The Peninsular War
During the Peninsular War, the 7th Hussars fought with great distinction and shares many of the same Battle Honours as The 3rd and 4th Hussars.
Orthes, 27 February 1814
In February 1814, the 7th distinguished itself by its magnificent bearing in the Battle of Orthes when engaged in driving the French from an entrenched position by the River Pau.
When the enemy gave way beneath the British assault, the 7th dashed forward in pursuit and, by a brilliant charge, overthrew a body of the foe, taking many prisoners. A second charge, led as before by Colonel Kerrison, resulted in the surrender of 700 more French troops.
Wellington, in writing of the action, said, in his dispatch:
“The 7th Hussars distinguished themselves on this occasion and made many prisoners,” and again “The charge made by the 7th Hussars … was highly meritorious.“
The 7th had 4 men and 5 horses killed; 3 officers, 9 men and 11 horses wounded.
From the action of February 1814 up to the declaration of peace, when Napoleon abdicated, the 7th Hussars were mainly engaged in outpost duties. In June they returned to England.
Campaign Medal
The Military General Service Medal 1793 – 1814 was authorised by a General Order dated 1st June 1847 and issued in 1848. This was a campaign medal for the issue to officers and men of the British Army, and sometimes it was referred to as the Peninsular Medal. It covers military actions from 1793-1814; a period encompassing the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, and the Anglo-American War of 1812.
Each battle or action covered by the medal was represented by a clasp on the ribbon, with twenty-nine bars being awarded, fifteen being the most to any one recipient.
The bars are fixed in multiples of three where applicable. The bars mainly commemorate actions of the Peninsular War but also include various campaigns across the globe such as the West Indies, Egypt, and Java, the United States of America.
It is to be noted that the medal was only awarded to surviving claimants; one had both to have survived until 1847 and then to actively apply for it. A combination of factors, from general illiteracy to limited publicity for the new medal meant that many did not. There are substantially fewer medals issued compared with the number of men who served during this period.
The medal was awarded only to surviving claimants; next of kin could not apply for a medal on behalf of a deceased relative. However, the medal was awarded to the next of kin of those claimants who had died between the date of their application and the date of presentation.
Twenty Nine Bars were Issued;
Egypt, Maida, Roleia, Vimiera, Sahagun, Benevente, Sahagun and Benevente, Corunna, Martinique, Talavera, Guadaloupe, Busaco, Barrosa, Fuentes D’Onor, Albuhera, Java, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Salamanca, Fort Detroit, Chateauguay, Chrystler’s Farm, Vittoria, Pyrenees, St Sebastian, Nivelle, Nive, Orthes, Toulouse.
