We have produced above two orders, both addressed to Lord Hill, written at Brussels on the morning of the 16th of June, and we have shown that the first, at any rate, was written and sent out before the Duke had made up his mind to concentrate his army at Quatre Bras. We have also, however, shown, that before he left Brussels, he did make up his mind to do this, and that orders to this effect were, no doubt, then issued. We cannot fix the hour or hours at which this was done, but it was undoubtedly before the Duke left Brussels. This last hour has been differently fixed,[230] but it was probably about half-past seven. He, then, leaving the Deputy Quarter Master General and the other heads of departments in Brussels,—[231] presumably to attend to the issuing of the orders for the concentration of the army at Quatre Bras,—rode to the latter place, where he arrived about 10 o’clock. Here he found only Perponcher’s division of Dutch-Belgian troops, under command of the Prince of Orange.
At half-past ten, he wrote to Marshal Blücher the letter before referred to, which, as we have said above, never, as we believe, saw the light until it was published in Berlin,[232] in 1876, in Von Ollech’s History[233] of the Campaign of 1815. We give a translation of it here in full.
On the Heights behind Frasnes:
June 16, 1815. 10.30 A.M.
My dear Prince:
My army is situated as follows:
The Corps d’Armée of the Prince of Orange has a division here and at Quatre Bras, and the rest at Nivelles.
The Reserve is in march from Waterloo to Genappe, where it will arrive at noon.
The English Cavalry will be at the same hour at Nivelles.
The Corps of Lord Hill is at Braine-le-Comte.
I do not see any large force of the enemy in front of us, and I await news from your Highness and the arrival of troops in order to determine my operations for the day.
Nothing has been seen on the side of Binche, nor on our right.