The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-07-06

4ts
Of old.
From tho lst OF March 30 Waterloo was q pc
riod OF n hundred AID ten days History calls
1t the Hundred Days. The iron purpose OF Ma
poleon. his tireiess energy, and omniscient
perception, were never seen in such prodigious
eruption and glare as Ia this period Of his
fate. The allies had become desperate. The
whole world perceived that tho Imperial re-
publicanism OF France, impersonated In Bona
parte and springing in the wind OF his sword.
must, now triumph To the borders OF Europe
or perish miserably under the heels Of banded
kings. The two ideas hich the parties Of tho
past and the future represented were irrccon-
cilabe; they could no longer coexist. Either
must Napoleon and his dynasty DC stamped
into the earth. or the cid system Of political
society In Europe disappear forever.
The French pooplc sprang to the call. In
few weeks 807 100 men. volunteers and con-
scripts, were thrown into the field. Il was the
last call TO arms. and France was drained
from hor noun tains TO tho sea-drained not
only Of men and horses. but Of that moral
force and enthusiasm which constitute the
soul of war. Napoleon declared that with a
few additional weeks in April and May Of ISIS
he would have drawn around his Empire n
rim of brass and aro that no human power
could penetrate.
Rut he was Obliged 10 tak the fold with In.
complete preparation. The allied armies ur
England and Prussia, under Wellington and
the other from the Rhine. It was the policy
Of Napoleon 10 prevent the union OF his enc
mics The 18th Of June found him on the Bel.
gian frontier with l2i. 900 men. On the next
day he defeated Blucher nj Ligny. The attack
Of Ney on the English at Quatre Bras was un-
successful The impetuous marshal, who was
now the Emperor's right arm. fell back on the
village Of Waterloo. The place was about nine
miles from Brussels. IL was skirted by the
forest Of Soignes There the allied command
ers had agreed TO form a junction. Napoleon
ordered Marshal Grouchy with his division Of
81. 900 to follow mp Blucher ON his retreat from
Lgny TO Waterloo. The plain purpose was
that II Bucher should Join Wellington, then
Grouchy should unite his division with that
Of Ney. The failure OF Grouchy 10 do this-to
hang upon Blucher's rear-was u fatal cir
cumstance OF the final catastrophe.
On tho night OF June 18th the British and
French armies encaxPed only short distance
apart. A modern eold- piece could easily throw
a shell from La Belle Alliance over La Halo
Sainte 20 Mont st. Jean and far beyond into
the forest. Daring the afternoon OF the 18th
and the greater part Of the night, there was a
heavy rainfsll-another fact in tho catastro-
phe On the following morning the Emperor.
viewing the situation from his headquarters
at the farm Of La Belle Alliance was unwill-
ing to precipitate the battle until his artillery
might doploy over dry Geld.
Hugo has made the place and tho scene Inn
mortal In the greatest battle piece since Ho-
mer. The field Of Waterloo Is an undulating
plain. Strategically, IL has the shape of an i'm
mense harrow. The clevis Is on the height
called Mont 81. Jean Behind that is the vii
lage 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 Nj
velles. The cross bar ihtersocts the right leg
at La Hale Sainte- The right leg is the high
way from Brussels TO Charlcroi. The intersec-
tion 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 IL and the clevis.
The conflict began Just before noon. The
armies engaged wore OF equal strength. num-
bering about 80, 600 men on each side. Napoleon
was superior in artillery; but wellington's SOL
diers had seen longer service in the field. They
were his veterans from the Peninsular War,
perhaps the stubbornest fighters in Europe.
Napoleon's lrst plan was 20 double back the
allied left on tho ceater. This involved the
capture Of La Haze saipte. and as a strategic
ter place wa was iirst sitaeked. The faid and
wood were carried but the chateau was held
In the midst of borrid carnage by the British.
Early In tho afternoon "a Prussian division,
under Bulow, about 10000 strong, came on the
field, and Napoleon had TO withdraw a divi-
sion from his center to repel the opcoming Ger
mans. For two or three hours. in the area
between La Hale Sainte and Eougomout, the
battle ragged, the lines rwaying with uncertain
fortune back snd forth. La Hale sainte was
British lines reooded Wellington's attempt to
retako La Hate Sa,nte ended ia repulse Ney
reinforcemert@. and the latter at that moment,
changing his plan OF ba'tk. determined to
mako the principal charge on the British CEN
not "a heavy as IL shuuld have been. but the
Marshal concluded that the crisis was at
hand, and Napoleon sought to support him
with Milhaud's cuirassiors and division Of
the Middle Guard Under this counter-charge
the British linos rneied and staggered, but
still clune desperately 70 their position. They
gave n little, and then hung fast and could DO
moved no farther. In another part of the
field Durutte carried the allied position of Pa
pclotte, and Lobau ro.tcd Bulow from Plan
chenois. AT half past four everything seemed
70 portend disaster to the allies and victory
T. the French.
was witnessed far TO the risht The Woods Woods
seemed 70 open, and the banners Of Blucher
shot up In TIC horizon Gronchy was not on
that IL was then or never His sun OF Auster-
htz hung low In the west. The British center
must DO broken. or the Empire which he had
phantom. He called out -four battalions of the |
Middle and six o. teo Old Guard. In the last |
Iifteqn years that Guard had been thrown
hundred times OF the enemies of France and |
never yet repulsod. 1t deemed itself inyinci-
At seven o'clock, Just "a tho June sr,: was
sinking 20 tbe horizon, the bugles sounded,
Ind tho fnast body OF horsemen in Europe |
started 70 itl doom. on tho squares of wollinR-
iho EflIIl nOIS5incn TO0e 10 tnelr late
ike heroes. The charge rolled on like an ava
anGhe. IL plunged into tho sunken road Of
lain. IL seemed TO roll ever. IL rose from
ho low grounds aud broke on tho British
squares. They reeled under the shock; then
'eformed and stood fast Around and around
hose immovable lines the soldiers Of the En-.
,ire beat Al y Deat ia vain. IL WINS the war OF
aces at its climax. II was tho final death-grip
II the Gaul and tho Truton. The Old Guard
'ecoiled. The wild cry OF La Garde reculle
vas heard above the rear OF battle. The crisis
u the Modern Era broke In blood and smoke. !
nd the past was suddenly victorious. The
iuard was broken into flying squadrons. Ruin
anne with the counter charge OF tho British
Scy, glorious in his despair, sought TO stay
no tide. For an hour longor he was a specta.
lo To gods and men. Five horses had been
llled under him. Hc was on fve He was
atloss He clutched tho hilt OF a broken sword
io was covered with dust and blood But his
rim face was set against the victorious ene
ny In the hopeless and heroic struggle 10 fal
his shattered columns
moanwhilc the Prussians rushed In from the
lght Wellington's guards rose and charged.
laVoc camo down with tho darkness a sin. |
10 regiment OF tho Old Guard was formed by |
apoleon into n last square around which To |
ally the fugitves. The Emperor stood in the
lldst and deelsred his purpose 10 die with