The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1881-02-04
BATTLE or WATERLOO.

The French army under Napoleon Bona
rarte,and the English and their allies Tin
der the Duke Of Wellington lay encampcd
near Waterloo. 1t was dark aud stormy
the rain fell in torrents, and the two
armies lay down in the tall rye to await
The morning that was to decide the fate
OF Napoleon and Europe
AT Brussels there was sound Of rev.
elry, by night. On the eve of battle there
was ball, and from the scene of gaiety
and m,,tn, many English officers were
suddenly summoned to the field, and
compelled to pass the night in their ele-
giant attire, shivering with cold, and
drenched with rain. The ground had
been 50 cut up by the artillery that the
mud was ankle deep, while the tall rye
lay matted beneath the feet of the sol
diers. The morning of the 18th came,
and the two armies arose from their
damp couches and took up their positions
Tor the contest. On the field of battle
there were two slightly elevated, semicir-
ohlar ridges or slopes half mile apart
curving gently forward somewhat in the
form of parenthesis. On the summit
OF one OF these was arrayed the French
army consiuing of about $4,000 men
and 24O cannon; on the other was drawn
up the allied forces consisting of nearly
the same number of men with 159 can
non. After all preparations for the strug-
gle had been made, Napoleon confident
of success, and appearing to be in ex
cellent spirits, rode along his lines, giving
directions here, speaking a word of en-
enlargement there, and everywhere
greeted with the shout "vive le' Emperor
which rolled after him shaking the very
ground on which he stood, and falling
ominously upon the allied army. At
eleven o'clock the signal for attack was
given. The forces of Wellington occu-
pied space of two miles, with the right
resting upon the Chateau Hougomont,
which offered defenses equal to a re
doubt, the centre being protected by a
farm house, La Haye Sainte, while the
left stretched out into the open field.
Jerome Bonaparte opened the melee by
leading column of six thousand men
against Hougomont
In the face of the most destructive fire
they forced their way up to the very
dIors of the chateau, but they were there
repulsed by the Cold Stream Guards,
leaving l,400 slain behind them. In a
short time the engagement extended
along the whole line The cavalry of
the French came laundering down on
the steady English squares with almost
superhuman effort to break them. But
their attempts were eifectually resisted,
and finally, driven to desperation, with
the utmost reckless mess, rushing in at
every place made vacant by a fallen
man. The conflict soon became terrific
at the centre for there was the crisis of
the battle. Napoleon rode with unpar-
falleled bravery up to the very bayonets
of the English, cheering on his exhaus-
ted troops who continually rent the air
with their favorite cry of ''vive lie Emper-
or" While Wellington watching anx-
iously the progress of the battle. stood
with nearly his entire guard fallen at his
feet, under tree whose boughs were
splintered above his head by cannon
shot.
- Napoleon, enraged at the stubborn OBJ.
,stinacy of the British rode over the field
now certain of final victory, to hasten
that end. Then it was that Wellington,
seeing that it would be impossible to
sustain much longer the charges of the
French battalions exclaimed: "Ol
that Blucher or night would come.
Thus from eleven until four the battle
ragged, the contest growing more severe
at the centre every moment. The man.
-gled French hOrsemen advanced feebly
upon the worn-out English squares
which, though lessened and bleeding
seemed rooted to the spot where they
stood. Many of their heroic leaders had
fallen. Among them were Pictou and
Ponsonby. Slaughter and terror sur
rounded them The cavalry continued
their fearful onsets regardless of the
murderous fire of the British. The mud
.dy field ran blood and still the foemer
pressed on to the conflict. Everything
seemed favorable to the French. But
at this moment of Napoleon's apparent
victory, "a change came DER the spiri
of his dream" A dark body emerged
from the distant wood and soon fore,
OF 10000 men appeared upon the field
1t was Butcher and the Prussians, the alliel
of the Duke. But where was Grouchy
He was left ut Ligny where Butcher wa,
defeated, with $4,000 men TO hold tn,
Prussians in check, SO they could no
communicate with Wellington at Water
loo. Grouchy remained where he hat
been stationed, and Waterloo was lost
Napoleon saw at once to attempt to con
quer these fresh troops with his own il
80 exhausted condition, would be folly
He therefore resolved TO stake his fate
on one bold cast, to make one more des
perate effort to pierce the centre anG
thus, fighting between them, hold both al
Z bay. The Imperial Guard which wa.
held in reserve all day was called out
and divided into two immense columns
This corps consisted of three thousand
five hundred gigantic men mounted OF
Colossal horses, and armed with horse
pistols and sabre-swords.
One division was placed under Riellel
command. but il had no sooner entered
the fray than it disappeared like mist
Then Marshall Ney, called by Napoleon
''the bravest of the brave" drew hi,
sword and placing himself at the heaC
of the remaining column led them on tC
victory or annihilation. Soon followed
fearful sight. All those mounted mel
with sabres drawn aud trumpets sound
ing rushed forward as one man, sweep
ing eyei ything before them But all a
once the advance line staggered back
They saw before them what Napoleon
did not see when h, sent them forward
a narrow ravine two fathoms deep. i
was the sunken road to Ohain. The,
could not turn back, AT the very fee
of their horses yawned this living grav'
to receive them. The first rank was for
,ced in by the second, the second by tn
third aud so on until the dehle wa
filled with struggling. breathing mas
of men and horses. Then those behinl
rushed over this human bridge as i
were, and with Ney still their leade
the handful that remained of this nobl