THE CAMPAIGN OF 1815. 163 



Ney, in a letter dated tlie 26tli June, 1815, complains that Napo- 

 leon had taken away D'Erlon's Corps without notifying him (Ney), 

 and having, therefore, to act without D'Erlon, the battle of Quatre 

 Bras was lost. D'Erlon's account of the matter seems to contradict 

 Ney's statement. Col. Heymes, Ney's Chief of Staff, confirms 

 D'Erlon's account, but says that Col. Laurent, not General Labe- 

 doy^re, was the aide who cari'ied the message. As D'Krlon was put 

 in motion by Ney about eleven o'clock, in obedience to Napoleon's 

 letter and second despatch, and as the distance from Jumet to Frasne 

 is a little over nine miles, and as D'Erlon galloped on in advance of 

 his column, he must have met General Labedoy^re in about an hour 

 and a half, or two hours, after eleven o'clock — say one o'clock. Now 

 any order sent from Napoleon to Ney by the hand of General Labedo- 

 y^re, and which reached Frasne by one o'clock, must have left Charle- 

 roi very .shortly after half-past ten, as Charleroi is about ten miles 

 ft'om Frasne — if sent from Fleurus it would be eight miles. The order 

 which Labedoy^re is said to have carried, and to have shewn to 

 D'Erlon, was contradictory of Napoleon's third despatch, and not 

 only of that despatch, but of the whole of the previous second des- 

 patch. What had happened so early in the day to induce Napoleon 

 to take away the first corps from Ney 1 The only reason which 

 appears at all satisfactory is, that Napoleon, as he descended from 

 his carriage at Fleurus, at twelve o'clock, saw that there was urgent 

 need in that part for D'Erlon just then. Instead of having only a 

 p-.irt of the Prussian army, he found three-fourths of it in front of 

 him. And yet this explanation is not quite satisfactory, because 

 later on in the day, namely at two o'clock and three o'clock, Napo. 

 leon sent two more despatches to Ney. The first repeated the order 

 to attack, and informed Ney of the arrangements for Grouchy's 

 attack at half-past two on Ligny, and stated that there was a corps 

 of troops (not an army) to attack. The second informed Ney that 

 the action was at its height, and ordered him to manoeuvre towards 

 the emperor. Neither of these despatches says one word about 

 D'Erlon, or intimates in any. way that he had been withdrawn from 

 Ney. It could not be either of these which Labedoy^re shewed 

 D'Erlon, because the firsc says nothing about D'Ei'lon's moving 

 toward Ligny, and the second was sent too late to have reached 

 D'Erlon at the hour he and his division were on the road to Frasne. 



Again, in a despatcli writtiu by Napoleon to Ney the next day 



