On the 16th, the Prussian army was posted on the heights between Bril and Sombrcf, occupying the villages of St Amand and Ligny, situated in its front. It consisted of only three corps ; the 4th corps was not yet come up. Against these Bonaparte advanced in person with the 1st, 3d, and 4th corps, about three o'clock in the afternoon; while Ney, whom he had at length called to the army, was ordered to put himself at the head of the 2d corps, and at tack General Picton's division, the corps of the Duke of Brunswick, and the Nassau contingent, which the Duke of Wellington had dispatched in support of the Prussians, and which had reached Quatre Bras about half past two o'clock.
The first object of Bonaparte was to gain possession of St Amand ; and he succeeded after a vigorous resistance. He next advanced against Ligny, where the combat was of a most desperate and sanguinary description. The Prussians, with their gallant commander, were urged on to use their most strenuous efforts, by every feeling of a national or in dividual nature, which can goad men to bravery and ven geance; for five hours the battle raged near this village with doubtful success, while the Prussians, by retaking a part of the village of St Amand, regained an advantageous position on a height near that village. Still, however, the French were gradually overpowering the Prussians by their superiority of numbers ; anxiously did Blucher look for the arrival of the 4th corps, or the support of the English, but the former did not come up, NO the latter with difficulty maintained their position at Quatre Bras. Bonaparte, per ceiving the advantage which he had gained, and the ex treme importance of pushing it to its utmost extent, as soon as the darkness of the night favoured him, ordered a division of the infantry to make a circuit round the village : they accomplished this unobserved ; while, at the same time, some regiments of cuirassiers forcing a passage on the other side, the main body of the Prussian army was taken in the rear ; at the same moment, the French cavalry suc ceeded in repulsing several attacks of the Prussian cavalry: this completed the success of Bonaparte : the Prussians were compelled to retreat first to Sombref; and as the 4th corps was not yet come up, afterwards to Wavre.
The attack made by Ney on the English at Quatre Bras was equally desperate in its nature, but not so successful to the French in its result ; for all their charges were re pulsed in the steadiest manner. In this affair the Duke of Brunswick was slain.
In consequence of the retreat of the Prussians, the Duke of 'Wellington retired on Waterloo. The position which
he occupied was good, but towards the centre it had vari ous weak points. It ran from the Brussels road to the right, about a mile and a half in length ; and then turned very sharply to the right, and crossed the road from Nivelle to Namur : these two roads cross each other, so that the Bri tish position formed nearly a quarter circle. At the turn of the bottom of a slope, was a farm and orchards, called Mount St John, which was the key of the position, and the front of the centre. On their left, the British communica ted with the Prussians at Wavre, through Ohaim.
At half past 10 o'clock in the forenoon of the 18th, Bona parte began to put his troops in motion ; and, about an hour afterwards, one of his corps attacked the country-house on the right of the British, where the Nassau troops were posted : these were obliged to give way ; but the house it self was so well defended, that the French could not gain possession of it. This attack on the right of the British centre, Bonaparte accompanied with a dreadful fire of artil lery; under the cover of which, he made repeated attacks of cavalry and infantry, sometimes mixed, and sometimes separate, from the centre to the right : but the skill of the Duke of Wellington, and the admirable moral courage and physical strength of his troops, were unconquerable. Against one of these attacks of the French cavalry, Gene ral Picton, who was with his division on the road from Brus sels to Charleroi, advanced with the bayonet. The French, struck with astonishment at the circumstance of infantry advancing to the' charge of cavalry, fired, and then fled. At this moment, General Picton was unfortunately killed. The English life guards next advanced against the 49th and 105th regiments of French infantry : to their suppot t the cuirassiers came up : the most sanguinary cavalry fight perhaps ever witnessed, was the consequence ; but the Bri tish were victoi ions, and the curassiers were annihilated.
The battle had now lasted upwards of five hours ; during which Bonaparte had lost an immense number of men, by his desperate charges, without being able to make any dc cisive impression. The of Wellington, with the skill of a consummate general, kept his troops entirely on the defensive ; but though he thus had saved their strength as much as possible, yet they were beginning to be exhausted, and their brave commander frequently turned his anxious and vigilant eye to that quarter where he expected the Prussians to at rive.