Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1896-01-10

at Waterloo, where odds In numbers and
position were heavily against hdna9 Critics
and reviewers generally agree bhat Napo.
Icons plan was masterly-tO get between
the allied armies Of Wellington and
Butcher, then use them up pieoe,neal. He
agOt between them and c8nae 80 near CON-
plotting the daring programme that at one
stage of tho light Wellington cried, "Oh,
that night or Butcher W0uld '0on1eT'
Butcher came.
Blucher was cut of from Wellington on
the 10th of June, two days beforo Wator-
loo So far tho plan went we'll. After
crossing the Sander, with hasarmy strung
along it's banks, in the faceof BluGher's ad-
vance troops, Napoleon brought the stub
born old marshal to battle Dd;assailed his
!, 9O, 900 with force Of &C, O00. That was ct
Ligny. Napoleon won the light, a COM
plete victory, but he failed narrowly to
destroy Blucher. Had he dons that there
would have been no Waterloo. Wellington
had no thought Of lighting without Blu.
cher.
The failure to destroy Butcher came
about In this way: When Napoleon SGT Out
I. to fight Bluchor ut Ligny, he dispatched
Ney, the last but one remaining od the
brilliant company of fighters 'erstw1nle
gathered round his banners, to assail We'll
lington's outpost ut Quatre Bas. Quatre
Bas was on Wellington's left and Lngy
on Blucher's right, less than is miles
apart. Ney had two corps and his orders
wero to carry Quatre Bas, then swing to
the right coming in upon Biucher's right
flank and rear. With the First CORDS Ney
attacked and almost won the fight. He
fnilel because tho Second corps was not
up. The delay Of the Second corps was
caused by a blunder that robbed Napoleon
Of half the fruits Of his victory ut L'gny.
1t took the wrong road, and just rs Napo-
Icon was about to give the order for a
grind charge at Ligny the columns of this
corps appeared coming from toward
Qnatrs Bas. They might be Wellington's
trbolM hnstening to aid Butcher or they
might DO Ney Is coming up as directed. In
\ the first case, II Wellington's, his-Napo-
leon s. charging column would get be-
atwGcn two fires; in tho second, his own
columns and Ney's would clash. He called
a halt Tho new troops proved to be the
Second Fronoh corps and he allowed it to
return to Quatre Bas rs planned. 1t reached
there too late, for Wellington had repulsed
Ney. ~ y ,' ga
u After resting and feeding his ARMY nt
Ligny, Napoleon led III rapid pursuit OF
Butcher, actually getting close enough
himself to DO recognized by prominent
Prussinn officers, and with his cavalry bat.
teries hurting shot into tho rear guard.
Finally he sent Grbuchy with 80, 900 SOL
dies to look after tho fleeing Prussians
willie 10 marched the main body to juno
tion with Ney and pushed after Yelling
TON. Tho march ended ut Waterloo, where
oh irt1
fur bulh defense and Otfense. About noon
tho 18th Napoleon attacked Hougoumont,
IT,, key to tho right flank Of the enemy
II novslor of his mon knew no bounds, and
although they failed to carry it. they
gainctl Il lodgment and practically silenoed
1t. Then followed the charge which an
swcrs to that of Pickett at Gettysburg. A
battery of "a guns rained missiles upon
Wcllington's center and left center. Noy,
1.-THE bravest of the brave" led out $4,000
soldiers in four columns, three striking
the enemy's left center and fourth the
right, toward Hougoumont. The main body
swept away the Dutch and Belgian allies
and with wild shouts Of "Vive PEm
pereurP' plunged among the abandoned
guns on the crest.
I, AT first glance it seemed that there was
no opposition to these $4,000 exulting
Frenchmen but in moment all was
changed. Wellington's second line, the
division of Pincton, only 5000 strong
stood below the crest. Its leader was an
other Ney. Spreading his line out two
deep to cover tho wide front, he charged
the mass of Frenchmen. For moment
tie French halted, and Pinoton gave the
order to use bayonets. Ho was shot down,
and with his last breath called to all aid
81 Rally the Highlanders The French
sr6eled and staggered down the hill. In
stantly the cavalry of Somerset and Pom
aonby rode in on either flank of Pincton's
line and dashed among the fleeing French,
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