Eagle standard finial, French 105th Infantry Regiment, Battle of Waterloo, 1815 (gilded metal)

Captured by Captain Alexander Kennedy Clark (1782-1864), 1st (or Royal) Dragoons, at the Battle of Waterloo, 18 June 1815. This eagle was one of nearly 100 presented by Napoleon to his army in 1815, replacing those of 1804 which had been destroyed during his exile. At Waterloo the 105th Regiment took part in the unsuccessful attack by D'Erlon's Corps on the Allied left. The French were stopped by General Picton's Division and then driven back by the British heavy cavalry. Captain Clark was severely wounded at the end of the battle. When he recovered he found that all credit for the capture had gone to Corporal Francis Styles of F Troop, Royal Dragoons, whom he had given the eagle to carry to the rear.