Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1864-03-02
gaiIgy empire.
lwrIiep expressly for the Dayton Emplre.l
A SUMNER In EUROPE.
. NO. NNNV.
NO NNXV,


WAS one Of the few that wo experienced in
Europe on which We realized fully that the
dog days were upon us The mercury
stood at 30, aud AZ the horses loiled slowly
and persldringly along over that paved rond,
we hoislrd our uIubrella aud wondered again
aud again with many misgivings, whether the
trip would pay The road aforesaid, which
extends from Brusgcls out through Waterloo
toward Paris, is made Of blocks Of granite
about six inchee square, and is nov in perfect
order although It is an hundred yenrs old,
and has borne the passage Of the heavy wa
gons and artillery OF more than one great
army, Wellnglona army went out from
Btnssel4 upon II, Rnd whcu he formed his
line of battle the wary old chiehan evidently
took into consideration the Importance OF
keeping possession of II, as his line of re.
treat On each side ofu there are smooth
dirt roads, but it was only at rare intervals
that We could induce our driver to take them,
aud after being very indignant and abnsiug
him IN all languages that we knew, we became
convinced, from the compoaure with which he
bore it all, and the obstinacy with which he
continued upon the stones, especially when
there was any other team in sight, that there
was some penalty which he feared to incur BY
compliance with our wishes, more
than our diapleasure, We resigned ourselves
therefore, TO our fate, and sought amusement
in watching the little rascals attred single
loose garment who came running out Of every
house We passed, to turn "handspringsF and
'eart wheels for our delectatiOn and surplus
eoppers We had found begears in abun.
dance plying their vocation in other coun-
tries, but this was new phase, and such
comical one, that. I'VE we're inclined to think
that It was no begging at all, but rather an
exhibition that was worth all it cost
The ride was very quiet one, and as we
logged along at snaifs pace, we could not
hut think of The feelings Of those who hurried
from the brill INT salons Of the Duchess q
Richmond over this very road TO the field OF
battle battle, which was, to be TO so many OF
them the field OF death, when
zine uluNNeltNk HluNufOh nnn the elnftnFinnpaF
Were pouring forward with lmpeluous apeed
And swiftly forming In the ranks OF war"
No one in all that mass of living vAlor
rolling 90 the foe, was thinking of such iu-
significant circumstances as the heat, the
rough road or little gymnRsts tumbling BY the
wayside H. HHi.
About ten miles out we came to tho little
village Of Waterloo where Wellington passed
the night before the battle, and u short dis
tanee beyond, VIZ saw the great mound, two
hundred feet high aud surmounted by the
Belgian hon, which has bceu erected as
memorial and n sepplohre on the spot which
was the center ot ;he allied line of battle We
continue ON the paved road until we reach an
olhnr road interseeing II Rt right ang lies
and running along the crest of u small eleva-
ton, not much higher than one OF the undula-
tions of II western pralr e., and then We turn
Ia the lcli 10 stand upon the spot where the
gallant P,et0n fell pierced by French lance
and to look at the monumehta reared 10 the
officers OF the GermaH Legion, aud tho Young
Lieutenant Colonel, Alexander Gordon, who
also gave their lives back to the Giver here
Tbs inscription upon the monument of tha
latter, in fine taste aud touchingly Votded
tic was bnt lwen y'seyen years old wheu he
fell, and had passed uusnAihad and with high
honor, through Rll the battles in Spain as
Aid 10 Wellington As my eye ran over the
enumeration Of brilliant virtues, | hoped 20
read that he was Christian, but that he had
"a SINCERE respect lor religion" is Rll that
even Rn epitaph could claim
A few steps further on, on the right Of the
paved road, just At the bottom OF the gentle
slope, is the little farm house, La Bays
Sdinfe, early won and lons held by the iEpe.
tuous soldiers OF the EmpeFor Near IT, tho
English life guardsman SHAW, a tremendous
fellow and profess, onal pngiiist, killed with
his own hand sight Of the culrassiers, before
they succeeding in sending him to his 40.
count -Four hundred yards further on, aud
70 the lel Of the road, isths farm house of
La Belle AliHee, which was the headquar-
ters Of Napoleon during the fight and beyond
Il some distance are the little white cottages
of the village OF Plancheuois where the
Prussians made their first attack about seven
10 the evening These are ia front Of the
len center of the allied line
We 90 back 10 the crest again, and passing
ON toward the right about two hundred yards
We reach the mound and By the aid OF the
stone steps and iron raiaog, easily ascend to
the top, where, seated on the stoas pedestal
of the moaumeni, we take in tho whole field
at one view The first peculierily wo notice
IS the small space occupied and fought over
duriug this mighty struggle From the sx.
lreme len OF the allied line, where Picton,
PonsoHby aud Gordon fell, 10 the ehaleAn
HougomonL which was IN front OF their ex.
irene right is not more lhAn twolhirds Of a
mile, and the headquarters OF Napolson, on
the other side OF tha shallow valley, we're cot
more than five OF ak hundred yards from
thoae Of Wellington, Every part Of the 6eld
Shich seems 10 have heen made ON purpose