as well as Lieutenant-general. Charles Baron Alten, of the third corps, which had been sent to observe Major-general Sir C. Halket, Lieutenant-general Cooke, and Major-generals Maitland and Byng, as they successively arrived. The troops of the fifth division, and those of the Brunswick corps, were long and severely engaged, and conducted themselves with the utmost gallantry. I must particularly mention the twentyeighth, forty-second, seventy-ninth, and ninety-second regiments, and the battalion of Hanoverians. Marshal Blucher, on a range of heights in our front, inthe course of the night of the 17th, and yesterday morning; and, at about ten o'clock, he commenced a furious attack upon our post at Hougoumont. I had occupied that post with a detachment from General Byng's brigade of Guards, which was in position in its rear; and it was for some time under the command of Lieutenant-colonel Macdonald, and afterwards of Co "Our loss was great, as your lordship will perceive lonel Home; and I am happy to add, that it was mainby the enclosed return; and I have particularly to re-tained throughout the day with the utmost gallantry gret bis Serene Highness the Duke of Brunswick, who by these brave troops, notwithstanding the repeated fell, fighting gallantly, at the head of his troops. efforts of large bodies of the enemy to obtain possession of it. 66 Although Marshal Blucher had maintained his position at Sombref, he still found himself much weakened by the severity of the contestan which he had been engaged; and, as the fourth corps had not arrived, he determined to fall back, and concentrate his army upon Wavre; and he marched in the night after the action was over. "This movement of the marshal's rendered necessary a corresponding one on my part; and I retired from the farm of Quatre Bras upon Gemappe, and thence upon Waterloo the next morning, the 17th, at ten o'clock. "The enemy made no effort to pursue Marshal Blucher. On the contrary, a patrol which I sent to Sombref in the morning, found all quiet, and the enemy's videttes fell back as the patrole advanced. Neither did he attempt to molest our march to the rear, although made in the middle of the day, excepting by following, with a large body of cavalry brought from his right, the cavalry under the Earl of Uxbridge. "This gave Lord Uxbridge an opportunity of charging them with the first Life-Guards, upon their debouche from the village of Gemappe, upon which occasion his lordship has declared himself to be well satisfied with that regiment. "This attack upon the right of our centre was accompanied by a very heavy cannonade upon our whole line, which was destined to support the repeated attacks of cavalry and infantry occasionally mixed, but sometimes separate, which were made upon it. In one of these, the enemy carried the farm-house of La Haye Sainte, as the detachment of the light battalion of the legion which occupied it had expended all its ammunition, and the enemy occupied the only communication there was with them. "The enemy repeatedly charged our infantry with his cavalry, but these attacks were uniformly unsuccessful, and they afforded opportunities to our cavalry to charge, in one of which, Lord E. Somerset's brigade, consisting of the Life-Guards, Royal Horse-Guards, and First Dragoon-Guards, highly distinguished themselves; as did that of Major-general Sir W. Ponsonby, having taken many prisoners and an eagle. "These attacks were repeated till about seven in the evening, when the enemy made a desperate effort, with the cavalry and infantry, supported by the fire of artillery, to force our left centre near the farm of La Haye Sainte, which, after a severe contest, was defeated; and, having observed that the troops retired from the attack in great confusion, and that the march of General Bulow's corps by Frichemont upon Planchenoit and La Belle Alliance, had begun to take effect; and, as I could perceive the fire of his cannon, and as Marshal Prince Blucher had joined in person, with a corps of his army to the left of our line by Ohain, I determined to attack the enemy, and immediately advanced the whole line of infantry, supported by the cavalry and artillery. The attack succeeded in every point; the enemy was forced from his position on the heights, and fled in the utmost confusion, leaving behind him, as far as I could judge, one hundred and fifty pieces of cannon, with their ammunition, which fell into our hands. "I continued the pursuit till long after dark, and "The enemy collected his army, with the exception then discontinued it, only on account of the fatigue of "The position which I took up, in front of Waterloo, crossed the high roads from Charleroi and Nivelles, and had its right thrown back to a ravine near Merke Braine, which was occupied; and its left extended to a height above the hamlet Ter-la-Haye, which was likewise occupied. In front of the right centre, and near the Nivelles road, we occupied the house and garden of Hougoumont, which covered the return of that flank; and, in front of the left centre, we occupied the farm of La Haye Sainte. By our left we communicated with Marshal Prince Blucher, at Wavre, through Ohain, and the marshal had promised me that, in case we should be attacked, he would support me with one or more corps, as might be necessary. our troops, who had been engaged during twelve hours, | tisfied with the conduct of the Adjutant-general Majorand because I found myself on the same road with general Barnes, who was wounded, and of the QuarterMarshal Blucher, who assured me of his intention to master-general, Colonel Delancy, who was killed by a follow the enemy throughout the night: he has sent me cannot-shot in the middle of the action. This officer is word this morning, that he had taken sixty pieces of a serious loss to his majesty's service, and to me at this cannon belonging to the imperial guard, and several moment. I was likewise much indebted to the assistcarriages, baggage, &c. belonging to Buonaparte, in ance of Lieutenant-colonel Lord Fitzroy Somerset, who Gemappe. was severely wounded, and of the officers composing my personal staff, who have suffered severely in this action. Lieutenant-colonel the honourable Sir Alexander Gordon, who has died of his wounds, was a most promising officer, and is a serious loss to his majesty's service. "I propose to move, this morning, upon Nivelles, and not to discontinue my operations. "Your lordship will observe, that such a desperate action could not be fought, and such advantages could not be gained, without great loss; and, I am sorry to add, that our's has been immense. In Lieutenantgeneral Sir Thomas Picton, his majesty has sustained the loss of an officer who has frequently distinguished himself in his service; and he fell, gloriously leading his division to a charge with bayonets, by which one of the most serious attacks made by the enemy on our position was defeated. "The Earl of Uxbridge, after having successfully got through this arduous day, received a wound, by almost the last shot fired, which will, I am afraid, deprive his majesty for some time of his services. "His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange distinguished himself by his gallantry and conduct till he received a wound from a musket-ball through the shoulder, which obliged him to quit the field. "It gives me the greatest satisfaction to assure your lordship, that the army never, upon any occasion, conducted itself better. The division of guards, under Lieutenant-general Cooke, who is severely wounded, Major-general Maitland, and Major-general Byng, set an example which was followed by all; and there is no officer, nor description of troops, that did not be have well. 66 I must, however, particularly mention, for his royal highness's approbation, Lieutenant-general Sir H. Clinton; Major-general Adam; Lieutenant-general Charles Baron Alten, severely wounded; Major-géneral Sir Colin Halket, severely wounded; Colonel Ompteda; Colonel Mitchele, commanding a brigade of the fourth division; Major-generals Sir James Kempt and Sir Denis Pack; Major-general Lambert; Major-general Lord E. Somerset ; Major-general Sir W. Ponsonby; Major-general Sir C. Grant, and Major-general Sir H. Vivian; Major-general Sir O. Vandeleur; Major-general Count Dornberg. I am also particularly indebted to General Lord Hill, for his assistance and conduct upon this, as upon all former occasions. "The artillery and engineer departments were conducted much to my satisfaction by Colonel Sir G. Wood, and Colonel Smyth; and I had every reason to be sa "General Kruse, of the Nassau service, likewise conducted himself much to my satisfaction,, as did General Trip, commanding the heavy brigade of cavalry, and General Vanhope, commanding a brigade of infantry of the king of the Netherlands. "General Pozzo di Borgo, General Baron Vincent, General Muffling, and General Alava, were in the field during the action, and rendered me every assistance in their power. Baron Vincent is wounded, but I hope not severely; and General Pozzo di Borgo received a contusion. "I should not do justice to my feelings, or to Marshal Blucher and the Prussian army, if I did not attribute the successful result of this arduous day to the cordial and timely assistance received from them. "The operation of General Bulow upon the enemy's flank, was a most decisive one; and, even if I had not found myself in a situation to make the attack which produced the final result, it would have forced the enemy to retire, if his attacks should have failed, and would have prevented him from taking advantage of them, if they should unfortunately have succeeded. "I send, with this despatch, two eagles, taken by the troops in this action, which Major Percy will have the honour of laying at the feet of his Royal Highness. I beg leave to recommend him to your lordship's protection. "On the 15th, Napoleon advanced by Thuin, upon | hundred cannon were directed from both sides against the two banks of the Sambre, against Charleroi. General Ziethen had collected the first corps near Fleurus, and had, on that day, a very warm action with the enemy, who, after having taken Charleroi, directed his march upon Fleurus. General Ziethen maintained himself in his position near that place. “Field-marshal Blucher intending to fight a great battle with the enemy as soon as possible, the other three corps of the Prussian army were 'consequently directed upon Sombref, a league and a half from Fleurus, where the second and third corps were to arrive on the 15th, and the fourth corps on the 16th. "Lord Wellington had united his army between Ath and Nivelles, which enabled him to assist Field-marshal Blucher, in case the battle should be fought on the 15th. JUNE 16.-BATTLE OF LIGNY. "The Prussian army was posted on the heights between Brie and Sombref, and beyond the last place, and occupied with a large force the villages of St. Amand and Ligny, situated in its front. Meantime only three corps of the army had joined; the fourth, which was stationed between Liege and Hannut, had been delayed in its march by several circumstances, and was not yet come up. Nevertheless, Field-marsbal Blucher resolved to give battle, Lord Wellington having already put in motion to support him a strong division of his army, as well as his whole reserve stationed in the environs of Brussels, and the fourth corps of the Prussian army being also on the point of arriving. thousand men. "The battle began at three o'clock in the afternoon. The enemy brought up above one hundred and thirty The Prussian army was eighty thousand strong. The village of St. Amand was the first point attacked by the enemy, who carried it, after a vigorous resistance. "He then directed his efforts against Ligny. This is a large village, solidly built, situated on a rivulet of the same name. It was there that a contest began which may be considered as one of the most obstinate recorded in history. Villages have often been taken and retaken: but here the combat continued for five hours in the villages themselves; and the movements forwards or backwards were confined to a very narrow space. On both sides fresh troops continually came up. Each army had behind the part of the village which it occupied great masses of infantry, which maintained the combat, and were continually renewed by reinforce⚫ments which they received from their rear, as well as from the heights on the right and left. About two the village, which was on fire in several places at once. From time to time, the combat extended through the line, the enemy having also directed numerous troops against the third corps; however, the main contest was near Ligny. Things seemed to take a favourable turn for the Prussian troops, a part of the village of St. Amand having been retaken by a battalion commanded by the Field-marshal himself; in consequence of which advantage we had regained a height, which had been abandoned after the loss of St. Amand. Nevertheless, the battle continued about Ligny with the same fury. The issue seemed to depend on the arrival of the English troops, or on that of the fourth corps of the Prussian army; in fact, the arrival of this last division would have afforded the Field-marshal the means of making, immediately, with the right wing, an attack, from which great success might be expected: but news arrived that the English division destined to support us, was violently attacked by a corps of the French army, and that it was with great difficulty it had maintained itself in its position at Quatre Bras. The fourth corps of the army did not appear, so that we were forced to maintain alone the contest with an army greatly superior in numbers. The evening was already much advanced, and the combat about Ligny continued with unremitting fury, and the same equality of success; we invoked, but in vain, the arrival of those succours which were so necessary; the danger became every hour more urgent; all the divisions were engaged, or had already been so, and there was not any corps at hand able to support them. Suddenly a division of the enemy's infantry, which, by favour of the night, had made a circuit round the village without being observed, at the same time that some regiments of cuirassiers had forced the passage on the other side, took in the rear the main body of our army, which was posted behind the houses. This surprise, on the part of the enemy, was decisive, especially at the moment when our cavalry, also posted on a height behind the village, was repulsed by the enemy's cavalry in repeated attacks. "Our infantry posted near Ligny, though fored to retreat, did not suffer itself to be discouraged, either by being surprised by the enemy in the darkness, a circumstance which exaggerates in the mind of man the dangers to which he finds himself exposed, or, by the idea of seeing itself surrounded on all sides. Formed in masses, it coolly repulsed all the attacks of the cavalry, and retreated in good order upon the heights, whence it continued its retrograde movement upon Tilly. In consequence of the sudden irruption of the enemy's cavalry, several of our cannon, in their precipitate retreat, had taken directions which marshal promised to come with his whole army: he even proposed, in case Napoleon should not attack, that · the allies themselves, with their whole united force, should attack him the next day. This may serve to shew how little the battle of the 16th had disorganized the Prussian army, or weakened its moral strength. Thus ended the day of the 17th. BATTLE OF THE 18Tя. led them to defiles, in which they necessarily fell into disorder; in this manner, fifteen pieces fell into the hands of the enemy. At the distance of a quarter of a league from the field of battle, the army formed again. The enemy did not venture to pursue it. The village of Brie remained in our possession during the night, as well as Sombref, where General Thielman had fought with the third corps, and whence he, at day-break, slowly began to retreat towards Gembloux, where the fourth corps, under General Bulow, had at length arrived during the night. The first and second corps proceeded in the morning behind the defile of “At break of day, the Prussian army again began to Mount St. Guibert. Our loss in killed and wounded move. The fourth and second corps marched by St. was great; the enemy, however, took from us no pri- Lambert, where they were to take a position, covered soners, except a part of our wounded. The battle was by the forest, near Frichemont, to take the enemy in lost, but not our honour. Our soldiers fought with a the rear when the moment should appear favourable. bravery which equalled every expectation; their forti- The first corps was to operate by Ohain, on the right tude remained unshaken, because every one retained flank of the enemy. The third corps was to follow his confidence in his own strength. On this day Field- slowly, in order to afford succour in case of need. marshal Blucher had encountered the greatest dangers. The battle began about ten o'clock in the morning. A charge of cavalry, led on by himself, had failed. The English army occupied the heights of Mont St. While that of the enemy was vigorously pursuing, a Jean; that of the French was on the heights before musket-shot struck the field-marshal's borse: the ani- Planchenoit: the former was about eighty thousand mal, far from being stopped in his career by this wound, strong; the enemy had above one hundred and thirty began to gallop more furiously till it dropped down thousand. In a short time, the battle became general dead. The field-marshal, stunned by the violent fall, along the whole line. It seems that Napoleon had the lay entangled under the horse. The enemy's cuiras-design to throw the left wing upon the centre, and thus siers, following up their advantage, advanced: our last to effect the separation of the English army from the horseman had already passed by the field-marshal, an Prussian, which he believed to be retreating upon adjutant alone remained with him, and had just alight- Maestricht. For this purpose he had placed the greatest ed, resolved to share his fate. The danger was great, part of his reserve in the centre, against his right wing, but Heaven watched over us. The enemy, pursuing and upon this point he attacked with fury. The Engtheir charge, passed rapidly by the field-marshal with-lish army fought with a valour which it is impossible out seeing him: the next moment, a second charge of our cavalry having repulsed them, they again passed by him with the same precipitation, not perceiving him, any more than they had done the first time. Then, but not without difficulty, the field-marshal was disengaged from under the dead horse, and he immediately mount-nually brought forward considerable masses, and with ed a dragoon-horse. "On the 17th, in the evening, the Prussian army concentrated itself in the environs of Wavre. Napoleon put himself in motion against Lord Wellington upon the great road leading from Charleroi to Brussels. An English division maintained, on the same day, near Quartre Bras, a very severe contest with the enemy. Lord Wellington had taken a position on the road to Brussels, having his right wing leaning upon BraineJa-Leud, the centre near Mont St. Jean, and the left wing against La Haye Sainte. Lord Wellington wrote to the Field-marshal, that he was resolved to accept the battle in this position, if the Field-marshal would support him with two corps of his army. The Field to surpass. The repeated charges of the old guard were baffled by the intrepidity of the Scotch regiments; and at every charge the French cavalry were overthrown by the English cavalry. But the superiority of the enemy in numbers was too great; Napoleon conti whatever firmness the English troops maintained themselves in their position, it was not possible but that such beroic exertions must have a limit. "It was half-past four o'clock. The excessive difficulties of the passage by the defile of St. Lambert had considerably retarded the march of the Prussian columns, so that only two brigades of the fourth corps had arrived at the covered position which was assigned to them. The decisive moment was come; there was not an instant to be lost. The generals did not suffer it to escape. They resolved immediately to begin the attack with the troops which they had at hand. General Bulow, therefore, with two brigades and a corps of cavalry, advanced rapidly upon the rear of the enemy s |