Year: 1864

SuCC60u6u III SSuuiIlg Llul ~ LIS dCOOuAI-


Four hundred yards further on, and to the
left Of the road is the farm house Of La Belle
Alliance, which was the headquarters of Ma
poleon during the 6ght, and beyond it some
distance ere the little white cottages of the
village of Planeheuois, where the Prussians
made their first attack about seven in the
evening. These are in front of the left CEN
ire OF the allied line.


We 60 back to the crest again, and passing
on toward the right, about two hundred yards
we reach the mound and by the aid Of the
stone steps and iron railing, easily ascend to
the top, where, seated on the stone pedestal
of the monument, we take in the whole field
at one view. The first peculiarly We notice
is the small space occupied and fought over
during this mighty struggle. From the ex-
treme left of the allied line, where Picton,
Ponsenby and Gordon fell, to the chateau
Hougomont which was IN front of their ex-
treme right, is not more than two-thirds Of a
mile, and the headquarters Of Napoleon, on
the ether side of the shallow valley, were not
more than five or six hundred yards from those
Of Wellington. Every part OF the field, which
seems to have been made on purpose for a
fair pounding match" between great antag-
onists, could be easily seen from the centre Of
both armies. Over this narrow space the tide
OF battle sbbed and flowed, until every foot
of it had witnessed deeds of immortal daring,
and every turf had become soaked with gore.


It's a peaceful and beautifullandscap now.
Mother Earth received into her bosom her
struggling children, covered them with a
mantle Of verdure, and now smiles as win
ningly as she did before she had this sorrow
at her heart


We descended from the mound, and passed
on to the chateau Hougomont, where some
of the most desperate lighting took place. a
brick wall six feet high and one and a-hall
thick, encloses the house and garden-a space
Of perhaps an acre-and beyond the. end Of
the wall which is farthest from the house out,
Is the apple orchard The garden and orchard
together, form a parallelogram one hundred
and fifty yards long, lying lengthwise between
the positions of the two armies. During tue
day, the allies were repeatedly driven from
the orchard, by the desperate courage of the
French, but few companies OF the Coldstrem
guards, made for themselves immortal fame,
by holding the garden in spite Of all the ter
riGc onsets made upon it TIE old guide said
that the French charged straight up to the
wall, and some of them seized with their
hands the muzzles of the muskets that were
pointed out Of the loop holes against them
The face of the wall, deeply pitted with mus
ket balls, and the SCARED trunks OF tie apple
trees, still attest the desperation of the strug.
gle.


The numbers engaged in this bloody day
before the arrival of the Prussians, were about
equal-67, 600 Allies according to their &C
count which does not widely disagree with
that of their opponents against Il, 900 French
but the Allies had several small advantages o


position When it is remembered that of the


whole force Of the Allies, only twenty-three
or twenty-four thousand we're British, the
credit which they take to themselves for the
overthrow of the great Emperor, seems slight


ly out of proportion to their deserts. The


obstinate courage for which they are remark


able was certainly never more brilliantly illus


trated than on this day by those sturdy High


landers and Guar6smen, but, if those Prussian


had not come -!


OLD Sergeant Monday, who fought on tha
, day in the 10th Hussars, venerable anc
kindly man, who still lives in the vicinity


and acts as a guide for visitors told Hs5 as W,


stopped in his little hostelry to refresh our


selves before starting back to Brussels, tina
he very much astonished party Of his cOun


trymen that day, by telling them that whel


the Prussians came, the battle hung in tn
balance. The appearance of 10000 new op
= ponents upon the right flank Of the French
compelled the Emperor to employ more thai
one-half of what was left Of his army in hold


ing them in check, while Ney, with the tel
E battalions of the Imperial Guard, made tha
/ last Grand charge. Says the old Sergeant
r. Suppose i&lsea e whole French army had bee
free to participate in hat charge, where wOul
g we have been2 1t almost crushed US as
a was" Ever since I first read the history
b this day, without exactly knowing why,
- have said: contound those PruSsiaRs Napo
e leon was the hero of a splendid romance whic
t their appearance brought to a tragical conclu
L sion. Whether his downfall was a blessin
e or a curse to humanity, is still I thiak an ope
e question. The Sergeant said that there wa
e no extraordinary tactics on either side. Th
h battle was simply a succession of attacks
d heavy columns steadily met, and repulsed.-
e Napoleon's idea at first was TO turn the allie
!, left and get possession Of the paved rOa,
IT their only line OF retreat, but Ney's blunde
It ing impetuosity compelled him to change h
Y plan to an attempt to break through the cer
s tire. The Sergeant laughs at Victor Hugo
d description of the fight, and says he repr
IS sents a great struggle as taking place on
e part Of the field, Che plateau behind the han
S. let of Monte St. Jean,) where the Frent
1t never came at all


=" told the old man that we America


could see battle6elds as bloody as Waterl,