A squadron of the 8ème cuirassiers
Onwards, then with this project within a project – to
produce a squadron of each of the 4 regiments of L’Heritier’s 11th
Heavy Cavalry Division. The division was made up of two dragoon regiments – the
2nd and 7th – and two cuirassier regimets – the 8th
and 11th. I feel I’ve come back to my origins – this obsession began
as a child in the 1970s with Airfix cuirassiers charging Airfix highlanders.
French squadrons were commanded by a Chef d’escadron and comprised
2 companies, each led by a captain. L’Heritier’s cuirassiers (the 8th
and 11th) were heavily involved at Quatre Bras and suffered
significant casualties. It’s therefore difficult to imagine that either
regiment was able to field more than 50-60% of it’s total strength at Waterloo
two days later. Sources give a nominal strength of around 300 men divided into
3 squadrons, so that would mean the regiment had been reduced to maybe 3
squadrons of 50 men each at Waterloo. Therefore, the Perry figures shown here
probably represent more like 2 squadrons on 18th June.
It was the 8ème cuirassiers who caused such carnage among
Halkett’s brigade at Quatre Bras, taking a colour from the 69th
(South Lincolnshire) Foot. Pattison of the 33rd Foot writes:
"A large body
of French cuirassiers…dashed in amongst them [the 69th], when a terrible
sabring ensued. One of the officers
(Volunteer Clarke) who carried the regimental colours was hacked and cut in a
fearful manner. Notwithstanding this he
preserved the standard; but the other colour was wrenched from the hands of the
officer who bore it, and carried off as a trophy of success."
Looking at the casualties of the 69th, there is no
obvious candidate for who the unfortunate unnamed officer was. Only one Ensign
of the 69th was wounded – Edward Hodder – but he received his wound at
Waterloo. Presumably, then, the Ensign who lost the King’s Colour, had the pole
snatched from him but escaped the cuirassiers’ sabres. Trumpeter Jean Baptiste Charonnet
of the 8ème describes the savage, frantic struggle:
“The three sides of the square of the 69th was literally
marked out by the dead. In the middle of the square the Lieutenant-Colonel and
the Colour bearer were lying on the ground making no movement, the latter still
held the Colour in his hand, for which he was killed. Cuirassier Henry jumped to the ground and
snatched the Colour. In order to mount his horse as quickly as possible, he
passed his precious trophy to Brigadier Borgnes who was close to him. Borgnes
galloped away, taking the Colour with him, followed by Henry, who had been able
to remount his horse. Borgnes arrived in front of the regiment, and was saluted
by the Cuirassiers with loud cheering." (From Franklin's French Forces
at QB)
It's interesting that Charonnet describes the Colour bearer of
the 69th being killed – it’s possible that it was being carried by a
lieutenant rather than an ensign, in which case a possible candidate is
Lieutenant Edmund Wightwick, who died of his wounds the day after Quatre Bras -
the only fatality among the junior officers of the 69th.
Of immeasurable help in this research has been this book by
Olivier Lapray - I really cannot recommend it enough. This is a proper history book by a
proper historian i.e. based on painstaking research unearthing new data from
original sources (rather than, say, books on the subject which merely rehash
the same oft-repeated memoirs and letters). This marvellous tome lists
every officer who served in all 14 cuirassier regiments during the First
Empire, and provides biographical info for each man. In addition to this
colossal achievement, there are a wealth of wonderful illustrations –
portraits, drawings, photos of original equipment, and very helpful charts and
diagrams of formations and uniform distinctions.
The 8ème were commanded by Colonel Antoine Laurent Marie Garavaque
who rode a black horse at Waterloo.
All three Chef’s d’Escadron were wounded - Henry
Guillaume de Bassoncourt at Quatre Bras, Pierre Bisson and Gabrielle Gadrad at
Waterloo. Three lieutenants and four sous-lieutenants were also wounded, all of
them except one at Quatre Bras.
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| Chef d'Escadron Henry Guillaume de Bassoncourt - wounded at Quatre Bras |
