The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1815-08-19
this military men who saw it, have been una


'srv"tian 20 restrain the piussians, & march
=! W III his Strongest masses 20 support me.
he English army would have been uadoubt-
ediv destroyed between Quatre Bras and Ge-
n ppe; and this position, whiEh separated
tine two allied afn'ies. once in our rowcr,
would have given the emperor the facility OF
approaching the right of the P,ussians, and
crushing them IN their turn. The general o.
pin'on IN France and eSps cially in The army
was. that tue einperOr wished only 10 destroy
the br,lsh army /; and the circumstances
were favorable for that, but the destnies or
dered it otherwise
On the iTth. the army marched i'm the di
reCtion OF Mount St. John.
On the 18TH the battle commenced about
one O'clock. and although the bullstin which
gives the recital OF II makes no mention of me-,
there is no need of my affirming that | was
present.
Lieut.. gen. Count Drouet has already spo
ken or tins battle i'll the house of peers. lis
narrative is exact, with the exception only of
SEINE Important parts on which he was either
silent or ignorant, and which ought TO make
known. Aoout O'Clock in the evening, after
the most frighttul carnage have ever seen,
gen. Labadoyere came to inform me from the
emperor, that marshal Grouchy had arrived
ON our right and had attacked the lett of the
hnglish and PruSsians united. This general
ofhcer, proceeding along the line, spread this
news among the soldiers, whose Courage and
devotcdness was always the same, and who
gave new proofs of it at this moment, not
outstanding the fatigue with which they
were exhausted. In the mean time, what
was my astonishnent, ought to say my in.
dignatiou, when / learned some moments
after, that Marshal Grouchy had not arrived
to our support, it had just Geen assured to
the Whole army, but that 40 or so coo Prus-
SLAMS attacked our extreme right, and forced
1t to tall back. Whether the emperor was
deceived as to when marshal Grc'uchy might
arrive to support him, or whether tue march
OF the marshal had not been more retarded
than had been anticipated, by the efforts of
the enemy3 the fact is, that the moment
when his arrival WAS announced TO US, he was
only near Wavre upon the Dyle that is, for
Us as If ne had been at hundred Leagues dis
lance from the field Of battle
A short time after saw arrive four regi-
mehts Of the middle guard, conducted by the
emperor III person, who wished with these
troops TO renev the attack, and penetrate
the centre OF the eneniv He ordered me to
march az their head with gen Frlant. Ge-
nerais, officers, soldiers, all showing the gIea-
t. st intrepidity but this corps of troops was
too weak to be able to resist long time the
forces that the enemy opposed TO him, and it
was soon necessary to rehounce the hope,
whlcn,tor some moments, this attack had 81
ven.
Gen. Friant was struck By ball, a. nv
side. had my horse killed and was thrown
under him. The brave men, who will return
from TINS terrible affair, will render me the
justice, hope of saying that they saw me on
loot, sword IN hand, the whole evening, and
that quilted not the scene Of carnage, but
one OF the last, and at the moment when re-
treat was necessary.
Meantime the Prussians continued their Of
tens'ye movement, and orr right sensibly fell
back-Ihe English in their turn advanced.
here remained to as yet four squares of the
Old guard placed advantagecusly for protect
ing the retreat. those brave srenadiers, the.
ehte oil the army, successfully forced to fall
back, only yielded the ground foot by foot,
until finally overwhelmed by numbers, they
were almost entireiy destroyed. From that
1noment,the retroSade movement was order
ed, and the ARMY formed but confused CO.
lumn. khere was not heard, however, in
the route, the cry Of saUe himself 7vho canl,
with which the army has been illuminated
In the bulletiA. AS to myself, constantly in
the rear guard, which followed on foot, ha-
wing had all my horses Killed, exhausted with
fatigue, covered with bruises, and having no
longer strength to march, owe my lite to a
corporal of the guard who supported me in
my march, & did not abandon me during the
retreat.
Towards Z o'clock in the evening, found
1t. general Lefebre Desnouettes and ma
Jor Schmidt, one of his officers, had the
generosity to give me the only horse that he
mad remaining. Thus arrived at Marcen-
nes-au- Pont, at q in the morning, alone, wi.h-
cut Cfhcers, ignorant of what had become
OF the emperor whom some time before the
end OF the battle l had entirely lost sight Of,
and whom believed to be taken or slain.
Gen. Pamphyie Lanolx, chief OF the etat
inajer OF the Sd corps. whom | found in that
city, told me that the emperor was at Cham
bray supposed that the Emperor would
put me at the he'd Of the corps of Marshal
Grouchy, to cover the Sambre, and to fac lii
tate the means OF the troops rally,ng towards
Avesnes, and in that persuasion, repaired to
beaumont. But some parties of Cavalry fol-
lowing Us very near, and having already in
tercepted the road of Maubeuge to Philippe
vile, / perceived the total lrnl1ossbility of
stopping single soldier at that point, and of
making any oppos ton to the progress of the
victorious enemy. / CONTINUED my progress
upon AyesneS, where could not obtain any
Information of what had become of tie
Emperor.
In this state of things, obtaining M news of
MS majesty, or of The M ,jor Gen, r.,l the DIS
order increasing every moment, and With the
exception OF some regiments Of the guarJ and
the line, every one marching at pleasure, |
determined to repair to p aTIs by S.. Quentin