The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-06-18

podico QOWu III LOTTERIES, Will V1EIt
flashes of lightning. and the earth fairly
shook with deafening peals of thunder
5 No one who has not seen this part Of
belgium can form the faintest idea Of
the sea of mud and nlire now cut up by
the marching of the cavalry, artillery il
the roads where this memorable struggle
occurred. This alone accounts for the
: fact that in the defeat of the French
they Carried not a single cannon of the
field The infantry were compelled to
rank rye from to feet high kept them
well soaked with mud and water.
At o'clock a. na, June IS, the storm
ceased and the sun arose, for the first
time in four days, bright and clear, but
intensely hot. Napolean rapidly ar
ranged his army in front of the English,
who by this time had extended his left
line TO the village of La Belle Alliance,
making La Hay Sainte his center. By
great exertions, as the cannon could not
be moved until a. H.. and then only a
portion of them, Napoleon, at 11:40
commenced the attack, knowing the
allies alone would profit by delay.
By his well directed maneuvers the
French soon obtained the ascendancy.
The Dutch. Belgains and HanoYerians
were soon sent routed from the field,
| which restored the ascendancy to the
French. At the beginning of the action,
the allies had 90. 090 men, the French
| az, 600 men. Charges and counter
charges were made with awful rapidity
under the eyes of the emperor in person,
and at p. IN. the French had obtained
a decided victory, and could the emperor
| have had the cavalry OF Kellerman and
De Erlon to throw on the decisive point
at p. M, the English army would have
been totally destroyed. But alas, this
| fine body of men had been uselessfy Sic
rificed by Ney at Quatre Bras, and on
| the pursuit to Waterloo. Here the fatali-
| ties 70 the French army commenced III
competent Grouchy, before mentioned,
| had moved leisurely on Wavre, as direct
| ed, and had allowed the PrussianS to
pass him without striking him in his
flank, and at this moment, their adj
vances, 80, 900 strong, made their appear
| ance on the field (under Buiow) near La
| Belle Alliance, the right flank of the
French army. Napoleon, although
straining every nerve to complete his
victory. was obliged 10 detach 10000 of
his best troops to meet this new enemy,
which rapidly drove Bulow from the
field with prodigious slaughter.
Drawing together the remnants
of his old guards, under Ney
and Reille, Napoleon prepared to
make the supreme effort TO break
Wellington's lines, before the arrival of
Blucher, who he nov knew was ap-
preaching the field with his whole army,
81, 600 strong. Placing 5000 men under
Ney, at 7:15 p. m, he ordered the adj
vance on the center of the English line,
a little to the left of La Hay Sainte. sup
porting this column with 1900 of his
old guard, under Reille. The TWO col
umns approach the English position, now
Invested of all but those stubborn Eng
iish soldiers with their '.Iron Duke" at
their head
The first line is now swept away like
chaff, the second line is driven TO the
heights. nd just over the crowd, when the
whole English line arose and delivered
such a terrific volley that 1000 men
were at once stricken down. Appalled,,
but not yet defeated the columns of New
still stand their ground. The second
column of Reille is rapidly approaching
to their support. But, alas. before
Relic could reach the point assigned
him, hundreds of his men being fast
in the mud, unable to extricate them
selves, a second volley from the EnQ-
lish line and a charge of 500
(English) cavalry, under Lord
Vivian, on the flank of Ney's
column, completed their destruction. /
even at this late hour. could no more
than 500 of those superb cavalry of KeI- |
herman been preserved for the use of |
Napoleon, decisive victory would have |
been gained, and the disaster of Waterloo |
averted to the French nation.
An advance of the whole English line |
now occurred, and Relies column was
all killed or destroyed, and at this mo-
ment, S p. H., Blucher's army, $4,000 |
strong, made its entry on the field, on |
the right flank of the French army a
panic now seized the whole French army,
and the cry call is lost, save himself who |
cam" was heard, and the mass of fug- t
tives lost all semblance of order in their
flight. And here we close our eyes. 1t
was no more battle but slaughter
The Prussian cavalry rode ever and
killed, and destroyed without mercy, all
who were overtaken.
Napoleon in vain sought death; he
could not obtain it. and was forced from
the field by his faithful friends. He re-
turned rapidly to Paris, and again sur
rendered his crown.
The loss of the two armies was about
equal; about 600 killed on each side,
and 10000 wounded each; making a
total loss on the 18Th of June alone of
about $4,000 men.
After surrendering his crown
Napoleon repaired to the har-
Dor of Rochefort, on the coast
Of France, where under promise of
safe conduct 10 England, by the English
he went on board the English
Belsrphon, and was treated
with great courtesy during his voyage to
the English port of Tarbuy. But on lIls ;
arrival at tins port the English ministers
the nations pledge, by their ad-
niral, and sent him, close prisoner, to
Saint Helena, where he arrived October
10, 1915. and where he died in an old
COW stable at Longwood on May 6, 1921. {
In comparing this great mans acts ,
md achievements with the meanness,
reachery and selfishness OF his enemies,
We are lost in admiration of the man. :
l. was he who struck the death blow to !
hereditary titles in France and made il
possible, for the first time In Europe, to t
Use by merit alone to the highest sta {
ions. His ''Code Napoleon" viii de-
cend by the side of Blackstone to the {
attest posteri;y. The magnificent roads L
i built over the Simplon aud other
,arts of France; the canals he dug: the
bridges lie constructed IN ,
very part of France; the beautiful gal /.
cry of the Louvre; tue church of the
fadaline; the pillars OF Jena ard Aus
erIitz, and the Dome OF the lnvalides, =.
\ here today rests his ashes, are all en-