Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1858-01-28
OBJ family Girflfs
CHARGE OF THE OLD GUARD.

The follow description Of the last
charge by the old French Guard At wa
terloo. is derived from a work written by
"a French General, and Is q very exciting
sketch: -
During the day, the artillery Of the old
Guard under Drouet, maintained Us OLD
renown; and the Guard Itsoil naa ife
~oucntly been used to restore inc pattie 70
various parts Of the field, and always Win
~success. The English were fast becoming
exhausted, and in an hour more would
donbtlcssIy have been forced to q disas,
trons defeat. but for the timely arrival Of
Rlncher. But when they saw him with
b;s thirty thousand Prussians %appreachs
inc their courage revived, while Napole
an was filed with amazement. A beaten
encmy ives about 70 form a junction with
the allies, while Grouchy, who had been
sent to keep him in check, was nowherc
to be seen. Alas! what great plans O sim
Gle inefficient commander can overthrow.
In a moment, Napoleon saw that be
could not sustain the attack of so many
fresh troops, if once allowed to form q
junction with the allied forces, and he de,
termined to stake his fate on one bold
cast and e~ndeavored to pierce the allies
with q grand charge of the Old Guard,
and thus throw himself between the two
armies. For this purpose the Imperial
Guard was called up and divided into
two immense columns, which were to meet
in the British centre. Those under
Reille no sooner entered the fire than il
disappeared like mist. The other was
placed under Ney, the bravest of the
brave, and the order to advance given,
Napoleon accompanied them part way
down the hill, and hating for o moment
in q hollow, addressed them in a few
words. He told them that the battle
rested with them, and that he relied on
their valor, tried in so many fields. .Viye
TEmpereurl' answered him with a shout,
that was heard above the thunder Of ar
tillery.
The whole continental struggle exhib-
its no sublimer spectacle than the last eff
fort. The greatest military energy and
skill the world ever possessed had been
taxed to the utmost during the day
Thrones were lettering on the turbulent
field, and the shadows of fugitive kings
fitted through the smoke of battle. Bon
aparte's star trembled in the zenith-now
blazing out in its ancient splendor, now
suddenly paling before his anxious eye.
The intense anxiety with which he watch
ed the advance of that column, and the
terrible suspense be suffered when the
smoke of battle wrapped il from sight,
and the utter despair of his great heart
when, the cnrtain lifted over a fugitive ar
my, and the despairing cry rang out
"The Guard recoils!' make us for a mo-
ment forget all the carnage, in sympathy
with his distress.
The Old Guard felt the pressure of the
immense responsibility, and resolved not
to prove unworthy of the great trust com
mitted to its care. Nothing can be more
imposing than its movement to the assault.
1t never had recoiled before a human foe,
and the allied forces beheld with awe its
firm and steady advance to the final
charge. For q moment the batteries
stopped playing. and the firing aeasad
along the British lines, as without the
beating of a drum or q buglc note to stay
their steady courage, they moved in
dread silence over the field. Their tread
was like mufled thunder, while the daz.
zling helmets of the cuirassiers flashed
long streams of light behind the dark and
terrible mass that swept in one strong
wave along. The stern Drouet was there
amid his guns, and on every brow was
written the unalterable resolution to con-
quer or die. The next moments the artil.
Iery opened, and the head of the column
seemed to sink in the earth. Rank after
rank wentdown, yet they neither stopped
nor faltered. Dissolved squadrons and
whole battalions disappeared one after an
other in. the destructive fire, affected not
their steady courage. The ranks closed
up as before, and each treading over his
fallen comrade pressed un~finchingly on.
The horse which Ney rode fell under
him, and scarcely had he mounted anoth-
er before it sank also to the earth, and SO
another until five In succession had been
shot under him. Then with drawn sabre
he marched sternly at the head of his col
umn. In vain did the artillery hurl its
storm Of iron into the living mass. Up
to the very muzzles they pressed, and
driving the artillery men from their pie.
ces pushed on through the British lines.
But just as the victory seemed won, a file
OF soldiers who had laid Eat on the ground
behind low ridge of earth, suddenly rose
and poured a yolley into their very faces.
Another and another followed, till one
broad sheet of fame rolled on their bo.
SONS in such q fierce and unexpected flow
that they staggered back before it. Be
fore the Guards had time to rally and ad.
vance, a heavy column Of infantry fell on
its left flank in close and deadly y~olleys,
causing II, in its unsettled state to swerye
to the right. At that instant d whole
brigade of cavalry Numbered on the right
tank, and penetrated where cavalry had
never gone before.
The intrepid Guard could have borne
up against the unexpected IRE OF soldiers
they did not see, and would also have
rolled back the infantry that had boldly
charged It's left flank; but the cavalry
finished The disorder into which they had
momentariiy been thrown, and broke the
ranks before they had time to reform. and
the Eagles Of that inyincible Guard we're
m, he'd backward down the slope. 1t was
then hat the army, seized with despair.
shonfe} IA. The Guard recoilxlv and
tnrued and ed In wild dismay. 10 see
me Guard ID CO. illusion was q sight they
had never before bslheld, and it froze eve.
nv heart with terror. Still those Yeter-