Willem Frederik van Bylandt
Encyclopedia
Willem Frederik count of Bylandt or Bijlandt (The Hague
, June 5, 1771 — Prinsenhage, October 25, 1855) was a Dutch lieutenant-general who as a major-general commanded a Belgian-Dutch infantry brigade at the Battle of Quatre Bras
and the Battle of Waterloo
.
who in 1793 was held responsible for the less-than-vigorous defense of that city against the French armies then invading the Dutch Republic
. Alexander was court-martialed and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Bylandt first married Mary Christian (daughter of rear-admiral Sir Hugh Cloberry Christian
) on June 20, 1806 at the Isle of Wight
. After her death in 1818 he married Virginie Fréderique Wilhelmine Aspasia Craan (daughter of Willem Benjamin Craan
) on December 22, 1825 in St. Joost ten Node (Belgium).
s in 1783. In 1786 he became an NCO in the elite Gardes te paard (Life Guards of the Stadtholder), and shortly afterward shifted to the Foot Guards as a second lieutenant (as such he took part on the Orangist
side in the suppression of the Revolt of the Patriots
). Promoted to captain in 1790 he transferred to the Schwartz battalion in 1794. He participated in the 1792-1795 campaigns of the War of the First Coalition
, fighting in the Battle of Fleurus (1794)
among others.
After the fall of the Republic and the proclamation of the Batavian Republic
in January, 1795 Bylandt resigned his commission and joined the Hereditary Prince (the future William I of the Netherlands
) in Bremen
with other émigrés, and followed the Prince to England later in the year to join a group of Orangist Dutch military men, who offered their services to the British. On November 25, 1795 he obtained a captain's commission in the regiment Hompesch Hussars that was sent to fight in the West Indies. He transferred to a regiment of chasseur
s in 1796 as a major and was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in 1797. He so distinguished himself in the assault on Trinidad
that he was entrusted with the military government of Antigua
. In 1800 he rejoined the Hompesch Hussars as a lieutenant-colonel to take part in the suppression of the Irish Rebellion of 1798
. He participated in the Battle of Ballinamuck
with distinction.
After the Peace of Amiens
Bylandt was paid off by the British and returned to the Batavian Republic to manage his estates near Breda. Only after the Netherlands regained its independence in 1813 did he again enter military service, this time as a lieutenant-colonel of the new Battalion Landmilitie (Militia) No. 12 (which was renumbered No. 8 in 1814). He was promoted to colonel of the regiment in 1814. On April 21, 1815 he was put in charge of the First Brigade, Second Netherlands Division (Perponcher
) as a major-general.
, chief of staff of the Netherlands Mobile Army, to take up position at the cross roads of Quatre Bras, because a French attack by Marshal Michel Ney
was expected. Bylandt deployed a skirmish line of his 27th Jager Battalion and awaited developments. The next day the expected French attack came, and the Dutch troops (still without British support at this time) were hard pressed. Bylandt's brigade was concentrated around the Gemioncourt farm and the nearby woods. The farm changed hands several times and especially the 5th Militia Battalion suffered heavy casualties.
The Dutch troops were finally relieved by the arrival of general Thomas Picton
's Fifth British Division and the 3rd Dutch Light Cavalry Brigade (general Van Merlen) around 3 pm. After a hard fought battle the Allies were left in command of the battle field. Bylandt's brigade was now ordered to the vicinity of Waterloo.
What happened next is the subject of some controversy. The Duke of Wellington
placed his allied army in two lines and a reserve behind a ridge on the north side of what would become the battle field. The ridge was supposed to offer some cover for the Allied troops against artillery fire. At first, however, Bylandt's brigade was placed in front of this ridge, fully exposed to any opening bombardment. The controversy concerns the question whether this tactical error (the result of sloppy staff work) was remedied in time. In many accounts of the battle it is asserted that the brigade (already depleted by the heavy losses at Quatre Bras) in fact remained deployed in this exposed position and therefore suffered terribly during Napoleon
's opening artillery barrage. But this is doubtful, because the after-battle report by the chief-of-staff of the 2nd Division (then captain) Van Zuylen van Nyevelt states that the brigade was in time moved to a safer position. The famous map of the battlefield by Bylandt's future father-in-law Willem Benjamin Craan
and his appended explanatory note, also place the brigade in this safer position.
Craan's 1816 history of the battle therefore does not mention heavy casualties for Bylandt's brigade as a consequence of Napoleon's opening barrage of 80 guns, but instead blames the infantry charge by d'Erlon's divisions on the sector of the Allied front that the brigade occupied for these indeed heavy casualties. As the Dutch troops received several point-blank volleys, and because they were deployed in a thin line (to cover as much terrain as possible according to Craan) the French broke through their line and the remnants of two of the Militia battalions retreated in haste, until they were rallied by the 5th Militia Battalion, that was placed in reserve.
During this enemy action Bylandt himself was wounded and the command of the brigade was taken over by the commander of the 8th Militia Battalion, lt.-col. W. A. de Jongh. After the battle Bylandt received the Knight's Cross Third Class of the Military William Order for his gallantry.
started. Because he acted less than decisively the situation soon got out of hand. He was blamed for this and put on non-active status on November 24, 1830. In the following years he published several pamphlets to defend his good name. He retired from the service in 1840 but was nevertheless promoted to lieutenant-general in 1843.
Bylandt died, aged 84, on his estate near Breda in 1855.
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, June 5, 1771 — Prinsenhage, October 25, 1855) was a Dutch lieutenant-general who as a major-general commanded a Belgian-Dutch infantry brigade at the Battle of Quatre Bras
Battle of Quatre Bras
The Battle of Quatre Bras, between Wellington's Anglo-Dutch army and the left wing of the Armée du Nord under Marshal Michel Ney, was fought near the strategic crossroads of Quatre Bras on 16 June 1815.- Prelude :...
and the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
.
Family Life
Bylandt was the son of major-general Alexander count of Bylandt and Anne, baroness Van der Duijn. His father was the acting-governor of the fortress of BredaBreda
Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...
who in 1793 was held responsible for the less-than-vigorous defense of that city against the French armies then invading the Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
. Alexander was court-martialed and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Bylandt first married Mary Christian (daughter of rear-admiral Sir Hugh Cloberry Christian
Hugh Cloberry Christian
Sir Hugh Cloberry Christian KB was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary Wars....
) on June 20, 1806 at the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
. After her death in 1818 he married Virginie Fréderique Wilhelmine Aspasia Craan (daughter of Willem Benjamin Craan
Willem Benjamin Craan
Willem Benjamin Craan was a Dutch surveyor and cartographer, who is best known for his 1816 map of the battlefield of the Battle of Waterloo in which he provided the initial dispositions of all armies concerned, based on information gleaned from many participants in the battle from all sides.-Early...
) on December 22, 1825 in St. Joost ten Node (Belgium).
Early career
Bylandt was the scion of a well-known Dutch military family, both army and navy officers (a cousin became a well-known admiral of the same epoch). He first entered the service of the Dutch Republic as a cadet at age 12 in a regiment of DragoonDragoon
The word dragoon originally meant mounted infantry, who were trained in horse riding as well as infantry fighting skills. However, usage altered over time and during the 18th century, dragoons evolved into conventional light cavalry units and personnel...
s in 1783. In 1786 he became an NCO in the elite Gardes te paard (Life Guards of the Stadtholder), and shortly afterward shifted to the Foot Guards as a second lieutenant (as such he took part on the Orangist
Orangism (Netherlands)
Orangism is a monarchist political support for the House of Orange-Nassau as monarchy of the Netherlands. It played a significant role in the political history of the Netherlands since the Dutch revolt...
side in the suppression of the Revolt of the Patriots
Patriots (faction)
The Patriots were a political faction in the Dutch Republic in the second half of the 18th century. They were led by Joan van der Capellen tot den Pol, gaining power from November 1782....
). Promoted to captain in 1790 he transferred to the Schwartz battalion in 1794. He participated in the 1792-1795 campaigns of the War of the First Coalition
First Coalition
The War of the First Coalition was the first major effort of multiple European monarchies to contain Revolutionary France. France declared war on the Habsburg monarchy of Austria on 20 April 1792, and the Kingdom of Prussia joined the Austrian side a few weeks later.These powers initiated a series...
, fighting in the Battle of Fleurus (1794)
Battle of Fleurus (1794)
In the Battle of Fleurus on 26 June 1794, the army of the First French Republic under General Jean-Baptiste Jourdan faced the Coalition Army commanded by Prince Josias of Coburg in the most decisive battle of the Flanders Campaign in the Low Countries during the French Revolutionary Wars...
among others.
After the fall of the Republic and the proclamation of the Batavian Republic
Batavian Republic
The Batavian Republic was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on January 19, 1795, and ended on June 5, 1806, with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of the Kingdom of Holland....
in January, 1795 Bylandt resigned his commission and joined the Hereditary Prince (the future William I of the Netherlands
William I of the Netherlands
William I Frederick, born Willem Frederik Prins van Oranje-Nassau , was a Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg....
) in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
with other émigrés, and followed the Prince to England later in the year to join a group of Orangist Dutch military men, who offered their services to the British. On November 25, 1795 he obtained a captain's commission in the regiment Hompesch Hussars that was sent to fight in the West Indies. He transferred to a regiment of chasseur
Chasseur
Chasseur [sha-sur; Fr. sha-sœr] is the designation given to certain regiments of French light infantry or light cavalry troops, trained for rapid action.-History:...
s in 1796 as a major and was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in 1797. He so distinguished himself in the assault on Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
that he was entrusted with the military government of Antigua
Antigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
. In 1800 he rejoined the Hompesch Hussars as a lieutenant-colonel to take part in the suppression of the Irish Rebellion of 1798
Irish Rebellion of 1798
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 , also known as the United Irishmen Rebellion , was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against British rule in Ireland...
. He participated in the Battle of Ballinamuck
Battle of Ballinamuck
The Battle of Ballinamuck marked the defeat of the main force of the French incursion during the 1798 Rebellion in Ireland.- Background :The victory of General Humbert at Castlebar, despite gaining him c. 5,000 Irish recruits had not led to a renewed outbreak of the rebellion as hoped...
with distinction.
After the Peace of Amiens
Treaty of Amiens
The Treaty of Amiens temporarily ended hostilities between the French Republic and the United Kingdom during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was signed in the city of Amiens on 25 March 1802 , by Joseph Bonaparte and the Marquess Cornwallis as a "Definitive Treaty of Peace"...
Bylandt was paid off by the British and returned to the Batavian Republic to manage his estates near Breda. Only after the Netherlands regained its independence in 1813 did he again enter military service, this time as a lieutenant-colonel of the new Battalion Landmilitie (Militia) No. 12 (which was renumbered No. 8 in 1814). He was promoted to colonel of the regiment in 1814. On April 21, 1815 he was put in charge of the First Brigade, Second Netherlands Division (Perponcher
Hendrik George de Perponcher Sedlnitsky
Hendrik George, Count de Perponcher Sedlnitsky , was a Dutch general and diplomat...
) as a major-general.
Battles of Quatre Bras and Waterloo
On the evening of June 15, 1815 Bylandt's brigade was ordered by general Jean Victor de Constant RebecqueJean Victor de Constant Rebecque
Jean Victor baron de Constant Rebecque was a Swiss lieutenant-general in Dutch service of French ancestry...
, chief of staff of the Netherlands Mobile Army, to take up position at the cross roads of Quatre Bras, because a French attack by Marshal Michel Ney
Michel Ney
Michel Ney , 1st Duc d'Elchingen, 1st Prince de la Moskowa was a French soldier and military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the original 18 Marshals of France created by Napoleon I...
was expected. Bylandt deployed a skirmish line of his 27th Jager Battalion and awaited developments. The next day the expected French attack came, and the Dutch troops (still without British support at this time) were hard pressed. Bylandt's brigade was concentrated around the Gemioncourt farm and the nearby woods. The farm changed hands several times and especially the 5th Militia Battalion suffered heavy casualties.
The Dutch troops were finally relieved by the arrival of general Thomas Picton
Thomas Picton
Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Picton GCB was a Welsh British Army officer who fought in a number of campaigns for Britain, and rose to the rank of lieutenant general...
's Fifth British Division and the 3rd Dutch Light Cavalry Brigade (general Van Merlen) around 3 pm. After a hard fought battle the Allies were left in command of the battle field. Bylandt's brigade was now ordered to the vicinity of Waterloo.
What happened next is the subject of some controversy. The Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
placed his allied army in two lines and a reserve behind a ridge on the north side of what would become the battle field. The ridge was supposed to offer some cover for the Allied troops against artillery fire. At first, however, Bylandt's brigade was placed in front of this ridge, fully exposed to any opening bombardment. The controversy concerns the question whether this tactical error (the result of sloppy staff work) was remedied in time. In many accounts of the battle it is asserted that the brigade (already depleted by the heavy losses at Quatre Bras) in fact remained deployed in this exposed position and therefore suffered terribly during Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
's opening artillery barrage. But this is doubtful, because the after-battle report by the chief-of-staff of the 2nd Division (then captain) Van Zuylen van Nyevelt states that the brigade was in time moved to a safer position. The famous map of the battlefield by Bylandt's future father-in-law Willem Benjamin Craan
Willem Benjamin Craan
Willem Benjamin Craan was a Dutch surveyor and cartographer, who is best known for his 1816 map of the battlefield of the Battle of Waterloo in which he provided the initial dispositions of all armies concerned, based on information gleaned from many participants in the battle from all sides.-Early...
and his appended explanatory note, also place the brigade in this safer position.
Craan's 1816 history of the battle therefore does not mention heavy casualties for Bylandt's brigade as a consequence of Napoleon's opening barrage of 80 guns, but instead blames the infantry charge by d'Erlon's divisions on the sector of the Allied front that the brigade occupied for these indeed heavy casualties. As the Dutch troops received several point-blank volleys, and because they were deployed in a thin line (to cover as much terrain as possible according to Craan) the French broke through their line and the remnants of two of the Militia battalions retreated in haste, until they were rallied by the 5th Militia Battalion, that was placed in reserve.
During this enemy action Bylandt himself was wounded and the command of the brigade was taken over by the commander of the 8th Militia Battalion, lt.-col. W. A. de Jongh. After the battle Bylandt received the Knight's Cross Third Class of the Military William Order for his gallantry.
Later career
After the return of the army to the new Kingdom of the United Netherlands Bylandt was appointed military governor of South-Brabant (which contained Brussels). He was military governor of that city when in 1830 the Belgian RevolutionBelgian Revolution
The Belgian Revolution was the conflict which led to the secession of the Southern provinces from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and established an independent Kingdom of Belgium....
started. Because he acted less than decisively the situation soon got out of hand. He was blamed for this and put on non-active status on November 24, 1830. In the following years he published several pamphlets to defend his good name. He retired from the service in 1840 but was nevertheless promoted to lieutenant-general in 1843.
Bylandt died, aged 84, on his estate near Breda in 1855.