Waterloo

WATERLOO First Phase.—About 11.3o A.M. the battle was opened with an attack by one of Reille's divisions on Hougoumont. This was merely to draw Wellington's attention to his right, and in this it failed. Half-an-hour later a battery of 8o guns unlimbered on the long spur to the S.E. of La Haye Sainte to prepare the duke's centre fOr the main attack. But the crest of the "Welling tonian position" sheltered the defence from the tempest of iron. After r P.M., and just before he gave orders for Ney to lead the main attack, the emperor scanned the battlefield, and on his right front he saw a dense dark cloud emerging from the woods at Chapelle Saint Lambert. It was soon discovered that this was Billow's corps marching to Wellington's assistance. A letter was now awaiting despatch to Grouchy, and to it was added a postscript that the battle was raging with Wellington, that Billow's corps had been sighted by the emperor, and that the marshal was to hasten to the field and crush Billow. This order at least was clear, but it was sent 12 hours too late, and when Grouchy re ceived it he was unable to carry it out. To neutralize Billow when necessity arose, the emperor now detached Lobau together with the squadrons of Domon and Subervie. The general, how ever, hardly drew out far enough from the French right; otherwise the magnificent resolution he displayed and the admirable ob stinacy with which his troops fought against ever-increasing odds are worthy of all praise. Thus as early as 1.3o P.M. the Prussian intervention deranged the symmetry of Napoleon's battle-array.

The emperor never considered breaking off the fight and seeking a more favourable opportunity of beating the allies in detail. He was still determined to involve both Wellington and Billow in a common ruin.

Second Phase.

Ney was therefore ordered to attack Welling ton's centre with D'Erlon's corps. Owing to a misconception the columns used for advance were over-heavy and unwieldy, and the corps failed to achieve anything of importance. As D'Erlon's troops advanced the Dutch-Belgian brigade in front of the ridge, which had been subjected to an overwhelming fire from the 8o French guns at close range, turned about and retired in disorder through the main position. This, however, was the solitary suc

cess secured by the I. corps; for the left division failed to storm La Haye Sainte and Picton's division met the remainder of D'Erlon's corps face to face, engaging them in a murderous infantry duel in which Picton fell. During this struggle Lord Ux bridge launched two of his cavalry brigades on the enemy; and the "Union brigade" catching the French infantry unawares rode over them, broke them up, and drove them to the bottom of the slope with the loss of two eagles; but the British cavalry were driven back with great loss by fresh French horsemen hurled on them by the emperor. So far no success against Wellington had been achieved, and Billow was still an onlooker.

Third Phase.

Ney was now ordered to attack La Haye Sainte again, but the attack failed. A furious cannonade raged, and the Anglo-Dutch line withdrew slightly to gain more cover from the ridge. Ney misinterpreted this manoeuvre and led out, about 4 P.M., Milhaud's and Lefebvre-Desnouettes' horsemen (43 squadrons) to charge the allied centre between the two farms. For several reasons, the cavalry could only advance at a trot. As the horsemen closed they were received with volleys of case from the guns, and the infantry formed into squares. Against the squares the horsemen were powerless, and failing to break a single square, they were finally swept off the plateau by fresh allied horsemen. Kellermann's cuirassiers and the heavy horse of the Guard (37 fresh squadrons) now advanced to support the baffled cavalry, the latter falling in as supports. The whole 8o squadrons resumed the attack, but with no better result. The cavalry gradually became hopelessly entangled among the squares they were unable to break, and at last they were driven down the face of the ridge and the most dramatic part of the battle came to an end. Had these great cavalry attacks been closely supported by infantry, there can be little doubt that they must have achieved their object. But they were not. In his handling of the three arms together, Napoleon on this day failed to do justice to his reputation.