68 A Century of Family Letters [CHAP, v 



able here ; there is everything to make ine so, and I always 

 enjoy the society of Mrs Darwin, and I am pleased to see 

 the young things enjoy themselves so well. There is an 

 evening riding party of three every day (Joe being the 

 constant escort), which is a very popular thing. The Dr as 

 usual is very much engaged. He was out all yesterday. 



Tom, son of John Wedgwood, who wrote the letter 

 alluded to above, was a boy of seventeen, and was ensign 

 in the Scots Fusilier Guards. His first letter is written 

 the day after Waterloo. The fighting of the 16th must be 

 that of Quatre Bras. The house and garden which he 

 describes as repeatedly attacked by the French on the 

 18th, is evidently the Chateau of Hougoumont; and he 

 seems to have been in the memorable charge which ended 

 the day. 



Tom Wedgwood to his mother Mrs John Wedgwood. 



MY DEAR MOTHER, NIVELLES, June im, 1815. 



I take the earliest opportunity to tell you that 

 we have had some very hard fighting, but that we have 

 gained a most complete victory, and also that I am quite 

 well and safe and have escaped unhurt. We removed 

 from our quarters last Saturday week at Herrisenes and 

 went to a village called Petit Roux, where we remained 

 some time in quiet, but on Friday morning the 16th, at 

 2 o'clock, we were turned out and ordered to be under 

 arms and ready to march at a moment's notice. Accord- 

 ingly we marched at 5 o'clock to Braine-le-Comte and 

 then waited for a few hours for other troops to come up, 

 then marched and took up a position close to this town 

 and about five leagues from our original quarters. We 

 had just begun to pitch our tents when we had another 

 order to march on immediately against the French, who 

 had attacked the Prussians in great force, three leagues 

 farther on, near a village called Jenappe. We arrived 

 there about five o'clock. The 1st Regiment and Cold- 

 streams attacked the French with the bayonet and drove 



