The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-07-04

was ever more stubbornly contested
than that of Waterloo. The loss of the
English and PrussianS was terrible,
while that of the French, though never
reckoned up, was even greater. Until
the last the English acted wholly on
the defensive. Wellington was every
where. AS one part of his line grew
weak with loss of life he strengthened
1t with the reserves that he kept hid
den on the slope behind him; or failing
IN that, rode personally to the place
OF weakness and encouraged his men
to hold their places to the bitter end,
regardless of everything. AS he af-
terward said, he had but little plan
when once the battle had begun. To
use his own phrase: ''As the French
pounded US we pounded back again,
and it was simply a question who could
pound longest and hardest" All the
time he kept looking toward the east
for the first appearance of the Prus-
slams. The Prussians made a noble
push that day.
The night and morning had been wet
and the roads were very bad. Besides
they had been marching for days, and
but two days before had been in SER
ious battle. But Butcher had given his
word to Wellington that he would not
fail him, and again and again he ap-
pealed to his followers: Children, chill
dren, you will not let me fail in my
word. will your And he kept on And
Wellington, when he saw the Prussians
coming over the hill to the left, knew
the day was his. The terrible tension
his mind had been in was loosened. But
Napoleon, strange 10 say, thought at
first that the advancing Prussians were
Grouchy's troops. When he saw who
they really were, his disappointment
and rage were unbounded. He up-
braided his generals, he upbraided his
staff, he upbraided every one. To the
request of Ney, who had sent word to
him for reinfOrcements, he angrily re-
piled: "Reinforcements! Where does he
think L am to get them? Does he think
l make thenl?"
But those veterans Of Napoleon'S were
noble fighters, and even now Napoleon
was far from despairing. de had still
the move to make which he felt con-
fident would win the game. He had
kept in reserve his. imperial guard, -
twenty battalions of heroes who had
borne his eagles to victory in many
wars, and he believed they We're in
vincible. But, unfortunately, he had TO
employ II of these Immediately to de-
fend his right, for by this time the
Prussians We're advancing from the
east in hosts, and he had nothing else
left TO oppose them with. There were
still LETT eight battallOnS, however, and
these he ordered to go forward against
the English in two divisions. Riding
with them as they set out he addressed
them affectionately, and babe them re-
member their past, and save the honor
OF the empire. Then he intrusted them
to Ney, deservedly known then and
ever as the .'bravest of the brave" But
as they advanced up the slope the Eng
lish artillery made havoc of their front,
and many of their generals were killed,
and even Ney was dismounted And
Wellington, too, had his surprise in
store. All through that terrible day
he had kept his choicest troops, his
guards, lying hidden behind the crest
of the hill that was now attacked. At
last he gave the word: up, guards,
and at thsmi" The English troops were
in line. and as the French came up
against them in column their execution
was terrific. The first division wavered
and broke. Then Wellington delivered
his last stroke. He deployed his I'M
occupied columns from the left, and,
wheeling them in line a quarter way
round, got the second division of the
French guard in q cross fire. They,
too. wavered broke and fed Then,
with a mighty rush down came the
hosts of the English cavalry, both light
and heavy, and the day was won. The
battalions before the pressing Prus-
slams gave way, and the whole French
army became a rout. Its disintegration
was into atoms. 1t broke into a gen.
eral cry of Save himself who cant
Napoleons star of destiny had set,
never to rise again