P A 
from them; and the Englifh guards, though they fuf- 
tained considerable lofs, retained undifputed poffeffion 
of this important poll, which commanded the road to 
Bruffels. 
The French were now in great confufion; but, as Ney 
had left the firft corps in referve, he determined to renew 
the combat; and, thefe troops being frefh, he thought of 
overwhelming the Britilh with fuperior numbers. On 
fending for it, however, he was much mortified at finding 
that Napoleon had called it away to his own aid againft 
the Pruffians. He therefore ordered up the referve of the 
fecond corps to cover his broken battalions; and at length 
retired to his original pofition atFrafnes. 
The lofs of the Britifh in this afilion was very fevere ; 
and, as the cavalry and artillery had not come up, they 
fought under every difadvantage. Including officers, the 
lofs amounted 102251 killed and wounded, and 31 mif¬ 
fing. The whole, including that of the Hanoverians, 
Dutch, Belgians, Brunfwickers, See. confuted of about 
5000 men. The lolkof the French was alfo very conli- 
derable, as they acknowledged it to amount to 4200. 
The field of battle, which was confined to a narrow fpace, 
was thickly covered with the flain. The groans and la¬ 
mentations of the wounded and dying, to whom little 
relief could be afforded, was difmal and diftreffing, and 
filled the hearts of the furvivors with pain and anguifh. 
The numbers of dead round Quatre'Bras was very great. 
The walls of the houfes were, in many places, covered 
with blood, which had fpouted in ftreams from the woun¬ 
ded, who retired to lean againfl them, in order to fupport 
their dying bodies. An orchard of four acres, which 
w’as thickly planted with fruit-trees, had in many of them 
from eighty to one hundred balls- In a houie at Place 
Nay, three hundred holes were made in the walls and 
roof, from the number of bullets which had penetrated 
into it. In one cellar lay five of the imperial guards, 
who had been difpatched by the 79th regiment ; and a 
well contained the bodies of twenty Frenchmen, whofe 
putrid remains had completely fpoiled the water. Indeed, 
all the water on this bloody field, as late as the 25th, was 
quite red, ftagnating in puddles, and the fmell from it 
moll offenfive. 
While marfhal Ney was engaged with the allies under 
the duke of Wellington, Napoleon had marched with 
the whole of his remaining force againft the Pruffian army, 
pofted at Sombref. Martha! Blucher occupied a ftrong 
pofition on a line where three villages, built upon broken 
ground, ferved each as a feparate redoubt, defended by 
artillery and infantry; his right wing occupied the village 
of St. Amand, his centre Ligny, and his left Sombref. 
The ground behind thefe villages was confiderably ele¬ 
vated; a deep ravine in front of this elevation. The vil¬ 
lages were in front of the ravine, and maffes of infantry 
were Rationed behind each. The force with which Na¬ 
poleon advanced to the attack of the Pruffians has never 
been exaflly afeertained ; but it probably amounted to 
about 100,000 men. It appears to have been his intention 
to turn the principal part of his force againll the Pruffian 
general before he could be fupported by the army under 
the duke of Wellington. He calculated upon giving the 
Pruffian army a decifive defeat, feparating it from the 
Britifh general, and forcing it back upon Maeftricht. As 
Blucher was informed that Wellington had put fome 
troops in motion to fupport him, and expecting the arri¬ 
val of the fourth corps of his army in the evening, he de¬ 
termined to give battle. On approaching the Pruffian 
army, Napoleon found fome change in his difpofitions 
neceffary. He “ changed front, the right in advance, 
and pivoted upon Fleurus.” The third corps, under 
Vandamme, marched upon Sr. Amand. Girard, with the 
fourth corps, marched againll Ligny ; Grouchy upon 
Sombref, while the referve, or fixth corps, with the reft 
of the cavalry, the guards, and the cuiraffiers of general 
Milhaud, were drawn up on the heights of Fleurus. 
The battle began at three in the afternoon by a furious 
Vol. XVIII. No. 1262. 
R I S. 538 
cannonade from the French ; and nearly 200.000 men, 
and 500 pieces of cannon, commenced the work of mutual 
deftruftion. The firft effort was to turn the right of the 
Pruffian army. Lefol’s divifion of Vandamme’s corps 
attacked the village of St. Amand. The Pruffians defended 
it moll gallantly ; but the French, charging with the 
bayonet, fucceeded in gaining poffeffion of it, and efta- 
blifhed themfelves in the church and church-yard. As 
this village was the key of their right wing, the Pruffians 
made feveral defperate attempts to regain it; and the 
combat here was peculiarly obftinate and bloody. Each 
fide, at this point, was fupported by 50 pieces of artillery. 
At length the village was llormed by the Pruffians, and 
re-taken ; but it was recovered again by the French. 
The aflion, meanwhile, extended along the whole line; 
as Napoleon directed a vail number of troops againft the 
third corps of the Pruffian army Rationed at Sombref. 
It was at Ligny , however, that the combat was mod 
fevere and deftruCtive. Having been repulfed in endea¬ 
vouring to turn the right here, the French attempted to 
force the centre of the Pruffian army. This memorable 
village Hands upon a fmall river of the fame name, a tri¬ 
butary ftream to the Sambre. It was large and foiidly 
built, and in the centre of the Pruffian line. The ut- 
molt efforts of the French were directed againft this im¬ 
portant point; and the moll determined bravery, on the 
part of the Pruffians, was exercifed to defend it. Two 
hundred pieces of cannon, from both fides, weredirefled 
againft this devoted fpot. The battle round this was 
terrible and bloody. It was maintained hand to hand, 
and man toman, for feven hours. Both fides continued 
to bring up frefh troops ; and while the Cornell, from time 
to time, continued to rage in other parts of the line, it 
never ceafed for one moment at Ligny. Alternate attempts 
were made to wrell this place from each other for upwards' 
of four hours. Blucher in perfon, fword in hand, con¬ 
tinually led his troops to the combat. The artillery of 
the enemy was planted on the right bank of a rivulet, and 
that of the Pruffians on the left bank. Each fide had, 
behind that part of the village which they occupied, great 
maffes of infantry, which maintained the combat, and 
whole ranks were continually renewed by reinforcements, 
which they received from the rearand alfo from the heights, 
both on the right and on the left. The movements on 
the bloody field were confined to a very narrow fpace. 
The French llated, that the village of Ligny “ was taken 
and re-taken feveral times but Blucher fays, “ Villages 
have often been re-taken ; but here the combat continued 
for five hours in the villages themfelves, and the move¬ 
ments were confined to a very narrow fpace.” 
The charges of the cavalry were numerous, fevere, and 
deftruflive. In one of thefe charges, on the part of the 
Pruffians, which was led on by Blucher in perfon, but 
which proved unfuccefsful, that brave general had a very 
narrow efcape from either death or captivity. The French 
in their turn advanced. A Ihot (truck the marlhal’s horfe. 
Furious from the pain, the animal darted forward, till 
exhaulted it dropped down dead. It fell, however, upon 
its gallant rider, who, ftunned by the fall, lay entangled 
under it. The French cijiraffiers advanced; the lall 
Pruffian horfeman had palled their chief, without knowing 
his fituation. One adjutant alone remained. He alighted 
hefide him, refolved to lhare his fate. The French, pur- 
fuing the charge, paffed rapidly by without feeing the 
veteran chief. The Pruffian cavalry returned to the 
charge. The French were driven back, and again palled 
him without perceiving his helplefs fituation ; and then, 
and not till then, the gallant Blucher was extricated 
from his perilous Hate. He mounted a dragoon horle; 
and the firft words he uttered were, “ Well, my brave fel¬ 
lows, let us charge them again.” In the mean time, the 
combat continued at all points with unabated fury. Part 
of the village of St. Amand was re-taken, by a battalion 
commanded by Blucher in perfon. The re-capture of part 
of this village, and, in confequence thereof, of a height 
6 U adjoining 
