The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1842-10-21 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

THE 44TH AT WATERLOO.—Apropos, however, to Quatre Bras and the name of O'Malley, we would take the opportunity of saying a word about a gallant regiment, the bones of whose force now lie bleaching in a savage land, and over whose memory some aspersions have been cast by some base and un English scribblers and spouters. There was no more gallant regiment in the service than the 4lth : no regiment saw more service or did its duty better. Amongst a number of other places, they served in Egypt, at Salamanca, Tarragona, Fuentes d'Ouor, in the retreat of Burgos, at Badajoz, at Washington, at Blinsherg' at New Orleans, at Bergenop-Zoom, at Merkdem, at Antwerp. at Quatre Bras, at Waterloo, in Arrican, and, lastly, their strength has been sacrificed in Affghanistan. But their blood shall not be suffered to sink into the ground. England, which never forgets her faithful servants, will never be contented until they are avenged, and the name of Englishmen made a word of fear to the descendants of their murderers for all generations. The 41th did gallant service at Clow re Bras and Waterloo, though in point of numbers the weakest regiment that came into the field. They numbered only 430 bayonets. In the year before, at Bergen-op-Zoom, they had suffered terribly, 700 men went into action, 200 alone survived. Accordingly at Quatre Bras t 1:, men were for the most part rectal's. When the French fire opened, many of them took to ducking from the shot. The officer then in command, Colonel O'Malley—a man of mould, and not of fiction—cried out " Steady, men ! When you see me duck, you may all duck, but the first man who ducks before I do, I'll cut down !" "By Japus," said an old granadier, "that's pleasant! If they wait till the Colonel ducks, they'll wait till the cows come home!" At Quatre Bras they saved a portion of that distinguished corps, the 42d ; but not as Mr. Lever, with the pardonable inaccuracy of a civilian describes it. In the attempt to form a square, two companies of the 42d, were left out and nearly cut to pieces by the French cavalry, and their colonel was killed. Mr. Lever says the 42nd, who were stationed amidst tall corn, were surrounded with cavalry before they knew it. The word was given to form square. The Lancers were already among them ; and fighting back to back, the gallant Highlanders met the foe. Fresh numbers poured down upon them, and already half the regiment was disabled and their colonel killed. These brave fellows were rescued by the 4 Ith ; who throwing in a withering volley, fixed bayonets, and charged—" a withering volley," ounce Brotois,—a stupid phrase which the author uses on all occasions without having the fear of ./Echylus before his eyes. " Fixed bayonets !" Oh, Mr. Lever ! Though you have a commission, how could you write such nonsense ? Were not the bayonets fixed; are they not always fixed from the moment the regiment goes into action ? Oh, Lever, Lever '— and they " charged !" The line of infantry charged the retiring cavalry ! For shame. Lever ? the facts are simply these. The 42d committed the mistake of endeavouring to form square when there was not time. Colonel O'Malley avoided the error, and his regiment received the charge of cavalry in line as they stood, and delivered a volley when the horsemen were just upon them, every bullet of which emptied a saddle. They then advanced (there was no fixing bayonets —our bayonets were already fixed—no charge) far enough to enable them to form a square, and include the broken part of the thrice renowned 42d in their ranks. At Waterloo at Quatre Bras the services of the 44th were conspicuous, and God forbid their country should forget them. Of twenty-six officers that went into the field at Quatre Bras, at the close of Waterloo twenty-three lay dead or sorely wounded. Three only Waterloo es c a ptei (!e tche ol fiery ordeale go tmehnots e days s t o o pe du nf fora cr aat hme do. At t seven times, and on each occasion a gallant British officer lay dead or disabled. The eighth gentleman who raised them was Captain Dunlevie (like O'Malley a survivor of the corps) and Dunlevie, though wounded on both days, held them aloft till they waved over a triumphant field. We look forward with intense anxiety with the hope of seeing the treacherous massacre of the 44th most amply and most thoroughly avenged.