The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-07

s-le.t al force and enthusiasm which
cDhst ltlltes the soul of war Napoleon de-
eIeieu that with few additional weeks
IN April and May of 1915 he would have
urawn around his empire a rim OF brass
trate.
BUT he was obliged to take the field with
incomplete preparation. The allied armies
OF england and Prussia, under Wellington
and Butcher. came on, the one from
FIahders' and the other from the Rhine
II was the policy of Napoleon to prevent
the union of his enemies The 18th of
June found him on the Belgian frontier
with $4,000 men. on the next day he de-
reated Butcher at Ligny. The attack of
Ney on the English at Quatre Bras was
unsuccessful The impetuous marshal,
who was now the emperor's right arm
iell back on the village Of Waterloo. The
place was about nine miles from Brussels.
II was sNirted by the forest of Soignes.
There the allied commanders had agreed
10 form a junction. Napoleon ordered
Marshal Grouchy with his division of "a
W. 10 follow up Butcher on his retreat from
Ligny to Waterloo. The plain purpose was
that If Butcher should join Wellington.
then Grouchy should unite his division
with that of Ney. The failure Of Grouchy
TO do this-to hang upon Blucher's rear
was fatal circumstance of the final cat
astrophe.
on the night of June 18th the British
and French armies eneamped only short
distance apart. A modern field piece could
easily throw a shell from La Belle ALI
ance over la Hale Sainte to Mont ST. Jean
and Tar beyond into the forest. During the
afternoon of the 18th and the greater part
or the night, there was a heavy rainfall
another fact in the catastrophe. On the
Following morning the emperor, viewing
the situation from his headquarters at
a. Ia A IL
ing to precipitate the battle until his ar
tlilery might deploy over a dry field.
Hugo has made-the place and the scene
immortal in the greatest battle piece since
Homer. The field of Waterloo is an I'M
dulating plain. Strategically it has the
shape of an immense harrow. The clevis
is on the hight called Mont st. Jean. Be
hind that is the village of Waterloo. The
right leg of the harrow terminates at the
hamlet of La Belle Alliance. The left leg
is the road from Brussels to Nivelles. The
cross bar intersects the right leg at La
Hale Sainte. The right leg is the highway
from Brussels to Charleroi. The inter-
secting of the bar with the left leg is near
the old stone chateau Of Hougomont. The
battle was fought on the line of the cross
bar and in the triangle between it and the
clevis.
The conflict began just before noon. The
armies engaged were of equal strength,
numbering about $4,000 men on each side.
Napoleon was superior in artillery; but
Wellington's soldiers had seen longer SER
vice in the field. They were his veterans
from the Peninsular war, perhaps the
stubbornest fighters in Europe. Napo-
Icons first plan was to double back the
allied left on the center. This involved
the capture Of La Hale Sainte, and as a
strategic corollary the taking of Hougo-
mont. The latter place was first attacked.
The field and wood were carried; but the
chateau was held in the midst of horrid
carnage by the British.
Early in the afternoon Prussian dlvi-
sion, under, Bulow, about 10000 strong,
came on the field, and Napoleon had to
withdraw a division from his center to
repel the oncoming Germans. For two
or three hours. in the area between La
Hale Sainte and Hugomont, the battle
ragged, the lines swaying with uncertain
fortune back and forth La Hale Sainte
was taken and held by Ney. On the whole,
the British lines receded. Wellingtons at
tempt to retake La Hale Sainte ended in
a repulse. Ney on the counter-charge
called on Napoleon for reinforcements,
and the latter at that moment, changing
his plan of battle, determined to make
the principal charge on the British CEN
ter. The support which he sent to. Ney
was not as heavy as II should have been,
but the marshal concluded that the crisis
was at hand, and Napoleon sought to sup
port him with Milhaud's curiassiers and
| a division of the Middle Guard Under
| this counter-charge the British lines reel
| ed and staggered, but still chung desper-
| ately to their position. They gave a
little, and then hung fast, and could be
| moved no further. In another part of the
| field Durutte carried the allied position
| of Paperlotte, and Lobau routed Bulow
from Planchenois At 4:30 everything
seemed to portend disaster to the allies
and victory to the French
Just at this juncture, however, an up
| roar was witnessed far to the right he
| woods seemed TO open, and the banners
| ofeBlucher shot up in the horizon. Grou-
/ chy was not on his rear or flank! Ma
/ poleon saw at a glance that 1t was then
| or never. The sun of Austeriitz hung
| low in the west. The British center must
| be broken, or the empire which he had
/ builded with his genius must pass away
| like a phantom. He called out four bat
/ talions of the Middle and six of the Old
| Guard. In the last fifteen years that
! Guard had been thrown a hundred times
| on the enemies of France, and never yet
! repulsed 1t deemed itself invincible.
At o'clock, just as the June sun as
| sinking to the horizon, the bugles sounded
and the finest body of horsemen in Eu-
rome started to it's doom on the squares
| of Wellington. The grim horsemen rode
| TO their fate like heroes. The charge
! rolled on like an avalanche. 1t plunged
! into the sunken road of o. Hahn. 1t seemed
/ to roll over 1t rose from the low grounds
! and broke on the British squares. They
| reeled under the shock; then reformed
| and stod fast. Around and around those
/ immovable lines the soldiers of the en-
| pire beat and beat in vain 1t was the
| war of races at its climax. 1t was the
| final death grip of the Gaul and the leu
ton. The Old Guard recoiled. The wild
| ory Of La Garde reeulle was heard above
the roar Of battle. The crisis of the Mod
/ ern Era broke in blood and smoke, and
| tbe mast was suddenly victorious. The
| Guard was broken into flying squadrons.
Rnin came with the counter charge Of
| the British. Ney the glorious in his
despair, sought to stay the tide. For an
hour longer he was spectacle to gods
| and men. Five horses had been killed IN
| der him. He was on foot. He was hatless
4 He clutched the hilt of broken sword.
| he was covered with dust and blood. But
| bis Grim face was set against the vic
| torious enemy in the hopeless and heroic
| Struggle to rally his shattered columns.
| Nfeanwhile the Prussians rushed in from
4 tho right. Wellington's guards rose and
! cbarged. Havoc came down with the
/ dsrxness. A single regiment Of the Old
] Nv n