1814-1815] The Battle of Waterloo 69 



them back. We were kept as a reserve on the top of a 

 hill, where we lay down in order to avoid the shots and 

 shells, which were playing on us in great abundance. At 

 9 o'clock both parties ceased for want of light, but the 

 French were driven back about half a league. The 1st 

 Guards suffered much had about 10 officers killed or 

 wounded, and among the latter was Capt. Luttrell, but 

 very slightly. Two very unfortunate accidents happened 

 to them. They were charging a regiment of French, who 

 came to a parley and said they would come over to us, but 

 it was only a trick to wait for some cavalry which were 

 coming on. They both attacked the 1st Guards together 

 and repulsed them with a great loss. After that they met 

 with a French regiment who were cloaked in red, and did 

 not find that they were French until too late, and in 

 consequence were repulsed a second time. We only lost a 

 few men from the shells, and we lay all night in the field 

 without any cover in consequence of our baggage being 

 left behind. 



Next morning our regiment was sent into a wood to 

 skirmish. We had a little fighting. About 5 o'clock we 

 were obliged to retreat in consequence of the French having 

 driven back the left wing, where the Prussians were placed. 

 We went back and took up a position on the heights of 

 St Jean, about 4 leagues back. The French returned in 

 the evening, and cannonaded us till dark. We all slept on 

 the bare ground, with nothing either above or beneath us, 

 in one of the most rainy nights possible, and before morning 

 the ground on which we were was ankle-deep in mud. 

 The French retired early in the morning, but came about 

 10 o'clock again in immense force. It is said they had 

 100,000 men, and we had at first 60,000 men, chiefly 

 English, excepting a few Dutch and Belgic, the chief part 

 of whom ran away at the first attack. The action com- 

 menced at about J-past eleven by our artillery, which was 

 drawn up about 20 yards before the first line, which was 

 composed of our division and the 3rd Division of the line. 

 The French attacked a wood on our right, on the skirts of 



