As yesterday's question sparked some fun and interesting chat, here's another one with no right answer that we can throw out there (especially off the back of the Forgotten Foreign Forces pods): Which unit in any of the three armies of the Waterloo campaign do you think has been unfairly underrated, and why? (If you would rather talk about a brigade or type of unit, rather than a specific regiment, then be my guest!)
British line Infantry. Okay they are more talked about than the Dutch Milita & Infantry, but line regiments, such as the 33rd/69th combined took part in the desperate defence of the ridge.
Whereas British historians tend to focus on the Heavy Cavalry & Guards...
But then that leads me onto the Light Cavalry (of all allied nations) who can a fraction of the attention of the Union and the Household brigades of cavalry. And of course the Nassau troops that help Hougoumont too...
Lots indeed. But I want to remember the normal Thomas Atkins in the story who were "That article there" which Wellington depended upon.
This is a really tricky one for me; I have been wracking my brains for a unit which performed really creditably, but has had little recognition. I tend to agree with Marcus; the 'unfashionable' British line regiments fought magnificently but tend to be forgotten. But as that seems to be a 'kop out', I would like to nominate Lobau's VI Corps of two weak divisions which faced the ever -increasng numerical superiority of the Prussians which bought the time for Napoleon to launch his last, hopeless(!) attempt to break Wellington's line.
the Nassau battalion which heroically defended Hougomot (along with British and Brunswick units) - one gets the impression it were some heroes of the British Guards doing it by single hand.
Yes, that's a myth that annoyed me massively when I learnt the truth.
In the beginning Hougoumont was also defended by Hanoverian "Feldjäger" under Captain v. Reden and a detachment from the FB Lüneburg. In the end the KGL brigade of Colonel du Plat was heavily engaged in the gardens around Hougoumont. And from the "unnoticed" cavalry: the 1st Light (formerly Heavy) Dragoons and the 3rd Hussars, KGL were engaged and head heavy casualties but are mostly forgotten.
Any Brunswick units as well??
Could be by an series of articles by Wacker or Schirmer, can find only part one - but alas than a huge amount of dust and finding other stuff - which I forgot to have - no success so far.
Terrible, I cannot find it any longer, I still remember 40 years ago, you had to know somebody who knew somebody to get after some begging a third class photocopy where the images were already blurred but the text still readable - they were prized items of my collection, reading original accounts of people who were there.
Bearing in mind I can only read English and French, I have found a reference in Gareth Glover’s 'Waterloo Archive Volume V: German Sources', the following: ‘Detailed Report on the Corps of Troops of His Serene Highness the Duke of Brunswick from the 15th to and including the 18th June 1815', From the British Library.
...The corps was posted on the crest of the plateau behind the farm [Hougoumont], and the Avantgarde was immediately detached to its garden in support of an English regiment of Guards of Byng’s brigade that defended it. The Leib and 1st Light Battalions were posted close to its rear on an elevation, to cover it and act as a reserve; in front of the former was a horse battery… During this time, the Avantgarde was strongly engaged in the defence of Hougoumont where it defended the park of the château most tenaciously and repulsed the enemy’s attack.
Then later, after the great cavalry attacks;
The buildings were set on fire with incendiary fire and the garrison was driven out into the park [we know this is not true as the buildings remained occupied, but so it may have appeared to someone on the ridge] which was defended step by step by the English regiment of Guards together with our Avantgarde who eventually had to yield to the enemy’s superior numbers. On Lord Hill’s orders, the Leib Battalion was sent to the park when it was already too late, because the dispersed English and Brunswickers, driven out of the park, hardly had time to form up and defend themselves against the enemy’s light cavalry. After this attack had been repulsed, the Leib Battalion moved forward and took up position in part of the park, while the English Guards Regiment again formed up and advanced to the right of Hougoumont and there took its stand. Next to it, the Avantgarde Battalion had also formed up. At the same time, the 1st Light Battalion was detached to move into the park; having the Leib Battalion on its left flank, it maintained liaison with it by a line of skirmishers, whereupon the enemy infantry was driven out of the park. The two battalions formed in columns after they arrived in the open on the far side of Hougoumont.
Casualties for the Avantgarde Battalion are given as 9 men killed and 4 officers and 43 men wounded at Waterloo.
Unfortunately there is no corroboration of Brunswickers being at Hougoumont by any of the Hanoverian reports; I just checked that.
The casualty numbers you give are those for Quatre Bras. The numbers for Waterloo are on p. 165 of The Waterloo Archive V: 7 men KIA, 1 officer, 20 men wounded.
Strange - also Büsgen mentions this Brunswick Jäger company, he as a German shouldn't confuse Brunswick and Hanoverian units.