The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1896-06-03


forest of Soignes. There the allied command
ers had agreed % form junction. Napoleon
ordered Marshal Grouchy with his division of
81, 900 To follow I'M Butcher ON his retreat from
Ligny to Waterloo. The plain purpose was
that IL Blucher should join Wellington. then
Grouchy SHOULD u,ite his division with that
OF Ney The failure Of Grouchy to do this-to
hang upon Bluchcrs rear-was n fatal cir
cuI.istance Of tie final catastrophe
On the night of June 18th the British and
French armies cncamped only short distance
apart. modern feld-piece could easily throw
a shell from La Belle Alliance over La Hale
Saintc To Mont st. Jean and far beyond into
the forest. During tho afternoon of the 18th
and the greater part OF the night, there WAS a
heavy rainfall-another fact I'm 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 deploy over dry field.
Hugo has made the place and the scene i'm
mortal in the greatest battle-pece since Ho-
mer. The field of Waterloo Is an undulating
plain Stratcgically, il has the shape of an i'm
mense harrow. The clevis is the height
called Mont st. Jean Behind that is the viii
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 crossbar intersects the right leg
at La Hale Sainte. 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 Hougomont. The battle
was fought on the line of the crossbar and in
the triangle between it and the clevis.
The conflict began just before noon. The
armies engaged were of equal strength. num-
bering about $4,000 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 8 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 Hougomont. The lat
ter 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 division,
under Bulow, about 10. 900 strong, came on the
field, and Napoleon had to withdraw a divi-
sion from his center to repel the oncoming Ger
mans. For two or three hours, in the area
between La Hale Sainte and Hougomont, 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 attempt to
retalSe La Hale Sainte ended in 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 Tho support which he sent to Ney was
Marshal concluded that the crisis was at
hand, and Napoleon sought to support him
with Milhaud'S cuiraSsier5 and division of
the Middle Guard Under this counter-charge
the British lines recled and staggered, but
still chung desperately 90 their position. They
gave little, and then hung fast and could be
moved no farther. In 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
Just at this juncture, however an uproar
was witnessed far TO the right. The woods
seemed 70 open, and the banners of Butcher
shot up in the horizon. Grouchy was not on
his rear or flank! Napoleon saw at "A glance
that ii was then or never. His sun of Austen
litz 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
phantom He called out four battalions of the
Middle and six of the Old Guard. In the last
fifteen years that Guard had been thrown
hundred times ON the enemies of France, and
mover yet repulsed. 1t deemed itself invinci-
BILE.
At seven o'clock, just as the June sun was
sinking TO the horizon, the bugles sounded,
and tho finest body of horsemen in Europe
started TO its doom on the squares of yelling
ton. The grim horsemen rode TO their fate
like heroes. The charge rolled on like ava
lanche. 1t plunged into the sunken road of
O'Hain. IL 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. IL was the war of
races at its climax. 1t was the final death grip
recoiled. The wild cry Of La Garde reculle
was heard above the roar of battle. The crisis
of the Modern Era broke in blood and smoke,
and the past was suddenly victorious. The
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 a specta-
Gle To gods and men. Five horses had been
killed under him. He was on foot. He was
hatlcss. He clutched the hlt of broken sword.
de 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. Wellington guards rose and charged.
Havoc came down with the darkness. A sin
gle regiment of the Old Guard was formed by
Napoleon into last square around which to
rally the fugitivcs. The Emperor stood in the
midst and declared his purpose to die with
Them Marshal SOult forced him out of the
melee, and the famous square, commanded by
CambrOnne-hinging his profane objurgation
into the teeth Of the ,English-perished with
the wild cry Of Nive l'Empereur!
On that spot French patriotism has planted
a bronze lion 20 commemorate forever the ex-
tinction, not of the Old Guard only but of the
Empire and of Napoleon the Great. There the
traveller from strange lands pauses, at the
distance of eighty years from the horrible
cataclysm, and reflects with wonder how
within the memory of living men human ma.
ture could have been raised by the passion of
battle TO such sublime heroism as that dis
pltytu III IntSe WncatOeluS ana OrcnaruS Where
the Old Guard of France 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 see him at 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 Torbay on the 18th of July. There are flu
rious debates in the British Commons. For
what shall we do with Hint
That indeed. o Great Britain, "a question:
The worst, the most ungenerous thing Is done.
He shall be banished TO st. Helena The thing
IL accomplished. On the 10Th of October, 1918,
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
agoi
Napoleon was not only exiled: he was i'm
prisoned. st. Helena was his prison. He
guarded His masters watched him with cruel
surveillance for nearly six years Under their
sleepless 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