Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-08-29
ONE WHO FOUGHT AT WATERLOO.
Still Living and Able to Tell an Entertainil
Story.

ONE WHO FOUGHT AT WATERLOO.
Still Living and Able to Tell an Entertaining
Story.
John Scott is an Englishman, still
living and still able to do some manual
work, who took part in the battle of
Waterloo. He is described as healthy
looking man for his age, rather tall, but
with heavy stoop in his shoulders,
which makes him look shorter than he
eally Is. His features are regular, and
though his WHISPERS are white there
is scarcely white hair in his head. His
employ ment is not laborious, even for
man who is nearly eighty-five years of
age. His chief work is to ring bell in
the morning, at night, and at the meal
hours. His pers onal reoollections of the
battle in which he took part are confined
to what went on Immediately around him.
interviewed short time ago by a re-
porter of the Newcastle Leader, he said:
"My father was soldier in the Black
Watch. | was brought up in the Army,
and was in Belgium in June, 1915. What
l had to do was to play the triangle.
was in the Black Watch too, but my arms
weren't much, just pistol and small
sword. Quartre Brass was a good deal
worse than Waterloo in my opinion. My
father spoke Gaelic as we'll as English,
and lot of the Black Watch spoke
Gaelic. But Wellington said he would
not have it, for by the living God he
would have every man speak English
After the battle we got rest, and
then we had to march to Waterloo. About
IL o'clock on the night of the 18th of
lima IL To hnouily The
rain poured as hard as it could, and what
night that was 1t was potato field we
were in, but I wrapped ny cloak around
me and got good sleep. / remember
lay jast on the side of little bank, and
the water was running down on both
sides of me, while in the morning there
were two inches of mud around us. At
daylight we were up, and each of Us got 8
glass of rum and a ships biscuit.
"Before the fighting began the Duke
of Wellington came riding up to Us and
cried, Now, l hope you are well and
ready One of our soldiers saluted him
and replied, Yes, we know our duty
Wellington smiled and rode off.
GAS for the battle, 1 remember very
little. r. was nothing but fighting and
excitement. The Hanoverjans were a
splendid lot of men, and all Of them
fought we'll: but az for the Belgians, if
Wellington had only known what they
were n ewould not have given one of them
horse. We we're short of horses, and
he would have taken theirs and made
every man of them tramp on foot. They
never fred shot, for soon as the first
crack was heard they were off as quick as
they could go. ALI day long the fighting
L hynB
around us that we could see little. There
was nothing but firing and shouting on
all sides. Sometimes when the smoke
lifted we could see fighting all around us,
sometimes d front, or to our right or
left, wher we could see the cavalry charg
ing each other Then a lot of horses
would come flying across the field in all
directions, neighing and kicking wildly.
Their riders were gone; they had been
shot out OF the saddles, and the horses
we're galIoping madly away to escape.
There was an English regiment neaf US,
and I remember seeing the French
charge at them. AS soon as they appear
ed the English would yell, England for
ever, here they come, get at them, and
then they cheered, fred away, and off
would 60 the French.
som 6t1m6S we lpy on Une RFOuHu
dong nothing. We would scarcely see
twenty yards ahead of US for the smoke,
but then we would know something was
coming. We would hear the shouting of
the French, and out of the smoke they
would rush. We shouted and fired straight
at them, and away they went and were
gone in the smoke again. But they
would soon turn, and back they would
come with another rush out of the smoke,
more firing, and they were gone again.
And so it went on all the time. / was not
frightened; was too excited for any
thing. l played my triangle and shouted
Scotland for ever!" till [ was hoarse,
and could scarcely speak a word. l never
got scratch, but think it must have
been my height that saved me. l was so
little that 1 had no risk to run, but the
Black Watch was so cut up that IL had to
join with the Seventy
s'But the French had no chance that
day. They were no match for Our army,
and the little Frenchmen could not stand
the Englishmen. It was the same with
the cavalry, for our men could ride over
them. The English could have fought
all night, but the French would not let
them" Mr.. Scott maintains his conte mpt
for the French TO the last. They hate us
yet" he said, shut the English beat them
at Waterloo, and can always do it."