Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Pair: Lieutenant Charles Thomas Cox, 71st Foot, who was slightly wounded at Fuentes d’Onor, and severely wounded at Vittoria and taken prisoner, but subsequently abandoned by the enemy on the field of battle when pressed under a cannonade from the British artillery, and also received a contusion on the hip from a shell at Waterloo

Military General Service 1793-1814, 6 clasps, Fuentes D’Onor, Vittoria, Nivelle, Nive, Orthes, Toulouse (C. T. Cox, Lieut. 71st Foot.) second initial corrected; Waterloo 1815 (Lieut. Charles T. Cox, 1st Batt. 71st Reg. Foot.) fitted with steel clip and ring suspension, mounted for display, the second with contact marks, otherwise very fine, the first good very fine (2) £6000-8000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Napoleonic War Medals.

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Provenance: Roger Perkins Collection, Sotheby, December 1990.

Charles Thomas Cox was appointed Ensign in the 71st Foot on 29 June 1809, when aged 21 years, and was promoted to Lieutenant on 29 May 1811. He served in the Peninsula from September 1810 to April 1814, including the retreat to and occupation of the lines of Torres Vedras, the subsequent pursuit of Massena through Portugal, action of Sobral, battles of Fuentes d’Onor (wounded), actions of Arroyo de Molino, Almaraz and Alba de Tormes, covering the sieges of Badajoz, the advance to and retreat from Madrid, battle of Vittoria - severely wounded and taken prisoner, a musket ball having passed through the lungs and lodged in his body; being unable to keep up with the enemy, they left him on the field when they were hard pressed and under a cannonade from the British artillery. Present at the invasion of France from the Pyrenees, and subsequent actions of Nivelle, Nive, Cambo, Garris, St Palais, Arriveriete, Hellette, Orthes, Aire, Tarbes, Urt, Toulouse, and many affairs of piquets, etc. At the battle of Waterloo he received a contusion on the hip from the fragment of a shell, but was present at the capture of Paris, and served three years with the Army of Occupation. In 1821, the change of position of the ball received at Vittoria compelled him to relinquish the active duties of his profession and retire on half-pay, which occurred on 25 October of that year. He died at Painswick, Gloucestershire, on 19 January 1875, in the 89th year of his age.

A local obituary notice reported: ‘The deceased gentleman was formerly connected with the army, and while engaged in the Peninsular campaign he received a severe wound in his neck by a bullet, which could not with safely be extracted. For upwards of 20 years he had been an invalid and confined to his house, with the exception of a few occasional walks in his garden. We are not in a position to speak of his public or private life, as he spent the latter period in retirement, but there are many of the poor who will mourn their loss, for to them he was a kind and helping friend. Every Christmas he gave half-a-crown to those who received parish relief, besides acts of private charity.’

Sold with substantial research together with a photograph of a portrait said to be of Lieutenant Cox wearing these medals, in addition to a Portuguese campaign cross, but note different suspension on Waterloo medal.