LOWE (Sir Hudson, 1769-1844, Soldier, Governor of St. Helena, 1815-1821)

Autograph Letter Signed to Sir Henry Edward BUNBURY, (1778-1860, Soldier, Under-Secretary of State for War, 1809-1816), marked 'Private', sending [not present] "an Extract of the Letter of General GNEISENAU", (Graf August Neidhardt von, 1760-1831, Prussian Field Marshal), "previous to my departure from Brussels with Copy of the Remarks of the Duke of WELLINGTON which ... I communicated to General Gneisenau", the writer apprehends that "the Prussian Army would be much grateful in having a Rocket Battery ... in the same manner as was done to the Army of the Prince Royal of Sweden", (Jean Baptiste BERNADOTTE, 1763-1844, Napoleon's former Marshal, elected in 1810 to succeed the childless Carl XIII and from 1818 Carl XIV Johan of Sweden and Norway), for use against towns "when a defence might be attempted without the inhabitants or the Guards having the Means of resisting a regular Siege", 2 sides 4to., short title on conjugate leaf, London, 27th May crisp

Sir Hudson Lowe was adept at picking up languages. His skill and much of his experience lay in commanding detachments of foreign troops in the Allied service, or as a staff officer attached at headquarters of Allied powers. In 1814, he was the first officer to bring to England the news of Napoleon's abdication.
In 1815, during Napoleon's 'Hundred Days', he was in Brussels as Quartermaster-General to the Prince of Orange. He remained when, in April, the Duke of Wellington took over as Commander-in-Chief, but the Duke replaced him in May and he came back to London.
War Rockets, invented in 1805 by (Sir) William Congreve at Woolwich, had no great accuracy but were very effective against troops at short range, or for setting fire to buildings. In 1813 Bernadotte, as Commander in Chief of the Northern Army, defended Berlin against the French, then in October joined in the Allied victory at Leipzig, where the Royal Horse Artillery used rockets to great effect. The Duke did not think highly of rockets, so in the present letter, Sir Hudson appears to be by-passing him.
Graf von Gneisenau, as chief of engineers, had played a great part, along with Scharnhorst, in reorganizing the Prussian Army. His plan for the march on Paris in 1814 had led to Napoleon's downfall. In the Waterloo campaign of 1815 he was for a second time chief of staff to Marshal Blücher, who held one half of Belgium, based on Namur, while the Duke in Brussels held the other half. On the 16th June, at Ligny, Blücher was disabled and worsted. Gneisenau led the Prussian Army north to Wavre, apparently to secure his communications. But by good fortune this was nearer the final scene at Waterloo. On the 18th, Blücher had recovered and led the Prussians to secure the victory.
Finally, in August 1815, Bunbury, as Under-Secretary of State for War, accompanied Admiral Lord Keith to Plymouth, to inform Napoleon of his exile to St. Helena. And Sir Hudson Lowe was appointed his guardian and Governor of the Island.

Item Date:  1815

Stock No:  56211      £1750

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