A voice from Waterloo: A history of the battle fought on the 18th June, 1815

by Edward Cotton

FOOTNOTES:

[103] See, [page 229], the proclamation of Louis XVIII to the French people, dated Cambray, the 28th June, 1815.

[104] See lord Bathurst’s dispatch of the 7th July, and the Duke’s answer of the 13th, Gurwood, vol. XII, page 557.

[105] See the duke of Wellington’s dispatch to lord Bathurst of the 8th July. (Gurwood, vol. XII, page 549,) detailing a conversation which took place with the duc d’Otrante at Neuilly, on the night of the 5th July; the whole of which turned upon a recommendation given by the duc d’Otrante, that the king should give a general amnesty.

[106] “As well as the duke of Wellington recollects, there is in the war department a letter from the prince d’Eckmühl to marshal St.-Cyr on this subject, in which he urges every argument against the proclamation of the 25th July, excepting the 12th article of the convention of Paris.”

[107] Scott.

[108] La Haye-Sainte.

[109] See the [covering of this book].

[110] Gneisenau was the chief of the Prussian staff. He was at once the life and soul, main-spring and working head of their army.

[111] At Leipsick, Napoleon selected his own position, and there he chose a field with a defile over a morass, a mile and a half broad, which probably was the principal cause of his defeat.

[112] Several ladies were on the field on the morning of the 19th, going about like ministering angels tending the wounded. How truly in this instance do Scott’s lines picture the soft sex!

“O woman! In our hours of ease,

Uncertain, coy, and hard to please,

And variable as the shade

By the light quivering aspen made;

When pain and anguish wring the brow,

A ministering angel thou!”

[113] Brother to sir John Macdonald, the adjutant-general at the Horse-Guards.

[114] I wish I were as positive of every part of my narrative. E.C.

SERGEANT-MAJOR COTTON’S

WATERLOO CABINET.

THIS INTERESTING MUSEUM CONTAINS

1. The following highly finished engravings: Napoleon, Wellington, Blücher; Wellington and Napoleon at Waterloo; the Waterloo Banquet; Sir James Kempt; Battle of Waterloo; Capture of an Eagle; the Prince of Orange wounded.

2. Medallion portraits of Napoleon, Wellington, Blücher, King of the Netherlands, Lords Hill and Anglesey, Sir Thomas Picton, Count Alten, Marshals Ney and Soult; General Cambronne, or “La garde meurt et ne se rend pas.”

3. General view of the Field, (oil;) View of Hougoumont.

4. Plans showing different periods of the Battles of Ligny, Quatre-Bras, Waterloo and Wavre; Map on which is indicated the distribution of the respective armies at the commencement of hostilities.

5. Autographs of the following Waterloo Commanders and Officers: Napoleon, Wellington, Field-Marshal the Marquis of Anglesey, Lord Somerset, Lord Love, Sir Edward Somerset, Major General Sir William Gomme, Marshal Grouchy; Generals Vivian, Harris, Sir E. Kerrison, Hunter Blair, and Macdonald; Colonels Sir Henry Floyd, Bart., Gurwood, Hon. G. Cathcart, and Muttlebury; Majors Kennedy, Macready, and Lindam, Captain J. Braman, etc.

6. The London Gazette of Thursday 22d June 1815, and the Times of the same date.

7. An interesting collection of Relics, warranted spoils of the Waterloo campaign, a part of which are labelled for sale at moderate prices, although not so cheap as the spurious articles with which the neighbourhood abounds.

The collection of relics is composed of arms, cuirasses, casques, caps, clothing, accoutrements, various military ornaments, trappings, gold and silver Crosses of the Legion of honour, Prussian Crosses and Medals, etc., etc.

The most interesting relic is the Sword, of General Alexander Macdonald, which he left on the field of battle when wounded, and recognized amongst the relics of the Waterloo Cabinet on revisiting the field in May 1846. The General’s certificate is attached to the Sword.

A pair of Napoleon’s silver spurs.

Several pieces of Napoleon’s kitchen utensils, marked with the Imperial crown, letter N, and “Tuileries,” or “Voyage.”

A Dragoon’s saddle-bags, with the stains of blood still visible, etc., etc., etc.

SERGEANT-MAJOR COTTON.

The celebrated Waterloo Guide and author of the sketch
of the battle entitled: “A voice from Waterloo.”

---

Pause, stranger as you pass this hallowed spot,

Where guardian angels hover round unseen!

Reposing here brave Cotton sleeps, whose lot

On earth has one of dauntless valour been.

At Hugoument his bleaching ashes lie,

And mingle with the dust beneath his grave;

Whilst seraphs waft his loosened soul on high,

To life eternal which awaits the brave.

Bold, as a soldier, faithful, as a friend,

To enemies forgiving and humane,

He strove through life his country to defend,

With character unsullied by a stain.

When War’s rude thunders rent the loaded air,

And clashing arms bespoke the dread dispute,

When Heroes pressed the cannon’s front to dare,

Each heart for Glory in the wild pursuit.

Amongst them Cotton fought; and lived to tell

To countless eager ears the mighty fray,

In which his comrades and opponents fell,

When victory to Britons gave the day.

His mortal course he thus pursued by choice,

And thus performed the labour from him due;

’Till lo! as recompense, from Heaven a voice

Has called to bliss, the “Voice from Waterloo.”

[ click here for larger image.]

FIELD OF WATERLOO
TOWARDS SUNSET, ON JUNE 13TH, 1815.

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE

Footnote [72] is referenced from Footnote [71], not from the main text.

Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within the text and consultation of external sources.

Some hyphens in words have been silently removed, some added, when a predominant preference was found in the original book.

Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text, and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained.

[Pg viii:] ‘many occurences’ replaced by ‘many occurrences’.
[Pg viii:] ‘only irreconcileable’ replaced by ‘only irreconcilable’.
[Pg ix:] ‘discrepances which’ replaced by ‘discrepancies which’.
[Pg xi:] ‘Prussian ontposts’ replaced by ‘Prussian outposts’.
[Pg xi:] ‘CHATER II’ replaced by ‘CHAPTER II’.
[Pg xv:] ‘its retread’ replaced by ‘its retreat’.
[Pg xvii:] ‘Waterloo at it is’ replaced by ‘Waterloo as it is’.
[Pg 2:] ‘allied sovereings’ replaced by ‘allied sovereigns’.
[Pg 2] [FN [1]:] ‘a good jonrney’ replaced by ‘a good journey’.
[Pg 2] [FN [1]:] ‘from Napoleau’ replaced by ‘from Napoleon’.
[Pg 4:] ‘Napoleons’s name’ replaced by ‘Napoleon’s name’.
[Pg 5:] ‘strengh of the enemy’ replaced by ‘strength of the enemy’.
[Pg 6:] ‘were to be groud’ replaced by ‘were to be ground’.
[Pg 6:] ‘in the propable’ replaced by ‘in the probable’.
[Pg 8] [FN [7]:] ‘of tha 1st German’ replaced by ‘of the 1st German’.
[Pg 10:] ‘of the Prussiam’ replaced by ‘of the Prussian’.
[Pg 10:] ‘as ta be concealed’ replaced by ‘as to be concealed’.
[Pg 11:] ‘at the independance’ replaced by ‘at the independence’.
[Pg 11:] ‘of agressions’ replaced by ‘of aggressions’.
[Pg 12:] ‘The centre colum’ replaced by ‘The centre column’.
[Pg 18:] ‘Nothwithstanding the’ replaced by ‘Notwithstanding the’.
[Pg 19:] ‘Description o the’ replaced by ‘Description of the’.
[Pg 20:] ‘aids-de-camp. Shortly’ replaced by ‘aides-de-camp. Shortly’.
[Pg 20:] ‘marche from Nivelles’ replaced by ‘march from Nivelles’.
[Pg 21:] ‘in somme measure’ replaced by ‘in some measure’.
[Pg 32:] ‘but was forgotton’ replaced by ‘but was forgotten’.
[Pg 38:] ‘lieutenand-general’ replaced by ‘lieutenant-general’.
[Pg 39:] ‘dragoons and lanccrs’ replaced by ‘dragoons and lancers’.
[Pg 40:] ‘immediate and efficent’ replaced by ‘immediate and efficient’.
[Pg 41:] ‘them, when praticable’ replaced by ‘them, when practicable’.
[Pg 42:] ‘und forming a circle’ replaced by ‘and forming a circle’.
[Pg 42:] ‘up the alignements’ replaced by ‘up the alignments’.
[Pg 44:] ‘the enemy, dit not’ replaced by ‘the enemy, did not’.
[Pg 44:] ‘chequered colums’ replaced by ‘chequered columns’.
[Pg 49:] ‘at a goad pace’ replaced by ‘at a good pace’.
[Pg 54:] ‘which he commited’ replaced by ‘which he committed’.
[Pg 55:] ‘galop from the French’ replaced by ‘gallop from the French’.
[Pg 55:] ‘of la La Haye-Sainte’ replaced by ‘of La Haye-Sainte’.
[Pg 57:] ‘nowithstanding the major’ replaced by ‘notwithstanding the major’.
[Pg 59:] ‘the position ot this’ replaced by ‘the position of this’.
[Pg 59:] ‘staggered the Freneh’ replaced by ‘staggered the French’.
[Pg 60:] ‘be gallantly’ replaced by ‘he gallantly’.
[Pg 61:] ‘to be wondered as’ replaced by ‘to be wondered at’.
[Pg 62:] ‘he hid so’ replaced by ‘he did so’.
[Pg 62:] ‘lay and on’ replaced by ‘lay hand on’.
[Pg 64:] ‘disloged the German’ replaced by ‘dislodged the German’.
[Pg 65:] ‘his coat ant killed’ replaced by ‘his coat and killed’.
[Pg 67:] ‘time so catch’ replaced by ‘time to catch’.
[Pg 75:] ‘au unknown spot’ replaced by ‘an unknown spot’.
[Pg 76:] ‘Hamilton, aid-de-camp’ replaced by ‘Hamilton, aide-de-camp’.
[Pg 76] [FN [42]:] ‘maintened fop a few’ replaced by ‘maintained for a few’.
[Pg 79:] ‘the sergeant sadler’ replaced by ‘the sergeant saddler’.
[Pg 86:] ‘home: stil the’ replaced by ‘home: still the’.
[Pg 86:] ‘Prince, notwihstanding’ replaced by ‘Prince, notwithstanding’.
[Pg 87:] ‘Freemantle, aid-de-camp’ replaced by ‘Freemantle, aide-de-camp’.
[Pg 89:] ‘ther huge camp’ replaced by ‘their huge camp’.
[Pg 91:] ‘Alten’s divison’ replaced by ‘Alten’s division’.
[Pg 91:] ‘sent an aid-de-camp’ replaced by ‘sent an aide-de-camp’.
[Pg 91:] ‘ther dislike to’ replaced by ‘their dislike to’.
[Pg 92:] ‘his men howerer’ replaced by ‘his men however’.
[Pg 100:] ‘were the fate’ replaced by ‘where the fate’.
[Pg 100:] ‘as well as be could’ replaced by ‘as well as he could’.
[Pg 107:] ‘smyptom of falling’ replaced by ‘symptom of falling’.
[Pg 109:] ‘having sarcely fired’ replaced by ‘having scarcely fired’.
[Pg 112:] ‘aid-de-camp and many’ replaced by ‘aide-de-camp and many’.
[Pg 113:] ‘who prolonghed this’ replaced by ‘who prolonged this’.
[Pg 115:] ‘the dreadful carnarge’ replaced by ‘the dreadful carnage’.
[Pg 117:] ‘to be inflictied’ replaced by ‘to be inflicted’.
[Pg 117:] ‘his own officiers’ replaced by ‘his own officers’.
[Pg 117] [FN [64]:] ‘by Vandersmiesen’s’ replaced by ‘by Vandersmissen’s’.
[Pg 118:] ‘lientenant Banner’ replaced by ‘lieutenant Banner’.
[Pg 119:] ‘in a angle’ replaced by ‘in an angle’.
[Pg 125:] ‘alongh is front’ replaced by ‘along his front’.
[Pg 126:] ‘lieutement Gunning’ replaced by ‘lieutenant Gunning’.
[Pg 129:] ‘the Erench position’ replaced by ‘the French position’.
[Pg 129:] ‘aid-de-camp to general’ replaced by ‘aide-de-camp to general’.
[Pg 130:] ‘The Prussian dragroons’ replaced by ‘The Prussian dragoons’.
[Pg 131:] ‘most dreaful struggle’ replaced by ‘most dreadful struggle’.
[Pg 135:] ‘connduct of the French’ replaced by ‘conduct of the French’.
[Pg 135:] ‘so long a perriod’ replaced by ‘so long a period’.
[Pg 136:] ‘full of enthusiam’ replaced by ‘full of enthusiasm’.
[Pg 137:] ‘is life and strength’ replaced by ‘his life and strength’.
[Pg 137:] ‘he abbors insult and’ replaced by ‘he abhors insult and’.
[Pg 138:] ‘ministering angles’ replaced by ‘ministering angels’.
[Pg 140:] ‘commencing hostilites’ replaced by ‘commencing hostilities’.
[Pg 141:] ‘Ny interest in’ replaced by ‘My interest in’.
[Pg 141:] ‘the follewing day’ replaced by ‘the following day’.
[Pg 143:] ‘downfal of Napoleon’ replaced by ‘downfall of Napoleon’.
[Pg 147:] ‘and majors-generals’ replaced by ‘and major-generals’.
[Pg 147:] ‘the battalton of’ replaced by ‘the battalion of’.
[Pg 148:] ‘Neitheir did he attempt’ replaced by ‘Neither did he attempt’.
[Pg 150:] ‘Higness’s approbation’ replaced by ‘Highness’s approbation’.
[Pg 151:] ‘the adjudant-general’ replaced by ‘the adjutant-general’.
[Pg 154:] ‘excesive difficulties’ replaced by ‘excessive difficulties’.
[Pg 158:] ‘three in the afternon’ replaced by ‘three in the afternoon’.
[Pg 160:] ‘the wole army’ replaced by ‘the whole army’.
[Pg 162:] ‘attaked in their turn’ replaced by ‘attacked in their turn’.
[Pg 162:] ‘embarrassement arising’ replaced by ‘embarrassment arising’.
[Pg 167:] ‘throughout our narritive’ replaced by ‘throughout our narrative’.
[Pg 168:] ‘that pratically shown’ replaced by ‘that practicality shown’.
[Pg 175:] ‘your Highnees will’ replaced by ‘your Highness will’.
[Pg 177:] ‘by my aid-de-camp’ replaced by ‘by my aide-de-camp’.
[Pg 179:] ‘fitfty thousand men’ replaced by ‘fifty thousand men’.
[Pg 180:] ‘nessary to overcome’ replaced by ‘necessary to overcome’.
[Pg 184:] ‘Yon wrote from Gembloux’ replaced by ‘You wrote from Gembloux’.
[Pg 186:] ‘attaking the French’ replaced by ‘attacking the French’.
[Pg 191:] ‘wits great military’ replaced by ‘with great military’.
[Pg 192:] ‘everthrow the throne’ replaced by ‘overthrow the throne’.
[Pg 192:] ‘cause have the fallen’ replaced by ‘cause have they fallen’.
[Pg 193:] ‘hehold! these are’ replaced by ‘behold! these are’.
[Pg 196:] ‘gaeat in desolation’ replaced by ‘great in desolation’.
[Pg 196:] ‘dishonourable fligt’ replaced by ‘dishonourable flight’.
[Pg 199:] ‘it they believe’ replaced by ‘if they believe’.
[Pg 200:] ‘render them unavailling’ replaced by ‘render them unavailing’.
[Pg 201:] ‘Prussians head-quaters’ replaced by ‘Prussians’ head-quarters’.
[Pg 214:] ‘and the roards are’ replaced by ‘and the roads are’.
[Pg 216:] ‘and honour to’ replaced by ‘an honour to’.
[Pg 219:] ‘The Field-Marshall cannot’ replaced by ‘The Field-Marshal cannot’.
[Pg 222:] ‘At this measure’ replaced by ‘As this measure’.
[Pg 223:] ‘the greatitude of’ replaced by ‘the gratitude of’.
[Pg 224:] ‘I send yon a letter’ replaced by ‘I send you a letter’.
[Pg 225:] ‘have throught proper’ replaced by ‘have thought proper’.
[Pg 225:] ‘adressed to me’ replaced by ‘addressed to me’.
[Pg 227:] ‘as the proprety of’ replaced by ‘as the property of’.
[Pg 227:] ‘By whom weere these’ replaced by ‘By whom were these’.
[Pg 227:] ‘who had ad interest’ replaced by ‘who had an interest’.
[Pg 227:] ‘anglais el prussiens’ replaced by ‘anglais et prussiens’.
[Pg 230:] ‘at which, they occured’ replaced by ‘at which they occurred’.
[Pg 232:] ‘throught the farm’ replaced by ‘thought the farm’.
[Pg 234:] ‘Douro of Wellesly’ replaced by ‘Douro of Wellesley’.
[Pg 253:] ‘presenc I had’ replaced by ‘presence. I had’.
[Pg 253:] ‘my first aid-de-camp’ replaced by ‘my first aide-de-camp’.
[Pg 261:] ‘frem loss of blood’ replaced by ‘from loss of blood’.
[Pg 262:] ‘his aid-de-camp, and’ replaced by ‘his aide-de-camp, and’.
[Pg 264:] ‘best of my judment’ replaced by ‘best of my judgment’.
[Pg 268:] ‘almost to snffocation’ replaced by ‘almost to suffocation’.
[Pg 271:] ‘your timely serviees’ replaced by ‘your timely services’.
[Pg 275:] ‘highly instruetive’ replaced by ‘highly instructive’.
[Pg 276:] ‘invaluable, perharps’ replaced by ‘invaluable, perhaps’.