GENERAL HISTORY. 
army had not joined, determined 
to await the combat. His force 
is stated at 80,000 men, and 
that of the French at 130,000, 
but allowances are always to be 
made in such estimates, and it 
appears that a part of the French 
were elsewhere engaged. ‘The 
battle raged with great fury from 
three in the afternoon till late in 
the evening, the Prussians being 
exceedingly pressed, and in vain 
expecting succour. They were 
at length obliged to retire, leav- 
ing behind them 15 pieces of 
cannon, and a great number of 
killed and wounded. They form- 
ed again at a short distance from 
the field of battle, and were not 
pursued. The veteran Blucher 
made the greatest exertions, and 
was brought into imminent dan- 
ger. Lord Wellington in the 
meantime had directed his whole 
army to march upon Quatre 
Bras, and the 5th division under 
‘General Picton, arrived there early 
.in the afternooon, and was fol- 
lowed by the corps commanded 
by the Duke of Brunswick, and 
by the contingent of Nassau. 
_Blucher was at this time engaged 
with the enemy, and it was the 
desire of Wellington to lend him 
assistance, but he was himself 
attacked by alarge body of ca- 
_valry.and infantry, with a power- 
ful artillery, his own cavalry not 
having yet joined. Many charges 
were made by the French, but all 
_were repulsed with the greatest 
steadiness. The loss was how- 
_€ver great, and included that of 
. the Duke of Brunswick, who fell 
_ atthe head of his troops. 
Although Blucher -had main- 
found himself 30 much weak- 
; pres his position at Sombref, | 
| Ces xe 
[67 
ened, that he fell back dur- 
ing the night to Wavre. This 
movement rendering a_ corre- 
sponding one necessary on the 
part of the Duke of Wellington, 
he retired upon Genappe, and on 
the morning of the 17th moved 
to Waterloo, no other attempt 
being made by the enemy to mo- 
lest his rear, except by following 
with a body of cavalry the cavalry 
under the Earl of Uxbridge. The 
Duke took a position at Water- 
loo which crossed the high roads 
to Brussels from Charleroi and 
Nivelle, and had in its front the 
house and garden of Hougomont, 
and in another part, the farm of 
la Haye Sainte. By his left he 
communicated with the Prus- 
sians at Wavre. 
Buonaparte employed that 
night and the morning of the 
18th in collecting his whole 
force upon a range of heights 
opposite to the British, with the 
exception of the third corps, 
which was sent to observe 
Blucher: and at ten o'clock he 
commenced a furious attack on 
the post at Hougomont. This 
was renewed in different efforts 
during the whole of the day, but 
was resisted with so much gal- 
lantry, that the post was. effectu- 
ally maintained. At the same time 
avery heavy cannonadewas carried 
on against the whole British line, 
and repeated charges were made 
of cavalry and infantry, which 
were uniformly repulsed, except 
that the farm-house of la Haye 
Sainte was carried in one of them, 
At about seven in the evening 
a desperate attempt was made to 
force the British left centre near 
that farm-house, which produced 
a very severe contest, and for a 
[F 2} 
