Hougoumont – Footnotes

The Challenge

‘Hougoumont’ was written in response to the challenge banner made by Little Miss Bossy for the Writercon UK Midimeet 2007 Artwork/Fiction challenge. The challenge was as follows:

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Hougoumont by Peasant

Waterloo

The Château Hougoumont, with its farmyard and chapel, garrisoned by the Light Companies of the Brigade of Guards, played a key role in the battle of Waterloo. The Duke of Wellington, when asked by his second in command for a summary of his proposed tactics for the day, told him ‘Keep Hougoumont’. It was the first position to be attacked and saw some of the fiercest fighting throughout the day. After the battle, far from remarks about the playing fields of Eton the Duke in fact said that ‘The success of the Battle of Waterloo turned on the closing of the gates at Hougoumont.’

All the men mentioned by name are real historical figures, and I hope I have done their memory no disservice. Lieutenant-Colonel James MacDonnell was in overall command and was so successful in the role that he was later nominated by the Duke for an award as ‘the bravest man in England’, he chose to share the award with Corporal James Graham. Ensign Henry Gooch was also present for the closing of the gates, and later remained in an upper room of the château whilst it was on fire, encouraging his men to keep firing until the last possible moment.

Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Wyndham, in command of the Light Company, 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards, was just 25 years old on the day of the battle. He was said to have been so disturbed by the action, especially the vital closing of the north gates, that he would never again close a door and would instead sit for hours in a howling draft. Wyndham was the second son of the Earl of Egremont, a notable family from Sussex, their descendents still owning Petworth House to this day. The family has many branches, a surprising number of whom have hyphenated names. The spelling is sometimes modernised to Wyndam or Windam.

The story of the burning of the crucifix is perfectly true, attested by several eye-witnesses. The crucifix still hangs in the chapel.

And in case you think it unlikely that a civilian should be on the battlefield, the gardener of Hougumont and his family remained hiding in their cellar until well into the battle, the roads having become too impassable for them to get away earlier. Whilst the likelihood of a young subaltern being forgotten in the scramble to mobilise for Quatre Bras is attested by the awkward situation of the Light Company of the 30th Foot, which had been ordered to make a picket around Soignes overnight and was completely forgotten when the regiment marched off, leaving them not knowing if this was a mistake or by design. The young officers of the company decided to risk their commissions by quitting their post to catch the regiment up ‘rather than be absent from the field of glory’.