540 
PARI S. 
fion made their appearance from the ravine, or rather 
hollow ground, which leads down from the public-houfe 
ofla Belle-Alliance to the chateau. The Britifh artillery 
had taken up a polition on the ridge of the hill in front of 
the line of infantry; and the moment the French made 
their appearance with loud fhouts of Vive l'Timber car, the 
nine-pounders opened a tremendous fire. So great was the 
effect produced by this fire, that all Jerome’s bravery 
could not make his foklie r s advance; and in a moment 
they were again hidden by the riling ground, from under 
cover of which they had but juft emerged. Tnis, which 
was the commencement of the affion, was conlidered a 
very favourable omen by the Britifli foldiers who wit- 
neft'ed it; and, for a fhort time, they were much amufed 
with the manoeuvres of Jerome’s divifion, and the cau¬ 
tious manner in which it feeined to emerge from its 
hiding-place. 
This ftate of things, however, did not laft long, as the 
French were obferved bringing up a powerful artillery to 
bear upon the guns which had lo annoyed his firft ad¬ 
vance. Under the protection of this artillery, they at¬ 
tacked Hongoumont with fuch vigour, that the troops of 
Naffau-Uffingen, who lined the grove of Hougoumont as 
fharp-fhooters, abandoned that part of the poll; and the 
chateau itfelf muft have been carried, but for the ftub- 
born and defperate courage of the detachment of guards. 
The occupation of the wood by the French made Hou- 
goumonf, for a conliderable time, an invefted and be- 
fieged poll, indebted for its fecurity to the ltrong waalls 
and deep ditches witli which the garden and orchard 
were furrounded, but more to the bravery of thofe by 
wliom they were maintained. The impetuofity of the 
French troops was incredib'e, and the fire of their artil¬ 
lery terrible. Every tree, every walk, every hedge, every 
avenue, was contended for with an obftinacy altogether 
inconceivable. The garrifon fired through the ho'es 
which they had knocked out in the garden-walls ; and the 
aflailants made the moft defperate attempts to carry the 
poft, but in vain. This part of the Britifli line was fup- 
ported by thirty pieces of cannon, which made dreadful 
havoc amongft the enemy. The French were killed all 
round to the very door of the houfe ; but they were never 
able to penetrate beyond the threfhold. 
As Hougoumont was in fome degree infulated, and its 
defenders no longer in communication with the reft of 
the Britifh army, the French cavalry were enabled to 
march round it to the Britifli right wing, which they at¬ 
tacked with great vigour. The light troops, who were 
in advance of the line, were driven in by the fury of this 
general charge ; and the foreign cavalry who ought to 
have fupported them, gave way on all fides. The black 
Brunfwick infantry, however, flood firm. They w’ere 
drawn up in fquares, as moft of the Britifli forces were, in 
this memorable battle. 
The duke of Wellington, with his ufual quicknefs, 
had forefeen the nature of the attack that would be made 
upon his line; and, when the troops flood to their arms in 
the morning, he gave orders that they lliould be formed 
into fquares of lialf-battalions, and in that ftate to 
await the attack. Tliefe fquares were not quite folid, 
but nearly fo, the men being drawn up feveral files deep. 
The diftance between tliefe maffes afforded fpace enough 
to draw up the battalions in line, when they fhouid be 
ordered to deploy ; and they were polled, with reference 
to each other, much like the alternate fquares upon a 
chefs-board. It u'as, therefore, impoffible for a fquadron 
of cavalry to pufh between two of tliefe fquares without 
finding themfeives at once affiiled by a fire in front from 
that which was to the rear, and on both flanks from thofe 
betwixt which it had moved forward. 
z. After the French had made the moft defperate ef¬ 
forts to ptifli back the right wing of the Britilh army, and 
to eftablifti themfebes on the road to Nivelles, the battle 
flackened in fome degree in this quarter, to rage with 
greater fury towards the left and centre of the Britifli line. 
The French had been foiled in every attack which they 
had hitherto made, and therefore turned their attacks to 
the left of the Britifli, in order to gain the road to Bruf- 
fels. This attack was made in columns of cavalry and 
infantry, proteflecl by the fire of upwards of a hundred 
pieces of artillery, which did dreadful execution. The 
French advanced with intrepidity, and charged with fuch 
refolution, that it required the ittmoft fk'll of the Britifli 
general to poft his t-oops, and valcif of the foldiers, to 
refift the overwhelming numbers that were brought 
again ft them. The afempt againft Hougoumont and the 
right was fevere ; “ but on this point,” laid marfhal Blu- 
cher, “the enemy attacked with fury,” intending to 
throw the left wing of the allied army upon the centre, 
and thus effect its fe pa rat'on from the Prulfian army. 
The combat was of the fevereft defcription. La Haye 
Sainte was the enemy’s firft object. This was a large 
farm-houfe, with offices, furrounded with a high wall, 
and lay upon the right of the great road from Brnffels to 
Charleroy, in front of Mount St. John, at the bottom of 
the ridge. The garden attached to this houfe, which had 
only a brufliwood fence, extended about fifty yards into 
the plain. Being a covering-point of much importance, 
the duke had occupied it with aconfiderable force of the 
light troops -of the German legion. The French at¬ 
tacked this poft with great fury, hut were repeatedly re¬ 
pulled; they, however, advanced again with freffi troops, 
the place was carried, and all its brave defenders were put 
to the fword. 
While the combat raged with the ufmoft violence at 
La Haye Sainte, the columns of the French prefied for¬ 
ward againft the whole body of the Britifli left wing, di¬ 
refling their efforts along this part of the line, towards 
the village of Mount St. John. It was about one o’clock 
that the attack on the left became ferious. Three co¬ 
lumns of between 3 and 4.000 men each, and 4.0 pieces of 
cannon, advanced againft the line on the left, where the 
Belgians were polled. The fifth divifion, a brigade of 
heavy dragoons, and two brigades of artillery, affiled them. 
The combat was fevere, and the daughter dreadful. For 
about an hour, the Belgian infantry, affiiled by the fire of 
the Britifli artillery, arrefted their progrels; but they were 
at length obliged to give way. The 3d royals and 44th 
regiment were then fent to occupy the ground which the 
Belgians had abandoned; but tliefe troops, after the moft 
gallant condufl, and thegreateft exertions, were, in about 
hadf-an-hour, alfo forced to yield ; and the French fuc- 
ceeded in getting to the hedge that ran in front of the 
pofition. They were, however, driven back by the brave 
9zd, under general Pack ; and the Scotch greys followed, 
who did terrible execution. The French, however, ral¬ 
lied, and with frefh troops renewed the attack •. they ad¬ 
vanced in deep and folid columns, with loud cheers, and 
confident of viclory. General Piflon, who was with his 
divifion on the road from Brnffels to Charleroy, advanced 
with the bayonet to receive them : the confiifl was clofe 
and murderous ; unable to withftand the fliock, the French 
foldiers turned and fell back in diforder, fuffering at the 
fame time a terrible loft. In this furious confiifl, how¬ 
ever, general Piflon fell, mortally wounded, while leading 
on his divifion to the charge. 
The French were not to be deterred by this repulfe. 
They immediately brought a large body of cavalry to 
cover their infantry, and the attack commenced again. 
Tliefe attacks were fometimes carried on by cavalry and 
infantry intermixed, and fometimes feparate. In thofe, 
however, made at this period of the day, both were em¬ 
ployed,in wlrch the moft defperate attempts weremadeto 
drive the Britifli from t'leirpolition at the village of Mount 
St.John; but they were unfu-ccefsful. The cannonade, at 
this moment, on both fides, was dreadful. The French 
artillery, which was led by count d’Erlon, vomited forth 
terrible ftiowers of grape-ftiot, which made frightful 
chafrns in all the heft of the Britifli line, which neverthe- 
lefs remained firm and immoveable. The Britilh artil¬ 
lery 
