At the Battle of Waterloo, there was among the foreign troops on the British side a regiment of Hanoverian hussars, who distinguished themselves in a most ignominious manner.
The Duke of Wellington ordered the regiment to support a charge made by the British. When their commanding officer showed no alacrity* in obeying the order, the duke sent an aide-de-camp to say that they must either advance or withdraw from the field, and not remain there to show a bad example to others.
The commanding officer, considering the option as serious, thanked the duke for his kindness, and said that, in view of a fire of such severity, he would embrace the alternative of taking his men to the rear. This he at once proceeded to do, in spite of the reproaches of the indignant aide-de-camp.
This regiment was afterwards disbanded in disgrace.
滑鐵盧戰役之中，和英軍同一陣營的他國軍隊，有一個漢諾威輕騎兵團，其行為之可恥，令人矚目。
威靈頓命令這個兵團支援英軍的一次衝鋒，但兵團司令逡巡不前。威靈頓遣副官去跟他說，不前進，就請退出戰場，不要留在那裏，作其他軍人的壞榜樣。
那兵團司令不覺得這番話是諷語。他說，感謝威靈頓的好意；又說，槍火這麼猛烈，寧願率領手下退到後方。威靈頓的副官憤然斥責他的決定，但他還是馬上揮軍退去。
那個輕騎兵團後來就在恥辱之中解散。
*Alacrity是「敏捷」的意思，例如：The dog ran to its former master with alacrity（那隻狗更不遲疑，向舊主人跑去）。