The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1852-07-07

self when he visited the field of 1876,
and having his attestation of its identity
attached by his own hand
Many and strange are the thoughts
which come crowding on you at the
sight of these relics, and of pecks of
bullets, and heaps of cannon-balls, of
bomb-shells, and broken lances and pion-
eers' axes, which are collected here But
the field itself demanded us, and we
drove on. Here, as those who have ever
examined map of Waterloo, or been
upon the spot well, know, the road di-
verges into two or rather the great
road which we had come from Brussels
goes right on across the field of Water
loo to Geuappe and Charleroi, while an
other goes off to the right in perfectly
straight line to Nivelles. Along this
latter road we proceeded for about mile
or so, gradually descending, till we found
ourselves in valley, and close upon the
farm of Hougoumont.
AS we traversed this road. we were
struck with the more pleasant and vari-
ed aspect of the country than we had
anticipated We had expected a fat
and somewhat dreary plain; but we we're
in finely undulating landscape, destitute
in great measure of hedges and trees,
in continental fashion, but still covered
with green corn, and scattered here and
there with villages, farms, and patches
of wood. To our right stood on a bold
hill the quaint church of Braine- Lalleud;
before us stretched skirts of the woods
of Callios and Neavecourt, along a con-
siderable eminence to our left lay hill
and valley, which turned out to be the
actual battlefield itself and below us,
at our left hand also, lay Hougoumont
amid its trees.
On reaching cross road in the val
ley, we delivered our gig to the care of
a boy belonging to our guide, and pro-
ceeded along a lane having on each side a
row of tall trees The farmhouse of
Hougoumont was few hundred yards
before us, and we were on the actual bat
tleground Here stood the extreme right
wing of the Allied Army On the hill
above us, to our right, were posted the
French General Pires division of obser-
vationi nearer on the same hill, the troops
under Prince Jerome Bonaparte, with
ioriniuaoie ea',eries overlooking iiou-
gou%oh.; On 'he ascending he'a on
other or northern side of Hougoumont,
also with their strong batteries; and still
along the ascending fields, covered then
as n! now, WIN growing corn stre,cned a, 'he
aiileu icrccs lof hiie ana hall, follow
ing w'hHlng cross foau along the ridge
iro" 'ne Niveiies roau' whicn we had de
soc,'1eu' " oeyonu tne 9rca' "a'erioo IL,
anu uenaPPc roau' Ch 'ne oPposi'e NILS
lay uhe ariia'heh's Oh the frehcn' .,
we orew near IiougPumont WIN ieei
,ngs Oh extreme interest never, In th'
histories oi wars ana ngh''ng' hau sim
PIC cna'eau oi country gentleman Deer
,he sce,,c vi so ucsPcra'e contest, o'
liau hao 81 ucciucu an ,'lnuehce Oh M .n'
,a'. VI 'ne "hoie c,Vlieu woriu' III
: puiluliigs are saiu 10 oe more tnan tw'
nuhureu years ola were erected ior de
renee anu haa lDrmerly ocen 'he proper
" OIL Arra]o'a Deoha'e, Vicer1y OF ma
pes put at tne time OF tne pattie rh'
place belonged TO a NJ De Lunevilie
i VINO v,r. mas since solu IL 10 oouh. hoplano
W ithln the enclosures OF thls chateau 81
thousand troops, chlehy British, wer'
+ posted ana were assaiied by twelve thous
ana OF french under jerome Bonaparte
Here the pattie iirs' commenced,and her
d IL continued 10 rage with desperate an'
+ unapating Jury ior upwards OF elgh
e h3urs IN ,act' ''ii .he graha charge an
b niiateu tie Impefiai uuard' anu put al
end 10 'he ohehsive operations OF th
5 rrehch' Oh one siue oi ,he deVote'
r P,ace was Jerome on ano'her "enera
roy; on third uenerai housliion, an am
$ On the ionrtn the AiIied Army In
frenGh DIVISION under Jerome bonapart'
ana the BRUSH troops on tue .opposi.,,
y s,ope, hred tnelr batteries over It, VIM
tne TWO nostile natiohs were engaged l.
q 'he deadlies, striie on record, IN ana
:. rouhu ,he place, ior its possession. oE
tunes the French are said to have force,
. their way INTO the orchard' out were "a a
;. ways driven back by our troops: IN
vailed garden ana the courtyard the
. never TOOK once they nearly succeeded
4 tor they forced open the north gate o
: the larm-yard- ana desperate struggl
;. took place IN the gateway At tins cri
;. Sis, Sergeant 'raham' with glganttl
n strength succeeded IN forcing to tn
: gate and fastening 1t. In the act OF com
= pletlng this exploit, he was interrupted
/ by French soldier, who had climbed T.
4 the top OF the gateway and endeavore'
= to dispatch hlm but Graham taking hi
y musket from his captain, Wyndham, VIII