Defence of the Chateau de Hougoumont, Denis Dighton

Denis Dighton was in the Netherlands at the time of the Battle of Waterloo; at the time he was aged just 23 years old. In 1814 Dighton had been appointed as official Military Painter by Britain’s Prince Regent, and was been sent to accompany the Allied army that faced Napoleon in 1815. This meant that he was just a few miles away from the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815, and was able to visit the battlefield just days afterwards. His ink sketches on the battlefield show the exact state of the farmhouse of Hougoumont, shattered by constant conflict during the battle.

Hougoumont, a large farmhouse with a walled garden, stood on the western side of the battlefield. It was used as a fortress by Allied troops, who barred the windows and knocked loopholes (to fire through) in the walls. From here they could shoot at passing French troops and threaten the flanks of any French formation that marched past, to attack the main Allied army. French infantry were sent to attack Hougoumont, initially just a diversion meant to distract the Duke of Wellington from the main French attack. However, more and more French troops were sucked into an increasingly desperate attempt to capture the farm, while Allied troops, including the Coldstream Guards, were sent to reinforce the defenders.

The full title of this painting is Defence of the Chateau de Hougoumont by the flank Company, Coldstream Guards, 1815. Denis Dighton was the first artist to depict the events of the Battle of Waterloo, but it would become a popular trend in Victorian art.