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Waterloo 1815

Waterloo 1815, Thomas Latimer, 7th Regiment Hussars. The army spent a miserable night in pouring rain but it stopped at about 8am on the morning of the 18th June. The…

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SKU: J4199 Category:
Origin: United Kingdom
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Waterloo 1815, Thomas Latimer, 7th Regiment Hussars.

 

The army spent a miserable night in pouring rain but it stopped at about 8am on the morning of the 18th June. The 7th Hussars were in the 5th Cavalry Brigade (7th & 15th Hussars and 13th Light Dragoons) commanded by Major-General Sir Colquhoun Grant. They were positioned on the right of the line behind a ridge half a mile north of Hougoumont. At one point they were moved to a place that proved too dangerous and several men and horses were lost to artillery fire.
At around 4pm the regiment were used to cover the infantry and defend them from French cavalry attack. The main cause for concern were the cuirassiers but the French lancers made diversionary attacks to draw the hussars away from their infantry. General Grant directed them back to the infantry squares where they were most needed. They made repeated charges and at one point defeated and killed a squadron of cuirassiers and captured their officers.

 

At around 7pm Wellington ordered the General Advance and the army moved forward under heavy artillery and musket fire. The 7th, although depleted from the battle at Genappe and the fighting earlier in the day, charged at infantry, artillery and cavalry. They stopped at the rear of the French lines now, according to Lt O'Grady, with only 35 men, four officers and Colonel Kerrison. They were separated from their brigade so attached themselves to Vivian's for the rest of the evening.

 

The 7th started the Waterloo campaign with 380 men and sustained 201 casualties: 63 killed, 121 wounded and 17 missing. There were 21 cavalry regiments in Wellington's army, out of these the 7th Hussars had the 4th highest casualty figures.