Evening star., 1915-06-13

the French on the heights of La Belle
Alliance.
During the night the rain falls in
torrents again, as though the very skies
weep for the slaughter that shall fur
ther drench the soil of Belgium on the
morrow In the pouring rain the en-
peror goes forth to reconnoiter the
English position, and having satisfied
himself of that. while his tireI vet
Grams bivouac in the mud. he throws
himself down for an hours sleep be
fore daylight.
He has been in the saddle for hours
on end with little or no rest. and. al
though his body is suffering from
local malady that would deter a stern
er soul. his mighty brain knows
rest. In the morning he mutters: I'VE
shall see; we shall see"
~
During the early hours of morning
the rain stops The emperor is up at
sunrise. From the heights of La Belle
Alliance he sees the English army
drawn up in battle array and he ex-
claims: AT last, at last then, 1 have
these English In my grasp The enc
my's army is superior to ours by near
ly fourth; there are nevertheless,
ninety chances in our favor, to ten
against u.s."
o'clock, but the ground is too sogsy
from the rain to allow his artillery and
cavalry to maneuver, and some of his
cannon have not yet come up with him,
SO Waterloo did not begin until IL
o'clock much to the vexation and dis
appointment of the emperor. He does
not know that Blucher has eluded
Grouchy. He Is counting on him to
take care of Blucher. He has great
fI
failed him before, and who is most
punctual in carrying out his emperor's
orders.
At last the French move forward
from the heights of La Belle Alliance
with banners flying and trumpets
sounding airs of former battle glories.
Fateful field of Waterloo. There will
be no victorious trumpet blasts for the
emperor of the French and his shat
tered legions at the close of this day
The proud eagles of France, victorious
on SO many fields of battle where the
great Corsican led, will be trampled
in the blood and dust ere that morn
ing sun shines to greet another day.
Why had Marshal Ney failed to obey
his emperors orders forty-eight hours
before at Ligny and Quatre-Bras? Ney,
of whom the emperor once said during
the campaign in Russia: "Oh. what a
man, what a man. And why did it
have to rain again on the night of the
18th of June, just before Waterloo?
And why had GrOuchy failed to follow
Blucher to Wavre?
AS the battle of Waterloo is begun,
Napoleon, from the hill of Rossome
sees dark mass moving in the direc-
tion Of st. Lambert. He thinks it may
be Grouchy. but he sends Gen. Dau-
mont with three regiments of light
cavalry to see. At this moment a Prus-
sian prisoner is brought to him and
from him the emperor compels the in
formation that Blucher is at Wavre.
$Lak r. tr H..
been seen at Wavre. and that the dark
mass moving in the direction of st.
Lambert Is Bulow. the Prussian gen.
eral. with 10000 fresh troops.
courier is dispatched with all speed
to find Grouchy and tell. him to make
be taken in the rear. but in the mean
time the emperor orders Count Lobau
to take 10000 men to follow and sup
port Daumont and his three regiments
of cavalry. who are marching toward
st. Lambert to meet Bulow. Count Lo-
bau and Gen. Daumont are ordered to
hold Bulow in check until Grouchy
takes him in the rear, when they will
redouble their attack. Thus fate has
dealt the emperor another unexpected
blow.
we have sixty chances to win now,
and forty against u.s. he tells his Mar
shal Soult. "If Grouchy repairs the
horrible fault he has committed by
amusing himself at Gembloux, victory
will therefore be more decisive, for the
corps of Bulow must in that case
be entirely lost"
At 1870 O'Clock 100 French cannon
open on the English and their allies
of Hanover. Nassau, Brunswick and
Belgium. and Marshal Ney moves for
ward with his legions of veterans to
where the Iron Dukes brave thousands
calmly await them.
What pen or brush shall ever describe
this gigantic struggle that holds the
fate of Europe? What tongue shall
ever pay just tribute to the mighty
deeds of valor on the part of agsressor
and defender alike. as they close in for
their death struggle on this fair June
day?
Who has not seen that wonderful
canvas, Scotland Forever" the charge
of the Scotch Grays at Waterloo, or
"Wellington's Thin Red Line" and
that of the Old Guard cheering their
emperor as they go forth to make
their last desperate assault on We'll
ilngton's squares of British infantry?