On this day - The Battle of Bladensburg, August 24th 1814

On this day the Battle of Bladensburg, August 24th 1814 took place. An interesting account of the battle can be found  [here]. The following photos, taken by my brother, are from the museum at Shrewsbury castle.

Standard of the 1st Harford Light Dragoons, US Army

taken by the 85th Regiment at Bladensburg

Army 'Small' Gold Medal

Awarded to Colonel (later Sir) William Thorton, 85th, for his gallantry in the battles of the Nive, 9-13 November 1813. Only 896 of these medals were ever awarded, 34 for the Nive.

Col. Thorton was captured by the Americans at Bladenburg in 1814 but was released in time to command the 85th at New Orleans, where he was severely wounded. He died in 1840.

On This Day - Battle of Stow 21st March 1646

On this day in 1646 the Battle of Stow took place. This was the last major battle of the First Civil War.

Site of Battle of Stow

Battle of Stow Monument

Monument Detail

Details of the battle can be found here: 

Cotswolds info

Battlefields Trust

Wikipedia

Market Cross

After the Royalist were pushed back into the town and taking around two hundred casualties in the market square the Royalist commander Sir Jacob Astley sat down on the medieval cross and said, 

'Gentlemen, ye may now sit down and play, for you have done all your work, 

if you fall not out among yourselves!’ 

It was the same Astley that prayed before the Battle of Edgehill,

"O Lord, Thou knowest how busy I must be this day. If I forget Thee, do not forget me." 

quickly followed by the order,

"March on, boys!" 

St. Edward’s Church (which can be seen behind the cross in the above photo) where hundreds of Royalist prisoners were held after the battle, contains a very rare surviving grave of a Civil War causality, that of the royalist Captain Hastings Keyt.  

Grave of Hastings Keyt

Grave of Hastings Keyt

Grave detail of Hastings Keyt

More recently the back door of the church, bracketed by trees, are said to have inspired Tolkien's Gates of Moria, his sketches of which do look very similar. The church also held the funeral for John Entwistle, bass guitarist for the band The Who.

St. Edward’s Church, Stow

Back door of St. Edward’s Church, Tolkien inspiration?

Battle of Ferozeshah (This Day in History)

Today (and yesterday) marks the 170th anniversary of the Battle of Ferozeshah (1845).

Jensi artillerymen

After being reminded with a local newspaper article [Anniversary] and a recent [wargame show] today marks the 170th anniversary of the Battle of Ferozeshah. Full accounts of the battle can be found [here] and [here]. The battle marked the end of Sikh Raj in Punjab and the end of the first Sikh War. A number of Sikh colours were captured by the 80th Regiment of Foot (Staffordshire Volunteers) and were sent to Lichfield Cathedral. These flags usually (they are currently being restored) stand atop of the monument dedicated to the officiers and men of the 80th who died in Indian during the Sutlej campaign of 1845 and 1847.

Sikh Monument detail, Lichfield Cathedral 

The Sikh army, the Dal Khalsa, was probably one of the very few colonial armies that were equal, if not even superior, than the forces fielded by the British. European officers (some of whom were veterans of Napoleon's army) were employed to train the Sikh army to the latest standards.

An account of a young soldier (taken from "A Leicestershire Soldier in the Second Sikh War: Recollections of a Corporal of the 32nd Regiment of Foot in India 1848-49" by John Ryder) shows what high regard the British held for the men serving the Sikh artillery. He recorded:

"We drove them before us upon their own guns and works bayoneting the artillerymen at their posts. They were as good soldiers as ever took the field. They would not leave their guns and when the bayonet was through them they threw their arms round the guns and kissed them, and died."

These figures shown above represent Jensi artillery men. The particular figures are from Studio Miniatures 'Sikh Wars' range.

Using the forthcoming colonial 'The Men Who Would Be Kings' wargaming rules (by Dan Mersey and published by Osprey) the Khalsa Army will provide a very interesting alternative to the usual opposition faced by the British.