An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 33 By lT Col DAN hARVEy RETD T here is one past, but many histories: there was one Battle of Waterloo, but many versions: there was one Anglo-Al- lied army, but many nationalities: there was one outcome, but many unknowns, one of which was that many Irishmen participated in the battle. The Battle of Waterloo is a good story; highly dramatic, hard- fought, the outcome in the balance to the very end. The story of the part played by the Irish is equally enthralling. There was one Wellington, but many other Irish also. Of the 68,000-strong Anglo-Allied army at Waterloo, 28,000 were British, and of these, some 8,000 were, like Wellington himself, Irish. Yet, such substantial Irish participation in an event that decided the fate of Europe, a turning point in history, is rarely recognised when mention is made of the battle. Irishmen in their thousands, from every walk of life and corner of society in Ireland were present and active on the battlefield of Waterloo. Whether participating in specifically designated Irish units or as sizeable proportions of many, if not most, British units with no formal Irish affiliation, they were involved in all the battle's significant actions. A number of Wellington's key brigade commanders were Irish, as were a substantial number of battal- ion and regimental commanders. Irish officers liberally populated his battalions and regiments, and others held important staff and support appointments. These Irish were there when the irresistible force of Napoleon's 74,000-strong Armée du Nord hit Wellington's immovable defen- sive line along the low ridge of Mont-St-Jean, with the future of Europe at stake. Repeated, determined attacks throughout the day met stiff, stubborn defence, resulting in carnage. Wellington had nailed himself to the ridge and Napoleon threw everything he had to move him off it. Deadly assaults continued against desperate defence: concentrated artillery bombardments, close-quarter vol- leys of musket-fire, and courageous cavalry charges, all tore blood from flesh, flesh from bone, bone from body, and breath from life on both sides. Napoleon unleashed multiple cannonades, mas- sive columns of infantry, and massed cavalry to smash Wellington's will by sheer weight of num- bers, while the latter replied with staunch defence and ferocious counter-attacks. Both generals knew the battle would be decisive and that time was critical. Both were highly skilled, experienced commanders in the field. Both were winners, but one must lose. The battlefield, which contained 180,000 troops, 35,000 horses and 500 cannon, was only five kilometres long and three kilome- tres wide. It was a ferociously fought battle that both command- ers were determined to win, and each possessed the wit and lethal means to achieve it. The result was an enormous cost in dead and wounded, including many Irish; the overall extent of the casualties on all sides was staggering. With the battle's death toll increasing by the minute, its outcome was far from decided at day's end as dusk de- scended. Both armies, though shattered and near collapse, remained evenly matched. As the fighting continued, the Prus- sians arrived in force from the east, the French pressed harder, and the bodies mounted. Standing with Wellington, holding the line with the battle- shocked, exhausted, and battered Anglo-Allies, only just and at enormous cost, were thousands of Irish soldiers. One unit, the 27th (Inniskillings) Regiment of Foot, located at a strategically important crossroads, reached near annihilation but did not break and at a critical moment in the battle held the centre of Welling- ton's line. In one of the greatest battles of all time, the Irish played a significant role, perhaps even tipping the balance by preventing the disintegration of Wellington's line when it was on the verge of collapse. We Irish are more connected to the Battle of Waterloo than we may have been aware. So let 21st century Ireland now honour these men by promoting a justified pride in their deeds. dan Harvey's 'A Bloody Day: The Irish at Wa- terloo' (isBn: 9781785371264 / Price: €14.99) has been published by merrion Press recently. www.merrionpress.ie Portrait of the Duke of Wellington by Francisco Goya, 1812–14. The Field of Waterloo as it appeared the morning after the memorable battle of the 18th June 1815, coloured aquatint by M. Dubourg, 1817, after John Heaviside. Photo: National Army Museum, London/ Bridgeman Images 'Prepare for Cavalry' a painting of the 27th (Inniskillings) holding square at Waterloo by Peter Archer. Photo: Royal Irish Regiment

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