An interesting Peninsula War medal awarded to Lieutenant (later Baron) George Wichmann, 1st...

An interesting Peninsula War medal awarded to Lieutenant (later Baron) George Wichmann, 1st Line Battalion, King’s German Legion, who was wounded at the storming of the churchyard at St Etienne in 1814, and was afterwards senior adjutant to Lieutenant-General von Alten, commander of the 3rd Division at the battles of Quatre Bras and Waterloo; he subsequently went to Hannover where he had the honour of taking the Waterloo despatches to Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge and was later raised to the nobility to become military governor to Prince Albert who married Queen Victoria Military General Service 1793-1814, 5 clasps, Ciudad Rodrigo, Vittoria, St. Sebastian, Nivelle, Nive (Geo. Wichmann, Lieut. 1st Line Bn. K.G.L.) old repair to one side of lower carriage, otherwise very fine £4,000-£5,000 --- Provenance: Lawson Whalley Collection 1884; Colonel Musgrove Collection 1912; Glendining’s, April 1926; Wallis & Wallis, July 2005; Dix Noonan Webb, December 2013. George Christian Wichmann (sometimes Wiegmann), aged 24, was appointed an Ensign in the Ist Line Battalion, King's German Legion on 20 September 1810. Promoted to Lieutenant on 30 October 1812, he served with the regiment in the Peninsula in 1811, 1812 and 1813; in the South of France in 1813 and 1814, taking part in the assaults on Ciudad Rodrigo and St Sebastian, siege and retreat at Burgos, Tordesillas, battle of Vitoria, crossing of the Bidassoa, battles of Nivelle, Nive, St Etienne and Bayonne. He was slightly wounded before Bayonne on 27 February 1814. At the storming of the churchyard at St Etienne, before Bayonne, on 27 February, it was intended that the centre of the enemy's position should be attacked by the Line brigade of the K.G.L. (1st, 2nd and 5th; the right by the 1st and 2nd Light brigade, and the left by the guards.) However, the movement against the centre was commenced before that against the flanks, and the brunt of the action fell upon the line battalions of the Legion, who stormed and captured at the point of the bayonet, the entrenched positions on the heights of St Etienne which became the object of a French counter-attack late in the afternoon. This was successfully driven back with the bayonet, as was a renewed attempt half an hour later before the French finally gave up their prize. The loss of the Legion on 27 February was extremely severe, with no less than four officers dead and 23 wounded, for the most part severely, and some 300 casualties amongst the rank and file. 'The officers, setting a noble example to their men, exposed themselves with a degree of intrepidity which nothing could exceed, and justly entitled them to a high place in the official account of the engagement.' He then took part in the campaign in the Netherlands in 1814 and at the battle of Waterloo in 1815, where he served as senior A.D.C. to General von Alten, Commander of the 3rd Division, a division that was both conspicuous for its part and saw heavy losses at both Quatre Bras and Waterloo. To Wichmann was given the great honour of being sent from Brussels with the dispatch to the Duke of Cambridge, arriving at Monbrillant (the Duke's residence) in Hannover on 22 June and he was with the Duke when he rode through the city announcing the victory. This in itself would have been seen as Von Alten, wishing Wichmann to be rewarded. However at the start of the dispatch, often omitted from published works, is the following: ‘Lieutenant Wiegmann, my senior adjutant, who is bringing you this report, has participated in both battles and may be able to inform you on whatever might have been overlooked by myself. I recommend this very gifted officer to your Royal Highness's gracious consideration.' The 1816 Hanover Awards lists shows his Guelphic Order was dated December 1815, being noted as on the General Staff of Lieutenant-General Counts Von Alten and at the time of publication; he was then a Lieutenant in the Grenadier Guards Battalion. There are 52 names on this list but only two of the lower rank of Lieutenant, the other recipient being on Von Alten's Staff also. It was common practice to obtain positions of A.D.C.'s as 'favour' to relatives of those of Rank or of influence and the role of A.D.C. to Von Alten would have been a coveted one. Wichmann must also have had someone helping him out, or quite possibly he was related to Major Henry Wiegmann 2nd Light Battalion K.G.L. who was killed at Waterloo. Hannover Army lists for 1818 show he was promoted Captain on 18 June 1815, and also confirms he was in receipt of the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, 3rd Class and British Waterloo medal. The reduction of the King's German Legion had officially taken place on 24 February 1816, at Brussels and men were then officially transferred to the Hannover Army. However the process of transfer on 'paper' had probably been proceeding for some time previous to this. On his return to Hannover in 1818, it is noted that Von Alten was pleased to find among his new Staff, some of his old Waterloo Staff; Lieutenant Colonel Heise as Adjutant General and his young adjutant Captain Wichmann. Rising through the ranks to that of Lieutenant-Colonel, he was made a Baron and awarded the Netherlands Order of Leopold, 3rd Class. He left the Army in 1833 to become Governor to Prince Albert, later husband of Queen Victoria, accompanying Albert on his trips to Brussels and his studies at Bonn. From books on Prince Albert: ‘Baron Wichmann was specially assigned to us for all outside matters, a worthy and experienced man, the choice of whom for the position had been happily made. He had belonged to the German English Legion, and had taken part under Wellington in the Spanish campaigns and the battle of Waterloo, was a thoroughly unprejudiced man and much loved in Brussels society.’ Lieutenant-Colonel Baron Wichmann died on 11 October 1861, at Goettingen.