156 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. 



he had been in Paris. He had received a message from Napoleon : 

 " If Ney wishes to take part in the first battle, let him be on the 

 13th at Avesnes (not on map), which will be my head- quarters." 

 He had started on the 13th, had arrived in Beaumont on the 14th, 

 was detained by want of a horse, had bought a couple from Marshal 

 Mortier on the 15th, and found Napoleon at about half-past four. 

 Napoleon welcomed him, put him in command of the 1st and 2nd 

 corps, D'Erlon's and Reilles' (44,300 men), and some cavalry, and 

 concluded his instructions by ordering him to advance and drive the 

 enemy. 



From this point commences a division of Napoleon's army, part 

 under Ney on the left along the Brussels road, the other part under 

 the emperor along the Namur road. Ney ordered his men to push 

 on. The Prussians, who were on the west of the Brussels road, had 

 by- this time all crossed it, making for Fleurus, and the way was 

 clear to Frasne. There the advance struck the extreme left of the 

 Anglo-allied army. It was now half-past six. The allied troops at 

 Frasne were part of the first corps of Wellington's army, and be- 

 longed to the 2nd Dutch-Belgian division, 7,500 strong, under the 

 command of General Perponcher. The battalion actually in position, 

 about 4,000 strong, was under the command of Prince Bernhard of 

 Saxe- Weimar. It held its ground firmly against the attacks of such 

 troops as Ney brought up. The latter thought it better not to run 

 any risk, and therefore resolved not to attempt anything more, but 

 to hold Frasne and await orders. Frasne is between five and six 

 miles north of Charleroi ; Solre-sur-Sambre fifteen miles from Char- 

 leroi. The left had, therefore, advanced some twenty miles. They 

 had started at three in the morning, commenced to fight at four, 

 crossed the Sambre at ten, pushed on north to near Gosselies, and 

 there waited for oixlers, which they received about three o'clock, that 

 is, they had three or four hours rest. They then had advanced to 

 Frasne, where, as above stated, Ney took command about five. It 

 is not easy to understand why he was now so cautious. He had the 

 cavalry division of Pire in hand, and Bachelus' infantry corps in 

 suppoTt, and some artillery. If he had pressed Prince Bernhard, 

 who had only four thousand men, he could probably have occu})ied 

 Quatre Bras, instead of Frasne, that night. If he had done so, he 

 would hkve commanded the line of communication between the Eng- 

 lish and Prussian armies. The road from Namur to Nivelles crosses 



