The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1891-09-03
HOW WATERLOO WAS LOST.
Napoleon's Version Of 1t from o
Recently Published Account.
The Great Generals Description of the
Famous Battle In Which His
Forces suffered Sore
Defeat.

nonade commenced; the enemy support
cd the troops he had advanced TO guard
the wood by thirty pieces of cannon.
We, on our side, also posted some artil-
lery At one time Prince Jerome be-
came master Of the whole wood, and
the whole English army retired behind
a ridge. The Count d'Erlon then at
tackled the village of Mont Saint Jean;
he supported his attack with eighty
pieces of cannon. He commenced there
an overpowcring cannonade, which
must have greatly harassed the English !
army. The whole action took place on
the plain. A brigade of Count d Erlon's |
First division took possession of the |
village of Mont Saint Jean; a second |
brigade was charged by a corps of Eng |
lish cavalry, which inflicted upon it great |
loss. At the same moment a division |
of English cavalry charged upon Count |
d'Erlon's battery on its right and dis !
mounted several guns; but Gen. Mel !
hauds cuirassiers charged this division,
of which three regiments were routed
and fed"
In the afternoon the Prussian divis-
ion became engaged with Count Lobau's
skirmishers, and the whole strength of
the reserve was held ready to assist
Count Lobau and crush the Prussian
corps when it should advance. He con-
tinucs: "This done, the emperor in
tended to make an attack in the direc
ton of the village of Mont Saint Jean,
which it was expected would prove a
decisive blow, but by movement Of
impatience, so frequent in our military
annals, and which has so often been
disastrous to us, the cavalry in reserve,
perceiving a retrograde movement of
the English to place themselves under
shelter from our batteries, from which
they had already suffered SO much,
crowned the heights of Mont Saint Jean
and charged the infantry. This move
ment, made at the right moment, and
backed by the reserves, ought to have
decided the day; made separately, and
before the operations on the right were
| completed, it proved fatal. Having no
means to countermand it, the enemy
showing large masses of infantry and
of cavalry, and the two divisions of
cuirassiers being engaged, the whole of
| our cavalry started at the same moment
to support their comrades.
"There during three hours they made
numerous charges, by which we gained
! the breaking of several squares and six
flags of the British infantry, an advan-
tage hardly commensurate with the
losses sustained by our cavalry from
| grapeshot and musketry. 1t was i'm
| possible to use our reserves of infantry
until the attack of the Prussian corps
on our flank was repulsed. This attack
still continued and directly on our right
flank. The emperor sent there Gen.
! Duchesne with the Young guard and
| several reserve batteries. The enemy
was checked, was repulsed, and re-
treated; he had exhausted his forces,
and there was nothing further to fear
from him. This was the moment suit
able for an attack on the center of the
enemy. As the cuirassiers were suffer
ing from musketry fire, four battalions
of the Young guard were sent to sup
port the cuirassiers, TO aid their posi-
tion, and if it were possible to disengage
and withdraw part of our cavalry to
the plain. Two other battalions were
sent to hold the eminence ON the eX-
treme left of the division which had
maneuvered on our hanks in order that
there might be no cause for uneasiness
in this direction; the rest were placed
in reserve, one part to occupy the emf
nence in rear of Mont Saint Jean, the
other on the plain behind the field o1
battle, which formed our line of retreat
"Under these circumstances the bat
tie was gained; we occupied all the po'
sitions that were occupied by the enc
my at the commencement of the action
our cavalry having been too quick an6
badly employed, we could no longer
hope for decisive success. But Mar
shal Grouchy having learned of the
movement of the Prussian corps
marched in the rear of that corps
which assured us a splendid success fol-
the next day. After eight hours of fir.
/ ing and of charges of infantry and o.
cavalry the whole army saw with salts
faction the battle gained and the fielC
Of battle in our power At half-pas
- eight the four battaliOns Of the Young
guard which had been sent to the plaiI
beyond Mont Saint Jean to support tn,
cuirassiers, being inconvenienced by
the enemy's grapeshots, advanced will
bayonets fixed 90 sweepof its batteries
"The day closed in; a charge on thei
flank by several English squadron
broke theirranlSs the fugitives repasse,
the ravine; the neighboring regiments
who saw some troops belonging TO tn
guard in disorder, thought it was tn
Old guard and gave way. The or
arose; AN is lostl The guard is beatel
bacl1p The soldiers even maintaine
that at several points wretched rene
gades cried out; Save qui peutp b
that as it may, terror and panic imme
diately spread over the whole battle
field; all fed in the greatest disorde
along the line of communication
diers, gunners, wagons hurried onl Th
Old guard, which was in reserve, wa
pressed back and carried away. In u
instant the army was only a confuse
mass - all the arms We're intermingle
4 Z e 1.