LEGO Battle of Waterloo: Charge of the Scots Greys animation - now on YouTube!

 

Sergeant Ewart captures a French Eagle at Waterloo

Things have been a little quiet on the Blog recently, and I must admit this has been due to my own spare-time priorities being elsewhere. I have been working hard on a LEGO Stop-Motion which is based on the Charge of the Scots Greys at Waterloo, and have now released this to YouTube.

Sometimes the most incredible, and unbelievable stories are the true ones, and no more so is this true than of this particular charge.

The Scots Greys, unlike in the 1970 classic film Waterloo, came from behind the British lines, which meant that they charged (or walked, as it was so muddy) through the ranks of the 92nd Gordon Highlanders. Some of the Highlanders were crushed beneath their hooves, while others grabbed the reigns of the horses to be pulled along, so eager were they to enter the fray,

The French who had reached the top of the hill were in the process of transferring from column to line, and though they got a volley away at the Scots Greys, the British were soon amonst them and the French were quickly in retreat.

Sergeant Ewart unpon encountering the enemy immediately singled out an officer, who he fought and disarmed. He was about to strike the officer down, when his cornet, Kinchant interrupted and spared the officers life, taking him prisoner. Reluctantly, Ewart turned away to continue his fight but heard a gunshot behind him. He turned around and found the French officer attempting to hide his pistol. Ewart was heard to shout "Ask mercy of God for the devil a bit will ye get at my hands", and with a single stroke removed the officer's head. 

It was at this point that he found himself close to the Eagle that he would famously capture, which was being carried by another French officer. Here is his account.

"The officer who carried it and I had a short contest for it; he thrust for my groin, I parried it off and cut him through the head; in a short time after whilst contriving how to carry the eagle (by folding the flag round my bridle arm and dragging the pole on the ground) and follow my regiment I heard a Lancer coming behind me; I wheeled round to face him and in the act of doing so he threw his lance at me which I threw off to my right with my sword and cut him from the chin upwards through the teeth. His lance merely grazed the skin on my right side which bled a good deal but was well very soon. I was next attacked by a foot soldier who after firing at me, charged me with the bayonet; I parried it and cut him down through the head; this finished the contest for the eagle which I was ordered by General Ponsonby to carry to the rear."

At this point the infantry were in full retreat, but the British Heavy Cavalry decided to try to win the battle all by themselves. Carried away, they charged upon the French artillery battery, but as they didn't carry the equipment required to spike the guns, it was likely that each gun was eventually fired again. The French counter-attacked with Lancers and Cuirassiers, and the British Cavalry that had attacked the guns found themselves on the wrong side of the field, on blown horses.

Major-General Sir William Ponsonby was amongst the fallen, after his horse mired in the mud he gave some keepsakes to an aide and waited for the inevitable. It is thought that the French Lancers, realising he was a general attempted to capture him, but on a rescue attempt by the Scots Greys, he was killed. 

The attack of the British Heavy Cavalry was succesful in repulsing D'Erlon's corps attack on the centre-left, However, the attack on the battery was a step too far.The Royal Scots Greys had 104 men killed at Waterloo, and another 97 wounded. 228 of the regiment's 416 horses were also killed

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