British Light Dragoon (Napoleonic Horseman Book 3)

by Griff Hosker

  “Do you know how long we are likely to be in Hanover?”

  “Good gracious, no. It all depends upon the French eh what?” He suddenly became serious and gestured for the major and me to close with him. “To be honest I have heard rumours of French armies massing on the borders of Hanover so I suspect that you will be busy sooner rather than later.” He smiled as though we would be pleased to be facing huge French armies.

  Once the horses were unloaded we saddled them and waited for the wagons with the other equipment to follow. We would be sleeping under canvas and I was grateful that this was summer. I would not enjoy having to spend time here in winter. The Texel had been cold enough and this country was rumoured to be even colder.

  Since our visit to France, Trooper Sharp had seemed to grow in confidence. He was no longer the diffident young man who was put upon by all and sundry. He now gave instructions and orders to the same troopers who had mocked him before. He was also able to banter and joke with the NCOs too. The change made my life much easier. I no longer had to watch him and make sure that he was not suffering at the hands of another Jem Green. I knew that my equipment would arrive at our new camp and my tent would be erected before any other tent. He was efficient.

  The major followed the little carriage with Mr Whittingham on board and we lumbered through the town. The streets were narrow and people peered at us as we rode through them. The men had been ordered to adopt a serious demeanour and we rode in silence. It was almost a funeral procession. The field we had been allocated was, mercifully, dry. I hated wading through mud in the morning.

  Sergeant Major Jones nodded approvingly, “If you gentlemen would like to take yourselves off and explore the area I will get this lot organised.”

  It was a polite way of telling us that he did not require officers around to interfere with his systems. Major Hyde-Smith smiled and said, “Thank you Sergeant Major, we will be back for dinner.”

  “Very well sirs, enjoy yourselves.”

  We needed to know how far it was to the border and we rode west. No-one spoke to us, which was just as well as none of us could speak Swedish. They all stared at these officers in the strange helmets and blue uniforms. I glanced over my shoulder at Austen and Jackson; they were both staring back at the civilians.

  “I realise that you two have never been abroad before but try to avoid staring with your mouths open. You are officers after all.”

  “Sorry Captain Matthews.”

  Major Hyde-Smith inclined his head, “I suppose we all had to experience this once although you are still an enigma, Captain Matthews. One of these days you must tell me your background and how you gained the experience you obviously have.”

  “When this war is over sir there will be time for such tales.”

  “At the present rate we will both be old men.”

  “Then it will make a pleasant diversion after dinner.”

  We had left the town and were well into the countryside. It began to remind me more and more of parts of Austria. The churches were different but many of the buildings had a similar appearance and design.

  We rode for a couple of hours and then the major stopped. “We could have crossed the border already. How the devil do you know?”

  Just then a cart with an older and a younger man came from a tiny side road and they stopped to stare at us. “If we smile, sir, we won’t frighten them as much.”

  The major smiled and then said, “Hanover?” They gave us blank looks. “Brunswick.” He repeated them a little louder as though they were deaf.

  The old man turned to the young man and said something. I found I could understand a little of it. They sounded as though they were speaking a language similar to Austrian. I tried some Austrian and asked them where Hanover was.

  It did the trick and they both grinned and began to jabber at me as though I was fluent. I held up my hands and asked them to speak slowly. They did so and then the older one asked me if we were Austrians or Prussians. When I told him that we were English his face broke into a grin. I guessed we were welcome.

  “I didn’t get all of it, sir but I think he said that we crossed over the border at the last farm we passed.”

  The three of them stared at me. “You speak Swedish?”

  “No Major, I understand and speak a little Austrian and they speak German.”

  Major Hyde-Smith shook his head, “Remarkable!" I merely shrugged and he added, “We might as well go back then. Now we know how close we are.”

  As we trotted back along the road I ventured. “I would have thought that someone from the Hanoverian army would have been here. It would have made matters much easier.”

  “And just when I was thinking how clever you were Captain Matthews you let yourself down. The role of the War Office is to make life difficult for the ordinary soldier. When did they ever consult on anything which would help us to do our job better? It is just luck that we have a good sword and it is down to keen cavalrymen that we have such a fine carbine. No, we shall muddle along, improvising as we go. It is the British way. Thank God for Sergeant Major Jones.” He lowered his voice so that the lieutenants would not overhear us. “I am more worried about our Brigadier. In my experience colonels of infantry think that cavalry can travel as fast as a bullet and surround ten times their number. I hope our chap is more of a realist.”

  The camp was all set up with cook fires burning and a general look of order when we returned. The tents were in immaculately straight lines and the horse lines were far enough from the tents so that we would not be too discomfited by the smell.

  Trooper Sharp was there to take my horse as soon as we reached the flag and guidon which indicated the headquarters. “I’ll take your stuff sir and see to Badger.” He pointed to a tent three down from the headquarters one. “That’s yours sir and mine is just behind it.” He took my helmet, sword and pistols and handed me the forage cap. It had been the first time I had worn my new helmet for such a long period and it was a relief to take it off.

  Sergeant Major Jones flourished towards a laid table with his arm. “We have no regimental silver but I managed to get a couple of bottles of some white wine for you gentlemen. I chilled them in the river sir. Your food will be along shortly.”

  “Thank you Sergeant Major; you are a godsend.” As he left the tent Major Hyde-Smith said, “You know I was thinking of having a wash but the thought of a chilled German white has put all that from my mind. What’s say we taste this unexpected treat?”

  The wine was delicious and chilled enough to refresh and get the taste of salt from our mouths. The food was filling albeit dull but Sergeant Major Jones outdid himself when he arrived with a bottle containing a clear liquid. “The locals drink this sir. It’s called Schnapps.”

  I nodded, “Like whisky but even more fiery.”

  The major said, “James, do join us.” The Sergeant Major looked as though he would refuse but the major said, “I insist.”

  When we had filled our glasses he nodded at Lieutenant Jackson. The youngest officer stood and said, “Gentlemen the King!”

  I sipped mine but Percy took half of it in one go and I saw his eyes widen at the shock.

  “By God sir, that’ll wake you up in the morning.” The major then nodded to Jackson again who said, “The regiment.” I noticed that we all sipped it this time; even Sergeant Major Jones.

  The other transports arrived during the night so that we were awoken before dawn by the arrival of six hundred infantry and a battery of six guns. Sergeant Major Jones had chosen the best part of the site for our camp. I did not think that the infantry would appreciate being that close to our horses. However, as it turned out, they did not have to suffer long.

  By the time dawn had fully broken our men were breakfasted and on parade. Major Hyde-Smith came over to me. “We had better discover what is expected of us. I am not sure that we will be moving today.”

  When we reached the infantry camp we saw that Mr Whittingham and his assistant were there alo
ng with a very young captain of the Royal Horse Artillery. Brigadier Mackenzie was also younger than Colonel Fenton. He looked very upright with a monocle and a fine moustache. He would not have looked out of place in Bonaparte’s Guides. He strode over to meet us.

  “Ah glad you are settled in already. Rum place what?”

  “It is interesting sir.”

  Mr Whittingham obviously felt we had spent enough time chatting. “Well gentlemen we need to get on. I have heard that a French Corps is already on the borders with Hanover. You need to get across the border and offer your assistance as soon as you can.”

  The major and Brigadier Mackenzie exchanged a look of exasperation. “Sir, my men have been up half the night unloading the transport and erecting tents. They are in no condition to march…” he obviously did not know how far we would have to march and he waved a vague hand, “however far it is.”

  I thought the little official would explode. Major Hyde-Smith said, “We have rested for a day. I could take my squadron south and reconnoitre. If you followed tomorrow then we should have a suitable camp set up and be able to have a clearer picture of what is going on.”

  The relief on the brigadier’s face was obvious. “Thank you very much sir. That will help.”

  The young captain piped up. “Sir! My chaps are raring to go. We can go with the 11th.”

  “Very well. I expect you to keep me informed though. None of this death and glory sort of thing.”

  Major Hyde-Smith saluted, “Of course sir.”

  The little official fixed the major with a keen stare. “Thank you gentlemen, and if you would keep me informed also.”

  “Of course Mr Whittingham and where will you be?”

  “Why behind these fortress walls of course.”

  The captain trotted along behind us, “That’s a stroke of luck. I didn’t fancy moving at the pace of the infantry.” He held out his hand, “Captain Johnston’s the name.”

  We introduced ourselves. “We will lead off,” the major pointed down the road. “Hanover is just a few miles in that direction. If we have to move quickly then I don’t want to have to plough through your artillery pieces so keep your chaps at the rear with the baggage.”

  I could see the disappointment on his face but what the major had said was no different from his comments about the infantry. Ignoring the artilleryman the major turned to me, “As you can speak a little of the language then take a sergeant and half a dozen men and act as scouts.”

  “Sir. How far should we go?”

  “Until we find some Hanoverian troops,” he laughed, “or a French Corps.”

  I disobeyed my order; I took Corporal Seymour rather than a sergeant. He was reliable and the men liked him. I allowed him to choose the four other men who would accompany Trooper Sharp as the sixth man. As we left the camp I spoke to them. “I am not certain that our allies know we are coming so keep your weapons holstered. It is their country and we are strangers here.” I tapped the helmet. “Luckily only the British wear these but we will have to tread warily.”

  We had ridden half a mile when one of the troopers said, “Sir, what if we meet the French?”

  Corporal Seymour answered for me, “Then we will be in the deep shit, my son. It will mean the French have beaten the Hanoverians before we got here.” He turned to me, “That right sir?”

  “Succinctly put, Corporal Seymour.”

  I noticed that Sharp was riding as confidently as the corporal and they were, in fact riding side by side. That was a good sign. I missed the camaraderie of the 17th Chasseurs. The sooner I could create that in D Troop the better. We passed the farmhouse and I said, “Right boys; we are now in Hanover. Keep your eyes peeled. We need our allies and a good camp.”

  We rode through one small town and I halted the men. I found an old man smoking a pipe outside his home. I told him we were British and asked him where the nearest troops were. His accent was thicker than the others had been and it took a couple of attempts to both ask the questions and receive the answer but I deduced that we were fifteen miles from a garrison of Hanoverian troops. It was a town called Gustrow. I headed towards it, hoping that we would find some troops there.

  The countryside was filled with growth and life. It had been a good summer and they would have good crops. I was busy wondering about the people and how they lived when Badger suddenly pricked up his ears. As I bent down to stroke his mane I heard the crack of a pistol and felt a ball whizz above my head. The other horses began to prance as their agitated riders went for the weapons.

  “Keep your hands away from your weapons.” Then I shouted, in German, “We are English. We are English.”

  Twenty riders suddenly appeared from the hedgerows. Their weapons were levelled at us. I put my hands up and waited for the officer to approach me. I recognised him by the fact that he held no carbine but had a sword the equal of mine. “Do you speak English?”

  He shook his head and I sighed, I would have to give him a mixture of Austrian and the odd German o I knew. The languages were similar but, as I had discovered with the old man there were enough differences to be dangerous. I explained that we were part of a brigade sent to help the Hanoverians. It was obvious that they were not expecting us but when the weapons were lowered I knew that they believed us. But for Badger it could have had a tragic outcome. Had I been shot I think my men would have all fired and died.

  The officer agreed to escort us to Gustrow. I turned to Trooper Sharp. “Find the major and tell him we have gone with this officer to his regiment.”

  I didn’t need to explain to Sharp that he was my insurance in case this did not go the way I had planned. As we rode towards the distant town I noticed that his men rode on either side of my handful. Were we allies or prisoners?

  Chapter 8

  It was a garrison of infantry. There were no artillery pieces and the cavalry which escorted us was merely brigaded with the four companies. I realised that I did not have enough of the language to be able to converse with our allies but I was desperate to know if the French had crossed the border.

  The major in command of the garrison listened to the lieutenant who had met us. He nodded. He spoke slowly to me, “I understand you speak a little of our language.”

  I caught most of it and said, “A little.” I used a hand gesture as well which made him smile.

  “I have sent a message to the commander of…” he said a word which I did not understand and he waved his hand around. I took this to mean the district and I nodded. “Until then, rest.”

  “Corporal, we are amongst friends. Water the horses.”

  As they strode off the major gestured to a table set outside the headquarters building. We sat and he smiled. I noticed that he was definitely rotund. I suspected that he sat more than he marched and he had the florid face of a drinker. He smiled a lot and seemed pleasant enough. “Hot day. Yes?”

  “Hot day, yes.”

  He suddenly seemed to get an idea and barked an order. His orderly left the office and raced across the main square. I wondered what was afoot. When he returned with two brimming tankards of foaming beer I knew what it was.

  He beamed, “Good beer. From Hamburg!”

  “Cheers!” I drank and it was delicious. I felt sorry for my men who stood by the horses at the trough jealously watching as the foaming liquid slipped down. I was taking it steady but my host shouted for his orderly again and soon we had another in our hands. Hospitality meant that I could not refuse but much more and I would be roaring drunk. I was relieved when I heard the hooves of the rest of the squadron arriving.

  Major Hyde-Smith turned to Jones and said, “I can see I have much to learn about campaigning from Captain Matthews.”

  I jumped to my feet and introduced the two majors. “I have not had time to find a camp site yet sir. The major here has sent to the Commanding General of the district for guidance.”

  Sergeant Major Jones said, “There is a good little spot just north of the town. There are trees fo
r shade and a stream for water.”

  “Ask him, Matthews. You are the expert.”

  “I am sorry sir but my knowledge of this language is limited.” By a series of hand gestures accompanied by the few words I knew which would be useful I conveyed the major’s request. It was granted and we rode to the new camp. I think the Hanoverian major was disappointed that we would not carry on drinking.

  We had just erected the tents when my erstwhile drinking companion brought the news. He was beaming from ear to ear. He shook me and the major by the hand. “The general says we are friends. He comes tomorrow to speak with you and your general.”

  It took a couple of attempts to glean all that information but at least we had performed our first task successfully. After he had gone Major Hyde-Smith took me to one side. “So far Mr Matthews I am somewhat superfluous. You have done a good job here. I can see why that Colonel Selkirk uses you. You are very resourceful.”

  I couldn’t tell him that growing up bilingual seemed to make it easier for me to learn other languages. I was also keenly aware that the English did not take to other languages well. They seemed to believe that the rest of the world ought to speak their language.

  Their general arrived with an honour guard of heavy cavalry. He had with him some staff officers. As they rode up Major Hyde-Smith said, “Well this is a bit of a problem. The brigadier isn’t here yet and I am not sure of the protocol.”

  “You will have to speak with him sir. It would be rude otherwise. If these are anything like the Austrians they believe in doing everything properly.”

  “Ah another chink into Captain Matthews’ background. You have had dealings with the Austrian army.”

  The general stepped down and looked towards the staff lieutenant next to him. Thankfully he began to speak in English. “This is General Amperstadt and he is delighted to have his British allies come to join him.”

  The major nodded. “I am Major Hyde Smith and the Brigadier in charge of this expedition is Colonel Mackenzie. He will be along shortly.”