Sir George Wood was enthusiastic, and revelled in his command. His enthusiasm, while not forbidding him to point out his wants, aided him in remedying or bearing them. They were at first but two in number; but they were rather important to a force, for they were officers and men. Fortunately for him and the Corps, General Macleod was still Deputy Adjutant-General of the Royal Artillery, and was indefatigable in supplying Sir George Wood’s demands. As fast as the companies and drivers arrived from America, they were sent to Belgium; but the demand still exceeded the supply. Only six days before the battle, it is recorded that no fewer than 1000 drivers were wanting. This had been partly caused by the Duke of Wellington insisting on the formation of three brigades of 18-pounders, to be placed under the command of Sir Alexander Dickson; and partly by the demands of the small-arm ammunition trains. He would neither hire nor enlist Belgian drivers, saying that he placed too much consequence on his Artillery to trust it to such a crew; and he ordered Sir George Wood to write to General Macleod, requesting that four companies of foot Artillery might be sent out to act as drivers. It was not often that the Duke tried to coax the Board, or honoured Sir G. Wood to D. A. G. Brussels, 9 June, 1815. it with his reasons; but on this occasion he did. He said that he was well aware that it was not the particular duty of Artillery soldiers to take care of horses, but he was confident that should the Master-General be pleased to allow that duty to be performed by gunners for the present, the service would receive much greater benefit,—“the Artillery officers having more power over their own men, than any given number from the Line;” and that in the case of a siege they might do their Artillery duties in the trenches, as at Antwerp in 1814.

It was on the 4th April, 1815, that the Duke of Wellington reached Brussels. Less fortunate than Sir George Wood, he found that his demands, at first, were merely made excuses by the authorities at home for the exercise of official patronage. He at last ironically suggested to them that it would be well, before sending him any more Generals, to send him some men for them to command. The local arrangements, as far as the Artillery was concerned, are graphically described in Sir A. Frazer’s letters, and in General Mercer’s journal of the Waterloo campaign. The historian must, however, draw his information from a less sparkling stream,—the official letters of Sir George Wood and others. From these it is ascertained that Ostend was the principal port of disembarkation for artillery and stores: that Sir George Wood himself, and afterwards Sir A. Frazer and Lieutenant-Colonel S. G. Adye, superintended the arrival of these at Ostend, and their removal to various places; and that in these matters they were assisted by a man whom all united to pronounce marvellously able, Mr. Commissary Stace.

Sir G. Wood to D. A. G. Ostend, 1 May, 1815.

It appears that the urgent demands for more Horse Artillery came from Sir A. Frazer, who was appointed to the command of that branch; whereas the Duke himself at first seemed more anxious to get drivers for the brigades, and foot Artillerymen for the garrisons of Mons, Oudenarde, Ghent, and Ath. As early as the beginning of May, the Duke almost broke Captain Whinyates’s heart by deciding on changing his rocket troop into an ordinary troop: nor was it without much difficulty and pleading, that Sir G. Wood succeeded in obtaining permission for him to carry Mercer’s Journal, vol. i. p. 166. a proportion of 12-pounder rockets with his guns. The Duke’s prejudice against rockets was unmistakable; and his unofficial language on this occasion was somewhat unfeeling; but the official reason he gave was that when he Sir G. A. Wood to D. A. G. 1 May, 1815. had a proper proportion of Artillery attached to his army, as all other nations had, then he would bring the Rocket Corps into play; but that he thought, situated as he was, the gun a superior weapon. The argument, which had most weight in support of the request to retain a proportion of To D.-A.-G. 8 May, 1815. rockets, was thus stated by Sir G. Wood: “The Duke was determined at first to place the rockets in depôt, but after the good appearance of our friend Whinyates’s troop, and the plan and mode he suggested to his Grace, he has permitted him to take into the field eight hundred rounds of rockets with his six guns, which makes him very complete.”

The horsing of the Horse and Field Batteries during the Waterloo campaign was admirable; but the Field Artillery excelled in this particular to such an extent, that Sir George Ibid. Wood wrote: “the Horse Artillery are really jealous of their appearance.” The Duke had inspected the 9-pounder Field Brigade, commanded by Captain C. F. Sandham, and had been so pleased that he desired General Maitland to write to that officer as follows: “The Duke of Wellington has desired me to communicate to you (and I have to request you will do so to the officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers under your command), his unqualified approbation of the appearance of the brigade. I feel gratified in being able to assure you that he commented on the horses, appointments, and every part of it, with peculiar approbation.” This company, which was No. 9 of the 3rd Battalion, and fired the first shot at Waterloo, was—alas!—reduced in 1819. In forwarding a copy of the above complimentary letter to the Ordnance, Sir G. Wood said: “All the other brigades are equal, if not better, in horses.” What a contrast to the Field Brigades of Egypt, and the first years of the Peninsula!—how staunchly had the lessons taught by the experience of the latter been studied and accepted!

Sir G. Wood to D.-A.-G. Brussels, 12 May, 1815.

On the 12th May, the Duke desired Sir G. Wood to write to the Ordnance, requesting that two troops of Horse Artillery, in addition to the six already in Belgium, should be sent out; stating, as his reason, the deficiency of Field Brigades, and the impossibility of getting drivers in sufficient numbers. He would gladly have taken 1000 drivers over his actual artillery wants, for service with the small-arm ammunition waggons, which he had succeeded in horsing in the country. Sir H. Ross’s, the Chestnut Troop, and Frazer’s Letters, p. 530-533. Major Beane’s, were accordingly despatched; and arrived, the former, at Ghent, on the 9th June, and the latter on the 10th, at Ostend.

Constant changes in the armament of the troops of Horse Artillery in Belgium had been suggested with a view to increasing the weight of metal, and some of a tentative description were made in the beginning of May. On the 16th of that month, the following armament was finally decided upon:—

M.S. Return to D.-A.-G. with Letter from Col. Adye, 30 May, 1815, and Sir G. Wood, to D.-A.-G. 2 June, 1815.

A.9-prs.B.Light 6-prs.C.Hvy. 5½-in. hows.
D.Total.E.9-prs.F.Light 6-prs.
G.Hvy. 5½-in. hows.H.Caissons.I.Total.