72

Strength of the Anglo-Allied Army.

Junc

ENGINEERS, SAPPERS AND MINERS, WAGGON-TRain, and Staff

The Infantry was divided into two Corps and a Reserve. The First Corps, commanded by General His Royal Highness the Prince of ORANGE, was composed

of the First Division, under Major General COOKE;
of the Third Division, under Lieutenant General Sir
CHARLES ALTEN;

of the Second Dutch-Belgian Division, under Lieutenant
General DE PERPONCHER;

and of the Third Dutch-Belgian Division, under Lieutenant General Baron CHASSÉ.

The Left of this Corps rested upon Genappe, Quatre Bras, and Frasne, on the high road leading from Brussels to Charleroi on the Sambre, and communicated with the Right of the First Corps d'Armée of the Prussian Army, the Head Quarters of which Corps were at Charleroi. DE PERPONCHER'S Dutch-Belgian Division formed the extreme Left, having its Head Quarters at Nivelles, on the high road from Brussels to Binche. On its right was CHASSE'S DutchBelgian Division, more in advance, in the direction of Mons and Binche, and quartered principally in Roeulx, and in the villages between the latter place and Binche. The next Division on the right was ALTEN'S, having its Head Quarters at Soignies, on the high road from Brussels to Mous, and occupying villages between this town, Roeulx, Braine le Comte, and Enghien. The Right Division, COOKE's, had its Head Quarters at Enghien.

June.

Divisions of the Anglo-Allied Army. 73

The Second Corps, commanded by Lieutenant General Lord HILL, consisted

of the Second Division, under Lieutenant General Sir HENRY CLINTON;

of the Fourth Division, under Lieutenant General the Hon. Sir CHARLES COLVILLE;

of the First Dutch-Belgian Division, under Lieutenant General STEDMANN;

and of a Brigade raised for service in the Dutch Colonies, called the Indian Brigade, under Lieutenant General Baron ANTHING.

The Second Division, which formed the Left of this Corps, communicated with ALTEN's Right; its Head Quarters were at Ath, on the Dender, and upon the high road leading from Brussels to Tournai, and one Brigade (the Third), occupied Lens, situated about midway between Ath and Mons.

The Fourth Division was the next on the right, having its Head Quarters at Audenarde on the Scheldt, and occupying also Renaix. One Brigade of this Division (the Sixth Hanoverian) garrisoned the fortress of Nieuport on the coast. The First Dutch-Belgian Division was cantoned in villages bordering upon the high road connecting Grammont with Ghent; and the so-called Indian Brigade occupied villages between this line and Alost.

The Reserve consisted

of the Fifth Division, under Lieutenant General Sir THOMAS PICTON;

of the Sixth Division, under Lieutenant General the Hon. Sir LowRY COLE;

of the Brunswick Division, under the Duke of BRUNSWICK;

74

Divisions of the Anglo-Allied Army.

June.

of the Hanoverian Corps, under Lieutenant General VON DER DECKEN;

and of the Contingent of the Duke of NASSAU, which comprised the 1st Regiment of Nassau Infantry, containing three Battalions, and forming a Brigade under the command of General VON KRUSE.

The Fifth and Sixth Divisions, and the Brunswick Division, were quartered principally in and around Brussels, excepting the Seventh Brigade, which together with VON DER DECKEN'S Corps, the 13th Veteran Battalion, the 1st Foreign Battalion, and the 2nd Garrison Battalion, garrisoned Antwerp, Ostend, Nieuport, Ypres, Tournai, and Mons; and VON KRUSE'S Nassau Brigade was cantoned between Brussels and Louvain.

Of the fortresses already mentioned, those which had not been destroyed by the French when they gained possession of the country in 1794, namely, Antwerp, Ostend, and Nieuport, were strengthened, and each rendered capable of holding out a siege. By taking every possible advantage offered by the remains of the old fortifications, and by the continued employment of 20,000 labourers, through requisitions on the country, in addition to the military working parties, and by the accession of artillery and stores from England and Holland, the towns of Ypres, Tournai, Mons, Ath, and the Citadel of Ghent, were placed in a state of defence, and a Redoubt was constructed at Audenarde to protect the Sluice Gates, which afforded the means of inundating that part of the country.

The Cavalry of the Anglo-Allied Army, commanded by Lieutenant General the Earl of UXBRIDGE, consisted of seven Brigades, comprising the British and the King's German Legion; of a Hanoverian Brigade; of five

June.

Cavalry of the Anglo-Allied Army.

75

Squadrons of Brunswick Cavalry; and of three Brigades of Dutch-Belgian Cavalry.

The British and King's German Legion Cavalry, with the Hanoverian Brigade, were stationed at Grammont and Ninove, and in villages bordering upon the Dender. The Brunswick Cavalry was dispersed in the vicinity of Brussels. The First Brigade of Dutch-Belgian Cavalry was cantoned in the neighbourhood of Roeulx; the Second Brigade, in villages between Roeulx and Mons; and the Third Brigade, partly on the south side of Mons, in the direction of Maubeuge and Beaumont, and partly between Binche and

Mons.

The wide dissemination of the Duke of WELLINGTON'S forces which the advanced line of cantonments presenteda line forming a considerable portion of a circle, of which Brussels was the centre, and the Tournai, Mons, and Charleroi roads were the marked radii-tended greatly to facilitate the means of subsisting the troops, and to render that subsistence less burthensome to the country; while, at the same time, it offered to the Duke, in conjunction with the interior points of concentration, and with the efficient Reserve stationed around the capital, full security for his being prepared to meet any emergency that might arise. The main points of interior concentration were (commencing from the right) Audenarde, Grammont, Ath, Enghien, Soignies, Nivelles, and Quatre Bras. From whatever point, therefore, offensive operations might be directed against that portion of the Belgian frontier occupied by the Army under WELLINGTON-whether from Lille, by Courtrai, or by Tournai, between the Lys and the Scheldt; from Condé, Valenciennes, or Maubeuge, by Mons, between the Sambre and the Scheldt; or from Maubeuge, Beaumont, or

76

Strength of the Prussian Army.

June.

Philippeville, by Charleroi, between the Sambre and the Meuse the Duke, by advancing to the threatened point with his Reserve, and placing the remainder of his troops in movement, had it in his power to concentrate at least two-thirds of his intended disposable force for the Field, upon the line of the Enemy's operations, within twenty-two hours after the receipt of intelligence of the actual direction and apparent object of those operations.

The Prussian Army, under the command of Prince BLÜCHER VON WAHLSTADT, amounted to nearly 117,000 men, and was thus composed :

It was divided into four Corps d'Armée.

The First Corps, commanded by Lieutenant General ZIETEN,* consisted

of the First Brigade, under General STEINMETZ;
of the Second Brigade, under General PIRCH II. ; †
of the Third Brigade, under General JAGOW;

* In order to avoid the constant repetition of the prefix "von" to the names of the German Officers, I have omitted it altogether in the present edition; an omission, however, which I feel persuaded those Officers will not consider as involving any breach of courtesy or respect.

+ Prussian General Officers bearing the same family name, are usually distinguished by the addition of the Roman numerals. General vON PIRCH I. is named on the next page.