WATERLOO, 1815.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 80, 27 August 1914, Page 7

WATERLOO, 1815.

GREAT BATTLE DESCRIBED. HOW XAPOLEON'S MIGHTS ARM! WAS BROKEN. Some facts about the Battle of N aterloo shoiild be of interest at the present juncture seeing that the greatest armies ever assembled on the battlefield in Europe are now in proximity to the field of Waterloo. The rain stopped soon after sunrise o« Sunday, June 18th, though the sky remained overcast. In the allied lines all was busy preparation from daybreak; the soldiers kindled fires with difiemltji to cook breakfast, cleaned their rusted arms, a practice which Wellington disliked exceedingly, but never succeeded in checking, instead of drawing the charges of their muskets, fired them in the air. At 8 o'clock, the "fallis" sounded and soon after the various forces took up their line in places in line of battle.

Lord Uxbridge, as next in seniority to the commander-in-chief, asked the Duke for his plana, as, in the event of anything happening to him, the command would be devolved on himself. "Plans!" was the answer. "I have no plans. I ■kail be guided by circumstances." Waterloo where Wellington's Jieadquarters were on the night of June 1718, is a small village about nine miles soath of Brussels. The Charleroi road, from Ohain, about three miles to the 'south, to Braine-la-Leud, runs from east to west along the edge of the plateau. These facts must be borne in mind in order to appreciate the merit of the Duke's position. It was the Duke's invariable custom when possible, to keep hig first line in shelter from fire until immediately before it was engaged, and by placing the first line of the Allies behind the hedges and the banks of the Ohain cross-road, this object was achieved.

Sir Thomas Picton held command in the centre with his sth Division; Kemp's Light Infantry stood nearest the Charleroi road, next was Best's Hanovarian Brigade on the left; Wincke's Hanoverian Brigade was further to the left, with Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar's Nassau Brigade on the left opposite the farm of Pappclotte; Vandelur's and Vivian's Cavalry Brigades covered the left flank; to the west of the Charleroi road Alten's 3rd Division was drawn up, and on his right was the Guards' Division under General Cooke, comprising Maitland's and Byng"s Brigades. Lord Edward Somerset's Heavy Cavalry was behind the centre of the line, to the east of which were the Royal Dragoons, Scot's Greys and Inniskillens.

This was the general disposition of the first line of the Alließ, and then there were certain advance posts, one of them being at the farm of La Haye Saint*. To the right of the Allied forces stood the fann of Hougamont, which was occupied first by the Coldstreams, the 3rd Guards, a Nassau Tcgiment, and some Hanoverians. The Allies then showed a front of nearly three miles with four advance posts, including the two already named. Mounted upon his famous charger, Copenhagen, the Iron Duke rode with his staff along the lines as the brigades took up their positions. He wore his usual exceedingly plain dress —blue frock, blue coat, white pantaloons, black black sword-belt, cocked hat with plume, but with King George's black cocade, and three smaller ones in the colors of Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands, indicating the four services |in which 1c held marshal's rank. The one piece of dandyism he affected was a white cravat fastened behind the neck with a buckle, instead of the regulation black stock.

The Emperor Napoleon, before retiring to rest at the farm <?f Gaillou shortly before midnight, dictated to Soulfc the order of battle. After an hour of rest he rose again, and, riding round his advance posts, he saw the bivouas fires of Wellington's army. Returning to Cailou at dawn, he found a despatch sent by Grouchy, announcing that the Prussians were moving in two columns, one upon Liege, and the other upon Wavre, and that he intended to follow the latter column to prevent it cooperating with Wellington. He did not know that Wellington and Blucher had been in communication throughout the [ night. It had been the Emperor's intention t» attack at daybreak, but at 5 a.m. lie issued orders for the men to take up their positions in line of battle at 0 o'clock, and it was long after that his array was complete. "The enemy," said Napoleon, at breakfast with Soult and other generals, "iB one-fourth stronger in numbers, than wc are; nevertheless, the chances are nine to ten in our favor.' At this moment Ncy entered and urged the Emperor to hasten the attack, or the enemy would escape. Soult advised his Emperor to recall part of the 34.000 men acting under Grouchy. "You think," retorted Napoleon, "because Wellington defeated you, that he must be a great general; I tell you that he is a bad general; that the English are poor troops, and that this will lie the affair of a breakfast." "I hope so," was Soult's reply. From further conversation that Napoleon had with his generals, it is eyident that he was convinced that it would be impossible for the English and the Prussians to junction before two days. Wearing his well-known grey coat, lis usual uniform, Napoleon mounted hiu charger, Marengo, and rode off to the front at La Belle Alliance. HuTing scanned the Allied position, he wrote, seated at a small table in the •pen air, to Grouchy, and upon this letter and the interpretation placed upoa it by Grouchy, hinged ultimately tie issue of the day. To discuss the controversy between the apologists of Sfapoleon and the defenders of Grouch}, ie outside the limits of this description of the famous battle. As is well known, sapoleon laid the whole of the subsequent miscarriage upon Giouehj, Vat the defenders of the latter hold that the initial error lay in the vagueness of the Emperor's orders. Grouch} , with 34,000 men, had before him 7a,000 Prussians, who were by no means m the dispirited and disorganised condition imagined bv the Emperor. It has been averred that when Grouchy heard the cannonade at Mont-Saint.-.lean. lie should have at once made, all speed to support the Emperor. Supposing he liad done so, which would have been to disregard his instructions, it must bo asked would it not have been to., late to saw tie battle, being sixteen md.* distant from the field, . With drums Seating, colors living, and band- playing, Napoleon ~ last arm} defiled past him into its po-~ I on on the plateau of U Belle AUiam-. Each bugadc. as it passed by, low.v ! i s colors to "The little Corporal," with shouts ol "Vi»e l'Binpereur." The French centre, like t at ot tn., : Allies, was marked by th ■ (;I,ar ■"' \ cross-road, and the force of the field ■ton- , gisted of 71,047 ib«b, ; we eatalry and 7333 wor-s artdlu) ' with m suns. The army was disposc a ; in three lines with Pircs light cavali. opposite Hongamont.

a might force been marshalled within so small a compass. Seventy-two thouaI and French, with 246 guns, were drawn | up in line of battle against 68,000 British and A lies, with 1»6 guns. Yet the whole space from flank to flank was less than three miles. f-hortly after 11 o'clock, the canifon on both sides got to work, and under the cover of a tirrific cannonade, Jerome led his brigade in echelon into the hollow before llougoumont. Tlie Emperor had not intended this attack to be much more than a feint, but it developed into a furious combat, which lasted throughout the day. Whilst this fig .1, was raging, preparations were made l< >■ Napoleon for tlio grand attack in the centre. Eighty pins were placed in bat tery in front of La Belle Alliance, ani Ney's column stood waiting tlie word w advance.

Just then a dark shadow appeared on the 'heights, about six miles to the north-east, and Napoleon thought it was | Grouchy's advance posts. All doubt was set a/t rest by a Prussian prisoner being brought in, on whom was fouid a letter frolra Bulow to Wellington nnitouncin" ■the arrival of the 4th PmsMSin Corns at Chapelle-Saint-Lamfoert. The junction, then, of the Prussians with Wellington, which Napoleon had derided in the looming, was on the point of accomplishment on Wavre, and to attack Bu low. Shortly aftenwards Napoleon gave Ney the order to attack, and the eightyguns crashed continuously for half an hour, in a cannonade, to which the British and Brunswick Ibatterieu made gallant reply. Then the French, echekms were gradually advanced. Wellington Witched the advance fflom ■under an elm tree on the ridge, just ill front of where the Ohain road crosses the highway. In vaid did his staff urge Mm, to move away, seeing how dangerously the tree was drawing the enemy's fire. The French tirailleurs were now dose to the Ohain road. Brave old Picton was there, with as much as "Quaitr.i Bras" had left (him of Kerapt's and Pack's brigades—3ooo light infantry and Highlanders. Wellington described tin's incident himself as follows:—"It was a nervous moment. One of the two forces must go about in a few minutes. It was impossible to sav which. I formed m: men myself about 20 yards from the flash of the French column, and ordered fhemi to fire; and in a few minutes thj French column turned about,.''

Shortly afterwards Wellington, directed a charge of two brigades of heavy cavalry into the inidst of the thickly massed French columns, breaking their ranks and hurling them down the slopes. But the British carried Vi e pursuit too far, with the result that they were forced to retire, with the irreparable loss of their commander, Sir William Ponsonby, who was killed after ho ha,l been made prisoner. At 11 oiigoumont, on the British the conflict still raged furiously. Hand to hand the combatants contested every yard of the copse, and wood and orcharl became a eharnel house. All the French attempts to capture Hougouniont were in \ain. For eight hours IL'OO iwn held'as n'uny thousands at defiance, mid most nobly justified the Duke's choice of Hmufoumont as an advanced ipost.

We came now to 3 o'clock in the afternoon, when Napoleon received a dispatch from Grouchy which gave Vilyi great, anxi :y. It was obvious that the English i::: ha beaten before Bulov could c'f:. i.ito action. Ney ltd a brigade ag.t:,. l La Haye Saint e, which had failed. *f« save his troops from fire, Wellington withdrew sonic of them behind the dip of the plateau. Ney imistook this for retreat* and called for a brigade of cavalry, it was a madcap—a cruel enterprise. But it was one of the finest cavalry charges in all history; 50C0 veteran horsemen flung themselves on to the British aiul Hanoverian battalions, formed by Wellington into squares to receive the shock. The. English batteries drove lanes of death through tihe glittering masses of cavalry, which, with faultless, yet fruitless, courage and discipline, rode tip to the very mouth of the guns. The Emperor realised the torri'j'.o blunder 3i« inade, and ordered up KellennSnn's cavalry brigade, in support. .Meanwhile, the allied garrison of La Haye Sainte ha<l exluuisteil its ammmiiition, and Baring, ha; ring spent his last cartridge, collected the remains of his little fom-e (now forty-two men all told), and 1 made good his escape to the general line. It was a serious loss, as Xey was Urns enabled to establish a battery, wJiieii enfiladed the. allied squares at less than 300 vanls' range. It was a irioir,< nt to test the steadiest nerve. The Duke remained calm; to questions from officers asking for instructions, he had but one answer: "There are no orders except to stand firm to the last man." Tn truth, Napoleon's position was as critical as 'Wellington's. It was abort half-post four when he knew that his right Hank .was imminently threatened. Blucher had joined Billow's 4tli Corps at Chat)elle-Saint-Lams>ert, and the Emperor's anxiety deepened. At,the same time, in the allied army, the impression became general that the day was lost. Happily, the great majority ol the British and Hanoverian officers behaved with the dignity of their rank", and i common spirit- of gallantry and endurane; seemed infused into the rank anil file down to the voiingest recruit. But the Belgians had deserted the, field en masse and hail fled to Brussels with the re port that the were beaten. | 'About. 4 o'clock Wellington ordered | Lord Hill to move up in support of t.lio troops at llougwiimiont. Shortly after, the Voting Guards (Napoleon's picked men) were repulsed with great loss at another point.. But on the right the French held La Haye and Papelotte. Wellington's front was 'broken and disorganised, but there was yet time to snatch victory by a .-upreme, effort. Wellington, who always took command where stress wa« sorest, ordered a charge on the Oharleroi >'on<l, and the French were driven in confusion over the declivity. Then came the turning point of tha battle. From the shelter of the wayside banks lose, the line of Mail-land's Brigade of Guards, four deep, and fifteen hundred strong, which poured n withering volley into the French squares, charging them and sweeping tliem out of the combat. Near the foot of "the slope, pursued and pursuers encountered the last French echelon, whidhi wai still unbroken, and the Brilisn Guards obeyed the order to retire, which th?v did in double 'time, and in eonsidentbl> disorder. Hegaining the crest, they re-formed, and, just as the. splendour* .if the sunset were 11-owing wer the scene, the hist body of Prenehlnu™ that reached (he plateau of Mont-lxiint-.iean, wero broken and scattered. ,I list before then Wellington's voice was hea.nl above the storm: 'Stand up. Guards," or. as some writers hold, ''Up. 1 Guards, and at 'em." The Guards were lj ing down, as if was the Duke's orders qil.ii t all troops should do when n')t actually engaged. Having bidden them rise, he then jyue the cxi.ritmanding officers orders tn advance, firing volleys as they went; a mode of attack that ha-l been found invincible during the Peninsula. campaign. The attack scattered the French 'Guards whereupon., seeing bow they reeled, Wellington (lung upon them the cavalry brigade of Vivian and ' Vandelenr. The French centre wn_B crumpled up. and Wellington immediately ordered the advance of his wliol 1 line. But the French were now in full i retreat, and Bluchers cavalry came rip in

i tima to prevent a rally. The battle of Waterloo had been won, and the rani pir« of Napoleon was at an end. . Here are Wellington's own words describing the last act in the drama:-- ; "The infantry was advanced in line. I fcalted them for a minute in the bottom that they might be in order to attacksome 'battalions of the enemy which were still on the heights. The cavalry halted likewise. The Frencli did not stand the attack. Some had fled before we halted. The whole abandoned their position. The cavalry were then ordered to charge and the infantry was formed into columns and moved in pursuit." ■Shortly after 9 o'clock Wellington met Blucher and the old Prince saluted th; Duke warmly on both ciheeks, offering to relieve 'his troops in the pursuit. Wellington willing ]y accepted the offer, for his imen had been fighting for ten hours. Blucher's men had endured a hard dfctv also, having marched l 15 miles and having fought every inch of the way.. The cost of the hatt-le was appalling. 'The Allies had 23,185 officers and men killed and wounded, whilst the accounts of the French losses viaiy between 18,009 and 30,000 killed and wounded, and the loss of 227 cannon.