Lot 45

[Battle of Waterloo Interest] - Lieutenant George Woodberry

Journals, 1813-1815

Estimate: £3,000 - £5,000

Books & Manuscripts

Auction: 18 June 2025 from 10:00 BST

Description

Two manuscript journals beginning on the 18th January 1813 and finishing on the 16th July 1815, comprising 436 manuscript pages about Lieutenant George Woodberry's experiences in the 18th Hussars, including a detailed three-and-a-half page description of the Battle of Waterloo, volume 2 including hand-drawn and coloured illustrations of a Basque man and woman, and a family in Chapel de Haspare, the neatness and absence of erasures in these journals means that it is possible they are copies of original notes made in the field, each bound in diced calf, 16 x 24cm, volume 1 pp.107-8 has a small tear with loss to a few words, Mid-September – December 1813 do not seem to be included but a large number of blank leaves are present in place of these dates, in volume 2 pp.41-42 (13th-14th February 1814) has been cut out, pp.135-6 are missing, and pp.225-6 damaged with lower section torn, no loss to text (2)

Provenance

Bookplate of George Woodberry to the second volume (appears to have been removed from the first]; and thence by descent.

Footnote

Originally published in French in 1896, then in English by Gareth Glover (Pen & Sword, October 2017) as With Wellington’s Hussars in the Peninsula and at Waterloo, The Journals of Lieutenant George Woodberry, 18th Hussars, 1813-15. According to a letter from Oxford University Press, dated 1964, it appears the OUP considered publishing the journals around this time but this seems not to have come to fruition. One manuscript copy of the journal, covering January-September 1813 (the first volume of this journal) is held in the National Army Museum in Chelsea. It is possible that this copy is that used by Georges Helie for his French edition in 1896.
George Woodberry was born in April 1792, probably in Worcester, England. He appears to have been an intelligent and articulate young man and presumably received a good education. He joined the army, aged 20, in January 1812. In January 1813, with six troops of the 18th Hussars, George departed for Portugal to join the Duke of Wellington's Army at the Portuguese border. The intention was to wait for the spring before attempting to drive the French Army out of the country. George provides a detailed description of his travels, encounters with locals and the battles he participates in. From the beginning, his descriptions contain a sense of excitement:
23rd January at the Bay of Biscay:
“two women on board very ill, one boy Lt up on deck in a very fainting state, gave them some of my Brandy & grits. One of them this evening attempted to throw herself overboard:- all bustle and confusion. – an American privateer chasing us and we are to windward of the fleet. But we sail too fast for the Yankees…”
And Olite, Friday 16th July 1813:
“…I visited the Nunnery this afternoon. The Nuns gave me a Cup of Chocolate and some sweet cakes: they informed me that about 2 years ago a Nun escaped with a French Officer, but he was obliged after a very short time to give her up to the Convent where she was condemned directly to the punishment of immuring: and she survived only a fortnight: - what greater punishment can there be on Earth than to be confined between four narrow walls only open at the Top and thence to be half supported with Bread and Water…”
He provides detailed descriptions of battles in which he participated, such as the Battle of Vitoria on 21st June 1813:
“The action commenced at Nine O'Clock in the morning and the Enemy were quickly driven from the height of Pueblo [sic.] by the Comps[?] under Sir Rowland Hill, the Action became very severe and the Enemy were driven down the heights…”
In the second volume of his journal, Woodberry crucially devotes a whole 3.5 pages to the Battle of Waterloo:
“We remained in our Bivouac till 10 o’clock when the Bugle sounded and we turned out:- we expected the Army were going to advance in concert with the Prussians under Blucher – but judge our surprise when we arrived on the Position (our place being the extreme of the Left) we beheld several strong Columns of the Enemys advancing to the Attack, and to find our Piquets assailled [sic.] by the Enemies Cavalry, which drove ours in some distance…the Battle commenced and continued with the most frightful Carnage…"
He continues with a description of the set-up and positions of the armies:
“The Nassau troops soon abandoned their post but the Enemy met with such resistance from the Guard in the house they were compelled to desert from their enterprise on this side leaving a great number of Killed and Wounded on the spot…”
“…The Enemy opened a horrible fire of Artillery from more than 200 pieces under cover of the Smoke of which Buonaparte made a General attack with the Cavalry and Infantry in such number that it required all the Skill of Wellington to post his Troops & all the good qualities of the latter to resist the Attack – …“
“…The French Army was defeated. Every one must admire the Gallantry shown by the Enemy’s Cavalry…”
“…the Charge was sounded and the most dreadful havoc commenced and the most glorious of all Victories closed the 18th June…”

Literature:
Glover, Gareth, editor, With Wellington's Hussars in the Peninsula and at Waterloo, the Journals of Lieutenant George Woodberry, 18th Hussars, 1813-15. Pen & Sword, 2017
Ibid. https://www.garethglovercollection.com/george-woodberry-19th-hussars/