War Medals and Their HistorySteward, William Augustus
History
War Medals and Their History
Steward, William Augustus
Great Britain. Army -- Medals, badges, decorations, etc.; Great Britain. Royal Navy -- Medals, badges, decorations, etc.
=Toulouse.=--On April 10th, 1814, the sanguinary and unnecessary battle
of Toulouse was fought, for the allies had entered Paris on March 31st,
and Napoleon had abdicated. It is alleged that Soult fought the battle
out of personal vanity or pique, since he had news--on April 7th--of
what had happened in Paris. It was perhaps his last desperate effort
for his master. However, this last battle of the Peninsular War was
fought with terrible determination on both sides; but when the range of
heights had been carried by the British, and the redoubts of the city
won, Soult abandoned the town of Toulouse with 3 Generals and 1,600 men
"prisoners at the generosity of the conqueror." The allied British,
Portuguese, and Spanish armies lost in killed and wounded about
4,650, the latter including Generals Brisbane, Pack, Mendizabel, and
Espelette, while the French had 5 generals and 3,234 men placed _hors
de combat_. These numbers include, British losses, 31 officers and 563
men killed; 248 officers and 3,898 men wounded; 3 officers and 15 men
missing.
[Illustration: PRUSSIAN JUBILEE MEDAL GIVEN BY WILHELM I IN 1863 TO
VETERANS OF 1813-14-15 CAMPAIGNS.]
[Illustration: JUBILEE MEDAL GIVEN BY THE CITY OF HANOVER TO VETERANS
OF WATERLOO.]
[Illustration: "ST. HELENA MEDAL" GIVEN BY NAPOLEON III TO SURVIVORS OF
WATERLOO AND THE NAPOLEONIC WARS.]
In storming the redoubts the 42nd Black Watch, which had the honour of
leading the attack, displayed their usual courage, but the withering
fire from the defenders was such that in a short time it would have
annihilated the regiment; indeed, out of the 500 who went into action,
scarcely 90 reached the redoubt, from which the enemy fled, but these
"leapt over the trenches like a pack of hungry hounds in pursuit."
Two officers and sixty men of inferior rank were all that remained
unwounded of the right wing of the regiment that entered the field in
the morning. During the battle the standard of the regiment had passed
through the hands of three wounded officers, until it was borne by
a sergeant and defended by a few men. The 42nd, likewise the 36th,
79th, and 61st, who also lost considerable numbers, were mentioned in
Wellington's dispatches. The 13th Light Dragoons, the 14th and 15th
Dragoons, and the 18th Hussars, were also mentioned for gallant conduct
during the advance on Toulouse.
The regiments represented at the battle were: 2 squadrons of the 1st
and 2nd Life Guards and Horse Guards; 1st Dragoons; 3rd and 5th Dragoon
Guards; 3rd, 4th, 7th, 10th, 13th, 14th, 15th, and 18th Light Dragoons;
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 11th, 20th, 23rd, 27th, 28th, 31st, 32nd,
34th, 36th, 39th, 40th, 42nd, 43rd, 45th, 48th, 50th, 52nd, 53rd, 57th,
60th, 61st, 66th, 71st, 74th, 79th, 83rd, 87th, 88th, 91st, 92nd, 94th,
and 95th.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account