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

406

cular iliewed that he was no less acquainted with the science of at.
tack thin of defence. In the last engagement, that from its unparallel-
ed splewlour seemed to cast a shade upon all his other achievements,
both th-se triodes of warfar.• were employed—for nine hours the Duke
of Wellington had accomplished every thing that defence could per-
form, a d jut rhi-ee hours hat had acted with all the energy and vigour
of attack. With respect to the engagement of the ltith of June, he
wished to make a few remarks, that full justice might be done to the
triumph th.l then had been obtained. it appeared, that during the
•avhole of that day the Prussians had valiantly maintained their post,
though with consi.lerable loss, and the Duke of Wellington, hearing
el the advance of the enemy, immediately tent a corps under the orders
of General Picton, to assist them, and the contest was maintained
until the close of the day. Yet the enemy was bold enough to claim
„victory. not over the Pruasiaps, but over the English, on that occa-
sion ; the fact, however, was, that the Prussians did act quit the po-
sition they had taken until sonic time after the French had resigned
the struggle, nor did the enemy venture to occupy it until the ensning
morning. The I ritish troops did not quit their ground until the mid-
dle of that day, and the enemy did not dare to molest them on retiring.
It had been the design of the Duke of Wellington to have renewed the
battle on the next day (the I 'lib), but the Pruessians having already lost
]'3,003, Atiarshal Blucher deemed it more prudent to withdraw to
Wavre, and the Duke of Wellington in consequence took up a posi-
tion at Waterloo. To this ground the Brituh commander was no
.stranger, fOr in th 2 course of the summer, while in Flanders, he had
taken a military survey of the country, anal it was a singular coin-
cidence, that lie had then said, that if it should ever be his fate to
head an ara-ny for the defence of the city of Brussels, Waterloo %.,:is?uld
be the position that he should think best adapted tia the pnr-
pose. The event had shesvn how well the Duke tf• Wellington
had judged upon the subject. It was at Wateiloo that th.: enemy
had thought fit to attack hint with all the intrepidity that character-
ized the nation ; the attack had been repelled with equal intrepidity,
and with a firmness and revolution never to be rivalled. In the course
of that contest the Duke of Wellington had performed the duties be-
J inging to all ranks : at one Lim: he was acting as Field I%Jarshal, di-
recting and guiding the grand operations—now he appeared as a Gene-
ral of Division, or the Commaoder of a corps, and now he headed a
regiment in a determined and impetuous chan;e. At the close of the
clay the Emperor put himself at the head of his Guards, and made a
aigorous attack, which was met Jay the British Guards, who fortu-
nately did not experleace that tank which was charg,:d against the
_Duke of Wellington and Marshal Blucher. The British Guards met,
overthrew, and completely routed the choicest troops of the enemy.
This defensive resistance continued for nine hours, when the Duke of
Wellington finding that the Prussians were ready to assist him, like al
lion rushing from his d.n, fell upon the French army, drove them
from their fast, and from their second line, and at length aecom-
j)!ibbed a deleat so perfect as to shatter and disperse every column.
.13y dispatches which his Lordship ( Bathurst) had that day received,
it appeared that the eflZ•cts of this victory had been 5000 prisoners
brought into Brussels, 2000 more on the road, and others whose ar-
ri:ial might be daily expected. The amount of artillery and baggage
\vas already known, but no intelligesice had act been received of the
result of the pursuit kept up by the Prussian army. It now re-
mained for him to make a fcw observations upon the inelancholy'view
of the subject; if indeed, any view of such a glorious achievement
could considered melancholy It was not to be expected that this
mighty achivcment should be accomplished without severe loss—it
was wisely decreed by providence that unmixed joy or grid shOUld
never be experienced ; every victory had its allay of regret for the
price that had purchased it, and in this instance it was in a large pro-

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