112 Concentration of the Prussian Army. June 15. Sombref, with the exception, however, of the Seventh Brigade, which, having been stationed in the most remote of the Quarters occupied by the Corps, did not reach Namur until midnight. Here the latter found an Order for its continuance in Namur until the arrival of the Third Corps d'Armée ; but as this had already taken place, the Brigade, after a few hours' rest, resumed its march, and joined its Corps at Sombref about ten o'clock in the morning of the 16th June. THIELEMANN passed the night at Namur, which he occupied with the Tenth Brigade; the Ninth Brigade bivouacked on the right, and the Eleventh on the left, of Belgrade, a village at a short distance from the town, on the road to Sombref; the Twelfth Brigade in rear of the Ninth; the Reserve Cavalry at Flavinne, between that road and the Sambre; and the Reserve Artillery on the left of the road. It has already been explained that on the 14th, BLÜCHER sent off a despatch to BÜLOW desiring him to make such a disposition of his Corps as should enable his troops to reach Hannut in one march; and that at midnight of the 14th, a second despatch was forwarded, requiring him to concentrate the Fourth Corps at Hannut. The first of these despatches reached BÜLOW, at Liege, at five o'clock on the morning of the 15th; when he issued the necessary Orders with an instruction that they should be acted upon as soon as the troops had dined, and forwarded a report of this arrangement to Head Quarters. These Orders to his troops had been despatched some hours, and the consequent movements were for the most part in operation, when, towards noon, the second despatch arrived. BÜLOW, con sidering the effect which the change required by this new Order would have upon the troops, inasmuch as their reception was prepared in quarters to which, in this case, June 15. Miscarriage of Orders to Bülow. 113 they would no longer proceed, and they would have nothing provided for them in the destined bivouac near Hannut, also as a great proportion of them could not receive the Orders for the change in the direction of their march until evening, decided upon deferring the new movement until daybreak of the 16th. The despatch, moreover, did not require him to establish his Head Quarters at Hannut, but merely suggested that the latter appeared the most suitable for the purpose. The General was, besides, perfectly unconscious of the commencement of hostilities, which, indeed, he had expected would be preceded by a Declaration of War; and he had also good grounds for an opinion which he had formed that it was in contemplation to assemble the whole Army at Hannut. He made a report to Head Quarters of his reasons for deferring the execution of the Order, with the intimation that he would be at Hannut by midday of the 16th. Captain BELOW, on BÜLOW's Staff, who carried this despatch, arrived at nine o'clock in the evening of the 15th at Namur, where he discovered that the Head Quarters of the Army had been transferred to Sombref. At half past eleven o'clock in the forenoon of the 15th, another despatch was forwarded to BÜLOW from Namur, announcing the advance of the French, and requesting that the Fourth Corps, after having rested at Hannut, should commence its march upon Gembloux, by daybreak of the 16th at latest. The Orderly who carried it was directed to proceed to Hannut, the presumed Head Quarters of BÜLOW's Corps on that day. On reaching that place, the Orderly found the previous despatch lying in readiness for the General, and, mounting a fresh horse, he then went on with both despatches to Liege, where he arrived at sunrise. The Orders which they contained had now, however, become 151. W.L. Siborne. H 114 Ney joins the Grand Army. June 15. impracticable, in consequence of BULOW'S not having immediately carried into effect the first Order to collect at Hannut; and thus by one of those mischances, which, in war, occasionally mar the best planned operations, the opportune arrival of the Fourth Prussian Corps at the Battle of Ligny, which would, in all probability, have changed the aspect of affairs, was rendered a matter of impossibility. Late in the evening, and after Prince BLÜCHER had established his Head Quarters at Sombref, Captain BELOW arrived with the before mentioned report from Count BÜLOW; on receiving which his Highness was made sensible that he could no longer calculate with certainty upon being joined by the Fourth Corps on the following day. It was seven o'clock in the evening of the 15th, when Marshal NEY, who had just arrived, joined the Emperor near Charleroi, at the point where the road to Fleurus branches off from the one to Brussels. Having expressed the pleasure he felt at seeing him, NAPOLEON gave him the command of the First and Second Corps d'Armée; explaining at the same time that REILLE was advancing with three Divisions upon Gosselies; that D'ERLON would pass the night at Marchienne au Pont; that he would find under his orders PIRE's Light Cavalry Division; as also the two Regiments of Chasseurs and Lancers of the Guard, of which, however, he was not to make use except as a Reserve. "To-morrow," added the Emperor, "you will be joined by the Reserve Corps of Heavy Cavalry under KELLERMANN. Go and drive back the Enemy." It has already been shown in the preceding Chapter, that the extreme Left of the Duke of WELLINGTON'S Army, composed of DE PERPONCHER'S Second Dutch-Belgian Division, June 16. First news at Quatre Bras. 115 The Second rested upon the Charleroi road to Brussels. Early on the morning of the 15th, these troops were lying quietly in their cantonments, perfectly unconscious of the advance of the French Army, when they heard a brisk cannonade at a distance in the direction of Charleroi; but not having received the slightest intimation of the Enemy's approach, they concluded that the firing proceeded from the Prussian Artillery practice, which they had frequently heard before, and to which they had therefore become accustomed. Gradually towards noon, however, the cannonade became more distinctly audible; and, in the afternoon, the arrival of a wounded Prussian soldier completely set at rest all doubt as to the advance of the French. An Orderly was immediately despatched with the intelligence to the Regimental Head Quarters, whence it was also communicated to General DE PERPONCHER'S Head Quarters at Nivelles. In the meantime, Major NORMANN, who commanded the 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Regiment of Nassau, drew up the latter with the Battery in position in rear of Frasne, and upon the road to Quatre Bras, after having posted a Picquet of observation in advance of the village. PERPONCHER lost not a moment in ordering both Brigades of his Division to hasten towards their respective points of assembly; the 1st Brigade, under General BYLANDT, to Nivelles, and the 2nd, under Colonel GÖDECKE, to Quatre Bras. 116 Prince Bernhard reaches Quatre Bras. June 15. Before this Order, however, could possibly reach these troops, Prince BERNHARD of Saxe Weimar, who commanded the Regiment of Orange-Nassau, at Genappe, having been informed by the Officer of the Dutch-Belgian Maréchaussées, who had been compelled to quit his post at Charleroi, that the French were advancing from that place, took upon himself to move forward with the above Regiment from Genappe to Quatre Bras, and despatched a report of such movement to the Head Quarters of the Brigade at Hautain le Val, as also, subsequently, to General DE PERPONCHER at Nivelles, by Captain GAGERN, of the Dutch-Belgian Staff, who happened to be just then at Genappe, for the purpose of collecting information. About six o'clock in the evening, parties of Lancers. belonging to PIRE'S Light Cavalry Division of REILLE'S Corps appeared in front of Frasne, and soon drove in Major NORMANN's Picquet. This Officer placed a Company on the south or French side of Frasne, for the purpose of preventing as long as possible the entrance of the French into the Village. BYLEVELD'S Battery took post on the north side of the Village, and the remaining Companies of the 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Regiment of Nassau drew up in its support. Two guns were upon the road, and three on each side of it. After some time, the Lancers, having been reinforced, compelled the Company before mentioned to retire through the Village and fall back upon the main body, which then opened a vigorous fire, by which this front attack by the French Cavalry was defeated. The latter then made a disposition to turn the Left Flank of these troops; on perceiving which Major NORMANN and Captain BYLEVELD resolved upon falling back to within a short distance in front of Quatre Bras. The retreat was conducted in |