rock which had withstood the fiercest efforts of his proudest days; which had triumphed over his strongest power, and which had, by its persevering efforts, undermined and overturned the mightiest throne that had ever reigned over mankind. Against this invincible bulwark, he now led his remaining strength. Against its firm base, he rolled the last collected effort of his Imperial fury. He put himself at the head of the reserve of his Guards, consisting of 15,000 men; and seconded by Ney, one of the best of his Generals, he, with the utmost impetuosity, attacked with his masses the point already mentioned in the British line. These troops with which he now came forward were the clité of his army, what had always been considered as the centre of his strength, and only brought forward to decide the fortune of such tremendous days and the fate of kingdoms. At their head he marched confident and resolved to conquer. Thus breathing death in terrible array, The close compacted legions urge their way.' 918 A terrible fire of artillery, covered their approach. At length through the black clouds of smoke, their dark battalions, were seen, levelling with their footsteps the corn fields, as they advanced towards the British line. These veterans advanced. up the hill with the greatest intrepidity. At the same moment, Bonaparte dispatched instructions to every part of the line, that the movement, which was to decide the victory in his favour, was taking place, and commanding a simultaneous movement against the British line. "The whole army resumed its vigour, and the combat was renewed throughout the line."+ The French masses came on in close order, while the artillery from the British line threw into their ranks the most destructive showers of grape shot. Bonaparte harangued his Guards and told them, that by his previous attacks he had destroyed the greater part of the British cavalry and infantry, and that the artillery alone remained, which they were to attack with the bayonet. He led his Guards to the rise of the hill, and told them that the path before them was the road to Brussels. To gain it they made the most desperate efforts. "The French troops," said Blucher, "at this * Pope's Homer. Iliad, Book xiii. line 187, &c. French account of the 18th, " moment, fought with the most desperate fury." The fire of the British artillery made terrible roads through their ranks, which were instantly closed up with the greatest coolness.They still pressed forward. They drove back the gallant Brunswickers on the part of the line where they were stationed," and for a moment said General Alava, "the victory was undecided and even more than doubtful."+ Such were the appearances at this point where the gallant General Alava was, and he could at that moment see and judge of no other. The British line, from the furious pressure, was for a moment bent, but not broken. Still the moment was indeed most critical. All the toils of that bloody day appeared at stake. Victory yet hung suspended in the mighty balance. "From side to side the trembling balance nods, So stood the war till Well'sley's matchless might, His Grace was perfectly aware of the importance of the moment. Let slip it could never return. It was a tide which if suffered to ebb might never again flow. He threw himself into a square of Brunswick troops. "He spoke to them with that ascendancy which every great man possesses."§ Was their Prince forgotten! was his fate sufficiently avenged! No! "my brave men, we must not be beat," what would they say in Brunswick? Forward, "Be firm, this arm shall make your way Through yon square body and that black array.”|| might be the words which once more, amidst blood and death, nerved their arms to battle. They heard-they obeyed."He put himself at their head-made them return to the charge," with greater fury than before. "Revives their ardour, turns their steps from flight; And wakes anew the dying flames of fight, They turn, they stand."+ He arrested the torrent-" he restored the combat, exposing liimself to every personal danger."++ The nature of the ground was such that to obtain a full view of the enemy there was no • Prussian official account of the 18th + Alava's official account. Alava's official account. Pope's Homer. Iliad, Book xii. verses 522 and 527. Pope's Homer. Iliad, Book v. line 207, &c. Alava's official account of the 18th. avoiding the imminent risks which this great man ran at t moment, and indeed during the whole day. Nor did he wish to avoid danger: No! wherever that was greatest-wherever the enemy pressed fiercest-wherever the troops stood most in need of encouragement or support, there he was found. Nothing escaped him. Who fell, who fought, and who fled, came under his immediate observation. "His piercing eyes through all the battle stray." With his telescope in his hand, in the midst of every danger, he stood and surveyed the extent of that dreadful field, with as much calmness and self-possession, as an astronomer would view the satellites of Jupiter. His eye beheld every thing.While the motions of the enemy were yet in embryo he forestalled them, and through the dark columns of smoke, that concealed their advance, he anticipated every movement of the foe. Like the genius of the storm, upborne on its wings, he was seen riding about, repelling the attack of conflicting elements, and directing his thunders to burst, where these could be most fatal. Yet most fortunately he escaped unhurt. Without armour, he traversed this dreadful field; where death, in a thousand grim shapes, met every footstep:-he, Without a shield, Plies all the troops and orders all the field. Although the foreign troops acted with the greatest resolution, and fought with the greatest ardour; yet it was not to be expected that many of these, who, as yet, had never witnessed a contest of this kind, could stand against the flower of the French troops, led against them by consummate skill, and in overwhelming numbers. Of this the Duke was well aware; and therefore, said General de Borgo," he took the precaution to support each body of them by English infantry, all disposed in such a manner as to be able to succour the point threatened." This rendered every thing as secure as possible, and saved this important day. Yet all these troops conducted Iliad, Book xi, lines 81-88. * Pope's Homer, They were forced to yield at themselves most admirably. times to the pressure against them-they suffered severely, but still returned to the combat with cheerfulness. A battalion of Hanoverians, under Colonel Von Ompteda, repelled a formidable column of the enemy, in one of his terrible attempts to break through the centre. The Prince of Orange and the Belgian troops conducted themselves with the greatest gallantry, being in that part of the line which Bonaparte attacked in person.' It was in this attack that the Prince was wounded by a ball in the left shoulder. The Nassau troops also fought bravely. The whole encouraged by the British, endeavoured to rival their fame. It was only at the point in the British position we have mentioned, that fortune for a moment seemed to beam favourably for Napoleon, but which was speedily clouded. Every other part of the British line resisted the enemy's rage. In some places they approached within 40 paces, and in others 20 yards, of the British artillery. But they could come no farther. The fire of the artillery was so dreadful and destructive, and the squares of the British so firm, that they turned and abandoned their object in terror and dismay. The first volley from the British line made them halt-the second stretched hundreds on the ground-and the loud cheer and advance of the British columns made them take to their heels, while the route and extent of their columns could be traced from the dead and wounded, and from the footsteps of blood. The charge of the heavy cavalry was so impetuous and severe, that these troops absolutely rolled back the French ranks to a considerable distance, throwing men and horses, topsy turty. Terror and confusion became general in their ranks. "The fugitives," said the enemy," re-crossed the ravine."+ Till this moment the ranks that were laid open and swept away by the artillery had been instantly replaced and closed up with the greatest coolness. But the men could do so no longer. The brigade of British artillery, attached to the 2d division, fairly turned them when at the distance of twenty yards. The 1st brigade of Guards, and a Dutch brigade, under Lord Saltoun, received them with such a fire that those who escaped took to ↑ French do *Hanoverian official dispatch. their heels. In a few seconds 300 of them covered the ground at this point. Before the 92d, 42d, and regiment of Scots Greys, the ground was covered with dead. The 92d, at this time reduced to less than 200, dashed forward at the point of the bayonet into a column of the Imperial Guards, almost ten times their number; and followed and supported by the Greys, who cheered them to the charge, with buzzas of Scotland forever, nearly cut the whole to pieces. At this point lay 1000 dead. In front of the Brunswick troops arose a dreadful breast-work of carnage. The Sons of Caledonia here once more did their duty. "The repeated charges of the old Guard," said Blucher, "were baffled by the intrepidity of the Scotch regiments."* In this attack the dead of the French Guards, without exaggeration, lay in sections, men and horses together. From this moment the spirit of the French soklier was fairly broken; and afterwards, in some instances, the Officers were seen fighting desperately unsupported by the men. Their Vive Empereurs were silenced. Sorrow, shame, and terror, chained their tongues. After an amazing carnage, and the loss of almost all their cavalry, the French army were again. driven back at all points, retiring from the last rude shock "in confusion." A shout of joy ran along the British lines at perceiving the last effort of their foes recoil before them. At the same moment, said an eye witness, the sun, which through the day, had generally been clouded, burst forth with splendour, and shed his setting rays over those fields, as an auspicious omen to proceed. Thus terminated the last dreadful effort, which the enemy had it in his power to make against the British line. While we admire the unprecedented bravery and firmness with which it was withstood, we at the same time cannot help feeling pain and anxiety for the situation of affairs at this moment. These were indeed. critical Victory hung in the balance in such a manner, that to all appearance a grain would have turned the scale. Although the enemy had suffered out of all proportion, still his vast superiority of numbers, at the outset, left him yet equal if not superior to the army under Wellington, and the troops under Bulow. To this moment also, the Prussian Gen *Prussian official account of the 18th. |