The Waterloo Roll Call With Biographical Notes and Anecdotes — Reading Companion

sis; Hanover had been taken from us. The outlook was very gloomy, and affairs became more complicated in 1807, when the military expeditions, arranged by Lord Grenville’s ministry, against Constantinople and Egypt, had turned out failures, and resulted in the Turks declaring war against us and confiscating all British property. And yet in 1807 Napoleon had not yet reached the zenith of his power. For the next five years he held the destinies of nearly the whole of Europe in his own hands. Monarchies of long standing were disestablished and new kingdoms—Napoleonic kingdoms—were raised up in their place. Immense French armies traversed Europe from Portugal to the heart of Russia, and every capital within that limit was, in its turn, subjugated to the French yoke. But in 1808 two British Generals stemmed the tide of French conquest in the Peninsula, viz., Sir John Moore and Sir Arthur Wellesley. The first met a soldier’s death at Corunna, and the latter was superseded by an incapable commander. But the British Government soon found that they had made a grievous mistake, and Wellesley was again entrusted with the supreme command in Portugal. Then commenced that series of brilliant campaigns which liberated Portugal and Spain from the Napoleonic grasp, and only ceased after the battle of Toulouse by Napoleon’s abdication at Fontainebleau. In the spring of 1814 England had a large army, composed for the most part of seasoned veterans, who were fit for anything and worth millions. When war broke out again, in the spring of 1815, at least half of the Peninsular army had been disbanded—dispersed—and not to be had at any price. Some of the best of the old Peninsular regiments had been sent to America in 1814, and several of them—the gallant 43rd Light Infantry being one—did not reach Waterloo in time to take part in the battle. Raw levies took their place, and foreign auxiliaries helped to bring up Wellington’s army in Flanders to the required strength. Of Wellington’s 106,000 barely one-third were British. The remainder consisted of “King’s German Legion,” “Hanoverian Levies,” “Brunswick Contingent,” “Nassau Contingent,” “Dutch and Belgian Troops,” and “Nassauers in Dutch service.” Of this polyglot force the German Legion, both cavalry and infantry, were deserving of the highest praise for their conduct on Waterloo Day. They formed part of the British army for nearly a dozen years, and many British officers held commissions in the “Legion.” I have been obliged to leave out the German Legion officers in the following ROLL CALL (excepting those who served on the Staff), and it would be invidious, when all did so well, to pick out the British officers who served in the “Legion” at Waterloo and record their services when those of their German brother-officers are omitted. I cannot even make an exception of Colonel (afterwards Baron) Hugh Halkett, who, like a knight in the olden days of chivalry, singled out a French general (Cambronne) in single combat, and took him prisoner.

The Hanoverian levies did well also, excepting one regiment, which refused to charge the French when commanded so to do. And this was doubtless owing to the _lâcheté_ of their colonel, who, when ordered to lead his regiment to the charge, declined to do so, saying he had no confidence in his men. It is related that Captain Horace Seymour, who had brought this officer Lord Uxbridge’s orders, addressed “a few words of plain Saxon” to him, “which no gentleman ought to have listened to unmoved,” but the only effect they had on the Hanoverian was to hasten his departure to the rear. The Brunswick Contingent fought at a disadvantage at Waterloo, having lost their brave leader (the Duke of Brunswick) at Quatre Bras. Of the Nassau, Dutch, and Belgian troops it is only fair to say that they were, mostly, utterly useless at Waterloo. The glamour of Napoleon was upon them. They had lately been in his service, and had a settled conviction that Wellington would be defeated and his army cut to pieces. “Come over to us, brave Belgians!” shouted a French regiment at Waterloo to their Belgian opponents in the battle. But the “brave Belgians” preferred making “a retrograde movement for strategical reasons,” and retired from the field, carrying news of Wellington’s defeat to Brussels.