Gallantry and Discipline: The 12th Light Dragoons at War with Wellington

by Andrew Bamford, HRH The Duke of York (Contribution by)

Overview

The 12th Light Dragoons served throughout Wellington's campaigns in the Peninsula, most notably at the Battle of Salamanca in 1812, and later at Waterloo where they suffered heavy casualties supporting the Union Brigade's famous charge. The principal source for this book are the papers of Sir James Steaurt Colonel of the regiment for almost all of the period in question supplemented by other regimental records, Horse Guards paperwork, and letters and memoirs, allowing both an official understanding of events, and several threads of human interest which develop through the narrative.The book is divided into two halves, first providing an overview of the regiment and the role of Steuart as Colonel, before moving onto an account of the regiment on home service during the early years of the Napoleonic Wars and then on active service in the Peninsular War and at Waterloo. This concludes with a discussion of the lessons learnt during the war, as particularly exemplified by the 12th being one of the regiments selected for conversion to lancers in the aftermath of Waterloo.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781473841956
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	01/24/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

Andrew Bamford completed a PhD in Military History at the University of Leeds in 2010, and now edits the From Reason to Revolution series for Helion.

Table of Contents

List of Plates ix

List of Maps and Charts xi

Foreword by HRH The Duke of York xiii

Introduction 1

Chapter I The Colonel and his Regiment 6

Chapter II Officers and Gentlemen 27

Chapter III Rank and File 57

Chapter IV Horses and Riders 85

Chapter V Service at Home and Abroad 111

Chapter VI To War in the Peninsula 131

Chapter VII To Burgos and Back Again 157

Chapter VIII The Hard Road to Vitoria 183

Chapter IX Over the Pyrenees 209

Chapter X Waterloo 231

Epilogue 254

Appendix I Ponsonby's Orders, 31 March 1815 261

Appendix II Recruiting Parties, 1808-1815 263

Bibliography 264

Notes 270

Index 297