Netherlands Artillery
in the Waterloo Campaign

Half Horse Artillery Battery ‘Gey’

by Geert van Uythoven, The Netherlands

This ‘northern’ battery was served by the (depleted) 1st company of the Horse artillery corps. The battery was commanded by Captain Adriaan Rudolph Willem Gey (27 years old). Other officers: 2nd Lieutenant Hendrik Willem Reijntjes; 2nd Lieutenant Willem Hendrik Jacob Baron van Wassenaar van St.-Pancras (18 years old). Together with the half battery ‘Petter’, on 12 June 1815 they had a strength of 5 officers, 127 others, and 127 horses. Their train, commanded by 2nd Lieutenant Franciscus Camuzé, had a strength of 3 officers, 106 others, and 192 horses.

This half battery was armed with three short 6-pdr bronze cannon, and a 24-pdr (iron) bronze howitzer. On 6 August 1814, Captain Abraham Petter marched with the 1st and 3rd company of the Horse artillery corps from Utrecht to Maastricht to continue to make mobile a horse battery there. Officially, he was part of the occupation corps of Prince Frederick of Orange, to replace two foot batteries initially assigned to this corps but had difficulties to be raised. On 21 January 1815, two half batteries were formed under the Captains Gey (1st company) and Petter (3rd company), while the surplus of personnel marched to the depot of the Horse artillery corps in Breda.

Leaving Maastricht on 1 April, the half Horse artillery battery ‘Gey’ was attached to the 2nd Light Cavalry Brigade (Major-General Jean Baptiste Baron van Merlen) of the Netherlands Cavalry Division (Lieutenant-General Jean Antoine Baron de Collaert). This brigade arrived on the battlefield of Quatre-Bras somewhere around 3.00 p.m., accompanied by Captain Gey and only two guns commanded by 2nd Lieutenant Van Wassenaar van St.-Pancras; both other guns, commanded by 2nd Lieutenant Reijntjes, had stayed behind with the heavy cavalry brigade. When they arrived, both guns deployed in front of the crossroads, left of the chaussee.

Only moments later, both guns were charged by some squadrons of the 6me Régiment Chasseurs à Cheval (when an attack of Van Merlen’s light cavalry brigade had been defeated), was mauled in the process but remained operational. Even more, when Captain Gey noticed that the French cavalry was busy trying to carry off the guns of the Foot battery ‘Stevenart’, he used his own mounted gunners as cavalry, and reinforced with some volunteers charged the French, routed them and recaptured four of the lost guns. At Waterloo, the half Horse artillery battery ‘Gey’ united with Captain Petter’s half Horse artillery battery was deployed just northeast of Hougoumont. As the senior officer Petter commanded both half batteries. When battle commenced, both half batteries were ordered forward about 200 to 300 paces, to support the defenders of Hougoumont.

The half battery fought the whole day, also against the cavalry attacks later that day, and was targeted by the French guard artillery, suffering severe loss. After the battle of Waterloo, the half battery took part in the capture of the fortress-city Le Quesnoy, bombarding the place from 26 until 29 June. After that it took part in the capture of Valenciennes (20 July). During the last days of November the battery marched back to the Netherlands, being garrisoned in Hertogenbosch.

Netherlands Artillery in the Waterloo Campaign 1815 Part III: Artillery Batteries and Companies

Netherlands Artillery in the Waterloo Campaign 1815 Part II: Artillery Officers [First Empire 72]

Netherlands Artillery in the Waterloo Campaign 1815 Part I [First Empire 71]

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