leagues. Towards evening he received positive information that the principal force of the enemy was moving towards Wavres. It was six o'clock, and the soldiers were preparing their suppers. He judged he would be in time by morning to follow them. They thus gained a march of three hours on him. This fatal resolution was the principal cause of the loss of the battle of Waterloo.

It continued to rain during the night, which made the flat country almost impassable for the artillery and cavalry, and even the infantry. During the day of the seventeenth, and the night of the seventeeth, eighteenth, the flankers on the right of the French 'army reported, that they were in communication with those of Marshal Grouchy, who was all day in pursuit of Blucher, without any important event occurring. At nine in the evening, General Milhaud, who had marched with his corps to keep up the communications with Grouchy, reported his knowledge of a column of the enemy's cavalry, having been thrown in great haste from Tilly to Wavres. A corps of 2,000 cavalry was marched towards Halle, menacing to turn the right of the forest of Soignes, and to

march towards Brussels. The Duke of Wellington, alarmed, immediately sent thither his fourth division The French cavalry returned to camp at night. The English division remained in observation, and was unfitted for duty during the battle.

of infantry.

VI. The Emperor, with the first, second, and sixth corps of infantry, the guards, a division of Pajol's light cavalry, and Milhaud's and Kellerman's cuirassiers, in all 68,906 men, and 242 pieces of ordnance, encamped in advance of Planchenoit, on each side of the road to Brussels, which was four

leagues and a half distant. The English army before him was 90,000 men strong, with 255 pieces of ordnance; it had its head quarters at Waterloo. Marshal Grouchy, with 34,000 men, and 108 pieces of ordnance, ought to have been at Wavres, but he was in fact at Gembloux, having lost sight of the Prussian army, which was at Wavres; where the four corps were united, amounting to 75,000 men.

At ten o'clock at night, the Emperor despatched an officer to Marshal Grouchy, whom he supposed at

Wavres, to inform him, that there would be a great battle the next day: that the English army was posted in advance of the forest of Soignes, its left resting on the village of Haye; that he ordered him to detach, before day, from his camp at Wavres, a division of 7,000 men of every description, and sixteen pieces of cannon to St. Lambert, to form a junction with the right of the grand army, and to act with it. That as soon as he had ascertained the evacuation of Wavres by Marshal Blucher, either to continue his retreat to Brussels, or to take any other direction; he should march with the greater part of his troops, to support his detachment at St. Lambert.

At eleven o'clock at night, an hour after these instructions had been sent, a report was received from Marshal Grouchy, dated Gembloux, five in the evening. He informed that he was with his army at Gembloux, ignorant of the direction taken by Marshal Blucher whether he had directed his course to Brussels or to Liege; that in consequence, he had posted two advanced guards, the one between Gembloux, and Wavres, and the other one league from Gembloux, in the direction of Liege. Thus Marshal Blucher had

escaped, and was three leagues distant from him! Grouchy had only marched two leagues, on the seventeenth. A second officer was sent to him at four o'clock in the morning, to reiterate the orders of the preceding evening. An hour after, at five, a second report was received, dated Gembloux, two o'clock at night. The Marshal stated, that at six in the evening he had ascertained, that Blucher had marched with all his forces towards Wavres, that in consequence he would have immediately followed him; but as the troops had encamped, and were preparing their suppers, he would not march until early in the morning, so as to be in time before Wavres, which would amount to the same thing; and the soldiers having taken a good rest, would be full of spirits.

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1.

CHAPTER VI.

BATTLE OF MONT SAINT JEAN.

I. Line of battle of the English army.-II. Line of battle of the French army.—III. Projects of the Emperor Attack of Hougoumont.-IV. General Bulow arrives on the field of battle with 30,000 men, which augments Wellington's army to 120,000 men.-V. Attack of St. Haye by the first corps. -VI. General Bulow is repulsed.-VII. Charge of cavalry on the plain.--VIII. Movement of Grouchy.-IX. Movement of Blucher, which in-. creases the enemy on the field of battle to 150,000 men.-X. Movement of the imperial guards.

DURING the night the Emperor gave all the necessary orders for the battle of the next day, though, to all appearance, it would probably not take place. During four days, since the commencement of hostilities, he had by the most able manœuvres, surprised his enemies, gained a splendid victory, and separated the two armies. This was much for his glory, but