At the Battle of Waterloo, on 18 June 1815, Henry Paget, 2nd Earl of Uxbridge, and later the 1st Marquess of Anglesey—a veteran of many military campaigns—was given the command of 13,000 Allied cavalry and 44 horse artillery batteries. At one point in the battle, Lord Uxbridge led a spectacular charge with 2,000 men of the British heavy cavalry against the French Corps columns of Comte d'Erlon, and succeeded in sweeping the French infantry away in disorder. However, Uxbridge was unable to rally his forces, who continued on in pursuit and were ambushed by the French cavalry's counterattack. Uxbridge spent the rest of the battle leading a series of charges against the French. He was reported to have lost eight or nine horses that were shot from under him.
The Duke of Wellington meets Lord Uxbridge after the amputation of his leg. This meeting reportedly never happened. Photo: National Trust Collection
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