Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The Field Officer’s Army Gold Medal for St. Sebastian awarded to Major T. Jones, 4th Foot, in which action he succeeded to the command of not only the regiment but also of the brigade; he was severely wounded at the battle of the Nive and particularly mentioned for his exemplary conduct in command of the supports; in North America at the battle of Bladensburg he took command of the Light Company, was present at the capture of Washington, led the advance on Baltimore and the battle of Godley Wood; he was mortally wounded at New Orleans in January 1815

Field Officer’s Small Gold Medal, for St. Sebastian (Major Timothy Jones, 1st. Bn. 4th. Foot.) complete with gold riband buckle, light spotting to both obverse and reverse, otherwise about extremely fine £26,000-£30,000

Only the second Gold Medal for St. Sebastian to appear at auction in more than 30 years. The medal to Captain Thomas Power, 47th Foot, sold in these rooms in June 2012 (£32,000 hammer). Jones’ medal is believed to be the only one to an Officer killed at New Orleans available to collectors.
Timothy Jones was first commissioned as Lieutenant in the 4th Foot on 23 October 1799; then Captain on 11 August 1808; Major in the Army on 21 September 1813; and Lieutenant-Colonel on 29 September 1814. He served in the Walcheren Expedition in 1809, and in the Peninsula from November 1810 to November 1812, and from July 1813 to April 1814. He was present at the battle of Fuentes D’Onor; the siege and storming of St. Sebastian; the crossing of the Bidassoa; and at the battles of Nivelle and Nive.

Captain Jones was awarded a gold medal for St. Sebastian, on which occasion the 4th King’s Own played a ‘conspicuous and important part in storming the breach on the 31st of August’. The gallant behaviour of the King's Own on this occasion is set forth in the following copy of a letter from Major-General Robinson to the colonel of the regiment:

‘St. Sebastian, 5th September, 1813.

My Lord,

I feel it my duty to inform your lordship of the gallant conduct of the first battalion of the King's Own at the attack of the breach of these works on the 31st August. The first attack was the exclusive duty of the second brigade, consisting of the Fourth, forty-seventh, and fifty-ninth, with a company of Brunswick Oels sharp-shooters; or rather of a thousand men of the brigade; the remainder, to the amount of two hundred and fifty, were in the trenches and waited further orders.
The Fourth led, and perhaps in the whole history of war there cannot be found a stronger instance of courage and obedience to orders, for the instructions were to make a lodgement on the breach only; there to wait support. The lodgement was effected under the most tremendous fire of grape and musquetry that can be imagined, and our loss was dreadful, that of the Fourth only is twelve officers, nineteen serjeants, and two hundred and thirty rank and file killed and wounded. The other regiments emulated the Fourth, and called forth the acclamations of the generals, and thousands who were looking on. It was not until after three hours hard fighting that the lodgement was certain, after which, by the premature springing of one of the enemy's mines, the town was soon carried.
This action, so soon after that of Vittoria, requires that I should report the conduct of the regiment in the warmest manner to your lordship, and I feel it but justice to a few individuals, who from accidental causes had opportunities of doing more than others, to mention their names. Captain Williamson commanded the regiment, and was twice wounded after he had reached the top of the breach. Captain Jones succeeded, not only to the command of the regiment, but on my being obliged to quit the field, to that of the brigade, and acquitted himself most admirably. My acting aide-de-camp, Captain Wood, left me at my request, and by his judgment and example contributed materially to the success of the daring attempt. The three are excellent officers, and will ere long, I hope, prove themselves equal to the duties of a higher station.’

Jones was severely wounded at the battle of the Nive on 10 December 1813, and was mentioned in Wellington’s Nive despatch for his ‘exemplary conduct in command of the supports.’ He was afterwards present with the regiment at the investment of Bayonne in 1814.

North America 1814-15 - Bladensburg and Washington

The regiment was then posted to North America where it saw action at the battle of Bladensburg, 24 August; the capture of Washington, 24-25 August; the attack on Baltimore, 12-14 September 1814; and the battle of Godley Wood.

Captain L. M. Bennett, of the 4th Foot, writing to his brother in Dublin, described what took place: ‘I am just returned with the Army after destroying Washington. We disembarked on the 19th August and advanced on the Mons Road to Marlborough, without meeting any opposition from that place to Bladensburg, where we found the enemy had taken up their position, which was situated at the other side of the village. As soon as our Advanced Guard, which consisted of half of our Light Company and a company of the 85th Regt., made their appearance they opened a heavy fire of artillery and musquetry which completely raked the road. We advanced with about 200 men to feel our way with Col. Thornton of the 85th, one of the bravest soldiers I ever met, he was severely wounded. In a few minutes, however, we had got on their flanks and kept up a heavy fire of musquetry from our Light Company which formed the Brigade and which Major Jones, a Captain of our regiment had got the command. In a short time the 85th Regiment, which is a Light Regiment, came into action with our Regiment. The Americans lay on top of a hill until the two Regiments advanced and then opened one of the most tremendous volleys of musquetry and artillery that can possibly be imagined. In a few minutes they gave way and ran in every direction never firing a single shot until they got beyond Washington. After our men rested themselves and interred the brave officers which fell, they advanced to Washington, and just as it got dark, the advance which I was with entered the city; there was a house standing just on the left as you entered the city which was full of men, and on our approach they fired on us, but fortunately did not do any damage, but killed the General's horse under him. We soon put them to flight and instantly set fire to the house; the advance went on with the General and set fire to all the public buildings. We remained there all the next day, as the Main Body of our Army made a movement out of the town and took up a position. We (the Light Brigade) advanced up towards St George's and the inhabitants of Washington were sure we were going to proceed to George's Town, the inhabitants of which sent in a deputation offering to give up the town if we would spare their houses, which the General made them believe until it got almost dark, and then we were to follow the Main Body which went off long before from the position outside the town of Bladensburg. The enemy had nine pieces of artillery and ten thousand men. Our loss has been trifling, eight officers wounded and one killed out of the regiment.’

Jones is mentioned in various accounts of the capture of Washington and played a prominent part in the burning of the place:
‘... Major Timothy Jones had led another British column up Pennsylvania Avenue. During the long night of burning no one had investigated the rather pedestrian brick building that housed the State, War and Navy Departments just west of the executive mansion. Now the men of the 1st Brigade, followed by some 30 blacks carrying powder and rockets, were on their way to remedy the omission... The Americans had moved most of the current records, but there was still plenty of fuel. Fed by such varied kindling as Secretary Jones’s furniture and undistributed copies of the army’s System of Drum Beating, the fire quickly mushroomed through the building.
That finished, the detachment headed back east along F Street. Next on their schedule was a visit to the Patent Office and Post Office, which shared Samuel Blodgett’s empty hotel building at 8th Street. Here they had an unexpected encounter with Dr William Thornton, the Superintendent of Patents... At the moment he was working on on a new kind of violin, which he kept in his room at the Patent Office.
He had left it there in his flight the previous evening, but it was still very much on his mind. Returning at daylight for some breakfast in Georgetown, he heard that the British hadn’t touched the Patent Office yet. Perhaps he might still be in time to save the violin, and maybe some of the other inventions and prototypes stored in the building.
Rushing to the city, he found Major Jones in the act of burning the War Department offices. The Major seemed to be in charge of the morning’s operations, and he quickly agreed to the rescue of the violin. Thornton then called at his home, recruited an assistant, and hastened to his office.
He was just in time. The British troops had arrived and were preparing to burn the building. There was no sign of Jones, but a Major Waters told him to go ahead - save the violin and any other private property.
This gave the doctor an inspiration. Turning to Waters he announced that practically everything in the building was private property. Clearly the course to follow was to take out the few items of public property, burn them in the street, and leave the building alone. Otherwise he could never get out the hundreds of inventors' models that filled the place. Hitting his stride, Thornton dramatically warned that to burn what would be useful to all mankind would be as barbarous as to burn the Alexandria Library, for which the Turks have been condemned by all enlightened nations.
Thoroughly shaken, Waters said they'd better see Major Jones. The Major, it turned out, was now at the offices of the National Intelligencer, carrying out Admiral Cockburn's instructions to wreck the place. When reached, he cheerfully accepted Dr. Thornton's arguments, and the Patent Office was saved.
The National Intelligencer was another matter. Cockburn himself was on hand to make sure the place was destroyed. He even helped carry out Gales's reference library, which was burned behind the building. Then he watched with approval as Jones's men smashed the presses and hurled the type out the windows. “Be sure that all the c's are destroyed,” the Admiral joked, “so the rascals can't abuse my name any more.”’ (The Dawn’s Early Light, Walter Lord refers).
Jones was admirably mentioned in Major-General Robert Ross’s Washington despatch to Earl Bathurst, 30 August 1814: ‘Colonel Thornton who led the attack is entitled to every Praise for the noble Example he set which was so well followed by Lieut. Colonel Wood and the 85th Light Infantry and by Major Jones of the 4th Foot with the Light Companies attached to the Light Brigade...’

New Orleans - January 1815, brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Jones mortally wounded

On 4 January Lieutenant-Colonel Timothy Jones made a reconnaissance into the marsh and encountered such difficulties from swampy ground and said no attack was possible from that quarter. The Light Companies of the 4th, 21st, 44th and 93rd formed the advance under Lieutenant-Colonel Jones. Detachments of Light troops moved forward against the enemy batteries, that on the right under Lieutenant-Colonel Jones skirting the edge of the wood as a protection to the flank of the column, but the attack was unsuccessful and Jones was mortally wounded.