PARIS. 539 
ridges, without any very prominent eminences; and the 
valleys betwixt them are interfered with ravines. For 
half a league in advance of Waterloo the ground inva¬ 
riably rifes to Mount St. John. It is interfperfed, as it 
rifes, with ridges, like the waves of the fea, wave behind 
wave. The pofition occupied by the Pruffians* at the 
clofe of the day, joined the Britifli at Ter la Haye. From 
that place, the ridge which forms Mount St. John, turns 
firft in a fouth, and then in a fouth-weft, direction, by 
Frifchermont, towards Planchenoit. Its front, oppofite 
the French pofition, rofe like an amphitheatre, in feveral 
lwells or ridges, each higher than the other, but all infe¬ 
rior in height to the chief ridge, on which Mount St. John 
is fituated. At their foot is a valley, from whence the 
ground again rofe, in an elevated chain, towards the pofi¬ 
tion of the French. On the front oppofite, and nearly 
on fimilar ground, with a valley between the allies and 
them, and alfo between their centre and their right wing, 
the French army was polled. All thefe eminences were 
covered with artillery. 
In the valley, which lay between the pofitions of the 
French and Britifli armies, about half-way between the 
two ridges, and to the right of the centre of the Britifli, 
is fituated the farm-houfe and chateau called Hougou- 
mont, or Chateau Goumont. This was a gentleman’s 
houfe, of the old Flemifh architefture, having a tower 
and battlements: it was furrounded on one fide by a 
large farm-yard, and on the other opened to a garden, and 
fenced by a brick wall, which was loop-holed by the Bri¬ 
tifli on the night of the 17th. The whole was encircled 
by an open grove of tall trees, covering a fpace of about 
three or four acres, without any underwood. This cha¬ 
teau, with the advantages afforded by its wood and gar¬ 
dens, formed a ftrong point d’appui to the Britifli right 
wing. The duke of Wellington had occupied this houfe, 
as alfo the wall and garden, with a detachment of guards 
from the fecond brigade, and a regiment of the troops of 
Naffau. It was a poll of the utir.oft importance ; for, 
while it was held, the French could not approach the right 
of the Britifli army. 
The country around is generally open, groups of trees 
only appearing behind Frifchermont, Planchenoit, Mon 
Plaifir, and near the fo-much-talked-of Obfervatory. Se¬ 
veral villages and farm-boufes rofe amidft thofe fields, 
which were cultivated in the higheft manner, and covered 
chiefly with rye, at this feafon of the year in the utmoft 
luxuriance of vegetation. From the inceftant rain all the 
ground was very foft; and, in fome new-ploughed fields 
the troops could not move without finking to the calf of 
the leg. In the rear of thofe memorable fields lies the 
vail foreft of Soignies, confuting chiefly of bullies, ex¬ 
tremely tall and beautiful. Through this foreft, for fe- 
veral miles, runs the great read from Bruflels to the fron¬ 
tiers. In paflingthe pofition which we have juft defcribed, 
the duke of Wellington, on the preceding year, remarked 
that it was a fpot which he fliould choofe were he ever 
called upon to defend Bruffels. Little did he at that mo¬ 
ment imagine, that lie fliould fo foon be called upon to 
defend Bruflels ; and ftill lefs could he think that it 
would be againft fuch an enemy. 
Such was the ground, and fuch were the pofitions of 
the formidable armies who were about to contend for 
the fate of Europe. The fliades of a fliort, but gloomy, 
rainy, and uncomfortable, night, were paft. The morn¬ 
ing of the 18th (Sunday) dawned. Like the night, it 
was cheerlefs and rainy ; dark and fullen clouds oblcured 
the face of heaven, and blackened the approach of this 
eventful and bloody day. No fun of Aufterlitz here (lied 
his morning beams on thofe ranks who looked upon 
fuch omens as an infallible fign of viftory. With the 
morning arof'e thoufands who were deftined never to fee 
the dawn of another. Stiff, and almoft motionlefs, from 
having flept on the open fields, and under fuch deluges 
of rain, the officers and foldiers awoke, and began to 
prepare for battle. 
It appears, however, as if Napoleon did not expeft that 
the Britifli would await the iflue of a battle in the pofi¬ 
tion they had taken up ; for, when the dawning of the 
18th of June (bowed him his enemies ftill on the heights, 
and apparently determined to maintain them, it is faid 
he could not fupprefs his fatisfaftion ; and, while he 
ftretched his arm towards their pofition, as if to grafp his 
prey, he exclaimed, “ Ah ! I have them, then, thefe Eng- 
lifli !” Afraid, however, that they would ftill (leal away, he 
fent the moll prelfing orders to haflen up his columns 
from the rear, that he might commence the attack. The 
weather ftill continued tempeftuous ; but, about nine 
o’clock, it cleared a little, and foon afterwards the fun 
made his appearance from amidft the dark clouds which 
rolled along the atmofphere. 
The Britifli troops were in the aft of preparing their 
breakfaft, when aid-du- camps, palling through their ranks, 
proclaimed that the French were moving. The troops 
immediately flood to their arms, and the artillery moved 
to the front. Before entering upon the terrible details of 
of this day, it may not be unneceflai'y to Hate, for the 
better underilanding the fubjeft, that this battle may pro¬ 
perly be divided into fix great periods. The firft was the 
impetuous attack upon the right at Hougouniont, which 
laded from eleven to one; the fecond was the dreadful 
attack from the centre to the left, which lalted from one 
till three ; the third was the tremendous attack along the 
whole line, but fevered towards the centre, which laded 
from three till paft fix; the fourth was the terrible attack 
made by the imperial guards, which lafted from half-paft 
fix till eight; included in thefe periods alfo is the murder¬ 
ous combat maintained by the Pruffians againft the French 
right wing ; the fifth was the general attack upon the 
offenfive, on the part of the allies, and the attempt of 
Napoleon to refill it, which lafted from eight till near ten ; 
the fixth was the general rout and purfuit, which lafted 
from ten till near midnight on the part of the Britifli, 
and on the fide of the Pruffians all night. In each attack 
arofe a multiplicity of fanguinary combats; and each 
were equal in their confequences to combats which, in 
other wars, had decided the fate of empires. 
The whole of the French line now appeared to be in 
motion ; their columns formed rapidly ; and a terrible 
cloud of cavalry and cuiraffiers hung oppofite the Britifli 
right. From a deep column of infantry, which was af¬ 
terwards known to be compofed of the imperial guard, 
and alfo afcertained to be the head-quarters where Napo¬ 
leon himfelf was ftationed, numerous officers were feen, 
from time to time, paffing to and fro in all dirediions. 
Thefe were carrying the neceflary and definitive orders. 
Immediately after this, Napoleon palled before the line, 
and addrefied the troops, in order to encourage them to 
greater exertions. He reminded them of their former vic¬ 
tories. He pointed out to them the confequences of de¬ 
feat in the prefent inftance. He held out to them ho¬ 
nours and rewards; and preffed upon their minds the 
glory which they would gain by vanquiftiing the Englifli, 
their ancient and 1110ft inveterate enemies, and the great 
caufe of all the oppofition againft them. He aflced them 
if they would fuffer the newly-organized troops of Hol¬ 
land, Belgium, and the petty dates of Germany, once 
their fervants, to vanquiffi them. He told them that a 
rich reward for all their toils lay before them, and was 
within their grafp; for “ to-night,” faid he, “we (hall be 
in Bruflels.” 
1. It was near eleven o’clock when the battle began, 
with the attack on Hougoumont. Napoleon, upon recon¬ 
noitring, had feen the importance of that poll, and the 
neceffity there was for his getting pofleffion of it. He 
therefore fent orders for marffial Ney, who commanded 
the left wing of his army, to direft an attack upon it 
with fuch a force as fliould at once take it. That officer 
immediately ordered the divifion of infantry, commanded 
by Jerome Bonaparte, to advance againft Hougoumont. 
About eleven o’clock, the firft columns of Jerome’s divi- 
4. fion 
