The Duke of Wellington.—Remarks.—The Waterloo banquet at Apsley
House.—Salter’s celebrated painting.—The names of the generals and
officers at the banquet.—Anecdote of Apsley House.—George the Second
and the old soldier.—The old apple-woman and the lord-chancellor.—
The legacy.—The Duke of Wellington’s generosity.—Major-General
Macdonnel’s noble conduct.—Sergeant-major Frazer.
“Tell us something about the Duke of Wellington, uncle; you must know a
great deal about him.”
“Almost everybody knows a great deal about him, but soldiers especially.
I knew him when he was a much younger man than he is now: the soul of
dispatch, the very spirit of enterprise. And then, he mingled prudence
with his military ardour. Trace his progress all through his successful
career, and you will not find him cruel, perfidious, and rapacious, as
many of the French generals were.”
“Tell us all you know about him.”
“An able writer has eloquently said, ‘The Duke of Wellington, Field
Marshal of the allied army, viz. the English, Spanish, and Portuguese
troops, has most eminently distinguished himself in conducting the late
war on the Continent, which lasted five hard campaigns, during which
time it is remarkable, that no circumstances happened which could throw
a shade once over the military glory of the country, or his own personal
character.’ It was a new feature, that this great general had conducted
these five campaigns through such extraordinary difficulties, in the
face of the first armies of Europe, headed by some of the greatest
commanders which the French Revolution had brought forth, and that in
every instance he should have been victorious. The Field Marshal had
inspired confidence in all the nations whose troops he commanded, and
had risen to the highest command in their service; and so active was he
in his exertions that he received the thanks of Parliament thirteen
different times for his distinguished victories and great exploits,
which have so mainly contributed to the restoration of peace, and the
happy deliverance of Europe.”
“Wellington must be the first general in the world.”
“The duke, whatever he may think of himself now, used to much underrate
his ability as a commander. In the early part of his military life often
and often was he heard to say, ‘As for my military talents, it is all a
mistake; I have none. Nature never intended me for a soldier, but for a
statesman.’”
“Wellington did not know himself in thinking lowly of himself as a
soldier.”
“He has, indeed, proved himself to be the champion of his country. The
whole civilized world was threatened with a Gallic usurpation, and Great
Britain found herself involved in a struggle, from which she could
scarcely, with safety, withdraw. The question is, whether, if the battle
had not been fought on Spanish ground, and in the Netherlands, it would
not have been fought on the hills and green valleys of Old England? The
battle of Waterloo was a dreadful fight, and many were the brave
fellows, on both sides, who fell; but ever since then, Peace has waved
her olive-branch among us. Who shall say this would have been the case
had not British warriors, strong in their strength, and mighty in the
justice of their cause, entered into the strife, and sternly grappled
with their haughty foeman? The victory obtained at Waterloo was but one
part of the conquest,—the peace we have since enjoyed, is the other.”
“You must please to tell us more about the Duke of Wellington.”
“The duke, notwithstanding the fame and fortune he has acquired, is very
simple in his habits, sleeping at the present time in the same narrow
bed in which he reposed on the tented field. It has no curtains, and is
so narrow that he has hardly room to turn round in it. But he says,
‘when a man thinks of turning, it is time he were up.’ I will give you
an anecdote or two of his conduct in battle, which, perhaps, may never
have reached you.
“During the scene of tumult and carnage which the battle of Waterloo
presented, at every moment, and in every place, the Duke of Wellington
exposed his person with a freedom which made all around him tremble for
that life on which it was obvious that the fate of the battle depended.
There was scarcely a square but he visited in person, encouraging the
men by his presence, and the officers by his directions. While he stood
in the centre of the high road in front of Mount St. Jean, several guns
were levelled against him, distinguished as he was by his suite, and the
movements of the officers, who were passing to and fro with orders. The
balls repeatedly grazed a tree near him; when he observed to one of his
suite, ‘That’s good practice; I think they fire better than in Spain.’
Riding up to the 95th, when in front of the line, and even then
expecting a formidable charge of cavalry, he said, ‘Stand fast, 95th, we
must not be beat; what will they say in England?’ On another occasion,
when many of the best and bravest men had fallen, and the event of the
action seemed doubtful to those who remained, he said, with the coolness
of a spectator, ‘Never mind, we’ll win this battle yet.’ To another
regiment, then closely engaged, he used a common sporting expression:
‘Hard pounding this, gentlemen; let us see who will pound longest.’”
“He must have thought very well of his soldiers, to put such confidence
in them in the very midst of the battle.”
“One general officer found himself under the necessity of stating to the
duke, that his brigade was reduced to one third of its numbers, and that
those who remained were so exhausted with fatigue, that a temporary
relief, of however short duration, seemed a measure of necessity. ‘Tell
him,’ said the duke, ‘what he proposes is impossible. He, I, and every
Englishman in the field, must die on the spot we now occupy.’ ‘It is
enough,’ returned the general; ‘I and every man under my command, are
determined to share his fate.’”
“What determination there must have been among them!”
“His Grace the Duke of Wellington gives an annual banquet at Apsley
House, in celebration of the anniversary of the battle of Waterloo. At
this banquet the guests are chiefly the most distinguished officers who
fought in that memorable battle, which hurled Napoleon Buonaparte for
ever from the throne of France, and sent him an exile to St. Helena. The
gold and silver services of plate, and the china used on these
occasions, are very costly.”
“We should like to see that banquet very much.”
“In the eye of a soldier this banquet is a glorious spectacle, for every
beating heart around the festive board has been, at one time or other,
‘Among the foremost in the proud array,
The battle’s bulwark in the narrow way.’
“Clad in full uniform, and wearing all their decorations, may be seen
the illustrious duke and his military companions. Again do they recall
the perils of the past; nor do they forget, among their toasts, to give,
‘The memory of the heroes who fell at Waterloo!’ and ‘The health of our
brave companions in arms!’”
“Please to tell us the names of some of the generals and officers that
were with Wellington at Waterloo?”
“There has been a splendid picture of the Waterloo Banquet, painted by
Salter. I have a list of all the generals and officers that appear in
the painting, and, as it is altogether a national record, if you like, I
will read the list over to you.”
“What, the names of all who were at the banquet! That will be capital!
Now for it, uncle.”
“I shall soon read it over, so pay attention.
“Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington.
His late Majesty William the Fourth.
His Majesty the King of Holland.
General Count Pozzo di Borgo, Russian Ambassador.
General the Marquess of Anglesey.
His Grace the Duke of Richmond.
Major-General Sir Arthur Clifton.
Lieutenant-General Lord Edward Somerset.
Major-General Wyndham.
Major-General Sir Robert Dick.
Colonel Stawell.
General Don Miguel Alava, Spanish Ambassador.
Lieutenant-General Lord Fitzroy Somerset.
Colonel Egerton.
Major-General Sir Edward Bowater.
Major-General Sir George Scovell.
Major-General Sir James Macdonnel.
Colonel Dawkins.
Colonel Sir Hugh Ross.
Lieutenant-General Sir Edward Barnes.
Lieutenant-Colonel Berkeley Drummond.
Lieutenant-Colonel Lord John Somerset.
Lieutenant-General Sir Peregrine Maitland.
Major-General Lord Saltoun.
Major-General Clement Hill.
Major-General Sir John Waters.
Colonel Gurwood.
Major-General Sir Charles Broke Vere.
Major-General Sir Henry Hardinge.
Lieutenant-General Sir Hussey Vivian.
The late Lieutenant-General Sir John Elley.
Lieutenant-General Sir Colin Campbell.
Lieutenant-General Sir Andrew Barnard.
Colonel Lord Sandys, Scots’ Greys.
The Right Honourable Lieutenant-Gen. Sir James Kempt.
Major-General Lord Harris.
Lieutenant-Colonel Rowan.
The Honourable Major-General Edward Lygon.
Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick Adam.
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Robert Gardiner.
The Honourable Major-General Elphinstone.
Colonel Taylor.
Colonel Allix.
Major-General Sir John May.
Colonel Calvert.
Major-General Sleigh.
The late Colonel Lord Robert Manners.
Colonel Douglas Mercer.
Colonel Hunter Blair.
Colonel Parkinson.
Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Askew.
Colonel Lluellyn.
Colonel James Hay.
Colonel Freemantle.
Colonel Sir Charles Dance.
The Honourable Colonel Dawson Damer.
Colonel Sir George Hoste.
The late Major-General Ady.
The Honourable Colonel Sir Horatio Townshend.
Colonel James Grant.
Major-General Sir Henry Willoughby de Broke.
Colonel Reeve.
Major-General Sir William Gomme.
Colonel Stretton.
Lieutenant-General Sir John Vandeleur.
Colonel O’Malley.
The late Major-General Sir Jos. Stratton.
Colonel Lord Hotham.
Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Reynell.
The Honourable Major-General Murray.
Major-General D’Oyly.
Major-General Sir Edward Kerrison.
Lieutenant-General Sir John Lambert.
Lieutenant-General Sir Colin Halkett.
The late Major-General Sir Alexander Dickson.
Lieutenant-General Strafford.
General Lord Hill.
The late Lord Bathurst.”
“Thank you for reading us the list. The company at the banquet, who
fought at Waterloo, will be getting less and less every year. Where is
Apsley House? we have often heard of it; no doubt it is a grand place.”
“Apsley House stands at the south-east entrance of Hyde Park, and near
it may be seen the celebrated bronze statue of Achilles, erected in
honour of the Duke of Wellington. The mansion is certainly a splendid
one, though the strong musket-proof iron gratings, which defend the
windows, are no ornament to it. Those gratings were placed there because
a rude assemblage of people once threatened the duke, and demolished his
windows. Popularity with the people is a very uncertain possession. The
bronze palisading and gates in front are very strong. I can tell you a
very curious anecdote about Apsley House, which appeared in the
newspapers, if you should like to listen to it.”
“Oh yes! do let us hear it; we hope it is a very long one.”
“Not very long, but, as I said, very curious. As George II. was one day
riding on horseback in Hyde-park, he met an old soldier who had fought
with him in the battle of Dettingen. With this soldier he entered into
free discourse. After talking together for some time, the King asked the
old veteran what he could do for him? ‘Why, please your Majesty,’ said
the soldier, ‘my wife keeps an apple-stall on the bit of waste ground as
you enter the park, and if your Majesty would be pleased to make us a
grant of it, we might build a little shed and improve our trade.’
“The request was a very moderate one, and was at once granted. In a
little time the old apple-woman prospered greatly, for the shed was
built, and her business surprisingly increased. The situation was a good
one for the purpose, and she carried on a very profitable trade.
“In the course of years the old soldier died, and the lord-chancellor,
who was looking around him at the time for a suitable piece of ground
whereon he might build himself a mansion, fixed his mind on this very
spot. The old woman was sadly alarmed when she saw her poor shed pulled
down, and preparations made for building up a great house where it
stood, so away she went to her son, an attorney’s clerk, to consult with
him as to what course should be pursued. The son was shrewd enough to
see at once the advantage that might be gained by remaining quiet in the
matter, so he advised his mother to say nothing until the great mansion
should be completed. No sooner was the house finished, than the son
waited on the lord-chancellor to complain of the trespass committed on
his mother’s property, and to claim a recompense for the injury that had
been sustained.
“When the chancellor saw that the claim was undeniable, he directly
offered a few hundred pounds, by way of compensation; but this was
altogether refused; the old woman, advised by her son, would by no means
settle the affair on such easy terms. After some deliberation, a ground-
rent of four hundred pounds a-year was demanded, and his lordship at
last agreed to the terms. To this very day, Apsley House, the mansion of
the Duke of Wellington, yields a ground-rent of four hundred pounds per
year, to the descendants of the old apple-woman.”
“There never was a more curious tale than that, however! It was enough
to make the old apple-woman wild with joy.”
“Some few years ago two gentlemen waited on the Duke of Wellington, at
Apsley House, and told him, that a friend of theirs had died, leaving
them executors to his will, in which, among other bequests, he had left
five hundred pounds to the bravest man in the British army, and that as
they considered his Grace to be the bravest man, they had called to hand
over to him a check for the money.
“The duke was much pleased at the compliment paid to him, but declined
to receive the money, as he said there were many other men in the
British army who equalled him in bravery. He was then requested to
decide on whom the money should be bestowed. This was a difficult point;
but at length he proposed it should be given to Major-General Sir James
Macdonnel, who so resolutely defended Hougomont, the key to the British
position, in the memorable battle of Waterloo.
“The two gentlemen then called on Major-General Macdonnel, telling him
the decision of the Duke of Wellington, and tendering him the five
hundred pounds. But Sir James, in his turn, declined to receive it,
knowing, as he said, a man who, in the battle of Waterloo, had showed
himself equal to any one in bravery. The major-general then described,
that when the French troops made one of their rushes at the gates of the
farm-house, called Hougomont, in that critical moment when victory and
defeat hung evenly in the balance, Sergeant-Major Frazer, a very
powerful man, boldly assisted him to close the gates, thereby shutting
out the French, who were soon after driven back with great slaughter.
Thus was the fortune of the day decided.
“The Duke of Wellington considered Major General Macdonnel deserving of
the money, on account of his resolute defence of Hougomont, and Sir
James considered that Sergeant-Major Frazer, was entitled to share it
with him, on account of the great service he had rendered him on that
occasion. The money was divided between the general and the sergeant-
major, and the generosity of the Duke of Wellington and Sir James
Macdonnel will not soon be forgotten.”
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