NagoyaHammer.com

As most regular forum members will know, I have been working on a Napoleonic Era British Army for a while now. As I was reorganising my army cases today I figured I would take some pictures of everything I have so far and post up some information about each unit and regiment as I go. This way, people can see what I am doing with my army and maybe learn a little something along the way.

So let's start at the top.

Sir Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington on the left.

Sir Arthur Wellesley began his military career in the British Army in 1787, serving in Ireland, before being elected to the Irish House of Commons. He gained his colonelcy in 1796 and took part in campaigns in the Netherlands and India. His success in India gained him a governorship there. In 1805 he returned to the UK being quoted as saying "I have served as long in India as any man ought who can serve anywhere else." During his journey home he stopped at the Isle of Saint Helena and stayed in the same building that would later be used as a prison for Napoleon Bonaparte.
After arriving in the UK he took part in battles in Northern Germany and Denmark. He was due to sail with 9000 troops to South America but was diverted to the Iberian Peninsula. (Portugal and Spain). He won his first two engagements against the French in Portugal, but when his superior officer General Dalrymple arrived, he not only released all of Wellesley's prisoners, but agreed to ship them and all their loot back to France. Recalled to England, Wellesley was cleared of misconduct charges, though General Dalrymple was not. Between 1808 and 1813 the British army along with their Portugese and Spanish allies campaigned back and forth across the peninsula. Wellesley became very good at choosing his fights and picking out the ideal spot to deploy his men. Whilst the allied forces didn't win every engagement, Wellesley eventually defeated every French Marshal sent against him.
After Napoleon abdicated in 1814 Wellesley was given the title the Duke of Wellington, the first to bear such a title and the name he is most commonly referred to by. The duke was assigned as Ambassador to France where he helped sort out the details of France's disarmament, arguing strongly that France should be allowed to maintain it's position in the European balance of power.
In 1815 Napoleon returned to France and immediately began to rebuild his army. England, Russia, Prussia and Austria each agreed to send 200,000 men to stop him. Wellington was given overall command of the Allied British, Dutch and German contingent and took to the field alongside General Blucher's Prussians. Napoleon's army was eventually defeated after the battles at Quatre Bras, Ligny, Wavre and Waterloo. Napoleon threw himself on the mercy of the British and was imprisoned at Saint Helena where he later died.
After the war Wellington became an increasingly political figure. In 1828 he became Prime Minister of England for the Tory Party. During his time in power he was influential in establishing King's College in London and helped push through the Catholic Emancipation Act. (Prior to which catholics were prosecuted by the largely Protestant British government at the time). It was during this time that he gained the nickname "The Iron Duke," largely due to his staunch opposition of several attempts to reform the government. In 1830 his government was disbanded, but later regained power in 1834. During the 1834 election, Sir Robert Peel was elected Prime Minister but was away in Italy at the time. For 3 weeks Wellington was the Acting Prime Minister.
Upon his death in 1852 Wellington was granted with a state funeral, something that only a handful of British subjects have been honoured with. (Lord Nelson and Winston Churchill being two of them). He was interred in St. Paul's Cathedral next to Lord Nelson, whom he had only met once, briefly just before Nelson was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Next.... Sir Thomas Picton

Hate to be an uber dork but the fine print on my history diploma compels me to not hold back. Napoleon abdicated the first time in 1814.

Good write up, and if I may, I've heard that Wellington, Churchill and Nelson have been he only non royals to be honord with a state funeral. Whether you agree with personality or not, or Napoleon groupie or not the man was incredibly successful. A very inspiring story considering he started as government clerk in Ireland before being given a leg up into a position in the East India company.

Awesome log. Good history write up and look forward to seeing more here and on the gaming table.

job wrote:Hate to be an uber dork but the fine print on my history diploma compels me to not hold back. Napoleon abdicated the first time in 1814.

Good write up, and if I may, I've heard that Wellington, Churchill and Nelson have been he only non royals to be honord with a state funeral. Whether you agree with personality or not, or Napoleon groupie or not the man was incredibly successful. A very inspiring story considering he started as government clerk in Ireland before being given a leg up into a position in the East India company.

Awesome log. Good history write up and look forward to seeing more here and on the gaming table.

Amended.

Also in the interest of good natured geekery.
UK Non-royal state funerals:
Admiral Robert Blake (1657)
Sir Isaac Newton (1727)
The Viscount Nelson (1806)
The Duke of Wellington (1852)
The Viscount Palmerston (1865)
Lord Napier of Magdala (1890)
The Rt Hon William Gladstone (1898)
The Earl Roberts of Kandahar (1914)
The Earl Haig (1928)
The Lord Carson (1935)
The Rt Hon Sir Winston Churchill (1965)

Benjamin Disraeli, Florence Nightingale and (allegedly) Margaret Thatcher all had the option of a state funeral but in their wills had refused them.

Lt. General Sir Thomas Picton on the right.

Sir Thomas Picton was the seventh of twelve children of Thomas Picton senior, born in Wales in 1758. In 1771 he obtained an Ensign's commission in the 12th Regiment of Foot, but didn't actually join the regiment for another two years. (In those days, officers could buy their positions and, so long as they had paid up in full, weren't required to actually take part in regimental duties). He later served in the 75th, then the 17th and finally the 58th Regiments. He took part in actions in the West Indies and became governor of Trinidad for 5 years, where he was seen as something of a tyrant when it came to enforcing law and order. He was eventually recalled to the UK where he was brought up on charges of executing criminals without due process, cruelty to slaves and unlawful torture of criminal suspects. He was only convicted of the final charge, which was then later overturned at a retrial.
In 1810 he was assigned command of the British 3rd Division in the Peninsula campaign. He followed his orders to the letter, which often caused some conflict with his fellow commanders. At the battle of the River Coa, the Light Division came under attack by French troops. Picton refused to move to support the lines as his orders clearly stated that he should avoid contact with the enemy. However, when given the opportunity to engage, he proved himself a confident and skilled commander. Along with his 'Fighting' 3rd Division, he performed his duties well at the battles of Busaco and Fuentes de Onoro. In 1812, his division and the light division stormed the breaches at Ciudad Rodrigo together, and later at Badajoz his diversionary attack succeeded in storming the French fortress. He was wounded during the Badajoz engagement, but refused to leave the battlements until the fighting was over. After the battle he gave each of his troops a guinea. Due to his wounds he returned to England to recuperate, but was back on the front line in the spring of 1813.
In 1813 at the Battle of Vitoria he led his division across a key bridge and held it against all comers whilst under fire from a grand battery of some 40-50 cannon. His divsion suffered 1800 casualties on that day, 1/3 of the entire British losses from that battle.
When Napoleon came back in 1815, Picton was offered and accepted a command position in Wellington's allied army. Taking command of the 5th Infantry Division, Picton took part in the fighting at Quatre Bras where he was badly wounded. However, he chose to conceal his injury and retain his position in the army. 2 days later at Waterloo he led his division in a bayonet charge to repulse d'Erlon's Corps who were in a position to break through the allied centre. During the charge he was shot through the head by a musket ball, becoming the highest ranking British casualty of the battle. Famously during the conflict his luggage containing his uniform had not arrived from England so he took to the field in civilian clothes and a top hat.

Also in the interest of good natured geekery.
UK Non-royal state funerals:
Admiral Robert Blake (1657)
Sir Isaac Newton (1727)
The Viscount Nelson (1806)
The Duke of Wellington (1852)
The Viscount Palmerston (1865)
Lord Napier of Magdala (1890)
The Rt Hon William Gladstone (1898)
The Earl Roberts of Kandahar (1914)
The Earl Haig (1928)
The Lord Carson (1935)
The Rt Hon Sir Winston Churchill (1965)

I didn't know that. Well, that's pretty cool.

Yeah, I pretty much screwed up on that. I might say I'm wrong to call Wellington a "desk clerk" in his early career, but I guess lieutenant in the militia kind of meant similar work. I think part of my confusion lies in that casting him as a "determined amateur". Oh, well, shame on me.

I pretty much no next to nothing about Picton. Look forward to it.

Wow that was fast!

The 4th Regiment of Foot. The King's Own Regiment.
Regimental Colours - Dark Blue.
Nickname - The Lions.
Originally raised in 1680 as the Earl of Plymouth's Regiment of Foot, the 4th King's Own went through a variety of name changes over the course of it's service. (It's lineage is currently continued by the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment).
The regiment took part in battles in The Netherlands, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, St. Lucia and Culloden. At the Battle of Culloden they received the highest rate of casualties amongst the government troops. During the Napoleonic Era they took part in the Peninsula campaign, fighting at Corunna, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, San Sebastian, Nive and were then sent to the states to participate in the Battle of Bladensburg. The defeat of the American forces there allowed the British to capture and burn the public buildings of Washington, D.C. It has been called "the greatest disgrace ever dealt to American arms."
Recalled back to Europe for the 100 Days campaign, the 4th were assigned to the 10th Brigade in the 6th Division, where they spent most of the battle in reserve. It was mid-afternoon when the 6th Division was brought up to the front line.

During the fighting the 4th had 124 men killed or wounded from their initial starting strength of 670 men.

The 35th Regiment of Foot. The Sussex Regiment
Regimental Colours - Orange.
Nickname - Prince of Orange's Own. (William III of Orange gave them their regimental colour).
Raised in 1701 as the Earl of Donegall's Regiment of Foot, they were sometimes informally known as "The Belfast Regiment." In 1702 they were put under command of the Royal Navy and took part in the War of Spanish Succession. They later took part in the French and Indian War, where they were a part of the Battle of Fort William Henry and later took part at the Battle of Quebec.
The regiment then went on to take part in the American Revolution, being deployed first at Bunker Hill and later in the battles at New York and Monmouth. Due to a redeployment later in the war to the West Indies, the 35th was never defeated by an American force whilst fighting in the US.
During the Napoleonic Wars, the 35th took part in the Sicilian campaign in 1806, and then in Alexandria during the 1807 campaign. They didn't take part in the Peninsula campaign and whilst they were part of the 4th Division's 6th Brigade at Waterloo, they didn't actually take an active role in the battle.

This was the first regiment I painted for my army and I made quite a big mistake on them. The regimental colour is supposed to be Orange, but I painted them with Green collars and cuffs. Whoops. At some stage I shall have to address that.

Lovely models. The Kings regiment and the Sussex brings back great memories of playing Black Powder for the first time. Some 2 years ago now nearly. Still easily my favourite wargame. Easy to play and quick rules. I love the command rules. Maybe someday I can play again. Here's hoping.

The 42nd Regiment of Foot. The Black Watch
Regimental Colours - Blue.
Nickname - The Forty-twa.
In 1715, after the Jacobite Uprising in Scotland, the British government raised 6 units of militia in 1725, recruited from clans loyal to the government, to perform police duties and keep the highlanders in check. These 6 Independent Highland Companies became known as the Black Watch. The origin of the 'Black' part of the name is unrecorded, but the common theory is that it is due to the dark colours of their original uniforms. In 1739 4 more companies were added and the regiment was formed as the 43rd Regiment.
Upon mustering in London for Royal inspection in 1743, rumours began to spread that the regiment would be shipped out to the West Indies. Many men deserted, but were eventually captured and the ringleaders executed in the Tower of London. The regiment was sent to Flanders to fight in the Austrian War of Succession. The regiment's first full action was the Battle of Fontenoy. During the battle, the regiment would drop to the ground whenever the enemy fired, before standing up and returning fire whilst the French reloaded. Their Colonel, who was rather large, would stand alone before the entire enemy line whilst his men took cover.
Their next conflict brought them back to Britain for the Jacobite Uprising of 1745. Most of the regiment remained in the south, to prevent a possible French invasion, but 1 company marched north and took part in the battle of Culloden.
From 1758 to 1767 the regiment fought in the Americas, including the battles at Ticonderoga, Montreal, Havana, Martinique and Guadaloupe. They returned breifly to the UK before shipping back to the States for the American Revolution, where they fought at Long Island, Harlem, Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth and Charleston.
With the outbreak of war with Napoleon's France, the 42nd fought in Egypt at Alexandria and in the Iberian Peninsular. During the fighting retreat at Corunna, they formed part of the rearguard and 6 of it's men carried the mortally wounded British General Sir John Moore back to the ships as the army set sail. When the army returned to Spain under Lord Wellington, the 42nd fought across the peninsula and on into France, taking part in such major actions as Badajoz, Salamanca and Vittoria.
During the 100 Days Campaign, the 42nd fought at Quatre Bras and then again at Waterloo, where they were in the 9th Brigade, 5th Division under the command of Lt. Gen. Picton. Whilst their overall losses were light (around 10% killed), over half of the men in the regiment were wounded during the battle.