Background
In early 1801, when William Pitt’s government in London decided on a preemptive strike against the Armed Neutrality Coalition of Russia, Denmark, Sweden, and Prussia, the Admiralty did not know precisely what contingencies to prepare for. The Royal Marines, who were always present and serving with distinction in even the smallest commissioned vessel, were stretched too thin to muster a landing force of a magnitude which might have been needed. It was decided that the 49th Foot (the Berkshire Regiment post-1881) (780 men), and two companies of the Rifle Corp (114 men) would accompany the expedition[1-2]. In the end, some soldiers saw action, but many did not. They were all distributed across the expeditionary fleet, and in particular those ships in Adm. Sir Hyde Parker’s Division never saw any action. Of the 894 men, 16 were KIA, and 44 WIA, a ~7% casualty ratio. Numismatically these NGS medals to the Army for Copenhagen 1801 are rare and much sought after by collectors. Several of the recipients of the NGS also received the Military General Service Medal 1793-1814 (MGS) and such pairs command a high price at auction. Unsurprisingly, there is a list of Army recipients of the NGS Copenhagen 1801, in all the various editions of British Battles & Medals (BBM) [3], however it does not contain several new discoveries and lacks provenance history. I thought it useful to produce a more up to date list which also includes provenance information when available. It will naturally be updated here from time to time.
A few years ago, I was studying Colin Message’s NGS roll, trying to understand how many officers serving in HMS Monarch had claimed a NGS medal for Copenhagen 1801. To my surprise, there were several Lieutenants on the roll, who were not to be found in the Navy List of 1800-1801. An impossible paradox – if they were indeed Royal Navy or Royal Marines. Two officers, stood out:
- GLEGG, JOHN B., COPENHAGEN 1801, LIEUTENANT MONARCH
- GAY, WILLIAM, COPENHAGEN 1801, LIEUTENANT MONARCH
I was able to identify GLEGG as a Lieut in the 49th Foot (John Baskerville Glegg, seniority 1 Feb 1798) from the Feb 1800 Army List. Lieut. Gay, is still a mystery. I hope that a search of the supernumeraries list for victuals only (SLVO) in HMS Monarch‘s muster list would reveal who Lieut. Gay is. It is possible he belonged to the Rifle Corps (later 95th Foot), but I have not been able to find him in the Army Lists I have access to. I started a thread on the British Medal Forum (BMF) a few years ago on this subject, and many people were able to help and provide additional information for the roll shown below, which I greatly appreciate.
Recent Additions
Another notable recent addition was the NGS/MGS pair to Capt. Patrick Campbell which appeared at a British country sale, Tennant’s Auctions, in September 2015. This attractive pair, evidently came direct from family descendants. Patrick Campbell is shown on the NGS roll as an AB (Able Seaman), and as such it would have been impossible to know he was actually an officer in the 49th Foot. The original surviving applications papers (ADM/171/2) in the British National Archives do not give a clue. He served as a Lieut. (seniority 22 Nov 1798 [4]) aboard HMS Polyphemus, but for some reason he was recorded as an AB. He had participated in the expedition to Holland in 1799 and went on to become a Captain in the 48th Foot (seniority 10 Mar 1808), with which he served in the Peninsular War earning the MGS medal with clasps Talavera, Busaco and Albuhera. He became a prisoner of war at Albuhera. Challis[5] verifies his later service record. The pair hammered for a healthy £17,000.
Fig.1: NGS and MGS pair to Capt. Patrick Campbell, 49th and 48th Foot. Image courtesy of Tennant’s Auctions.
The NGS medal to Gen. Sir Hugh Arbuthnott, KCB surfaced a few years ago on eBay. Despite poor photos, it found a buyer and the medal eventually ended up with Jager Medals. Like Campbell, he had participated in the expedition to Holland in 1799, and served as Captain on board HMS Ganges at the battle of Copenhagen. Sir Hugh was awarded the Small Army Gold Medal for Busaco, and the MGS medal for Corunna and Fuentes D’Onor. He was nominated a Companion of the Bath (CB) in 1815, and eventually was made KCB in 1862. Jager Medals has kindly provided me with very clear images of the naming of Sir Hugh’s NGS medal. Sir Hugh’s Small Army Gold Medal and MGS medal are in The Rifles Museum, Winchester, UK[6].
Fig 2: The NGS medal issued to Capt. Hugh Arbuthnott, 49th Foot. Image courtesy of Jager Medals.
Fig. 3: Naming details on the NGS medal to Capt. Hugh Arbuthnott, 49th Foot. Image courtesy of Jager Medals.
Fig. 4: The CB and NGS pair to Charles Plenderleath, 49th Foot. NGS medal shows only his name. Image courtesy of DNW.
Roll of 49th Foot NGS medals for Copenhagen 1801
| Surname | First | Rank • Ship | Provenance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARBUTHNOTT # | HUGH | CAPT. 49th Foot • Ganges | GLEN. May 1932, eBay Mar 2015, Jager Medals 2016 | Named: H. ARBUTHNOTT CAPt. 49th FOOT. Received Small Army Gold medal for Busaco, MGS (MAJOR, 52nd FOOT) with claps Corunna and Fuentes D’Onor. |
| ARMSTRONG # | JOHN | ENSIGN 49th Foot • Ardent | SOTHEBY Apr 1910, GLEN. Jul 1946, MGS Ebay Oct 2013 | Also recieved a 5 clasp MGS (MGS Named: J. ARMSTRONG, SUBTn 88th FOOT.) |
| BLEAMIRE # | WILLIAM B. | CAPT. 49th Foot • Polyphemus | DNW Jun 2000 | Named: WM. B. BLEAMIRE, CAPt. 49th FOOT. |
| BOOTH | WILLIAM | PTE. 49th Foot • Defiance | GLEN. Mar 1904, One on eBay Aug 15 2015, DNW Mar 2018 | Named: WILLIAM BOOTH |
| BROCK # | GEORGE | VOL. 49th Foot • Ganges | ||
| BROWN # | ROBERT | ASST SURGEON 49th Foot • Glatton | ||
| CAMPBELL | PATRICK | AB • Polyphemus | Tennants Sep 2015, with three clasp MGS (48th Foot • Talavera, Busaco, Albuhera). | NGS Named: PATk CAMPBELL, MGS named: PATk CAMPBELL, CAPt 48th FOOT. Served as Lieut. 49th Foot aboard Polyphemus (Army List 1802 confirms) |
| CORNERFORD | RICHARD | PTE. 49th Foot • Russell | ||
| CROSKEY | JOSEPH | CPL 49th Foot • Defiance | ||
| DENNIS # | JAMES | LIEUT. 49th Foot • Monarch | ||
| DONNELLY | WILLIAM | PTE. 49th Foot • Defiance | ||
| DOOLEY | LAURENCE | PTE. 49th Foot • Edgar | ||
| GLEGG # | JOHN B. | LIEUTENANT • Monarch | Army List Feb 1800 confirms 49th Foot, also received Small Army Gold medal for Fort Detroit. | |
| HAWKES | CHARLES | DRUMMER 49th Foot • Ramillies | ||
| JAMESON | ANDREW | PTE. 49th Foot • Edgar | ||
| KNOKES | CHARLES | DRUMMER 49th Foot • Ramillies | ||
| LISTON | EDWARD | PTE. 49th Foot • Ganges | ||
| LONG | JOHN | PTE. 49th Foot • Saturn | ||
| ORMOND # | HARRY S. | VOL. 49th Foot • Glatton OR Defence | SPINK Mar 1995 | Defence Confirmed on Muster. Named: H.S. ORMOND, VOLr. |
| PLENDERLEATH # | CHARLES | CAPT. 49th Foot • Ardent OR Ramillies | GLEN. Feb 1953, DNW Dec 2004 (with CB badge), also received Small Army Gold medal for Chrystler's Farm (in Canadian War Museum) | Named: CHAS. PLENDERLEATH |
| PLUNKETT | PETER | PTE. 49th Foot • Defiance | ||
| SHEAFFE # | ROGER H. | LT. COL. 49th Foot | A renamed medal to this man was sold at GLEN. Jul 1995 (From post on BMF) | Named: LT COL. ROGER HALE SHEAFFE, 49th FOOT. |
| SLAYNES | DENNISS | PTE. 49th Foot • Edgar BORNE AS 'SLYNES' | ||
| WALSH | ANTHONY | PTE. 49th Foot • Bellona 'DUPLICATE PREPARED' | ||
| YOUNG | ROBERT | PTE. 49th Foot • Bellona | GLEN. Dec 1940 ALSO HAD MGS Chrystler's Farm | Museum of the Wilts., Berks & Glous. Regt., The Wardrobe, Salisbury. |
One can speculate that there are additional Copenhagen 1801 NGS medals to the Army, so far “undiscovered”, like Glegg and Campbell mentioned above – and perhaps Gay. In a future blog, I will deal with unusual NGS medals issued to the Royal Navy for Copenhagen 1801.
References
- Ole Feldbæk, Slaget på Reden. Politikens Forlag 1985 (In Danish, but has been translated to English, Amazon link).
- Dudley Pope, The Great Gamble, Nelson at Copenhagen, Chatham Publishing 1972.
- John Hayward, Diana Birch, and Richard Bishop, British Battles and Medals, 7th Edition, Spink 2007.
- Army List 1802 confirms. Thanks to BGen. Harry Bendorf for this information.
- Lionel S. Challis, Peninsula Roll Call, 1949.
- Thanks to David Bondi for this information.
-PeterL
My ancestor was Hercules Ellis was a Lt in the 49th at Copenhagen. He received £7/17/7 pay and £17/0/7 prize money! I do not know if a medal of his exists. He was stationed at Ft St Joseph 1802-5 and drowned on the way back to Ireland in 1809 leaving a son who was looked after by Brock. I guess Hercules died before medals were distributed. Herc’s brother Dixie was also a Lt in the 49th (not at Copenhagen) and turned back the US cavalry at battle of Crysler’s Farm in Nov 1813. He died in 1847 shortly before medals for that campaign were issued!
I have a miniature of Dixie or Herc See http://www.napoleon-series.org/military/Warof1812/2013/Issue20/EllisMiniature.pdf
Thank you for your comment. And yes – you are correct, no medals would have been issued to your relative, since he died in 1809. The NGS and MGS medals were only issued to surviving members of the expedition in 1848 (on application). Still very interesting to see the miniature, a lovely piece.
-PeterL
A very interesting and informative article indeed! Regarding the renamed medal to Lt. Col. Sheaffe, I am the person who purchased it at the July 1995 (sic) Glendining sale. It came in an early glazed numbered Spink case together with two later Sheaffe family medals (also renamed) plus early typescript geneological details in a rear pocket of the case. I no longer have the latter two medals but I can supply further images of Sheaffe’s renamed NGS for Copenhagen if required.
Graham Neale (in Canada)
OMRS # 2329
I have attached an image of the back of the Spink case (# 00769). The low case number suggests to me that the case is probably circa 1920(?)
… And here are the genealogical details mentioned above.
Thank you very much Graham for posting these pictures and for the kind words, very nice to have these pictures here for reference. It would be informative to also see the naming on the medal, if it’s not too much trouble.
-PeterL
SHEAFFE NGS MEDAL, Image #1
SHEAFFE NGS MEDAL, Image #2
SHEAFFE NGS MEDAL, Image #3
SHEAFFE NGS MEDAL, Image #4
SHEAFFE NGS MEDAL, Image #5
SHEAFFE NGS MEDAL, Image #6
Thanks Graham for posting these pictures. The naming looks like modern laser engraved, like what you see on the modern GSM etc. Must have been a relatively recent undertaking I would think. Thanks again.
I would definitely have to agree with you on that point. In fact, I haven’t taken the renamed medal out of its case for a detailed inspection in probably 15 years. I recall that the two other renamed medals (India General Service 1854) that were originally in the frame had a similar naming style. However, the Spink case and the genealogical typed papers clearly date from several decades before the 1995 Glendining auction. It seems likely that a family member, or perhaps a collector, removed the original medals and for reasons unknown replaced them with renamed machine-engraved medals. It’s all a bit of a mystery!
It should be noted that at the top of the second page of the typed papers there is a note written in pencil that reads “My great grandfather”. This strongly suggests to me that the Spink case was once in the possession of the Sheaffe family. Hopefully, Sheaffe’s original NGS medal is still in existence somewhere!
Many thanks for your valued comments.
Hi
I found this conversation very interesting. I don’t know if this helps, but I published this in my book ‘The two Battles of Copenhagen’ Gareth Glover
Appendix A
Return of the number of Army personnel embarked for the Danish Expedition and the ships they were allocated to
Embarkation Return 28 February 1801
William Stewart, Lieutenant Colonel Commanding
49th Foot on HMS Bellona, Ramillies, Saturn, Warrior, Defiance, Ganges, Russell, Monarch, Elephant, Edgar and Isis
Rifle Company on St George
One platoon of Rifles on London
Lt Colonel Brooke commanded the 49th Regiment
Corps Lt Colonels Majors CaptainsLieutenantsEnsignsPaymasterAdjutant
49th Foot 2 2 6 15 3 1 1
Rifles 1 0 1 2 1 0 0
Total 3 2 7 17 4 1 1
Surgeon Ass. SurgeonSergt Drummers ArmourerRank & File Total
49th 1 1 36 22 0 692 781
95th 0 0 5 2 1 101 114
Total 1 1 41 24 1 793 895
NB.1 – Staff Surgeon (Mr William Ferguson ) not included in the above
NB.2 – 7 Rank & File put on shore at Yarmouth of the 49th Foot
NB.3 – Captain Doyle 108th Foot was allowed to serve with the infantry detachment, having volunteered.
NB.4 – Captain Frazer Royal Artillery sailed with the Engineer’s stores.
Thank you Gareth, very relevant. I’m just about finished reading your book. Very nice account of both battles, and I agree with your conclusion that they need to be seen in the same light. Also lots of nice details (like your post above) which are very helpful to medal collectors. Any idea about William Gay? My own suspicion is that it really is the Boatswain aboard Monarch, William Jay who was wounded, but I have not yet been able to prove this.
Cheers, -Peter
I believe that Lieutenant John Glegg mentioned in the roll above was the ADC of Major General Isaac Brock, who was killed in action at the battle of Queenston Heights on 13 October 1812.