3 S i 6.] A Private Soldier's Jccounf of the Battle of Waterloo. 309 



the battle, but, thank God, 1 am livina:, 

 and was a:i c\e-witiic,ss to the bi rviiiiiing 

 of the battle — to the cniJinj of it ; but 

 mj'pen caiitiotexplainto yoii, nor twenty 

 sheets of pajjcr would not contain, what 

 1 could say about it: for, thank God, I 

 had iTiy strength and health more on the 

 days v.e was engaged than I had in my 

 life ; so what I am going to tell you is 

 the real truth ; but I think my brotlier 

 Tom, as lie is such a sciiolar, if lie was 

 to look in the Nowspajjcrs, he might see 

 what officers was killed and wounded 

 of the 95th regiment ; we have but six 

 companies in the country, and after the 

 battle we were only 255 privates ; 2 co- 

 lonels, 1 major, 15 officers, 11 Serjeants, 

 and 1 buglar, were killed ; my first-rank 

 man was wounded by part of a sliell 

 through his foot, and he dropt as we 

 was advancing ; I covered the next man 

 1 saw, and had not walked twenty sleps 

 before a musket-shot came side-ways 

 and took his nose clean oil'; and then I 

 covered another njan, which was the 

 third ; just after that the man that stood 

 next to me on my left hand had his left 

 arm sliot oW by a nine-pound shot, just 

 above his elbow, and he 1mned round 

 and caught hold of me with his right 

 hand, and the blood run all over my 

 trowsers; we was advancing, and he 

 dropt directly. Aftor this, was ordered 

 to extend in front of all our large guns, 

 and small arms was firing at the British 

 lines in our rear, and I declare to God, 

 with our guns and the I'rench guns 

 liring over our l:eads, my pen cannot 

 explain any thing like it ; it was not 

 400 yards from the French lines to our 

 British lines, and we was about 150 

 \ards in front of our's, so we was about 

 '2b0 yards from (he French, and some- 

 times not ICO yards; so I leave you to 

 judge if I hud not a narrow escape of 

 my lite : as I just said, we now extend- 

 ed in front; Boncy's imperial horse 

 guards, all clothed in armour, made a 

 charge at us; we saw them coming, and 

 we all closed in and formed a square 



to t!ie right-about and fired; aild, as I^ 

 was loading my rifle, one of their shot* 

 came and struck my rifle, not two inches. 

 above my left hand, as I was rammuij^ 

 down the ball with my right hand, and 

 broke the stock, arid bent the barrel iu 

 such a manner that I could not get the 

 ball down ; just at tliat time we ex- 

 tended again, and my rifle was no ns» 

 to me; a nine-pound shot came and cufc 

 the sergeant of our company right iii 

 two, he was not above three file from me, 

 so I threw down my ride and wont and 

 took his rifle, as it was not hurt at the 

 time. We had lost both our colonels, 

 major, and two eldest captains, and only 

 a young captain to take command of 

 us; as for Colonel Wade he was sent la 

 Kngland about three weeks before (ho 

 battle. Seeing wc had lost so many men 

 and all our commanding oflicers, my 

 heart began to fail, and Boncy's guards 

 made another charge on us ; but we 

 made them retreat as before, and, while 

 we was in square the second time, (ho 

 Duke of Wellington and his staff cam© 

 up to us in all the fire, and saw we had 

 lost all our commanding olBeers; he, him- 

 self, gave the word of command; the 

 words he said to our regiment were this 

 — 95th, unfix your swords, left face and 

 extend yourselves once more, we shall 

 soon have them over the other hill; — and 

 then he rode away on our right, and 

 liow he escaped behig shot God only 

 knows, for ail that time the shot was 

 flying like liail-stoncs. This was about 

 four o'clock on the 18th June, when 

 Lord Welliiigton rode away from our 

 regiment; and then we advanced like 

 Britons, but we could not go five steps 

 without walking over dead and wound- 

 ed; and Boney's horses of the itnperial 

 guards, that the men was killed, was 

 running loose about iu all directions. 

 If our Tom had been a little behind in tiic 

 rear, he might have cati^hedliprsesenough 

 (o had a troop or two like >Sir Joljti 

 Delapole. Lord Vv'ellington declared to 

 us this morning, (hat it was the hardest 



just as they came within ten yards of batde that he had ever seen fitught in 



u«, and they found tliey could do no 

 good with us; they fired with their 

 carbines on us, and came to the right 

 about directly, and at that moment the 

 man on my right hanil was shot through 

 the body, and the blood run out at his' 

 belly and back like a pig s(uck in the 

 llnoat ; he dro|)t on his side ; 1 spoke to 

 him, he just said, " TiCwis, I am done!" 

 and died (iireolly. All (his time wc kept 

 up a constant fire at the imperial guards 

 M Uiey retreated, but ((icy ol'tcii came 



his life; but now, thank (iod, all is over, 

 and we are very comfortable in J*aris, 

 and I hope we shtill remain here and 

 have our Christmas dinner in Paris, for 

 London cannot C(j!npare to it; I Ijiudly 

 know how to sjjare time to v.riie tiiis, 

 for I want to go ont about (!ie city, fo>* 

 it is four o'clock, and the K ttcrs go off 

 at five; but I nmst say a iitlie more on 

 the other side: — W^e was all very (jiiiet i;i 

 quarters till (!io 15lli June, wlieu th<j 

 (jvders came all at once, at {\\<:\\ c.o'oloejf 



at 



