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from Murbecke at 7; and after a very long day's march, passed through Braine le Comte and Nivelles, at which last place we heard a cannonade. As our army was then engaged with the French, we proceeded at a brisk trot, for several miles on the road from Nivelles, and halted for the night in a wheat field. Next morning, our men were drawn up in a line of battle fronting the wood where the French had retired; but they would not venture to attack us. Lord Wellington by a ruse de guerre, however, drew them from the wood, by a rapid retreat, for a few miles, towards Brussels; which brought the French exactly on the spot where he wished to fight thein, and where he might bring his cavalry into play. While retreating, we were overtaken by a most violent thunder-storm and a heavy rain, which rendered us very uncomfortable. During the whole, no man was lost, but the Blues lost three or four; the 1st Life Guards charged some of the French Lancers, and almost cut them to pieces. We were drawn up to give them a second charge, but they would not stand it.

This

evening, we bivouacked in a piece of boggy ground, where we were mid-leg up in mud and water. About 11 o'clock, the grand action commenced. We were very soon called into action, and charged the French Cuirassiers of the Imperial Guard, whom we almost cut to pieces. A second charge of the same kind, left but few of them; but we suffered very much; we have with the Regiment, at present, about 40 men. We know of 49 wounded, so that the rest must be either killed or prisoners. Lieut. Col. Fitzgerald was killed soon after the first charge. Capt. Irby was taken prisoner, as his horse fell with him in returning from the charge: he has since made his escape, and joined us; but they have stripped him of his sword, watch, and money, and had nearly taken his life. The heaviest fire was directed against the Household brigade the whole of the day; and it is astonishing how any of us escaped.. At the conclusion of the battle, we were masters of the field; and only one officer of the 2nd Life Guards, with two corporals and forty

privates remained. There was no officer of the 1st Regiment, all, or most of them having been dismounted. The command of the two regiments for the night was given by Lord Somerset to the remaining officer of the 2d. Col. Lygon had one horse shot under him, towards the conclusion of the battle, and the horses of several of our officers were wounded. Lord Wellington was with the brigade the greater part of the day, during which time I saw him repeatedly. He seemed much pleased; and was heard to observe, towards the evening, to the general officer near him, that it was the hardest battle he had ever fought, and that he had seen many charges, but never any to equal the charges of the Heavy Brigades, particularly the Household. We made in all four charges: viz., two against cavalry, and two against the Imperial Guards."

Extract from a Letter by an Officer in the Light Dragoons.

"That previous to the Horse Guards charge, on the 18th, his regiment was ordered to attack a body of Lancers and Cuirassiers, on whom they could make no impression: that numbers of their men having fallen, they were forced to retreat, when the French were ordered to charge in their turn, and from the superior weight of the horses and men, and their species of armour and weapons, he had the mortification to see them cutdown numbers of his regiment: that being in the rear, he soon received himself so desperate a shock from one of the lancers as to plunge himself and horse into a deep ditch, with such violence that the horse never got out alive, while he being thrown, fortunately escaped with life, though immersed in, and covered with mud and water: that in his fall, the lancer attempted to run him through, but in the collision luckily missed his aim, and only tore away part of the flesh of the arm: that finding himself in the midst of the enemy, he had offered an officer to surrender, but who declined taking charge of him then, and ordered him to an adjacent field where were several others under similar circumstances: that he had the mortification to witness from thence the over

throw of numbers of the men during their retreat, but at last to his great satisfaction saw the heavy brigade advance to the charge, who in their turn overthrew every thing in their way, literally rolling both men and horses of the French over to a considerable distance, by the tremendous force of their charge, and cutting down all before them. Seeing the face of affairs to be changed, he contemplated upon an escape; and having communicated his idea to a brother officer near him, they together made for another part of the field, and had hardly gained the summit of a steep bank, when looking back, they observed a small French detachment enter the field, and cut down in cold blood all the prisoners there, waiting for the orders of their captors, to the number of 30 or 40, while only himself and companion escaped."

92d Regiment.

"The 92d, forming one of the regiments of the 1st Brigade along with the Scots (Royals), 42d and 44th, was suddenly ordered to Brussels, on the 15th, at night-after which they marched thirty miles, and came up with the enemy about two or three o'clock on the 16th, and immediately marched into the field; but as the first division was only there with some Brunswickers, the 92d was ordered to take position in a ditch, to cover the guns and cavalry, as the junior regiment in the mean time the other part of the division went a little to the left, to check the French infantry passing that way. The situation of this regiment was most unpleasant for upwards of an hour, but possessed of an ample view of seeing all that was going on, although exposed very much to the Enemy's guns, at this period, from the Duke and Staff being just in front of the regiment; and at this point, all the reinforcements passed to their stations. Very many of the Duke's Staff were then wounded. At this time the French cavalry began to attack a village, the Brunswick cavalry, then in front of the 92d, went to meet them: not being in sufficient strength, the Brunswickers retired upon the 92d in some confusion; we could not then give any help-the

French, cut down a great many of their rear men, and dismounted two guns. The Brunswickers passed round the right flank, intermingled with French; as soon as they were cleared, the regiment fired. The grenadiers being wheeled back on the road which lined the ditch, we lined, to enable them to fire as the French passed-the others to fire obliquely on the road-on those following the Brunswickers, the volley separated the front charge from the rear by the gap which we made, nothing was seen but horses and men tumbling over each other-the rear of the Enemy retreated, and the front dashed through the village, cutting down all stragglers. The Enemy's charge being repelled, we now prepared to charge, against a body of cavalry nearly in motion, supported by infantry-" Come on, my old 92d," was the word from the Adjutant General Barnes-he then jumped from the ditch and we charged beautifully; Colonel Cameron led the regiment; the Enemy's fire was severe: we then moved from behind a house, and passed the corner of a garden parallel to the road, when a volley was given by a column on the right, which was treating to the wood-this fire killed our gallant Colonel Cameron, and did considerable execution.* This column kept the regiment five minutes before the garden could be cleared, to advance to the lines the fire was now dreadful, and the regiment suffered much: the French at length retreated up to the side of the wood, still, however, keeping up a tremendous fire. The 92d had by this separated itself from the line, and not more than fifty left, when a a regiment of guards was sent to its relief-the men afterwards retired behind the houses, when the loss was found, to be 28 officers, and 270 men. The

re

* Lieut.-Col. Mitchel then took the command of the regiment, was soon wounded and carried off the field, resigning the command to Capt. Holmes, the senior officer present; Capt. Holmes was soon after wounded and carried off. Capt. Dugald Campbell then took the command, and he was soon wounded and carried off; the command thus devolved on the next senior officer present.

guards, however, were not allowed to keep possession of the position we had gained, five minutes.

66

In the afternoon of the 18th, the regiment, which was then reduced to about 200 men, found it necessary to charge a column of the Enemy which came down on them, from 2 to 3000 men: they broke into the centre of the column with the bayonet; and the instant they pierced it, the Scotch Greys dashed in to their support, when they and the 92nd cheered and buzza'd "Scotland for ever." By the effort which followed, the Enemy to a man were put to the sword or taken prisoners, after which the Greys charged through the Enemy's second line, and took the eagles.

"It was perhaps the most destructive battle ever fought. The loss fell almost entirely on our division which, along with the Brunswick troops and some Prussians, was the only one up for the first two hours. The three Scotch regiments are nearly annihilated !! Ours had only six officers who escaped! and some are so dangerously wounded, as to give little hope of their recovery. We were amply revenged, however; and gave the French a lesson, which they will not soon forget: but they are so strong on this point, that, notwithstanding our giving them such a drubbing, his Grace found it necessary to occupy a better position by retiring about a league and a half in the rear. expected another attack, but it did not take place; and this gave time to Lord Hill and Blucher to operate upon the Enemy's flanks, which obliged him to retrograde. His Grace was strong enough to repel any attack that might be made upon him.

He

"You would be astonished how we could have borne the fatigue which we suffered. We marched from Brussels at one in the morning, and arrived at three o'clock in the afternoon at the place of action, having marched nine leagues. We were engaged in five minutes after, and continued so till night. I was wounded about half past eight, when I was obliged to walk six miles to the nearest village, where I lay in pain and sleepless till day-light. I was

again obliged to walk to Brussels, seven leagues; not

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