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    Operations Of The Fifth Or Picton's Division In The Campaign Of Waterloo
    Operations Of The Fifth Or Picton's Division In The Campaign Of Waterloo
    Operations Of The Fifth Or Picton's Division In The Campaign Of Waterloo
    Ebook73 pages1 hour

    Operations Of The Fifth Or Picton's Division In The Campaign Of Waterloo

    By Anon Anon

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    This account of the 1815 Belgium campaign, during the Hundred Days, is famous for its frequent quotation in nearly every study of that campaign. Written by an eye-witness to the battle of Waterloo and its aftermath, the pictures drawn by the writer are graphic of the violence of the battle and mighty clash of arms. Although jingoistic to the modern reader it provides reliable and valuable information on the campaign. The eye-witness has been identified by modern research to have been an officer in the 3rd Battalion 1st Regiment of Foot (Royals).
    Annotations – PP-Publishing
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWagram Press
    Release dateNov 17, 2010
    ISBN9781908692092
    Operations Of The Fifth Or Picton's Division In The Campaign Of Waterloo

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      Book preview

      Operations Of The Fifth Or Picton's Division In The Campaign Of Waterloo - Anon Anon

      OPERATIONS OF THE FIFTH OR PICTON'S

      DIVISION IN THE

      CAMPAIGN OF WATERLOO.

      BY AN OFFICER OF THE DIVISION.

      1835.

      This edition is published by PICKLE PARTNERS PUBLISHING

      Text originally published in 1835 under the same title in the United Service Journal.

      © Pickle Partners Publishing 2011, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

      Publisher’s Note

      Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

      AFTER a lapse of twenty years, I have resolved to give you an account of what fell under my own observation in the memorable cam­paign of Waterloo; and, like La Beaume, I will describe what I saw.

      With this view, I have paraded an old pocket memorandum book, which I carried on my person,—the contents of which I shall give you chiefly verbatim, interweaving my own reflections and more matured opinions on the movements of our part of the British Army, commanded and led by the never-to-be-forgotten Sir Thomas Picton.

      The memoranda I allude to, were principally taken at Betray, on the frontiers of France, where our division (being terribly crippled) was made the reserve of the pursuing army; therefore we had a day's halt, to lighten the numbers pressing forward by the great road and impeding the progress of the guns.

      These memoranda contain all I could recollect at the time; for the awful grandeur of the scene, together with the overwhelming conse­quences of that short campaign, diverted my attention from many minute occurrences which afterwards (even for years,) started into my recollection.

      Many of these appear to me to possess interest; and, as I have not observed them taken notice of by any of the numerous chroniclers of 1815, I wish to preserve the remembrance of them. I happened to see, in a much-respected periodical, (the United Service Journal,) an article on the subject of the campaign of Waterloo. The writer laments, that notwithstanding we have numerous histories, very few have written an account of what they saw. This remark is sensible enough; for the utter impossibility of an actor on that scene, writing an account of the "whole battle," as falling under his own eye, must be obvious to every one; or, that the historian could describe what passed in that field, truly and accurately, without faithful narratives from competent and observing officers, of what they saw with their own eyes, and were engaged in personally.

      Of the many narratives which I have perused by eye-witnesses, &c., and by Staff Officers, who could, from their positions, command a bird's eye view of the field, on occasions, when the clearing away of the smoke would admit of it, not one has been correctly written with regard to the operations of the Fifth Division, and of that only I mean to speak.

      Indeed, I maintain it to be impossible, that they could give a correct account. The clouds of smoke from the artillery and musketry of both armies, rendered observation impracticable to them, while many an interesting war passage took place in the melée, easily distinguishable by those near at hand, (who could just see what was passing around them,) which was lost to a looker-on at a greater distance. Therefore, you must not expect from me, who was then a subaltern officer, com­manding a company, an account of the "whole battle." As I proceed in my story, you will perceive by the subject, that the veil of smoke being occasionally withdrawn, permitted me to see not a little of what was going on around me.

      It is, however, necessary to remind you, that the cannonade, though described by every one as lasting the whole day, was not always playing en the same part of the position. It was hot in one part, and slack in the other, as the end required. Guns also need fresh supplies of ammu­nition; during this operation they cease firing, and there is nothing to interrupt the view.

      You will pardon the introduction of any little anecdote concerning my own personal adventures. I preserved them, with a view to their afford­ing some amusement at a future time.

      ***

      About the time of our entering France, the English newspapers teemed with Letters from Brussels, Letters from the Army, &c.

      Our commanding officer, (I mean Col. C—,) had them cut out of the papers, and pasted on the walls of his room, shortly after our arrival at Paris. When asked his reason for this strange whim, he replied, that he wanted to see which of them lied most! I perused some with astonishment, but none more so than the Letters from Brussels, which gave a full, true, and particular account of our being "all surprised while at a ball given by the Duke of Richmond, and of our fighting the French in our pumps and silk stockings." I have often wondered why the ridiculous tale was never contradicted—at least, I have never met with a formal refutation of it; nor even any explanation accounting for its probable origin.

      With regard to the alleged surprise, Sir Walter Scott, together with numerous military writers, addressing themselves to the general reader, amply refute the assertion, so does the Duke of Wellington himself, in a letter to Sir John Sinclair[1].

      To military men, no justification was necessary; he must be an ignoramus, indeed, who does not know that the attacking General had not, or would not have the politeness to send us word by what part of our extensive line (from Charleroi to the Sea,) he meant to penetrate, that we might there concentrate and

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