The 95th Rifles were posted as sharpshooters in the disused sand quarry near La Haye Sainte.
The quarry lay on the opposite side of the main road from La Haye Sainte, a farmhouse defended by light infantry of the King’s German Legion. The riflemen’s position helped protect Wellington’s centre by overlooking approaches to the farm and threatening French troops with accurate small-arms fire.
The 95th Rifles were distinctive because they carried the Baker rifle rather than the smoothbore musket used by most infantry. Their green uniforms and deliberate marksmanship made them especially suited to skirmishing, scouting and targeting officers. They were not simply ordinary infantry placed in a trench: their role was to operate in dispersed order and harass the enemy before the main lines engaged.
La Haye Sainte remained a crucial Allied strongpoint for most of the battle, although French forces finally captured it late in the afternoon after the defenders ran short of ammunition. The nearby quarry and its riflemen formed part of the layered defences around the farm.