King's German Legion @nline -> Waterloo 1815 (7)

KGL Monument

After the last unsuccessful attempt made by the reserve of the imperial guard, at the village of Planchenoit a wild scene of confusion ensued among the panic-stricken fugitives. Hurrying from Blucher’s impatient soldiers, they became completely disorganized; the high road, strewed with innumerable guns, waggons, arms, and fragments of every description, presented the appearance of an immense shipwreck; those who attempted to rest in the hope of a less rapid pursuit, were driven from bivouac to bivouac; in some villages they attempted to make a stand, but on the first sound of the Prussian drums and bugles, they fled, or threw themselves into the houses, where they were cut down or taken prisoners. The moon shone clear and bright, as the excited Prussians, full of the rememberance of French oppression, followed their luckless victims, and the wild chace continued, fierce, merciless, and unceasing.

In Genappe, the fugitives attempted to check the pursuit by barricading the place with guns, ammunition waggons and overturned carriages, and a sharp musquetry fire was poured upon the Prussian advance at the entrance; but a few cannon shots and a hurrah! immediately cleared the place. Here, among other equipages, was found the carriage of Napoleon, which he had just left, to throw himself on horseback, and in which, in his hurry, he had left his sword and hat. Thus was the pursuit continued until daylight.

The losses of the contending armies in this great battle were enormous. Out of seventy-five thousand French soldiers, scarce forty thousand effected their escape, and six hundred officers, and fifteen thousand men were killed and wounded in the army of Wellington. The brunt of the action fell chiefly upon the British and King’s German Legion ("The brunt of the action was chiefly sustained by the troops of the British, and King’s German Legion, as their loss will shew. In stating this, it must be allowed that much support was afforded by the other contingents, but they were chiefly raw levies, newly raised, who could not be depended on in a situation of importance: some behaved ill, as is publicly known."): of the legion alone one hundred and twenty-nine officers, and one thousand three hundred and forty-three non-commissioned officers and men were killed and wounded, and the loss of the Hanoverian battalions - particularly of count Kielmansegge’s brigade - was considerable. (Count Kielmansegge’s brigade, consisting of the field-battalions Bremen, Verden, Lüneburg, Grubenhagen, and duke of York, lost twenty-three officers and four hundred and ninety-eight men in killed and wounded.)

Memorial to Captain of the
1st Line Battalion Carl Ludewig v. Holle on the Gehrdener Berg

Memorial to Captain of the 1st Line Battalion
Carl Ludewig v. Holle on the Gehrdener Berg

Napoleon, hearing that Grouchy’s corps had been destroyed, and that marshal taken prisoner, made no attempt to rally his beaten troops, but leaving directions for the relics of the army to be brought together under Soult at Avesnes, he continued his flight through Charleroi and Philippeville to Paris, to which capital, on the night of the 20th he brought the news of his own discomfiture.

Grouchy, however, after an obstinate conflict with Thielmann at Wavre on the 18th, had retreated with great ability before the second corps of the Prussian army, which had been detached to intercept his march, and the Prussians suffered severely in their attempts to press upon his rear-guard at Namur; he rallied many of the fugitives, and finally brought his army to Paris without loss.

Napoleon’s star of good fortune had now set, to rise no more, and his political existence was hurried rapidly to a close: a committee of the chamber of deputies declared that his abdication was absolutely necessary - he made a vain attempt to resign in favour of his son - a provisional government was formed, and arrangements were made for conveying him to America. These however were frustrated by the vigilance of the English cruizers, and he surrendered himself to captain Maitland of his majesty’s ship Bellerophon, from whence he was transferred to the Northumberland, and, under the care of admiral sir George Cockburn, finally removed to the island of St. Helena.

The armies of Soult and Grouchy were driven under the walls of Paris by the British and Prussian troops, who storming some of the French fortresses, and blockading others, marched straight upon the capital. Some resistance was made at Issy, but on the 3rd of July an armistice was concluded, according to which, Paris was surrendered to the allies, and the French army drawn behind the Loire.

On the 7th of July the allied armies took military possession of Paris, and the following day Louis XVIII re-entered his capital.

The victory of Waterloo at once terminated the war, and gave peace and freedom to Europe, and now the time drew near when the King’s German Legion, agreeable to the conditions under which they had been enrolled in the British ranks, were, to bid adieu to their brothers in arms, and seek repose and recompense in the bosom of their fatherland. Few parted from their brave companions without regret; twelve long years of friendly intercourse - of mutual toil and suffering - had served to cement those feelings of respect and esteem, which the participation in the dangers and successes of actual warfare, never fails to generate in the hearts of the brave; together they had fought; together they had conquered; led by the same chief whose brilliant victories have placed him on the highest pinnacle of military fame, they strove together for the cause of freedom, and of right; together they shared the perils and the glories of a long and sanguinary war, and finally, together tore from its ambitious height the proud eagle that floated over oppressed mankind!

By a proclamation of the prince regent of England, acting in the name of his majesty, and dated the 24th of December 1815, the King’s German Legion was ordered to be disbanded on the 24th day of the month in which each regiment should arrive in the kingdom of Hanover.

In pursuance of the orders which had been issued respecting the disbandment, that part of the legion attached to the Anglo-Belgian army, broke up from the neighbourhood of Paris towards the end of the year, and were marched to the several places in the kingdom of Hanover, which had been fixed on for carrying the orders into effect; the infantry moved in two successive divisions, entering their native land at Osnabrück, and were disbanded in the villages on the left bank of the Weser; the artillery and first hussars were disbanded in Hanover; the first dragoons at Celle; the second at Embden in East Friesland; the second hussars at Quackenbrück, and the third at Nordheim.

The whole of these regiments were disbanded from the British service on the 24th of February, 1816.

The sixth and seventh line battalions and third foot battery which, it will be remembered, had been left in Italy when the rest of the legion were removed to Flanders, embarked from Genoa in the beginning of February, and the infantry, arriving in the Ems about the end of April, were disbanded at Norden on the 24th of May.

The veteran battalion was disbanded at Osnabrück on the 24th of February, and the greater part of the men were placed upon the list of the Chelsea out-pensioners.

In accordance with the letter of service under which the legion was raised, all the officers were placed upon half-pay from the day of their reduction, and the non-commissioned officers and privates were allowed a gratuity of six kreutzers per league in aid of their travelling expenses to their respective homes; in addition to these allowances, each officer actually present at the disbandment, was allowed two month’s full-pay from that date.