Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1846-02-20


mshes took place, and when the French ar
rived al the forest, it was too late 10 UNDER
take an engagement, particularly as the
ground was 50 soaked by heavy rains that
the men were up 10 their ANGLES in mud, the
cavalry could not manpuvre, and the artille-
ry would be useless. SO the men oncamp-
ed. having closely followed up the English,
while Grouchy had completely losi sight of
the Prussians. Owing 10 this want of cner'
gy, and Ney's unaccountablc inaction, this
day had been lost to the French, while We'll
lington had concentrated his forces, and Blu
cher collected and re- organized his scatter
ed fragments.
The position occupied by the allied troops
under Wellington had been previously cho-
sen, as the spot where last stand was to be
made in defence of Brussels, and possessed
natural advantages equaled by few fortfica-
tons. Ii was mile and half in length,
occupying the brow of curved eminence,
whose inward slope towards the enemy form.
ed deep glacis-a strong hedg served as
an outUork-the Wavres road, which follow
ed the top of the ridge, was a broad foSse
whose cncarpemcnt had an elevation offrom
seven 10 nine feet, and the massive old farm
house of Hougoumont, Hay Saint, and Ter
la Haye, were actual citadels, on the right,
centre and left, from whose loop-holes the
slope could be raked by cross-fres. The
ravine in front of the line was so DOGGY and
incumbent with heavy grain crops, that ii
presented an almost impossible barrier
while the dense forest of Soieny, ia the rear;
prevented all possibility of retreat, and the
English well knew that if they did not keep
the French a, bay, their destruction was in
evitaDle.
At one o'clock in the morning of the 18Th
Napoleon walked along the outposls with
General Bertrand the rain fell in torrents
and the Emperor became convinced tha,
Wellington had decided to retreat no further
for he could distinctly hear the British gren-
adiers breaking loop holes in the walls of the
farm house. A battle was inevitable, and
although the Emperor had only $4,000 men
TO oppose the 00,000,T he determined to
risk an engagement, on receiving despatch
from Gronchy, written at 10 O'Clock the
evening previous, stating that the Prussians
were in full retreat, and that he was ia pur.
suit of them, to prevent their reaching Brus-
sells or incorporating themselves with We'll
lngton. He was also encouraged by re-
port made by General Haxo, Of the Ene.
neers, that the enemy had thrown up no
Notifications; and after quarter Of an hour
passed in observing the field with telescope,
dictated the plan Of attack ; orders were also
sent to Grouchy, to rejoin him, but by some
fatality, which can only DO explained by
Marshal Soult, they never reached him, MOI
did others, sent few hours afterwards. Al
half past ten tho drums of the French beat
0ur champs, the sun came out brightly, as
if to witness the stirring sight Of a brave en-.
,husiastIc army taking their positions for the
coming fight; the Emperor passed through
the ranks on horseback, acknowledged the
shouts which greeted him, returned TO his OLD
guard, which he retained as corps de re
serce, and dismountng gave tho word upor
which his destiny depended" En- arant. >
"Now ragged the battle, fierce and long,
Round Gau's proud eagles and lesions throng
Then forms in column close and strong,
"Vire?" "Empereur," shouts vainn,y.
Steady It's march, through fire and smoke,
Nor shot nor shell that column broke,
Bright victories won It's memories woke
And glory spoke its CALAMITY"
The farmhouse of Hougoumont was 500
the scene of most deadly combat, for ha
the French obtained possession of i, the
could have occupied a height in its real
which would have commanded and enflade
tho British lines. The walls of the ground
were pierced with oop-holes, through whic
the Coldstream Guards poured forth muir
derous fire, which drove back the Frenc
three times, but the fourth they carried tn
wall by escalade.
"And many were the souls
Then from their iieshy tenemen,s expelled"
In less than half an hour, fifteen hundre
men persisted in the orchard only, which di
not contain more than four acres. An aitac
was then commenced upon the house, whic
was soon enveloped in flames, yet the com
bat continued with undated fury, and hun
dreds of the wounded persisted by the mo.
horrible of deaths, their comrades being to
Gercely engaged 10 extricats them from til
conhagration.
The action was simultaneously carried o
throughout the French line. Columns {
artillery poured forth torrent of round an
grape shot, moving down whole ranks of tn
British, which we're Instantly replaced.-
Divisions of infantry rushed up the slope, +,
engage in destructive fusillade, or charg
with the bayonet, and no sooner had III
British infantry deployed into line to receiv
them, than the word "Re-form square-pre
pare to receive cavalry" warned them of til
approach of the cuirassiers, who galloped u
TO the very points Of their bayonets, vainl
attempting to enter the square. The cal
mage was dreadful, yet it would have bee
greater had not the ground been soaked wit
rain, which prevented the shot from ricocht
ting, as it would have done, had it been dr.
and hard. The shells, likewise, frequent
buried themselves. and when they explode
produced no other effect than casting up
tremendous fountain of mud.
At four o'clock the battle still ragged wi,
undated fury, and the position of.he Duk
of Wellington had become critical, for no ha
been obliged to send all his reserves into &C
lion, while the French reserves were not W
brought forward. One-lhird of his arm
we're disabled, and it required the utmost ex
ertons of the officers to prevent the remain
der from yielding to despair, for il was dis
heartening to thus stand and be murdered
without being permitted to advance. Tn
Scotch division was reduced from six ,hous
and to less than two thousand men-the ct
division had been almost destroyed, wilho,
firing a gun-and now an aid-de-cam
brought news TO Wellington that only sma
fragment Of the 5th division remained, an
that il was utterly impossible for them
MAINTAIN their ground. ~ cannot help it,