Blood in the Orchard at Hougoumont with Professor Tony Pollard - Lockdown Lectures

Professor Tony Pollard's investigation of Hougoumont continues in our latest Lockdown Lecture. In this episode, Tony combines the archaeological evidence and historical accounts to explain the bloody battle that took place in the gardens of Hougoumont
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[@FelixstoweFoamForge]

The idea that someone is building a 1 to 1 model of Waterloo is quite simply mindboggling. And insane.

[@pup1008]

Only having a passing but now growing interest in the subject, I thought I'd give this upload a couple of minutes - 54 minutes later - totally transfixed & enjoyed every second!

[@remittanceman4685]

A third possibile explaination for the mixed shot would be that Brown Bess equipped troops were using French cartridges. It was not unheard of for British troops to use the slightly smaller French ball if their own ammunition ran low. we also know that ammunition did run low at times in the fighting at Hougemont. Maybe Nassau or British troops used salvaged French cartridges.

[@mariantaylor7465]

Thank you so much for these posts - have really given me an insight into a long standing fascination with Hougoumont.

[@stephenberridge3471]

These are fantastically detailed presentations and certainly bring to life the relevance of Hougoumont during the battle. Professor Pollard and his team are to be commended in this work. It’s an area of particular interest, and one from which I will be employing into my own work. Many thanks and I look forward to seeing further lectures.

[@BiORubbs]

Brilliant again Tony

[@johncooper6413]

I have so much appreciated your detailed scholarship, presented so engagingly in the talks. We visited Hougoumont in 2016, interesting enough, but your efforts have added such a rich texture to memory. All the best, and I do hope you're all back next year.

[@dotmurphy7279]

I appreciate all of these history vignettes but the action that blows my mind is the rescue of troops from Dunkirk. Have you done a vignette of that action? 70s from Alabama USA.

[@andrewbagshaw3095]

Nice work. I have a few notes that may be of interest for discussion. Typically for Waterloo, it is interesting (to me at least) to discuss the fact that some of the information about the positions and actions of the individual units is controversial. Firstly, the positioning of the units shown in the video invites discussion. For example, while Captain Busgen, the commander of the Nassau battalion, reported placing one of his six companies in the farm complex and two in the formal garden as depicted, with three more companies in the wood/orchard, Lt. Colonel Home, who was present with the 3rd Foot Guards (referred to in the video as the "Scots Guards", though they were only later so named) wrote that “a battalion of the Nassau troops was sent down as a reinforcement to Colonel MacDonnell [present overnight preparing the farm's defenses and in command of its defense during the battle]. These at first might be about 600 strong but after the first hour there was not one of them to be seen; they had all vanished" (though he does also note that “a few stragglers” from the battalion remained to help with the defence). Major Woodford of the Coldstream Guards wrote that “The little garden to the south, fronting the wood, was occupied by the Guards; there were platforms in it, and I do not recollect that the enemy ever got into it”. Based on the diagram given at Projecthougoumont.com, this may have been separated (north/south) from the walled formal garden depicted in the video, but other maps of Hougoumont have the "kitchen garden" running the whole east-west length of the farm/garden complex. For the Nassauers, Busgen adds that “Neither upon my being detached, nor during this entire period, was a commander named to me under whose orders I was to operate. No allied troops were drawn up near Hougoumont to either its right or left. If I mention in this account only the battalion of the Coldstream Regiment of the English Guards, then it is because I had seen no other troops sent in support of the battalion under my command”. This may support Colonel Home's view, as it isn't disputed by anyone that, by 2 pm, the entire 3rd Guards Battalion (1,000-strong) was present alongside eight of the ten Coldstream companies, although most of the 3rd fought in the orchard, based on their eyewitness correspondence. Also, at least three British Guards officers of higher rank than Busgen were present at the farm, so it is difficult to understand why he didn’t liaise with any of them at any time during the day, if he was present throughout. However, as far as I know, Busgen may not have spoken English or known the Guards' regimental insignia. Also supporting Busgen's report of his deployments, there is evidence that the four light companies of the British Guards, who had prepared the defences overnight, were ordered to hand over the defence of Hougoumont to the Nassau battalion commander by a staff officer, who had led the Nassauers over to the farm from their original position on the Allied left between, 9 and 10 am. A Dutch report claims responsibility for this order for the Prince of Orange (Demetrius Boulger’s “The Belgians at Waterloo”; London, 1901). Moreover, Wellington's own dispatch notes that the Guards' light companies were initially deployed behind the farm, so it may be that the Duke approved their redeployment there even if it wasn't his original plan. However, he may simply have been too late to make a redeployment by the time he rode down to Hougoumont just before the action commenced, because Edward Cotton's book, which includes a collection of quotes attributed to Wellington during the battle, has him remarking “Pretty scamps to win a battle with!", in reference to Nassauers present in the wood. According to Cotton, they "ran away at the first shot, and then fired after him as he tried to rally them.” The former is corroborated by Wellington's Spanish aide General Alava. Nonetheless, it's clear that, while the small size of the garrison suggests that Wellington expected the French to bypass the farm, his dispatch supports the claim that the Nassauers played an important role in defending it, at least initially, as he presumably wouldn't have left the farm buildings and garden unguarded. Notwithstanding questions about the dispositions and actions of the Nassauers, it is agreed by historians that the first wave of French attackers was driven back away from the farm and out of the wood by the light companies of the British Guards, including the two from the 1st, which rallied the German troops in the hollow way behind the farm and advanced from there through the orchard to its eastern side, while the light companies of the Coldstream and 3rd moved forward around the western edge of the farm to engage the French attacking its front. Following this action, these companies took up positions within the farm enclosures, where they were to be joined very shortly by four more Coldstream companies, and later by more Guards, with a total of 18 of the 20 companies of Byng's Brigade being deployed within the farm, garden or orchard by 2 pm. These Guards held Hougoumont until the end of the battle and were not reinforced further, except for outside the farm walls, where other British and Allied troops helped to beat back French flanking attacks later on. Regarding the distribution of the Guards regiments between the farm buildings, formal garden and orchard, Lt. Bowles of the Coldstream wrote that his battalion was "dispersed by detachments also in the orchard, garden, etc, mixed up with the light companies of the 1st Brigade of Guards as well as the third”, and I can't find other evidence on the relative positions of the British Guards. Therefore, as far as I can see, the diagram of the dispositions of the various units presented in the video, notably the positioning at the south wall of a company of the 3rd, is speculative, and it isn't representative of the situation throughout the day. If anyone reading this has additional information I would be very interested to see it.

[@keeperofthecheese]

"Hes making a 1/1 model" Gonna be a big model

[@michaelholgate8849]

Thank you. A super presentation on a wet day!

[@DapperChappy1010]

fascinating; thank you very much.

[@davidcollins2648]

Update for 1/2023 on the Waterloo diorama: Waterloo Remodelled by James Cowan has progressed by leaps and bounds in the 2 years since this video was made. A permanent home for the model is under current negotiation and models are well past 50% finished with the remainder being painted over the coming year. Final count should exceed 150,000 figures. It will be an incredible vision brought to life all by volunteer efforts.

[@lawrieflowers8314]

Fascinating research - and what a story it tells! The musket ball plan of the E end of the killing ground at 34.59 shows a huge preponderance of French (blue) musket balls, but surprisingly few Allied (red) ones despite the fusillade laid down by the defenders. Of course, the French were firing at a brick wall so their musket balls would be stopped dead, whilst the Allies were firing at French soldiers emerging into the killing ground, so many of their musket balls were carrying on into the wood, embedding either in the standing timber or falling to the ground. A more realistic picture would be given by metal-detector sweeps of the former woodland, to see what concentrations of shot are found there too?

[@ianknight2053]

As there was one major gap in the hedge where the French infantry entered the so called ‘killing zone’, isn’t it possible that troops manning the wall concentrated their fire upon it? This means that British Guards would be firing obliquely into the troops forcing their way through this gap, hence the mixed calibre of musket balls. To find French musket balls inside the garden area, despite British Officers saying that no French entered the garden isn’t unusual. The French were firing at troops firing over the wall and through the loop holes. It isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that some of those balls ended up landing in the garden.

[@stephenbesley3177]

I have never been able to visit Waterloo but I am so familiar with this battle from both sides. I'm sure this is true of every wargamer inerested in the period. The four deep British square looks gorgeous I have to say.

[@johnwayneeverett6263]

This Is A Great Studt You Know Nothing About Nothing , be Hungry Take This In WELL DONE SIR ..... BEST OF THE YEAR ....MY Honor Well Done .....I am Dutch Anderson Settled in Minn. Usa ...1700s .

[@peterknowles3198]

These are brilliant episodes. Thanks for posting

[@RichardAHolt]

Has there ever been any study done on the sources of the lead shot recovered from the battlefield? It would seem that the lead used by the British and allied troops would differ from the lead used by the French. Lead isotope evaluation of shot would be informative.

[@BaronsHistoryTimes]

19:40 - Just the light companies of the 1st Foot Guards two battalions return as reinforcements. The two 1st Foot Guard battalions stayed on the ridge. 23:00 - 2nd Foot Guards elements at the south wall 27:25 - French musket balls in the garden could also be evidence of the French infantry getting to the wall and firing through the loopholes, as happened at La Haye Sainte defenders' loopholes. 29:00 - The 3rd Foot Guards were largely in action in the Great Orchard area; hard to imagine their entire battalion was fit into the garden;. The 2nd Foot Guards were the British defenders inside the Garden. 31:00 - Besides the 1st and 2nd Nassau Companies in the garden, there were also three detachments sent from Kielmansegge's Hanoverian brigade; 1) 50 men from the Grubenhagen Lt Btn, 2) 50 from the Luneberg and 3) 1st Company Field Jaeger Corps of 100 men. Other sources claim the total of this foce was around 300+ men. 33.40 - Here's what is written in 'Waterloo Armies' by Philip Haythornwaite, regarding Prince Bernard Saxe-Weimar's Nassau Brigade and French equipment, which would be used by the Nassau 1st Btn/2nd *"The regiment had French equipment, which had complicated the resupply of ammunition: following the first action at Frasnes on June 15, Prince Bernard reported that the regiment [Regiment Orange Nassau] had French muskets and only ten cartridges per man........ and that the Jaeger company [volunteer Jagers led by Capt. Emil Bergmann] whose cartridges were of four different calibres, was equally short of ammunition"* highly Interesting video - thanks

[@dougwatt6303]

Please supply the link so I may volunteer to paint some figures. I’m in Canada & semi-retired & would like nothing better than to help out. Will supply past projects if required.

[@teapeaster]

Thanks. These have been great lectures and really opened my eyes to Waterloo.

[@gap9992]

Another very interesting presentation. Thanks Prof

[@1ltmoos]

Excellent lecture and love the WU cap :-)

[@doribear9599]

Thank you ! Very informative !

[@chrisblackfingernail]

fabulous to see the archaeology of the battle around Hougoumont, and a great lecture too... just want to ask that at the killing zone, surely the battle lasted all day and it would be difficult to determine at what time the musket shot was fired, some could be from the morning, and some from the evening. Did the troops (attacking and defending) all stay in the same positions all day, or move from zone to zone depending on requirements?

[@Dirty20Gaming]

I've enjoyed all of these videos. I have a question. I read Siborne's "Wellington's Smallest Victory" and I'm wondering what the archaeologist's thoughts are on his version vs Wellington's telling of the events of the day.

[@davecharlesworth8176]

Great lecture. Thank you

[@steveconway1948]

The illustration you show at 15:01 appears in "Letters from the Battle of Waterloo" on page 175 and Glover attributes it to Edward B. Fairfield who states that he drew it, although the letter to Siborne has the name Charles Fairfield at the bottom.

[@tonygarcia0072]

I have noted your comment on the relative scarcity of musket balls given the ferocity of the fighting; given that this took place within the confines of an orchard, would not most of these have become embedded in the trunks of the trees, and been removed with the tree trunks they were embedded in? And if some of the wood was used as firewood, would the musket balls melt or be left behind to give the impression that that was where they landed during the fighting?

[@pirated8557]

Mega detailed 👍🏼

[@adrianbay1496]

Wonderful stuff ! :)

[@DeltaPhaser]

Originating from Nassau myself, so maybe I can offer some assistance regarding the muskets used: the 2nd regiment (the Jäger that reinforced Hougomont) was supplied with british muskets in 1814 and the flankers (Voltigeurs) were issued rifled guns ... the First Regiment (fighting at Papelotte) was supplied with french muskets taken from the magazines in Wiesbaden.

[@johnhealy6676]

Excellent

[@dukehazard2121]

In regard to the model being made of the battle. At what time in the battle will it represent?

[@juliepoppy1021]

The title just entraped me.

[@simonhaines3441]

Could the Nassau and Guards be mixed, with the Guards being used as a stiffener to nassau morale? around 35/6 minute mark.

[@I_Don_t_want_a_handle]

I would have thought the source of the lead would not be a clincher but an indicator of the shot provenance as lead, being a commodity, was bought and sold all over Europe. It could also be looted/requisitioned (the French were very good at that) so lead mined in France may well end up as British bullets and vice versa. There is a very strong chance that shot allocated to a company would come from the same source as that allocated to the whole battalion/regiment but there is no guarantee of it. Lead could also be mixed at the foundry or shot accumulated prior to adding to the cartridges could come from multiple sources. There are a lot of variables at play. It's an interesting area for study though. Are there any freely available sources on the subject?

[@3vimages471]

I wonder if there are any French Waterloo historians so fascinated by the battle? Probably not.

[@floriangeyer3454]

is that 2nd Nassau Contingent identical with the Nassau Usingen Regiment?

[@georgeb65412]

Ammunition was getting low at several points in the afternoon, so some of those french musket balls could have been fired by the defenders, by either calibre musket, looted off those french that fell close, or inside the wall. Allied units using french weapons is pretty common amongst a lot of the allied armies. What percentage of musket balls do you believe you found, compared to how many would have been fired/fell in that area? it doesnt seem to be very high, so drawing conclusions from a light mixing of rounds doesnt seem possible, with some of those rounds coming from anywhere on the battlefield.

[@johnwayneeverett6263]

Kick The , Mole Hill lol Great , French Break Thur , Just Fantastic..

[@automatic6216]

@tony pollard - so Ridley Scott may not have been wrong that there were TRENCHES at Waterloo?

[@QALibrary]

A book I would say to put on your reading list if you are interested in photography and war ~ Shooting War: Photography and the American Experience of Combat by Susan D.Modeller - it a shame the publishes could not come to an agreement to a follow-up book on two occasions now because it missing so many developments and changes and modern history

[@KevinOfford013]

Where can I offer assistance to the model making?

[@generalpicton3107]

Hi Kevin - yes please, could I ask you to contact: [e-mail] Thanks!

[@Johnmartin-vz7yc]

why would you give the german troops english guns when you were sending them to the Dutch army? Fascinating video. Thanks.

[@infozencentre]

Unfortunately, possible they retained their muskets , because troops in this period cast their own balls. They would have had the kits to do it with them. Finding 'ammunition' mainly means powder cartridges.

[@krazyivandee1]

Nassauers wouldn't have to go look for the right ammunition. Supply back then was pretty straightforward, the army magazines would issue powder and lead stock to the regiments. The soldiers on the spot would then cast their own, proper caliber balls. I imagine in the days preceding the battle, the various regiments would prepare a stockpile of cartridges for their weapons. It is very likely that Pvt Brewster delivered the ammo from such a stockpile. In that respect, The Nassauers might have had a problem, since once they've used up their .69 cal ammo they brought with them, they would not be able to access their stockpile for resupply, as their parent regiment was one the other flank of the Allied army.

[@user-lc5oj2xw2j]

🎉

[@juliepoppy1021]

What the heck was so important that this happened?

[@juliepoppy1021]

This is just getting so boring, I am giving up.