The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-11-01

Aiott tlSil iliSl can pdi 6ic III tic Sdiiit years. Although their paths never had crossed until they met on the Brussels road. the Briton had for six years fought the marshals of the Ma poleonic school in Spain, and there. in 1874, the Irishman was winning his duk while the Corsican was los ing his crown.
 Napoleon had a few more and Well lirgton a few less than 10000 troops. The most marked disparity between the forces was in artillery, the Emperor having 260 guns against the Dukes 1S0
 But while Napoleon was we'll satisfied with his army, which was wholly French and fiercely patriotic, Yelling ton described his own even after the victory as the worst equipped army with the worst staff ever brought to- gether." It Is true that nearly two thirds of his soldiers were untrained. The rest had seen more or less active services in the Spanish campaign, but the best of the Peninsula veterans were lost or still absent on the New Orleans expedition.
 There were only 23,s91 British. all told, at Waterloo, justabout one third of the total fighting force. More than 20,000 of Wellington's men were from Holland and Belgium. and more than 20,0C0 were Hanoverians and merce- naries hired In neighboring German states.
 With such a hodge-podge army, Vel lington would nto have dared to fight Napoleon at Waterloo had he not been assured that another army larger than his own was only eight miles away and hurrying to his assistance While Grouchy, with his 33,000 French, was actually marching farther away from Napoleon, Marshal Butcher, that old tl, l.t persistent and troublesome foe in arms, had been dragging his 80,000 weary Prussians through the mud since 2 o'clock in the morning and making straight for Waterloo. Wellington &C., cepted battle, therefore, on the confi- dent expectation that before the end of the day he would outnumber his adversary two to one.
 A Cloud in the Sky
 Even while the battle was beginning Grouohy was sending message to the Emperor, announcing that he hoped to arrive at Wavre in the evening, whero he would place himself between Butcher and Wellington. "who is, I presume, retreating before your majes- typ And he asked what he should do tomorrow. He did not know, poor. plodding marshall that Butcher was fast placing himself between him and Napoleon and that there would be no tomorrow for the army of France!
 It was almost noon when one of his "bea utiful daughters" as Napoleon fondy called his 12-pounders. tossed the ball that signalized the opening of a battle of untold, amending con- sequences.
 That first outburst of thunder from the batteries on La Belle Alliance was for the purpose of covering an attack upon Hougoumont. which Prince Je- rome Bonaparte led with reckless dar. ing. Out of the loopholes in the gar den walls of the chateau flames of fire shot itn othe faces of the advanc- ing French from the muskets of tho invisible British garrison. Twice Je- rome and his 12,000 men dashed heads down into the binding storm. When retreat was sounded. after a costly sac rifice, the bodies of the dead who had died in vain lay In heaps about the stubborn walls.
 The Emperor had not intended to in- such a heavy loss. He had ordered the attack merely to divert Yelling toms attention from the British center. where he had meant to deal his hardest blow. But while he was yet making ready for that deadly thrust. he dis cerned at o'clock a cloud of dust on the eastern horizon, which soon took the shape of an advancing column of troops. In a little while scouting party brought in a captured Prussian courier, with a message to the British from General Bulow of Butchers army. announcing that he was marching with 3o,U00 men to attack the right wing of the French.
 But Bulow was yet a long way off and the Emperor was not greatly dis turbed by this surprise. Indeed he seemed not to grasp it's full import. When he had sent courier to Grouchy, orderinG him to come in behind Bulow, who would thus be caught between two Frencf armies. he was well satisfied with the slans. a-
 Turning to Eouit, he merely revised the gambling odds. "This morning we