Tag: Battle of Waterloo
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A captain’s memoirs on the 1809 Campaign …
Our narrator, Jérôme-Etienne Besse, was born on 5 May 1774 at Aubiac, in the Lot-et-Garonne Department. He recounts his experiences of the war against Austria. Besse served in the 84th Line Infantry Regiment. He eventually also saw action in Russia, was sent to Siberia as a prisoner, and returned in time to fight at the…
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The Military Life of Bruno d’Ast … (III)
In the meantime, Bruno d’Ast’s family was delighted to receive the news that he had been promoted to the Legion of Honour: they knew that this was the award that their son sought above all else, and we will see in one of the following letters the emotion with which he received this distinction, the…
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1813-14 letters from Cuirassier Brigadier Pilloy
The following letters are drawn from a voluminous register which also contains copies of the Emperor’s proclamations, accounts of our narrator’s travels and more or less unusual recipes. The author in question is Étienne-Nicolas Pilloy, born in Santeau, canton of Pithiviers (Loiret), a farmer by trade. Here are his service records: 13th Cuirassier Regiment. Entered…
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On the road to Belgium, June 1815 …
… Two days later, on the 26th [March 1815], we crossed Paris at the head of our division, composed of the 15th Léger, the 23rd, 37th and 64th Line Regiment and a company of artillery, forming part of III Corps commanded by [General] Vandamme, to head for our billets in the north while awaiting the…
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Advance and retreat of a division, at Waterloo (II) …
Part two of reports related to the actions of the 2nd Division, part of I Corps, of the French Armée du Nord in 1815 … First Army Corps2nd DivisionGeneral Donzelot Summary of the marches, positions, movements, events and battles which have occurred with this division since 12 June (1815) until 25 June. 12 June. –…
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Advance and retreat of a division, at Waterloo (I) …
The following reports are related to the movements and actions of the 2nd Division, part of I Corps, during the 1815 campaign in Belgium … *** To Mr. General Donzelot, on the road to Beaumont, at the home of widow Albric. Solre, [this] 15 June 1815. I have the honour to inform you that the…
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Letters of a Dutch cavalry officer on Waterloo …
Gerlacus Buma, who originated from Friesland (Frisia) in the Netherlands, served in the 6th Regiment of Hussars (Boreel) in the Anglo-Allied army during the Waterloo campaign. Here are a couple of letters, derived from his correspondence with his parents: On the battlefield of Waterloo, 19 June 1815. Dear Parents, I write this (letter) to you…
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Refuting Dutch-Belgian cowardice during the 1815 campaign …
There were (only) two Belgian batteries at the battle of Waterloo, the horse battery of Major Van der Smissen and the remnants of Captain Stevenart’s battery, sabred at Quatre-Bras by the French cavalry, after the unfortunate charge of the 6th Regiment of Dutch Hussars, who, by withdrawing directly on this battery, paralyzed its fire and…
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Memoirs of a Dutch cavalry officer at Waterloo …
Heuvingh recounts his time serving in the 4th Regiment of Dutch-Belgian Light Dragoons in the 1815 campaign … … Hardly had the Dutch government been informed that Napoleon, in March 1815, had escaped from the island of Elba and returned to France, when the various military corps soon received orders to advance to the southern…
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Waterloo through the eyes of an aide-de-camp …
Another excerpt of Alexandre de Chéron’s recollections on the battle of Waterloo. He was a lieutenant in the 26th Light Infantry Regiment and became an aide-de-camp to General de La Houssaye. The latter could not join the campaign … On the 18th, we held the right [flank] of the army. It was actually on our…
Jonas De Neef's Napoleon Chronicles 