Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1857-08-22
MISCELLANY.
BATTLE OF WATERLOO.
MARSHAL NEY

After the hundred days preparation, Ma
poleon advanced to the Low Countries, to
meet the Allies, again banded together for
his overthrow. He attacked Blucher at
Ligny, and defeated him, and so hard press
ed was this old veteran that he he was over
thrown, and lay cntangled under his horse
In the darkness, while the French cavalry
passed twice over his body without observ-
ing him; he then oxtricated himself and
joining his troops, retreated to Wavres--
Ney had been less successful at Quatre Bras
in his attack on Wellington, but he had
retired in good order, and effected a juno
tion with Napoleon, and the two together
moved down on Waterloo, where the Duke
had taken up his position--cntircly scpar-
ated from the Prussian army
TO understand the field of battle, imag-
inc two slightly semi-circular ridges or rath-
er slopes, half-mile apart, curving gently
forward, somewhat in the form of a paren-
thesis, and you have the positions of the
two armies. On the summit of one of these
slopes was drawn up the French army, and
on the other, that of the English and allies.
The night of the 18th of June was dark
and stormy-the rain fell in torrents, and
the two armies lay down in the tall rye,
drenched with rain, to wait the morning
that was to decide the fate of Europe and
of Napoleon. From the ball room at Brus-
sells many English officers had been sum
moned in haste to the field, and shiyering
and cold were compelled to pass the night
in mud and rain, in their elegant attire
The artillery had cut up the ground so that
the mud was ankle-deep, while the tall rye
lay crushed and matted beneath the feet of
the soldiers. The morning of the 18th
opened with drizzling rain, and the two
armies, behumbed with cold, and soaking
wet, rose from their damp beds to the con
test. Eighty thousand French soldiers
were seen moving in close, massive col
umns on the crest of the height, as they
took up their several positions for the day.
After all was completed, Bonaparte rode
along the lines in the highest spirits con-
tident of success, and exclaiming, "now to
breakfast, " gallopcd away, while the shout
f" ViUc SEn,pereurP that rolled after him
shook the field on which they stood, and
tell with ominous tones on the allied army.
Two hundred and siXty-two cannon lined
the ridge like wall of death, ready to open
their fire on the enemy. At eleven o'clock
the signal of attack was given, and the col
umns moved in beautiful order down the
slope. Wcllington's lines occupied two
miles in extent, with the right resting on
the Chateau Hougomont, which from the
dcfences it furnished was equal to rcdoubt
The centre was protected by farmhouse,
La Haye Saintc, while the left stretched out
in the open field. First, Jerome Bona
parte led column of six thousand men
down on Hougomont, who in the face of a
most destructive fire pushed up to the very
walls OF the chateau, and thrust their bayo-
nets through the door. But the Coldstrcam
Guards held the courtyard with nvinciblc
obstinacy, and he was compelled at length
to retire, after leaving 400 men in little
orchard beside the walls, where it does not
seem so many men could be laid In a
short time the battle became general along
the whole line, and heroic deeds were per-
formed on every rod of the contested field.
The heavy French cavalry came thunder
ing down on the steady English squares,
that had already been wasted by the heavy
artillery ais strove with almost supcrhu-
man energy to break them. Driven to des-
pcration by their repeatedly foiled attempts,
they at length stopped their horses and
coolly walked them round and round the
squares, and whenever man fell, dashed
in, in vain valor. Whole ranks went down
like smittcn grass before the headong char
gcs of cavalry and infantry In the centre
the contest at length became awful, for
there the crisis of the battle was ,tixed.--
Wellington stood under tree while the
boughs were crashing with the cannon shot
overhead, and nearly his whole guard smit-
ten down by his side, anxiously watching
thcprogress of the fight. Hisbrave squares,
torn into fragments by bombs and riochet
shot, still refused to yield one foot ofground.
Napoleon rode through his ranks, cheering
on the exhausted columns ofinflntrw.and
cavalry, that rent the heavens with the
shout Of /" Kipe 2 G'Ep,pero,Grp and dashed
with unparalleled rccklessnoss on the bay
onets of the English,
The hero ofWagran,, and Borodino, and
Austerlitz, and Marengo, and Jena, cnrag-
cd at the stubborn obstinaeY Of the British,
rode over the field, and was still sure of vic.
tory. Wellington, seeing that he could
not much longer sustain tho desperate char
gcs Of the French battaions, wiped the