The result of the proceedings on the 15th was highlyfavourable toNapoleon. He had completely effected the passage of the Sambre; he was operating with the main portion of his forces directly upon the preconcerted point of concentration ofBlücher's Army, and was already in the immediate front of the chosen position, before that concentration could be accomplished; he was also operating with another portion upon the high road to Brussels, and had come in contact with the Left ofWellington's troops; he had also placed himself so far in advance upon this line, that even a partial junction of the forces of the Allied Commanders was already rendered a hazardous operation, without a previous retrograde movement; and he thus had it in his power to bring the principal weight of his arms against the one, whilst, with the remainder of his force, he held the other at bay. This formed the grand object of his operations on the morrow.
But however excellent, or even perfect, this plan of operation may appear in theory, still there were other circumstances, which, if taken into consideration, would scarcely seem to warrant a well grounded anticipation of a successful issue.Napoleon's troops had been constantly under arms, marching, and fighting, since two o'clock in the morning, the hour at which they broke up from their position at Solre sur Sambre, Beaumont, and Philippeville, within the French frontier: they required time for rest and refreshment; they lay widely scattered between their Advanced Posts and the Sambre;Ney's forces were in detached bodies from Frasne as far as Marchienne au Pont, the halting place ofd'Erlon's Corps; and althoughVandamme's Corps was in the Wood of Fleurus,Lobau's Corps and the Guards were halted at Charleroi, andGérard's Corps at Châtelet. Hence, instead of an imposing advance, with the first glimmering of the dawn of the 16th, thewhole morning would necessarily be employed by the French in effecting a closer junction of their forces, and in making their preparatory dispositions for attack; an interval of time invaluable to the Allies, by the greater facility which it afforded them for the concentration of a sufficient force to hold their Enemy in check, and to frustrate his design of defeating them in detail.
In taking a calm retrospect of the dispositions made byNapoleonon the night of the 15th of June, we become strongly impressed with a conviction, that to the laxity of those dispositions, to the absence which they indicated of that energetic perseverance and restless activity which characterised the most critical of his operations in former Wars, may, in a very great degree, be attributed the failure of the Campaign on the part of the French. The great advantages derived byNapoleonfrom the result of his operations during the 15th, have been already set forth; but of what avail were those advantages to him, if he neglected the requisite measures for effectually retaining them within his grasp; or if, having secured them, he hesitated in following them up with the promptitude and energy which their complete development demanded of him? His position, if judged by that of his most advanced forces, was all that could be desired; but, by fatally neglecting to concentrate the remainder of his troops in the immediate support of that advance, the important advantages which such a position held forth were completely neutralized. Doubtless the troops required rest; but, if one portion required it more than another, it was that which now lay most in advance: they had performed the longest march, and had withstood, in addition, the whole brunt of the action; so there was no reason whatever why the remainderof the French Army should not have been so far advanced as to afford direct support to the important position taken up by the leading Divisions: that which had been so successfully effected by the heads of the Columns, might have been attained with infinitely greater ease and security by the masses which followed. And even supposing that serious impediments stood in the way of the full accomplishment of this concentration, such as the usual delays occasioned by the lengthening out of the Columns of March, to what did they amount in comparison with so many brilliant instances of what had been overcome by the noble and heroic efforts of a French Army headed byNapoleon? Had it even required some sacrifice, which at the most could only have consisted in the temporary diminution of strength, by the loss of stragglers on the march, what was this when placed in the balance with the fulfilment of the grand design ofNapoleon's invasion of Belgium—preventing the junction of the Allied Armies, and overthrowing them in detail?
The commencement of this design, in which the essential requisite was rapidity of movement, had been eminently successful: a vantage ground had been gained which offered the most encouraging prospect of success: ofBlücher's four Corps, only one,Zieten's, had assembled in the chosen position of Ligny, on the night of the 15th;Pirch's, which had arrived from Namur, was in bivouac between Onoz and Mazy, about six miles from Ligny;Thielemann's Corps, which had quitted its cantonments around Ciney at half past seven o'clock in the morning, passed the night at Namur, about fifteen miles from Ligny;Bülow's Corps, supposed byBlücherto be then at Hannut, was still at Liege, about sixty miles distant from Ligny. Between this position of Ligny and that occupied by the leading Divisions ofNapoleon's main Army, namely thevillages of Lambusart, Wagnée, and the Wood of Fleurus, there was an interval of not more than from two to three miles! Hence every thing was favourable to the French Emperor's plan, which only required to be carried on with the same vigour and activity that had marked its commencement; the fate ofNapoleon, of France, and of Europe, hung upon its issue; not an hour, not a moment should have been suffered to pass unheeded; and had the French Right been concentrated during the night in this position, as also the Left underNey, between Gosselies and Frasne, and had an impetuous attack, with overwhelming force, been made not later than five o'clock on the following morning, upon bothZieten's andPirch's Corps, not at that time united, it is very possible that these troops would have been beaten in detail, thatThielemann's Corps, advancing from Namur, would either have shared the same fate, or have moved off in the direction of Hannut or Liege to effect a junction withBülow, whilstNeywould either have been enabled to secure the important point of Quatre Bras before the arrival of any considerable portion of the Anglo-Allied troops, or would have held his own force advantageously disposed for a junction with that ofNapoleon, on the latter moving to the left, by the Namur road, for the purpose of bringing the great mass of his Army againstWellington.
Instead of this, what happened? Of the French Right, its main force remained the whole night at Charleroi and Châtelet, on the Sambre, whilst between the Advance ofNey's forces at Frasne and his Rear at Marchienne au Pont, there was an interval of about twelve miles.Napoleondid not advance towards Fleurus until between eleven and twelve o'clock on the 16th, by which timeZieten's,Pirch's, andThielemann's Corps were all concentrated and in position, and he did not commence the Battle of Ligny until nearlythree o'clock in the afternoon; whileNey, on his side, in consequence of his operations having been rendered subordinate to those of the Emperor, delayed to advance with any degree of vigour until between two and three o'clock, about which timeWellington's Reserve reached Quatre Bras, from Brussels, and joined the forces then engaged in front of that point!
FOOTNOTES:[8]The Prussian Regiments of Infantry generally consisted of three Battalions, of which the Third was the Fusilier Battalion.
FOOTNOTES:
[8]The Prussian Regiments of Infantry generally consisted of three Battalions, of which the Third was the Fusilier Battalion.
[8]The Prussian Regiments of Infantry generally consisted of three Battalions, of which the Third was the Fusilier Battalion.
CHAPTER V.
WITH the early dawn of the 16th of June, the whole of the Duke ofWellington's forces were in movement towards Nivelles and Quatre Bras. Previously to starting from Brussels for the latter point, his Grace despatched an Order for the movement of the Cavalry and ofClinton's British Division upon Braine le Comte, as also of the troops under PrinceFrederickof the Netherlands, consisting ofStedmann's Dutch-Belgian Division, and ofAnthing's Dutch-Belgian (Indian) Brigade, from Sotteghem to Enghien, after leaving 500 men, as before directed, in Audenarde.
Picton's Division quitted Brussels by the Charleroi road about two o'clock in the morning; and the Duke ofBrunswick's Corps somewhat later.Kruse's Nassau Brigade received Orders to follow along the same road, but having been dispersed in extended cantonments between Brussels and Louvain, it required some considerable time to collect together, and did not therefore reach Quatre Bras sufficiently early to take part in the action.
The disposition made by Colonel the PrinceBernhardof Saxe Weimar at this point, on the night of the 15th, with the Second Brigade ofPerponcher's Dutch-Belgian Division, has already been described. Soon after ten o'clock on that evening, Major CountLimburg Stirum, Dutch Aide de Camp to the Prince ofOrange, left Braine le Comte for Nivelles, with a Verbal Order from theDutch-Belgian Quartermaster General, enjoining GeneralPerponcherto hold his ground to the last extremity, to support his Second Brigade by the First, and even to ask for aid from the Third Anglo-Allied Division, and from the Dutch-Belgian Cavalry Division; and, at all events, to send an Officer to acquaint the Commanders of these Divisions with the state of affairs. This message appears to have reached Nivelles about midnight.
Previously to this, that is, between nine and ten o'clock in the evening, CaptainCrassier's Company of the 27th Battalion ofChasseursmoved out from Nivelles towards Quatre Brasen reconnaissance. About two o'clock in the morning,Perponcherhimself followed with the remainder of theChasseurs, which body reached Quatre Bras at four o'clock. GeneralBylandt, who commanded the First Brigade, ordered the remaining Battalions of the latter, and his Artillery, to commence their march from Nivelles at five o'clock. The 7th Dutch Line Battalion was directed to remain at Nivelles until relieved byAlten's Division.
At three o'clock in the morning,Perponcherarrived at Quatre Bras, and after having reconnoitred the position, immediately commenced operations for recovering the ground lost on the previous evening. Just at this time a detachment of about fifty Prussian Hussars of the 2nd Silesian Regiment, under LieutenantZehelin, who, on the previous day, had been driven back from near Gosselies, and had retreated towards Hautain le Val, gallantly advanced to the front, attacked the Enemy's Outposts, forced them to retire, and then formed a chain of Vedettes. As soon as the Dutch-Belgian troops had advanced to within a short distance of these Prussian Hussars, the latter moved off by their left towards Sombref.
PrinceBernhardof Saxe Weimar's Brigade penetrated deeper into the Wood of Bossu, and secured the entrances into it from the French side.
Perponcherdirected the 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Regiment of Nassau to take post on an eminence in advance towards Frasne, and stationed the 3rd Battalion of this Regiment more to the left. The latter, however, was soon relieved by the 27th Chasseurs, which Battalion, on reaching Quatre Bras, at four o'clock in the morning, had detached two Companies to the left. These moved steadily forward in extended order towards the Wood of Delhutte, outside of which the Enemy showed his Light Troops. They succeeded in forcing back the French into a hollow way bordering the Wood, where the latter maintained themselves for some little time, and then retired into the Wood itself. Taking advantage of the cover afforded by the edge of the Wood, the French now poured a deadly fire upon their assailants, who retreated to some favourable ground a little in advance of their Battalion.
The Prince ofOrangearrived at Quatre Bras about six o'clock, and immediately reconnoitred the position of the Enemy, and that occupied by his own troops. Having expressed his perfect satisfaction with all the arrangements and dispositions which had been made, both on the previous evening and on that morning, he ordered the troops then present to take up a position more in advance, for the purpose of imposing upon the Enemy; enjoining at the same time, all unnecessary firing, it being desirable under then existing circumstances, to avoid bringing on prematurely an attack by the Enemy.
Ney, having quitted Charleroi at a very early hour in the morning, returned to Gosselies, where he communicatedwithReille, whom he ordered to assemble the force then with him, consisting of two Infantry Divisions and their Artillery, and to advance upon Frasne: to which point the Marshal repaired in person. Here he collected all the information which the Generals and other Officers had been able to obtain respecting the Enemy; and being naturally anxious to make himself acquainted with the details of the force placed so suddenly under his orders, he desired ColonelHeymès, his first Aide de Camp, to repair to every Regiment, and note down their strength and the names of the Commanding Officers; after the performance of which duty, ColonelHeymèslaid before the Marshal a return of the troops in the Field.
The uncertainty in whichNeywas placed as to the amount of force concentrated by the Allies during the night in rear of Quatre Bras, and the conviction which he had reason to entertain that the Prussians were in strong force at no very great distance on his right, and that therefore any check experienced by the Main Column underNapoleon, would endanger his Right Flank and even his line of communication, rendered him cautious in attacking a point so considerably in advance of the Emperor's Left, without ample means at hand to enable him, in case of disaster, to maintain that line, or, in the event of success, to effectually establish himself at Quatre Bras, and derive every possible advantage from its possession, by checking, if not defeating in detail, any body of troops that might be approaching it as a point of concentration from either Nivelles or Brussels.
Hence he became extremely anxious for the arrival ofd'Erlon's Corps and the promised Third Corps of Heavy Cavalry underKellermann; the more so, as althoughLefèbvre-Desnouette's Light Cavalry of the Guard wasnearer at hand, he had been desired byNapoleonnot to make use of it. Officers of theChasseursand Lancers of the Guard (in consequence of the deficiency of Staff Officers) were sent to the rear in the direction of Marchienne au Pont, with Orders to hasten the march of the First Corps upon Frasne; whileNeyhimself was busily occupied in reconnoitring the Enemy's position and movements.
Whilst so employed, a despatch reached him from the Emperor, acquainting him that he had just orderedKellermann's Dragoons to march to Gosselies, where they would be at his disposal; stating, at the same time, his intention to withdrawLefèbvre-Desnouette's Light Cavalry of the Guard from the force under his command; and expressing a wish to be informed of the exact disposition of the First and Second Corps, and of the Cavalry Divisions attached to them, as also of the probable strength of the Enemy, and of the particulars which had been obtained concerning him.
The 5th Battalion of Dutch Militia, which arrived at Quatre Bras about seven o'clock, was ordered, some time afterwards, to occupy the Farm of Gemioncourt. The other Battalions ofBylandt's Brigade, as they arrived in succession, formed a Reserve, extending itself from the point of intersection of the two high roads along the Nivelles road, and in rear of the Wood of Bossu. About nine o'clock, CaptainStievenaar's Foot Battery attached toBylandt's Brigade also arrived at Quatre Bras.
Aided by these reinforcements, the Prince ofOrangemade his dispositions for impeding as much as possible the expected French attack, and maintaining his ground in front of Quatre Bras until the arrival of the Allied troops, which he knew were rapidly approaching from Brussels and Nivelles. The arrival of the First Brigade induced him tomake a further advance, and extension to the right, of the Second Brigade; retaining a firm hold of the Wood of Bossu.
He disposed of his Artillery in the following manner: upon the high road, in advance of his Centre and in front of Frasne, he placed two guns ofPerponcher's Divisional Horse Artillery; three guns a little in left rear of these, and three guns towards the left, so as to keep the road to Namur in view. He also placed six guns of the Divisional Foot Artillery a little to the right of, and in line with, the advanced guns of the Horse Battery, and the remaining two guns on the Right Wing of his First Line.
His Royal Highness had unfortunately no Cavalry in the Field; yet such was the firm countenance which he displayed in the arrangement of his nine Battalions and sixteen guns that the Enemy, unaware of this circumstance, and probably misled by the appearance, at an early hour, of the chain of Vedettes formed by the Prussian Detachment of Hussars, to which allusion has previously been made, and also conceiving that a considerable force had already assembled at Quatre Bras, made no vigorous attempt, until the afternoon, to dislodge him from his position.
Between ten and eleven o'clock, the Duke ofWellingtonarrived in person at Quatre Bras, where he joined the Prince ofOrange, of whose dispositions he fully approved. He reconnoitred the ground; observed only a few of the Enemy in front, who occasionally fired a shot; saw that there was a little popping musketry, but that nothing more serious was at that time threatened in this quarter.
Conceiving that the Enemy was not in any great force at Frasne, while at the same time, accounts reached him that PrinceBlücher, in his position at Ligny, was menaced by the advance of considerable masses; the Duke, accompaniedby his Staff and a small escort of Cavalry, shortly afterwards rode off to hold a conference with the Prussian Commander, whom he found at the Windmill of Bussy, between Ligny and Bry; whence he had an opportunity of observing the French preparatory dispositions for attack.
These having led the Duke to conclude thatNapoleonwas bringing the main force of his Army to bear againstBlücher, he at once proposed to assist the Prince by first advancing straight upon Frasne and Gosselies, as soon as he should have concentrated sufficient force, and then operating upon the Enemy's Left and Rear, which would afford a powerful diversion in favour of the Prussians, from the circumstance that their Right Wing was the weakest and most exposed, and considering the object ofNapoleon's movement, the one most likely to be attacked.
Upon a calculation being made, however, of the time which would elapse ere the Duke would be able to collect the requisite force for undertaking this operation, and of the possibility ofBlücherbeing defeated before it could be carried into effect, it was considered preferable thatWellingtonshould, if practicable, move to the support of the Prussian Right by the Namur road. But a direct support of this kind was necessarily contingent on circumstances, and subject to the Duke's discretion. The latter having expressed his confident expectation of being enabled to afford the desired support, as also of his succeeding in concentrating, very shortly, a sufficient force to assume the offensive, rode back to Quatre Bras.
It was nearly eleven o'clock when GeneralFlahaut, an Aide de Camp of the Emperor, after passing through Gosselies, arrived at Frasne, with the following letter from the latter to the Marshal:
This letter, which was intended to convey toNeya general notion ofNapoleon's intentions, prescribed to him, at the same time, as a principle, that he was to consider his movements subordinate to those of the Emperor. The latter intimated his purpose of attacking the Enemy at Fleurus, should he find him there, and of pushing on as far as Gembloux, where he would decide upon his plan of further operation, "perhaps at three o'clock in the afternoon, perhaps in the evening;" immediatelyafterwhichNeywas to be ready to march upon Brussels, supported byNapoleonwith the Guards, it being the Emperor's desire to reach that capital in the morning.
The idea of advancing upon Gembloux, and of capturing Brussels by acoup de main, which could only be effected by a vigorous repulse and signal defeat of the Corps ofZieten, and by a successful turning and partial dispersion of those ofPirchandThielemann, as also by the rapid march of a closely collected force underNey, proves thatNapoleonhad either been insufficiently informed as to the general dispositions of his opponents, or had greatly miscalculated the degree of energy and promptitude required in his movements for the execution of such a design.
Very shortly afterwards,Neyreceived the official Order of Movement to whichNapoleonadverted in his letter as having been sent bySoult. It instructed him to put the Second and FirstCorps d'Armée, as also the Third Corps of Cavalry which had been placed at his disposal, in movement upon Quatre Bras; to take up a position at that point; thence to push forward reconnaissances as far as possible on the roads to Brussels and Nivelles,d'où probablement l'Ennemi s'est retiré; to establish, should he meet with no impediment, a Division with some Cavalry at Genappe; and to detach another Division towards Marbais, in order tocover the interval between Sombref and Quatre Bras. He was also to desire the General Officers commanding the twoCorps d'Arméeto assemble their troops, collect the stragglers, and order up all the waggons belonging to the Artillery and to the Hospitals that might still be in the rear.
In pursuance of these instructions,Neydespatched Orders of Movement to CountsReilleandd'Erlon.
The former was desired to put the Second Corps immediately on the march, for the purpose of taking up the following position:—the Fifth Division in rear of Genappe, upon the Heights which command that town, the leftappuiedupon the high road; one or two Battalions covering all thedébouchésin advance on the Brussels road; the Ninth Division, following the movement of the Fifth, to take up a position in second line on the Heights to the right and left of the village of Bauterlet; the Sixth and Seventh Divisions at Quatre Bras.
It was at the same time intimated toReillethat the three first Divisions ofd'Erlon's Corps were to take post at Frasne; the Right Division to establish itself at Marbais along withPiré's Division of Light Cavalry; that the former was to cover his (Reille's) march towards Brussels, and both his Flanks; that two Divisions ofKellermann's Corps were to take post at Frasne and Liberchies; and that the Regiments of the Guard under GeneralsLefèbvre-DesnouettesandColbertwere to remain in their actual position at Frasne.
This Order had scarcely been sent off toReillewhenNeyreceived from the latter a despatch, dated Gosselies, 16th June, a quarter past tenA.M., announcing his having just received fromGirard(whose Division was still at Heppignies) a verbal report by one of his Officers, to the effect that the Enemy continued to occupy Fleurus withLight Cavalry; that hostile masses were observed advancing along the Namur road, the heads of their Columns reaching as far as St Amand; that these troops were gradually forming, and gaining ground; that as far as could be judged at that distance, the Columns appeared to consist of six Battalions each; and that movements of additional troops were perceived in their rear.Reilleadded that GeneralFlahaut, in passing through Gosselies, had made him acquainted with the purport of the Orders he was conveying to the Marshal, whereupon he had communicated with Countd'Erlon, in order that the latter might follow the movement which he (Reille) had intended to commence as soon as the Divisions were under arms, but that in consequence of this report fromGirardhe would wait for the Marshal's further instructions, holding the troops ready to march.
About the same time, Orders reachedNeyfromNapoleon, desiring him to unite the Corps underReilleandd'Erlon, and the Cavalry Corps underKellermann, which latter, it was stated, was on the point of commencing its march towards him; remarking also, that with these troops he ought to be able to destroy whatever forces the Enemy might bring forward; thatGrouchywas going to advance upon Sombref; and that the Emperor was setting off for Fleurus, to which place the Marshal was to address his reports.
cap
Quatre Bras
In consequence of these instructions,Neybecame anxious for the speedy concentration of his troops, and again sent Orders toReilleandd'Erlonto move up their Divisions. The information which he had obtained concerning the Enemy in his front, andGirard's report of the assembling of troops in front of Fleurus, induced him to be cautious in his proceedings, and not to attempt any impetuous onset until he could have all his force more in hand, instead ofthe greater portion of it being, as it then was, lengthened out in Columns of Route along the Charleroi high road; and, in this respect, his views were in perfect accordance with the last despatch which he had received from the Emperor, enjoining him in the first instance, to unite the two Corps ofReilleandd'Erlon. Hence, in debouching from his position at Frasne, about one o'clock, his advance was by no means vigorous: it was limited to a gradual pressing forward of the Light Troops, and amounted to little more than a reconnaissance.
About two o'clock,Ney, calculating thatd'Erlon's Corps could not be far in his rear, and hoping that the sound of his cannonade would hasten its march, resolved to attack the Enemy's forces which intercepted his advance upon Quatre Bras.Piré's Light Cavalry, constituting a strong line of Skirmishers with well disposed Supports, covered the advance of the Infantry Divisions ofBacheluandFoy, whilst that ofJeromefollowed as a Reserve.
The force with whichNeythus entered the field, consisted of Three Divisions ofReille's Corps, ofPiré's Light Cavalry, of 4 Batteries of Foot, and 1 of Horse, Artillery: altogether—
The Prince ofOrange's force consisted ofde Perponcher's Division (with the exception of the 7th Dutch Line Battalion); of 1 Battery of Foot, and 1 of Horse, Artillery: altogether—
It was not long after two o'clock when the Duke ofWellingtonreturned to Quatre Bras from the Prussian Army. He observed attentively, with his glass, the movements of the French, and told the Prince ofOrangehe would be attacked directly.
In a few minutes, the French advanced, and the Dutch-Belgian troops gradually retired; but the Prince, aware of the great advantages which the position of Quatre Bras would derive from the possession of the Farm of Gemioncourt, adjoining the Charleroi road, as also of the Wood of Bossu on the Right, and of the inclosures of Piermont on the Left Flank, endeavoured, with that view, to make a stand, as soon as his Centre reached the first named point. The 5th Battalion of Dutch Militia which occupied this Post, successfully withstood several attacks, during whichNeydrew up his forces along the ridge which, intersecting the high road in the immediate (French) rear of Gemioncourt, extends on one side towards the Wood of Bossu, and on the other in the direction of Piermont.
The vast preponderance of force on the part of the French, was now quite manifest to the Prince ofOrange, who found himself compelled to withdraw the main body of his troops into the Wood of Bossu, still retaining, however, the Post of Gemioncourt. He gave an Order to CaptainStievenaar's Foot Battery to fall back and take up a flanking position near the Wood. Here this Officer, who possessed the highest merit, lost not a moment in reopening his fire, but scarcely had he done so when he was mortally wounded. At the same moment one gun was damaged so as to become useless. The Enemy rapidly advanced in such superior force as to compel the Battery to resume its retreat. CaptainByleveld's Horse Battery retired by the opposite side of Gemioncourt. One of its limbers blew up, severely wounding an Officer, and occasioning the gunattached to it to be relinquished. The French pressed forward with their Light Troops; and part ofPiré's Light Cavalry, seizing a favourable opportunity, gallantly charged the 27th Dutch Light Infantry, threw it into confusion, and made many prisoners. At this time a portion ofBachelu's Infantry Division on the right advanced towards the village of Piermont.
It was about half past two, or perhaps a quarter before three o'clock, when the Prince ofOrange, whose situation had become extremely critical, as he directed his anxious looks towards that point of the horizon which was bounded by the elevated ground about Quatre Bras, had the inexpressible satisfaction of recognising, by their deep red masses, the arrival of British troops upon the field.
These comprised the Fifth Infantry Division, commanded by Lieutenant General SirThomas Picton, and consisting of the Eighth British Brigade, under Major General SirJames Kempt, the Ninth British Brigade, under Major General SirDenis Pack, and of the Fourth Hanoverian Brigade, under ColonelBest. The head of the Column, leaving Quatre Bras on its right, turned down the Namur road, along which the Division was speedily drawn up; the British Brigades in Front, and the Hanoverian Brigade in Second Line. CaptainRettberg's Battery of Hanoverian Foot Artillery took post on the right, and MajorRogers's Battery of British Foot Artillery on the left, of the Division. The 1st Battalion of the 95th British Regiment, commanded by Colonel SirAndrew Barnard, was despatched in haste towards the Village of Piermont, of which it was to endeavour to gain possession.
cap
Prince of Orange
The French, on perceiving the arrival of the British Infantry, opened a furious cannonade from their Batteries,with a view to disturb its formation, whileNey, anxious to secure the vantage ground of a Field which he plainly foresaw, was likely to become the scene of a severe contest, renewed his attack upon Gemioncourt, still bravely defended by the 5th Dutch Militia. Hereupon,Perponcher, having received an Order to advance this Battalion along the high road, immediately placed himself at its head, as did also the Prince ofOrangehimself, who rode up to it at the same moment. The manner in which His Royal Highness personally led on his National Militia on this occasion, was distinguished by the most resolute and conspicuous gallantry. The Battalion was exposed to a most destructive fire from some guns which the Prince seemed determined to capture. Placing himself frequently at its head, and waving his hat, he presented in his own person so brilliant and heroic an example, that for a considerable time the Battalion maintained its ground most bravely against the far superior number of the Enemy. It was composed, however, of young and inexperienced soldiers, who had not attained sufficient confidence to fight in anything like deployed order; and, therefore, when, a few minutes afterwards, a swarm of Cavalry rushed upon it, it soon lost its compactness, and broke into a confused and hasty retreat; whilst the French Infantry succeeded in obtaining possession of the Farm, in which they firmly established themselves.
The Duke ofWellington, who now assumed the command, was so much alive to the importance of maintaining Gemioncourt and its inclosures, that he gave directions for its immediate occupation by a British Regiment, but the one destined for this service having by some accident been otherwise disposed of, some delay occurred, and the 28th British Regiment, commanded by Colonel SirCharles Philip Belson, was then marched down towards that point,under the guidance of Lieutenant ColonelGomm, on the Staff of the Fifth Division. As the Battalion approached the Farm, the latter was discovered to be already occupied by the French, whereupon it was withdrawn to its Division.
The Third Dutch-Belgian Light Cavalry Brigade, under Generalvan Merlen, had shortly before this reached the Field, and now advanced to the support of the Dutch Infantry retiring from Gemioncourt; but they were met and defeated byPiré's Cavalry, and pursued along the high road nearly to Quatre Bras, where they arrived in great disorder; a portion of them coming in contact with the Duke ofWellingtonhimself, and carrying his Grace along with them to the rear of Quatre Bras. The latter, however, succeeded in arresting their further flight, and in bringing them again to the front. The French Cavalry did not, on this occasion, follow up the pursuit, evidently hesitating to approach very near to the Allied Infantry, the latter appearing well formed, and fully prepared to receive them. The Dutch-Belgian Infantry retreated to the Wood of Bossu, abandoning four guns to the Enemy, who closely pursued them, and now began to penetrate into the Wood.
Meanwhile,Bachelu, on the French Right, threw a considerable force into Piermont in sufficient time to secure its possession before the 1st Battalion 95th British Regiment had approached the Village, and was pushing forward another strong body towards a small Wood that lay still more in advance, on the opposite side of the Namur high road, the possession of which along with that of Piermont would have effectually cut off the direct communication between Quatre Bras and Ligny. Here, for the first time in this Campaign, the troops of the two nations became engaged. The Skirmishers who successfully checked the further advance of the French, and secured the Wood, were the 1st Battalionof the British 95th Rifles, whom the old Campaigners of the French Army, at least those who had served in the Peninsula, had so frequently found the foremost in the fight, and of whose peculiarly effective discipline and admirable training they had had ample experience.
The possession of Gemioncourt proved of the utmost importance toNey's position, which now assumed a definite character, and, in a purely tactical point of view, offered great advantages. The southern portion of the Wood of Bossu was occupied by his extreme Left, while his extreme Right was in full possession of Piermont; and these points were connected by a narrow valley extending along his whole front, bounded on either side by a hedgerow, and intersecting the Charleroi road close to Gemioncourt. The outer fence was strongly occupied by his Light Troops, ready to cover the formation and advance of his Columns of Attack, for the support of which by Artillery, the Heights constituting his main position in rear of Gemioncourt, offered every facility.
Scarcely hadPicton's Division taken up its ground, when the Duke ofBrunswick's Corps arrived upon the field. It was not complete; its Artillery (under MajorMahn) and the 1st and 3rd Light Battalions (commanded by MajorHolsteinand MajorEbeling), having been stationed in distant cantonments, had not yet joined. The 2nd Light Battalion (under MajorBrandenstein) was immediately detached to the Wood near Piermont on the left of the position, and of which the possession had already been secured by the 1st Battalion of the British 95th Regiment: the two Rifle Companies of the Advanced Guard Battalion (under MajorRauschenplatt) were moved into the Wood of Bossu; on the right of which some detachments of Cavalry were posted for the purpose of observing the Enemy's dispositions in that quarter. The remainder ofthese troops, by a movement to their left, when close upon Quatre Bras, deployed in rear of, and in a direction parallel to, the Namur road, thus forming a Reserve toPicton's Division. The absent portion of the Corps reached the field in the course of the action, as will hereafter be explained.
The Duke ofWellington's force in the Field at this moment was as follows:—
The following is the amount of force which MarshalNeyhad actually in the Field:—
The cannonade which had opened against the Fifth British Division as it took up its ground, continued with unabated vigour. The French Light Troops were now observed advancing from the inclosures that skirted the foot of their position, and to meet them the Light Companies of the different Regiments ofPicton's Division were immediately thrown forward. On the French extreme Right all further progress was checked by the gallant manner in which the 1st Battalion 95th British Regiment, though opposed by a much superior force, retained possession of the Namur road, which they lined with their Skirmishers, while the Wood in rear was occupied by the Battalion Reserve and the 2nd Brunswick Light Battalion. On the French Left, however, the incessant rattle of musketry in the Wood of Bossu plainly indicated by its gradual approach in the direction of Quatre Bras, that the Dutch-Belgian Infantry were yielding to the fierce onset of the Enemy in that quarter.
The protection which the French would derive from the possession of the eastern portion of this Wood for the advance of their masses over the space between it and the Charleroi road, instantly became apparent to the British Commander; in fact, the previous pursuit of the Dutch-Belgian Cavalry along this road proved the expediency of establishing some restraint to such facility for a hostile advance in that direction; and he therefore requested the Duke ofBrunswickto take up a position with a part of his Corps between Quatre Bras and Gemioncourt, so as to have his Left resting upon the road, and his Right communicating withPerponcher's Division, part of which was deployed along the skirt of the Wood.
The Duke ofBrunswickimmediately ordered forward the Guard Battalion (under MajorPröstler), the 1st LineBattalion (under MajorMetzner), and the two Light Companies of the Advanced Guard Battalion, which he posted in Close Columns upon, and contiguous to, the road, on the ground indicated, and threw out a line of Skirmishers connecting these Columns with the twoJägerCompanies in the Wood. As an immediate Support to the Infantry, he stationed the Brunswick Hussars (under MajorCramm) and Lancers (under MajorPott) in a hollow in their rear; while as a Reserve to the whole, the 2nd and 3rd Line Battalions (under MajorStrombeckand MajorNorrmann) were posteden crémaillèrecontiguously to the houses of Quatre Bras, which important point they were to defend to the last extremity.
Whilst this disposition on the Anglo-Allied Right was in progress, two heavy French Columns were observed descending into a valley below Gemioncourt, where, under cover of the strong line of Skirmishers, which had been for some time engaged with those ofPicton's Division, they were divided into separate smaller Columns of Attack. The cannonade from the French Heights, which now sensibly quickened, was telling fearfully amidst the Fifth British Division; and a fresh impulse having been given to the Enemy's Light Troops by the near approach of their own attacking Columns, the British Skirmishers, overpowered by numbers only, were seen darting, alternately and at short distances, to the rear, through the line of smoke that had been raised midway between the contending Armies.
At this critical moment, when the rapid progress of the French in the Wood of Bossu, and their imposing advance against his Left Wing, threatened to compromise his disposal of the Brunswick troops on the right of the Charleroi road,Wellington, by one of those electric inspirations of his master mind with which he had been wont in formerCampaigns to frustrate the best devised plans of his opponents, resolved not to await the attack, but to meet it. He instantly ordered the advance ofKempt's andPack's Brigades, with the exception of the 92nd Regiment, which (under the command of Lieutenant ColonelCameron) was to continue at its post on the Namur road, close to Quatre Bras.
During the advance of these two Brigades, which was made with admirable steadiness and in the best order, the Skirmishers fell back upon their respective Battalions, all of which now presented a clear front to the Enemy. From the heads ofNey's Columns, as well as from the thick lines of Skirmishers by which they were connected, a severe and destructive fire was opened and maintained against the British line, along which the gallantPicton, the far famed Leader of the no less renowned "Fighting Division" of the British Army in the Peninsular Campaigns, was seen galloping from one Regiment to another, encouraging his men, and inciting them by his presence and example. The troops significantly responded to his call by those loud and animating shouts with which British soldiers are wont to denote their eagerness to close with their enemies. The interval between the adverse lines was rapidly diminishing: the fire from the French suddenly began to slacken; hesitation, quickly succeeded by disorder, became apparent in their ranks; and then it was, that, animating each other with redoubled cheers, the British Regiments were seen to lower their bristling bayonets, and driving everything before them, to pursue their opponents down to the outer fence of the valley, whence the French line had advanced in the full confidence of triumph.
Kempt's Brigade, in consequence of the greater proximity of its original position to that of the Enemy, was the first tooverthrow the French Infantry. The 79th Highlanders, on the left of the line (commanded by Lieutenant ColonelDouglas), made a gallant charge down the hill, dashed through the first fence, and pursued their opponents, who had advanced in two Battalion Columns, not only across the valley, but through the second fence; and, carried on by their ardour, even ventured to ascend the Enemy's position. By this time, however, their ranks were much broken: they were speedily recalled, and as they retraced their steps across the valley, they derived considerable support from the adjoining Battalion in the line, the 32nd Regiment (commanded by Lieutenant ColonelMaitland), which was keeping up from the first hedge a vigorous fire against the French, who now lined the second fence. The remaining Regiments of both Brigades had all in like manner charged down as far as the nearest hedge, whence they inflicted a severe loss upon their Enemies as these precipitately retired, with their ranks completely broken and disordered on passing through the inclosure.
On the right of the line, the 42nd Highlanders (commanded by Lieutenant Colonel SirRobert Macara), and 44th Regiment (commanded by Lieutenant ColonelHamerton), had advanced to within a very short distance of Gemioncourt, in which, and behind the hedges lining the valley, the French were seeking shelter.
During the progress of this contest on the Anglo-Allied left of the Charleroi road, the Brunswick troops were not permitted to remain in quiet possession of their advanced position on the right, which indeed was well calculated to attractNey's attention. A Battery was immediately drawn up on the opposite Height westward of Gemioncourt, from which, as also from the incessant fire maintained by the Enemy's Skirmishers posted at no great distance from thefront of the line, a very destructive fire was maintained against the Brunswick troops. The Regiment of Hussars particularly suffered, standing in line, and frequently receiving an entire discharge from the Battery. The Brunswickers were, for the most part, young and inexperienced soldiers—in every sense of the word,rawtroops: and the numerous casualties which befel their ranks in this exposed situation might have produced a fatal influence upon their discipline, but for the noble example of their Prince, whose admirable tact and calm demeanour were most conspicuous on this trying occasion. Quietly smoking his pipe in front of his line, he gave out his Orders as if at a mere field day; and was only restrained from taking offence at the representations made to him by some of his Staff of the imminent danger to which he was exposing himself, from a consciousness of the kindly motives by which they were dictated.
At length, the continued havoc created amongst his devoted followers by the fire from the French Heights, excited the impatience of the Duke himself for at least the means of retaliation; and as his own Artillery was still upon the march from its cantonments, he sent to the Duke ofWellingtona request to be furnished with some pieces of cannon.
cap
Brunswick
This was immediately acceded to, and four guns were moved forward and posted on the right of the Brunswick Infantry; but they had scarcely fired a few rounds when the Enemy's cannonade was redoubled; two of the guns were quickly disabled, and several of the horses attached to the limbers were killed. At the same time, two Columns of French Infantry were seen advancing in succession along the edge of the Wood of Bossu, preceded by a Battalion in line, and supported by some Cavalry, of which descriptionof force there also appeared to be a considerable mass advancing along the Charleroi road. As the French Infantry rapidly approached the right of the line of the Brunswick Skirmishers, the latter were forced to retire, as were also the Dutch-Belgian Infantry that lined the Wood at this part of the field. The Duke ofBrunswick, perceiving that the bend of the wood in rear of his Regiment of Hussars was likely to impede the freedom of its movements, immediately ordered the latter to proceed to the opposite side of the Charleroi road, and retire towards Quatre Bras, there to remain in readiness to act according to circumstances. Then, placing himself at the head of his Lancers, he gallantly charged the advancing Infantry, which, however, received them with so much steadiness and good order, and opened upon them so destructive a fire, that the attack completely failed, and the Regiment withdrew to Quatre Bras.
Finding the strength of the Enemy's forces to be so overpowering, the Duke now ordered the Infantry posted contiguously to the Charleroi road, also to retire upon the main position. The 1st Line Battalion moved hastily along the road, while the Guard Battalion, with which the Duke himself was at this time present, retired across the fields eastward of the isolated House upon the Charleroi road, towards the Allied line, posted upon the road to Namur. MajorPröstler, who commanded the Guard Battalion, rendered himself conspicuous by his exertions to execute this movement in as orderly a manner as possible, but the eager and close pursuit by the French Light Troops, now emboldened by success, a shower of round shot upon the Column, and the approach of the Enemy's Cavalry, spread such a panic among these young troops that they fled in confusion, some through Quatre Bras, and others through the Anglo-Allied line on the left of that point; and it was in themoment of attempting to rally his soldiers, not far from the little garden of the House before mentioned, that the Duke ofBrunswickwas struck from his horse by a shot which terminated the career of this gallant Prince.
In the mean time the Brunswick Hussars were ordered forward to cover the retreat of the Infantry, and repel the advance of the French Cavalry, which was now seen in rapid motion along the Charleroi road, as if incited and emboldened by the loud shouts of triumph sent forth by their Light Troops in front. The Hussars, whose order while advancing, was quickly disturbed by a straggling fire from the French Infantry, to which their Right Flank became exposed, failed in producing the slightest check upon the Cavalry, and were soon seen wheeling about and in full flight, closely pursued by their opponents.
To the 42nd Highlanders and 44th British Regiment, which were posted on a reverse slope, and in line, close upon the left of the above road, the advance of French Cavalry was so sudden and unexpected, the more so as the Brunswickers had just moved on to the front, that as both these bodies whirled past them to the rear, in such close proximity to each other, they were, for the moment, considered to consist of one mass of Allied Cavalry. Some of the old soldiers of both Regiments were not so easily satisfied on this point, and immediately opened a partial fire obliquely upon the French Lancers, which, however, SirDenis Packand their own Officers endeavoured as much as possible to restrain; but no sooner had the latter succeeded in causing a cessation of the fire, than the Lancers, which were the rearmost of the Cavalry, wheeled sharply round, and advanced in admirable order directly upon the rear of the two British Regiments.
The 42nd Highlanders having, from their position, beenthe first to recognise them as a part of the Enemy's forces, rapidly formed Square; but just as the two Flank Companies were running in to form the rear face, the Lancers had reached the Regiment, when a considerable portion of their leading division penetrated the Square, carrying along with them, by the impetus of their charge, several men of those two Companies, and creating a momentary confusion. The long tried discipline and steadiness of the Highlanders, however, did not forsake them at this most critical juncture: these Lancers, instead of effecting the destruction of the Square, were themselves fairly hemmed into it, and either bayoneted or taken prisoners, while the endangered face, restored as if by magic, successfully repelled all further attempts on the part of the French to complete their expected triumph. Their Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel SirRobert Macara, was killed on this occasion, a lance having pierced through his chin until it reached the brain; and within the brief space of a few minutes, the command of the Regiment devolved upon three other Officers in succession: Lieutenant ColonelDick, who was severely wounded, Brevet MajorDavidson, who was mortally wounded, and Brevet MajorCampbell, who commanded it during the remainder of the Campaign.
If this Cavalry attack had fallen so unexpectedly upon the 42nd Highlanders, still less had it been anticipated by the 44th Regiment. Lieutenant ColonelHamerton, perceiving that the Lancers were rapidly advancing against his rear, and that any attempt to form square would be attended with imminent danger, instantly decided upon receiving them in line. The low thundering sound of their approach was heard by his men before a conviction they were French flashed across the minds of any but theoldsoldiers who had previously fired at them as they passedtheir Flank.Hamerton's words of command were, "Rear rank, right about face!"—"Make ready!"—(a short pause to admit of the still nearer approach of the Cavalry)—"Present!"—"Fire!" The effect produced by this volley was astonishing. The men, aware of their perilous position, doubtless took a most deliberate aim at their opponents, who were thrown into great confusion. Some few daring fellows made a dash at the centre of the Battalion, hoping to capture the Colours, in their apparently exposed situation; but the attempt, though gallantly made, was as gallantly defeated. The Lancers now commenced a flight towards the French position by the Flanks of the 44th. As they rushed past the Left Flank, the Officer commanding the Light Company, who had very judiciously restrained his men from joining in the volley given to the rear, opened upon them a scattering fire; and no sooner did the Lancers appear in the proper front of the Regiment, when the front rank began in its turn to contribute to their overthrow and destruction.
Never, perhaps, did British Infantry display its characteristic coolness and steadiness more eminently than on this trying occasion. To have stood in a thin two deep line, awaiting, and prepared to receive, the onset of hostile Cavalry, would have been looked upon at least as a most hazardous experiment; but, with its rear so suddenly menaced, and its flanks unsupported, to have instantly faced only one rank about, to have stood as if rooted to the ground, to have repulsed its assailants with so steady and well directed a fire that numbers of them were destroyed—this was a feat of arms which the oldest or best disciplined Corps in the world might have in vain hoped to accomplish; yet most successfully and completely was this achieved by the gallant 2nd Battalion of the 44th British Regiment, under its brave Commander, Lieutenant ColonelHamerton.
In this attack occurred one of these incidents which, in daring, equal any of the feats of ancient chivalry, which makes the wildest fables of the deeds of the knights of old appear almost impossible; which cause the bearing of an individual to stand out, as it were, in relief amidst the operations of the masses; and which, by their characteristic recklessness, almost invariably insure at least a partial success.
A French Lancer gallantly charged at the Colours, and severely wounded EnsignChristie, who carried one of them, by a thrust of his lance, which, entering the left eye, penetrated to the lower jaw. The Frenchman then endeavoured to seize the Standard, but the braveChristie, notwithstanding the agony of his wound, with a presence of mind almost unequalled, flung himself upon it—not to save himself, but to preserve the honour of his Regiment. As the Colour fluttered in its fall, the Frenchman tore off a portion of the silk with the point of his lance; but he was not permitted to bear the fragment beyond the ranks. Both shot and bayoneted by the nearest of the soldiers of the 44th, he was borne to the earth, paying with the sacrifice of his life for his display of unavailing bravery.
In the mean time, the leading portion ofPiré's Light Cavalry, from which the Lancers that attacked the 42nd and 44th British Regiments had been detached, as already described, continued its advance along the high road towards Quatre Bras, driving in the Brunswick Hussars, who were now galloping confusedly upon the 92nd Highlanders then lining the ditch of the Namur high road contiguous to Quatre Bras. Pursued by theChasseurs à Cheval, and finding no opening for their passage, they made for the Right Flank of the Regiment: and, as they were flying past, the Grenadier Company was wheeled back uponthe road so as to oppose a front at that point to the flank of the pursuing Cavalry, upon which the Highlanders now poured a most destructive volley. The shock thus occasioned to the French Cavalry was immediately perceptible; but though thrown into confusion, the main body soon reformed, and retired with much steadiness and regularity.