 Back |
| Hendrik TIBBE participated in the historic battle against
Napoleon, as part of the "Bentheim Landwehr Bataljon". At age 19, his
church confirmation records show he is a "territorial army man". He was 22
years old at the time of the Waterloo Battle, and survived this bloody
bath, but died 6 years later at the age of 28. I have information on 3
other TIBBE's or TIBBEN's participating, but at this time it is
unconfirmed if they are direct relatives. There is a current Army of Uelsen (Bentheim), which is a replica of the Company which was part of the Army that conquered Napoleon in 1815 at Waterloo, Belgium. It only serves a ceremonial purpose now. A typical Bentheim Company consisted of about 52 men: 1 Captain, 1 flag bearer, 13 corporals, 2 gunners, 4 drummers, 1 cornet player, 6 camp followers, 2 general quartermasters, 12 front charging riflemen, 1 horse boy, 2 cannons, 4 drums, 1 camp-following wagon, 1 battalion shaft of standard colors, and 1 "Marketenderin" which was a woman who traveled with the military troops and sold them provisions and "strong" liquids (usually of the fermented type). On June 18, 1815, some 191,300 soldiers fought one of the most decisive battles in the history of Europe in only one day. The Wellington army (British, Dutch, Belgian) had 67,000 soldiers, Blucher's army (Prussian) 52,300 and Napoleon's army (French) 72,000. A total of 48,500 men fell or were severely wounded. In the very early 1800's, Bentheim was part of Hanover (before it was occupied by the French). The King of Hanover was also the King of England. When the French left the area in 1813, Hanover created a "general population army" (the Landwehr) which was to defend the country against future attacks. In 1814 Napoleon was exiled to the island of Elba, but escaped to France in March 1815. Very quickly he managed to form a new army with which he wanted to reconquer his lost empire. The first part that he wanted to reconquer was Belgium and Holland. After the French revolution at the end of the 18th century, the French started to occupy other countries, amongst them the Netherlands and a part of Germany which included the County of Bentheim. The emperor Napoleon also wanted to occupy Russia and started a march against Moscow. In 1815, the other European powers decided to stop Napoleon. Two major allied armies were formed and made their way to Belgium. The first one was an army consisting of divisions from different countries (Belgian, Dutch, British) under the command of the Duke of Wellington. The Duke of Wellington was representative of the King of England and was the supreme commander of the Bentheim bataljon during this period (our family members fought with the English, Dutch and Belgians - not the Prussians or Germans, even though Bentheim was physically within the boundaries of Germany, Company 4E of the Bentheimer Landwehr Bataljon). The second army came from Prussia and was led by Marshal Blucher. The County of Bentheim participated with four Companies called the Bentheim Landwehr Bataljon which consisted of 600 young men between 18-30 years old, divided over 4 companies (Company 1 had garrison in Bentheim, Company 2 in Nordhorn, Company 3 in Neuenhaus, and Company 4 in Uelsen). The Bentheim bataljon started moving into the Flandres (west Belgium) in August 1814. The Bentheim battalion marched to the west side of Belgium, where they stayed for some time. The fighting began on June 16, 1815, as the opposing armies came to grips with each other. This lead to the retreat of the allied troops commanded by the Duke of Wellington (England) and the Prussian Marshal Blucher, and to the advancement of the Emperor Napoleon's French Army. Napoleon spent the night on a nearby farm. Blucher's Prussians were out of contact to the east. Blucher had managed to send a message to Wellington that he would be able to join him on the battlefield at Waterloo, but probably only later in the day. Napoleon thought that the Prussian army had been defeated and that he would only have to face the Wellington troops. On the night before the battle, it had rained heavily and both the French and Allied armies had spent the night in the mud and the pouring rain. The battlefield was situated around three large farmhouses. By late in the afternoon, the chances for the English and French armies was still 50-50. But, around that time the Prussian troops started to arrive to assist the army of Wellington. At the moment of the battle of Waterloo (south Brussels) the Bentheimers offered coverage on one of the flanks of the battle area. By then, the French army was surrounded by the two forces and could no longer withstand the joint attacks of allied troops. By the beginning of the evening Napoleon had to withdraw his troops from the battlefield and start the escape back to France. Sunday, June 18, was the decisive day for both armies whose troops took up their positions in the morning. Battle commenced at 11:30am with a French attack on the fortified farm of Hougoumont, followed by an infantry assault on the Allies' main line. Both were beaten back, and a counter-charge of the British cavalry was stopped by French artillery. The French cavalry under Marshal Ney, then attacked, charging time and again but faring no better against Allied forces. French infantry captured the fortified farm of La Haie-Sainte, clearing the way for a strike at the Allied centre. With the Prussians attacking his flank at Plancenoit and the Papelotte farm, Napoleon threw his elite Old Guard forward in a final effort to break Wellington's line. The allied held firm and the Old Guard retreated under a storm of musketry, cannon balls and grape shot. A general dance by the Allies turned the French defeat into a rout, with Napoleon himself barely escaping. The battle ended at 7:00pm and was among the most violent and costly. The farm, which was never taken, still bears the scars of valiant attack and heroic defense. It's living quarters were destroyed by fire, with only the manor chapel, part of a wall and traces of the stairway surviving. Saint Stephens Church was organized the morning after the great battle as a hospital where nuns and local citizens did their best to alleviate the suffering. When the battle was over and Napoleon was conquered, the Allied Armies marched to Paris, the Bentheim battalion included. They took part in a big parade in the French capital to celebrate the victory. Afterward, they marched back home to Bentheim. Waterloo, famous for the battle which took place there on June 18, 1815, is a small city of about 20,000 inhabitants in the Belgian province of Walloon-Brabant. The actual battlefield lies just south of the city, in the nearby village of Mont-Saint-Jean. Today there exists several monuments: The Lion Hill, which is the main monument of the battle, indicates the spot where the Prince of Orange was wounded. A total of 226 stairs lead to the top of the monument where one can have a beautiful view of the entire battlefield. A total of 28 tons of cast iron were used to make this impressive monument which was transported by steamer then transferred to a wagon and pulled by 20 horses to arrive at the battlefield. It surmounts the huge mound raised by the Dutch between 1823 and 1826 on the spot where it is believe the Prince of Orange was wounded. Prussian Monument -- erected in memory of the 6,700 Prussians who fell on the field of battle, is located at Plancenoit, on the spot where an artillery battery of vonBulow's 4th Corp. had stood. One side is carved an inscription in German and Gothic script: "To the Dead Heroes from a Grateful King and Country. May they Rest in Peace. Belle Alliance, 18th June 1815." The monument was erected in 1819. |
|