Netherlands Artillery
in the Waterloo Campaign

Half Horse Artillery Battery ‘Petter’

by Geert van Uythoven, The Netherlands

This ‘northern’ battery was served by the (depleted) 3rd company of the Horse artillery corps. The battery was commanded by Captain Abraham Petter (38 years old). Transferring to service in the Netherlands army, by decree of 22 January 1814 Petter was appointed captain with the Horse Artillery Corps. He received command of the company mentioned above. Other officers: 1st Lieutenant Julius Hendrik Couvreu van Dekkersberg. Together with the half battery ‘Gey’, 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 Petter marched with the 1st and 3rd company of the Horse artillery corps from Utrecht to Maastricht to continue to make mobile a horse bat-tery 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 which had difficulties to be raised. On 21 January 1815 two half batteries were formed under the Captains Petter (3rd company) and Adrianus Rudolf Willem Gey (1st 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 ‘Petter’ was attached to the Heavy Cavalry Brigade (Major-General Albert Dominique Trip van Zoutland) of the Netherlands Cavalry Division (Lieutenant-General Jean Antoine Baron de Collaert). Not present at Quatre-Bras, at Waterloo the half Horse artillery battery ‘Petter’, united with Captain Gey’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. Fighting the whole day, also against the cavalry attacks later that day, and targeted by the French guard artillery, the half Horse artillery battery ‘Petter’ lost twelve men, 28 horses, and three ammunition caissons this day.

After Waterloo, the half horse artillery battery took part in the advance into France, and was on 26 June present at the attack on Peronne. Deploying at a distance of 300 paces from the city fire was opened, after which British troops captured the suburbs and then the city itself. In his report Wellington made a honourable mentioning of the actions of Petter’s half battery. On 30 June the half battery arrived before Paris. On 27 November the battery marched back to the Netherlands, being garrisoned in Bergen-op-Zoom.

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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