Henry Paget: the British commander who lost a leg at Waterloo

Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, is one of the best-known figures in nineteenth-century British military and political history. HistoryExtra's 'life of the week' segment traces his career from his early years to his decisive command at the Battle of Waterloo and through his long political life that followed.

Paget was born in 1768 and entered the British army at a young age. He gained command experience in the early Napoleonic Wars during the Flanders campaign and operations in Ireland. In 1808, during the Peninsular War in Spain, he came to wider notice as the cavalry commander who led the retreat to Corunna under Sir John Moore.

At the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, Paget commanded the main cavalry force under the Duke of Wellington. Historical records show that the heavy cavalry charge on the Anglo-allied wing played a decisive role in breaking the first French assault. But the operation came at a high cost; the cavalry lost cohesion and were exposed to counter-attack.

In the final hours of the battle Paget's right leg was shattered by a cannonball. According to an anecdote relayed by HistoryExtra, Paget reportedly said to Wellington at his side: 'By God, sir, I've lost my leg,' to which Wellington answered, 'By God, sir, so you have.' That exchange became part of the British military culture's myth of cool composure.

The amputation was carried out at a small farmhouse near Hougoumont, in the village of Waterloo outside Brussels. The surgical methods of the time were crude by today's standards; Paget had no anaesthetic. The artificial leg fitted afterwards — known as the Anglesey leg — is considered an important design milestone in the development of prosthetics.

After the war, Paget was created Marquess of Anglesey. From 1818 he played an active role in the House of Lords and served twice as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. In Ireland he took positions supporting extending political rights to Catholics, which created tensions with conservative circles.

Paget's private life was an event discussed across his aristocratic peers. His first marriage ended in divorce; his second was to Lady Charlotte Wellesley. That private chapter produced a scandal that Regency-era society debated for years.

Military historians evaluate Paget's contribution to cavalry tactics differently. Some see him as one of the most able cavalry commanders of the early nineteenth century; others criticize the operational loss of control during the Waterloo charge. Cited by HistoryExtra, military historian Professor Andrew Roberts said Paget's 'courage and natural leadership' are beyond debate.

Paget's life ended in 1854. His grave is at Plas Newydd in the United Kingdom; the leg lost at Waterloo, in line with the customs of the period, was buried in a separate cemetery near Brussels. That curious detail is a reminder that Paget was, physically, a soldier divided between two countries.

The HistoryExtra segment contextualizes both Paget's military career and his political life. According to historians, figures like Paget provide a critical lens for understanding the military and social structure of the early nineteenth-century British Empire. This is not a substitute for academic historical scholarship.