There did not appear on the part of Napoleon any eagerness to resume the movement of the Imperial Guard towards the lower extremity of Ligny, but rather an anxiety to await calmly the most favourable moment for his projected attack. Doubtless he had discovered the march of the remaining Battalions of Colonel Langen's Brigade, from Sombref towards St Amand, as a further reinforcement to the Prussian Right, and calculated upon paralysing the attack which Blücher was evidently preparing against his Left Flank, by executing a sudden and vigorous assault on the Prussian Centre, with a preponderating mass of fresh troops.
At length, towards eight o'clock, the Emperor gave the Order for the Guard and Milhaud's Corps of Cuirassiers to resume their march. The same precautions were observed as before for masking the movement as much as possible, and so successfully, that Thielemann, on observing a French Battery opposite Tongrines entirely withdrawn, and Grouchy's lines of Cavalry presenting a diminished extent of front, and conceiving, at the same time, that the contest in Ligny was assuming a change favourable to the Prussians, concluded that the moment had then arrived in which an attack might be made with every probability of success, upon the Right Flank of the Enemy. He had only one Brigade remaining of the Cavalry of his Corps, namely that of Colonel Count Lottum; the other Brigade, under Colonel Marwitz, having been, as already explained, for some time detached to the extreme Right of the Prussian Army. General Hobe, who commanded this Cavalry Division, had previously moved forward Count Lottum's Brigade and posted it in rear of Colonel Kämpfen's Infantry Brigade. Thielemann now desired him to advance with Lottum's Brigade and the Horse Battery No. 19, along the Fleurus high road.
In carrying this Order into effect, General Hobe posted the Battery, in the first instance, close to the twelve pounder Battery No. 7, which stood across the Fleurus high road, about midway between the junction of the latter with the Namur road and the Bridge over the Ligny. A cannonade was opened from this point upon the French guns on the opposite Height, to which the latter replied with great spirit, and one of the guns of the Battery was dismounted. The remaining guns were now advanced rapidly along the high road, preceded by two Squadrons of the 7th Dragoons: on getting into position, two of the guns continued upon the road itself, on which the French had also posted two pieces, but scarcely had the Squadrons formed up, and the Battery fired a few rounds, when they were furiously attacked by the 5th and 13th French Dragoons of Excelmans' Cavalry Corps: in an instant they were thrown into confusion; the two guns upon the road escaped, while the remainder fell into the hands of the French Dragoons, who closely pursued the Prussians.
General Borcke (commanding the Ninth Brigade) observing this mêlée upon the Fleurus road, immediately pushed forward the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 1st Kurmark Landwehr, and posted them in rear of the hedges and walls running parallel with the high road, so as to flank the Enemy's Cavalry; the 2nd Battalion of the same Regiment followed the movement, and was finally stationed upon the road. In order to support these Battalions, and to preserve the communication with Colonel Stülpnagel's Brigade (the Twelfth) on his right, he occupied Mont Potriaux and its outlets with the remainder of his Brigade, excepting the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 8th Regiment, which he held in reserve.
The 5th and 13th French Dragoons finding themselves likely to be thus seriously impeded both in front and on their left, and finally experiencing on their right a cannonade from the two Batteries attached to Colonel Kämpfen's Brigade, which had moved forward from the Height above Tongrines to the rise of ground south of Tongrenelle, retired from this part of the Field.
It will be recollected that Colonel Stülpnagel's Brigade, on relieving that of Colonel Langen in front of Sombref, had extended a chain of Skirmishers along the stream as far as Ligny: these were now reinforced by both the 3rd Battalions of the 31st Regiment and the 6th Kurmark Landwehr, with the 3rd Battalion of the 5th Kurmark Landwehr in reserve. The 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Kurmark Landwehr were posted on the Height between Sombref and Bois du Loup, having on their right and somewhat in advance, two Squadrons from each of the 5th and 6th Regiments of Kurmark Landwehr Cavalry, together with two guns from the Foot Battery No. 12. The remaining four Battalions of the Brigade were in reserve immediately in front of the inclosures of Sombref.
It was nearly eight o'clock, when General Krafft despatched an Aide de Camp to the rear with a message stating, that it was only by dint of extraordinary efforts that the troops in Ligny could hold out against the Enemy, who was continually advancing with fresh reinforcements. General Count Gneisenau (the Chief of Staff of the Prussian Army), in the absence of the Prince, sent word that the Village must be maintained, at whatever sacrifice, half an hour longer.
About the same time, General Pirch II. sent word to Blücher that his Brigade, in defending St Amand la Haye, had expended the whole of its ammunition, and that even the pouches of the killed had been completely emptied. To this the Prince replied, that the Second Brigade must, nevertheless, not only maintain its Post, but also attack the Enemy with the bayonet.
In fact, the exhaustion of the Prussian troops was becoming more manifest every moment. Several Officers and men, overcome by long continued exertion, were seen to fall solely from excessive fatigue. No kind of warfare can be conceived more harassing to the combatants than was the protracted contest in the Villages which skirted the front of the Prussian position. It partook also of a savage and relentless character. The animosity and exasperation of both parties were uncontrollable. Innumerable individual combats took place. Every house, every court, every wall, was the scene of a desperate conflict. Streets were alternately won and lost. An ungovernable fury seized upon the combatants on both sides, as they rushed wildly forward to relieve their comrades exhausted by their exertions in the deadly strife—a strife in which every individual appeared eager to seek out an opponent, from whose death he might derive some alleviation to the thirst of hatred and revenge by which he was so powerfully excited. Hence no quarter was asked or granted by either party.