June 18. General Picton's dispositions. 397 remarking to him that he was sure they would run, he said, "Never mind; they shall have a taste of it, at all events." He had certainly not anticipated the possibility of their retiring so precipitately as they did the moment the French came within musket range of their ranks. Now, however, that these troops had completely cleared away to the rear, and left him no other means wherewith to brave the coming storm than could be afforded by the shattered remnants of KEMPT's and PACK's Brigades which had survived the sanguinary Fight of Quatre Bras, PICTON immediately deployed his force, and assumed an attitude of patient but determined resistance. When the disparity in relative numbers of the assailants and defenders is considered, the attempt to make head with such odds, against the advancing masses of an Enemy elated by his triumphant progress, was, it must be admitted, a daring superior Officers that were observed to fall, could scarcely fail to produce a prejudicial effect among these raw troops. Their confidence in their own power of resistance had also been very considerably shaken, by the circumstance of their having been deployed in a two-deep Line; instead of having been allowed to assume the three-deep formation to which they had previously been accustomed. In this affair, PERPONCHER had two horses shot under him. BYLANDT was wounded, as were also Colonel Van Zuylen van Nyrfelt, Lieutenant Colonel WESTENBERG who commanded the 5th Battalion of Dutch Militia, and several other Officers. Had the British soldiers been fully aware of all these circumstances, their feelings would assuredly not have been so greatly roused against the DutchBelgians as they were on this particular occasion. But they had neither time nor opportunity for reflection. They only saw the hurried and confused retreat; and this, at such a moment, would have equally exasperated them, had the troops so retiring been British. That PICTON, who could perceive all that was passing along the exterior slope, should have given vent to his irritation in the remark he made to Captain TYLER, is more surprising; but it must be borne in mind, that his habitual reliance upon his own British infantry, with which he felt that he could attempt anything, usually led him to make but little allowance for the failure or discomfiture of troops in general under almost any circumstances. 398 General Picton's dispositions. June 18. and critical undertaking. Each Brigade presented a thin two deep Line. Their united strength did not amount to more than about 3,000 men; whilst of the French force, the central attacking Columns alone, which were now advancing directly upon these two Brigades, consisted of nearly 12,000 men. PICTON had, moreover, no Infantry Reserve whatever, from which he could obtain support in case of success, or upon which he could fall back in case of disaster. It He was not, however, one to be daunted by the approach of heavy Columns, formidable as they might appear in point of numbers, when he could meet them with a well trained British Line, though it should be but two deep, and present but a fourth of the numerical force of its opponents. is true, that nearly all the Regiments in KEMPT's and PACK's Brigades had lost half their numbers in the Battle of the 16th; but PICTON well knew that they had not lost that indomitable spirit, which, under his guidance, had immortalised them on that memorable Field of Battle. There, he had triumphantly led them both in Line against heavy Columns of Infantry, and in Squares against charging Squadrons of Cavalry. What, then, might not be achieved by such innate valour-by such consummate discipline? The entire confidence which he reposed in his men was warmly reciprocated on their part. With such a Chief to lead them, they would have bravely confronted the whole French Army, had it been moving in mass against them. The flight of the panic-stricken Dutch-Belgians produced no effect upon them beyond that of exciting their derision and contempt. The 28th, 32nd, and 79th Regiments of KEMPT'S Brigade, when deployed, occupied a Line parallel to, and about fifty yards distant from, the hedge along the Wavre June 18. The Lines of Kempt's and Pack's Brigades. 399 road, its Right resting on a high bank lining the Charleroi road, and its Left terminating at a point in rear of that part of the Wavre road which begins to incline for a short distance towards the left rear. In their right front, immediately overlooking the intersection of the Charleroi and Wavre roads, stood (as before stated) the Reserve of the 1st Battalion 95th Rifles; they had two Companies, under Major LEACH, posted in the Sand Pit adjoining the left of the Charleroi road; and one Company, under Captain JOHNSTON, at the hedge on the Knoll in rear of the Sand Pit. Their Commanding Officer Colonel Sir ANDREW BARNARD, and Lieutenant Colonel CAMERON, were with these Advanced Companies, watching the Enemy's movements. PACK's Line was in left rear of KEMPT's Brigade, and about 150 yards distant from the Wavre road. Its Left rested upon the Knoll between the Wavre road and a small coppice on the reverse slope of the position; but the Centre and Right extended across a considerable hollow which occurs on the right of that coppice. The front of the interval between the two Brigades became, after the retreat of the Dutch-Belgians, completely exposed and uncovered. The French Left central attacking Column had continued its advance in a direction contiguous to, and parallel with, the high road, until the Skirmishers in front were suddenly checked by the Companies of the 95th British Rifles posted in the Sand Pit; which obstacle had hitherto been in a great measure concealed from their view by the particular formation of the ground, combined with the height of the intervening corn. Influenced by the discovery of this impediment, and by the appearance of the abatis upon the high road, the Column inclined to the right so as to clear the Sand Pit; and as their Skirmishers were pressing on in that direction, the Companies of the 95th became turned 400 The Skirmishers of the 95th fall back. June 18. So and were forced to fall back upon the other Company stationed along the little hedge in rear of the Pit. vigorous and effective was the fire maintained from this hedge by the British Riflemen, both upon the Skirmishers and upon the Column itself, that the latter was induced to swerve still further to the right, out of its original direction. The retreat of BYLANDT's Brigade having removed all impediment to the advance of the central attacking Columns, the three Companies of the 95th soon found themseves outflanked by the French Skirmishers, and gradually retired upon their Reserve. The Light Companies of the other Regiments of KEMPT's Brigade, which had moved out to skirmish, fell back in like manner, accordingly as the French Columns advanced. With a view to secure the Left Flank of the attacking force, and at the same time to connect the movements with those on the opposite side of the high road, the French presented a strong Line, or rather a mass, of Skirmishers, in the interval between that road and the Left central Column. As the Columns now rapidly approached the crest of the Anglo-Allied position, the greater part of the Batteries along the French ridge-that is, all those which had been cannonading that portion of the Line embraced by the attack-gradually suspended their fire. The partial cessation of their thunder was immediately succeeded by loud and reiterated shouts from the Columns of "Vive l'Empereur !"; whilst at short intervals were heard the cheering exhortations of "En avant! en avant!" mingled with the continued roll of drums beating the pas de charge. The Left central Column was advancing in a direction which would have brought it in immediate contact with the Right of the 28th British Regiment and the Left of the 79th June 18. Kempt's Brigade charges a French Column. 401 Highlanders, and had arrived within about forty yards of the hedge lining the edge of the Wavre road, when PICTON moved forward KEMPT's Brigade close to the hedge; where it was joined by its Light Companies, who came running in, followed by some of the most daring of the French Skirmishers, who, however, were quickly driven back. Suddenly the Column halted, and commenced a deployment to its right, the rear Battalions moving out rapidly to disengage their front. PICTON, seizing upon the favourable moment, ordered the Brigade to fire a volley into the deploying mass; and its brief but full and condensed report had scarcely died away, when his voice was heard loudly calling "Charge! charge! Hurrah!" Answering with a tremendous shout, his devoted followers burst through the nearest of the two hedges that lined the Wavre road. In doing this their order was in some degree broken; and, when making their way through the further hedge, a fire was poured into them by such of their opponents as had their front uncovered. The Enemy's Skirmishers that had previously fallen back upon the Flanks of the Column instantly darted forward; and by their rapid and close telling fire assisted in the endeavour to augment the apparent disorder of KEMPT's line. The 79th Highlanders suffered greatly, and experienced some delay in clearing the hedges. The Ensign (BIRTWHISTLE) carrying the Regimental Colour of the 32nd, was severely wounded. Lieutenant BELCHER, who commanded the left centre subdivision, took the Colour from him. In the next moment it was seized by a French Officer, whose horse had just been shot under him. A struggle ensued between him and Lieutenant BELCHER; but, while the former was attempting to draw his sword, the covering Colour Sergeant (named SWITZER) gave him a thrust in the breast with his 151. W.L. Siborne. 2 C |