[45] That his Grace ever threw himself into a square, is untrue; but, from the commencement of the battle till the close, he was more exposed than many of his troops: whenever there was a chance of rendering service, let the danger be what it would, the Duke was there, and, as on all occasions, showed the most perfect coolness and self-possession.
CHAPTER V.
Difficulties encountered by the Prussians on their march from Wavre; a portion of them are about debouching.—Blücher encourages them by his presence.—The Duke had been in constant communication with the Prussians, who take advantage of Napoleon’s neglecting to protect his right.—Two brigades of Bulow’s corps advance upon the French right.—A Prussian battery opens fire.—Cavalry demonstrations.—Napoleon orders De Lobau’s (sixth) corps to his right, to oppose the Prussians, and brings the old and middle guard forward.—Bulow extends his line and presses on.—De Lobau’s guns exchange a brisk cannonade with the Prussian batteries.—La Haye-Sainte again assailed and set on fire, which was got under.—Loss of a colour.—Destructive fire of our battery upon the French cavalry.—Our artillery suffer dreadfully from that of the enemy.—Hanoverian cavalry quit the field.—A column of the enemy’s infantry advances and is driven back.—Chassé’s division called back from Braine-l’Alleud.—Lord Hill’s troops brought forward, a sight quite reviving.—Struggle at Hougoumont continued.—Adam’s brigade attacks, drives back the enemy, and takes up an advanced position.—La Haye-Sainte taken by the French.—The 52d regiment in line repulses a charge of cuirassiers.—General Foy’s eulogium on our infantry.—Napoleon’s snappish reply to Ney’s demand.
In consequence of the enemy’s not closely pursuing, between the evenings of the 16th and 17th, the Prussians from Ligny to Wavre, these, during their retreat, scoured with strong patrols the whole country between their own left and the right of Napoleon’s army, which was then advancing, by the Charleroi road, towards Waterloo. The movements of both Grouchy and the Emperor were thus closely observed, and correct information forwarded from time to time to the Prussian head-quarters. The great vigilance exercised, not only retarded the communication between the Emperor and his detached marshal, by forcing the bearers of their dispatches to take a circuitous route, but also enabled Blücher to perform the contemplated and most important flank movement, without molestation, in order to join us on the field of Waterloo. During the battle of Ligny, some of the Prussian army had shown a bad spirit, and many even had abandoned their colours and gone over to the enemy; while eight thousand men belonging to the provinces newly incorporated with Prussia, had returned home: still the morale of the great mass of the army remained firm and unshaken. On no occasion whatever did a defeated army extricate itself with so much adroitness and order, or retire from a hard-fought battle with so little diminution of its moral force. The example of their venerable and heroic commander, “Marshal Vorwärts,” as he was termed by his soldiers, no doubt stimulated their courage. The Prince, notwithstanding his having been severely shaken and bruised by his fall on the 16th, and his advanced age and toil-worn frame, was, on the morning of the 18th, early on horseback amongst those he termed his children. By an order of the day his troops were thus addressed, “I shall immediately lead you once more against the enemy; we shall beat him, because it is our duty to do so.”
The difficulties encountered by the Prussians on their march from Wavre, by St.-Lambert, to the field of Waterloo, would have put the endurance of any troops to the test. From the heavy rains, the roads were ancle deep, and the defiles of St.-Lambert turned into a regular swamp, almost impassable for men and horses; still worse for the guns and tumbrels of ammunition. These were very numerous and far from being well horsed, sinking at intervals up to the axle-trees. The horses floundering caused a stoppage, and the most robust soldiers in endeavouring to extricate the guns and ammunition waggons would drop down, overcome by the fatigue of their exertions, and declare “they could not get on.”—“But we must get on,” replied their veteran commander, who seemed to multiply himself, and might be seen at different points along the line of march, exciting his men to exertion by words of encouragement: “I have promised Wellington to be up,” said Blücher “and up we must get. Surely you will not make me forfeit my word. Exert yourselves a little more, and victory is certain.”
The duke of Wellington was in constant communication throughout the day with the Prussians, by means of general Müffling, who was attached to our head-quarters’ staff, and by colonel Freemantle, aide-de-camp, colonel Stavely, and captain (now lieutenant-colonel) Basil Jackson of the Royal staff corps, and on the Duke’s staff.
The four corps of Blücher’s army had been concentrated at and near Wavre on the evening of the 17th. The guns of the three corps which had fought at Ligny were refitted, and, as well as the troops, supplied with a fresh provision of ammunition.
The 4th (Bulow’s) corps, which, up to this time, had not fired a shot in the campaign, set out at sunrise on the 18th towards the French right flank, by way of St.-Lambert; they were preceded by strong patrols to ascertain whether Napoleon had yet taken precautionary measures to obstruct their junction with us, or to protect his own right. It was soon discovered that this precaution, so essential to the protection of his right, had been overlooked by the Emperor: the Prussians immediately availed themselves of the advantage which his neglect afforded, by throwing a force into the wood of Paris, which commanded the defiles of the Lasne and St.-Lambert. Zieten’s, or the first corps, was to march, by Fromont and Ohain, direct upon our left; Pirch’s, or the second corps, was to follow Bulow’s: they were delayed by a part of Wavre being on fire, and by the great difficulty of making progress through the defiles of St.-Lambert. They were expected, nevertheless, to be up by or before two o’clock. It was near five o’clock when the first two brigades of Bulow’s corps debouched from their covered position in the wood of Paris.