Major General Ponsonby

 

at Waterloo

At Waterloo Ponsonby commanded the Union Brigade of cavalry. The brigade comprised three regiments of Dragoons, one English, one Irish and one Scottish, hence the name the Union Brigade. The most famous of the three regiments was the Scots Greys. To counter a French infnatry attack Ponsonby ordered his brigade forward. The British infantry opened their ranks to let the cavalry through and the entire Union Brigade, 1300 strong, together with between 500 and 600 horsemen from the Household Brigade crashed headlong into the French infantry. There was a scene of the most appalling carnage. Within what was probably no more than a few minutes D’Erlon’s corps turned into a mass of fugitives trying desperately to flee from the British cavalry away down the hill. It is estimated that the Corps lost 5,000 men including 3,000 prisoners who were shepherded to the rear by the British infantry.

 

During the charge Sergeant Ewart of the Scots Greys captured the Eagle of the 45th Regiment. Ewart stated …

 

“I presumed to follow my comrades, Eagle and all, but was stopped by the General, saying to me, “You brave fellow, take that to the rear; you have done enough until you get quit of it”, which I was obliged to do, but with great reluctance.”

 

The General he refers to was, of course, Ponsonby.

 

Had the cavalry halted and retired, the whole affair would have been regarded as a major success. After all a combined infantry and cavalry counter attack had swept away the head of a formidable force of 18,000 men which had threatened to break the British line and turned the remainder into a fleeing rabble. However, the brigade pushed on further. Undoubtedly intoxicated by their success, men and officers alike lost all sight of their objective and determined to charge on into the French batteries. Although some eye witnesses remember hearing the recall sounded on the trumpet, this was ignored.

 

General Ponsonby and two of his aides managed to rally about 30 men, but then Lieutenant William Hamilton, one of those two aides, saw a Colonel, who he declined to name, galloping through with about 20 men whereupon Ponsonby’s small party all took off in the same direction and Ponsonby had no option but to go with them to try and stop them. Lieutenant Hamilton may not have named him, but Corporal Dickson of the Scots Greys did. It was his own commanding officer and he stated that he saw Colonel Inglis Hamilton riding through shouting, “Charge! Charge the guns!” And charge the guns they did. The  success of the charge continued. The cavalry sabred gunners, hamstrung horses, cut harnesses and put an estimated 30-40 guns out of action, but probably none or at least very few permanently.

 

 

Scotland Forever by Lady Butler

 

The charge of the Scots Greys at Waterloo

WATERLOO and the Charge of the Union Brigade

General Ponsonby tried to escape, but his horse became bogged down in the mud. Moments later he was set upon by lancers and became the second British General to be killed that day. The savagery with which Ponsonby was despatched was quite awful. He had seven lance wounds so they must have stabbed at him as he lay on the ground and they had also killed his horse. Corporal Dickson came across the body moments later. Here is his description of what he saw……

 

“We were returning past the edge of a ploughed field, and then I saw a spectacle I shall never forget. There lay brave old Ponsonby, the General of our Union Brigade, beside his little bay, both dead. His long, fur-lined coat had blown aside, and at his hand I noticed a miniature of a lady and his watch; beyond him, our Brigade-Major, Reignolds of the Greys. They had both been pierced by the lancers a few moments before we came up.”

 

 

Charge of the Union Brigade

by Mark Churms

By this time the horses were blown, the men exhausted and all semblance of formation lost. They were now highly vulnerable to a counter attack by French cavalry and that is precisely what happened. They were attacked from the front by cuirassiers coming from behind the grand battery, but the fate of the Union Brigade was sealed by Jaquinot’s lancers and chasseurs who rode across from the east and cut of the line of retreat. The exhausted British cavalry were no match for their fresh counterparts, particularly the lancers with their long reach, and were not helped by the muddy conditions which were absolutely appalling in places.

 

 

The casualties of the Union Brigade in the famous charge can only be estimated, but it is generally accepted that they lost around half their number in men and horses. The remainder was blown and the Brigade ceased to be an effective fighting unit on the day. It was a shameful waste of magnificent cavalry and it was all down to ill discipline of the worst kind.

 

The body of General Ponsonby was recovered from the field after the battle, sent back to England and interred in the family vault at St Mary Abbots Church, Kensington.

Death of General Ponsonby