The National Register.
London, England, 1815-11-05 00:00:00

TAE NATIONAL REGISTItt.

io

Hougooniont, the buildiggs uc. nn which had been embat-
&led by the English soldiers,'who defennetl them with exces-
sive nbstinac). Bscaliotis and squadrons ',laved at the same
tient agd. st lie Maio army, which•was po,ied in the rear of
this farm. and continually sent reinforcements thither. After
fighting abu'ut an hour, the English seemed to give way a lit-
tle, and the Ft ench pressed forward.
A stro"g force was soon afterwards sent to carry Mont Saint
Jean at the point of the bayonet, while the cavalry of the
ayittgs J.+ lied, and made a charge at the places which aptt.
pcared to he least defended. The result of the manccolite
was aw, ted with impatience, its successbeint considered cer-
tain ; but !his was re •arded by the obstinate c. fforts which the
tuglish made to hold the s ..lages that covered their wings.
The incessantly sett battalions towards the farm of Ilougoto
moot and 'hat of the Ilaye Sainte, which our cavalry several
times disperied but these villages, 11100 assailed without
itoertnission, and with a vigour never equalled, were still de-
teqtled loiroient at not being able to drive the troops 'out
of Hougoinuout, which occupied the buildings, Buonapirte
determined to direct his main fire thither. At the same time
he sent (testi troops against the Haye Sainte, which seized it
after a telly long arid sanguihary contest: At every point
the me fought against the ot:ier with equal ardour, and the
aren't,' y made frightful havoc.
The point, at Wh!th the t*o English wings had taken
their Vatiolt, having been writ d, the Fientli army passed the.
ravine, and approached the positions, which vomitted a de-
Ingc of halls and grape-shot upon them. The charges, which
had been ordered, were immediately executed I A most for-
midable colhmn advanced towards Mont Saint Jean, where
a de-perate struggle ensued. The French cavalry darted for-
iinat d at the same time, to seize the artillery, but was assailed
to its turn by the cavalry of the enemy, and the carnage on I
both sides was horrible. Neither one side nor the other
would yield an inch of ground. Fresh columns advanced,
tire charges were renewed, and the position was thrice on the
point of being forced, but thrice, after performing prodigies
of valour, the French were arrested in their progress. They
now began to exhibit symptoms of hesitation and inquietude.
Several dismounted batteries were put into retreat. A consi-
derable number of wounded soldiers wete detached from the
main body, and spread alarm as to the issue of the battle.
Profound silence had succeeded to the acclaruations and cries
of joy, with which soldiers, certain of marching to victory,
had before been rending the air. With the exception of the
Efan,ry of the guard, all the troops were engaged and ex-
posed to a most destructive fire. The action continued with
bnahating violence, yet without any decisive result.
It was near seven o'clock when Buonaparte, who had till
then remained on the hill, from which he clearly saw all that
vias passing, tontertiplated with a look of ferocity the h4leous
scene of butchery beneath him. The more numerous the
difficulties which occurred, the more obstinate did he appear.
Ile was indignant at obstacles which he had so little foreseen,
and far from thinking that it was wiring to sacrifice an army,
otliich placed unbounded confidence in him, he incessantly
tent fresh troops, with orders to charge and forte their way
in spite of every resistance. He wits several times told that
appearances were bad, and that the troops were exhausted;
but his only answer was, " Forward, forward I"
A General sent information, that he could not Maintain
Iris position, on account of being dreadfully annoyed by a
batteryiand asked what he was to do. "To tdke the battery,"
said Buonaparte, turning his back on the aide-de-catnp.
An English officer, who was wounded and made a pri-
Saner, was brought to him. He trade teVeral in4tiii-lesi and
;listing OA Mt. *tat Milt the btrtostb of the litiolish army.

The officer told him that it was very strong, and would al-
most Immediately be reinforced by sixty thousand me"
44 ail-
most
much the better," said he. " The more we meet, the more
we shall conquer." He dispatched several messengers with
dispatches,' stitich he dictated to a secretary, and repeated
many times, in a tone of distraction, " The victory is mine—
remember to say that."
It was at this period, when all his attempts had been abor-
tive, that information was brought to him of Prussian co-
debouchlng on his right flank, and thicatening his
rear; but he would not believe these reports, and constantly
answered, that these pretended Prussian ti cops were no
other than those of General Grouchy. It was not long,
however, before be was undeceived by the violence of the
enemy's attack. Part of the 6th corps was sent to sustain
this new shuck, till Grouchy's corps arrived, which was every
minute expected. The Prusiian corps which now appeared
in the field at so critical a juncture, was that of General

Bulow:
tuonaparte, without altering his resolution in any degree,
was of opinion, that the moment was come to decide the
day. He formed, for this purpose, a fourth column, almost
entirely composed of the raids, and directed it at the pas de
charge on Mont St..leau, after having dispatched instructions
to every point, that the movement, on which he thought
victory to depend, might be seconded. The veterans
tnarched up the hill with the intrepidity wl ich might he ex-
pected of them. The whole army restimed its vigour, and
.the combat Was resumed throughout the line. The guards
made repeated charges, and were as often repulsed. Over,
powered by an irresistible discharge of artillery, which
seemed every moment to increase, these invincible grena-
diers caw their ranks constantly thinned: but they (1, sed
together With perfect coolness, and advanced into the heat
of the fray without intimidation. Nothing arrested their
progress but death, or the severest wounds.
The hour of their defeat, however, was come. Enormous
masses of infantry, supported by an immense force of cavalry,
to which the Prench fool& oppose no resistance, as their own
was entirely destroyed, poured down upon them from all
sides with a degree of fury which made all idea of quarter,
on either part, out of the question.
It was in vain that nuonaparte attempted to make a final
effort by bringing into action some battalions of the guards,
which had not yet been employed, and which he himself
headed°. All was useless. Intimidated by what passed
around them, and overpowered by numbers, this feeble re-
serve soon 3 ieldecl, and with the rest fled back like a torrent,
The al tillerytnen abandoned their cannon ; the soldiers of the
waggon-train cut the traces of their horses; the infantry,
the cavalry, and every other species of soldiery, formed one
confused intermingled tnass, partly fl log along the roads,
and partly across the fields. The Generals were lost in this
crowd ; the corps bad no longer any regular commander,
and not a single battalion existed, behind which the rest
could attempt to rally. Etn the guards, who had hither Id
been the very bulvvar k of the army and the terror of the
enemy, were dispersed among the multitude, the disorder G E
which was increased by the darkness of night.
The fugiti...es, painfully pressed by an overwhelming foe,
ran rapidly over the two leagues which separate Genappe
from the field of battle, and at length reached this small
place, where the greater number trusted that they should be
able to pats the night. In order to oppose some obstacles
(6 the enemy, they collected carriages on the road, and bar-
ricadoed the entrance to the principal street. A few cannon
were collected into the form of a battery; birouacs were
fottard in'the town and its coil-unit and the soldiefs went