A day or two after our arrival in Paris from Waterloo, Colonel Felton
Hervey having entered the dining-room with the despatches which had
come from London, the Duke asked, "What news have you, Hervey?" upon
which, Colonel Felton Hervey answered, "I observe by the Gazette that
the Prince Regent has made himself Captain-General of the Life Guards
and Blues, for their brilliant conduct at Waterloo."
"Ah!" replied the Duke, "his Royal Highness is our Sovereign, and can
do what he pleases; but this I will say, the cavalry of other European
armies have won victories for their generals, but mine have invariably
got me into scrapes. It is true that they have always fought gallantly
and bravely, and have generally got themselves out of their
difficulties by sheer pluck."
The justice of this observation has since been confirmed by the charge
at Balaklava, where our cavalry undauntedly rushed into the face of
death under the command of that intrepid officer Lord Cardigan.