Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-07-06

IL.
row the Emperprs right arm, fell back on the
village Of Waterloo. The place WAS about nine
miles from Brussels. 1t was skirsed by the
forest Of Soigncs. There the allied command
ers had agreed to form a junction. Napoleon
ordered Marshal Gro,.chy with his division Of
"a, 100 to follow Cp Butcher On his retreat from
Ligny to Waterloo. The plain purpose was
that if Elucher should join wellington then
Grcuchy should unite his division with that
of Ncy. The failure of Grouchy to DO this-to
hang upon Blucker's rcar-was a fatal cir
cumstance CT the final catastrophe.
On the night of June 18th the British and
French armies encamped only a short distance
apart. modern Iieid-piece could easily throw
a shell from La Belle Alliance over La Hale
Sainte TO Mont st. Jean and far beyond into
the forest. During the afternoon Of the 18th
and the greater part of the night, there was n
heavy rainfall-anothcr fact in the 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 ticploy over dry field.
Hugo has made the place and the scene inn
mortal in the greatest b2ttle-piece since Ho-
mer. The field of Waterloo is an undulatinc
plain. Stretegically, it has the shape Of an i'm.
mense harrow. The clevis is on the height
called Mont st. jean. Behind that is the vii
lage Of Waterloo. The right leg of the harrow
terminates at the hamlet of La Belle Alliance.
velles. The cross bar intersccts the right leg
at La Hale Saintc. The right leg is the high
way from Brussels to Charleroi. The intersec-
ton Of the bar with the left leg is near the
old stone chateau Of Hou;onort. The battle
was fought on the line of the cross-bar and in
the triangle between it and t!ia clovis.
The conflict began just before noon. The
armies engaged We're of equal strength, num-
boring about 500 men on each side. Napoleon
was superior in artillery; but Wollington's sol
Il, hn1
We're his veterans from the Peninsular War,
perhaps the stubbornest fighters in Europe.
Napolcon's first plan was to double back the
allied left on the center. This involved the
capture Of La Haic Sa;intc, and "a strategic
corollary the taking of Hougomont. The lat
ter place was first attacked The field and
wood were carried; but the clatoal WAS held
in the midst of horrid carnage by the British.
Early in the afternoon Prussian division,
under Bulow. about 1000 strone. came on the
field and Napoleon had to withdraw divi-
sion from his center to repel the oEcoIaing Ger
mans. For two or three hours in the area
between La Hale Santo and Hougomont, the
fortune back and forth. La Hale Samte was
taken and held by Ncy. On tle whole, the
retako La Hale Saintc ended in repulse. Ney
on the countcr-charge called on Napoleon for
achievements, 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 it should have been, but the
Marshal concluded that the crisis at
hand. and Napoleon sought to support him
with Milhauds cuirassiers and division Of
still clung desperately to their position. They
gave {. little. and then hung fast and could be
moved no farther. II another part Of the
field Durutte carried the allied position of Pa
pelotte, and Lobau routed Bulow from Plan
chenois. At half past four everything seemed
to portend disaster to the allies and victory
to the French.
Just at this 1uncturc, however, an uproar
was witnessed far to the right. The woods
seemed to open; and the banners of Butcher
shot up in the horizon. Grouchy was mot on
his rear or flank! Napoleon saw ut a glance
that it was then or never. His sun of Aus;er-
htz hung low in the west. The British center
must be broken, or the Empire which he had
buildcd with his genius must pass away like a
Middle and six of the Old Guard. In the last
fifteen years that Guard had been thrown Q
never yet ropulsed. 1t deemed itself invinci-
At seven o'clock. just as the June sun was
sinking to the horizon, the bugles sounded,
and the finest body of horsemcn in Europe
started to its doom on the squares of Yelling
like heroes. The charge rolled on like an ava.
lanGhe. 1t plunged into the sunkcn road of
0'Hain: II seemed to roll over. 1t rose from
the low grounds and broke on the British
squares. They reeled under the shock; then
reformed and stood fast Around and around
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 Teuton.- The Old Guard
was heard above the roar of battle. The crisis
of the Modern Era broke in blood and smoke.
| and the past WIS suddenly victorious. Tho
Guard was broken into flying squadrons Ruin
came with the counter charge Of the British.
Ney, glorious in his despair, sought to stay
the tide. For an hour longer he was n spect;l-
Gle to gods and men. Five horses had been
killed under him. He was On foot. He was
hatless. He clutched the hilt of broken sword.
he was covered with dust and blood. But his
grim face was set against the victorious enc
my in the hopeless and heroic struggle to raj
ly his shattered columns.
Meanwhile the Prussians rushed in from the
right. We!lington's guards rose and charged.
Havoc came down with the darkness. A sin
Napoleon into last square around which to
rally the fugitivcs. The Emperor stood in the
them. Marshal Soult forced him out of the
melee, and the famous square, commanded by
Cambronne- finging his profanc obiurSation
INTO the teeth of the English-perished with
the wild cry of vive l'Empcreur!
On that spot French patriotism has planted
bronze lion TO commemorate forever the
tlnctlon not of the Old Guard only, but of the
Empire and Of Napoleon the Great. There the
traveller from strange lands pauses at the
OF s,SSh1y firth shn hprr h6
within the memory Of living men human ma
ture could have been raised by the passion of
battle to such sublime hcroism Is that dis
played IN these wheatficl;!s and orchards where
the Old Guard of Franco sank into Oblivion,
but rose to immortal fame.
The rest may be briefly summarized. Ma
poleon once more in Paris is obliged to abdi-
cate without conditions. He becomes fugi-
tive. On the Bird Of July We him Mt Roche
fort, on the western coast. He would fain
reach the United States: but the English fleets
patrol the Atlantic. His mind is confused
amid the wrecks of his destiny. He changes
his purpose, and throws himself on the gener-
osity of England. He claims TO be prisoner
OF war, and expects the treatment accorded
by International law to great captains taken
in battle. Vain expectation! He is conveyed
to Torhay on the 18th of July. There are fu-
rious debates in the British Commons. For
what shall we do with Him!
That indeed q Great Britain, is n question,
The worst, the most ungenerous thing is done.
Is accomplished. On the 10th of October, 1915,
the greatest military leader, and in many re-
spects the most remarkable man who has APP
| peared in the world since the era Of Christ
was debarked on his desolate island, that
Petite Isle" with which he had concluded
his school exercise at Autun, thirty six years
ago!
Napoleon was not only exiled: he was i'm
rrisoned 81. Helena was his prison. He was
guarded. His masters watched him with cruel
surveillance for nearly six years. Under their
slecpless eyes he dictated his Memoirs TO
Bertrand. conversed with his friends, or sought
| an hour in solitude on the rocks near Long
wood. looking out to the sea: His health at
length gave way. Though his constitution
was superb, there WAS an organic malady
Il l. ,.t. r