SINGLE CAMPAIGN MEDALS
9
The Peninsular War medal to Lieutenant R. H. Johnston, 87th Foot,
who was severely wounded at Talavera and fought with the ‘Eagle-
Catchers’ at Barrosa
MILITARY GENERAL SERVICE 1793-1814, 2 clasps, Talavera, Barrosa (R. H.
Johnston, Lieut. 87th Foot) minor edge bruising and obverse lightly
polished, otherwise good very fine £3000-3500
Believed to be the only 87th officer’s medal for Barrosa available to collectors,
none recorded as having been on the market by Needes.
Ralph H. Johnston (or Johnson) was appointed Lieutenant in the 87th Regiment
on 18 November 1807, and served in the Peninsula from March 1809 to June
1811.
He was present at the crossing of the Douro and at the battle of Talavera in 1809, and was severely wounded on the 27th July when the
2/87th bore the brunt of the French surprise attack on the first day of the battle. In this attack the 2/87th suffered almost 200 casualties,
including one officer killed and ten wounded. On the second day three more officers were wounded, all severely.
After a period of service at Cadiz, he was present in March 1811 at the battle of Barrosa when the 2/87th and three companies of the
Coldstream Guards made a bold charge which sent Leval’s French division reeling. During the attack, Sergeant Patrick Masterman, of
the 87th, launched himself into the fight for the eagle of the French 8th Regiment. In a furious struggle some seven French soldiers were
killed and Lieutenant Gazan, severely wounded, was forced to relinquish his hold on the eagle, leaving a triumphant Masterman to
claim the distinction of capturing the first eagle to be taken by the British in the Peninsular. Thus the 87th gained another sobriquet -
the ‘Eagle-Catchers’.
Johnston obtained a Captaincy in the 64th Foot in November 1811, and served in that regiment for at least a further 10 years. He
subsequently appears to have been appointed as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Grenadier Guards and was placed on Half-pay
Unattached on 24 December 1829.
10
MILITARY GENERAL SERVICE 1793-1814, 3 clasps, Fuentes D’Onor, Ciudad
Rodrigo, Badajoz (J. McCormick, Ensn. 94th Foot) extremely fine
£2500-3000
James McCormick was appointed an Ensign in the 94th Foot on 25 May 1809,
aged 22 years. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 17 March 1814, and placed
on Half Pay on 24 December 1818, upon the disbandment of the 94th Foot. In
his statement of service in 1829 he states that ‘During the last five years, have
resided in Kelso and neighbourhood for three years & a half, nine months in
Londonderry, and the remainder of the time in Edinburgh, Stirling and Alloa.’
McCormick served in the Peninsula from February 1810 to April 1814 and saw
service at Cadiz, Redhina, Casal Nova, Foz d’Aronce, Sabugal, El Boden, Fuentes
d’Onor, 2nd siege of Badajoz, Ciudad Rodrigo, and the successful siege and
storming of Badajoz.
On 3rd/4th May 1811, the 94th’s light company was engaged at Fuentes d’Onor,
the remainder of the battalion occupying a position on the ridge behind the
village. The 94th next saw action at the storming of Ciudad Rodrigo on 19
January 1812, when they stormed the great breach with a loss of 69 casualties. A
further 65 men were lost by the 94th on 6 April at the storming of Badajoz.
James McCormick went on half-pay on 25 December 1818, and died in
Edinburgh on 21 March 1858.
11
MILITARY GENERAL SERVICE 1793-1814, 3 clasps, Pyrenees, Orthes, Toulouse
(J. Priestly, 95th Foot) edge bruise, otherwise very fine £1000-1200
Joseph Priestly was granted a pension in respect of a sabre wound received in the
Pyrenees and a gunshot wound at Toulouse (WO 116/60 refers).
www.dnw.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191