Charles Dalton

“ And yet in 1807 Napoleon had not yet reached the zenith of his power. For the next xifive 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. ”

“ A fresh army of eight thousand men, commanded by the Duke of Cumberland, was marching across Staffordshire. The highlanders, under the able leadership of Lord George Murray, outmarched and outmanœuvred Cumberland, and reached Derby on 4 Dec. Two days later they turned their faces homewards. Once more Lord George Murray guided his little army safely between the hostile armies of Wade and Cumberland, and reached the borders of Westmoreland in safety. Cumberland was appointed commander-in-chief of the whole British army, and Wade retired into private life. ”

“ The horses of the first rank of cuirassiers, in spite of all the efforts of their riders, came to a standstill, shaking and covered with foam, at about twenty yards’ distance from our squares, and generally resisted all attempts to force them to charge the line of serried steel. On one occasion two gallant French officers forced their way into a gap momentarily created by the discharge of artillery; one was killed by Stables, the other by Adair. Nothing could be more gallant than the behaviour of those veterans, many of whom had distinguished themselves on half the battle-fields of Europe. ”

“ These honours were followed on 14 Dec. 1743 by the bestowal of a field-marshal's baton and by his appointment as commander-in-chief of the British forces in Flanders, which were to co-operate with the Austrian and Dutch contingents. The Duc d'Aremberg commanded the Austrians, and the Count of Nassau the Dutch. Opposed to the allied forces were eighty-five thousand French troops, under Maurice of Saxe. The French, superior in numbers, were under an able commander, while Wade, who was turned seventy years of age and in failing health, had never before commanded an army in the field. ”

“ Another instance of Frazer’s firmness of character is exhibited in the speedy way in which he made the Prussians, two days after Waterloo, surrender all the French guns which had been captured by the British, and which the rapacious Prussians had annexed, and “regularly parked with Prussian sentries.” Frazer’s interesting letters from the Pa. and the Netherlands were published in 1859. These letters stamp the writer as a thorough soldier, a perfect gentleman, a delightful companion, and a modest and unassuming man, possessing a heart that could feel for others’ woes. ”

“ In the autumn of 1702 Captain Wade served at the siege of Liège. It is recorded that Wade's grenadiers greatly distinguished themselves in storming and carrying the citadel, one of the strongest fortifications in Flanders. On 20 March 1703 Wade was promoted major, and in August of the same year served at the siege and capture of Huy. On 25 Oct. 1703 he succeeded to the lieutenant-colonelcy of his regiment, and in 1704 volunteered for service in Portugal, whither a British contingent was about to be despatched under the Earl of Galway. ”

“ At four o’clock our square was a perfect hospital being full of dead, dying, and mutilated soldiers. The charges of cavalry were in appearance very formidable, but in reality a great relief, as the artillery could no longer fire on us; the very earth shook under the enormous mass of men and horses. I shall never forget the strange noise our bullets made against the breast-plates of Kellerman’s and Millhaud’s cuirassiers, six or seven thousand in number, who attacked us with great fury. ”

“ Commanded the 1st Brigade of Guards at the battle of Nive. The example he set, both at Quatre Bras and Waterloo, had much to do with the victory then obtained over the French. When Napoleon’s “Old Guard” made that gigantic and final effort, on the evening of June 18th, to retrieve the fortunes of the day, it was Maitland’s brigade which checked their advance and drove them headlong down the bloody slope. “Now, Maitland, now’s your time!” said Wellington, as the leading column of the French Guards approached the crest of the slope where the British Guards were stationed—the front rank kneeling. ”

“ Siborne immortalises the name of this officer, in his history of the battle of Quatre Bras, as follows:—“A French lancer gallantly charged at the colours of the 44th, and severely wounded Ensign Christie, who carried one of them, by a thrust of his lance, which, entering the left eye, penetrated to the lower jaw. The Frenchman then endeavoured to seize the standard, but the brave Christie, notwithstanding the agony of his wound, with a presence of mind almost unequalled, flung himself upon it—not to save himself, but to preserve the honour of his regiment. ”

“ At Waterloo he bravely led on the 2nd Batt. of the same gallant regiment, and was left for dead on that bloody field, having received several severe wounds in the head and thigh. Owing to the attachment of a faithful non-commissioned officer, Sergeant Ryan, who brought his wounded and insensible commander under the care of skilful medical treatment, he slowly recovered, and with his devoted follower returned home. A chivalric soldier, an honourable and most amiable gentleman, General Hamerton is deeply lamented by all who came within the influence of his high and endearing qualities. ”

“ His troop came in for the hottest part of the battle on Waterloo Day, and suffered considerably in loss of men and horses. Sir George Wood, R.A., paid the battery a visit on that memorable afternoon, and was surprised to find so many cannon balls whizzing round his ears. “D——n it, Mercer,” he exclaimed, “you seem to be having a hot time of it here.” Hot it was for all parties concerned, but the gallant way in which the gunners worked their guns kept the French cavalry from reaching the infantry squares behind Mercer’s battery. ”

“ About six o’clock we perceived formation columns, cavalry and infantry, formed in a great mass—the enemy’s artillery was brought to a more forward position—and again he began to cannonade us. He opened a fire, the most tremendous ever known, I believe, in the annals of war—250 pieces, very close, throwing shells and round shot, grape, and every instrument of destruction. It is really not exaggeration to say we could not ride quick over the ground for the bodies of men and horses. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Waggon Train took up a new position in the Army List, viz., after the cavalry and newly-raised corps, the “Staff Corps of Cavalry,” so called to distinguish it from the “Royal Staff Corps,” which followed in the wake of the Rifle Brigade. The Waggon Train was reduced about twenty years after Waterloo, and after the Crimean War a corps called “The Military Train” sprung into existence, which, like its predecessor, was chiefly officered by old soldiers who had won their commissions while serving in the ranks. ”