The enemy now occupied the wood and open fields on both flanks. Outside the left enclosures there was cavalry-skirmishing. About this time small bodies of cavalry, supposed to be Prussians, were observed on the heights on our left, near St.-Lambert.
In consequence of the determined resistance the enemy met with at our advanced post of Hougoumont, which proved a regular stumbling-block to Napoleon, he resolved upon attacking the left of our main line[31]. Marshal Ney had been making preparations for so doing, by pushing forward part of his artillery to the intermediate ridge of their right wing, placing his guns so that their range was not beyond half a mile; they were to cover, as is usual, the advance of their columns of attack, formed of the whole of d’Erlon’s corps, supported by part of Reille’s.
Napoleon’s aim was to turn our left, force the left centre, get possession of the farms of La Haye-Sainte and Mont-St.-Jean, and establish a force there, in order to cut off our communication with Brussels, and to prevent our cooperation with the Prussians. The French columns had been moved to the hollow, between the main and inner ridges. All was ready for the grand attack, of which Ney apprized Napoleon; who, before he gave the order to begin, took a general survey upon his right, when, perceiving in the direction of St.-Lambert what he thought to be troops, he asked his adjutant-general (Soult[32],) what the cloud of troops were that he saw in the distance? Soult replied, “I think I see five or six thousand men: possibly part of Grouchy’s corps.” The telescopes were all put in requisition; but the day being hazy, the opinions were various and conflicting. Upon this, general Domont was sent for, and ordered to proceed with two light cavalry divisions in the direction of St.-Lambert, and ascertain what the supposed troops were. Domont and Subervie, it is said, immediately moved to the right, and drew up en potence on the right of the French army, and facing the wood of Paris. This must have occurred about one o’clock. Soon after, an officer of the light cavalry brought in a Prussian hussar taken prisoner, who had been charged with a letter for orders from Bulow to Wellington. The Prussian was very communicative, and answered all questions in a loud tone; he said, “his corps had been that morning at Wavre, near which the other three Prussian corps had encamped; that his regiment had sent out patrols for six miles in all directions, but had not fallen in with any part of the French army, consequently they had concluded that Grouchy had joined the Emperor at Plancenoit; and that the column seen near St.-Lambert was the advance-guard of Bulow’s (4th) corps, about 30,000 strong, that had not been present at the battle of Ligny.” This intelligence obliged Napoleon to hold a considerable force in hand, in order to defend his right flank. It is therefore evident, that more caution and vigilance should have been used by him, at an earlier period, in that direction.
Soult, who was at this time writing a dispatch to Grouchy, informed him that the Emperor wished him to manœuvre in the direction of the main army; to find out the point where it was, to keep up a close communication, and to be at hand to fall upon and destroy any enemy that might attempt to disturb their right flank.
“At this moment,” he continued, “we are engaged in battle on the line of Waterloo. The centre of the English army is at Mont-St.-Jean; so manœuvre to join our right without loss of time.
“Duke of Dalmatia.
“One o’clock, 18th June.”
It was sent off with the intercepted letter, but did not reach Grouchy till after seven P.M. Domont soon after made the communication, that he had fallen in with the enemy in the direction of St.-Lambert; the Emperor might be assured that the troops he had seen were enemies, and that he had sent out patrols to find out Grouchy and to open a communication with him.
Napoleon remarked to Soult, “This morning we had ninety chances for us; the arrival of Bulow loses us thirty, but we have still sixty against forty. If Grouchy repair the horrible fault which he committed yesterday in amusing himself at Gembloux, and send his detachment with rapidity, the victory will be more decisive, because Bulow’s corps will be quite destroyed.” The Emperor still felt sanguine as to the successful result of the battle, notwithstanding he had received no intelligence from Grouchy, nor any information which he considered satisfactory respecting the Prussians. It was only by a gross oversight on the part of Napoleon, or some of his officers, that Bulow was allowed to approach his right. Had he detached six or eight thousand men of all arms on the 17th, or at an early hour on the 18th, to command the entrance to the defiles of the Lasne and St.-Lambert, through which Bulow had to pass, and not above ten minutes’ gallop from the French right (consequently the force could have been recalled at any moment,) Napoleon could have kept Bulow’s corps, out of action until the arrival of Zieten’s (1st) corps, at about eight o’clock, and before that hour he might with his whole force have assailed Wellington’s position.