P A 
gan to aflume the appearance of a great redudlion of num¬ 
bers. One Englifh officer was under the neceffity of da¬ 
ting, that his brigade was reduced to one-third of its num¬ 
bers, that thofe who remained were exhaufted with fatigue, 
and that a temporary relief, of however ffiort a duration, 
was a meafure of peremptory neceffity. “Tell him,” faid 
the duke, “what he propofes is impoffible: he and I, and 
every Engliffiman on the field, mult die on the /pot which 
we now occupy.” 
In order to give our readers a better idea how this 
dreadful conflict was carried on, it may be proper to ex¬ 
plain, at one view, how the attacks of the enemy were 
made. In general, the whole French artillery firft ad¬ 
vanced in front, towards the Britifh lines, pouring a mod 
dedruflive fire of grape-diot and {hells into them. Its 
approach was clofe indeed. This artillery played upon 
the Britifti fquares at the didance of 150 paces (375 feet.) 
Next fucceeded the tremendous charges of cavalry and 
cuiraffiers ; and, ladly, the bold and determined attacks 
of the clofe columns of infantry. Thefe repelled, the 
French retired behind their guns, which again advanced 
while the cavalry and infantry re-formed, and prepared 
to renew the onfet in the fame order. To feparate the 
Britifh army, to break through the centre, and to cruffi 
their firm battalions, the French made the mod aftoniili- 
ing and reiterated efi'orts. Six times, from two o’clock 
to feven, faid the Audrian official report, did Bonaparte 
make the attempt with equal courage, and as often was 
he driven back. “ No troops but the Englifh,” faid the 
fame important document,” could have refided fuch at¬ 
tacks.” As the wave impels the wave, fo column propel¬ 
ling column advanced to the attack, while the artillery 
and the mortars fcattered dedruftion along the Britifti line. 
The French cavalry repeatedly attacked fquares after 
fquares, and were repulfed ten or eleven times with im- 
menfe lofs. One mafs was no fooner repulfed and broken, 
than another took up its place. The Britifti fquares re¬ 
mained immoveable ; and nothing could (hake them. 
The battle was maintained, on both fides, with incon¬ 
ceivable violence. The fire of the artillery and the at¬ 
tacks of the cavalry were fo terrible, and fo fevere, that 
the allied troops abfolutely looked upon the prefent attacks 
of the infantry as a breathing-time from their unparal¬ 
leled toils. The anxiety of the duke for the fufferings of 
his gallant comrades became great: “ I faw him,” faid a 
perfon who was prefent, “ pull out his watch feveral times, 
calculating, no doubt, when the Pruffians would arrive.” 
Blucher in the mean time was not idle ; but his army 
had great and unforefeen difficulties to encounter before 
a junction with the Britifti could be effedted. The fourth 
corps, as we have already obferved, had been in motion 
fince four o’clock in the morning. Blucher himfelf, 
weary and unwell from the dreadful cruffi which he had 
received on the 16th, was in bed when he received the in¬ 
telligence that the duke was attacked. He inftantly arofe ; 
followed his army ; and, putting himfelf at the head of the 
firft corps, flattened to the field of battle. The crofs-roads 
in that part of the country through which they had to 
pafs were, from the late inceflant rains, almoft impafl’able. 
The Pruffians experienced confiderable difficulty in paf- 
fing the defile of St. Lambert; and this, added to the bad- 
nefs of the roads, retarded their march fome hours, fo 
that it was paft four o’clock in the afternoon before two 
brigades only of the fourth corps arrived at the covered 
pofition which was affigned them. The decifive moment 
was come: there was not an inftant to be loft; and 
general Bulow refolved to commence the attack with what 
forces had come up. The Pruffians, therefore, immedi¬ 
ately advanced towards Planchenoit, againft the right wing 
of the French. Napoleon, however, had been aware of a 
movement of this defcription, and had endeavoured to guard 
againft it. From a letter intercepted on the preceding 
evening, he learned that 15,000 Pruffians were to arrive 
on his right. The reft of the Pruffian army he feems not 
to have thought of; and, no doubt, considered that it 
R I S. 543 
would be fully occupied with the French troops under 
marffial Grouchy. Therefore, when the fmall body of 
Pruffians appeared on his right, he immediately fent his 
referve, or fixth corps,finder count Lobau, againft them ; 
and a moft fanguinary conteft commenced at this point. 
The Pruffians fought with uncommon courage, and the 
moft dreadful animofity ; and the tarniffi which their 
arms had fuftained on the 16th, they were refolved, if 
poflible, to wipe away. The conflict, on this fide, conti¬ 
nued long uncertain; while the battle with the Britifti 
army raged with the fame violence as ever. Napoleon 
ftill had the ftrongeft hopes of fucceeding in beating the 
Britifti army: “Thefe Englifh,” faid he, “are devils; 
yet, though they fight bravely, they muft give wayfoon.” 
Marflial Soult, however, who had fome caufe to know 
thefe devils better, told him that fuch an event as their 
giving way was not probable. “And why not?” faid 
Napoleon, rather peeviftily. “ Becaufe,” faid Soult, “ they 
will rather be cut to pieces.” Napoleon, however, conti¬ 
nued to think otherwife; and, notwithftanding the delay 
which he had already experienced, he obferved, jeftkig, 
that “ he fliould yet be in Bruflels time enough for flip¬ 
per.” He brought up frefti troops, and the battle every 
moment became more bloody. 
The humanity of two French officers in this battle de- 
ferve to be noticed. The honourable colonel Ponfonby, 
of the 12th light dragoons, fell in the firft of the three 
charges of the light horfe, foon after the commencement 
of the adlion. His wounds w'ere defperate, and he was 
lying in a helplefs ftate, when a lancer, probably to afcer- 
tain the fadt of his exiftence, in the barbarous manner of 
all foldiers, plunged his lance at his fhoulder, which pe¬ 
netrated to his lungs ; meaning, as it was fuppofed,after¬ 
wards to plunder him, when an advance of another 
corps drove him away. In this ftate he lay for a confi¬ 
derable time, with feveral fevere wounds, and fuftering 
great agony, particularly from third. At length hisfitu- 
ation was noticed by a French officer, who lay feverely 
wounded at fome diftance, and, with great difficulty, crept 
towards him, and prefented a bottle to his mouth, when 
he feemed at the laft gafp, from which he drank fome kind 
of fpirit. This faved his life. After his recovery, he 
made every endeavour to find this officer, that he might 
return his grateful acknowledgments; but in vain.— 
Colonel Hervey, of the 14th, was alfo in a charge of the 
light horfe, when he found himfelf oppofed to a French 
officer, who was proceeding to make a cut at him, when, 
perceiving the colonel had but one arm, he dropped his 
fword, exclaiming, he would never ufe his fword againft 
a man thus iituated. In this inftance, alfo, the gallant 
colonel was not able to find his noble opponent. 
In the mean time, the conteft on the left of the Britifh 
was fo fevere, that for fome time all that the Pruffians 
could do was to maintain their pofition. More Pruffian 
troops, however, came into line, and more were ftill ad¬ 
vancing ; Billow’s force foon amounted to 30,000 men, and 
the fecond corps were hafteriing to join them. Napoleon, 
therefore, without relinquifhing his objedt in front, found 
it neceflary to fend general Duhefme, with the young 
guard and feveral battalions of the referve, to this part of 
the line. Thefe troops, making a vigorous attack upon 
the Pruffians, forced them back with confiderable lofs; 
and, having made themfelves mafters of Ter la Haye, 
Pappelotte, and Frifchermont, feparated the Pruffians 
from the Britifti army. 
Napoleon now determined to improve his fuccefs by 
following up the attack upon the centre of the Britifh 
army. He had obferved the deftrudtion which his artil¬ 
lery had made in the Britifti line; and about fix in the 
evening he made a moft vigorous attack upon the centre, 
with the whole cavalry of his guard. Thefe fucceeded in 
penetrating to the top of the ridge, and took the artillery 
which was in front. The duke of Wellington, however, 
who was at this point, immediately charged them with 
three battalions of Britifh and three battalions of Bruns- 
wickers, 
