Saturday, February 27, 2010

The 42nd Highlanders hold off French Lancers at Quatre Bras 1815

Two days before the battle of Waterloo, Napoleon sent Marshal Ney to engage Wellington and stop him meeting up with Blucher and his Prussians and to drive a wedge between the two forces if possible. Ney engaged Wellington at the cross roads of Quatre Bras, but delayed in using his Superior numbers to good effect, allowing Wellington to re-enforce his meager holding force and a full scale battle developed.

Due to the undulating ground and high crops of the area, many Battalions were leapt on by squadrons of cavalry before they could form their defensive squares. Most were simply ridden into the ground but the brave, hard fighting men of 'Blackwatch' managed to fight back to back and hold off the attacks. By the end of the murderous day, some 300 officers and men of the 42nd lay dead. Never was a regiment more deserving of being singled out for praise than the 42nd in Wellington's report that day.

4 comments:

tim said...

awesome!

Rob Alderman said...

Brilliant!

Have you ever seen Flintloque? It would be right up your street I reckon.

Love the artwork.
Rob

Conrad Kinch said...

Scotland the brave!

mr. webster said...

This picture is awesome (like all of your art)

I am coaching my school's academic decathlon team and this year's topic is "Age of empire" we're making tee-shirts and I can think of no better picture for the front. Would it be possible to use it? We aren't selling them, just creating a kind of team jersey.
name is Matt Webster and I teach at Taconic High School.
http://www3.pittsfield.net/groups/matthewwebster/

and I've posted on your blog a few other times as Trajanius at gmail.

If this is an issue I totally understand. Thought I should ask first.

Either way, thanks for a great blog.