Both the Bridges of Wavre remained in the possession of the Prussians, and the smaller one was barricaded during the night.
At a late hour, as the fire on both sides began to slacken, the combatants bivouacked on their respective sides of the river. Upon the Prussian extreme Left at Bas Wavre, the French had only shown one Battalion. This occupied an isolated building, and was supported by two Squadrons and a piece of artillery. Several unsuccessful attempts were made to gain the Bridge; which, at nightfall, continued in the possession of the Prussians.
Grouchy was occupied late in the night in making his preparations for renewing the attack on the following morning. General Teste's Division of the Sixth Corps having at length arrived, his Left Wing, which was thus considerably reinforced, bivouacked upon the Height westward of Bierge; separated by this Village and the Dyle from his Right Wing which lay in front of Wavre. He had not yet received any intelligence of Napoleon's signal defeat at Waterloo; and was therefore resolved upon following up, at daybreak, the advantages he had already gained, by forcing back the Prussian Right Flank.
Thielemann, on the contrary, having despatched an Officer of Marwitz's Cavalry Brigade en reconnaissance to the right, ascertained through this means that the Allied Armies had gained a complete victory; and he therefore fully expected that Grouchy would be compelled to effect an immediate retreat.
With the first dawn of the 19th of June, Colonel Stengel, whose Detachment was posted on the extreme Right of Thielemann's Corps, took upon himself to march off by St Lambert, to join his Corps d'Armée (the First); the grounds for which proceeding remain to the present time as unaccountable as his neglect on the previous day to secure the Bridge of Limale. In consequence of this movement, the Twelfth Brigade was necessitated to extend its Line too much to the right and to retain a Reserve of only three weak Battalions upon the road leading through the Wood to Point du Jour. The Wood to the right was occupied by a Battalion and two Companies from each of the remaining Regiments of the Twelfth Brigade. The Left Wing of this Line, which rested upon Bierge, was formed by six Battalions of the Tenth Brigade.
Colonel Luck, commanding the Eleventh Brigade, was directed to support this Division, which was much too weak, with the three Battalions of the 3rd Kurmark Landwehr; but to leave the two Battalions of the 4th Kurmark Landwehr, as also the Brigade Squadrons, in rear of Wavre, in a hollow near the Windmill, where they served to cover the twelve pounder Battery No. 7.
The Mill of Bierge was occupied by two Battalions of the Twelfth Brigade: Wavre and Bas Wavre were held by the same troops which defended those points on the previous day. The barricades and preparations for defence were rendered more complete.
Lieutenant Colonel Ledebur, whose Detachment, consisting of the 10th Hussars, a Squadron of Landwehr Cavalry, and two guns from the Horse Battery No. 12, had formed on the 18th the Advance of the Rear Guard which Thielemann's Corps was considered to constitute, having reached St Lambert before Grouchy's attack became so decided, remained there during the night.
Early on the 19th, Grouchy sent off three Cavalry Regiments to his left to watch these troops. They showed no indication of an intention to attack; and when, later in the day, they retired and disappeared from Ledebur's view, the latter passed the Defile, for the purpose of proceeding to join his Corps d'Armée (the Fourth), which, however, he did not reach before the 20th.
This, as well as Colonel Stengel's Detachment, thus withdrew from the Field, without any apparent necessity, reducing Thielemann's numbers, already too weak, and taking up a line of march, along which their services were comparatively useless.