382

June 18

Fight at the rear Gate of Ilougomont. Regiment of Guards, under Lieutenant Colonel WOODFORD. They then fell back to the wall of the Farm yard, near which they collected a considerable force, when Colonel WOODFORD charged them. They gave way immediately, and withdrew from the contest; which afforded Colonel WOODFORD an opportunity of entering the Farm with a part of the reinforcement by the side door in the Lane. The remainder of the detached force occupied the inclosures between the Château and the Nivelles road.

During this advance of the French Skirmishers against the extreme Right of the Allied Front Line, the troops which formed their Support attempted again to force open the rear Gate of Hougomont. The individuals before mentioned as having closed the Gate, were, at the time, occupied in rendering it more secure by placing against it some pieces. of ash timber that lay in the yard. The French failing in their endeavours to push in the Gate, a brave Grenadier volunteered to climb over and open it from the inside. Captain WYNDHAM, on perceiving the latter at the top of the gate, instantly desired Sergeant GRAHAM, whose musket he was holding whilst the latter was bringing forward another piece of timber, to drop the wood, take his firelock, and shoot the intruder. The Order was instantly obeyed; and the intrepid assailant, who, for any useful result, ought to have been accompanied by a score of his comrades, fell beneath GRAHAM's deadly aim. It was at this moment that the French Skirmishers who had advanced against the main position, were falling back upon their Support; and the whole of these troops were driven off by the advance of the four Companies of the Coldstream Guards, detached from the main position, as previously described.

In the mean time, the French Infantry in the Wood, finding their advance against the Garden so suddenly

June 18.

The fight along the eastern hedge.

383

With this

checked, endeavoured to turn it by its Left. view they were debouching through a large gap in the fence, forming an outlet from the Wood into the Orchard; when Lieutenant Colonel Lord SALTOUN, seizing the favourable opportunity, made a most gallant charge upon the head of the Column with the Light Companies of the First Brigade of Guards, and succeeded in driving the Enemy back into the Wood.

Shortly afterwards, a large body of the Enemy's Light Troops began to advance stealthily along the eastern hedge of the Hougomont inclosures, communicating at the same time with the Infantry in the Wood on their Left. This was immediately followed by a direct front attack upon the Orchard; which compelled Lord SALTOUN gradually to withdraw his greatly reduced force, from tree to tree, until he reached the hollow way in rear of that inclosure.

The Light Troops in front of ALTEN's Division, having perceived the French creeping along the hedge so as to turn the Left Flank of Hougomont, were on the point of forming to oppose them; but on the latter being pointed out to the Prince of ORANGE, who had just come to the front to make his observations, he coolly remarked :-" No, don't stir-the Duke is sure to see that movement, and will take some step to counteract it." He had scarcely spoken, when two Companies of the 3rd Regiment of British Guards, detached from the Allied Line, were seen advancing along the same hedge, in an opposite direction, to meet them.

Lord SALTOUN being thus reinforced upon his Left, and the French Skirmishers in his front having become exposed to a sharp flanking fire from the Guards lining the eastern Garden Wall, he resumed the offensive; cleared the Orchard of the Enemy, and reoccupied its front hedge: while the Detachment on the Left drove the French along the outer hedge,

384 Napoleon prepares to attack Allied Left. June 18.

and down into the hollow whence they had debouched; and then joined the troops in the Great Orchard. The front Hedge of the Orchard, the front Wall of the Garden, with the Lane and Avenue on the right, constituted at this time the Outer Line of the defence of Hougomont.

During the progress of the contest of Hougomont, NEY had been occupied in making his preparatory dispositions for carrying into execution NAPOLEON'S intended grand attack upon the Centre and Left of the Anglo-Allied line. The troops destined for this service consisted of the whole of D'ERLON'S Corps d'Armée, and of ROUSSEL'S Division of KELLERMANN'S Cavalry Corps. Their advance was to be covered and supported by no less than ten Batteries, which were now brought forward and posted along a ridge that intervened between the French Right and the Allied Left, Wing, affording the guns a range of from six hundred to eight hundred yards of the Duke's Line. These Batteries consisted of the three twelve-pounder Batteries of the First, Second, and Sixth Corps, drawn up with their Left close upon the Charleroi road; of the four Divisional Foot Batteries; of the Horse Battery belonging to JAQUINOT's Light Cavalry Brigade; and of the two Horse Batteries of MILHAUD'S Corps of Cuirassiers, which stood in Second Line, in rear of D'ERLON'S Corps-altogether seventy four guns.

This imposing force of Infantry, Cavalry, and Artillery, exclusive of the ample Cavalry Reserves at hand, was not more than commensurate with the importance of the object which NAPOLEON had in view. His aim was not only to turn the Allied Left, but also to force the Centre of the position; and, by gaining possession of the Farms of La Haye Sainte and Mont St Jean, to cut off WELLINGTON'S main line of communication by the high road to Brussels, and, at

June 18. Napoleon sees Bülow's Corps at St Lambert. 385

the same time, to prevent any contemplated junction of the Prussian and Anglo-Allied Armies.

This appeared to him preferable to any plan of operation against the Allied Right, where the skilful dispositions made by the Duke would require such a plan to embrace the attack and repulse of the troops occupying Braine l'Alleud, and the Post of Vieux Foriez, as well as the forcing of the position, en potence, held by Lord HILL; a consideration which, combined with a knowledge of the existence of a considerable body of Allied troops near Hal, and the fear of allowing himself to be induced into too great an extension of his own force towards his Left, caused him to resign all idea of attempting any movement of importance in that quarter.

He felt, moreover, that even a successful attack upon the Right would, in all probability, induce the Duke to fall back upon the Prussians; and thus effect that junction which it was his great object to frustrate whereas, an attack upon the Anglo-Allied Left, which was not so strong, if successful, held out to him the prospect of his being enabled, by aid of the presumed vigorous co-operation on the part of GROUCHY, and the momentarily expected arrival of a portion of that Marshal's forces on his own Right, to defeat both Armies in detail.

The Batteries had been regularly posted and fully prepared for action, and the Infantry Columns had advanced to the inner brow of the intervening ridge, when NEY sent word to the Emperor that the preliminary arrangements were completed, and that he only waited His Majesty's Orders to commence the attack. NAPOLEON immediately took a general view of the Field of Battle, aud continuing his observations beyond his Right, in order to discover, if possible, any indication of the approach either of GROUCHY, or of a hostile force, he perceived in the direction of St

151. W. L. Siborne.

2 B

386 General Domon is sent to reconnoitre. June 18.

Lambert an indistinct mass, having the appearance of a body of troops; and pointing out the object to SOULT, who was near him at the time, asked his opinion; whereupon the Marshal observed, that he really conceived it to be a Column on the march, and that there was great reason to believe it was a Detachment from GROUCHY. All the Staff directed their telescopes upon the point indicated; and, as the atmosphere was not very clear, different opinions were entertained: some asserting that what had been taken for troops were trees; others that they were Columns in position; whilst several agreed with SOULT, that they were troops on the march.

In this state of uncertainty and suspense, the Emperor sent for General DOMON, and desired him to proceed instantly with a strong reconnoitring party to the right, and procure correct intelligence; to put himself quickly in communication with the troops approaching from St Lambert; to effect a junction with them, if they belonged to Marshal GROUCHY, and to impede their advance if they proved to be Enemies. At the same time, the two Light Cavalry Divisions of DOMON and SUBERVIE proceeded some distance in the direction of the Wood of Paris, and were then drawn up en potence to the Right of the French Army.

Not long after DOMON's departure, NAPOLEON's impatience to ascertain the precise character of the distant Column was relieved by the arrival of an Officer of Chasseurs with a Prussian Hussar, who had just been taken prisoner; and who was the bearer of a letter, addressed by the Prussian General BÜLOW to the Duke of WELLINGTON, to acquaint the latter with his arrival at St Lambert. The prisoner stated that the Column which was perceptible in the vicinity of this Village, was the Advanced Guard of BÜLOW's Corps, which had not been engaged at Ligny; that he had been in the