91 Sacred to the Memory OF LIEUTENANT-COLONEL THE HON. SIR ALEXANDER GORDON, Who, in the 29th Year of his Age, Whilst executing the Orders of his great Commander, With whom he shared the Dangers of every Battle And received the most flattering proofs of his Confidence His Zeal and Activity in the Service obtained the reward of Ten Medals, And the honorable distinction of the Order of the Bath. He was justly lamented by the Duke of WELLINGTON, In his Public Despatch, As an Officer of high promise, And a serious Loss to the Country. Nor less worthy of record were his Virtues in private life: His unaffected respect for Religion, His high sense of Honor, His scrupulous Integrity, And the more amiable Qualities Which secured the Attachment of his Friends, In testimony of Feelings which no Language can express, To the object of their tenderest Affection. Near the same spot fell, mortally wounded, Lieutenant-Colonel Canning, also Aide-de-Camp to his Grace the Duke of Wellington; who, though no proud monument rears its head to his memory, possesses one in the hearts of his friends, which no time can obliterate. His career in life was not less honorable than that of Sir Alexander Gordon, having shared with him, during several campaigns in the Peninsula and in France, the glory as well as the dangers of the field. When this gallant officer fell, I was near to him; I held his hand in mine, while that distinguished young nobleman, the Earl of March, received his last farewell. It was at this moment that the serenity of his mind, and the resignation of the Christian, were most strongly pourtrayed-unmindful of the extreme pain he suffered, and even as the spirit wavered at the portal of death, his feelings were yet alive to friendship and to honor; evincing the warmest anxiety for the safety of Britain's Great Captain, and a solicitude that some private affairs, comparatively trifling, should not remain unsettled after his decease. Was I to attempt to pay a just tribute to every brave man who devoted his life, upon that bloody field, to his country, I should swell these pages far beyond the primary object of the Work: however, upon this one occasion, I cannot remain deaf to the voice of friendship and of worth. Of that number, there is no one more worthy "of the voice of praise," than my friend and companion in arms, Major T. W. Chambers, of the 2nd battalion 30th foot. He was an active, zealous, and intelligent officer, and a great loss to his regiment, both as a soldier, and a gentleman. His character was not less to be admired as a private member of society; and by his death, some amiable young females have to regret a sincere friend, and affectionate brother. About half past six in the afternoon, at the moment he was declaring, “that he had hitherto escaped unhurt, and that he was too small to be hit," he received a ball through the heart, from a tirailleur of the guards, and instantly expired. VOTE OF THANKS, &c*. "THE vote of thanks was granted on the 23d June, 1815, in the following terms: "That the thanks of this House be given to FieldMarshal the Duke of Wellington, Knight of the most noble Order of the Garter, for the consummate ability, unexampled exertion, and irresistible ardour, displayed by him on the 18th of June; on which day the decisive victory over the enemy, commanded by Buonaparte in person, was obtained by his Grace, with the allied troops under his command, and in * The reader will find the eloquent and interesting addresses of the Speaker to individual members of the House of Commons, who served in the campaign of 1815, with their respective replies, in the" Ægis of England:" also much information, of a similar nature, commencing on the 1st June, 1794, and terminating with the successful issue of the war in the Nepaul territory in 1816. conjunction with the troops under the command of Marshal Prince Blucher; whereby the military glory of the British nation has been exalted, and the territory of his Majesty's ally, the King of the Netherlands, has been protected from invasion and spoil. "That the thanks of this House be given to General his Royal Highness the Prince of Orange, Knight Grand Cross of the most honourable military Order of the Bath; Lieut.-Generals the Earl of Major-Generals Sir Edward Uxbridge, K.G.C.B. Lord Hill, K.G.C.B. Sir H. Clinton, K.G.C.B. Hinuber, K.C.B. Sir Henry Sir John Ormsby Vandeleur, George Cooke Sir James Kempt, K.C.B. Sir W. Dornberg, K. C.B. Barnes, K.C.B. Sir John Byng, K.C.B. Sir Colin Halkett, K.C.B. Sir R. H. Vivian, K.C.B. and to the several officers under their command, &c. &c. "That the thanks of this House be given to the general officers, officers, and men of the allied forces, serving under the immediate command of Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington, for the distinguished valour and intrepidity displayed by them on the 18th of June; and that his Grace the Duke of Wellington be desired to signify the same to them accordingly. "That the thanks of this House be given to Marshal Prince Blucher and the Prussian army, for the cordial and timely assistance afforded by them on the 18th of June, to which the successful results of that arduous day is so mainly to be attributed, &c. &c." "SIR, "Paris, July 9th, 1815. "I HAVE had the honor of receiving your letter of the 23d of June, with which you have enclosed the unanimous resolutions of the House of Commons of the same day, by which the House have expressed their approbation of the conduct of the general officers, officers, and troops, composing the army under my command, and of myself and Field-Marshal Prince Blucher, and of the Prussian army, in the battle of the 18th of June. "I beg that you will assure the House that I entertain a high and just sense of the honor which they have conferred upon me, and that I beg them to accept my thanks for this fresh mark of the favor with which they receive my services, and those of the troops under my command. 66 According to the orders of the House, I communicated to Field-Marshal Prince Blucher, the resolution of the House regarding his conduct and that of the Prussian army; and I have the honor to enclose the copy of his letter to me upon this occasion, which will best explain his Highness's sentiments. "I cannot conclude without requesting you, Sir, to accept my thanks for the handsome terms in which you have conveyed me the sense of the House. "I have the honor to be, with the highest respect, your obedient and faithful humble servant, "WELLINGTON." "The Right Honorable Charles Abbot, "Speaker of the House of Commons, &c. &c." |