the night ride.
3 Delancey, Week at Waterloo, 116; Pitt-Lennox, Three Years, 217–18; Frazer, Letters, 560.
4 WSD, X, 531.
5 Amabel Yorke, Lady Lucas, diaries, XXX, 132–3.
6 Morning Post, 24 June 1815.
7 WSD, X, 506.
8 Morning Post, 24 June 1815.
9 Amabel Yorke, Lady Lucas, diaries, XXX, 135.
74 Butcher’s Bill
1 Creevey, Creevey Papers, 236.
2 Brett-James, Hundred Days, 183; Bäring in Lindau, Waterloo Hero, 198.
3 James, Journal, 35–6.
4 Barbero, The Battle, 419; Adkin, Waterloo Companion, 73. See WD, XII, 485; Muir, Tactics, 263.
5 Barbero, The Battle, 420. Wellington reported having 5000 prisoners with 2000 more coming and the Admiralty was asked to provide ships for 7000 prisoners.
6 Barbero, The Battle, 420–1.
7 Identity unknown in Glover, Waterloo Archive, I, 31; Morris, Memoirs, 82.
8 Bessborough, Lady Bessborough, 242–3.
9 Hasker, in Glover, Waterloo Archive, I, 19; Hibbert in www.qdg.org.uk/diaries CARDG:1988.1764; Farmer, in United Service Magazine, 1842, part 1, 529–36 and part 2, 550–3.
10 Hibbert in www.qdg.org.uk/diaries CARDG:1988.1764.
11 Hasker in Glover, Waterloo Archive, I, 19; Ingilby, ‘Waterloo Diary’, 58.
12 Robertson, Journal, 160–2.
13 Officer of rifles in Waldie, Near Observer, 55
14 Gronow, Reminiscences, 132.
15 Mainwaring, ‘Four Years’, 410.
16 Smith, Autobiography, 275–6.
75 Wives
1 Smith, Autobiography, 281–4.
2 Waldie, Narrative, 124ff.
3 Delancey, Week at Waterloo, 62.
4 Smith, Autobiography, 286–7.
5 Delancey, Week at Waterloo, 63–99.
76 What Misery War Causes
1 Brett-James, Hundred Days, 196; Costello, Campaigns, 154.
2 Gibney, Eighty Years Ago, 206–7 and 209.
3 Glover, Waterloo Archive, III, 217.