that while other nations sank beneath the yoke of despotism, and basely crouched at the feet of the Tyrant, England alone proudly defended her own rights-singly maintained the long and glorious contest-broke the spell which bound the kingdoms of Europe in ignominious slavery-and finally restored to the world, peace, security, and independence!
"England! be still, even to thy latest times,
The nurse of Heroes, and the scourge of crimes;
Still may thy patriot sons, where'er they roam,
Diffuse abroad the rights they boast at home;
Still unseduced by glory's vain increase,
Make War thy pathway to the shrine of Peace;
Still guard the rights of Freemen against Slaves,
And rule, with Heaven's approval-proudly rule the waves!"
Loft of the British Line.
Charge of the Royals Greys &. Inniskillings, conducted by the
Marquis of Angleseys, fir W. Penseuby, the body of Gjen!
Picton, who fell leading on the infantry, is borne from the field. The Village of Frickerment in the distance.
Published by JBooth Jante 1817
THE BATTLE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES,
"It would be confessed, that whatever the former fame of the Duke of Wellington might have been, yet, in all the various occurrences of his life, in all those great achievements which he had performed, and which had called for the thanks of the nation, he had never before attained to a height of glory like the present. And in all the great events which he had been engaged in, and those scenes that he had witnessed, it had never before fallen to the lot of this illustrious commander to render so great a service to his country, so extensive a benefit to the world. There was in the present victory an acknowledged pre-eminence over all those that had preceded it: but when we looked at its influence and combination, in which are bound up all the interests of the civilised world, it was almost impossible to conceive an idea adequate to its magnitude and importance. The position of the Allied army, previously to the late battle, was a very peculiar one; and, without meaning to impute blame, or to suppose any neglect of security, he* must say that the circumstance of the armies not being actually engaged in hostilities necessarily led to a distribution of force for the more convenient obtainment of subsistence. The whole line of troops destined to act upon France not being equally advanced, it was clearly not the interest of the Allies to become the assailants; the army, therefore, which was to act upon the offensive, making its point of union the point it chose for an attack, must have a great advantage over an army situated as the Allied army was: and yet
it was impossible to alter that position; for if Marshal Blücher
and the Duke of Wellington had concentrated their forces, they
must have left open a long line of country at the mercy of the
enemy, who might have made use of such a lapse for the most
important ends and therefore, not imputing any neglect of pre-
paration to the commander, it must be evident, that the attacking
army would have the advantage. With such a force on the
frontiers of France, it was with Buonaparte a great object to
attack it in some powerful point before the combined powers
were all perfectly ready for operations; and accordingly he had
acted with all the decision of character and energy of mind that
he was known to possess, and as soon as he could leave Paris he
joined his army, and directing it to the North, commenced his
operations. In considering the nature and extent of the forces
engaged, it must be observed, that of the ten corps d'armée which
France possessed, the five which were complete were united under
Buonaparte, together with his guard, and other cavalry. These
troops had certainly maintained their ancient character; and one
feature of the victory was, that it had been gained over the best
troops of France, and that, too, at a moment when they displayed all
their ardour, and when their conduct even surpassed all that they had
before performed; although this force did not amount to less than
one hundred and thirty or forty thousand men, the flower of the
French army! That was a regular and disciplined army, even
before the Bourbons quitted France, and for which, since the return
of Buonaparte, everything had been done to make it effective; it was
the force which had been selected and combined to act upon the
northern frontier. To particularise the conduct of any part of the
Allied army would be invidious, where all had acquitted them-
selves with nearly equal bravery; but he might be allowed to say
that, except the British part (who themselves were only such as
the country could spare at a time when a strong detachment of
our veteran troops had been sent to America), nearly the whole
was a green army: the Allies, particularly the Dutch, Belgians,
Hanoverians, and troops of Nassau, were chiefly young soldiers;
and deducting the absent corps, consisting of 25,000 under Prince
Frederick, and the other corps distributed along the line to the
northward, there was not in action a greater number than 64,000
men, to support the attack of the whole French army.
He fully
felt what we owed to the illustrious Prussians, who were ready to
support the British army, and enabled them to make that move-
ment, without which the Duke could not have obtained such an
advantage over a superior force. The effort he made was crowned
with success, and with his energy of mind and example of person
it was certain that much would be effected. But from that
example, it was dreadful to reflect on the risks to which his valuable
life was exposed. In fact, such was his dauntless activity, that he
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