The National Register. — London, England, 1815-06-25 00:00:00

JITNE THE LONDON GAZE7:7'E Xi PAORDINAR ammiellnitimme• DOWNING-BTP VET. JUNE ?'2, 1815. Major the Hon H. Percy arr.ved hot night with a dispatch front vial Marshal the Duke of Wellington, K. G. to Earl Bathurst, lain Mieje-ay'. Pritieip4l Secretary of State for the War Depart• went, of which the lotion ing it. a copy : Waterloo, Jane 19. My Lonn—Bonaparte having collected the Ist, '2d, 31, 4th. me t 6th corps of the French army, and the Imperial Guards, and neatly all the cavalry on the Sambre, and between that river and the Meese, bstween the 10th and 14th of the month, advanced on the 15th, and attacked the Prussian posts of • Thuin and Lobez, on the Sambre, •at day-light in the morning. I did not beer of these events till the evening of the 15th, and I immediately ordered the troops to prepare to march; and afterwards to march to their left. as coon as I had iittelligence from other quarters to prove that the tneniv's movement upon Charleroy was the real attack. The ene my shove the Pinssian posts from the Sambre on that day ; and General Leiten, who commaatled the corps whirls hid been at (Marlerov, retired upon Pleures ; and Marshal Blucher concen trouts the Prussian array upon Sontbref. holding the villages in front of his position of St. Amand and Ligny. The enemy eon t;!.inal his march along the road from Charleroy towards Bruxelles, and on the same evening, the 15th, attacked a brigade of the army of the Netherlands, under the Prince tie Weimar, posted at Frasnc, and forced it i irk to the fatee house oe the same road, called Les Quatre Bras. The Prince of Orange immediately reinforced this brigade whit another of the sante division, under General Per puncher, and in the morning early regained put of the ground which Is ul been lost, so ac to have the command of the commani. cation leading teem Nivelles and Brnxelles, with Marshal liluebem posit inn, In the mean time 1 had directed the whole army to march upon Les Qu'atre Bra!, and the 5111 division under Lieutenant. General Sir Thomas Picton, waived at about half-past two in the day, follow ed by the cot ps of troops under the Duke of Bruns wick, and afterwards by the contingent of Nassau. At this time Vie enemy commenced an attack upon Prince Ithicher, with hi whole force, excepting the -tat and c2d corps ; and a corps of ca valry nutter General Kellerman, with which he attacked our post at Les Quatre Bras. The Prussian army maintained their pce sition with their usual gallantry and perseverance, against a great disparity of numbers, as the 4th corps of their army, muter Ge neral Bulow, had not joined. And I was not able to assist them as I wished, as I was attacked myself, anti the troops, the cavalry in par. tie u t a r, which had a long distance to march, had not arrived. We maintained our position also, and ecutpletely detiated and repulsed ad the enemy's attempts to get posses•ion • it. The enemy repeat Idly attacked us with a huge body of infantry and cavalry, support_ ed by a numerous and powerful artillery ; he made several charges with the cavalry upon our iulantry, but all were repulsed in the steadiest manner.--[Here his Lordship praises troops and nth cers.)—Our loss was great, as your Lordship will perce:.c by the enclosed return ; and I have particularly to regret his Serene IrliJitiess the Duke of Brunswick, who tell fighting gallantly at the head of his troops. Although Marshal !Bitches. had main tained his position at Samlircr,lie Still found himstif much weak en, by the severity of the contest in which he had been engaged. and as the fourth corps had not arrived he detet ruined 10 NH ; back, and eancentrate his army upon Waste; and he marched in ths eiaht after the section wee over. 'Phi, movement of the Merslial's rendered necessary a corresponding one on my port ; • and I retired from the item of Qualm e Bras upon Gesioppe, and thence spots 11 at t ., too the next morning, the 17111. at ten o'clock. Ti:e enemy made no effort to pursue Masshill Blucher. On the contrary, a patrale which I sent to Banana in the nimnine, found all quirt, and the enemy's videttevisH back as the patrols advanced. Neither did he attempt to molest our search to the rear, although • NMI% iq tLe middle of-the tiwy, excepting thc following, with aline GTSTER. body ofeavalry, brought from of Uxhrii ge . This gave Lord ing them with the Ist Life Guards, upon their debouelii from the village of Genappe, upon which occasion his Lordship has declared la m-elf to be well satisfied with that segimcnt. The positie* which I took op in front of Waterloo, crossed the high toads froin Chatieroy, and Nivelle, and bad its right, thrown bock to a revise near Msake Brains., which was occupied ; and its left extended to a height above the hamlet Ter la Haye, which was likewise occo. pied. In front of the right centre and near the Nivelle road, we occupied the house and garden of Hougoumotit, which covered the retort) of that flank ; and in front of the left centre we occnpied the farm of La Haye Sainte. By our lett we commnnicated with Marshal Prince Blucher, at \Vavre through °beim ; end the Marshal had promised me that in case we should be attacked be would support me with one or more corn, as might be necessary. The enemy, collected his at my, with the exception of the third corps. whirl' had been sent to observe Marshal Blucher, on a range of heights in our trout, in the course of the night of the 17th stud yes. terday morning, and at ahont ten o'clock he commenced a furious attack upon our post at Hongoumont. I had occupied that post with a detachment from General Byug's brigade of Guards, whit* was in position in its rear ; and it was for some time tinder the command, of Lieut. Col. Macdonald, and afterwards of Colonel Home; and I am happy to add that it was maintained throughout the day with the utmost gallantry by these brave troops, notwi(ba standing the repeated efforts of large bodies of the enemy to ob tain possession of it. This attack upon the tight of our centre was accompanied by a very heavy catal •nade upon our whole line, which was destined to support the repeated attacks of cavalry and infantry occasionally mixed, but 'sometimes separate, which were made upon it. In one of these the enemy carried the farm-horse of La Haye Sainte, as the detachment of the light battalion of the legion which occupied it had exp.miled all its ammunition, and the enemy occupied the only communication there was with them. The enemy repeatedly charged our infantry with Ins cavalry. but these attacks were uniformly onsuccessfid, and they afforded portunities to our cavalry to (+arse, in one of whirls Lord E. So. merset's brigade, consisting of the life guards, royal horse guards, and Ist dragoon guards, highly distinguished themselves as did that 'of Major-General Sir W. Ponontry, having taken many prisoners and an eagle. These attacks were repeated tilt about seven in the even ing, when the enemy made a desperate effort with the cavalry and infintry, supported by the fire of artillery, to force our left. centre, near the farm of La Haye Sainte, which attir a severe contest was defeated ; and having observed that the troops tells - cif lion) this attack iu great confusion, and that the maids of Goiters! Bu row's corps by Enschetmout upon Planchenoite and ,La Belk Alli anee, had begun to take effect, and as I could perceive the fire of his cannot., and as Marshal Prince film -her had joined in person, with a corps of his army to the left of our line by Ohairo, I determined to attack the enemy, and immediately advanced the whole line of infantry, supported by the cavalry and artillery.. I:ie attack succeeded in every point ; the intany es as Prred his position on the heights, and fled in the utmost einaesioo, leav in behind him, as far as could judge, 130 pieces of canyon._ with their ammunition; whirl. fell into our baulk. I continued the pursuit till long after stalk, and then discontinued it only au account of the fatigue of our troops, who had been s ogaged door . twelve hours, and beetuse I found myself on the same road wide, Marshal Blucher, who assured me of his intention to *follow the enemy throughout the nicht ; lie has sent me word this morning that he hail taken 14 pieces of cannon belonging to the Imperial, Sic. belonging to Bonaparte,. Guard, and several cart lava, bazgage, its Genappe. I propose to tocve, this morning, upon Nivelles. and Your Lord hits wilt observe, not to discontinue my operation.. that stiedh a desperate action could not Dave been.faingna, and such advantage's could not he gained, without great loss ; and I ant ssrcy to add, that ours has been iumensc.—[Here his Lordship )rn his right ,the cavalry undtr the Earl Lord Ux b ridge an opporlimity of charg.. ~,~«•.R+ • .'fir A