Our patient in this video is Robert Evans, who came all the way from England to participate in the 200th of the Battle of New Orleans In January of 2015. Evans has a special connection to that particular battle, his 6x great grandfather, William Paterson, served and was wounded at New Orleans. Evans decided that he wanted to participate in the British Hospital and recreate one of the particular injuries that his ancestor Patterson received.
Colonel William Paterson joined the British Army in 1786 as an Ensign in the 57th Foot – shortly after transferring to the 21st Fusiliers and serving with them for the rest of his military career. He saw a great deal of action, including the capture of Martinique in 1794; the Irish Rebellion in 1802; and the capture of various French-held possessions in the Mediterranean from 1810 to 1813.
From 1813 until 1815 he served with the British Army in America, commanding a Brigade during the Chesapeake campaign (which involved significant command at both the battles of Bladensburg and Baltimore) and leading his old regiment, the 21st, during the assault on Line Jackson at New Orleans. During this battle he was wounded twice: in the shoulder by grape shot and in the knee by a rifle ball.
Happily he survived, and went on to be knighted in 1831 and made a Lieutenant-General in 1837. He died in 1849, at the age of 82.
Special thanks to Mr. Evans who let us participate in this very special recreation!
"Give 'em wot for Lt. Evans!"
No comments:
Post a Comment