Despatch from the Duke of Wellington to Earl Bathurst.
Waterloo, June 19, 1815.
My Lord,—Bonaparte having collected the First, Second, Third, Fourth and Sixth Corps of the French Army and the Imperial Guards, and nearly all the Cavalry, on the Sambre, and between that river and the Meuse, between the 10th and 14th of the month, advanced on the 15th, and attacked the Prussian Posts at Thuin and Lobez, on the Sambre, at daylight in the morning.
I did not hear of these events till the evening of the 15th, and I immediately ordered the troops to prepare to march; and afterwards to march to their left, as soon as I had intelligence from other quarters, to prove that the Enemy's movement upon Charleroi was the real attack.
The Enemy drove the Prussian Posts from the Sambre on that day; and General Zieten, who commanded the Corps which had been at Charleroi, retired upon Fleurus; and Marshal Prince Blücher concentrated the Prussian Army upon Sombref, holding the Villages, in front of his position, of St Amand and Ligny.
The Enemy continued his march along the road from Charleroi towards Bruxelles, and on the same evening, the 15th, attacked a Brigade of the Army of the Netherlands, under the Prince de Weimar, posted at Frasne, and forced it back to the Farm House on the same road, called Les Quatre Bras.
The Prince of Orange immediately reinforced this Brigade with another of the same Division, under General Perponcher, and in the morning early regained part of the ground which had been lost, so as to have command of the communication leading from Nivelles and Bruxelles, with Marshal Blücher's position.
In the mean time I had directed the whole Army to march upon Les Quatre Bras; and the Fifth Division, under Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Picton, arrived about half past two in the day, followed by the Corps of troops under the Duke of Brunswick, and afterwards by the contingent of Nassau.
At this time the Enemy commenced an attack upon Prince Blücher with his whole force; excepting the First and Second Corps, and a Corps of Cavalry under General Kellermann, with which he attacked our Posts at Les Quatre Bras.