A short thread on Charles Ewart, Sgt of the Scots Greys at Waterloo, famed for his Eagle capture on the 18th June 1815.

Born 1769 (same year as Wellington & Boney) in Scotland he joined the Dragoons when he was 20.

Whilst serving in flanders in the Revolutionary Wars he rescued a baby, found alongside it's dead mother, he brought it back to camp & amazingly found the father, a Sjt in the 60th who offered him money, Ewart refused, eventually accepting a silver watch in thanks.

Ewart was briefly captured during the war, but emerged from it promoted to Sgt.

Back in Britain he was a regimental fencing master (a position that came with extra pay).

He is described as being "well knit" and being about 6 foot 4 inches tall!

The next tweets are all taken from James Paterson who dined with Ewart:
"At Waterloo, Ewart was involved in a hand to hand combat with an officer, whom he was about to cut down, when a young ensign of the Greys offered to instead take the Frenchman to the rear as a prisoner...

No sooner had he agreed to the request when he heard the report of a pistol and upon turning, saw the ensign falling from his horse, and the officer in the act of replacing the weapon with which he had dispatched the life of his preserver...

Thus enraged, Ewart cut down the officer, deaf to his pleadings for mercy. Dashing forward he now found himself close to the standard-bearer of one of the French Invincible regiments. A short and deadly conflict ensued and as the staff had stuck fast in the ground...

he was able to lay hold of it without further trouble. Looking round he saw a lancer single him out, gallop forward and hurl his spear at his breast. He had just enough strength to ward off the blow, so that the lance only grazed his side; then raising himself up in his stirrups

...he brought his opponent to the ground with one cut of his sword. When riding away with the Eagle he experienced another narrow escape, for a wounded Frenchman, who he had taken for dead, raised himself up on one elbow and fired at him as he passed.

The ball fortunately missed him and he was able to take his prize to the rear."

From there Ewart's Eagle was taken to the rear.

One of 2 Eagles captured at Waterloo (both by Dragoons) which were later laid at the Prince Regent's feet in London.

The Eagle was adopted by the Scots Greys as their badge & remains on the cap badge, the Eagle is at their museum.

He was raised to Ensign (equivalent to 2nd Lt) in the 5th Veterans Battalion.

When this regiment was disbanded in 1821 he was granted a full pension of an Ensign.

He lived in Salford & the Davyhulme, Manchester, passing away on 23 May 1846

As a postscript, most people will know Ewart's name, not only for his heroic at Waterloo, but for the famed pub, on the Royal Mile, Edinburgh named in his honour, a good spot for a refreshment, but do walk up the hill to visit the museums & see Ewart's Eagle in the Castle