Product Details
FORMERLY THE PROPERTY OF SIR ALEXANDER GORDON (1786-1815), KILLED AT THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO
AN EARLY 19TH CENTURY NAPOLEONIC WOODEN CAMPAIGN CHEST,
a metal reinforced soft wood case stencilled "Lt COL HONble A. GORDON" and stamped underneath "F. Cherry Patentee", measuring 27in. x 15in. x 12in.
Holts' Historian Donald Dallas presents a short movie about this unique item:
Provenance: Research would indicate that Alexander Gordon, the 3rd son of Lord Haddo joined the army in 1805 and fought in the Peninsular War. In 1809 and became aide-de-camp to the Duke of Wellington. He was promoted Lt. Colonel in 1813 and was made a Commander of the Bath in 1815. He was mortally wounded on the 18th June 1815 at the Battle of Waterloo from a round shot taking off his leg. Such was the respect that Wellington had for him, he offered Gordon his bed where he subsequently died. Wellington wrote the next day to his brother Lord Aberdeen "My Dear Lord, You will readily give me credit to the existence of extreme grief with which I announce to you the death of your gallant brother in consequence of a wound received in our great battle yesterday. He had served me zealously and usefully for many years and on many trying occasions but he had never rendered himself more useful and had never distinguished himself more than in our late action. He received the wound which occasioned his death when rallying one of the Brunswick battalions which was shaking a little and he had lived long enough to be informed by myself of the glorious result of our action to which he had so much contributed by his active zealous assistance....Believe me &c Wellington, Bruxelles, 19th June 1815
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Estimate £200-300