The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-09-13
An Officers Account of his Sufferings at
Waterloo.

All UluCcr'S ACCOUNT Vi HIS SuueTlnssS ut
Waterloo.
The following is Col. Ponsonby's inter-
esting account Of his own sufferings, after
rash and unlucky charge:
was stationed with my regiment (about
three hundred strong) at the extreme left
wing, and directed to act discretionary:
each of the armies was drawn up on gen
tie declivity, small valley lying between
them.
At 1 o'clock, observing, as I thought,
unsteadiness in a column of French infan-
try, which was advancing with an irregu-
lar fire, I resolved to charge them. AS we
were descending in a gallop, we received
from our own troops on the right fire
much more destructive than the enemy's,
they having begun long before it could
take effect, and slackening as We drew
nearer; when we were within fifty PAGES of
them, the French turned, and much execu-
ton was done among them, as we were fol-
lowed by some Belgians who had remark
ed our success. But we had no sooner
passed through them, than we were at
tackled in our turn, before we could form,
by about three hundred Polish lancers,
who had come down to their relief; the
French artillery pouring in among us
heavy fire of grape-shot, which, however,
killed three of their own to one of our men.
In the melee, l was disabled almost in
stantly in both of my arms, and followed
by few of my men, who were presently
cut down Ono quarter being asked or given
I was carried on by my horse, till, receiv-
ing blow on my head from a sabre, | was
thrown senseless on my face to the ground.
Recovering, l raised myself a little to look
round, when lancer, passing by, exclaim-
ed: 'Tu mes pas mort, coquin,' and stuck
his lance through my back; my head drop
ed, the blood gushed into my mouth,
difficulty of breathing came on, and l
thought all was over.
Not long afterward a tirailleur came up
to plumber me, threatening to take my life.
l told him that he might search me, di-
recting him to a small side pocket in which
he found three dollars, being all had; he
Embossed my stock and tore open my waist
coat, then leaving me in very uneasy
posture, and was no sooner gone than an
other came for the same purpose; but
assuring him l had been plundered, he
left me, when an officer, bringing up some
troops, Ito which, probably, the tirailleurs
belonged) and hating where / lay, stopped
down and addressed me, saying he feared |
was badly wounded; l replied that | was.
and expressed a 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 probably
would, (for he understood the Duke of Wei
lington was killed, and that six of our bat
tallIons had surrendered,) every attention
~ nis po ~: snouiu o1 sn9nn nv 'o-
Pi"iheu 'hiie'' anu iic hoiA his VI ahuy wv
Tie 10 my lips, airec'lhS one Vi MS men 10
lay me stralSht on my slde, ana place
knapsack under my head; he then passed
on into action, ana shall never Know to
whose generosity was indebted, as con-
celve, lor my lie. VI what rank he WIS
cannot say; he wore blue great-coat: By
and bye another trallieur came and knelt
and hred over me, loading and hiring many
himes, anu conVerslng WIN great gayety
all the while; at last he ran off, saying,
Nous serez ben alse entendre que nous
allons nous rctlrer; bon jour, mon ami
While the battle continued IN that part,
several OF the wounded men ana dead bod
les near me were hit with the balls. which
came very thick IN that place. Toward
evening. when the Prussians came, the
continued roar of the cannon along theirs,
and the British line growing louder and
louder as they drew near, was the finest
thing | ever heard. 1t was dusk when two
squadrons of Prussians cavalry. both of
them two deep, passed over me in full trot,
lifting me from the ground, and tumbling
xne about cruelty; the clatter of their APP
proach, and the apprehensions it excited,
may be easily conceived; had gun come
Snae way, u would nave done lor me. ne
D g:N was then nearly over or removed
a,slance' Ine cries ana sroans OF the wound
60 80 ..a; i1 oeeane evely lns.anI lioie
;mnrecat;oms a,.ou;as "s W. ~ INC rE snueS'
a,,r y tha d;,obanaa 20 s,atn,, 80 dan
NOM nv anJ ti,o. ;,.a"'aIs -.
.;Ianoe mbioh ,aro n anSn .i,o,, ~ 80
tbounht t1,a ~. ISL SN 80. .n' 'a
Mich about this fimo |o fn1nd Ies eo,diar Of
ROYALS lv;nx across nv las ~ ia No
hablv cr.wIed +hi.har! g. aanH bic
wa;ght convn1s;ra ,,ot;a,s go anJ
the air ;.suinr thro,,rh ,un''r5 u, h;, ID
distressed me Draa.T,. Nv Iattar a;na,,,,,
stance tho rnos1 Of oiH 't ,b l oaso ,,-as Wv,
own IT, VOC not ' a % INC ;,,,,t 'o m. th s
Prnss;ans wac Ju.ndan;n aSnT, ~ ,,l,1n
dor land tho soana 10 Eard;nand Tnunt
Fatbom, came into NV noind thonab M
xpomen T hel;era Irano tharaA sa,,a1al of
than, c,me and Ioo,,nd ~ mo md oosced
on. a. LENGTH ono sto,na a 70 o,arn;n r me-
toiJ hin, os 1raI, ' ~ ia 1car on,,Id