General Manley Power, for having the best name of the
Napoleonic Wars!
 |
| Swag. |
Sir Manley (how cool is that!?!) is from AB miniatures,
while his Portuguese second-in-command is a repurposed American from Blue Moon.
Power is wearing the uniform of a
British general, while the Portuguese colonel is wearing the facings of his
regiment. In the Peninsula Portuguese infantry brigades which were integrated
into British divisions (such as Power’s
Portuguese, which was fully integrated into the 3rd Division for
the duration of the Peninsular War) were ordered by the overall Portuguese
commander William Beresford to have a chain of command that comprised of both
British and Portuguese officers. For
example, if a regiment was commanded by a Portuguese colonel, then his
lieutenant colonel would be British, the major Portuguese, and so on down the
line. As such, I’ve put a Portuguese officer on this stand with Sir Manley, in
accordance to General Beresford’s directive.
If you haven’t noticed, I really like Manley Power, and not
just because of his name. One in a long line of men serving in Britain’s armed
forces, Power served in Canada, Holland and Minorca as a young officer before
he was sent to Egypt to fight the French under Sir Ralph Abercromby, where he
fought at the Battle of Alexandria in 1801. During the Peninsular War Power was
attached to Portuguese Army, where he led his brigade in the Battles of
Salamanca, Vitoria, Fuentes de Onoro, Torres Vedras, and Nivelle. His actions
both during and after the siege of Badajoz earned Power special recognition by
Parliament, and in 1813 he was promoted to Lieutenant General. After the end of
the Peninsular campaign Power was sent to America to fight in the War of 1812,
where he helped remove the impotent General George Prevost from overall British
command after Prevost’s failure at the Battle of Plattsburg. In January 1815
Power was part of the expedition under Sir Edward Pakenham sent to Louisiana
which was repulsed by Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans. His service
during the War of 1812 meant Power was not present at Waterloo. In 1815 he
rejoined the 3rd Division in France for occupation duty, and after
the war was knighted, served as the Lieutenant Governor of Malta, and died in
1826 following illness. His legacy continues in the form of a march named after
him, still used by the 4th Battalion of the Queen’s Regiment.
That’s all for now. I may have some more soon.
Questions comments and criticisms are always welcomed and appreciated.
Thanks for looking!Chuck
