Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-07-05

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Wellington during the day had
brought up some additional forces
from bis rear and could now oppose
Napoleon with numbers three to one.
Charge OF the Imperial 0uard.
Everything now depended upon enc
desperate charge by the Imperial
Guard before the Prussians, tramp
ling down their feeble and exhausttd
opponents, could blend their squad
rons with the battalions of Yelling
ton. The scene now presented was
one of the most sublime which war
has ever furnished. The Imperial
Guard had never yet moved but In
the path OF victory. AS these re-
nowned battalions, In two immense
columns. descended the one eminence
and assembled to the other to oppose,
their bare bosoms to point-blank dis-I
charges from batteries double-shotted,
or loaded to the muzzle with grape,
there was moments lull In the
storm OF battle Both armies gazed
with awe upon the scene. The des-
tinies Of Napoleon. OF France, Of
Europe were suspended upon the is
sues of moment. Not drum beat
the charge. Not a bugle uttered its
inspiriting notes. Not a cheer es-
capped the lips of those proud, deter
mined, indomitable men. Silently,
sternly, unflinchingly they strobe on
till they arrived within a few yards of
the batteries and bayonets which the
genius Of Wellington had arrayed to
meet them. There was a flash as OF
intensest lightning cleaning along
the British lines. A peal Of crash
ing thunder burst upon tho plain.
A tempest of bullets, shot, shells
and all the horrible missiles Of war
fell like hailstones upon the 4iving
mass, and whole battalions melted
away and were trampled In the
bloody mire by the still advancing
host. Defiant of death, the intrepid
Guard, closing up its decimated
ranks, pressed on, and pierced the
British line. Every cannon, every
musket which could be brought to
bear was directed to this unfaltering
and terrible foe. Ney, in the course
of a few moments, had five horses
shot beneath him. Then, with a
drawn saber, he marched on foot at
the head of his men. But the charge
of the Old Guard was In vain; 1t
was cut down or hurled back broken
and decimated. At the same mcment
the Prussians came rushing upon the
field, entirely overpowering the feeble
squadrons left to oppose them.
Annihilation Of the Old Guard.
Napoleon threw himself into a
small square Of the Old Guard which
he had kept as reserve, resolving to
perish with it, but his generals be-
sought him to leave the fed, and as
he turned from the CORY scene he
took his first step toward St Helena.
This enc square, acting as rear
guard, covered the flight Of the army.
The Prussians and the English press
ed it on three sides, pouring into its
bosom the most destructive dis
charges. SquadIons Of cavalry plung-
ed upon 1t. and still it remained UNI
broken. The English and Prussians,
admiring such heroism and weary Of
the butchery. suspended for moment
their fire and sent flag Of truce de-
handing capitalization. Gen. Cam
bronze returned the immortal reply,
@The Guard dies, but never surren-
ders." A few more volleys Of bullets
from the infantry, a few more dis
charges of grape-shot from the artil-
lery, moved them all down. Thus
persisted, on the fatal field of Water
loo, the Old Guard Of Napoleon.
The allied armies pressed on to
Paris; Napoleon second time abdi-
Gated, and on Oct 16, 1915, he begon
his exile in st. Helena. On the field
Of Waterloo the star Of his destiny
had forever set!