Dixon (1789-1880), who joined the army in 1807, was a corporal in the Scottish Greys at the Battle of Waterloo. The following recollections were recorded by his relatives years after the battle.
From JB Lippincott Co. Philadelphia, 1911, "With Napoleon at Waterloo: Some Unpublished Documents from Waterloo and the Peninsular War," edited by Mackenzie Macbride, pp. 138-148.
Translator: I have tried to put SIC on some questionable places.
"Well, you all know that when I was an eighteen-year-old boy, I was in the Greys, as every good Scotsman wants to do, the oldest dragoon regiment in the British Army, and we in Scotland. The only cavalry unit."
"When the news of Napoleon Bonaparte's landing in France came, our regiment was ordered to rush across Belgium, and then rested for a long time, waiting for his next move. I remember 1815. How the trumpeter woke us up from our sleep at four in the morning on June 16th, and how we assembled the team as fast as we could.
We received three days' rations, followed by a long march— We walked fifty miles that day to get to Four Arms - and then we rendezvoused with the other regiments of Sir William Ponsonby."
"In addition to our regiment, the brigade includes the 1st Household Cavalry and the Niskillen Cavalry. We're called the Combined Brigade, you see, because it's made up of an English regiment, an Irish regiment, and a Scottish regiment."
"The day before the great battle -- it was Saturday, and you know the battle was fought on the morning of Sunday the eighteenth of June -- we set out from Four Arms and marched along the road to Brussels. We thought the Iron Duke was going to take us Going to Brussels, but no. It stopped us in the middle of a downpour and camped in a depression on the side of the road, in a field of green barley. Yes, we really trampled that crop , but the tide of barley soon got us wet too. So we made a fire beside a crossroads, which was a little down the road in the depression where we were stationed. We received no supplies that night. As we were sitting around the fire we heard a loud rumbling about a mile away, which we knew must have come from the French artillery and haulers that were coming here. High and low, like the wind blowing through a chimney."
"I have to tell you one thing: although there were more than seventy thousand French there, we didn't watch all night until six o'clock the next morning. They had a campfire. Why couldn't they warm up, poor fellow! I don't know. Well, about eleven o'clock that night, a terrible storm began to rage over our heads, and the thunder It sounded terrifying, it was a great battle in nature, as if the whole cloud was about to come down on its head. We all said it was a warning to Bonaparte, and the whole of nature was angry with him.
" We soon fell asleep by the fire as we were all exhausted from the long march in the sweltering weather the previous day.
I woke my comrade McKee at about five in the morning. He jumped to his feet , yelling: 'Damn, you guys, the horn is ringing!' 'Shhh, soldier!' I replied, 'That's the chain of the horse.' 'The chain?' he said. 'Then what's that? ?' Then a clear trumpet came into our ears."
"After my breakfast of oatmeal, I was sent out two hundred yards ahead on the road to watch the enemy's movements. It was full daylight now, and the sun shone from time to time through the shattering clouds. The concave road There were sparse hedges and low beech bushes on the tops of the steep slopes on either side, and when I stopped in the back I could see the French in large groups on the opposite side, about a mile away from me, but at that distance it seemed It was farther up, for the fog in the hollow between the two armies had not yet completely cleared. There were huge columns of infantry, squadron after squadron of cuirassiers, red dragoons, brown hussars, and spearheads Green Lancers with little swallowtail flags, the most magnificent scene is a whole regiment of cuirassiers marching across the hills opposite me, the morning sun shining on their shining steel armor, what a magnificent scene, that The reflection seems to set the whole country on fire, and once you see it, you will never forget it."
"About eight to nine o'clock, there was a sudden rush of drums from the enemy's front, followed by a band of hundreds of battalions playing the military music in unison. I heard the Marseillaise in it. But the happy sounds were mixed together and drowned in the sudden noise. The enemies all started to move and were entering the fighting position. At this time, it was completely silent on our side. But I saw that our troops were also actively preparing for battle: below where I was standing, a German regiment was driving through a new crop field to support another unit occupying a farmhouse between the two armies. Sea Saint Farm, where the battle was fought the hardest. These brave Germans! Then this afternoon they fought to the last man on the tip of the bayonet under the French attack. A battery of artillery was lined up along the road They were Hanoverians, I think they were not British, but I can't remember if they were Dutch or German. They were a hundred yards ahead of the road. All right, team, with four guns. Then came a majestic Dutch and Belgian brigade, which turned at the intersection between the steep slopes at a brisk pace, and drove up to an unobstructed height. On the ground. There were at least three thousand of them in blue uniforms with red and orange veneers and they looked beautiful. Then I rode to a group of highlanders whose commander was from Belside, Linlithgow Captain Freer, I know he's from the 92nd Regiment, which we all call the 'slutty Gordons'. These guys are all focused on what's going to happen. They and the 79th Regiment The Cameron Highlanders, along with the Black Wardens of the 42nd Regiment, and the 1st Royal Scottish Regiment formed Picton's 'Battle' Division. They started talking to me about their participation at Four Arms two days ago. where each regiment of brave old Picton lost more than a third of its men, and Gordon's regiment, according to them, lost half of its men and thirty-six officers Twenty-five. At that time, few people thought that when the sun went down, there were only less than thirty people in our own group who could answer the roll call."
"I seem to remember everything. As if it had happened yesterday. After the village clock struck eleven, the French artillery in the center began to roar like thunder, and the muskets in the far right began to speak. The French looked like they were going to attack on a large scale. A farm, that farm is called Ugomeng."
"I noticed that just ahead, a large column of French troops began to advance, over the ridge on their side of the depression, and towards us. Then the two hundred and fifty guns of the French army on the entire front were engaged in a massive The bombardment was terrifying, but at this moment another crack of artillery ripped through the air, followed by a cheer from our side, and this was our artillery starting to speak. We only had one hundred and fifty guns in total, Half of them belonged to the Dutch, German and Belgian troops who were hired to fight for us. Besides, the French had a total of 100,000 troops (sic), far more than us, until 40,000 Prussians came to support in the afternoon We just changed the contrast. I was back in my regiment as everyone was heading to the left to get better cover next to a forest where shells and debris were flying around, ploughing the surrounding dirt. As soon as we got there, a violent salvo began ahead. We saw the Highlanders drive towards the road to the right, followed by the sound of gunfire, the hissing of bullets, and the shouting of people. The whole Belgian brigade , the same people I saw in the morning, all came running and fled across the road, while our men were shouting at them, complaining, because they fled with barely a shot, leaving the Highland Brigade alone The whole French offensive on the left side of the center of our army. I think the Belgians may have been inclined to Napoleon's side, which explains their behavior, because they had shown a high degree of courage when they were there."
"Soon, General William Ponsonby, the general of the Union Brigade, rode up on a little reddish-brown horse, and I remember his chestnut-colored steed was gone with his groom. He Beside him was his lieutenant, Delancey Evans. He ordered us to go fifty yards along the beech hedge by the road. I can still see him in his long cloak and high Hat rode up the hill to observe the battle below. From our new position, we could see three regiments of highlanders, about a thousand men, bravely firing on the advancing columns of the French. These French There were probably several thousand men, divided into three dense columns. I later learned that there were fifteen thousand men there, under the command of Delron, spread out over the alfalfa, barley, and rye fields ahead, killing us. Come. Then I saw the brigade commander of the Highland Brigade, Sir Dennis Parker, who turned to Gordon's regiment and shouted in a loud voice: 'The Ninety-Two Regiment, advance! You will be invincible!' The Highlanders, who were about to solemnly sing "Who Owns the Scots", immediately loaded their bayonets, drove through the hedges of beech and holly, and drove into a bush on the front of the slope, and ran on, shouting and running forward, a short distance from France. There was a volley from twenty yards."
"At this point our general and adjutant rode to the right by the hedge. Then I suddenly saw Delancey Evans wave his hat, our Commander Inglis Hamilton immediately shouted: 'It's all there! Scots Greys, charge!' He looked at the sky, swung his sword, rushed straight to the hedge ahead, and leaped beautifully. Our There was a burst of cheers from the queue, and then they all followed with their swords. I jabbed my brave old Rattler with my spur, and rushed out like the wind. Then I saw Major Han Jin fell from the horse, injured, and I Felt a strange excitement throbbing through me. I'm sure my beast felt the same, for she sprinted forward like a spring after a while, hissing, snorting, and terrifying. Quickly jumping over the holly hedge, a long line of great grey horses dashed forward with their heads bowed, their manes fluttering, the dirt and turf under their hooves fluttering, and the trumpeter whistling his charge, The soldiers in scarlet coats and tall bearskin hats cheered in unison, and all this was spectacular. Behind the first hedge was a deep concave road, with steep dirt slopes on both sides, and it was safe to jump off. It takes some skill, but to our surprise there were very few incidents."
"We heard the sound of bagpipes flying down the hill in the smoke and fire, and we all got excited, shouting as we crossed the concave road: 'Wow, the Ninety-Two! Long live Scotland!' I could clearly see my Old friend, the bagpiper Cameron, standing on a small mound with his legs crossed, and calmly playing "Johnny Cope, are you still awake?" in the midst of the noise."
"Our head Charged ahead of the line, over the artillery, down the slope, and we followed. We saw the Household Cavalry and the Enniskillen cavalry on the right, running at full speed across the hollow and over the hedge."
"I was In the second row, riding in front of me is Amer from Moxilin, a young man who is good at handling horses, but Jiao Amer, wife of Robbie Burns (Note: the great Scottish poet). Sergeant Aihuat to my right, and at the end of the row is our flag bearer Kim Chant. We can make out the Highlander's ostrich-hair hat as he slams his sword hilt down the hillside crops By the time their officers yelled for the troops to turn away. After a minute or so, we rushed into their midst, poor bastards, and some of them were knocked out of the way. I remember one guy shouting: ' Hey look out! But I don't think you hurt me.'"
"These were Gordon's regiments, and as we passed through their line, they shouted: 'Rush to them, Greys! Long live Scotland!' Listen At this point, my blood was on fire, and I gripped the sword even tighter. Many of the Highlanders clinged to our stirrups and rushed with us into the field with the most zealous vigour, while the French on the opposite side uttered unpleasant and loud noises. Shouting. Just then I saw the first Frenchman, a young flintlock officer, slashing at me with his saber, but I ducked and cut off his arm. One second Then I found out that we were in the middle of a large group of enemies. In the thick smoke I could only see five yards ahead. Amer and I were close together, and Aihuat rushed forward."
Aihua Sergeant Te captures the Eagle Flag of the 45th French Regiment
"The French fought like tigers. Some of the wounded turned and opened fire when we rushed past, and poor Kim Chant had just spared an enemy officer, only to be shot dead by this hooligan he himself spared. But when we After sweeping the steep slope, the enemy began to disperse. Some of the enemies in front of us began to shout 'Forgive me!', throwing their guns to the ground and removing their belts. At this time the Gordon regiment also rushed forward, Force the enemy back. I'm already in the first line, because a lot of people in the front are killed. Lieutenant Trit from Morton Hull was killed here by a French officer after the first charge Now we're in an open field covered with bushes, and I see Aihuat, he's slashing right and left at the five or six Frenchmen around him who are wearing military flags and looking like they want to Run away. I yelled 'Come on!' to Amer and rushed over. Aihuat had killed two and was attacking the third Frenchman with the eagle flag, and soon I saw Aiwat Walt slashed him to the ground, killing him instantly. I got there just in time to block a bayonet that stabbed the heroic sergeant in the neck, and Amer took out the other."
Both flintlocks. The company's horn, Reeves, rode beside me, and blew the troop horn, and our men came from all sides, including some Enniskillen and Household cavalry. We immediately launched a furious charge on the blocker, and it was immediately effective. The enemy battalion separated as if to let us go, and five minutes later we had cut our way and rushed into the thousands of French. among people. "
Now we've reached the bottom of the slope, and the ground here is full of deep mud. We encouraged each other and charged towards the artillery on the opposite ridge, which was taking a heavy toll on us. The ground was terrible, especially when we went over freshly plowed ground. The horses struggled, and the mud didn't reach the knees. My brave Rattler was quite tired, but we kept going. "
"At this point Captain Hamilton rode up, and he shouted to us: 'Charge! Charge the artillery!' and then like a gust of wind up the hill, towards the artillery that was pounding the Highlanders. This is us. Last time we saw our regiment commander, poor man. His body was found later with both arms gone and his pockets looted. I once heard Major Clark say that he saw the regiment commander killed by shelling He was wounded, and when both hands were blown off, he clenched his teeth on the reins and continued to gallop at full speed."
"But soon we rushed into the artillery and avenged him. What a massacre! We slashed. Gunners, lame horses, cut reins and leashes. As I attacked those Frenchmen, I could hear their cries of 'Devil!' and as my knife slashed deep into them, I I could hear the long screeching from their teeth. Their fifteen cannons couldn't fire again on this day. The artillerymen were sitting on their horses and crying loudly as we passed by. Shout. They're just kids, I thought."
"Rattler got pissed, kicking and biting at everything in her way, like he had a new lease of life. When two infantrymen were in a column, the feather on my bearskin hat was lost, and it was knocked off by a bullet. Groups of French infantry passed by us in disorder and fled to the rear. At this time, Amer greeted me. Shout out, tell me to dismount, old Rattler is badly injured. I did it just in time because she fell heavily in just a second. I grabbed a French officer's mount and jumped on it to continue Ride."
"Then I saw a line of cavalry on the high ground near a farmhouse ahead of us, and that was the little corporal himself, the French veteran's nickname for Bonaparte. Until tomorrow. In the evening, after our men had captured his guide, the Belgian Lacoste, we learned what the emperor had to say about us: when he saw us sweep across the second column, he began to attack the eighty gates he had placed in the center. At the cannon, he shouted: 'These horrible grey cavalry, how did they fight!' All our horses, including my old Rattler, fought as furiously as our men that day. I never Seeing the horses become so ferocious, the blue-clothed soldiers who stand in their way are bad luck. But our noble comrades are out of breath and very tired now, so I think we are killing ourselves. Time to go over there."
The Grey Cavalry's exploits: The eagle captured by Sergeant Everett is forever engraved on their regimental emblem
Come. The French seem to have withdrawn immediately. After a minute, we were finally safe! The dragoons cheered at us, and went after the lancers. They were from the 16th Light Dragoons of the Vanderlei Brigade, and they not only rescued us, but drove the enemy Lancers back to the hollow. "
"I can't remember how I got back to my people. I just remember the next time I was lying with the rest of the brigade in a place far to the right of where we originally started, and some people said that when I came back, I was riding The third horse was badly wounded, and I fell to the ground while I was riding on it."
"The most delightful thing was that Rattler came back with some Grey Troopers, and when I came back she Just in a group of unowned horses. You can imagine how happy I was when I saw her nervously rubbing her shoulders on the horses next to her! Major Cheney (five horses died on him that day) crotch) was gathering the rest, next to him were Lieutenant Wildham (later our regiment commander) and Lieutenant Hamilton, both wounded. The three hundred grey cavalry who had set out half an hour ago, now Fewer than fifty were left here. It was a miracle that I managed to escape myself, for I charged into the heat of the battle and suffered only two minor wounds, a bayonet stab and a It was stabbed by the spear, and the feather of the bearskin hat on the head was also knocked off by the bullet. But at this moment I did not pay much attention to my injury, and did not go to report. It was just my poor Rattler who was stabbed by the spear. , shed a lot of blood."
"Everyone felt that the glory of our great country and the reputation of our great duke had reached the most critical moment. But at the time, the most we thought was 'what will they say when they go home? We?' We didn't know all of the results of the heroic battle of the joint brigade soldiers until after the war, because an ordinary soldier on the battlefield could not see further than his own sword edge. We We penetrated three infantry columns of 15,000 men, captured two eagle flags, swept across the artillery positions, destroyed more than 40 enemy artillery pieces, and captured nearly 3,000 prisoners. When exhausted, he fought his way back from the fresh cavalry of several enemy regiments. These, my friends, are why, from the most powerful prince regent to the most destitute peasant, from the most resplendent From the palace to the filthiest hut, the reason why the name of the United Brigade can be preached to the whole country."
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