Chapter 16

THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON.Page 444.

Although for the time, Ney was deprived of his artillery, he continued to advance upon La Haye Sainte. For three hours, this important position, and the part of the field which it commanded, was hotly contested by both parties, the hill being now held by the English, and now by the French. The contest, which shortly extended itself along the whole front of the British line, became of the most desperate character. Whole battalions fell as they stood in line; and the cries and groans of the wounded and dying were heard even above the incessant roll of the musketry, and the thunder of the artillery.

Napoleon, who had returned to the rising ground to watch the progress of the battle, fancying he beheld indications of the enemy’s retreat, ordered Kellerman to advance with all his cuirassiers immediately, to support the cavalry between Mount St. Jean and La Haye Sainte. The dragoons galloping forward, drove the English from their guns, and furiously charged the squares of infantry behind. Notwithstanding the deadly shower which thinned their ranks, the cuirassiers appeared determined to succeed in their purpose; and returned again and again, riding round the squares, and penetrating even to the second British line; the infantry, however, was immovable: and after sustaining frightful carnage, the cuirassiers were compelled to retire. The conflict now rather abated, until near six o’clock, andthe chiefs of each army were anxiously expecting reinforcements. Domont, Lobau, and Subervic had effectually checked Bulow on the French right; but there was no sign of Grouchy making his appearance, and it was soon discovered that Blucher had come up with the main body of his army, and that the French opposed to him could not long maintain their ground. News was received from Grouchy, that instead of leaving Gembloux at day-break, according to his previously stated intentions, he had delayed there till half-past nine, and then pursued the road to Wavres, being unacquainted with the Emperor’s engagement at Waterloo. The crisis of the battle now approached, and Napoleon saw that nothing but the most consummate skill and desperate valor could save his army from ruin. His preparations were, therefore, commenced for the final struggle. A series of movements, changing the whole front of his army, so as to face both Prussians and English, was the result of his first orders. Napoleon next formed the infantry of the Imperial Guard, which had not yet been brought into action, at the foot of the position of La Belle Alliance, into two columns, and led them forward in person, to a ravine which crossed the Genappe road, in front of the British lines. Here he relinquished the command to Ney, at the entreaty of his officers; the Marshal, who had had five horses shot under him during the day, advanced on foot. A heavy discharge of artillery announced that they were in motion; the British guns soon commenced a most destructive firing on the troops, which committed dreadful havoc. Although their numbers were thinned at every step, the guardscontinued to advance, and soon gained the rising ground of Mount St. Jean, where the English awaited their assault. The French hands played the Imperial march, and the troopsrushedrushedon with loud shouts of “Vive l’Empereur!” The Belgian, Dutch, and Brunswick troops gave way instantly, and the Duke of Wellington was compelled to rally them in person. Before the Imperial Guard could deploy, he gave the word for the British infantry to advance; the men, who had been lying prostrate on the hill, or resting on their arms on the slope, sprang forward, and closing around Ney, and his gallant followers, poured into their ranks a continuous stream of bullets. The guard attempting to deploy, were thrown into confusion, and rushed in a crowd to the hollow road in front of La Haye Sainte, whence they were speedily driven. In this desperate charge, Ney’s uniform and hat were riddled with balls. In the meantime, Blucher had pressed forward, and driven the few French from the hamlet of La Haye; and his advanced guard already communicated with the British left. Bulow, who had been repulsed from Planchenois, but was now reinforced, was again advancing. Wellington, having assumed the offensive, was advancing at the head of his whole army. It already grew dusk; the French had every where given way: the guard, never before vanquished, had been routed by the stern troops of Britain; and night brought with it terror and despair. It having been reported that the Old Guard had yielded, a panic suddenly spread throughout the French lines, and the fatal cry of “Sauve qui peut!” was raised, and becoming universal discipline and courage were forgotten, and a wild flightensued. The cavalry and artillery of the English and Prussians now scattered death on all sides. The vengeance of the latter was unsatiated, and these scoured the field, making fearful carnage, and giving no quarter. The Old Guard was yet unbroken, and Napoleon lingered on the ground. Prince Jerome, who had fought bravely throughout the day, urged him to an act of desperation. “Here, brother,” said he, “all who bear the name of Bonaparte should fall!” Napoleon, who was on foot, mounted his horse, but his soldiers would not listen to any proposal involving his death: and at length, an aid-de-camp seizing his bridle, led him at a gallop from the field. He arrived at Genappe shortly before ten o’clock at night, where he again attempted to rally; but the confusion was so great as to be utterly irremediable.

The pursuit of the French was continued far into the night by the Prussians. Nine times, the wearied fugitives halted, kindled fires and prepared to bivouac. Nine times they were startled by the dreadful sound of the Prussian trumpet, and obliged to continue their flight. The star that had arisen at Toulon, and shone resplendent over Lodi, Marengo, Jena, Wagram, Borodino, and a throng of other sanguinary fields—had sunk forever. It is painful to trace the career of fallen greatness. We will not follow the Emperor, shorn of his purple, to his prison at St. Helena, where a deadly climate did the work that the leaden storms of a hundred fights had refused to perform. We will not go to that bed of death, from which, while the elements were at terrible war, that stormy spirit was carried away. Leave Hannibal at Zama, and Napoleon at Waterloo.

DEATH OF NAPOLEON.Page 448.

Transcriber’s NoteErrors deemed most likely to be the printer’s have been corrected, and are noted here. The references are to the page and line in the original.Places names may appear variously, due probably to local pronunciations, such as ‘Malo-Yaroslavetz’ and ‘Malo-Yaroslawetz’.On p. 80, the Tyrol capital of Innsbruck is referred to as ‘Innspruck’, which is the local pronunciation. This may or may not be an error, and has been retained. On p. 187 and p. 193, the place name ‘Naumburg’ is spelled ‘Naumberg’. These have been corrected for the sake of consistency.There is a single footnote (renamed ‘A’) on p. 117. It has been repositioned to directly follow the paragraph where it is referenced.In the table of illustrations, the page reference for “NAPOLEON AT JENA” is incorrectly printed as ‘136’. The correct position is p. 186.On p.287, the quoted passage from ‘Travels in Moravia’ has no closing quotation mark, and no reasonable assumption can be made.21.2to which these war-worn veterans were unacc[c]ustomed.Removed.31.18“Colli is then effectually crippled,” said Bonaparte[.]Added.56.25supported by a regiment of ca[l]valryRemoved.75.2leaving the watch-fire to smou[dl/ld]erTransposed.80.8advanced his head-quarter to [Innspruck].sic83.23‘Soldiers of the Rhine![”/’] exclaimed Bernadotte,Replaced.83.28sat next to Bessieres.[” Our/ “Our] soldiersReplaced.84.3like a flock of sheep.[”]Added.97.16the humble submission of the [Shieks]sic106.11I designed to attemp[t] the surprise,Added.113.2left Alexandria on the 6th Thermidor, (July 24th.[)]Added.114.1He ordered General Des[s]taing, with some battalionsRedundant.136.1[v]alley of the SesiaReplaced.145.30said he, to his aid-de[-]campInserted.150.12You, and Rapp, are faithful aids.[”]Added.153.23[H/N]egotiations for a capitulation were commencedReplaced.155.3he wrote a rema[r]kable letterAdded.181.5Prince John of Li[t]chtensteinRemoved.187.8along the bottom of the Mu[lh/hl]thalTransposed.187.20to Naumb[e/u]rgReplaced.187.30the appellation of theSchneeke(snail.)sic: Schnecke193.15to guard strictly the bridge of Naumb[e/u]rgReplaced.202.12gain possession of the village of Vierz[e]hn-HeiligenInserted.202.31the village of Vierz[he/eh]n-HeiligenTransposed.207.30while ru[u/n]ning through the streetsInverted.216.3they m[o/a]nœuvred with the utmost orderReplaced.243.11his right to Konigsb[u/e]rgReplaced.250.3Napoleon had his dispositions writt[t]en downRemoved.341.9another pressing demand for [“]the guardRemoved.354.2There was the silence of the desert.[”]Added.364.18and then rode forward to Ma[h/l]o-YaroslavetzReplaced.371.1THE CAMP-FIRE IN TH[H/E] SNOW.Replaced375.9and the motionless erectness[s] of their black trunks!Removed.385.22amid the shouts, impre[c]ations, and groansRestored.447.4and the troops ru[c/s]hed on with loud shoutsReplaced.

Transcriber’s Note

Errors deemed most likely to be the printer’s have been corrected, and are noted here. The references are to the page and line in the original.

Places names may appear variously, due probably to local pronunciations, such as ‘Malo-Yaroslavetz’ and ‘Malo-Yaroslawetz’.

On p. 80, the Tyrol capital of Innsbruck is referred to as ‘Innspruck’, which is the local pronunciation. This may or may not be an error, and has been retained. On p. 187 and p. 193, the place name ‘Naumburg’ is spelled ‘Naumberg’. These have been corrected for the sake of consistency.

There is a single footnote (renamed ‘A’) on p. 117. It has been repositioned to directly follow the paragraph where it is referenced.

In the table of illustrations, the page reference for “NAPOLEON AT JENA” is incorrectly printed as ‘136’. The correct position is p. 186.

On p.287, the quoted passage from ‘Travels in Moravia’ has no closing quotation mark, and no reasonable assumption can be made.

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