The History of the Rifle Brigade (the Prince Consort's Own) Formerly the 95thCope, William Henry
History
The History of the Rifle Brigade (the Prince Consort's Own) Formerly the 95th
Cope, William Henry
Great Britain. Army. Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own)
[23] ‘Cumloden Papers,’ 50, 51, 52. This service seems to have
established a friendship between Stewart and Nelson, which terminated
only with the great admiral’s life. Several letters from him, written
in very affectionate terms, to Stewart, are printed in the ‘Cumloden
Papers;’ the last dated only thirteen days before his death off
Trafalgar. Stewart also mentions incidentally that his son Horatio
(who served in the Regiment) bore that name ‘by the express wish of
that great man who fell off Trafalgar.’ He must have wished him to
call his first son after him, for Horatio Stewart was not born till
after Nelson’s death.
[24] ‘Life of Sir Charles Napier,’ i. 58, 59.
[25] ‘Military Lectures delivered to the officers of the 95th (Rifle)
Regiment, at Shorn-Cliff Barracks, Kent, during the Spring of 1803.’
By Coote Manningham, Colonel of the 95th (Rifle) Regiment. Octavo,
London, 1803, pp. 70. And see p. 7.
In the same year appeared ‘Regulations for the Exercise of Riflemen
and Light Infantry in the Field,’ octavo, pp. 70, with diagrams and
two pages of bugle sounds. What share, if any, Manningham or Stewart
had in these books, I am unable to trace. A preface (signed by the
Adjutant-General) states that it is founded on a work written by a
German officer of distinction.
[26] Hamlet Wade was one of the original members of the Regiment,
having been promoted to a majority on its formation, from captain in
the 25th Foot. He was an extraordinary, gallant, dashing Irishman (he
was one of the Wades of Clonabraney, County Meath), and anecdotes
of him were still rife when I was in the Regiment. Surtees mentions
Wade’s praise and his rewards to him for his good shooting, when
he joined as a volunteer. He was an admirable shot with the rifle
himself. He and a private of the name of Smeaton used to hold a
target for each other at 150 yards; and it is said (Smith’s ‘List of
Officers,’ 58) that he and John Spurry, a private in the Regiment,
held the target for each other at 200 yards: a wonderful feat, while
the Baker rifle was still in use. There used to be a story of him at
an inspection by the old Earl of Chatham, who expressed a wish to
see some practice with the rifle; and having made some remark on the
danger of the markers, Wade said: ‘There is no danger;’ and calling
one of the men (no doubt Smeaton or Spurry), bade him hold a target,
and he himself taking a rifle fired and hit it. Lord Chatham’s horror
at this was extreme, on which Wade said: ‘Oh, we all do it.’ And
bidding the other to take a loaded rifle, he ran out himself and
held the target for the soldier’s fire. Probably no other men in the
Regiment but themselves could have done this. Colonel Wade, C.B.,
died February 13, 1821, having retired from the army.
[27] Surtees gives the story at length, 53-55.
[28] Major-General Sir Amos G. R. Norcott, K.C.H., died January 8,
1838.
[29] Major O’Hare was killed at Badajos.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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