THE CAMPAIGN OF 1815. 159 



The result of this delay and false movement of Wellington was 

 favourable to Napoleon. It left him free to deal with Bliicher alone. 

 He had counted justly on Wellington's slowness and Bliicher's rash- 

 ness. His coup appeared, therefore, to have all the elements of 

 success. The heroes of the day were, however, the brave Prussians 

 of Ziethen's Corps, who had stopped the French at Gilly, and Prince 

 Bernhard and his Nassauers, who had stopped them at Frasne. 



ACT II. 



SCENE : — LIGNV AND QUATRE BRAS. 



Time:— 16th June, 1815. 



At nine o'clock on the evening of the 15th Napoleon had returned 

 to Charleroi. Wearied out, he threw himself on a bed to get some 

 rest. A.bout ten o'clock Ney left Gosselies, and reached Charleroi 

 about midnight. He and the emperor had supper together, and a 

 long conversation. It was two o'clock on the morning of the ICth 

 when they separated. Some topics, unpleasant to both, were doubt- 

 less avoided, and their old friendship seemed completely reestablished. 

 So far as anybody heard, the emperor had no reason to complain of the 

 marshal. The plan of campaign must necessarily have been talked 

 over, but no definite decision seems to have been communicated to 

 Ney. It would have been better for France if both Napoleon and 

 Ney had rested, instead of talking over old times. 



In June the nights are short, and the day dawned shortly after 

 Ney went to his outposts. For the bulk of the army, military opera- 

 tions had ceased at seven or eight o'clock of the evening before. The 

 troops had had time to rest. They were, moreover, in good spirits, 

 and anxious to advance. On the 15th they had started at half-past 

 three. On the 16th the divisions m rear of the left could have been 

 closed up to the front very early in the morning. Ney would theo 

 have had 22,254 men in hand, and D'Erlon's 20,000 close behind. 

 If he had pressed on at any hour fi-om four o'clock in the morning 

 up to ten or eleven, with his 2"2,000 men, he would have overwhelmed 

 all before him. Prince Bernhard and his 4,000 Nassauers held their 

 position all night, and were not reinforced till about four in the 

 morning, when General Perponcher marched the rest of his brigade 

 there, making in all about 7,000 men, with sixteen guns. The 

 Prince of Orange, who was the general in command of the tirst corps, 

 to which Perponcher's Division belonged, arrived about six o'clock, 



