532 
PAR 
and weary. Little time was given to re frefh themfelves, 
before immenfe columns of the enemy, confiding of both 
infantry and cavalry, were feen approaching their portion. 
The road to Bruffels, on the right hand of the Englifh 
pofition, was fkirted by a wood, along the edge of which 
was a hollow way. The French were aware that, if they 
could gain poffelfion of this wood, they might debouche 
upon the Brufl'els road. The prince of Orange had made 
every effort to defend it; but the Belgians under his com¬ 
mand again gave way, and the French fucceeded in oc- 
cupyirfg the poll. 
The duke of Wellington, foon after three o’clock, rode 
into that part of the field of battle which is clofe to the 
village of Quatre Bras. He was followed by his ftaff, 
which was not very numerous. He halted a few yards in 
front of the (jad regiment, and was expofed to a very 
heavy fire of round fhot and grape. He fpoke little or 
nothing. He looked intently at various parts of the field 
where there was firing going on, and often pulled out his 
watch, as if calculating on the arrival of the regiments 
not yet come up. The (hot in the mean time was plun¬ 
ging into and along the ground, clofe to him. He had 
not been long in tlie field before the arm of a gentleman 
with whom he had juft been in converfation was carried 
off by a ball. Shortly afterwards, the duke difmounted 
from his horfe, and, caufing his ftaff to do the fame, fat 
upon the ground for a fliort time. The regiments, as 
they came up, entered the field by the road near which 
his grace was : the balls were perpetually flying in amongft 
them ; one carried off the knapfack of a private from his 
fhoulders 5 it went to a confiderable diftance, but the man 
ran after it, and brought it back amidft the loud laughter 
of all thofe who faw the thing happen. The Brunfwick 
cavalry were charged back upon this point by the French 
cuirafliers. The duke retired from before their charge. 
The French troops fought with the raoft defperate fury ; 
and the attacks of the cuirafliers, in particular, were moll 
impetuous and dreadful. They furrounded the Britifli 
fquadrons with fuch temerity, that it frequently happened 
that, in their defence, the fquares had to charge their 
defperate enemies on three Tides at once. But every effort 
of the French was fruitlefs. Though they buffered feverely, 
the Britifli troops flood firm; and the only difficulty 
that their officers had, was to reftrain their impetuofity, 
which, againft fuch numbers, might have proved fatal. 
The general wifh of the foldiers was to charge the enemy 
with the bayonet, without waiting for an attack; but the 
fuperior judgment of their great leader commanded it 
otherwife. The fire of the French was inceffant andfevere : 
that returned ftill more deftruftive. Nothing was feen in 
the French columns but men and liorfes tumbling over 
each other. It is impoflible to convey an idea of the ob- 
ftinacy with which the conteft was maintained. 
From half paft three till fix in the evening, the French 
kept up a very heavy fire, and twice attempted to carry 
the right of the Britifli pofition. The Brunfwick troops 
in advance had been compelled to abandon the poft com¬ 
mitted to their care, and were falling back before over¬ 
whelming numbers. Frefh columns advanced to their 
fupport. At this time the duke of Brunfwick was killed. 
Fie was leading on his men amidft a horrible fire of 
grape-fliot, when his ardour carried him into the thickeft 
of the fire. A ball paffied through his bridle-hand, and 
entered his belly. The liver was penetrated : he fell; and 
in ten minutes breathed his laft. The fall of this brave 
prince, in the prime of his life, was generally regretted. 
The treatment which his father had received from the 
hand of Bonaparte, and his own misfortunes, had created 
a general feeling in his favour. Both himfelf and his 
troops had made a vow to wear mourning till they had 
avenged his father’s death. The fields where he fell did 
fo, though he did not live to fee it. He terminated his 
life, however, on a memorable occalion, and before the 
eyes of one who could appreciate his bravery and his 
worth; and his regret, fo forcibly exprefled, is fufficient 
I s. 
to hand down his name to thelateft pofterity with honour 
and applaufe. Their leader thus loft, his troops were 
compelled to give way. The French advanced after them, 
conceiving that they had gained their object. They were 
miftaken. The 93d regiment, which was polled behind a 
ditch, on the right of the road from Brufl'els to Fleurus, 
and in the centre of which the duke of Wellington was 
ftationed, flood ready to receive them. They allowed 
nearly all the Brunfwick troops to pafs, when they opened 
fuch a fire upon the French cavalry as ftretched them on 
the ground in numbers, and compelled the remainder to 
retire in diforder; and not only fo, but the repulfe of 
the cuirafliers, and the great number of wounded which 
were carried to the French rear, created alarm, confufion, 
and flight, among the numerous attendants of theirarmy. 
The French affert, that, in this charge, though unfortu¬ 
nate in its iffue, a private of their nth regiment took 
one of the colours of the Englifh 69th. About four 
o’clock, however, the French, reinforced, returned to the 
charge, and, by another furious attack, endeavoured to 
gain the right of the Britifli pofition. Again they were 
driven back with great lofs. The 79th regiment charged 
through and through the French line, and afterwards, re¬ 
turning to its former pofition, repulfed the repeated def¬ 
perate attacks of the French. It buffered feverely. 
In this manner the combat continued formally hours 
without any profpefl of its termination. The French 
continued to bring forward frefh troops, the Britifh to 
refill their fury. ThePruflians were at this time engaged 
with Napoleon, while a brigade of guards, and part of 
the firft divifion, remained at Quatre Bras. The French 
appeared ftill to dire£t their principal efforts againft the 
right of the Britifh pofition. About feven o’clock the 
combat raged with the utmofl fury. The fire of the 
French artillery was tremendous, and was the fore¬ 
runner of another mod formidable attack. Through 
the volumes of fmoke, the French was foon feen ad¬ 
vancing. As they came near, the fire of the artillery 
flackened, and the bloody ftruggle began. The moment 
was prefling. The duke, who flood with the 92ft regi¬ 
ment, turned to them, and faid with energy, “ Ninety- 
fecond, you mufl charge thefe fellows.” The order was 
cheerfully obeyed. They rufhed againft the black battalions 
with an ardour nothing could refill. The French columns 
fled before this daring band, leaving the field covered 
with the dead, dying, and wounded. The gzd followed 
them for a mile, till they came near the main body of the 
enemy, and till the re-advance of the cavalry rendered it 
prudent for them to retire, which they did to a wood, 
where they remained during the remainder of the engage¬ 
ment. 
Meanwhile the battle raged in the centre and on the 
right. The French attempted to feparate the diviflons of 
the Britifli army as they came up, but without fuccefs. 
They however ftill held the wood, which, in fome mea- 
fure, commanded the right of the allied pofition. It was 
of the greatell importance to obtain the poffeflion of it. 
The divifion of the guards under general Maitland, had 
newly come up, and were immediately commanded by 
the duke of Wellington to drive them from this point. 
They advanced to the charge, and the tirailleurs of the 
French fled before them. Driven into the wood, the 
French defended themfelves with the greateft obftinacy, 
difputing every inch of ground, and making every tree 
a rampart, from behind which they annoyed the Britifli. 
It was at length cleared ; but fcarcely had the Britifli 
troops paffed it, when they were attacked by the French 
cavalry repeatedly, and with the greateft fury; but the 
guards repulfed all their attacks. The French charged in 
amongft then, and were almoft cut to pieces with compa¬ 
ratively little lofs; a fquare of black Brunfwickers, on 
this occafion behaved firmly, and occafioned the French 
great lofs. Theirlight troops, however, advanced in fuch 
numbers, that they again obtained poffeflion of the wood 5 
but, after three hours fevere fighting, it was finally wrefted 
from 
