John Humphrey Edward Hill

Portuguese Service

Officers Awarded with the Portuguese “Medalha De Distinção De Comando” Medal of Distinction (in Command) Known as Commander's Medal for the Peninsular War By João Centeno

John Hill was awarded a medal for two battles where he commanded his unit. Battles not specified.

He is listed as Major commanding 5th Cacadores at the siege of San Sebastian and crossing the Bidassoa, As Lieutenant Colonel 4th Line commanding at the Nivelle, Nive. Crossing the Adour, Orthez and Aire.

See João Centeno’s Portuguese Army Actions: 1808 [-1814] for a list of all the actions participated in by the 5th Cacadores and 4th Line.

Lieutenant Colonel Michael McCreagh is shown as commanding the 5th Cacadores for actions prior to San Sebastian.

For which brigades the 5th Cacadores and 4th Line served with see:

1. Oman’s Wellington’s Army 1809 - 1814 Appendix II

2. Stuart Reid’s Wellington’s Army in the Peninsula 1809 – 1814. Osprey Battle Orders Number 2

3. S G P Ward’s THE PORTUGUESE INFANTARY BRIGADES, 1809-1814 JSAHR Volume 53 (Summer 1975)

Also Donald E Graves’ Dragon Rampant has a number of references to Hill in the 23rd Foot.

Family History

See page 204 under Jane Turner

https://books.google.ca/books?id=lNg4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA204&dq=

Obituary

See page 554

https://books.google.ca/books?id=QztDAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA554&dq=

Hill retired by sale of his commission [Major 49th Foot] 5 February 1824.

Captain Friedrich Ludwig von Wachholtz

Additional information Corrections to the Challis Peninsula Roll Call

Friedrich Ludwig von Wachholtz was born 30 August 1783, in Breslau, the son of a Prussian officer. He joined the Prussian army as a cadet on 1 April 1798, was promoted lieutenant in 1803, and served on the staff of the Upper Siliesian army in 1805-1806. He fought at Auerstadt in 1806 and in the East Prussia campaign of 1807. Disbanded from Prussian army in 1807, he joined the Duke of Brunswick's Oels corps as a company commander, went to the UK with that unit in 1809 and to the Peninsula in 1810. His rifle company (No. 3) was attached to the Fusilier Brigade in October 1810 and fought with it at Albuera and Aldea de Ponte in 1811, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz and Salamanca in 1812 and Vitoria in 1813 before being replaced before the Pyrenees battles by a coy of the 5/60th. About the same time von Wachholtz transferred to No. 5 Company of the Oels. Wachholtz fought in the Waterloo campaign as a major on the staff of the Brunswick contingent and was present at Quatre Bras and Waterle remained with the Brunswick army and had reached the rank of major-general at the time of his death in 1841 at the age of 58.