le-Comte, and on approaching Nivelles about 7 in the evening, we first heard the cannonading, which had commenced about 3 P. M. After passing through Nivelles, we proceeded at a trot for several miles along the chaussée leading from that town to Namur; and, on the approach of night, bivouacked in a wheatfield, between that road and the one leading from Charleroi to Brussels, and in front of the village of Genappe.

"Next morning (the 17th) our brigade, with the rest of the cavalry, was drawn up in line of battle, fronting the wood where the French had retired during the night; but they declined attacking us. Our infantry continued, during the morning, to retire towards Brussels; it being Lord Wellington's intention to draw the French, by a ruse de guerre, to a spot of ground which he had fixed on, between Genappe and Brussels, as the most advantageous for giving them battle. After all the infantry had retired, the cavalry began to retire also, and were soon followed by that of the Enemy. During this movement, a violent thunder-storm came on, accompanied with torrents of rain. The 1st Life Guards, with Lord Uxbridge at their head, had an opportunity of charging some French Lancers at the entrance into Genappe, which they did most gallantly, and almost cut them to pieces. We were to have given them another charge of the same sort, but they thought it prudent not to expose themselves to our weight a second time. In the evening, we bivouacked on a piece of marshy ground, near the village of Mount St. Jean, where, from the quantity of rain that had fallen, we were almost knee-deep in mud and water. It continued to rain in torrents the whole of the night, but cleared up about 9 o'clock in the morning of the 18th. About 11 A. M. the action commenced, and the Household Brigade of cavalry was soon ordered forward to charge the Cuirassiers of the Imperial Guard, which they did with great success. Asecond charge left but few of them; but we in our turn have suffered much, for the heaviest fire, which was truly tremendous, was directed against the Household Brigade during the whole of the day, and it is astonishing how any of us escaped. Towards the evening, the fate of the day seemed doubtful, but the timely arrival of the Prussians turned the scale in our favour, and the French army was completely routed, and retreated in the utmost confusion, leaving us masters of the field.

"The 1st. Life Guards have lost Col. Ferrior and Captain Lind, and several of the officers have been wounded. We have

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lost Lieut. Col. Fitzgerald, who was killed by a cannon shot soon after the first charge. Captain Irby was taken prisoner, his horse having fallen with him in returning from the charge. He has since made his escape and joined us; but they have stripped him of his sword and money, and threatened to take his life. Lieut. Waymouth is missing, but supposed to be taken prisoner. Col. Lygon, and most of the officers had their horses wounded during the action. About 10 P. M. the army bivouacked for the night there was then only one subaltern with two corporals and six privates of the 2d Life Guards remaining, and about double the number of the 1st Life Guards, but no officer, all or most of them having been dismounted. The command of the remains of the two regiments, for the night, was given by Lord Edward Somerset to the remaining officer of the 2d regiment.

"Several of our men, who had their horses shot during the battle, have joined us, mounted upon horses who had lost their riders, some belonging to our regiment, others to the 1st Life Guards, &c. &c. and many French. The stragglers of the other regiments are similarly mounted. We have at present about 40 men with us; we know of about 49 wounded, and the names of about 16 killed; but our loss has been much greater, as I imagine; most of those returned missing are killed, as the French did not take many of our men prisoners.*

"Lord Wellington was near our brigade several times in the course of the day. He appeared much pleased with the conduct of the troops, and is said to have observed to the General Officer near him, that it was the hardest battle he ever fought, and that he had seen many charges of cavalry, but never any to equal those made by the heavy brigades, particularly the Household. We made in all four charges, viz. two against the Cuirassiers, and two against infantry."

Extract of a Letter by an Officer in the Light Dragoons.

"That previous to the Horse Guards charge, on the 18th, this regiment was ordered to attack a body of Lancers and Cuirassiers, on whom they could make no impression: that numbers of

The 2d Life Guards, on the morning of the 18th, were not much above 180 strong, a part of the regiment having been detached. But of this number, it has been since ascertained, that the loss on that day was 152 horses and 86 men, which includes those who were killed, and those who died of their wounds.

their men having fallen, they were forced to retreat, when the French were ordered to charge in their turn, and from the superior weight of the horses and men, and their species of armour and weapons, he had the mortification to see them cut down numbers of his regiment: that being in the rear, he soon received himself so desperate a shock from one of the lancers as to plunge himself and horse into a deep ditch, with such violence that the horse never got out alive; while he, being thrown, fortunately escaped with life, though immersed in, and covered with mud and water that in his fall, the lancer attempted to run him through, luckily missed his aim, and only tore away part of the flesh of the arm: that finding himself in the midst of the Enemy, he had offered an officer to surrender, but who declined taking charge of him then, and ordered him to an adjacent field, where were several others under similar circumstances that he had the mortification to witness from thence the overthrow of numbers of the men during their retreat, but at last to his great satisfaction saw the heavy brigade advance to the charge, who in their turn overthrew every thing in their way, literally rolling both men and horses of the French over to a considerable distance, by the tremendous force of their charge, and cutting down all before them. Seeing the face of affairs to be changed, he contemplated upon an escape; and having communicated his idea to a brother officer near him, they together made for another part of the field, and had hardly gained the summit of a steep bank, when looking back, they observed a small French detachment enter the field, and cut down in cold blood all the prisoners there waiting for the orders of their captors, to the number of 30 or 40, while only himself and companion escaped."

42d Highland Regiment. *

"The 42d regiment was ordered to advance along with a Belgian corps, to support the Prussians, who were under fire.

* Extract of a Letter from a Private in the 42d Regiment to his Father.

General Hospital, Antwerp, June 24, 1815.

"On the 15th, about twelve o'clock at night, we turned out, and at two in the morning marched from the city of Brussels, to meet the Enemy, who were advancing in great force on that city. About three o'clock in the afternoon of the 16th, we came up with them. Our whole force did not exceed 12,000 men, who were fatigued with a long march of upwards of twenty miles, encum→

In the march, owing either to their own superior quickness, or to the want of ardor in the Belgians, the latter were left behind; and in a field of high standing corn, a column of French Lancers advanced upon, them. Col. Macara ordered the regiment to form a square, in doing which two companies were left out, or were rather in the act of falling in, when they were pierced by the Lancers, and in one moment overwhelmed, and literally annihilated. The lancers then attacked the square, and repeated the charge several times. One half of them were also mowed down, together with the brave Colonel; upon which Lieut.-Col. Dick took the command, though wounded by a musket-ball; he succeeded in rallying and forming them into a diminished square, and thus presented an undaunted resistance to the Enemy. The

bered with knapsacks and other luggage. The day was uncommonly warm and no water to be had on the road; however, we were brought up in order of battle. The French being strongly posted in a thick wood, to the number of 40,000 men, including cavalry and lancers, gave us very little time to look round us ere the fight commenced on both sides, in an awful and destructive manner, they having every advantage of us, both as to position and numbers, particularly in cavalry, and the British dragoons had not yet come up. The French cavalry charged the British line of infantry three different times, and did much execution, until we were obliged to form squares of battalions, in order to turn them, which was executed in a most gallant manner, and many hundreds of them never returned. Still they sent up fresh forces, and as often we beat them back. The battle lasted until it was quite dark, when the Enemy began to give way; our poor fellows who were left alive following them as long as they could see, when night put an end to the fatigues of a well-fought day. Thousands on both sides lay killed and wounded on the field of battle; and, as the greater part of the action lay in corn fields along a vast tract of country, many hundred must have died for want of assistance through the night, who were not able of themselves to crawl away. I was wounded by a musket-ball, which passed through my right arm and breast, and lodged in my back, from whence it was extracted by a surgeon in the hospital of this place. Captain M. is most severely wounded, having several shots through his body, and the regiment, in general, are mostly cut off. We have heard, since we came here, that our fine brigade, which entered the field on that eventful day, consisting of the 3d battalion Royal Scots, 42d, 44th, and 92d regiments, are now formed into one battalion, not exceeding in the whole 400 men. Lord Wellington retired in the night to wait for reinforcements, and next day our cavalry and the rest of the army arrived. Thus I have given you as full an account of affairs, principally what I witnessed on the 16th. Nothing can exceed the kindness and attention of the inhabitants of this city to our wounded men; the hospital is constantly filled with ladies and gentlemen, who, although speaking a different language, personally administer to our wants with the kindest attention, distributing clean shirts, bread, wine, coffee, tea, milk, and fruit of all sorts, with every requisite for our comfort and accommodation."

Lieutenant-Colonel was at length, from the loss of blood, carried from the field; when he was succeeded by Captain Davidson, who had been previously twice wounded, but remained in the field till nearly the close of the 16th, when he received his deathwound; but the gallant remnant of the men succeeded in putting the lancers to flight. On the 16th, this regiment had killed and wounded 284, on the 18th, 49."

PLAN OF THE BATTLE OF THE 16TH JUNE.

The plan is mostly intended to illustrate the following letter, which relates chiefly to the glorious part which the 92d took in the contest, it however gives