The French Skirmishers thrown out by the Left Brigade of Donzelot's Division advanced boldly and resolutely against the Orchard of La Haye Sainte. The first shot tore away the bridle of Major Baring's horse close to his hand, and the second killed Major Bösewiel, the next in command. The three Companies of the 2nd Light Battalion of the King's German Legion, which, as before stated, were posted in the Orchard, together with two Companies of the 1st Light Battalion of the King's German Legion under Captains Wynecken and Goeden, and a Company of Hanoverian Riflemen under Major Spörken, which were extended on the right of the Farm, presented a gallant resistance to the Enemy; but the latter continued to press forward with superior force, and the main body of the French Brigade having formed two Columns of Attack, which were rapidly advancing, one into the Orchard, and the other towards the Buildings, Major Baring fell back with his men upon the Barn.
At this moment, Colonel Klencke reached the Farm with the Lüneburg Field Battalion; which Wellington, on observing the French advance, had detached from the Left of Kielmansegge's Brigade as a reinforcement to the troops of La Haye Sainte. Baring immediately endeavoured to recover the Orchard; and had already made the Enemy give way, when he perceived a strong Line of Cuirassiers forming in right front of the inclosure. At the same time, Lieutenant Meyer came to report to him that the Enemy had surrounded the Garden in which his Company was posted, and that it had become no longer tenable. Baring ordered him to fall back into the Buildings, and to assist in their defence. The Skirmishers upon the right, on the sudden appearance of the Cavalry, ran in upon the Orchard to collect together: but coming in contact with the newly arrived Hanoverians, the latter got into disorder; and the effect produced by the sight of the advancing Line of Cuirassiers in their front, as also by the shouts of the French Infantry gaining possession of the Garden in their rear, was such, that notwithstanding all Baring's exertions to halt and collect his men, the whole of these troops betook themselves to an indiscriminate flight towards the main position of the Allied Army, a course which they seemed to imagine constituted their only chance of safety.
They were speedily undeceived. The Cavalry overtook them in the midst of their confused retreat, rode over, sabred, and still further dispersed them; whilst, to add to the severity of their loss, they became exposed, after the Cavalry had passed on, to a flank fire from the Enemy's Infantry lining the hedge of the Garden. A portion of them succeeded in gaining the main position; whilst the remainder, securing themselves in the Buildings, augmented the little garrison under Lieutenants Carey and Græme, and Ensign Frank, who bravely and successfully maintained possession in defiance of the vigorous attacks on the part of the French Light Troops. The Lüneburg Hanoverian Battalion, however, suffered most severely: many were killed and wounded; among the latter was the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Klencke, and among the prisoners taken was Major Dachenhausen. Some on the left saved themselves by a precipitate retreat into the high road. The few that were collected together again during the remainder of the day constituted but a very insignificant portion of the original strength of the Battalion.
The Earl of Uxbridge, on perceiving the advance of the French Cavalry by La Haye Sainte, on the British right of the Charleroi road (the same alluded to as having dispersed the Hanoverian Lüneburg Battalion and Baring's Skirmishers of the Legion), as also the approach of the Infantry Columns which constituted the attack upon the Allied Left Wing on the opposite side of that road, decided upon a simultaneous charge by the Heavy Cavalry Brigades of Lord Edward Somerset and Sir William Ponsonby; the former against the Enemy's Cavalry, the latter against his masses of Infantry. The resolution was scarcely formed when he proceeded to carry it into instant execution. Riding up to Lord Edward Somerset, he ordered him to prepare to form Line, keeping the Blues in support: and galloping on to Ponsonby's Brigade on the opposite side of the high road, he ordered that Officer to wheel into Line as soon as he saw the other Brigade do so, and to hold the Scots Greys in support. He then returned to the Household Brigade, and immediately put the whole in motion.
As this was the first grand attack made by the French on that day in fair open Field, Lord Uxbridge felt very desirous, in meeting it, to establish, if possible, the superior prowess of the British Cavalry; and thus to inspire it with confidence, and cause it to be held in respect by its opponents. He, therefore, with a view to excite the courage and heighten the enthusiasm of his followers, led the advance in person, placing himself in front of the Left of Somerset's Brigade, so as to be at about the centre of the Line when the Brigades should unite, on the continuation of the advance, in front of the Allied position. Nobly and faithfully did these brave Dragoons fulfil his anxious expectations.
For the purpose of ensuring efficient support to his Cavalry attacks, Lord Uxbridge had, before the commencement of the Battle, intimated to the Generals of Brigade that as he could not be present everywhere to give Orders, he expected they would always take upon themselves to conform to, and support, offensive movements in their front; and having on this occasion Light Cavalry Brigades on either Flank of the charging force, he felt in a great degree justified in placing himself in Front Line, particularly as he had assigned to each of the advancing Brigades its own immediate Support.
Though greatly palliated by the adoption of these precautionary measures, this was perhaps not altogether a prudent act on the part of the Commander of the entire Cavalry of an Army; since, in the charge of an extended Line of Cavalry against an Enemy close at hand, the carrière once begun, the Leader becomes so completely identified and mixed up with that Line itself, that his virtual command is rapidly limited to that of a Squadron Officer; whereas, when accompanying a Second Line, he is enabled to draw off, or reinforce, as circumstances may render expedient. His eager desire, however, to render this first charge a brilliant affair, combined with his own chivalric nature, led him to assume the post of honour and of danger, in order to animate by his example as a bold and determined soldier. At the same time, he trusted to the dispositions he had already made, and to the alertness of his Brigadiers, for due support to his attack; but which, from fortuitous circumstances, as will be seen by the sequel, was not forthcoming at the moment it was most urgently required.
The French Line of Cavalry, as it advanced, presented an imposing appearance. These veteran warriors bore with them an air of confident superiority and anticipated triumph, joined with a sort of gaieté de cœur, inspired no doubt by the reflection that they were about to encounter and overthrow their most implacable Enemies, the British. Their advance, like that of the Infantry on their right, had been to a certain extent triumphant; and, as the flight of the Dutch-Belgians had led that Infantry to imagine that victory was already within its grasp, so the dispersion of the Hanoverians was hailed by these Dragoons as a happy prelude to their grand attack. They had now ascended the brow of the ridge on which the Anglo-Allied Infantry was posted, prepared for their reception: a vigorous fire was opened upon them by the four guns of Ross's British Horse Battery on the right of the high road, as also by Lloyd's British Foot Battery still further to the right; but a few seconds sufficed to restore the order of their advance: in the next moment their trumpets sounded the charge; when, amidst shouts of "Vive l'Empereur!" this gallant Line, glittering in all the splendour reflected from burnished helmet and cuirass, rushed on to the attack.
On the other hand, the British Household Brigade, presenting a beautiful Line, and animated by an equal degree of enthusiasm, had already been put into charging speed; and just as the Cuirassiers came close upon the Squares, and received a fire from their front faces, the two Lines dashed into each other with indescribable impetuosity. The shock was terrific.