Beaufort Republican. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1871-1873, 1873-09-18
The Battle Of Waterloo.
An omcer,s Account OF 1t.

a1tef q raSn anu unluchy cnaISe.
"I was stationed with my regiment
(about three hundred strong) at the ex-
treme left wing, and directed to act dis
cretionally; each of the armies was
drawn up on gentle declivity, a small
valley lying between them.
cat one o'clock, observing, as /
thought, unsteadiness in a column OF
French infantry, which was advancing
with an irregular fire, 1 resolved to
charge them. AS we were descending
in a gallop, we received from our own
troops on the right fire much more de-
structive than the enemy's, they having
begun long before it could take effect,
and slackening as we drewnearer; when
we were within fifty PAGES of them, the
French turned, and much execution
was done among them, as we were fol-
lowed by some Belgians who had re-
marked our success. But we had no
sooner passed through them, than we
were attacked in our turn, before we
could form, by about three hundred
Polish lancers, who had come down to
their relief; the French artillery pour
ing in among us a heavy fire of grape.
shot, which, however, killed three OF
their own to one of our men. In the
melee I was disabled almost instantly
in both of my arms, and followed by a
few of my men, who were presently cut
down (no quarter being asked or given),
1 was carried on by my horse, till, re-
ceiving a blow on my head from sabre,
was thrown senseless on my face to
the ground. Recovering, raised my
self little to look round, when a Ian
Ger, passing by, sprung at me and
struck his lance through my back; my
head dropped, the blood gushed into
my mouth, difficulty of breathing
came on, and I thought all was over.
Not long afterwards tirailleur came
up to plunder me, threatening to take
my life. I told him that he might
search me, directing him to small side
pocket, in which he found three dol
lars, being oil I had he unloosened
my stock and tore open my waistcoat,
then leaving me in very uneasy pos
ture, and was no sooner gone than
another came for the same purpose /;
but assuring him 1 had been plundered
already, he left me, when an officer,
bringing UP some troops Ito which,
probably, the trailleurs belonged), and
halting where lay, stopped down and
addressed me, saying he feared I was
badly wounded. replied that I was,
and expressed wish to be removed to
the rear. He said it was against the
order to remove even their own men,
but that if they gained the day, as they
would for he understood the Duke of
Wellington was killed, and that six of
our battalions had surrendered), every
attention in his power should be shown
me. I complained of thirst, and he
held his brandy-bottle to my lips, di-
recting one OF his men to lay me
straight on my side, and place knap.
sack under my head. He then passed
on into action, and I shall never know
to whose generosity was indebted, as
L conceive, for my life. Of what rank
he was l cannot say ; he wore a blue
great-coat. By-and-by another trail.
leur came and knelt and fired over me,
loading and firing many times, and con-
versing with great gayety all the while !,
at last he ran OF, saying, 'Vous serez
bien aise d'entendre que nous allons
nous retirer bon jour, mon ami
While the battle continued in that
part, severalof the wounded men and
dead bodies near me were hit with the
balls, which came very thick in that
place. Towards evening, when the
Prussians came, the continued rattling
of the cannon along theirs and the Brit
ish line growing louder and louder as
they drew near, was the finest thing l
ever heard. 1t was dusk when two
squadrons of Prussian cavalry, both of
them two deep, passed over me in full
trot, lifting me from the ground, and
tumbling me about cruelty. The clat-
ter of their approach, and the appre-
tensions it excited, may be easily con-
ceived. Had gun come that way, it
would have done for me. The battle
was then nearly over, or removed dis
tance; the cries and groans of the
wounded all around me became every
instant more and more audible, sue
ceeding to the shouts, imprecations,
outcries of 'Vive rEmpereur ! the dis
charge of musketry and cannon now
and then intervals of perfect silence,
which were worse than the noise. l
thought the night would never end.
Much about this time, found soldier
of the Royals lying across my legs,
who had probably crawled thither in
his agony; his weight, convulsive mo-
tions, noises, and the air issuing through
q wound in his side, distressed me
greatly the latter circumstance dis
tressed me the most of all, as the case
was my own. 1t was not dark night,
and the Prussians were wandering about
to plumber (and thescene in Ferdinand,
Count Fathom, came into my mind
though no women, believe, were
there); several of them came and looked
at me, and passed on at length, one
stopped to examine me. L told him as
well as l could (for I could say butlittle
Germany that Twas a British officer,
and had been plundered already /; he
did not desist, however, and pulled me
about roughly before he left me. About
an hour before midnight 1 saw soldier
in an English uniform coming toward
me he was, suspect, on the same er-
rand. He came and looked in my face;
L spoke instantly, telling him who ]
was, and assuring him of a reward if he
would remain by me. He said that he
belonged to the Fortieth Regiment, but
had missed it. He released me from the
dying man being unarmed, he took up
sword from the ground, and stood