HENRY PAGET, SECOND Earl of Uxbridge, was in command of the allied cavalry and associated Royal Horse Artillery at the Battle of Waterloo. He was a very experienced and talented cavalryman who had shown great promise during General Moore’s advance into Spain in 1808 and the subsequent retreat to Corunna.
Unfortunately, the opportunities for such an intelligent senior cavalry officer were curtailed due to family embarrassment. Uxbridge eloped with Charlotte, wife of the Duke of Wellington’s brother Henry. The affair ended with Charlotte’s divorce from Henry Wellesley and Uxbridge married her in 1810. This affair made it impossible for Uxbridge to be sent to Spain to serve with Wellington.
However, in 1815, Uxbridge was ordered out to Belgium nominally as second-in-command to serve under Wellington. When he asked the duke what his plans were, Wellington reputedly answered, ‘Bonaparte has not given me any idea of his projects, and as my plans depend on his, how can you expect me to tell you what mine are?’
Date of manufacture:
1815
Location:
National Army Museum, London, UK
Uxbridge was heavily involved in the charge of the British heavy cavalry against d’Erlon’s corps, but became too engaged in the attack to ensure that a reserve was maintained, which caused heavy losses when the French counter-attacked. Later, during the French cavalry attacks against the allied squares, he openly declared that his light cavalry had failed to counter-attack the French with any sort of vigour. However, during the final decisive attack by Wellington’s troops, the light cavalry were instrumental in breaking the last vestiges of French defiance.
In the final advance, Wellington and Uxbridge were apparently riding close behind the 52nd Foot when a discharge of grapeshot struck Uxbridge in the leg. This led to the famous exchange: ‘By God, sir, I think I’ve lost my leg,’ which received the reply, ‘By God, sir, so you have,’ which is almost certainly a later invention. Uxbridge had not in fact lost his leg, but his knee had been shattered by the cannon shot and the muscles cut.
Uxbridge was taken to Waterloo village, where deputy inspector of hospitals John Hume, assisted by surgeon James Powell of the Ordnance Medical Department, judged the leg too damaged to save and it was amputated immediately. The glove is one of a pair worn by Uxbridge’s aide-de-camp Thomas Wildman, who assisted in the operation. The leg was immediately buried in the garden of the house of Mr Hyacinth Paris and a stone erected over it commemorating the event, stating:
Here lies the Leg of the illustrious and valiant Earl Uxbridge, Lieutenant-General of His Britannic Majesty, Commander in Chief of the English, Belgian and Dutch cavalry, wounded on the 18 June 1815 at the memorable battle of Waterloo, who, by his heroism, assisted in the triumph of the cause of mankind, gloriously decided by the resounding victory of the said day.
This became a place of pilgrimage and the family made a good living from showing off the stone in the garden and the bloody chair in which the operation had taken place, until 1878, when Uxbridge’s son visited and was horrified to discover that the remains of the leg was not buried, but on open display. Apparently the willow tree that had been planted over it had been uprooted during a storm, exposing the remains. This caused a major diplomatic incident, with the Belgian legate in Britain writing home demanding the return of the leg to be buried with Uxbridge. The Paris family refused to hand the leg over without a significant payment to compensate them for the loss of income. The stalemate was only settled when the Belgian Court of Justice ordered the remains to be reburied.
However, on the death of the last Mr Paris in 1934, it is rumoured that his widow, whilst clearing his effects, discovered the leg and papers to prove its authenticity. Horrified at the discovery and not wishing to cause another incident, she burned the remains in her central heating furnace.
Uxbridge’s wooden leg, hat and trousers at Plas Newydd.
Uxbridge – or Marquess of Anglesey as he was then known, having been advanced to this rank on 4 July 1815 in recognition of his services in the Waterloo campaign – used a very sophisticated articulated artificial leg with a hinged knee, ankle and toes, which was invented for him and became known as an ‘Anglesey leg’. One of these legs, his hat and trouser leg removed before the operation are still on display at the family home of Plas Newydd on Anglesey. He was affectionately known as ‘One Leg’ for the remainder of his life.
Anglesey continued his career and eventually became a field marshal, serving twice as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and twice as Master General of the Ordnance. He died in 1854 and was buried at Lichfield Cathedral.