18th June.-Blücher's Activity.

At day-break on the 18th, the 4th Prussian corps, that had not been engaged at Ligny, began to move from Dion-le-Mont, by Wavre, upon Chapelle St. Lambert. But various obstacles, in particular a fire that had broken out in Wavre, and raged with such violence as to prevent marching through the principal street, did not allow the head of the column to arrive before eleven.

In an interval of firing, about two o'clock, the French had perceived at the distance of the Wood of Paris, in the rear of Frichermont, some troops débouching, and conceived them to be the advanced guard of Grouchy. The report quickly spread through the whole army, and was communicated by Colonel Labedoyère to the left wing, which in vain exhausted itself against Gomont. But, far from thence, Marshal Grouchy was busily employed at Wavre with three Prussian corps. It was not long before their error was known. They were two regiments of Prussian Dragoons, escorting their intrepid Blücher. This respected warrior, impatient of waiting the arrival of his corps upon the march, had already advanced to reconnoitre the ground.

Retreat-Genappe-and General Duhesme.*

In Genappe there was a complete pêle-mêle, the retreating enemy were cut down like sheep. In Genappe, where 800 lay on the spot, fell General Duhesme, the commander of the rear-guard, by the hands of a Brunswicker:-" The Duke fell yesterday, and you shall also bite the dust." He lay severely wounded, and was taken to a small village. The Prussians, in their advance, finding a French General was there, entered the room of the General and sabred him. His servant was witness to his master's fate, disguised as a peasant. This anecdote serves to illustrate the degree of asperity with which the Prussians regarded their enemy. Had not some of our Allies been a little desirous for plunder, it is probable a few less would have returned to have told their tale of woe.

The retreat, or rather complete defeat of the French, reminds us of the disastrous discomfiture of the Israelites, whom the French seem to resemble in their infidelity, as well as their disasters:

"And upon them that are left alive of you, I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them, and they shall flee as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth."-Levit. xxvi. 36.

At the conclusion of the battle there was not a drop of water to be had upon the field, and the poor wounded men were dreadfully tormented with thirst. Fatigued as our officers must have

*This subject is taken from one of the etchings by Captain Jones.

been with the incessant toil of this glorious day, numbers of those who were wounded mounted their horses, galloped to Waterloo, a distance of at least two miles, and returned to the field with as many canteens as they could carry full of water for the relief of the wounded.

"The French make a great clamour in action-the English shout-horses unwilling to go to battle, hanging down their heads until spurred on; but when over, they seem to like it."

The description in "Count Fathom" is stated by several of the unfortunate wounded, who lay on the ground helpless, and at the mercy of every one, to be a true picture of the field after the battle.

At the sign of the King of Spain, at Genappe, Wellington had his head-quarters on the 17th; Buonaparte on the 18th; and Blücher on the 19th.

Advices from Hanover state, that the Court-Martial ordered to inquire into the conduct of Colonel Hake, formerly commanding the Cumberland Hussars, as well as of the regiment accused of having failed in its duty in leaving the field of battle at Waterloo on the 18th of June, has condemned Colonel Hake to be cashiered and degraded; but acquitted the regiment of the charge of having disordered the ranks of the army. Major Mellzing, the second in command, is severely reprimanded for not having opposed the retreat of his corps.

LIEUT.-GEN. LORD HILL.

General Order after the Battle of Waterloo. "2d Corps, "Nivelles, June 20, 1815. "Lieut.-Gen. Lord Hill has great satisfaction in congratulating the troops in their brilliant success attending their gallant exertions in the action with the enemy on the 18th inst. The highlydistinguished conduct of the 2d Division, and Colonel Mitchell's brigade of the 4th Division, who had the good fortune to be employed in the memorable action, merit his Lordship's highest approbation. And he begs, that Lieut.-general Sir Henry Clinton, commanding 2d Division; Colonel Gold, commanding Royal Artillery of the 2d corps; Maj.-gen. Adams, Colonel Duplat, Mitchell, and Halket, commanding brigades; Major Sympher, commanding a troop of Horse Artillery, King's German Legion; Captain Napier (to whose lot it fell to command the 9-pounder brigade of the 2d Division on the death of Captain Bolton), will accept his best thanks for their exemplary conduct, and they will be pleased to convey his sentiments to the officers, non-commissioned officers, and men, under their respective commands.

"Amongst the deaths, his Lordship has severely to lament that of Lieut.-col. Currie, Ass. Adj.-gen., and Captain Bolton, Royal Artillery; and he hopes that the wounds received by Maj.-gen. Adams, Colonel Duplat, Sir H. Ellis, and the other officers who were wounded, will not long deprive him of their services.

(Signed)

"W. HILL,

Assis. Adj.-gen. 2d Corps."

Communicated by French Officers.

After the battle of Ligny, Buonaparte, intending to lead his army against the English, arrived at the farm of Caillou, and fixed his head-quarters there on the 17th of June, at nine o'clock in the evening. The rain fell in torrents. The farm-house was abandoned by the farmer, named Boucqueau, an old man of eighty, who had retired to Planchenoit. It is situated on the high road from Charleroi to Brussels. It is half a league from the château of Hougomont and La Haye Sainte, and a quarter of a league from La Belle Alliance and Planchenoit. Supper was hastily served up, in part of the utensils of the farmer that remained. Buonaparte slept in the first chamber of this house: a bed was put up for him in the middle of this room, with blue silk hangings and gold fringe. His brother Jerome, the Duke of Bassano, and several Generals, lodged in the other chambers. All the adjacent buildings, gardens, meadows, and enclosures, were crowded with military and horses. On the 18th, from a very early hour in the morning, there were several visits and conferences. About nine o'clock, a breakfast was set before Buonaparte in his own plate. Before he left the farm to go forward, he desired the farmer to be sent for. The latter, who is the proprietor of the farm, found, when he came, all his effects broken or pillaged. He desired to speak to Napoleon, who was at a small distance reconnoitring the enemy's army: after much entreaty he was permitted to approach him; he found him surrounded by his staff, dressed in a grey frock, and wearing a two-cornered hat (chapeau à deux cornes). Napoleon asked him why he had gone away-whence he came if Planchenoit was far off:- he pitied him with an appearance of interest, and ended by ordering a safeguard to be given, which availed him nothing.

The eminence on which Buonaparte was while he gave his orders during the battle, is part of the territory of Planchenoit'; is called the Field of Trimotio, and is the property of several individuals: it is not far from the farm of Caillou. Buonaparte returned to this house for a moment during the battle. After he had lost it, endeavouring to avoid the crowd in the great road, he

threw himself into the orchard opposite this farm-house, to get the start of the mass of fugitives: a part of these being closely pursued, sought refuge in the buildings of the farm: they were set on fire, and several of them reduced to ashes. These details come from the farmer himself.

General Vandamme having been obliged to have Wavre evacuated, after being informed of the loss of the battle of Waterloo, remained constantly with the rear-guard; it was under these circumstances that he was severely wounded in the belly, by a ball; notwithstanding his pain and loss of blood, he still remained on horseback. When he reached the village where the army had just halted, he dismounted from his horse; his breeches were full of blood. A surgeon offered to dress his wound: "Let me alone," said he; "I have something else to do." He immediately began to examine the map, and to write his orders. The surgeon remarked to him, that he was losing much blood, and that in a quarter of an hour he might not even be able to continue his march, if he would not suffer himself to be dressed, and that he would do his duty without disturbing him. "Well, then," replied he, "on that condition only."

An orderly officer of Napoleon's, engaged in a charge of cavalry against an English square, before the village of Melles. The square was broken; an English officer was thrown down and severely wounded. He makes the sign of distress of a BROTHER MASON, at the moment when the orderly officer was passing by him, who gives him his hand, and orders one of his horsemen to take the greatest care of him. The English officer was immediately raised, and taken care of, at the particular recommendation of this French officer.

As much as the English distinguished themselves by their humanity, so much in the reverse was the conduct of the Prussians, who betrayed a determined rancour against the French, during this short campaign of 1815!

The Emperor, seeing the rout of the French army, and the impossibility of resisting the continually increasing forces of the enemy, arrived at eight o'clock in the evening, attended by a single officer, at the square formed by the 1st Regiment of the Guard. It was the last regiment which still kept a good countenance, and the Emperor hoped by its means to preserve and establish an order of retreat. "Grenadiers," said he, "we are going to reunite the army." It was near nine o'clock:-the Emperor was constantly in the square. The regiment was always surrounded by the light cavalry, who dare not approach: at length, on arriving at a large rivulet, the regiment was obliged to derange the order of its square in order to surmount this obstacle. The night, and a charge of cavalry made at the moment, at last threw the regiment into disorder; and in spite of the most vigorous resistance, and the

conduct and courage of Napoleon, the regiment was separated and obliged to retreat in the greatest disorder. The Emperor remained a part of the night with a company of these brave men, and arrived in the morning at Charleroi.

At the moment when the rout of the French army commenced, two grenadiers of the Guard, seeing the great park of artillery abandoned, with tears in their eyes quitted the ranks, and bade adieu to their comrades, crying-"We could not die in Egypt, or at Marengo, we must perish here;" they threw themselves upon one cannon, the park being already in the hands of the enemy: these unhappy grenadiers were sabred.

A column of prisoners passed on the 17th before the Emperor, who would not suffer the officers to be deprived of their swords. One of these officers complaining of the bad weather, expressed his surprise at seeing the Emperor covered with mud. The Emperor, hearing what he said, replied-"You must not wonder at that; I have resumed my old trade of a soldier."

Of seven officers sent by the Emperor to Marshal Grouchy, to give him orders to join the right of the French army, the four first went over to the enemy, the two next were taken prisoners, the seventh and last, not having left the Emperor's quarters till four o'clock, did not reach Marshal Grouchy till half-past seven. The Marshal, hearing the sound of the cannon become more distant, and apparently withdrawn in the direction of Charleroi, had no longer any doubt but that the French army had lost the battle.

It was General Drouet (Count d'Erlon) who had solicited the Emperor to employ General Bourmont, and, assuring Napoleon of the fidelity of that General, he said, "Sire, I answer for him with my head."

On the 16th, in the morning, General Drouet was greatly at a loss how he should appear before the Emperor, after the conduct of General Bourmont, who had just gone over to the enemy, carrying with him all the plans, notices, and memoirs relative to the opening of this campaign, which he had in his care as Chief of the Staff of Marshal Ney.

The Emperor taking General Drouet by the head, in his two hands, and shaking it, smiling, said, "Well, my dear General, this head belongs to me." "Yes, Sire!" replied the General, "that base De Bourmont has deceived me; he has betrayed your Majesty."

Extract of a Letter from an Officer in the Commissariat.

"We have picked up several wounded. I cannot omit a circumstance that occurred yesterday: while on the field among the wounded, we discovered a French soldier, most dreadfully cut