Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1898-06-30
eoLDsBoRo n. e. JUNE 80, 1898
Waterloo in a New Light.
Chicago News.

The battle Of Waterloo is one D.
perennial interest. The United
States were little involved, direct.
ly or indirectly, both the French
and English being regarded bJ
them as rather foes than friends
at the time. But the effect Of the
battle upon the world was some,
thing more than far-reaching. L
has changed the face of the world,
civilized and otherwise, and in the
changes this country is vitality III,
terested. It will be remembered
that Napoleon fought on one side;
the Germans under Butcher and
the British under Wellington on
the other. Until the Admirable
book of e. L.. S. Horseburgh,
"Waterloo; A Narrative and q
Criticism" the two Municipalities
chiefly involved against the French
had been engaged in spirited con
%troversies, each seeking TO claim
for itself the entire glory of the
occasion. The book IN hand sub
stitutes a milder process, holding
rightly that there was glory
enough for two. SO that both could
abundantly afford to tell the en~
tire truth. In any event, it marks
the end of Latin domination in
Europe. The two great winning
nations have suffered no repulse
of consequences since, and it may
be readily believed to-day that all
who speak English and all who
speak German constitute an abso~
lutely invincible force against the
world.
Napoleon set out with 128, 600
men. The allies had very nearly
200, 600 to oppose him, but these
were distributed along q frontier
that their numerical superiority
was of little consequence. TAX
ing his departure from Paris June
-, 1915, two days later saw a most
skillful concentration Of his forces
in the neighborhood of Ch%arleroi;
the Prussians under the command
of Ziethen falling back in order.
1t was not until the next day that
Wellington began to bring the al
lied armies into close communica-
ton. 1t is admitted with practical
unanimity that this was a serious
mistake, which nothing but good
fortune kept from becoming q
colossal blunder. 1t is offset in
part by Ney's failure to occupy
Quatre Bras June Is, which has
never been explained, since it was
a most desirble point and was at
that time hardly defended by the
allies at all. As it was, it was
not until the evening of the 10th
that Wellington ordered the march
to Quarter Bras. The next morn
ing Napoleon commanded Ney to
destroy this force, and at the same
time he attacked the Germans at
Ligny himself. Ney fought a
bloody but indecisive battle, be-
ginning at 2 O'Clock in the after-
noon. OF the $1,000 soldiers inc
volved 5000 were slain. Half an
hour later the force under Butcher
was in the thick of the fighting at
Lingy. Had Ney been able to
send re.enforcements, it would
have been annihiIated. AS it was,
it r~etreated under cover of the
darkness and was able to decide
the fate of nations two days later
June II was a do-nothing day.
a day Of delays" Napoleon was
absolutely confident. He had
some 10000 English over against !
him on the following day. and he
knew that the Dutch and Bel |
gians IN the allied army were at
least lukeWarm The P~rpssians.
who were earnest, were at some
distance. Fate seemed to have
played into his hand. as it had
so often done before. He did not
realize, what IS SO plain now,
that his failure TO defeat and uts
terIy rout the divided forces on
The 10th marked his decline. Aud
Il is certain, as well, that if Blu
had been as slow IN helpiog
Wellington at Waterloo as the
after had been IN coming to his
assistance at Ligny, there would