Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1878-09-05
Communication.
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The Field Of Waterloo.
From our Regular Correspondent.
Rprrccrr nrusf 10 1879

/ W.
BRUSSELS, August II, 1878.
Perhaps the reason why th'
field oi Waterloo is SO impressiv,
is because there is nothing lett t,
indicate tbs terrific strifes anC
mighty dcstinies that were decided
there. Nothing but a huge bronzs
lion in whose open mouth a birC
has built her nest. The visitor
stands alone in the midst of por.
tentious memories, undistracted BY
the inadequate monuments with
which men have essayed to mark
less important climaxes and anti
Iclimaxes in the affairs of nations
IT General Bonaparte" as the
English guides about Waterloo
persist in calling him, had been
favored with the fine weather that
your correspondent had on his Wis,
it, be would have opened the en-.
gagement five hours earlier, bis
artillery would not have stuck in
the mud, and he would, perhaps,
have annihilated Wellington be.
fore the Prussians came to his as
sistance. If the abundant har.
vest that stands en- the field to.
day had stood there then, neither
army, even if they had been cav
airy, need have been encountered
or weakened by subsistence or
f1raging trains.
No field could appear less ia
vered by nature for vantage Of
contending armies. The slight
elevation occupied by the English
was naturally no stronger than
that lhree-quarters Of mile dis
taht occupied by the French.
Neitherelevation was high enough,
nor was the intervening OF sur
rounding ground anywhere so un-
even as to prevent the rapid easy
movement in any direction of In
fantry, cavalry, and artillery.
The desperately contested walled
garden of liugemopt was strong
only in the fOrtitude of the men
who held ii.
We started from Brussels at 9
a. m. taking an excursion ticket
for Braine PAllend, which is the
nearest railway station to the
field, and only forty minutes ride
from Belgium's capital. This is
Ia cheaper, more comfortable and
much quicker way to sec the field
than the route frequently taken
by diligence from Brussels. Arri
wing at Brnine rAllend, we start
ed on foot for the field and were
soon encountered by numbers of
small boys with pockets full of
bullets which they were willing to
sell cheap. Genuine relics are
still occasionally turned up by the
plow; they are, however, becoming
very rare but the supply of bull
leis, scraps of shells. buttons, etc.,
in the hands OF these little ped
dIers Of tie field is never exhaus-
ted. | met three women who
were able to carry on the traffic
in three languages each Of them
had basket containing photo.
graphic views of the field, aud
relics Which they were trying TO
sell when | expressed doubt as
to the genuineness Of the relics,
they nattered me by saying that
| had no green in my eye, and be-
fore | could recover from the
sweetness OF that surprise, piled
me with their photographs. Ny
friend bought a bullet for four
cents, which he dropped on the
field and then picked up again to
make it more plausible and inter-
esting.
There is constant stream OF
visitors to Waterloo. We met on
top of tie mound lha. issurmOunted
by the bronze lion, English, Ger.
N ms, and Belgians, but more A.
mericans than any other national.
ity. The number cf Americans
that are travelling Gu this continent
this year must be very large. ]
have met them on almost every
train in France, Belgium, Switz-
erland, Germany, Holland, and
England. They are all more or
less homesick. The first question
is, when did you arrive, and when
will you return? The general
verdic, is that Europe will do &c
visit but that it is not a country
to live in. Of course this is nuth
ing but the old refrain Of every