are not expecting the Legionnaires
to put up a prolonged fi ght. Graeme
estimates the enemy army to consist
of around 20,000 troops and shouts
to his men: “There are lots of them!”
But there is no answer. The soldiers
inside the farmhouse are completely
focused on the task that lies ahead.
Experienced sharpshooters, they are
waiting for the enemy to come within
range of their Baker rifl es. Armed with
shorter-range muskets, the French
will initially be helpless against the
firepower of the Legionnaires.FRIEDRICH LINDAU (1 PM)
They load more slowly, but they are
much deadlier...
Private Lindau looks in admiration at
the man who many in the 2nd Light
Battalion consider to be immortal:
Major Baring. Amidst the barrage ofFrench gunfi re, he sits calmly on his
horse while barking out commands.
As the story goes, a French infantry-
man in Flanders had once shot Baring
directly in the mouth with his musket,
but Baring simply spit out the bullet.
Lindau bites off the top of a cartridge
of powder and ball. This turns his lips
black, but the method enables faster
reloading. One hour earlier the fi rst
round of French bullets had whizzed“If the farmhouse of
La Haye Sainte had
been taken earlier,
Napoleon would
almost certainly have
broken the allied
centre and defeated
Wellington’s army
before the Prussians
arrived in strength.”
BRENDAN SIMMS,
HISTORIANThe rifle that made the Legion so deadly
BAKER RIFLE
The King’s German Legion was equipped with the .625-caliber Baker rifl e. According to its
maker, Ezekiel Baker of London, the rifl e’s seven grooves with a quarter turn made it easier
to use and load in the fi eld. Accurate to 200 yards, it had a longer range than any weapon
issued to the French Army. It shot only two rounds per minute— considerably less than the
muskets that were in use at the time, but it was shorter, lighter, and more accurate.
by overhead without striking anyone.
Now Lindau and his comrades begin
fi ring their precision Baker rifl es from
the safety of cover. The first to fall are
the French offi cers—this strategy is
widely regarded as dishonorable, but
it is very effective. The sharpshootersSPECIAL UNIT
The soldiers of the King’s German Legion were seasoned
skirmishers, especially in action behind enemy lines. The
special unit was equipped with highly accurate Baker
rifles and was particularly feared by enemy officers.
The unit of German expatriates was formed in 1803
when the Electorate of Hanover was dissolved and
Britain’s King George III was deposed as its elector.
The Legion fought as part of the British Army until it
was disbanded in 1816.ideasanddiscoveries.com 77 May 2020