Lot 71
Hanoverian Waterloo – The Abandonment of the Field by the Cumberland Hussars! ‡
Clandestine Operations - Inc The D.J. Croll Medal Collection & Other Properties | M26002
Auction: 16 September 2026 at 10.30 BST
Description
The Very Rare Hanoverian Medal For Waterloo awarded to Lieutenant & Adjutant Fredrich, Wilhelm Christian Von Dachenhausen, Cumberland Hussars who, at the Retirement of the Cumberland Hussars, pressed his Colonel to return the Regiment to their position, Being too no avail, he then refused to follow the Regiment’s abandonment of the Field and attached himself to The King’s German Legion Cavalry, an extremely rare Officers Medal to the Cumberland Hussars the only medals to this unit to Casualties or the very few who remained on the Field comprising, Hanoverian Medal For Waterloo, 1815, (Lieut. Et Adjt. Fr. v Dachenhausen, Hus. Regt. V. Cumberland), original straight bar suspension, contact wear about good/fine (1)
Fredrich, Wilhelm Christian Von Dachenhausen, was born on the 12th of March 1791 in Celle. Fredrich Von Dachenhausen, is documented as having pressed his Colonel to return the Regiment to their position. Being to no avail he then then refused to follow the Regiment’s abandonment of the Field and attached himself to the King’s German Legion Cavalry thereby earning the rare officer’s medal to his Regiment. (CF Pattyn, J.J. – La Curieuse histoire des hussards Hanovriens de Cumberland à Waterloo page 22).
From the diary of Lieut. Ernst Meier, 2nd Light Dragoons King’s German Legion (K.G.L.)… “Probably 1 o’clock noon, it happened that the Cumberland Hussars Regiment, which was detached to our Brigade and was standing in column some several hundred paces to our left, at first fell into some agitated movement and then took off in the wildest of flights. Of that Regiment, nothing and nobody was to be seen anymore except Adjutant Dachenhausen, who then joined us.”
The Cumberland Hussars were part of the 3rd Cavalry Brigade with the British Light and the 1st and 2nd Light Dragoons K.G.L... They were positioned on the reverse slope and out of direct sight of the French artillery. Notwithstanding this shot passing over the brow inflicted over 50 killed and wounded on the Hussars. Their Colonel, Von Hacke, had ordered the Regiment to remain mounted which resulted in heavier loss. He then ordered the Regiment to withdraw from the Field. He later excused his decision on the basis of his men, mostly from good families who had supplied their own mounts and equipment, as having no battle experience and unequal to the task.
The retreat of the Cumberland Hussars, let by Colonel Von Hacke, from the Battlefield of Waterloo did not remain unnoticed by High Command. Both Wellington and Uxbridge had observed how they moved off, it led Uxbridge to dispatch one of his ADCs, Seymour, to inquire about the reason for the move and to have the Regiment return to its original position it immediate vicinity.
Seymour himself writes: “My evidence went to the effect that Lord Anglesy, seeing that Regiment moving to the rear (about 5’oclock) desired me immediately to halt it. On delivering the order to the Colonel, he told me that he had no confidence in his men, that they were volunteers, and the horses their own property. All this time the Regiment continued moving to the rear, in spite of me repeating the order to halt, and asking the second in Command (Maj. O.F. von Meltzing) to save the character of the Regiment by taking command and fronting them. I was unsuccessful, and in the exigence of the moment I laid hold of the bridle of the Colonel’s Horse and remarked what I though of his conduct; but all to no purpose.
I then returned to Lord Anglesey and reported what had passed. I was again ordered to deliver the message to the Commanding Officer of the Regiment, that if they would not resume their position in the line, that he was to from them across the road out of fire. They did not even obey this order, but went, as was reported, altogether to the rear.”
Meanwhile other Officer’s of the Regiment, like Adjutant von Dachenhausen, Captain Von Lansberg, Major Meltzing) urged Von Hacke to halt the Regiment, but this was to no avail either.”
Colonel Von Hacke was degraded and cashiered for his actions. His 2-in-Command, Major von Meltzing, who left the Field with the Regiment, was formally reprimanded for not having done enough to prevent the situation from escalating into the retreat as it took place during the Battle. The Regiment was disbanded.
Lieutenant & Adjutant Fredrich, Wilhelm Christian Von Dachenhausen, Cumberland Hussars is also entitled to the Commander Cross 1st Class of the Royal Guelphic Order (1837), the War Medal for 1813 Hannover Volunteers and of the Prussian Johanniter Order. He Died on May the 23rd 1855.
Sold with Copy information and copy portrait of Dachenhausen.
Provenance – British Medals by Renni Alcock 2018
