69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot – Battle of Quatre Bras (1815)
Author’s Note: Quatre Bras is located 45.6 km south of Brussels (situated in Belgium). The Battle of Quatre Bras happened on the 16th of June, 1815 (the subject of this article) – a Friday – whereas the ‘Battle of Waterloo’ proper was fought on Sunday the 18th of June, 1815 – just two days later. Waterloo is situated around 397.4 km northwest of Quatre Bras. As the time of year was approaching mid-summer – daylight would last to well past 10 pm (22:00hrs) in the evening providing the sky was not dark and cloudy brought on by bursts of continuous rain! The inexperienced young recruits that comprised the 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot at this time, suffered casualties from the heavy-fighting at Quatre Bras, with the survivors having to regroup and ‘march’ toward Waterloo to join the Duke of Wellington (who was commanding the British Army and allied forces). Waterloo became the decisive battle that saw Nepoleon militarily defeated and his final rule as Emperor of France brought to an end. The battlefield was particularly bloody – with tens of thousands of dead and wounded men and horses strewn across two-square miles of farming land. Even women and children (accompanying the soldiers for various reasons) were often hit by indiscriminate cannonballs, musket shot and straying horses, etc. At around 4:15 pm (16:15hrs) at Waterloo, Marshal Ney order the 5000-strong French Heavy-Cavalry to charge the British-lines – as he (mistakenly) believed the enemy was near to breaking. Surviving British soldiers remembered that the ground shook and trembled as this armoured mass emerged at speed the battle-smoke – taking many British Units by surprise! The 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot was stood in-line on the British left-flank (to defend against artillery – presenting less of a target for linear exploding projectiles) – when the French cavalry suddenly smashed into their lines! The order was given to ‘form square!’ - the usual established defence against an oncoming attack from horses. The well-trained French horses usually ‘refused’ to charge into the sharp-bayonets of the squares which were ‘hollow’ and comprised of four ranks – with the first two ranks kneeling and the second two ranks firing and reloading. High-ranking Officers, the Regimental Flag (or ‘Colours’), its protecting unit, drummer-boys, cannons and the wounded were often sheltered in the centre of these often-massive squares! On this occasion, the bloodied and battered British soldiers of the 69th quickly reformed to protect their equally battered Regimental Colours! Indeed, so few of the 69th were left after this event that the survivors were integrated into nearby Units where they acted as reinforcements. Do not forget the bravery of these South Lincolnshire soldiers – some of whom may well have come from Duddington! ACW (28.12.2020)
The 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot existed from 1761 – 1881. In 1881 it was amalgamated with the 41st (Welsh) Regiment of Foot to form the new Welsh Regiment. Like many (and varied) regiments of foot soldiers (infantrymen), the 69th saw regular deployment throughout the domains of the British Army, and saw frontline service during the Nepoleon Wars (1803-1815). During the 18th and 19th centuries, powerful European countries often field armies consisting of hundreds of thousands of men. The uniforms of the time were brightly-coloured and unlike in today’s military – they were not only designed to be clearly ‘seen’ - but seen from a long distance away! This was because the reputation of a national army (and its constituent regiments) was believed to strike the ‘fear of god’ in the opposition formations, and assist in the winning of battles!
British infantrymen were trained to march in strict formation – shoulder to shoulder – toward the enemy, the tempo of their step dictated by the ‘tune’ of an accompanying brass-band and drummers. Indeed, many of the drummers consisted of young boys, perhaps no older than 12-years-old or similar. When the enemy ‘fired’ and advancing British soldiers were cut-down, the gaps in the ranks were ‘closed’ with the minimum of fuss and the men marched onwards. The dead and the dying were left where they fell as there was no accompanying medical care in the armies of this time. Whatever rudimentary care was available was stationed far to the rear – and the wounded soldiers had to make their own to it if they wanted to survive. As a consequence, it was not unusual to see British soldiers missing an arm – walking unassisted and greeting their fellow comrades as each went their separate ways! At other times, wounded men would lie on the battlefield for days before finally being located (after the battle) and moved to the rear by soldiers tasked with this duty – if they had not yet died from their wounds. Occasionally, those who were suffering from terrible wounds were put out of their misery by their fellow comrades.
The bodies of ordinary soldiers of the period, when killed, were piled on huge funeral pyres on the battlefield where they were burned without ceremony. Prior to this, the bodies were relieved of all their private property (often stolen) – with the hair shaved and teeth pulled. The hair and teeth were placed in barrels and shipped back to England where it was used to make ‘wigs’ and sets of false-teeth for the well-to-do. When a soldier was killed- his spouse and relatives would only find out if a colleague of his survived the war and returned to England to tell the tale. There was no widows’ pension or pensions for returning Veterans. Many disabled Veterans (with limbs-missing) ended their lives begging on the streets in a state of abject poverty. This was the reward they received for their bravery. The British government of the day only returned the bodies of high-ranking officers and members of the aristocracy and did not bury ordinary enlisted men in graves that could be located, identified and visited by relatives. This would only start to change during the early 20th century.
The 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot that fought in the Waterloo Campaign, was comprised of 25% boys aged 15-19-years old – with a third of its members consisting of Irishmen. The rest were recruited from all over Lincolnshire which probably included Duddington and its environs. The average age of the 69th at Waterloo was just 21-years-old – which was very low for the time. The younger boys could have been drummers, but evidence suggests that many were in the frontline. On June 16th, 1815, this Regiment was stationed at ‘Quatre Bras’ - situated in present-day Belgium. The Battle of Quatre Bras was one of the preliminary battles between the British and the French that culminated in the decisive Battle of Waterloo which occurred two days later on June, 18th, 1815. Both contending armies – the British and the French – consisted of seasoned and hardened troops, but also of fresh and inexperienced soldiers. The incarnation of the 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot that fought at Quatre Bras was definitely in the latter category. Normally, such troops are steadily introduced to battle whereby they gain their experience and maturity. This was not to be the case at Quatre Bras.
The 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot formed part of the substantial British 1st Infantry Division (Guards Division). Around 6pm (1800hrs) the British Guards emerged from the wood (often through rye measuring seven-foot tall!) - marching in disciplined formation. In the meantime - the experienced French Marshal Nay - ordered that the ‘elite’ French 8th and 11th Chasseurs Cavalry Regiment (consisting of large men on big horses wearing their famous blue uniforms and ‘bullet-proof’ steel breastplates) - charge at the British Guards (eventually hitting the 69th square on) who were caught in open line (between formations – as the 69th did not have time to form the famous ‘British Square’ as a defence against attacking cavalry).
The French expertly used artillery to break up the British square and line formations – after which the French cavalry would sweep-in and ‘route’ the surviving men! As a consequence, the 69th was not only smashed to pieces – but they even lost their Regimental Colour - - a large, specially made Union Jack Flag with their regimental name and battle honours embroidered upon it. The French cavalryman carrying this flag was later killed by other British troops – and the flag rescued! As the Chasseurs charged ever deeper into the British lines, the fire-power organised against them grew ever more intense, brutal and accurate. This attrition killed hundreds of French cavalrymen and horses – causing a disorganised and chaotic retreat that shocked many of the French Officers and men. The French at the Battle of Quatre Bras lost 4,140 – whilst the British (and allies) lost 4,800 killed and wounded. Two days later, the British Army would win a historical victory over the French at the Battle of Waterloo.
For sake of simplicity, it is believed that the British (and their allies) and the French – suffered around 2,500 wounded each at the Battle of Quatre Bras. Some sources suggest the British wounded alone stood at 5000 – but the numbers are disputed and are unclear. Although the British Army did possess a ‘Medical Service’ of sorts – the British Army had advanced so fast that all the medical supplies (and medical experts) were left far behind the lines – often left with logistic troopers who were not even sure about which direction the supplies should be sent! Sir James MacGregor was the government appointed head of the ‘Medical Service’ for the British Army and was usually very good at his job considering the rudimentary state of battlefield medicine at the time (although the ‘suddenness’ of this battle took his him and his Staff by surprise).
In theory, each Infantry Battalion (of 500 men) and Cavalry Regiment possessed one qualified Surgeon and two assistants. Under ideal conditions, the ‘Medical Service’ advanced with the troops and stayed just to the rear of the advancing frontlines. British soldiers were trained to walk ‘to the rear’ to get their wounds dressed, stumps stitched and shattered limbs amputated. Just ‘how far to rear’ was open to question. At Quatre Bras the ‘Medical Service; was more than five miles to the rear! Although Surgeons moved up under their own steam to make contact with the frontlines – they were often unable to help the wounded more adequately (beyond what they were carrying in their medical bags – which soon ran-out) - as they possessed no ample supplies of equipment, bandages or medicines at this point. The young boys who comprised the bands – playing fife and drums as the frontlines advanced – stopped playing music when the fighting started and became medical orderlies, often serving as stretcher-bearers and providers of rudimentary First Aid. The problem these young soldiers had was that the horse and carts carrying the supplies of the ‘Medical Service’ were nowhere to be found!
Reference:
Tim Clayton: Waterloo: Four Days that Changed Europe’s Destiny, Little Brown Book, (2014)
©opyright: Adrian Chan-Wyles (ShiDaDao) 2020.
Reference:
Tim Clayton: Waterloo: Four Days that Changed Europe’s Destiny, Little Brown Book, (2014)
©opyright: Adrian Chan-Wyles (ShiDaDao) 2020.