June. 18.

Every man must stand his ground.

485

refusal to allow them to charge the guns; near which the French Cavalry was hovering, ready to take advantage of any such attempt.

The Duke was frequently an eye-witness of this devotedness of his soldiers; but when asked for support, his reply was that there was none to spare; or, if for permission to attack, that this could not be granted; and, if any intimation were made to him that it might become necessary to fall back a little out of fire, it was met, in a cool and decided tone, that every man must stand his ground, and that there must not even be a semblance of retreat.

The reinforcements from REILLE'S Corps having moved to Hougomont, the Skirmishers in and around this Post were relieved upon all points. The Wood, as also the fences on either flank, soon swarmed with Tirailleurs; and the brisk rattle of musketry that followed, intermingled with shouts of "En avant!", seemed to betoken a determination on the part of the French that the capture of La Haye Sainte should not be their only triumph achieved in front of the Anglo-Allied Army. Everywhere the assault was bravely met by the gallant defenders of the Post. The Flank Companies of the Guards, within the walls and buildings, held at defiance every attempt of their assailants to dislodge them from their cover. By this time, all the outhouses were on fire, with the exception of those that fronted the Wood. The roof and upper storey of the Château had fallen in, and flames continued bursting forth on all sides with the greatest fury. The heat had become so intense as to produce upon the men whose duty brought them within its influence, a feeling of suffocation; while the frequently emitted volumes of thick smoke gave an

486 The admirable defence of Hougomont. June 18.

indistinctness to every object around them. Yet 80 admirable was the system of defence, so perfect were the discipline and the order, maintained throughout this trying scene, by the devoted garrison, that the Enemy completely failed in forcing an opening at any one point. The well maintained fire from the walls was such as to deter the French from attempting an escalade.

Whilst the central portion of the Tirailleurs kept up an incessant fire from behind the hedge and trees facing the south buildings and the Gardens, the remainder pressed on in crowds against the inclosures by which the Post was flanked. On the right, the 2nd Battalion of the Coldstream Guards, lining the hedge that bordered the main approach to the Château, successfully withstood this furious onset. On the left, the 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Guards, in the Orchard, having suffered such frightful losses, found it impossible to stem the overwhelming torrent, and speedily fell back upon its friendly hollow way. The French Tirailleurs, pushing forward in pursuit, were staggered by the sudden and vigorous fire opened upon them by the troops within the eastern Garden Wall; and the 3rd Guards having, in the mean time, been reinforced by the 2nd Line Battalion and the Light Companies of DU PLAT'S Brigade, drove the Enemy back to the front hedge of the Orchard; whence they were shortly, in their turn, compelled to retire.

Again the flank fire from the eastern Garden Wall, combined with that in front from the defenders of the Orchard, as they reached the rear hedge, compelled the Enemy to fall back. The 3rd Guards once more lined the front hedge; and also, in conjunction with the Light Troops of DU PLAT'S Brigade, and the remains of both the Brunswick Advanced Guard Battalion, and the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Regiment of Nassau, forced the entrance into the Wood

7

June 18.

It was now nearly seven o'clock.

487

near the south-east angle of the Garden Wall, and firmly established themselves in that quarter.

At the commencement of this last mentioned attack upon Hougomont, the Right of ADAM's Brigade was considered too near the inclosures of that Post, and exposed to be taken from thence in flank. It was therefore withdrawn further up the slope, towards the crest of the main position; and after a brief interval, it retired to the reverse slope in order to be covered from the Enemy's cannonade which had been directed against it.

It was now nearly seven o'clock. The troops defending Hougomont and its inclosures had succeeded in repelling the last assault; and the contest in and around this Post again degenerated into a tiraillade kept up with more or less vigour on all points. Along the front of the extreme Right of the Anglo-Allied Line, the Skirmishers from MITCHELL'S British Infantry Brigade maintained their ground with great steadiness and gallantry. The main body of the Brunswick Infantry stood on the interior slope, in rear of ADAM's Brigade; and CHASSE'S DutchBelgian Infantry Division, which had arrived from Braine l'Alleud, was deployed along, and in rear of, the Nivelles road, its Centre intersected by the narrow road leading from the chaussée to the Village of Merbe Braine, which position it had taken up on the advance of ADAM's Brigade to the general Front Line. In front of the Anglo-Allied Left, the Skirmishers of both Armies were continually engaged; and upon the extreme Left the troops in Smohain, La Haye, Papelotte, and adjacent inclosures, successfully resisted all attempts of the Enemy to dislodge them.

The attack upon the Centre of the Anglo-Allied Line had been incessant from the moment La Haye Sainte fell

488 Incessant attacks on the Allied Centre.

June 18

into the possession of the French. On their left of the Charleroi road, they debouched from that Farm and ascended the position in clouds of Skirmishers. One portion of them crowded upon the artificial mound which abutted upon the high bank of the road, and was situated about sixty yards only in front of the hollow way occupied by OMPTEDA'S Brigade. On the opposite side of the Charleroi road, the fire from the French troops on the Knoll above the Sand Pit was maintained with remarkable rapidity and perseverance. They continued, as before, to conceal themselves as much as possible under the brow of the Knoll, exposing only so much of their bodies as was necessary to enable them to fire over its crest in a kneeling position. This fire was replied to with the greatest spirit and determination on the part of KEMPT's and LAMBERT's Brigades. On the Allied right of the high road, the exhausted remnant of OMPTEDA'S Brigade was no longer a match for the daring Tirailleurs that crowded together in its front. Its stock of ammunition had begun to fail; many who had not a cartridge left fell to the rear, and more than the usual number assisted the wounded out of action.

Exposed as ALTEN'S Division had been to the most furious assaults of Artillery, Cavalry, and Infantry; the British and German Brigades of which it was composed had become awfully diminished; and the facility which the possession of La Haye Sainte now afforded the French for continuing their desperate endeavours to force that part of the Allied Line, rendered the situation of these troops extremely critical. ALTEN, who had throughout the day displayed the same coolness, intrepidity, and skill, which had characterised his career in the Peninsular War; and who, by his presence and example, had so powerfully sustained the energies of his men, was not permitted to witness the closing scene of their

June 18.

Disposition of the Allied troops at the Centre. 489

glorious exertions for about this time he was wounded, and compelled to quit the Field; leaving the command of the Division to his gallant countryman KIELMANSEGGE.

At a short distance in rear of LAMBERT's Brigade stood that of PACK (with the exception of the 1st Royal Scots. then in Front Line), in Contiguous Columns at quarter distance, its Right resting on the high road; while further to the rear, as a Reserve, was posted VINCKE'S Hanoverian Brigade, having two of its Battalions, Hameln and Gifhorn, in contiguous Close Columns on the left of the road, and the other Battalions, Piene and Hildesheim, in a similar formation, on the right of the road, near the Farm of Mont St Jean.

The pertinacity and zeal displayed by the French in their attacks upon the Centre of the Anglo-Allied Line, and the indications now manifested of following them up with increased force, were in accordance with NAPOLEON'S great object of breaking that Centre, and overthrowing the Right Wing of the Duke's Army: and for the execution of this latter part of his plan, he was preparing to strike another formidable blow; even now that the Prussians were fairly aux prises with the troops constituting the extreme Right of his Army in and around Planchenoit.

But previously to entering into the subject of the concluding scene of the struggle between the Anglo-Allied and French Armies, it will be necessary to revert to the operations of the Prussian Forces, in order to arrive at a full and comprehensive development and due interconnection of all the leading features and various bearings of the great Battle, the result of which was to determine the issue of the Campaign in Belgium.