On the Right of the Brigade, the 71st Regiment having gained the Height on which a Reserve Battery of the Imperial Guard had been posted the entire day, and had just made an attempt to draw off into the high road, it was captured by that Corps; when some men of the Right Flank Company of the latter (Captain Reed's), under Lieutenant Torriano, immediately turned round one of the guns, which was then discharged into the retiring Columns of the Imperial Guard by Captain Campbell, Aide de Camp to Major General Adam, and was, there is reason to believe, the last French gun fired on that day.
Lieutenant Colonel Halkett, who, with the Hanoverian Battalion Osnabrück, had entered the Charleroi road, near La Belle Alliance, continued to press before him the two Battalions of the Chasseurs of the Old Guard, under the protection of which, Napoleon with several of his principal Staff Officers were retiring from the Field. Halkett soon found himself in the midst of a great but disordered mass of the Enemy's Cavalry, which menaced the Battalion in a most vociferous manner; but, after receiving the fire from the latter, it went off in all directions. Further on, perceiving several guns in full retreat, he sent the Sharpshooters of the Battalion, supported by a Company, amongst them; who, by their fire, increased the confusion, and then made many prisoners, and cut the traces of the horses from the leading guns.
The Regiments of Prussian Cavalry belonging to Zieten's Corps, before mentioned as having joined the Left of the Anglo-Allied Army, after crossing the valley and ascending the French position, had got somewhat in advance of the Left of the Anglo-Allied Infantry, taking the direction of Rossomme; but they soon found their progress most seriously obstructed and retarded by the vast crowds of fugitives of all Arms intermingled in the wildest confusion.
Such was also the case with the much more advanced British Light Cavalry Brigades under Vandeleur and Vivian on the right of the Charleroi road. In fact, the Cavalry thus situated in the Van of the Duke's victorious Army, had now become almost helpless: it seemed as if carried aloft on the billows of the agitated sea, yielding rather to its impulses than controlling the angry element.
As might have been expected, there were innumerable instances in which the rage and disappointment of the conquered foe gave rise to covert assaults, which, however, were speedily repressed; more especially by the Prussians, against whom a word or look sufficed to draw down their vengeance upon an Enemy whom they held in detestation. The 10th and 18th British Hussars of Vivian's Brigade, whilst endeavouring to reform between La Belle Alliance and Rossomme, found themselves in the midst of an immense crowd, composed partly of defeated soldiers of the Imperial Guard; who could but ill conceal their mortification, and who seized every opportunity that afforded to gratify their hatred and revenge. Lieutenant Colonel the Hon. Henry Murray, commanding the 18th, was very nearly bayoneted by one of them; and his Orderly was compelled, for the security of his master, to cut down five or six in rapid succession.
A remarkable exception to the general disorganisation of the French Army was manifested about this time in front of Vandeleur's Brigade, which was the furthest in advance of any of the Allied troops. In the midst of the crowd of fugitives which impeded the progress of the Brigade; there appeared a Regiment of Cavalry, moving at a walk, in Close Column, and in perfect order, as if disdaining to allow itself to be contaminated by the confusion that prevailed around it. It was the Grenadiers à Cheval. The 12th British Light Dragoons were the nearest to it, having got in advance of the rest of the Brigade, and were opposite the Right Flank of the Column, whence a few pistol or carbine shots were fired at them. The 12th made a partial attack; but they were so much inferior in numbers (being very weak at this period), and were so greatly obstructed in their movements by the crowd, that they were unable to produce any impression upon so compact and steady a body of Cavalry; which literally walked from the Field in the most orderly manner, moving majestically along the stream, the surface of which was covered with the innumerable wrecks into which the rest of the French Army had been scattered.
As Napoleon and his Staff were at this time retiring along the high road, on the Right Flank of this Cavalry of the Guard; it is reasonable to infer that the latter was therefore induced to maintain the admirable order in which it was thus seen, to secure the Emperor's retreat.
Whilst the great mass of the French Army, in a state of thorough disorganisation, was thus driven by Wellington's victorious troops across the whole extent of ground which had constituted its general position; as also, on its Right, by that portion of the Prussian troops consisting of part of Zieten's, and of the Right Wing of Bülow's, Corps: the Battalions of the French Imperial Guard in Planchenoit were maintaining a most desperate and obstinate contest with Bülow's Left Wing, aided by a part of Pirch's Corps, to which the attack of the Village had been confided.
The principal force of the Imperial Guard having taken post within the central portion of the Village, and strongly occupied the Churchyard; the headmost Columns of this Third Prussian attack met with a most destructive fire as they pressed forward through the lanes that led towards the eastern side of the Church. The supporting Columns now came up, and joined in the fusillade that was maintained with the French in the Churchyard; the stone wall encircling which, lined with troops, gave to it the appearance of a little fortress. The Prussians, extending their front so as to envelope a considerable portion of the Churchyard, and taking advantage of the houses and inclosures which they had reached on their own side, maintained a terrific fire upon their opponents; and as the latter appeared resolved to keep them at bay to the last, a great loss of life occurred on both sides. The soldiers of the Imperial Guard fought desperately; and so greatly was their animosity excited, that some Officers of the 15th Prussian Regiment and of the Silesian Landwehr, who had been made prisoners in the previous attack, were with difficulty saved by General Pelet's personal exertions from becoming a sacrifice to their fury. Reinforcements were moved into the Churchyard from the Reserves on its western side; and the pertinacity with which the attacks upon it were repelled showed very plainly that other means than that of a front assault must be resorted to for forcing the French from a Post which afforded them such superior advantages in the defence of the Village.