Page:Great Men and Famous Women Volume 2.djvu/110

i 276 SOLDIERS AND SAILORS Wellington was prepared to accept battle at day-break next morning ; but, hearing of BlQcher's retreat, he also resolved to fall back, so as to keep a lateral communication with the right wing of the Prussians, and by this movement also prevent Bonaparte from placing himself between the two armies, when at his choice he might turn his forces against either, in which case the inferiority of numbers would have entailed certain defeat. Napoleon expected to find the English army still upon the ground it had occupied on the i6th. Great was his surprise when, on reaching the heights above Frasnes, he saw that the troops at the entrance of the wood were only a strong rear-guard, and that the retreat toward Brussels was already half effected. He bitterly rebuked Ney for his supposed negligence, though Welling- ton's own officers did not imagine they were to retreat till the moment it began ; and the duke, by dexterously wheeling his troops round the wood, part of which could only be seen by the French, gave their marshal the idea that he was bring- ing up large reinforcements instead of drawing off his troops. The French squadrons immediately commenced the pursuit, but were so rudely handled by the Life Guards under Lord Uxbridge, who protected the rear, that, after several attacks, in the last of which the French hussars were charged and nearly cut to pieces, the pursuit was so severely checked as to give the infantry ample time to take up the ground appointed them on the heights of Mont St. Jean, covering the approach to Brussels by the great road from Charleroi. " Here it was that the duke had determined to make his final stand, staking the glory of many years on the issue of a single battle." When day broke, and Napoleon beheld his opponents, whom he feared would have escaped him during the night, fearlessly occupying their position of the evening before, and evidently prepared to defend it, a flush of joy overspread his face, while he exclaimed confidently, "Bravo! I have them then these Eng- lish!" By nine o'clock the weather moderated, the sun shone out, fires were kindled, the men dried and cleaned their arms, and, ammunition being served out, pro- visions were distributed, and the men breakfasted "with some degree of comfort." Since day-break occasional shots had been fired ; but not till eleven o'clock did the battle begin. A body of light troops left the French line, and, descend- ing the hill at a sling trot, broke into scattered parties, keeping up an irregular fire as they advanced toward the Chateau of Hougoumont. These were closely followed by three divisions nearly thirty thousand strong ; and the dropping fire was soon changed into one continued roll of musketry. As the English skir- mishers fell back, two brigades of British artillery opened on the advancing columns of the French, each shot plunging and tearing through their masses, while the shells from the howitzers fell so truly that the shaken columns drew back. But now a powerful artillery opened from the French heights, fresh troops poured forward, and for more than an hour the line of each army remained spec- tators of the terrific attack on the chateau, surrounded by a dense cloud of smoke, through which glared forth the flashes of the artillery. The French guns