Waterloo,
Lieut. Fran. Schmidts, 8th Line Batt. KGL
Clip & ring suspension. A lovely conditioned medal
Franz (later angliscised Francis) Schmidts was born in 1785, and appointed a Cadet Sergeant in the 8th Line Bn. KGL on its formation on the 1st June 1806. Commissioned Ensign without purchase into the 8th Line Bn. KGL on 17th February 1811 at the age of 26 years and six months, and promoted to Lieutenant on 27th March 1812 again without purchase.
Took part in the expedition to the baltic 1807 and the siege of Copenhagen. In 1808 present in the expedition to Sicily and from 1812 to Spain formed part of the Anglo-Sicilian corps, which was commanded by Lieutenant-General Sir John Murray. Served the Tarragona Expedition of1813 as part of Clinton’s 1st Division. which included the Light (Schmidts) and Grenadiers Cos. of the 8th Line was present at the Battle of Castalla fought on 12-13 April 1813, where the 8th Line Light Company was present within Adams ‘Independent Brigade’ (inc. 2/27th) when an Anglo- Spanish-Sicilian force commanded by Lieutenant General John Murray, 8th Baronet fought Marshal Louis Gabriel Suchet’s French Army of Valencia and Aragon. On the 13th, Suchet’s frontal attacks were repulsed with heavy losses by British troops. The two left hand columns came up against Adams Bde. and hurled back.
Operations of the Anglo-Sicilian army in Italy and Corsica 1814
Present under lord William Bentinck and proceeded towards Spezia, and on the 20th of March, his advanced guard under lieutenant-colonel Travers, reached Sarzana on the river Magra. The light company of the eighth Line Bn of the legion under captain Charles Charles Poten, (including Lt. Schmits) led the advance, and found, on arriving at the river, that the enemy had taken over all the boats to the other side. Poten called out for volunteers to swim across and bring over a boat, The skirmishers then crossed, and driving back the enemy, captured several guns, and a considerable quantity of ammunition.
On the 24th April fort Santa Croce (guarding Spezia) situated at the, mouth of the river Magra was stormed and carried by Poten’s 8th Line Bn. light company (including Lt. Schmits) in gallant style, and on the 27th the advanced guard under colonel Travers occupied Spezia. The neighbouring fort of Santa Maria, however, held out until the 30th, when breaching batteries having been erected against it, and an effective fire poured upon the enemy’s artillery-men by the German skirmishers, it capitulated.
Capture of Genoa, and the forts Richlieu and Teckla;
The attack opened at day-break on the 17th may, 1814,along the whole line. Colonel Travers with the Calabrians, Greeks, and Poten’s 8th Bn. light company skirmishers, descended from Monte Faccia, and got possession of the highest part of the hill above the fort. Some of the advance pushed forward to the foot of the wall, which so alarmed the garrison, so that, fearing to be taken by escalade, they surrendered.
Capture of Genoa
Fort Teckla was now hastily evacuated, and the greater part of the garrison made prisoners, the consequence of which was, that the enemy’s left, being exposed, immediately fell back. The movements against the French right were not less successful. The thirty-first regiment and the eighth line Bn companies of the legion led the attack, under the immediate orders of general Montressor, and became sharply engaged at the church-yard of St, Francisco de Albaro, where the eighth line Bn lost some men.
Battle of Waterloo
The two light battalions of the legion were brigaded with the fifth and half strength eighth Line Bns under Col. Baron von Ompteda, as the 2nd KGL Brigade, and placed in the third division commanded by Lt. General Sir Charles Alten.
The 388 (half strength) men of the 8th Line Bn. were positioned along with the 5th Line Bn. As part of the centre of the allied line, to the rear of La Haye Sainte farmhouse. defended by the 2nd Light Bn. KGL.
La Haye Sainte.
The farm of La Haye Sainte was the most important point in Wellington’s line. The battle for the farm began at about 13:00 pm when it was first assaulted by a French Division. The battle fought with extreme ferocity continued until 17:00 pm, when finally, out of ammunition the surviving defenders retreated.
Colonel Ompteda’s 5th and the half strength 8th KGL line battalions were told to move up to the sunken road to head off the French column. Wellington also instructed the 1st Light Battalion of the King’s German Legion to plug the gap to the left of the farmhouse. Two companies of German light infantrymen, surged out of the ravines where they had taken cover from French artillery fire. They raced over the road past abandoned British guns, formed up to the left and rear of the French column and fired into the dense masses as fast as they could reload. Others made for the farm’s kitchen garden.
Destruction of the 8th Line Bn. of the KGL.
As Ompteda’s 5th and 8th KGL line battalions pushed the French down the hill to the east of the farmhouse with fixed bayonets, he sent his adjutant forward though the smoke – which von Brandis recalls as being ‘so thick that one couldn’t see anything’ – in order to establish whether they were facing enemy cavalry or infantry. He almost immediately ran into a force of cuirassiers. The 1st Light and the 5th Line Battalions were covered by British cavalry nearby, and had time to form square, though Ompteda had a narrow escape when his horse was shot. Unfortunately, the half strength 8th Battalion being in the act of charging the French column was still in line when the French struck, and simply ridden down by the heavy horses and armoured Cuirassiers, and virtually destroyed as a regiment, losing their King’s colours. ‘Ensign Moreau, who was carrying the King’s Colour, was struck by three musket balls, each of which inflicted severe wounds, and was forced to drop the colours close to the farm. Sergeant Stuart, who was behind him, took the Colour, but a Cuirassier almost cut off his right hand and snatched the flag away from him. (Fortunately, several days after the battle it was found, and brought back by a corporal of one of the Hanoverian cavalry regiments.)
Notwithstanding this disaster, Major von Petersdorff managed to rally some of the men behind the sunken road, but the battalion was finished as a coherent fighting force.
Schmidts was placed on half pay at the reduction of the Legion on 24th February 1816 and returned to Hannover. There he decided to retire on his officer’s half pay, and three days later, on the 27th February 1816, he married one Maria Concetta Lucia for a second time at Brincum, near Emden in Lower Saxony. The ceremony was conducted by the KGL Brigade Chaplain. Their original wedding documents (Sicily 1812) were known to have been lost during their travels)
The pair subsequently returned to Messina in Sicily where Schmidts died on 16th May 1831 at the young age of 46. His widow applied to the War Office for her widows’ pension through the British Consulate at Syracuse, supplying details of both their marriages.
A lovely conditioned medal with fine services
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