WATERLOO. Napoleon inspected the position of both armies after midnight, and between seven and eight o'clock on the morning of June 18th he saw that his adversary was order ing his army in line of battle. The rain, which had continued all night, ceased about eight o'clock, and before nine there was a somewhat showy review by time Emperor of his lines. The attack was postponed, however, on Drouot's ad vice, in order that the ground might be in bet ter condition for the artillery. Wellington had the advantage of choice of position and he had taken a strong one. lie there awaited the at tack, relying fully upon time assurance of Blitcher that the Prussians would be there on time. About ten o'clock Napoleon sent to Grouchy to move upon Wavre, but not even then does the Emperor seem to have realized that the whole Prussian force was concentrating there and preparing to aid Wellington.
The main British line stretched across the Brussels-Charleroi road. along the line of the highway from Ohain to Wavre. Outposts held the hamlets of La live. Papelotte. and Smohain on the extreme left, and the Chateau of frougo mont, a strong position, on the right. The farm house of'La Hays Sainte in advance of the centre was also occupied. Wellington had on the field 49,60S infantry, 12.40S cavalry, and 5645 artil lery, with 156 guns; but of these the British troops numbered only 23,991. The left was held by the Fifth and Sixth British divisions, the Sec ond Netherland. and the cavalry divisions of Vivian and Vandeleur. General Picton of the Fifth probably commanded this wing. The three ham lets were held by one of the Netherland brigades under Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar, and Bylandt's Netherland brigade was advanced in front of the Wavre road. In the rear was General Ponsonby's Union cavalry brigade (Royal Dragoons. Scots Greys, and Enniskillen Dragoons). West of the Charleroi road lay the main attack a diversion was made in the form of an assault on Hougomont by Prince Jerome's division of Reille's corps. The first as sault proving unsuccessful, another division and another were wasted on this unprofitable action, so that the Second Corps took hardly any part in the main attack on the British centre. This was made in echelon about 1:30 o'clock by D'Er lon's First Corps, after a heavy artillery fire had been directed for an hour and a half on Bylandt's exposed position. His brigade was thus easily routed, but the French pursuing met a terrific fire from Picton's division behind the ridge and were charged by Ponsonby's cavalry and driven Alten's Third British division. A battalion of the King's German Legion, under Alajor Baring, garrisoned 1.a I [aye Sainte. Farther on the right were Cooke's First Division. a part of Byng's Second Brigade. and seine of the German troops. Clinton's Second Division :I MI Chasse's Nether landers were in reserve. Napoleon had 48,950 in fantry, 15,765 cavalry. and 7,232 artillery, with 246 guns. In his first line the First Corps had the right and the Second the left. According to Napoleon's plan of battle, at dictated in the morning, Ney was to open the attack on the right about one o'clock. the object being to secure pos session of the village of ,Nlont-Saint-Jean. lying on the Charleroi road in the rear of the British lines. An hour and a half before the time for back in confusion. The British troops did splen did work in meeting and repulsing this attack. Napoleon had discovered the advance guard of Biilow's Prussian division on the hills of Saint-Lambert, two or three miles away at his right, and the Sixth Corps was detached to hold this new enemy in check, while a dispatch was sent to Grouchy ordering him to return. This
Grouchy, having moved off on his fruitless chase to Wavre, did not receive until evening. A rash and ill-managed assault on La llaye Sainte oc cupied a considerable part of the afternoon, and the house was finally taken at about four o'clock, according to Charms, or between six and seven, according to 1Ieyni. Ney's chief of staff. Be tween four and six o'clock, under Ney's personal direction, the cavalry divisions of Milhaud, Le febvre-Desnouettes, hellermann, and Guyot were hurled against the British right centre, but the British squares, although suffering fearfully from the French artillery fire, which supported the cavalry, maintained their formation un broken. The cavalry were unsupported by infantry, and by seven o'clock Ney was COUliwiled to with draw for lack of troops. Lobau failing to cheek Billow on the right, the Young Guard was sent in between live and six o'clock and there was severe fighting around Planchennit. A little later, believing that his right was secure, Napoleon massed eight available battalions of the Imperial Guard. supported by artillery, for a final at tack on Wellington's centre, then almost shat tered. General Friant led this assault. ,.-1s the Guard advanced, D'Erlon made a vigorous and effective assault on the British right. The Guards met a heavy fire from Maitland's brigade, and were repulsed with terrific loss. The prompt support of General lialkett and Colonel Elphim stone protected Maitland's left and the impetu ous charge of Colonel Colborne with the Fifty second Regiment completed the disorder of the Guard. The Prussians began to arrive about 7:30. Ziethen first came up from Dhabi and his troops at once went into action, throwing the for the student of military science. Napoleon did not show his usual care and thoroughness in his orders, nor his usual comprehensive judg ment in the execution of his plan. Ney and Grouchy both failed in their judgment at critical moments. It was unfortunate for Napoleon that he had as chief of stair a veteran officer who was accustomed to independent command instead of a younger man thoroughly trained in the de tails of staff work. Wellington, with a less efficient army, showed himself throughout careful, alert, and resourceful, and he was well supported by his division eommanders at critical moments. Nevertheless, the fact remains that it was the timely coilpera don of the Prussians, and espevia ly the arrival in the evening of Ziethett's corps, that turned the scales finally against the French and gave a positive result to the Splendid de fense of the British position. Wellington counted on this in planning the engagement. That the junction of the Allies took place so successfully was due to the masterly strategy of Oneisenau, and to the absence of Grouchy on the chase to Wavre, where it was impossible for him to ar rive in time. Rad he. instead of following his orders literally, crossed the Dyle at Moustier wnen he learned at Walbain that the battle was on, lie might have headed off the Prussians and French right into confusion. Seeing that victory was in his hands, Wellington threw his whole line forward. The French retreat speedily became a rout. There was no more thought of resistance except by detachments of the Guard and by Lobau with the Sixth Corps, who was holding back Billow and Pireh on the right. Napoleon left the field in the centre of a square of the Guard and reached Paris on June 21st. The exact losses of the two armies at Waterloo are undetermined. Those of the French, in killed, wounded, and missing, probably numbered over 31.000. The official returns for the Allies give their losses as '22,428.