The National Register. — London, England, 1815-07-02 00:00:00

JULY 2. made known to as by our reports, and by the letter of a Prussian General, inclosing an order of battle, and which was taken by our fight troops. The troops were full of ardour. We estimated the force of the English army at 80,000 men, We inpposed that the Prussian corps which might be in line towards the right might be 15,000 men. The enemy's force then was upwards of 90,000 men. Ones less numerous. At noon, all the preparations being fermi' rated, Prince Jerome, commanding a division of the second corps , and destined to form the extreme left of it, advanced upon the wood of which the enemy occupied a part. The cannonade began, The enemy supported with 30 pieces of cannon the troops he had sent to keep the wood. We made alFo on our side dicpositions of artillery. At one o'clock Prince Jerome was master of all the wood, and the whole English army fell back behind a curtain. count d'Erlon then attacked the village of Mount St. Jean, and sup ported his attack with 89 pieces of cannon, which must have oecw sinned great loss to the English army. All the efforts were made towards the bridge. A brigade of the first division of Count d'Erlon took the village of Mount St. Jean ; a second brigade was charged by a corps of English cavalry, which occasioned it much loss. At the saute moment a division of English on its right, had disorganised several pieces; but the enir issiers of General Milhaud charged that divisiou, three regiments of which were broken and cut up, It was three in the afternoon. The Lmperor made the guard advance to place it in the plain upon the ground which the first cores had occupied at She outset of the battle, this corps being already in advance. The Prussian division, whose movement had been foreseen, then engaged with the light troops of Count Lobau, spread ing its fire upon our whole right think. It was expedient, Wrote undertaking any thing elsewhere, to wait for the event of this at tack. Hence, all the means in reserve by cavalry charged the battery of Count d'Erlon, were ready to succour Count Lobar, and overwhelm the Prussian corps when it should be advanced. This done, the Emperor had the design of leading an attack upon the village of Mount St. Joan. from whieli we expected decisive sue eta, ; but by a movement of impatience, so frequent in our military annals, and which has often been so fatal to us, the cavalry of re serve having perceived a retrograde movement made by the Eng.' lisp to shelter themselves from our batteries, from which they had snffeied so much, crowned the heights or Mount St. Jean, and charged the infantry. This movement, which, made in time, and sup ported by the reserves, must have decided the day, made in an isolated.matiner, and befoie affairs on the right were terminated became fatal. Having no means of countermanding it, the enemy chewing many masses of cavalry and infantry, and our two divi sions of cuirassiers being engaged, all our cavalry; ran at the same moment to support their comrades. There, for thtee hours, numerous charges were made, which enabled us to penetrate several squares, and to take six standards of the light infantry, an advantage out of proportion with the loss which our cavalry experienced by the grape shot and mu.ket firing. It was im possible to dispose of our reserves of infantry until we had re pulsed the first flank attack of the Prussian corps. This at tack always prolonged itself perpendicularly upon our right flank. The Emperor sent thither General Dnhesme with the young guard, and several batteries of reserve. The enemy wa, kept in check, repulsed, and fell back—he had exhausted his forces, and we bad nothing more to fear. It was this moment that was indiCated for an attack upon Wu centre of the enemy. As the THE NATIONAL MUSTER. cuirassiers antlered by the •grape-shot, we sent tour batialifins of the middle guard to protect the cuirassiers, keep the position, and, if possible disengageomd draw bark into the plain a put of our cavalry. Two other battalions were sent to k eep themselves ett potence upon the extreme lilt of the division, which had manceuvred no' on our flanks, in order not to have any uneasiness un that side—. the rest was disposed in reserve, part to occupy the potence in rear of Mount St. Jean, part upon the ridge♦ in rear of the field of bat. tie, which formed our position of retreat.—ln this stale of of fairs the battle was gained; we occupied all the positions which theenemy occupied at the outset of the battle ; our cavalry bay ing bean too soon and ill employed, we could no longer hope for decisive success ; but Marshal Grouchy, having learned the move. ment of the Prussian corps, marched upon the rear of that corps, which insured us a signal success for next day. After eight hours fire and charges of infantry and cavalry, all the army saw with joy tile battle gained, and the field of battle iu our power, At half atter eight o'clock, the four battalions of the middle guard, who had been sent to the ridge on the other side of Mount St. Jean, in order to support the cuirassiers, being greatly annoyed by the grape-shot, endeavoured to carry the batteries with the bayonets. At the end of the day, a charge directed against their flank by several English squadrons put them in disorder. The fagitives recrossed the rein, Several regiments near at hand seeint some troops belonging to the guard in confusion, believed it *as the old guard, and in conse quen,se were thrown into disorder, Cries of all is lost, the giturei is driuss back. were heard on every aide. The soldiers pretend even that on many points ill-disposed persons cried out, sours qui peat. Kiwever this may be, a complete panic at once sprea itself throughout the whole field of battle, and they threw them' selves h i the greatest disorder on the line of communication ; sol diers, cannoneers, caissons, all pressed to this point; the old guard, which was in reserve, was infected, and was itself hurried along, hs an instant, the whole army was nothing but a mass of contiodon; all the soldiers of all arms were mixed pal-ntel, and it was utterly impossible to rally a single corps. The enemy, who perceived this astonishing confusion, immediately attacked with their cavalry, and increased the disorder, and such was the confusion owing to night coming on, that it was impossible to rally the troops, and point out to them their error. Thus a battle terminated, a day of false mancenvres rectified, the greatest snceess insured fur the next day, all .was lost by a moment of panic terror. Even the squadrons of service, drawn up by the side of the Emperor, were overthruwn and disorganised by these tumultuous waves, and there was then noddy; else to be dyne lint to follow the torrent. The pinks of re serve, the baggage which had not repassed the Sambre. in short ' every timing that was on the field of battle, remained in the power of the enemy. It was impossible to wait for the troops on our rid ; every one knows what the bravest army in the world is wile.' has mixed and thrown into con fusion, and when its organis t on no longer exists, The Emperor crossed the Sambre at Charleroi, at Eve o'clock in the morning of the 19th. Pluihl peville and A% eines have been given as the points of re-union. Prince Jerome, General Morand, and other Generals have there already rallied a part of the army. Marshal Grouchy, with the corps on the right, is moving on the Lower Sambre. The loss of the enemy mast have been very great, if we may judge from the numbe , ft standards we have taken from them, and flogs tlx retro, rade movements whiCtt he made;—oar's cannot be calculated till after .1.1 419