Red Wing sentinel. [volume] (Red Wing, M.T. [i.e. Minn.]) 1855-1861, 1860-10-17

RED WING, G0ODHU
LAST CHARGEoFTnEoL GUARD
Napolcon's Old Guard gained b,
their many desperate instances o
bravery an Immortality in history, bu
their grand, browning act was thei
desperate charge at Waterloo, whicl
has few parallels in ancient or nodcrl
\ warfare. They fought for their adore,
Emperor, to retrieve the evil FORTUNE
of the day. They felt that to do 81
: would be to secure to themselves i'm
! mortal glory in this world and ctcrna
bliss in the land of spirits. The mos
graphic account of the struggle tina
we have seen is from q recently pub
lishcd French work. 1t reads lik,
war ITSELF This is it;
! During the day the artillery Of th'
Guard, under Drouct maintained it
old rcnown, and the Guard itself hat
frequently been used to restore th'
battle in various parts of the field
and always with success. The En-
glish were fast becoming exhausted
and in an hour more would doubtless
have suffered a disastrous defeat, bu
for the timely arrival of Blucher: Blu
when they saw him, with thirty thous
and Prussians, approaching their
courage revived while Napoleon wa.
filed with amazcment. A beaten enc
my about to form a junction with the
allies, while Grouchy who had been
sent to keep them in check was nc
where to be seen. Alas what gren,
plans single inefficient commander
can overthrow. In a moment Napo.
leon saw that he could not sustain the
attack of SO many fresh troops if once
allowed to form q junction with the al.
lies, and he determined to stake his
fate on one bold cast, and endeavored
to pierce the allied center with a
grand charge of the Old Guard, and
thus throw himself between the two
armies. For this purpose the impe-
rial guard was called up and divided
into two immense columns which were
to meet in the British center. That
under Reile no sooner cntercd the fire
than it disappeared like mist. The 9TH
was placed under Ney the bravest of
the brave, and the order to advance
given. Napoleon accompanied them
part of the way down the slope and
hating for a few moments in the hol-
low he addressed them a few words.
He told them that the battle rested
with them, and that he relied on their
valor, tried in so many fields.
"Vivc rEmpereur!" answered him
with shout that was heard above
the thunder Of the artillery.
The whole continental struggle ex-
hibited no sublimcr spectacle than
that last great effort of Napoleon's &C.
MUS to save his sinking empire. The
greatest military skill and energy the
world possessed had been taxed TO
the utmost during the day. Thrones
were tottering on the turbulent fields
and the shadows of fugitive kings fit
ted through the smoke of the battle.
Bonapartc's star trcmblcd in the zenith
now blazing out in its ancient splcn-
dor, now paling before his anxious
eye. .-.... .l'.,.I. ..- .,I +,
The intense anxiety with which he
watched the advance of that column,
and terrible suspense he endured when
the smoke of BATTLE wrapped it from
his sight and the utter despair of his
great heart when the curtain lifted
over a fugitive army and the despair
ing shrek r,1ng out, the Guard re-
coils the Guard recoils =" makes us
for a moment forget al! the carnage
in sympathy with his distress. rsfroy
The Old Guard felt the pressure OF
the immense responsibility: and resolv-
ed rot to prove unworthy of the the
great trust committed to it. Nothing
could be more imposing than its move:
mcnts to tho assault. It had never
been known to recoile before a human
foe, and the allied forces beheld with
awe its firm and steady advance to
the final charge. For moment the
batteries stopped playing, and the fir.
ing ceased along the British, lines as
without the beating of drum or q
bugle note to cheer their sturdv cor,
age, they moved in dead s;icnc., ovc,
the field. Their tre:i vas like .,nuf
fled thunder, while the dazzling hel
NETS et the Ecuirasseursot flashed Ions
lines OF light upon the dark and ter
rltic mass that swept in one strong
lwave along. The stern Drouct wa!
then amid his guns, and on every brow
was written the unalterable resolution
to conquer or to die. s9szyI -z,grd,,3 - =,
The next moment the artillery opened
and the head of that gallant column
seemed TO sink in the earth. b Ranl
after rank went down, yet they Meth
Ter stopped nor faltered.a Dissolvins
squadrons and whole battallions dis
appearing one after another, in the de
structive fire, affected not their .cour
age. Il The ranks closed up as before
and each trea6ing over his Taller
comrade passed on unflinching: 8as ,a
The horse which Ney rods sank
lee. l,S..>t !. L.