176 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1815. 
army upon Wavre; and he march- 
ed in the night after the action 
was over. 
This movement of the Marshals 
rendered necessary a correspond- 
ing one on my part ; and I re- 
tired from the farm of Quatre 
Bras upon Genappe, and thence 
upon Waterloothe next morning, 
the 17th, at ten o'clock. 
The enemy made no effort to 
pursue Marshal Blucher. On the 
contrary, a patrole which I sent 
to Sambref in the morning, found 
all quiet, and the enemy’s videttes 
fell back as the patrole advanced. 
Neither did he attempt to molest 
our march to the rear, although 
made in the middle of the day, 
excepting by following, with a 
large body of cavalry, brought 
from his right, the cavalry under 
the earl of Uxbridge. 
This gave Lord Uxbridge an 
opportunity of charging them 
with the Ist Life Guards, upon 
their debouche from the village 
of Genappe, upon which occasion 
his Lordship has declared himself 
to be well satisfied with that re- 
giment. 
The position which I took up 
in front of Waterloo, crossed the 
high roads from Charleroy and 
Nivelle, and had its right thrown 
back to a ravine near Merke 
Braine, which was occupied ; and 
its left extended to a height above 
the Hamlet Ter la Haye, which 
was likewise occupied. In front 
of the right centre, and near the 
Nivelle road, we occupied the 
houseand garden of Hougoumont, 
which covered the return of that 
flank ; and in front of the left 
centre, we occupied the farm of © 
La Haye Sainte. By our left we 
communicated with Marshal Prince 
Blucher,at Wavre through Ohaim'; 
and the Marshal promised me, that 
in case we shoul'd be attacked, he 
would support me with one or 
more corps as might be necessary. 
The enemy collected his army, 
with the exception of the third 
corps, which had been sent to ob- 
serve Marshal Blucher, on a range 
of heights in our front, in the 
course of the night of the 17th 
and yesterday morning, and at 
about ten o’clock he commenced 
a furious attack upon our .post at 
Hougoumont. I had occupied 
that post with a detachment from 
General Bing’s brigade of Guards, 
which was ‘in position in its rear ; 
and-it was for some time under 
the command of Lieut.-Colonel’ 
Macdonald, and afterwards of Co- 
lonet Home ; and I am happy to 
add, that it was maintained 
throughout the day with the ut- 
most gallantry by these brave 
troops, notwithstanding the re- 
peated efforts of large bodies of 
the enemy to obtain possession 
of it. 
This attack upon the right of 
our centre was accompanied by a 
very heavy cannonade upon our 
whole line, which was destined to 
support the repeated attacks of 
cavalry and infantry occasionally 
mixed, but sometimes separate; 
which were made upon it. In 
one of these the enemy carried the 
farm house of La Haye Sainte, as. 
the detachment of the light bat- 
talion of the legion which occu- 
pied it had expended all its am- 
munition, and the enemy occupied 
the only communication there’ 
was with them. 
The enemy repeatedly charged 
our infantry with his ete & but: 
these attacks were uniformly un- 
