WATERLOO, AND THE ORDER OF THE BATH FOR THE NAPOLEONIC WARS
WATERLOO, JUNE 18, 1815.
This victory, generally considered the most glorious ever gained
by British troops, was commemorated in divers manner. The first
regiments of Guards were allowed to assume the title of Grenadiers;
all who participated were granted a medal bearing the effigy of
the Prince Regent--the first medal ever given to all ranks by the
British Government--and were permitted to count two years' service
towards pension; and the word "Waterloo" was inscribed on the
colours and appointments of the following regiments:
1st Life Guards.
2nd Life Guards.
Royal Horse Guards.
1st Dragoon Guards.
Royal Dragoons.
Royal Scots Greys.
Inniskilling Dragoons.
7th Hussars.
10th Hussars.
11th Hussars.
12th Lancers.
13th Hussars.
15th Hussars.
16th Lancers.
18th Hussars.
Grenadier Guards.
Coldstream Guards.
Scots Guards.
Royal Scots.
King's Own Royal Lancasters.
West Yorkshire.
Royal Welsh Fusiliers.
Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.
Gloucesters.
East Lancashire.
Cornwall Light Infantry.
West Riding Regiment.
South Lancashire.
Welsh.
Royal Highlanders.
Oxford Light Infantry.
Essex.
King's Own (Yorkshire Light Infantry).
Highland Light Infantry.
Gordon Highlanders.
Cameron Highlanders.
Rifle Brigade.
[Illustration: THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON.
To face page 192.]
The story of the Battle of Waterloo has been described in the
minutest detail by the most accomplished military historians
in Great Britain, Germany, and France, so that nothing remains
to be told on this head. As is well known, Napoleon, worn down
by the successive campaigns which had been waged against him in
Europe and in Spain, had at last abdicated, and was relegated to
honourable exile in the Island of Elba. In the early spring of 1815
he violated his engagements, and returned to France, where the
majority of his soldiery flocked to his standard. The Allies once
more mobilized their armies, and prepared for war. Whilst Austria
and Russia were advancing from the east, the armies of Prussia
and of Great Britain pushed forward from the north. Napoleon
endeavoured to defeat these before the arrival of the Russians and
Austrians on his frontier. On June 16 he simultaneously attacked
the Prussians at Ligny and Wellington at Quatre-Bras. The Prussians
were undoubtedly worsted, and we at the best fought a very doubtful
action at Quatre-Bras. The Allies then fell back, and it was agreed
that a further stand should be made at Waterloo. Circumstances
arose which prevented Blücher from arriving on the field as soon
as was anticipated, and for four long hours the small British
army withstood the onset of the whole of Napoleon's forces; then,
early in the afternoon, the effect of the Prussian advance on our
left began to be felt, and as the divisions of our allies came
successively into action, the success of the day was no more in
doubt. By sundown the battle was won, the French in full retreat,
and Napoleon's sun had set for ever.
The vexed question of the relative part played by the Prussians and
ourselves will never be settled to the satisfaction of all. One
point in regard to this question has, in my humble opinion, never
been sufficiently brought out. The Prussian army was virtually
an army of mercenaries, kept in the field by the large subsidies
so generously voted by the English Parliament. It is true that
we might have held our own without the arrival of the Prussians,
but it is quite certain that we should never have inflicted the
crushing defeat had not Blücher arrived--not so opportunely, as
some writers assert, but according to his promise. Then, we know
that the battle was a part of the prearranged plan between the Duke
of Wellington and Prince Blücher. This, however, is beyond all
doubt--that had it not been for the generous subsidies voted to
Prussia by the English Parliament, amounting to 3,000,000 sterling,
in the years 1814-15, there would have been no Prussian army to
assist us. Throughout the wars with Napoleon, Austria, Prussia, and
Russia received large sums to enable them to keep their armies in
the field. It was not only the King's German Legion which was paid
with English gold, but the Prussian army also; and when the Germans
taunt the British army with being an army of mercenaries, it would
be well for them to study the financial conditions under which they
fought in the wars with France in the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries. The following figures, showing the pecuniary assistance
afforded by England to her allies, are of passing interest:
+------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| | AUSTRIA. | PRUSSIA. | RUSSIA. |
+------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
|1814 | £545,612 | £1,757,669 | £1,758,436 |
|1815 | £1,475,632 | £2,555,473 | £1,330,171 |
|1816 | £1,796,229 | £2,382,823 | £3,241,919 |
+------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
CASUALTIES DURING THE WATERLOO CAMPAIGN.
Legend: _Of._ = _Officers._
+------------------+---------------+---------------+-----------------+
| | QUATRE-BRAS | | WATERLOO |
| | (JUNE 16). | (JUNE 17). | (JUNE 18). |
| +-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------+
| _Regiments._ | _Of._ |_Men._ | _Of._ |_Men._ | _Of._ | _Men._ |
| +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+----+----+
| | K.| W.| K.| W.| K.| W.| K.| W.| K.| W.| K.| W.|
+------------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+----+----+
|1st Life Guards | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 39 |
|2nd Life Guards | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | 16 | 40 |
|Royal Horse Gds. | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 56 |
|King's Drag. Gds. | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 4 | 40 |100 |
|Royal Dragoons | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | 9 | 85 | 88 |
|Roy. Scots Greys | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 8 | 96 | 89 |
|6th Inniskillings | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 5 | 72 |111 |
|7th Hussars | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | 6 |21 | - | 6 | 56 | 96 |
|10th Hussars | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 5 | 20 | 40 |
|11th Hussars | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 4 | 11 | 34 |
|12th Lancers | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 4 | 45 | 61 |
|13th Hussars | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 9 | 11 | 69 |
|15th Hussars | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 3 | 21 | 48 |
|16th Lancers | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 3 | 18 | 18 |
|18th Hussars | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 12 | 71 |
|Royal Artillery | - | 2 | 9 |17 | - | - | - | - | 5 |24 | 53 |211 |
|Royal Engineers | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
|Grenadier Guards | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| (1st Batt.) | 2 | 4 |23 |256| - | - | - | - | 1 | 5 | 50 | 96 |
|Grenadier Guards | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| (3rd Batt.) | 1 | 6 |19 |235| - | - | - | - | 3 | 6 | 81 |245 |
|Coldstream Gds. | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 7 | 54 |242 |
|Scots Guards | - | - | - | 7 | - | - | - | - | 3 | 9 | 39 |288 |
|Royal Scots | 6 |12 |20 |180| - | - | - | - | 2 |13 | 13 |115 |
|4th King's Own | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | 12 |113 |
|14th West Yorks | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 7 | 21 |
|23rd R. Welsh F. | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | 6 | 11 | 78 |
|27th Inniskill. F.| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 |13 |103 |360 |
|28th Gloucesters | - | 4 |11 |60 | - | - | - | - | 1 |15 | 18 |143 |
|30th East Lancs | - | 2 | 5 |28 | - | - | 1 | 2 | 6 |12 | 47 |157 |
|32nd Cornw. L.I. | 1 |16 |21 |152| - | - | - | - | - | 9 | 28 |137 |
|33rd W. Riding | 3 | 7 |16 |67 | - | - | - | 3 | 2 | 9 | 33 | 92 |
|40th S. Lancs | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 |10 | 30 |159 |
|42nd Roy. Highl. | 3 |14 |42 |228| - | - | - | - | - | 6 | 5 | 39 |
|44th Essex | 2 |15 |10 |94 | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | 4 | 57 |
|51st King's Own | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Yorkshire L.I. | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 9 | 20 |
|52nd Oxford L.I. | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 8 | 16 |174 |
|69th Welsh | 1 | 4 |37 |110| - | - | - | 3 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 50 |
|71st Highland L.I.| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 |14 | 24 |160 |
|73rd Roy. Highl. | - | 4 | 4 |43 | 1 | - | 3 | - | 5 |12 | 47 |175 |
|79th Camerons | 1 |16 |28 |248| - | - | - | - | 2 |11 | 39 |132 |
|92nd Gordons | 4 |20 |35 |226| - | - | - | - | - | 6 | 14 | 96 |
|95th Rifle Brigade| | | | | | | | | | | | |
| (1st Batt.) | 1 | 4 | 8 |51 | - | - | - | - | 1 |11 | 20 |124 |
|95th Rifle Brigade| | | | | | | | | | | | |
| (2nd Batt.) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |14 | 34 |179 |
|95th Rifle Brigade| | | | | | | | | | | | |
| (3rd Batt.) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | 3 | 36 |
+------------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+----+----+
THE ORDER OF THE BATH.
At the close of the Peninsular War, the Order of the Bath, which up
till then had consisted of but one class (the K.B.), was enlarged,
and henceforth comprised three classes, as at present. The First
Class, or Knight's Grand Cross, was reserved for General and Flag
Officers; the Second Class was open to officers not below the rank
of Post-Captain in the navy or Lieutenant-Colonel in the army. In
order to obtain the Third Class of the Bath, better known as the
C.B., an officer must have been mentioned in despatches for service
in presence of the enemy. This qualification does not apply to
the two higher classes, and it has happened more than once that
officers have received the Grand Cross of the Bath who, under
its statutes, are ineligible for the lowest class! The number of
K.C.B.'s was limited to 180, and of these, 80 were bestowed on the
Royal Navy and Royal Marines, and 100 on the army, in the following
proportion as to ranks: 19 Admirals and 9 Lieutenant-Generals
were granted the Order; 23 Vice and 25 Rear Admirals; and 37
Major-Generals, 19 Post-Captains, and 22 Colonels; whilst 32
Lieutenant-Colonels commanding regiments or Staff Officers received
the same Order. Three officers of Marines were likewise granted the
Order of the K.C.B. It is very rare now for a regimental commanding
officer, still rarer for a Post-Captain, to obtain admission to the
Second Class of the Bath.
I think I am right in stating that the late Sir William Peel and
Sir Harry Keppel were the last Post-Captains who obtained this
distinction. Sir Robert Sale and Sir Harry Smith were actually
Lieutenant-Colonels of the 13th Light Infantry and of the Rifle
Brigade respectively when they were advanced to the dignity
of Grand Crosses of the Bath, but they held the local rank of
Major-General in the East Indies. The latter was almost immediately
promoted to the rank of substantive General Officer; the former was
killed before reaching the higher grade.
The Battle of Waterloo was the first engagement for which the
C.B. was granted. It is true that in the same _Gazette_ a number
of officers received the decoration for their services in the
Peninsular War, and of these not a few also appeared in the
Waterloo _Gazette_ with a star against their names, intimating
that they had received the decoration for previous services. The
list of officers granted the dignity of K.C.B. was published in
the _Gazette_ of January 2, 1815; but the C.B.'s, both for the
Peninsula and for Waterloo, appeared in the _Gazette_ of September
4, 1815.
The following list gives the number of decorations conferred
regimentally. It will be noticed that a number of regiments do not
figure in the list at all. On the other hand, a number of regiments
which participated in these honours have long since ceased to
exist, amongst them the well-known King's German Legion and the
little-known Greek Light Infantry. Of these I have not given the
details.
THE FIRST REGIMENTAL RECIPIENTS OF THE BATH.
+------------------------------+-----------------------+-----------+
| | _Peninsula._ |_Waterloo._|
| _Regiments._ +-----------+-----------+-----------+
| | K.C.B. | C.B. | C.B. |
+------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
|2nd Life Guards | - | - | 1 |
|Royal Horse Guards | 1 | - | 1 |
|King's Dragoon Guards | - | - | 1 |
|5th Dragoon Guards | - | 1 | - |
|7th Dragoon Guards | - | 1 | - |
|1st Royal Dragoons | - | - | 1 |
|Royal Scots Greys | - | - | 2 |
|3rd Hussars | - | 1 | - |
|7th Hussars | - | 1 | - |
|9th Lancers | - | 1 | - |
|10th Hussars | - | 1 | - |
|11th Hussars | - | 1 | - |
|12th Lancers | - | 1 | - |
|Royal Artillery | 9 | 8 | 8 |
|Royal Engineers | - | 10 | 2 |
|Grenadier Guards | 6 | 4 | 6 |
|Coldstream Guards | 5 | 5 | 4 |
|Scots Guards | 2 | 4 | 2 |
|Royal Scots | 2 | 2 | 3 |
|4th King's Own | - | 3 | - |
|5th Northumberland Fusiliers | 1 | 2 | - |
|6th Royal Warwicks | - | 2 | - |
|7th Royal Fusiliers | 1 | 2 | 1 |
|8th King's Liverpool Regiment | - | 2 | - |
|9th Norfolks | 1 | - | - |
|10th Lincolns | - | 1 | - |
|11th Devons | - | 2 | - |
|12th Suffolks | - | 2 | - |
|13th Somerset Light Infantry | 1 | - | - |
|14th West Yorkshires | - | 3 | 1 |
|21st Royal Scots Fusiliers | - | 1 | - |
|23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers | 2 | 4 | 2 |
|24th South Wales Borderers | - | 1 | - |
|27th Royal Inniskilling Fus. | 1 | 3 | 1 |
|28th Gloucesters | 1 | 1 | 2 |
|30th East Lancashires | - | 1 | 3 |
|31st East Surreys | 1 | 1 | - |
|32nd Cornwall Light Infantry | - | 1 | 1 |
|33rd Duke of Wellington's | - | - | 1 |
|34th Border Regiment | - | 2 | - |
|35th Royal Sussex | 1 | 1 | - |
|36th Worcesters | - | 3 | - |
|38th South Staffords | 1 | 3 | - |
|39th Dorsets | - | 2 | - |
|40th South Lancashires | - | 2 | 1 |
|42nd Royal Highlanders | 2 | 3 | 2 |
|43rd Oxford Light Infantry | - | 2 | - |
|44th Essex | - | 1 | 3 |
|45th Sherwood Foresters | - | 3 | - |
|48th Northamptons | - | 3 | - |
|49th Royal Berkshires | - | 1 | - |
|50th Royal West Kent | - | 3 | - |
|51st King's Own Yorkshire L.I.| - | 1 | 3 |
|52nd Oxford Light Infantry | 1 | 5 | 1 |
|53rd Shropshire Light Infantry| 1 | 1 | - |
|54th Dorsetshire | - | 1 | - |
|56th Essex | - | 1 | - |
|57th Middlesex | - | 1 | - |
|58th Northamptons | - | 1 | - |
|59th South Lancashire | - | 2 | - |
|60th King's Royal Rifles | - | 4 | - |
|62nd Wiltshire | - | 1 | - |
|66th Royal Berkshire | - | 2 | - |
|68th Durham Light Infantry | - | 2 | - |
|69th Welsh | - | 1 | - |
|71st Highland Light Infantry | - | 2 | 2 |
|73rd Royal Highlanders | - | - | 2 |
|74th Highland Light Infantry | 1 | 1 | - |
|77th Middlesex | - | 2 | - |
|78th Ross-shire Buffs | - | 2 | - |
|79th Cameron Highlanders | - | 1 | 2 |
|83rd Royal Irish Rifles | 1 | 1 | - |
|85th King's Shropshire L.I. | - | 1 | - |
|86th Royal Irish Rifles | - | 1 | - |
|87th Royal Irish Fusiliers | - | 2 | - |
|88th Connaught Rangers | - | 3 | - |
|89th Royal Irish Fusiliers | - | 2 | - |
|90th Scottish Rifles | - | 1 | - |
|91st Argyll Highlanders | 1 | - | - |
|92nd Gordon Highlanders | - | - | 2 |
|94th Connaught Rangers | - | 1 | - |
|Rifle Brigade | 2 | 6 | 8 |
+------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
No regimental officers were granted the dignity of a K.C.B. for the
Battle of Waterloo.