The Democratic press. (Eaton, Preble County, Ohio) 1860-1865, 1861-10-24
The Battle of Waterloo.

before being trodden down by tho
charging squadrons. AS 1 stood
where Wellington had stood, OF
the ridge occupied by the English
lines, and surveyed the entire field
and looked down on the narrow
valley where the fate Of Az Europe
was once put up and ballottcd for,
a world Of conflicting emotions
struggled for the mastery within
me. The magnifcence and pomp
of that stern array was before me,
and my ear seemed distinctly to
catch the first cannon shot that
opened the conflict.
The great battle of Europe was
to be fought. All its kings stood
looking on with brcathless inter
est, for their thrones were at stake.
The feelings Of those two great
military chieftains themselves, as
they thus for the first time stood
face to face, and battled for a CON
tinent, were stirred. The British
veteran wiping the sweat from his
brow, exclaimed: 90 that Blucher
or night would GOMEZ The next
momentan immense body Of French
cavalry came laundering down on
one OF the English squares. 1t had
already become weakened by the
loss Of whole ranks which the
French artillery had moved down,
but withstood the desperate shock
with true bravery. The French
came down at aplunging trot, then
breaking into a gallop fell like a
rock hurled back from q mountain,
they recoiled from the shock.
Driven to desperation by the re-
peatedly foiled attempts, they stop
ped their horses, and coolly walked
them around that brave square,
and whenever a man fell, dashed
in. Such desperate resolution,
such recklssllness Of life, be-
gan at length to tell on the
conflict. The square began to
shake and waver, when Yelling
ton came dashing up with lis
guard; they opened and he was in
their bosom. The chief was in
their keeping-his fate voluntarily
thrown into their hands, those
British hearts could not yield.
Rank after rank fell, but not a man
stirred from his footsteps. The
French at length gave it up, and re-
tired to their position. Again: on
separate squares, were those terrific
charges made, and again as they
wavered, did Wellington fling him,
self in their midst.
Thus, from II in the morning
until 4 o'clock in the evening had
the battle ragged, when a dark OBJ
ject was seen to emerge from a
distant wood. Larger and larger
it grew till q whole column stood
revealed, with banners waving in
the breeze. Blucher and his Prus-
slams had come! Both armies saw
that the hour had arrived for a f.
nal issue. Bonaparte then rode up
to his old and well-tried Imperial
Guard, that had not been in battle
all day. Placing himself at their
head, he led them halfway down
the slope, when he halted and ad-
dressed them in his impetuous and
fiery manner. lie told them that
the fate of the battle and that Of
France was in their hands. IleI
was answered by those devoted
hearts, "Vive PEmpereurl"
with shout that rang over the
storm of battle, and was heard
along the British lines. Then he
placed them under Ney, with or
ders to force the British center,
and prevent the junction Of Bluch-
er with the allied forces.
That hitherto invincible guard
came down in beautiful order and
array, and with hearts burning with
high hopes. They knew that their
Emperor and the civilized world
were looking. They carried thrones
and kings as they went. They
needed nothing to fire their steady
courage. No drum, or trumpet, or
martial strain cheered them on.
No bugle sounded the charge. In
perfect order and dead silence they
moved over the plain. Above
them scared the French eagle no
power had ever wrested from their
grasp, and on them was the eye of
Bonaparte. The allied army saw
with awe and dread the approach
of that unconquerable legion. The
terror of Europe was on the march.
For a moment the firing ceased
along the lines. The battle was
hushed. The muffled tread of that
magnificent legion alone was heard.
The sudden calm was but momen-
tary. The artillery again opened
on the foe. Whole ranks went
down before the destructive fire,
yet they falterod not for a moment,