James Graham (British Army soldier) facts for kids

James Graham (1791–1845) was an Irish soldier in the British Army. He served during the Napoleonic Wars. The famous Duke of Wellington called him "the bravest man in the army."

Graham was part of the Coldstream Guards. He was praised for his courage during the defense of Hougoumont at the Battle of Waterloo. He saved an officer's life and even his own brother. He was also one of the few soldiers who managed to close the North Gate at Hougoumont after a French attack. This brave act earned him special praise from the Duke of Wellington.

For his bravery, Graham received a special medal and a yearly payment. After serving in another unit, the 12th Royal Lancers, he left the army in 1830 due to poor health. He died in 1845 at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham.

Early Life and Army Service

James Graham was born in 1791 in Clones, County Monaghan, Ireland. He was one of three brothers who joined the British Army.

In 1813, Graham joined the 2nd Battalion of the Coldstream Guards. This unit was based in England at the time. Back then, most soldiers joined the army for life. They received a "bounty" (a payment) of about £23. However, much of this money was used to buy their uniforms and supplies.

Graham was assigned to a "light company," which was a special group of soldiers. By 1815, he had become a corporal. Many Irishmen joined English or Scottish regiments after Ireland and Great Britain joined together in 1800. So, many army groups had Irish soldiers during the Napoleonic Wars.

The Coldstream Guards were an elite (top-level) infantry regiment. Infantry means soldiers who fight on foot. Soldiers in the Foot Guards received better training and had strict rules. The Duke of Wellington believed that the non-commissioned officers (NCOs) in the Guards were among the best in the army. An NCO is a soldier who has more responsibility than a regular soldier but is not an officer.

The Road to Waterloo

The United Kingdom and its allies had been fighting against Napoleon's French Empire since 1803. By early 1814, the Duke of Wellington's army had pushed through Spain and Portugal into France. Other allied armies were also attacking France from the east.

On March 31, 1814, allied armies entered Paris. Napoleon gave up his power on April 6. Within a month, he was sent away to an island called Elba. Everyone thought the war was over. But on February 26, 1815, Napoleon escaped from Elba. He returned to France and quickly gathered a new army.

The Allies formed another army to fight him. Graham's Coldstream Guards were in Brussels and Ath in Belgium. They joined with other units to form the 2nd Brigade. The Allies set up two main armies in Belgium. The Duke of Wellington led the British and Allied forces. Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher led the Prussian army.

Napoleon quickly marched his army to meet them. He split his forces for a two-part attack. On June 16, 1815, Napoleon himself fought Blücher at Ligny. Meanwhile, Marshall Ney attacked Wellington's army at the Battle of Quatre Bras.

This map shows the Waterloo Campaign. You can see Enghien to the west of Waterloo.

Wellington learned about Napoleon's location on the night of June 15. He ordered his army to hold their ground at Quatre Bras. Graham's battalion and the rest of his brigade left Enghien at 3 a.m. on June 16. They marched about 25 miles to Quatre Bras. They arrived at 4 p.m., two hours after the battle had started.

The Coldstream Guards immediately moved into position. They helped the 1st Foot Guards who were fighting the French in Bossu Wood. After clearing the wood, Lieutenant-Colonel James Macdonnell led Graham's company and other light companies in a counter-attack. They fought against Jérôme Bonaparte's French soldiers.

The Guards battalions suffered many losses. But by 6:30 p.m., Wellington's position was stronger. By 9 p.m., Ney had pulled his men back, and Wellington held the battlefield. The French lost 4,000 men, and the Allies lost 4,800.

Wellington held Quatre Bras, but the Prussians were defeated at Ligny. They had to retreat. When Wellington heard this on June 17, he ordered his army to pull back to be level with his allies. They took up a new position near the Belgian village of Waterloo. Graham's company helped cover the retreat. They did not leave Quatre Bras until mid-afternoon.

The battlefield at Waterloo was about 3.4 miles wide. It had two parallel ridges with a shallow valley in between. On the right side of the Allied line was the chateau (a large country house) of Hougoumont. This group of walled farm buildings was closer to the French line. Wellington knew it was important for defense. He ordered Hanoverian and Nassau troops to hold the farm.

If the Allies held Hougoumont, they could fire on any French attack on the main Allied line. If the French took it, they could use it as a strong base to launch their own attacks. Hougoumont also protected a key road and the Allies' right side. So, Wellington ordered his troops to hold it at all costs.

Heroism at Hougoumont

The north gate at Hougoumont in 2006. The walls are lower now than they were in 1815.

The main battle began on June 18, 1815, around 11 a.m. Napoleon's brother, Jerome, led a French attack on Hougoumont from the southwest. The French took control of much of the chateau's park. But the Allies held onto the farmhouse and its courtyards.

Jerome kept trying to take the farmhouse all day. He launched four or five attacks. Most were pushed back by the defenders. They fired through small openings, windows, and doorways. Around 12:30 p.m., one attack broke through the north gate. The gate had been left open for Allied troops and supplies. A French soldier, Sous-Lieutenant Legros, broke through the wooden doors with an axe. This allowed French soldiers to rush into the courtyard.

Graham's commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel James Macdonnell, led his men to the gates. They tried to shut them against the pushing French soldiers. They did this with the help of three officers (Captain Wyndham, Ensign Hervey, and Ensign Gooch), Corporal Graham, and a few other soldiers, including Graham's brother Joseph. James Graham was the one who slid the bar into place to lock the gate. Then, they piled flagstones, carts, and other items against the gates to keep them shut. All the French soldiers trapped inside the courtyard were killed, except for one young drummer-boy.

Wellington watched the fighting at Hougoumont until about 1 p.m. He was satisfied that the position was secure. Then, he focused his attention on the center of the Allied line.

With the chateau secure, about 3,500 British and German troops defended the strongpoint. They faced an estimated 14,500 French soldiers. Around 8,000 French soldiers died attacking Hougoumont that day.

During the battle, Graham also saved the life of Captain Wyndham. Wyndham was one of the officers who helped shut the gate. Graham shot a French sniper whose musket was aimed at the officer. In the mid-afternoon, a fire started in one of the farm buildings. This happened after the French fired explosive shells.

Graham's brother Joseph was wounded inside the burning building. Graham asked for permission to leave his post to rescue his brother. He was given permission. He pulled his brother out and then returned to his duty. Sadly, Joseph Graham died from his wounds five days later.

At 7 p.m., the defenders at Hougoumont were still fighting. This was despite the burning buildings and their low ammunition. Within a couple of hours, the fighting across the rest of the field ended in a victory for the Allies. The French army was retreating. Afterwards, Wellington said that "the success of the battle turned upon closing the gates at Hougoumont." It is likely that if the gates had not been shut so quickly, the men holding Hougoumont would have been killed.

This defense was very costly. The Coldstream Guards lost 8 officers and 300 other soldiers. James Graham was promoted to sergeant for his bravery at Hougoumont. He also received a special medal for his courage.

"The Bravest Man at Waterloo"

Wellington greatly respected the soldiers who fought at Hougoumont. After the battle, he wrote: "You may depend upon it, no troops could have held Hougoumont but the British, and only the best of them." Among these "best soldiers," Graham stood out as truly special.

In August 1815, a church leader named John Norcross wanted to give money from a farm to the "most deserving soldier at Waterloo." He asked the Duke of Wellington, who chose James Graham. Graham received £10 a year for two years from the farm.

Wellington's official papers mention Graham:

He helped Lieutenant-colonel Macdonnell close the gates. The gates had been left open for communication, and the enemy was trying to force them open. His brother, a corporal in the regiment, was wounded in a barn that was on fire. Graham moved him to safety from the fire, and then returned to his duty. He had been in the regiment for 3 years and 2 months.

This honor is noted in Graham's army record. It says: "The most valorous NCO at the battle of Waterloo selected by the Duke of Wellington."

Later Career and Legacy

Graham continued to serve in the Coldstream Guards after Waterloo. His battalion went to Paris and stayed there until 1816. Then, they were sent to Cambrai. In November 1818, they returned to England.

Graham left the Guards in 1821. He then joined the 12th Royal Lancers as a private. When he joined, the Lancers were in Ireland. They returned to England in 1824. In 1826, some of their squadrons served in Portugal before coming back to England. Graham was discharged from the army in July 1830 due to poor health. He had an "injured chest and was worn out." He received a pension (regular payment) from the Chelsea Hospital.

James Graham died in 1845 at the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham. He was buried with military honors. A memorial plaque was put up at the Hospital. It was later moved to St Tiernach's Church in Clones, Ireland.

His death notice appeared in The Gentleman's Magazine under the name "John Graham." It mentioned him as the soldier chosen by the Duke of Wellington as "the bravest of the brave" at Waterloo.

Enduring Legacy

James Graham's brave actions at Waterloo became very famous in Great Britain. Many stories about the battle mention what he did. These include a book about Wellington, another sergeant's memories, and Charles Dickens' magazine Household Words.

The moment he helped close the gate was painted by artist Robert Gibb in 1903. This painting is now at the National Museums of Scotland. A watercolour portrait of Sergeant Graham himself is kept at the National Gallery of Ireland.

The actions of Graham and Macdonnell are still remembered as a key moment in the Battle of Waterloo. In 1915, a cigarette company, W.D. & H.O. Wills, put Graham and Macdonnell on one of their cigarette cards. This was to celebrate 100 years since Waterloo. Many authors who write historical fiction about Waterloo include the story of the gate. Even if they add their own made-up heroes, they still say Macdonnell and Graham closed the gate.

The Coldstream Guards still celebrate their efforts at Waterloo and Graham's bravery. Every December, the Sergeants' Mess (a special room for sergeants) has a ceremony called "Hanging the Brick." The "Brick" is a stone from Hougoumont. It is paraded through the barracks and hung in the Sergeants' Mess with great honor. The Regiment also keeps Graham's Waterloo Medal and his gallantry medal. In 2004, the Regiment named a new building for sergeants after him. It is in Lille Barracks, Aldershot. A plaque on the building says:

"In Memory of Sergeant James Graham WM, 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards, "The Bravest Man in England", Following His Actions in Closing The Gates at Hougoumont Farm, Waterloo, 18 June 1815."