Letter from an Officer of the 13th Light Dragoons on Waterloo

"After nearly six years service in the Peninsula and France, we returned to England, in 1814, and were almost immediately marched for Plymouth, and embarked for Ireland, from whence we again took shipping the following May for Ostend; in due time we arrived at our cantonments, under the orders of the Duke of Wellington. The action which shortly after took place, on the plain before Mont St. Jean, must ever be remembered by those present, from the severity of the conflict; and on those not present, its result must fix an indelible stamp. In an affair so warmly contested, it must occur that cavalry is opposed to almost every description of forces; this general observation was never more completely illustrated than on the 18th of June, 1815. On that memorable day, our gallant regiment was alternately engaged with every arm of the enemy's service; and out of the twelve principal charges made by this regiment on that day, but one was incomplete, and even in this instance, (though much outnumbered,) our retreat was effected without loss. Our momentary check was, however, shortly after avenged by the regiment to its complete satisfaction, and, I trust, has fixed its reputation on the highest pinnacle; I can only say that we each strained every nerve to appall our enemy. As I know you will expect all I can tell you, I will go a little more into particulars, by informing you that our position, during the action, was so varied, that I hardly know how to define the exact one: the principal charges, however, took place in the front of the centre of the British line. Our brigade consisted of the 15th and 7th Hussars, and 13th, under Major-General Sir Colquhoun Grant. Our loss, as may be expected, was considerable. The only officer that escaped, either personally or by horse, was Capt. Bowers; from this you can give a clear estimate of the sharp work we had. Our opponents were infantry and cuirassiers, which made our exposure more extreme. Our last and most brilliant charge, was at the moment that Lord Hill, perceiving the movement of the Prussian army, and finding the French Imperial Guard on the point of forcing a part of the British position, cried out, - 'Drive them back, 13th!' such an order from such a man, could not be misconstrued, and it was punctually obeyed. The 16th was not calculated for cavalry operations, nor even the 17th, when we covered the retreat of the army to its position."

John Booth. Additional Particulars to the Battle of Waterloo, Also of Ligny, and Quatre Bras, With Circumstantial Details by a Near Observer, Containing a Register of the Names of the Officers who Served in the Campaign of the Netherlands, 1815. (London: 1817), pp. 68-69.