The History of the 2nd Dragoons: "Royal Scots Greys"Almack, Edward
History
The History of the 2nd Dragoons: "Royal Scots Greys"
Almack, Edward
Great Britain. Army. Dragoons, 2nd (Royal Scots Greys)
"It was after nine o'clock at night when the French gave way,
and our whole line advanced: we, as well as the first brigade of
cavalry, were now such mere handfuls, that, of course, we could
do nothing, but followed slowly in the rear of others. We heard
firing, but it was too dark to see anything clearly: we heard also
huzzas as the different charges were made by our light cavalry upon
the retreating enemy. We continued to advance along the right of
the road by which the French retired, and passed by many cannon and
waggons which they had abandoned, when I heard some English voices
calling out 'Are these the Dragoons?' Upon which I answered 'Yes.'
'Then' continued the voice 'here is Captain ---- of the Dragoons
badly wounded,' upon which I immediately sent one of the men of his
regiment, and one of the men of my own, with him to Brussels. I
heard nothing more of him for four years, further than that he had
got quite well, till going to visit some of my relations at * * *
in the east of Scotland, I found him quietly settled there, and in
the belief that his life had been saved by a French officer.
"When we halted for the night I was sent with a Cornet of the
regiment to the village of Waterloo to collect the stragglers, and
bring them up the next day. On my way to Brussels I overtook on the
road Captain P---- of the horse artillery, and rode with him into
the town. He was so kind as to inform a cousin of mine in the same
corps that I was safe; and thus my friends heard through him, that
I was neither killed nor wounded.
"Upon entering into a large house at Waterloo we found every room
in it filled with either the dead or the dying. I was glad to get
a chair, and sat down at a table in a large room, in every corner
of which were poor creatures groaning. The master of the house
having brought us a piece of bread and a bottle of wine, we began
to talk over the events of the day: and as he had been for years
a soldier of Buonaparte's himself, we found no lack of subjects
for conversation. After we had finished our bread and wine, which
we enjoyed very much notwithstanding the room was full of poor
wounded human beings, we retired to a hay loft for the night, which
we passed in profound repose. In the morning we saw the Belgians
completing the plunder of a number of baggage waggons, which stood
in the yard of the house. Here some of our men joined us, and my
private servant came up from the rear to look for my body, he
having been informed by two different officers of the brigade whom
he met on their way to Brussels the evening before, that I was
killed, assuring him that they had seen me lying on the field of
battle before they left it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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