Charge of the King's Division
| Charge of the King's Division | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Battle of Hampdon Street | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Vionna-Frankenlisch |
 Kingdom of Oxbridge | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Lord Barclay |
Lord Cathcart | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| King's Own Division (cavalry) | |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
2,500 |
37,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
524 Killed | Unknown | ||||||
The Charge of the King's Division was an action during the Battle of Hampdon Street on the 9th of March, 1852. Imperial cavalry led by the Duke of Larkinge charged a strong Oxbridgen position. Lord Lynwood, the overall Imperial commander at Hampdon Street, ordered a flanking manuvre by the King's Own Division (considered by some to be the best division in the army) to threaten the right flank of King Richard II's Oxbridgen army and, if possible, to carry several small batteries. Miscommunication, supposedly concerning the words 'advance' and 'attack', led the the division charging headlong through a gap between two hills and against a position occupied by just over half of the Oxbridgen army. The assault came against withering fire from infantry and multiple batteries of cannon, the charge resulted in heavy Imperial casualties and little decisive gain besides inflicting presumably higher casualties on the the Oxbridgen army.
Background
The charge was made by the King's Own Brigade of the Imperial cavalry, which consisted of the 1st and 2nd Royal Dragoon Guards, 3rd Royal Lancers, and the 4th Royal Hussars, under the command of Lieutenant General Edward Forrest, Duke of Larkinge. Also present that day was the Earl of Clare's Division, commanded by Major General Vincent de Clare. This division was made up of the 1st and 2nd Earl of Clare's Light Dragoons, the Cuirassiers of the Guard and the Royal Church Hussars. These two divisions were the only Imperial cavalry force at the first day of the battle.
King's Own Division
The King's Own Division was a new division made up of squadrons from other divisions which received new replacements for the experienced troops sent to the KOD. The slow arrival of replacements meant that only the Earl of Clare's Division and the King's Own Division were present for the first day of battle. The King's Own Division was made up of two brigades.
The King's Light Horse Brigade were the Division's light cavalry force and were led by General Spencer. It mounted light, fast horses which were unarmoured. The men were armed with lances and sabres. Optimized for maximum mobility and speed, they were intended for reconnaissance and skirmishing. They were also ideal for cutting down infantry and artillery units as they attempted to retreat. The brigade was made up of the 3rd Lancers and the 4th Hussars, new regiments that had drawn experienced squadrons from the Light Division.
The Heavy Brigade under Lord Barclay was the divisional heavy cavalry force, considered by Imperials and foreign observers alike to be the best such unit in Europa. It mounted large, heavy chargers. The men were equipped with metal helmets and bearskin shakos and armed with cavalry swords for close combat. They were intended as the primary Imperial shock force, leading frontal charges in order to break enemy lines and to drive off enemy cavalry. The Heavy Brigade was made up of the 1st and 2nd Dragoon Guards which had taken squadrons of experienced troops from the Heavy Division and the Royal Division.
The Order
Overall command of the Imperial cavalry resided with Lieutenant General Edward Forrest, Duke of Larkinge who was known as Lord Larkinge or Lord Forrest. Forrest received an order from the army commander Lord Lynwood stating: "Lord Lynwood wishes the King's Own cavalry to advance rapidly against the right flank, frighten and pin the enemy, and if possible carry the outer batteries. Divisional horse artillery may accompany. Infantry is to your rear and to your left. Immediate." Lynwood required the cavalry to prevent King Richard's troops from advancing against his right which was still very weak. The King's Own Division were required, as the Earl of Clare's Division was on the left flank of the army and the more flexible nature of the KOD allowed it to be a more effective unit on its own.
Lynwood had clear sight of the Oxbridgen positions from his vantage point on the south edge of the valley. However, the lie of the land around Forrest and the King's Own cavalry, as they were positioned in the south valley, prevented him from seeing the Oxbridgen positions in greater detail and was unaware of any details concerning enemy strength or deployment.
The order was carried by Captain Henry Fielding of the 4th Royal Hussars. Fielding carried the further oral instruction that the cavalry was to attack, supposedly mistaking Lynwood's order to 'move swiftly against King Richard's flank'. When Forrest asked what position he was to attack, Fielding is said to have simply pointed at the opening of the north valley down which about half of the Oxbrdigen army had deployed. His reasons for the misdirection are unknown because he was soon killed in the charge. Forrest resolved to lead the attack himself and was cautioned otherwise by both Barclay and Spencer, he ignored their counsel and positioned himself at the head of the Light Horse Brigade which led the attack. He instructed his subordinates to direct the attack out of the south valley, advance along the central valley and into the north valley for the assault.
The Charge
The King's Own Division set off down the valley with the Light Horse Brigade in front. As the advance neared the opening of the valley, Fielding rushed across the front, passing in front of Lord Larkinge, attempting to raise Spencer's attention. It may be that he realised the mistake in communication and was attempting to stop or turn the brigade, but he was killed by the first artillery shell and the cavalry continued on its course. Imperial artillery attempted to suppress the Coalition positions but most of the guns had yet to arrive and be unlimbered and the Coalition artillery was well positioned anyway. Cornet Stephen Morris saw the event from his position at the head of his troop:
"The first shell burst in the air not far ahead of us. It had burst into sharpnel in front of Fielding's horse and fragments had hit him badly. He uttered a wild yell as his horse turned round, and, with his arms extended, the reins dropped on the animal's neck, he trotted towards us, but in a few yards dropped dead off his horse. I do not imagine that anybody except those in the front line of the 3rd Lancers saw what had happened."
Cornet Morris' account goes on to state that the Division wheeled about to the left masterfully, taking light fire from the long-ranged Oxbridgen guns as they went, and then wheeled again to the right to continue down the north valley. This was where the guns in the main Oxbridgen positions began to open fire on the division. Not long after, Spencer ordered his trumpeter to sound the charge but he had already been killed, Colonel William Chamberlain of the 4th Hussars ordered his trumpeter to sound the charge instead and the assault continued. Cornet Morris' direct superior, Captain Charles Lanzerel who led the 2nd Squadron of the 3rd Lancers, gave his own account of where the advance went:
We went on. When we got about two or three hundred yards the two battery of the Oxbridgen Horse Artillery opened fire. I do not recollect hearing a word from anybody as we gradually broke from a trot to a canter, though the noise of the striking of men and horses by grape and round shot was deafening, while the dust and gravel struck up by the round shot that fell short was almost blinding, and irritated my horse so that I could scarcely hold him at all. I could hardly hear the trumpeter of the Fourth as he sounded the charge and by that time our own trumpeter had already been killed, Colonel Howard was forced to sound the charge for our regiment on his hunting horn. As we came nearer I could see plainly enough, especially when I was about a hundred yards from the guns at the base of the valley. These were medium guns of the Oxbridgen Royal Ordnance Corps and they had only been firing for half of the charge, every shot tore deep gouges out of our lines. As I raised my lance, I appeared to be riding straight on to the muzzle of one of the guns, and I distinctly saw the gunner apply his fuse. I shut my eyes then, for I thought that settled the question as far as I was concerned. But the shot just missed me and struck the man on my right full in the chest.
The Light Horse Brigade was torn to rags by the unremitting gunfire but they reached the guns in the valley nonetheless. The Heavy Brigade, its rear squadrons hit badly by cannon from the valley edges, followed soon after. The melee was harsh and quick. The light cavalry, with its lances and curved sabres, cut down many gunners and dealt a great blow to the Oxbridgen army by killing and wounding many experienced gunners and trained engineers and artillery officers. The commander of the Royal Ordnance Corps lost an eye to a sabre cut.
Oxbridgen Counterattack
About a mile away from the batteries, which were slowly being overcome in the brutal struggle, the Oxbridgen First Cavalry Division was rallied into action by Lord Cathcart, their commanding officer. He decided that he had not enough time to form his men up properly for a charge and so, in an attempt to make up for the poor organisation with good morale, called them into action and led them personally against the Imperial cavalry to relieve the artillery. Trooper Ian Keaton of the Oxbridgen Third Cavalry gave an account of the counter-charge:
The Frankenlischians were cutting down our gunners with absolute ferocity and the lads amongst our ranks were properly terrified, the officers pretended not to notice as some of the younger troopers in the division snuck away before the charge began. I could see hussars with their curved swords and lancers, many of which had lost their lances and resorted to using their swords. My commander, Major Hackliffe, remarked that with our numbers even the most famous light cavalry on the continent would be overwhelmed which we didn't find very reassuring. He went pale as we noticed the Frankenlischian heavy cavalry curving around the flanks and hitting the gunners and the engineers which were there. By then it was too late and Lord Cathcart gave the order to sound the charge which his bugler and the buglers of the First through Fifth Cavalry did. The bugler of the Sixth Cavalry, a regiment of dragoons, didn't as he had already been shot by a Frankenlischian carbine. I raised my sword up and brought my horse to a gallop and let out a long cheer, as did my fellows, but we weren't in the right formation and we were already very close so the charge was disorganised and slow.
Keaton's account discusses the inexperience of the Oxbridgen cavalry, which had seen little action during the war up until that point. During their advance, the Oxbridgen division had gotten to within 200 yards of the melee and were unable to build up to the appropriate speed for a full-force charge. During the battle the poor quality of much of the Oxbridgen cavalry was stark, their training had been cut short by the call to war and many did not even have their full uniforms yet. Though the soldiery of the Oxbridgen cavalry was generally poor, their horses were of good-quality Tillimere stock which are agile and spirited animals and well suited to a light cavalry role - this was in contrast with many cavalry units of the other belligerent nations, especially Ballaeter, as heavy losses throughout the war had depleted stocks of good cavalry horses. Trooper Keaton continues his account:
We reached the Frankenlischian cavalry and got stuck in. I saw many of my countrymen killed. Most of the gunners were already dead or wounded and I saw the rest running to escape the melee, the engineers were following them and so were two companies of infantry which were assigned to defend the guns. We made sure to kick these men a little as we had a tough feud with our infantry and the sight of them running away gave us proof that they were cowards. I fought a man in a striking blue uniform and a brown fur hat who brandished a sword that looked almost like it was made of silver as it was so well polished. It was then I realised that we were really fighting the best of the Frankenlischians, their new cavalry regiments were renowned all over the continent for having the nicest uniforms, the best horses and the most war experience. I cut down the man with my sword and moved on the the next, who was even more beautifully dressed than the first with a long cape and a tall brass helmet with a plume which I think was made of pheasant feathers. We fought for a few minutes and he knocked my sword away and I said that I surrendered and he smiled at me and turned me loose. I learned after the battle that I'd surrendered to Lord Barclay, the Frankenlischian lord that led their dragoons.
The Imperial commanders did indeed get stuck in too, Spencer was knighted for his actions in the battle but was unable to fight again, his right leg irreparably crippled by cannon fire. Barclay fought on and survived the encounter without any major wounds. Lord Larkinge fought for a time alongside his men until, deeming his duty done, he trotted back to the Imperial lines and awaited the return of his division.
After several minutes of fighting, King Richard of Oxbridge (who commanded his nation's forces at Hampdon Street) ordered his signallers to sound the recall which was heeded. The First Division pulled back to a ridgeline where they stood until the following day. Fresh gunners were brought up on carts and, with the threat of incoming Oxbridgen infantry, the King's Division retreated also.
Aftermath
On the retreat, further casualties were taken as the Oxbridgen guns, restocked with men and ammunition, opened fire on the fleeing division. Though lesser trained than the previous gunners, who had been killed or wounded, the replacements quickly reloaded their cannon, allowing for rapid fire on the Imperials.
The division was not completely destroyed in the fighting, but did suffer terribly. After regrouping, just under a thousand men were still with horses. The futility of the action and its reckless bravery prompted the watching King Alexander of Ballaeter to state:"It is magnificent, but it is not war. It is madness." The Coalition commanders are said to have initially believed that the Imperial troopers must have been drunk or mutinous. Major Braithwaite, aide-de-camp to Lord Lynwood, wrote the 'butcher's bill' for the charge. He detailed casualty numbers but did not distinguish between those killed and those taken prisoner:
| "Killed and missing. | Wounded. | |
| 14 | Officers | 23 |
| 26 | Sergeants | 21 |
| 3 | Trumpeters | 4 |
| 481 | Rank and file | 602 |
| 524 | Total | 650 |
| 1174 casualties; |
Most of the division was killed or wounded and it did not see action again for the remainder of the conflict. The Imperial cavalry saw a great boost in prestige and reputation but their commanders were, with reputations already somewhat tarnished by personal squabbles, seen as bumbling and incompetent. The Charge of the King's Division is seen as the beginning of the reputation of the Imperial cavalryman and his recognition as William Hampdon, depicted often as a cousin of the Imperial infantry Tommy Atkins.
Popular Culture
The event was immortalised in the Poem; Charge of the King's Division, in 1853.