The Prussian Second Corps, under Pirch I., reached Sombreffe by ten o’clock at night; the Third Corps passed the night at Namur; while the Fourth Corps was still near Liège.
On Wellington’s side, Van Merlen, commanding the outposts between Mons and Binche, received the report from General Steinmetz at 8 A.M., to the effect that the French had attacked and driven in his outposts, and that he was falling back on Charleroi with his Division. Early in the morning the troops of Perponcher’s Dutch-Belgian Division, which was stationed at Hautain-le-Val, Frasnes, and Villers Perruin, heard firing from the direction of Charleroi. In the afternoon, definite news reached them of the enemy’s attack on Charleroi, and Perponcher at once assembled his First Brigade (Bylandt’s) at Nivelles. A picquet of the Second Nassau battalion was posted in front of Frasnes to give warning of the French advance. In the meantime, Prince Bernard of Saxe Weimar, with his Brigade of Nassau troops, belonging to Perponcher’s Division, on his own initiative moved forward from Genappe to Frasnes, reporting his action to the headquarters of his division at Hautain-le-Val; and Perponcher approved. When Ney advanced on Frasnes in the evening, with Piré’s cavalry and Bachelu’s infantry, Saxe Weimar, after making a determined show of resistance, skilfully withdrew behind Quatre-Bras, and Ney, as before-mentioned, was quite deceived as to his actual strength, and forebore to attack that night.
Zieten’s report to Wellington, sent off from Charleroi at 5 A.M., reached the Duke’s headquarters at Brussels at 9 A.M. Wellington did not consider the news sufficiently definite to cause him to make any immediate alteration in his dispositions. But at three o’clock in the afternoon, the Prince of Orange, coming from the outposts near Mons, where he had seen Van Merlen, and obtained information of the attack on the Prussians and of their retreat, reported his intelligence to the Duke. Wellington was now satisfied of the true direction of the French attack, but he sent orders to General Dornberg at Mons to report at once any movement of the French in that direction. He then ordered his troops to concentrate at their respective headquarters. On the left, Perponcher’s and Chassé’s Divisions were to assemble at Nivelles; the Third British Division (Alten’s) was to concentrate at Braine-le-Comte and march on Nivelles in the night; the First British Division (Cooke’s) was to assemble at Enghien. In the centre, Clinton’s Division (the Second British) was to collect at Ath, and Colville’s (the Fourth British) at Grammont. On the right, Steedman’s Division and Anthing’s Brigade of Dutch-Belgians were to march on Sotteghem. Uxbridge’s cavalry was to assemble at Ninove, except Dornberg’s Brigade, which was to march on Vilvorde; (still Wellington had apprehensions for his right). The Reserve was kept in readiness in and around Brussels; with orders to be prepared to march at once.
Late that night (the 15th), towards ten o’clock, news of Ney’s attack at Frasnes was received by the Prince of Orange at Braine-le-Comte. The latter forwarded the report to Wellington, adding that Saxe Weimar had fallen back to Quatre-Bras, and that the French advance had been checked there. A despatch from Blucher at Namur also reached Wellington about this time, and the Duke decided to march his troops more to their left—i.e. towards the Prussians. He therefore issued a second batch of orders that night, directing Cooke’s Division from Enghien to Braine-le-Comte; Clinton’s and Colville’s Divisions from Ath and Grammont to Enghien; and the cavalry from Ninove to Enghien. The other dispositions were to remain as they were.
At the close of the 15th, Napoleon’s position promised success for his efforts next day. Blucher had only Zieten’s Corps concentrated at Ligny; Pirch’s Corps was still some miles back. Wellington’s army was still far from Quatre-Bras. Surely, if Napoleon advanced to the attack of the Prussians at daybreak on the 16th, he must, with his overwhelming forces, crush half of Blucher’s army and force the remainder to fall back on Liège? And Ney, if he attacked with Reille’s and d’Erlon’s Corps (for the latter might have pushed on during the night)—or even with Reille’s Corps and Piré’s Cavalry—could have driven back the English force at Quatre-Bras, which, by daybreak on the 16th, had only been reinforced by the remainder of Perponcher’s Dutch-Belgian Division? Ney had ridden to Charleroi in the night, and had had an interview with Napoleon. He must, therefore, have known the state of affairs in the centre and on the right; he must have told Napoleon how matters stood on his wing. Why did not Napoleon order him to attack Quatre-Bras at daybreak on the 16th? There is no satisfactory answer. It is inconceivable that Napoleon, than whom no general has ever been bolder and more decisive in his moves or quicker to take action at critical moments, should have neglected to spend the night of the 15th in bringing up the troops in rear—Lobau’s Corps, d’Erlon’s Corps, Gérard’s Corps. What if the columns had straggled out and become doubled in length? Had Napoleon’s troops never made a greater effort in his earlier campaigns? There is no doubt existing that Napoleon, great warrior as he was, let his opportunity slip on the night of the 15th. His advanced troops were within 2 miles of Ligny, and 3 of the Quatre-Bras-Sombreffe road. Was not this the very point he had aimed at so carefully in his plan of campaign? He was already almost master of the line of junction of Wellington’s and Blucher’s armies. He had, in fact, almost, but not quite, attained the main objective of his scheme. It was within his grasp on the night of the 15th. How could Wellington prevent Ney from capturing Quatre-Bras at daybreak on the 16th? And how could Blucher save Ligny and Sombreffe, if Napoleon chose to bring up his two Corps from Charleroi and Châtelet, and attack at dawn with these overwhelming numbers? Both these attacks would have called for great efforts from the French troops, who had been marching and fighting since 3 A.M. on the 15th; but the attacks would have been finished in three or four hours, and then Napoleon could have thought of giving rest to his tired infantry, while his cavalry pursued the Prussians back towards Liège. A day spent in resting and in concentrating, and Napoleon could have turned to deal with Wellington. The Napoleon of Jena and Austerlitz would have won the campaign on the 15th.
But the delays of the 15th were insignificant in comparison with those of the 16th. And there were not only delays on the 16th, but very serious mistakes—although of a kind without which no war has ever been waged. It is not our intention to criticise these mistakes so much as to discuss their effects on the course of the campaign, and to illustrate their grievous results.
Movements on the 16th.
Ney, on his return to Gosselies from his interview with Napoleon, ordered Reille to move Jerome’s and Foy’s Divisions, with his five batteries of artillery, to Frasnes, whither he himself went. Ney’s misgivings as to the wisdom of attacking Quatre-Bras were not unfounded. He feared a movement against his right flank by a strong force of Prussians whom he believed to be between Quatre-Bras and Ligny. He was anxious for his left flank, in case some of Wellington’s troops were moving against him from the direction of Nivelles. He was ignorant of the real strength in front of him at Quatre-Bras. He had no staff officers whom he could send out to gather information on these points. He was unwilling to risk damaging Napoleon’s plans by inviting defeat while so far in advance of the centre column. He therefore waited for d’Erlon’s Corps and Kellermann’s Corps of heavy cavalry, which Napoleon had promised to send him. He despatched orders to d’Erlon to bring up the First Corps with the utmost speed to Frasnes.
In the meantime, Wellington’s troops were fast moving on Nivelles and Quatre-Bras. Lord Uxbridge’s Cavalry and Clinton’s Division were ordered to move on Braine-le-Comte, and Steedman’s Division with Anthing’s Brigade from Sotteghem to Enghien at daybreak. Picton’s Division started from Brussels for Quatre-Bras at 2 A.M. The Duke of Brunswick, with 5,000 Brunswick infantry, left at 3 A.M. At 3 A.M. also Perponcher reached Quatre-Bras with his First Brigade of Dutch-Belgians, under Bylandt. The Prince of Orange arrived at Quatre-Bras at 6 A.M., reconnoitred Ney’s position, and pushed Perponcher’s troops further forward. He gave orders that as great a show of strength as possible was to be made, but a close or premature engagement with the enemy was to be avoided. Thus at 7 A.M. the Prince had 9 battalions of Dutch-Belgian troops, and 16 guns, holding Quatre-Bras; Ney opposite, with Piré’s Division of Lancers, Bachelu’s Division of Infantry, and Lefebvre-Desnouette’s Cavalry of the Guard, in all 9,700 men, and the remainder of Reille’s Corps in support at Frasnes!
Wellington himself arrived at Quatre-Bras at 11 A.M., inspected the position, saw that the French were not preparing an immediate attack, and complimented the Prince of Orange on his dispositions. He then rode off to the mill of Bussy, where he met Blucher. It is not necessary to go into the details of this interview. Suffice it to say that Wellington agreed with Blucher that he would come to the latter’s assistance at Ligny, if he was not himself attacked.