Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-12-09

hdfO upoOe AuC LOly kONcIuu4cub ~
Csstleresgh in England, would have
installed liberal cabinet, and com
PEELED the withdrawal of England iron
the Continental coalition; the conquer
ing peace, and the establishment b
Napoleon on the throne. He defeated
Blucher and the Prussians on the 18th
of June, at Ligny, and separated him
entirely from Wellington, and placed
himself between them. The question
that has occupied so many minds, and
created 80 much discussion, is, why did
not Grouchy, with his $4,000 troops
fresh from the victory Of the 10th, press
so hard upon the disor5ered aud demor
allied Prussians in their retreat as tc
prevent them joining Wellington on the
18th at Waterloo2 The French and
Prussisns agree that the battle of Water
loo was going against the English when
the Prussians arrived, at o'clock in the
evening, on the field. Napoleon said a,
st. Helena: Had Grouchy been ri
Wares on the night Of the 18th, as he
ought to have been, Blucher would no;
have dared to divide his army and send
Oh all out rear guard to Wellington
assistance" Feeling the exigency Of
the crisis, Napoleon's dispatches not
only are explicit, and were reiterated to
avoid the possibility of misunderstood
ing or mistake but he illustrated them
by explanation in person But for, some
reason which is unexplained, Grouehy
had no heart ia the enterprise. An an.
cry discussion took place between the
Emperor and Grouchy on the morning
of the 18th. This relutes entirely
Grouchy's assertions that he did not re-
ceive the order to pursue the Prussians
until IL IN. Of the l7th. On page lO5,
vol. iv, we read:
Flooding slowly through beating
rain, after coming out OF the barrack
where the Imperial headquarters had
been established, the Emperor seeing
that Grouchy continued suggasting OBJ
stacles to his plans, put stop to the
interview with-'Enough said obey by
serving as a shield for me against the
Prussians, and don't busy yourself with
the English.
On the morning Of the nth Of June
Napoleon drove in bis carriage to the
ieid Of battle of the day before. BE
was suffering so intensely with hemmor-
holds that he could not sit on his horse.
He pointed with his finger 10 the direc
uon OF the retreating Prussans, and
said to Grouchy, what he thought had
but one meaning Pursue the Prus.
slams; complete their defeat as soon as
you overtake them, and don't lose sight
Of them" Grouchy says this was at Il
o'clock. He did not set his troops in
motion to obey this earnest injunction
until 4 o'clock, and urges the usual ex-
cuses that "it was raining hard, " the
men had net cooked their dinners" that
the muskets were foul aud required
cleaning that the saddles had been
taken off the cavalry horses, etc. The
consequence was that he did not find
out the route which the beaten and re
treating army of Prussians had taken
He came up with a small rear guard on
midday of the 18th, which old Blucher
had left at Wares as a screen, while the
whole Prussian army, augmented by
10000 under Bulon, slipped away to join
Wellington at Waterloo. At midday oi
the 18th the fearful cannonade OF Water
loo was distinctly heard by Grouchy.
His staff urged him to march TO the can
non (marcher au cannon); that it was
plain the Emperor was engaged in de-
cisive battle with the English. General
Girard was importunate, Grouchy says,
"eyen to insubordinstion," to march TO
Weterloo with the whole army-to disre-
gard the FrussiRn rear guard, aud that
if he (Grouchy) would not 20, to let
Girsrd go. Grouchy said his orders
we're, when he overlook the Prussians
not to lose sight Of them" His fatal
error was that by "Prussians" every one
bpt himself understood the available
and whole army OF the Prussans against
which be was to "shield" Napoleon, and
not small rear guard. In fact, with
the PrussIans" be had never overtGken
or even had sight of them at all. The
French and Prussian authorities unite
in saying that until the Prussians ap
pesred on the field, at 1880 in the even
ing, the battle was decidedly against the
English. 1t is certain that the dead
bodies of many French cuirassers were
found on the morning of the 10Th en-.
tirely in the rear of the English lines.
There is q melancholy interest at
tached to a letter from the Emperor to
General Girard, which appears on page
IL, vol. v. This devoted soldier received
his thirteenth and last wound, was re-
moved to Paris, and died the day the al
lies entered it. Two days before, and
while the pillars of his empire were fall.
ing around him, Napoleon, serene alike
IN peGee or danger" wrote as follows to
the dying soldier.
glst JUNO, 1915,
GENERAL: The Emperor is satisfied
with your conduct. His majesty thinks
jf each one had done his duty as you did
yours VIC would not have met with any
reverse. In the midst ef pTepccupations,
the most sorrowful and important, tbs
Emperor has been mindful OF your deyo.
tiop, aud has created you Duke Of
Ligny.
The volumes are most Interesting and
instructive. They teach a lesson which,
fortunately, the intelligence of mankind
is beginning to sppreciate-that the pos
session Of very ordinary intellect is en-
tirely compatible with being successful
general.
eMemoires de Marechal dc Grouchy. Par
Ee Marquis dc Grouchy, Officer d'etat major,
Vol. IYsY. PaFis, 1874.
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