A fine Waterloo C.B. pair awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Kuhlmann, commanding the 9-pounder 2nd Horse Battery of the King’s German Artillery

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, C.B. (Military) Companion’s breast badge, 22 carat gold and enamels, hallmarked London 1815, maker’s mark ‘IN’ for John Northam, complete with wide swivel-ring gold suspension and gold ribbon buckle; Waterloo 1815 (Capt. Henry Kuhlmann, King’s Germ. Artillery) fitted with original steel clip and ring suspension, the first with minor enamel damage, otherwise good very fine (2) £8000-10000

Henry Jacob Kuhlmann joined the Horse Artillery of the King’s German Legion on 16 June 1804, and served in the expedition to Hanover in 1805-06, the campaign in Northern Germany in 1813-14, and in the Waterloo Campaign of 1815, where he commanded the 9-pounder Horse Battery.

The battery arrived with the British Guards Division at the battlefield at four o’clock, from its quarters between Ath and Enghien. It had to hurry ahead of the infantry and take position directly in front of the Quatre Bras farm. It was just at this time that the enemy made his first forceful cavalry attack, which the battery’s fire helped drive back off the highway: ‘In an instant the whole mass appeared in irretrievable confusion; the road was literally strewed with corpses of these steel clad warriors and their gallant steeds; Kellerman himself was dismounted and compelled like many of his followers to retire on foot.’ (Siborne). After this first crisis had been met, the battery advanced with the infantry along the side of the Charleroi highway and had to keep firing at the enemy artillery until darkness set in.

At Waterloo Kuhlmann’s Horse Battery, with Captain Sandham’s Foot Battery R.A., of the Guards Division, to which it belonged, had moved up onto the plateau behind Hougoumont, about 400 paces to the left of the farm. Right on half past eleven o’clock, it started firing at the advancing infantry, which was forced to move to the left behind the wood of Hougoumont, where it then began its attack. When, after several hours, the enemy cavalry spread out everywhere on the plateau, the much damaged artillery retreated to a ridge further to the rear and, towards evening, moved back to its former position.

In the following letter Lieutenant-Colonel Kuhlmann provides a detailed account of the part played by his battery in the action:

‘Stade, 1 December 1824

Relation on the participation of the 2nd Horse Artillery Battery of the King’s German Legion in the battle of Waterloo.

In the evening of 15 June 1815, the 2nd Horse Battery of the German Legion, commanded by the undersigned and quartered at Ghislenghien (between Ath and Enghien), was ordered by the English Major-General Cooke, to whom the battery was subordinated, to be on stand by and be ready for an immediate departure. On the following morning at one o’clock we marched off, past Enghien, and joined the English Guards and a battery of English foot artillery [Sandham’s Battery], all under Major-General Cooke’s command; the two batteries were put under the command of Colonel Adye of the English artillery. This column arrived at Quatre Bras towards four o’clock in the afternoon. The Duke of Wellington immediately ordered the horse battery to move up front, two guns were positioned before the Quatre Bras farm, and the remaining four guns to the left of the farm behind the highway [Namur road], and we then opened fire on the enemy artillery, which was stationed about 1,200 paces before us on an elevation. Towards five o’clock several enemy squadrons launched a forceful attack against the two guns in front of the farm but were completely dispersed by our fire and that of the infantry posted near the guns on the highway. Those infantry men were Hanoverians and were commanded by Major-General Best, if I am not mistaken. Shortly thereafter, the two guns, together with a third gun of my battery, advanced still further and, on higher orders, fired until dark at the enemy guns which occupied the heights opposite from us.

As the army retreated to the Waterloo position on 17 June, I joined again the English battery of Lieutenant-Colonel Adye. Even as the greater part of the army had arrived at that destination, the enemy still pressed our rearguard so forcefully that it was considered necessary for our two batteries to assist our troops with a few shots. These had the desired effect in that the enemy now let up on his determined pursuit. The fire of the enemy’s guns, which was then directed against us, did very little damage. We afterwards set up our bivouac assigned to us in the vicinity.

At around eight o’clock in the morning of 18 June, the Hereditary Prince of Orange, who commanded the army division to which we belonged, assigned positions to the English brigade and to the 2nd Horse Artillery Battery, into which we moved instantly. The 2nd Horse Artillery Battery was posted at the right flank of the English foot artillery brigade. The terrain, on which we stood, was slightly elevated, sloping downwards both in front and in back, thus forming a kind of plateau. The ground consisted of clayey soil and had been softened by the rainfalls lasting throughout the night to the extent that the 9-pounder cannon and 5.5-inch howitzers could hardly be moved by the men. This plateau extended somewhat to the right and the left, but in the latter direction it turned inward towards the enemy in an obtuse angle. The troops to our left were posted on and behind this plateau. To the right of our emplacement, at a distance of about 600 paces, was Hougoumont. Behind us were the Guards who, however, were sent to Hougoumont as reinforcements during the enemy attack. Several cavalry regiments stood some 100 paces to our right rear, and, later, an English howitzer brigade moved up before the said cavalry. The Duke of Wellington visited us several times and gave us the distinct order never to fire at the enemy artillery.

Several hours later, a strong column of enemy infantry moved towards Hougoumont. As soon as it was within effective firing range, our artillery covered it with such a powerful fire of ball and shrapnel that it fell into disorder several times and retreated. But it always formed up again and finally moved to its left, behind Hougoumont, where it could no longer be observed by us. It then renewed its attack against Hougoumont and was able to seize the area outside the walls of Hougoumont. This area was covered with trees which protected the enemy; to have any effect, we were limited to firing shrapnel in its direction. The Hereditary Prince of Orange complimented in a loud voice the two artillery brigades involved, that is, the 2nd Horse Artillery Battery under my command, and the English brigade, for the well-aimed and effective fire.

While this happened, an enemy heavy battery with guns of large calibre had taken up position opposite us at a distance of about 1,200 paces and opened fire on us, to which we could not respond due to the Duke of Wellington’s previously mentioned order. Later in the afternoon we noticed that, at quite a distance to our left, the enemy made a strong attack against our line. We were unable to ascertain its effect due to the distance and particularly due to the intervening bend of the plateau. It then turned out that our position had in effect been broken through because the enemy cavalry moved down behind the said plateau out of our sight. It unexpectedly fell on our left flank and forced us to retreat. It was only at some distance to the rear that my battery was able to locate a somewhat empty space, free of retreating troops and wagons, where other batteries had already halted and where it was possible to put everything in order to the extent that circumstances permitted, which was indeed a time consuming process.

It was at this time also that Lieutenant-Colonel Adye joined us with his English battery, which had retreated still farther to the rear. Since on the 16th that battery had fired less than ours, it now had to let us have some of its ammunition. As soon as this had been accomplished, both batteries under Lieutenant-Colonel Adye returned to their earlier positions, as was likewise done by the remainder of the artillery gathered at this location, to take part again in the battle. However, by the time of our arrival in the battle line, the fortunes of this day had already favoured our side, because the enemy was on the retreat.

The 2nd Horse Artillery Brigade of the legion artillery did not take part in the pursuit of the enemy but bivouacked on the battlefield during the night.

The battery’s losses in killed and wounded were: on 16 June, 1 man; on the 17th, 1 man; and on the 18th, 10 men and 18 horses.

On the morning of the 19th, we marched off with the Guards by way of Nivelles etc.; we saw no action later on. The lost horses as well as the damaged guns were replaced on the 19th and joined the battery on its march on the 21st. The Hereditary Prince of Orange, of whose army division the 2nd Horse Artillery Battery was a part, as well as General Cooke, had been wounded and had left the battlefield, which was all the more regrettable to me because we had fought under the very eyes of these generals and had received assurances of their satisfaction.

H. J. Kuhlmann, Lieutenant-Colonel’

Major Kuhlmann was made a companion of the Bath on 22 June 1815 (London Gazette 16 September 1815), in recognition of his services in the Waterloo campaign, and was subsequently made a Knight of Hanover. He died in the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel at Stade, in Hanover, on 19 March 1830.