]824.] 



after the Restoration ojtke Bourbons. 



by properly pleading the cause of the 

 emperor, to dissipate the storm.* 



Arriving at Paris, I found my bro- 

 ther at the Tuilleries ; he was one of 

 the officers who, with General Excel- 

 mans, had hoisted the tri-colourcd flag 

 at the Chateau. The emperor then 

 gave him a company in the Tirailleurs 

 of the Guard ; I could have obtained a 

 higher rank for him, but he was averse 

 to it. As to myself and comrades, we 

 were advanced, asCaptaius Lieutenant 

 ia the Old Grenadiers, and to the 

 Cross of the Legion of Honour. 

 This decoration I am deprived of; but 

 the actions which rendered me worthy 

 of it, under all the disguises that a 

 combination of circumstances may 

 have thrown around me, presignify 

 sentiments of honour, that no combina- 

 tions of power can transfer, or oblige 

 me to relinquish. 



In the first days of June, we set out 

 for that short and memorable cam- 

 paign, wherein talents and valour were 

 forced to yield to numbers, and to au 

 unhappy fatality which attended it, 

 more extraordinary than what some 

 political writers will allow. 



The military operations of Na- 

 poleon in the campaign of Waterloo 

 have been so frequently described and 

 commented upon by military connois- 

 seurs of the highest character, that it 

 would be temerity in me to attempt 

 embellishments or improvements, by 

 tracing views that would appear to be 

 merely a transfer of sentiments ; or, 

 at best, observations differently appro- 

 priated to the same subject. I shall 

 confine myself to some particular 

 actions of the guard not to be found in 

 any other relations, and such as I can 

 describe as matters-of-fact. 



I feel inclined, however, to hazard 

 one general observation, that not one 

 of Napoleon's schemes was more judi- 

 ciously or ably planned, however un- 

 happily it might be executed. His 

 intention was to surprise the two hos- 

 tile armies, and attack them sepa- 

 rately; this he did, but an unlucky 

 inLsUike prevented the corps d'Erlon 

 from being present at Ligny, at 

 Quulrc Bras, or being employed any 

 where, so as to give a decisive turn to 

 the action. The emperor meant to 

 throw himself, with the r/ros of his 



• Here llie author refers to two Decla- 

 ratioin, or Official Papers, piiblisiicd by 

 the iiiuiiicipal aiiiliorities; he gives copies 

 of lliem al the nid of Ills woik. 



Monthly Mag. No. 3y3. 



Ji3 



army, between the Prussians and the 

 English, and intercept their line of 

 operation ; but mistaken orders, latent 

 treachery, somewhere disappointed 

 the intentions of General Grouchy. 

 The chances of victory could not be 

 better calculated, — chances, however, 

 which, far from precisely performing 

 what was expected, denounced the 

 fall of Napoleon's sceptre and crown. 

 It appeared to me, that the effects of 

 chance were never so fairly tried as in 

 this campaign. Wellington, thy fame 

 appears to have extended itself over 

 the Continent of Europe, and perhaps 

 of America ; report states thy talents 

 to be respectable; but have not thy 

 exploits and performances been most 

 egregiously and greatly over-rated ? 



Bulau had 40,000 men, and the 

 English general 90,000 under his com- 

 mand, to oppose which, throughout a 

 whole day, the French had only 

 55,000. When Blucher arrived about 

 seven o'clock, with the gros of hi^ 

 army, the combined eff"ect of such 

 augmented forces was so powerful and 

 extraordinary in the exigencies of our 

 case, as to render despair of a success- 

 ful event inevitable. Napoleon was 

 for inclosing himself within our square 

 phalanx; and, when Marshal Soult 

 dissuaded him, ' No, no,' says he, ' I 

 will die here, or stop them ;' and it was 

 only after the urgent intreaties of his 

 friends, wherein I concurred, that he 

 would agree to join in the retreat. 



Our square battalion, commanded 

 by General Cambronne, retired, 

 slowly, and in good order. Being 

 obliged to open, for a few minutes, 

 from the nature of the ground, the 

 English cavalry broke in among our 

 ranks, but our chasseurs, returning, 

 poured in a dreadful fire upon them, 

 without considering, the fire being 

 directed in so many different ways, 

 whether they would not be wounding 

 one another. One of the enemy's 

 generals exclaimed: 'Surrender, brave 

 men, your worth is well known.' The 

 standard-bearer then planted his eagle 

 in the ground, saying, ' Here is your 

 rallying point, comrades ; let us die at 

 the foot of the eagle.' 



General Cambronne was wounded 

 here ; the brave Lieutenant-general 

 Michel, second commander of the 

 chasseurs, re-established order among 

 us ; Ncy made his appearance with 

 Friant at his side. This imperturbable 

 chief exclaims, ' Our grenadier."? are 

 coming up,' aud the ranks soon thicken. 

 Q Throtigh 



