The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-10-30
THE BATTLE or WATERLOO.

In aIr. Cnmpbrlrs Letter.
70 he Edito, ofne ia,ei'igerocr
Sin:-As Mr. Campbell and I arc
without differences on political and
other beliefs, l find it easy to believe
he will bear with more cquqnimity IL
correction from one SO known to him
than if 4 less sympathetic individual or
ncob wcro 10 hail him starnly, as we
IMAGINE he did his Gallic guide just be.
fore Mr.. Campbell got into that state OF
mind that brought him 10 committing
anachronsma for which VIC find it
necessary TO now call him to account,
w hat are YOU giving us!"
In the paragraph before tho last OF
Dir. Campbcll's letter OH Watcrloo's
field he gives rs this;
More than sovcnty-siX years have
passed since the dread day. Napoleon,
Wellington, Butcher and all their sol.
diers are dead. There is not now
survivor. Only the inaninate witnesses
romain--the old trees, the old houses
and walls" etc, otc.
In the Illustrated american, August S,
1871, page $50, The Tatlcr' tells us:
There arc :nanypcoplc still living in
the neighborhood OF Waterloo who can
remember tho stirring times OF 1915.
They are naturally old, yet they have
reached no startling or extraordinary
longevity"
Only the inanimatc witnesses re.
main, tho old trees, the old houses and
walls."-A. ". Campbell.
The Taller" further tells us: "In-
decd it will be remembered that few
survivors from the battle are !;ill on
the English pension rolls"
Mr. Campbell says: Napoleon, Well
lngton, Butcher, and all their soldiers
are dead. There is not now survivor"
Continuing, on the above page OF
Illustrated american We have: "a friend
OF The Tatler's, who made recent
visit to the scene OF the great battle, de-
| scribes several venerable Bcigians whom
he was at considerable pains to inter-
view. Thus, in Enghien, where the
house in which the Duke OF Wellington
lodged IS still pointed out, he came
across gentleman OF the name OF
Joseph Lee Alaitre, who was born in
1901 and remembered seeing both Well
lngton and Butcher in the streets OF the
town. lie used to play with the two
soldiers billeted with his father. While
the battle was going on he laid his ear
close to the turf in the Due d Arenbers's
park to hear the rumble OF the cannons.
Nothing, he says, Impressed me so
much as the profound silence that fol-
lowed the last shot
In Brussels our informant met no
less than three persons who were con-
temporary with Waterloo. NJ. Louis
Spaak, OF the Avenue dcs Arts, is
eighty-seven; Madame H. Ippersicl, nee
Foulle, oil the Rue Billiard, is ninety
two; billie. Marie Sacreo, OF the Chaussee
dc Navre, is ninety-iour.
at the time OF tho battle NJ. Spaak
| was living with his father in the Truren-
berg.
~ rcmomber the guns firing on tho
old ramparts. can never forget the
endless procession OF the wounded and
the brewers drays laden with beer,
| humping and jolting overthe stones OF
the cEdu$See on their way to Waterloo.
remember how an officer named Jack
son, who was billeted with us, returned
wounded, his horse shot also through
the nose, and how he told my father
that it was raining bullets. Then. the
Sunday after the battle, we drove out to
the battlefield. Tho Hougonmont cot
tage was still smoking, and the country
people were filling in the graves
"Nllle Foullc was q friend OF the
Madame Wesener who made herself
famous by jumping into a common cart
at Charleroi, when she was living, on
the night of tho 18th, and driving, under
cover Of the darkness, to toll the Duke
OF Wellington, who was ut the Duchess
OF Richmond's ball, that tho French
had crossed the frontiers and were adj
vancing. She has often heard her tell
the story.
"L!ko everybody else, tho .Foulle's
went to the rainparts to hear the cannon
on the Sunday afternoon after church,
and as they crossed the Place Royale
she remembers ono OF their friends rid
ing past, and crying, gayiy; Domain a
Ldckenr She frequently saw the Duke
| OF Wellington. and remembers that hc
always carried an umbrella, oven when
riding in civilians costume.
mile. Mario Sacrce was living IN the
Rue dc Ia Collegiate in June, 1915. She
saw the Duke Of Brunswick and his
officers, with their skull and cross
bono helmets, passing under the walls
OF Ste. Gudulc Oh their way to Quarter
Bras"
To the ordinary reader OF Mr.. Camp
bells Waterloo" it appears readily
that he had had tho belief that he
knew it-if not all. at least too much
10 be told things by the grizzly old
guide" But the suavity and French
Establishments OF this self-samo guide
were too much for even Mr.. Campbell,
and We find tho lattor's somewhat sud-
den conclusions ut first acquaintance OF
the guidc duly yielding; and We learn
that with this pcrmit"-onc franc
irQm Mr.. CGinpbell--'he broke loose :
: and in five minutes no had us
all in middle as to every incident OF
the battle.
he had to tell him at last that lie really
ought 10 read up and inform himself about
Waterloo" Italics, and italics only,
mine. Tho language is A. w. Camp
bells to his grizzly old guide.
]. P. MILLER,
BRckhannon, W. Va, October &c, 1891.
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