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Auction: 13003 - Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals and Militaria
Lot: 97

Military General Service 1793-1814, nine clasps, Busaco, Fuentes d'Onor, Ciudad Rodrigo, Salamanca, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, Orthes, Toulouse (Paul Peattie, 42nd. Foot), lightly polished, good very fine

Private Paul Peattie, born St. Andrews, Fife, 1785; enlisted in the Black Watch, August 1803; served with the 2nd Battalion in the Peninsular from 1810; transferred to the 1st Battalion, 1812; wounded in the side during the storming of the great fortress at Burgos, 19.9.1812: 'The main body of the assaulting force was composed of Pack's Portuguese, who were assisted by the whole of the 1/42nd and by the flank companies of Stirling's brigade of the 1st Division, to which the Black Watch belonged... the storm succeeded, but with vast and unnecessary loss of life, and not in the way in which Wellington intended. It was bright moonlight, and the firing party, when coming up over the crest, were at once detected by the French, who opened a very heavy fire upon them. The Highlanders commenced to reply while still 150 yards away, and then advanced firing till they came close up to the work, where they remained for a quarter of an hour, entirely exposed and suffering terribly. Having lost half their numbers they finally dispersed, but not till after the main attack had failed... the whole affair would have been a failure, but for the assault on the gorge. Here the three light companies- 140 men, were led by Somers Cocks, recently promoted to a majority in the 1/79th.' The light companies broke through the palisades at the rear, driving out the French battalion there and the whole defence of the hornwork collapsed. The allied force had 421 killed and wounded in this operation, of whom 204 were in the Peattie's Battalion. Peattie served throughout the remainder of the Peninsular campaign, up until the Battle of Toulouse, where the losses were again severe- Black Watch casualties were 433 Officers and men, the greatest loss of any unit present; he was discharged in October 1814, admitted to Chelsea Hospital, March 1852, and died in Edinburgh, March 1875.

Provenance: Glendining, May 1920
Glendining, September 1990.

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Sold for
£2,900