'Antoine Lutz, a French Royalist, and a private soldier in the Queen's German Regiment, who took the Standard from Buonaparte's Invincible Legion in the Memorable Battle between the English and French, fought before Alexandria, on the 21st of March, 1801'

Coloured stipple engraving by E Harding after Richard Ramsay Reinagle. Published by E Harding, 'at the Crown & Mitre Pall Mall', 1 January 1803. The dedication on the print reads, 'To the Right Honorable William Windham, the Friend and Protector of the Loyal & the Brave, This Print is humbly dedicated by his most Obedient & most faithful Servant Wm Cobbett'.

The capture of the standard of the French 21st Demi Brigade Légère at the Battle of Alexandria in 1801 was the subject of a dispute between the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment of Foot and the Minorca Regiment of Foot (later renamed 97th (Queen's Germans) Regiment of Foot). The standard was taken by Major James Stirling of the 42nd Regiment in a gallant defensive action, which countered a dangerous flanking manoeuvre by the 21st Légère. Stirling then passed the standard to a Sergeant Sinclair. However, it was recaptured shortly afterwards by the French during a cavalry charge in which the 42nd Regiment took heavy casualties, including Sinclair who was wounded, and in which the British Commander, General Abercromby, was killed.

The situation was restored by a British counterattack and the standard was retaken from the French by Antoine Lutz of the Minorca Regiment. However, the manner by which he accomplished this became a subject of debate. In a regimental enquiry held afterwards, Lutz claimed to have rushed forward from the ranks, shot the officer who bore it and seized it himself. While this was backed up by Lutz's comrades, his subsequent actions are less clear. One of his comrades, Corporal Schmidt, described how he saw Lutz throw himself into a hollow in the ground in order to evade a body of French cavalry. Lutz gave a more elaborate story, claiming that he had fought off an attack by two French dragoons, killing one and taking the other prisoner. More seriously, Lutz's story was challenged by the 42nd Regiment who claimed that Lutz had simply picked the standard up from the battlefield near where Sinclair had been wounded.

A further enquiry confirmed the loss of the standard by Sinclair but could find no evidence to substantiate the challenge. Lutz was allowed to keep the credit for its recapture and was awarded a special badge and in recognition. However, unlike Sinclair, who was commissioned for his part in the affair, Lutz was denied promotion to sergeant because he was illiterate. Despite this, the recapture of the standard was to prove hugely important to Lutz. Just a year later, in August 1802, he was placed on a charge for murder. The story of the recapture of the standard was recounted at the trial and was used bolster evidence of Lutz's good character. The jury returned a reduced verdict of manslaughter in punishment of which the judge issued the very lenient fine of one shilling.