WATERLOO. 342 WATERLOO. 49,608 infantry, 12,408 cavalry, and 5645 artil- lery-, with 156 guns; but of these the British troops numbered only 23,991. The left was held by the Fifth and Sixth British divisions, the Sec- ond Netherland, and the cavalry divisions of Vivian and Vaudeleur. General Picton of the Fifth probably commanded this wing. The three ham- lets were held by one of the Netherland brigades under Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar, and Bylandt's Netherland brigade was advanced in front of the Wavre road. In the rear was General Ponsonby's Union cavalry brigade (Royal Dragoons, Scots Greys, and Enniskillen Dragoons ) . West of the Charleroi road lay the main attack a diversion was made in the form of an assault on Hougomont by Prince Jerome's division of Reille's corps. The first as- sault proving unsuccessful, another division and another were wasted on this unprofitable action, so that the Second Corps took hardly any ]iart in the main attack on the British centre. This was made in echelon about 1:30 o'clock by D'Er- lon's First Corps, after a heavy artillery fire had been directed for an hour and a half on Bylandt's exposed position. His brigade was thus easily routed, but the French pursuing met a terrific fire from Picton's division behind the ridge and were charged by Ponsonby's cavalry and driven Waterloo 51- iBraine^lfl Leu3 >>7 Mont St. Jean OhainJ /X-'l ( Wougofhont "'■it ' " X SU'LaHayeSainte „o'^^° W?S! .-■'.? /Planchenp I Frrscherhiom Coutuc Wood ory Paris Maransaft O Rossomme/ [ Maison du Roi 'v, Le Cailloy I Chantelet 3 Cavalry Army upderNapoleon.
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a Infantry 1 3 Cavalry Army under Wellington. ' Art.l/ef^J FII:LI> of WATERi.OO AT H A..M., JU.NE 18, 1815. Alten's Third British division. A battalion of the King's (Jernian T.cgion, under Major Baring, garrisoned La Haye Sainte. Fartlier on the right were Cooke's First Division, a part of Byng's Second Brigade, and some of the German troops. Clinton's Second Division and Chasse's Nether- landcrs were in reserve. Napoleon had 48,950 in- fantry, 15,765 cavalry, and 7,232 artillery, with 246 gun.s. In his first line the First' Corps had the right and the Second the left. According to Napoleon's jjlan of battle, as dictated in the morning, Ney was to open the attack on tlie right about one o'clock, the object being to secure pos- session of the village of Mont-Saint-.Iean. lying on the Charleroi road in the rear of the I'ritish lines. An hour and a half before the time for back in confusion. The British troops did splen- did work in meeting and repulsing this attack, ileanwhile Napoleon had discovered the advance guard of Billow's Prussian division on the hills of Saint-Lambert, two or three miles away at his right, and the Sixth Corps was detached to hold this new enemy in check, while a dispatch was sent to Grouchy ordering him to return. This Grouchy, having moved off on his fruitless chase to Wavre, did not receive until evening. A rash and ill-ninnaged assault on La Have Sainte oc- oipied a consideralile part of the afternoon, and the house was finally taken at about four o'clock, according to Charras, or between six and seven, according to Heymfs, Ney's chief of staff. Be- tween four and six o'clock, under Ney'.s personal
