War Medals and Their History

by William Augustus Steward

HANOVERIAN MEDAL FOR WATERLOO.

Nive.—Soult, having lost the Nivelle, withdrew his army to Anglet, and formed a line of defence with his unfinished fortified camp in front of Bayonne. Wellington, owing to the bad weather—the 12th was very foggy, and rain fell in torrents from the 11th until the 20th November—was unable to move, and was consequently constrained to maintain the allied army in very close quarters. The bad weather abating, the British commander determined to enlarge the productive area for his army by forcing the line of the Nive, and taking up a position on the left bank of the Adour, where reasonable subsistence could be found for the allied army. The time had not passed tamely, for in pressing the posts slowly forward, Generals Wilson and Vandeleur were wounded, while the light division alone lost 100 men. On December 8th the troops made a forward movement, and on the 9th the Nive was crossed near Cambo by the right of the army under Lieutenant-General Sir Rowland Hill, while the 6th division, under Lieutenant-General Sir H. Clinton, successfully passed at Ustaritz, and by this manœuvre the enemy were driven from the right bank of the river, and retired towards Bayonne by the great road of St. Jean Pied de Port. Those opposite Cambo were nearly intercepted by the 6th division, one regiment being driven from the road and compelled to march across country.

On December 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th, Soult made a series of determined and often desperate attacks upon the British divisions, but without success, and was ultimately forced to fall back upon Bayonne, leaving the courses of the Nivelle, Nive, and Adour in the possession of the allies, who were thus enabled to obtain plentiful supplies for their needs, while the enemy were harassed by having their communications threatened and supplies restricted. During the conflicts between the 9th and 13th the French lost about 6,000 killed and wounded, and two guns. The British losses were 650 officers (including 6 Generals) and men killed; 233 officers, 215 sergeants, and 3,459 rank and file wounded; 17 officers, 14 sergeants, and 473 rank and file missing.

The battle on December 13th, which determined the series of conflicts, was practically fought and won by the corps under Sir Rowland Hill—indeed the glory of the day was frankly given him by Wellington, who, taking him by the hand, said, "My dear Hill, the day is your own." There could be little doubt about that, for on the heights of St. Pierre—with only 16,000 men and 14 guns—he defied and drove off 35,000 French bayonets and 22 guns which assailed him in front, and the corps (8,000) of General Paris, with the Light Cavalry under Pierre Soult, which threatened his rear. The battle was regarded on both sides as "one of the most sanguinary that the French Army of Spain had fought, and that there was not one where so many deaths took place on the battlefield." No wonder the enemy never again took the offensive!

The following regiments were present in the series of engagements: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Foot Guards; 7th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 16th, and 18th Light Dragoons; 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 20th, 23rd, 27th, 28th, 31st, 32nd, 34th, 36th, 38th, 39th, 40th, 42nd, 43rd, 45th, 47th, 48th, 50th, 52nd, 53rd, 57th, 59th, 60th, 61st, 62nd, 66th, 71st, 74th, 76th, 79th, 83rd, 84th, 85th, 87th, 88th, 91st, 92nd, 94th, 95th, and the Rifle Brigade. Many of the regiments particularly distinguished themselves on the day of victory; notably the 92nd, which, scattering light troops that should have checked them, charged and repulsed a column; re-forming behind St. Pierre, they again advanced with colours flying and pibroch sounding, as if going to a review, and offered battle to a French column five times their superior: the challenge was, however, declined, for like Napier the French commanding officer recognised that men who could act so understood war.

Orthes.—On February 27th, 1814, the battle of Orthes (Orthez) was fought. A period of inaction had again been forced on Wellington by the severity of the weather, but by the second week in February the conditions were such as to make the roads passable, and the British commander proceeded to follow up his successes. Several minor, but in some instances obstinate, engagements, were fought, among them that of Garris, where Wellington, determined to force the passage of the Bidouse, ordered the 29th, with the 28th in support, to carry a bold hill, occupied by 4,000 of the enemy, before dark. This they did in a brilliant manner. Soult, finding the enemy pressing him rather forcibly, crossed the Gave d'Olèron in the night, and marching rapidly to Sauveterre, took up a position on the left of the Gave, while Wellington, having strongly established his right upon the Gave d'Olèron, returned to St. Jean de Luz to superintend the putting together of the remarkable and "wondrous bridge," which had been devised to enable the army to cross the Adour, 3 miles below Bayonne. On the 25th Sir John Hope crossed with his whole corps for the investment of the fortress; meanwhile Wellington was acting vigorously at Gaves, and General Hill was ready to force the passage of the Gave d'Olèron, which he did on the 24th, while Picton crossed between Montfort and Lass; other divisions having made equal progress, Marshal Soult withdrew his army across the Gave du Pau, and determined to make a final stand at Orthez. There, on the semicircular heights, the army of about 40,000 stood at bay, while the allies with about 37,000 men advanced to the attack. They were irresistible, but Soult retreated in a masterly manner, defending his divisions with splendid valour at each ridge they passed. Once forced on to the plain, they fell into disorder, and, charged and pursued by the British cavalry, they hastened to the river, over which they passed in scattered parties, and Soult retreated towards Toulouse, where the last and most unnecessary battle of the campaign was to be fought. It is estimated that 8,000 men were lost to the French in killed and wounded, while the allies lost 18 officers, 25 sergeants, and 234 men killed; 134 officers (including the Duke of Wellington), 89 sergeants, and 1,700 rank and file wounded; 1 officer, 5 sergeants, and 64 men missing.

The following regiments were present: 3rd, 7th, 10th, 13th, 14th, 15th, and 18th Light Dragoons; 2nd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 10th, 20th, 23rd, 24th, 27th, 28th, 31st, 32nd, 34th, 36th, 37th, 39th, 40th, 42nd, 45th, 48th, 50th, 51st, 52nd, 57th, 58th, 60th, 61st, 66th, 68th, 71st, 74th, 82nd, 83rd, 87th, 88th, 91st, 92nd, 94th, 95th, and the Rifle Brigade. The 7th Hussars (Light Dragoons) distinguished themselves in the neighbourhood of Sault de Navailles, and made a charge under Lord Edward Somerset which Wellington described as "highly meritorious." The 52nd Oxford Light Infantry were also mentioned in dispatches.

Toulouse.—On April 10th, 1814, the sanguinary and unnecessary battle of Toulouse was fought, for the allies had entered Paris on March 31st, and Napoleon had abdicated. It is alleged that Soult fought the battle out of personal vanity or pique, since he had news—on April 7th—of what had happened in Paris. It was perhaps his last desperate effort for his master. However, this last battle of the Peninsular War was fought with terrible determination on both sides; but when the range of heights had been carried by the British, and the redoubts of the city won, Soult abandoned the town of Toulouse with 3 Generals and 1,600 men "prisoners at the generosity of the conqueror." The allied British, Portuguese, and Spanish armies lost in killed and wounded about 4,650, the latter including Generals Brisbane, Pack, Mendizabel, and Espelette, while the French had 5 generals and 3,234 men placed hors de combat. These numbers include, British losses, 31 officers and 563 men killed; 248 officers and 3,898 men wounded; 3 officers and 15 men missing.