El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-06-10
After Waterloo.

GsthhSemane.
| Florence Earle Coates.
After Waterloo.
Until II O'Clock at night the emperor
| had marched with the last battalions
| of grenadiers that still supported the
retreat Accompanied by Soult, Drouot,
Bertrand, several officers and a dozen
| red lancers and chasseurs of the guard,
| he reached Quatre-Bras at I o'clock in
| the morning, vainly hoping to find
| there the Division Girard, which had
been ordered to that point.
The emperor dismounted in a glade
| vouac fire, kindled by some grenadiers
of the guard. A wounded officer, flee
ing along the road, recognized the en-
| peror by the freight. He was stand
ing erect, his arms folded upon his
| breast, motionless as a statue, his eyes
fixed in the direction of Waterloo.
There were no tidings from Grouchy,
who, they feared, must be in danger.
The emperor ordered Soult to advise
him of the retreat of the army, and
direct him to retire upon the lower
Sambre. Soldiers of every branch OF
the service were running along the
road and across the fields. Command
ant Baudus, on horseback among the
fugitives, saw the little group of the
imperial staff and joined it. The en-
peror asked if he had not met some
army corps not entirely disorganized.
Baudus replying that not far from
Quatre-Bras he had passed the Fifth
Lancers still marching in order under
Col Jacqueminot. go Instantly"
said the emperor, "and order him to
stop at Quatre-Bras. 1t is late, and
the enemy finding this point occupied,
will probably halt" Baudus started
at a gallop, but fire opening upon him
from the first houses at the cross roads
he returned to the emperor and en-
treated him to withdraw, "since he had
no longer any support AS he spoke
he saw that Napoleon was silently
weeping for his shattered army. In
his gloomy face, pallid as wax, there
was no life except these tears.
But in this detection the emperor
retained his presence Of mind. The
Girard Division not appearing, he con-
cluded that his orders had miscarried.
If ignorant of the defeat, it was in
danger Of being surprised and captured
by the enemy. He ordered Baudus to
hasten to Fleurus and bring up the di-
vision on the right bank of the Sam
bre. Then, yielding to necessity, he
set out for Charleroi, where he arrived
at five in the morning to find only the
maddest confusion The single bridge
across the Sama- ad given way I'M
Ia- h. Of r,in
troops The streets were choked with
fugitives and encountered with the
broken and pillaged vehicles of the
hospital trains and the commissariat
A false alarm that the Prussians had
attacked the town had destroyed all
discipline. The citizens and the SOL
diers had rifled the military chest
which the paymaster had bravely but
vainly endeavored to save. The coach
containing the military portfolio had
been stopped; but the Due de Bassano
was able to destroy the most important
papers. To restore order was impos-
sible. After giving a few orders,
which no one obeyed, the emperor pur-
sued his way on horseback to Philippe
Vile, where he was Joined by the Due
de Bassano and other officers, and again
by Marshal Soult.
His first efforts were to rally the
army Orders were dispatched to GER
tain commandments to take charge OF
such detachments and stragglers as
they could collect, supply them with
food and arms, and direct them to
specified places of rendezvous. A new
order was sent to Marshal GrOuchy,
to retire upon Philippeville or Gevit.
Then the emperor wrote two letters
to his brother Joseph, the one care
fully relating the result Of the battle,
to be read to the council of ministers.
The other, private letter, Disgusting
nothing of the great disaster, announc-
ing his immediate return to Paris The
second letter closed with these words:
"All is not lost. By uniting my forces,
all reserves, the National Guard, I
shall have three hundred thousand
men to oppose to the enemy. But I
must be aided, not hampered. I be-
lieve that the deputies will feel it to
be their duty to unite with me in Or
der to save France"
The direct route from Philippeville
to Paris was unavailable on account of
the bodies of Prussian cavalry over
running the country. At Rocroi, on
the circuitous route he chose, the in
habitants, unaware of the great disas-
for SuarDoed tO 500 and a1Y1ta ON