APDL Eductation Resources/APDL Eductation Resources.iso/multimedia/waterloo/DOCS/KINCAID95/text0001.txt

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The scene at that moment was grand and imposing, and we had a few
minutes to spare for observation. The column destined as 'our'
particular 'friends', first attracted our notice, and seemed to consist
of about ten thousand infantry. A smaller body of infantry and one of
cavalry moved on their right; and, on their left, another huge column of
infantry, and a formidable body of cuirassiers, while behind them it
seemed one moving mass.

We saw Bonaparte himself take post on the side of the road immediately
in our front, surrounded by a numerous staff; and each regiment, as they
passed him, rent the air with shouts of 'Vive l'Empereur,' nor did they
cease after they had passed, but, backed by the thunder of their
artillery, and carrying with them the rub-a-dub of drums and the tantara
of trumpets, in addition to their increasing shouts, it looked at first
as if they had some hopes of scaring us off the ground, for it was a
singular contrast to the stern silence reigning on our side, where
nothing as yet but the voices of our great guns told that we had mouths
to open when we chose to use them. Our rifles were, however, in a very
few seconds required to play their parts, and opened such a fire on the
advancing skirmishers as quickly brought them to a standstill; but their
columns advanced steadily through them, although our incessant tiralade
was telling in their centre with fearful exactness, and our post was
quickly turned in both flanks, which compelled us to fall back and join
our comrades behind the hedge, though not before some of our officers
and theirs had been engaged in personal combat.

When the heads of their columns showed over the knoll which we had just
quitted, they received such a fire from our first line that they wavered
and hung behind it a little; but, cheered and encouraged by the
gallantry of their officers, who were dancing and flourishing their
swords in front, they at last boldly advanced to the opposite side of
our hedge and began to deploy. Our first line, in the meantime, was
getting so thinned that Picton found it necessary to bring up his
second, but fell in the act of doing it. The command of the division at
that critical moment devolved upon Sir James Kempt, who was galloping
along the line, animating the men to steadiness. He called to me by
name, where I happened to be standing on the right of our battalion, and
desired 'that I would never quit that spot.' I told him that 'he might
depend upon it;' and in another instant I found myself in a fair way of
keeping my promise more religiously than I intended; for, glancing my
eye to the right, I saw the next field covered with the cuirassiers,
some of whom were making directly for the gap in the hedge where I was
standing.

I had not hitherto drawn my sword, as it was generally to be had at a
moment's warning; but from its having been exposed to the last night's
rain, it had now got rusted in the scabbard and refused to come forth! I
was in a precious scrape. Mounted on my strong Flanders mare, and with
my good old sword in my hand, I would have braved all the chances
without a moment's hesitation; but I confess that I felt considerable
doubts as to the propriety of standing there to be sacrificed without
the means of making a scramble for it. My mind, however, was happily
relieved from such an embarrassing consideration before my decision was
required; for the next moment the cuirassiers were charged by our
household brigade, and the infantry in our front, giving way at the same
time under our terrific shower of musketry, the flying cuirassiers
tumbled in among the routed infantry, followed by the Life Guards, who
were cutting away in all directions. Hundreds of the infantry threw
themselves down and pretended to be dead, while the cavalry galloped
over them, and then got up and ran away. I never saw such a scene in all
my life.

Lord Wellington had given orders that the troops were on no account to
leave the position to follow up any temporary advantage; so that we now
resumed our post, as we stood at the commencement of the battle, and
with three comapnies again advance on the knoll. I was told it was very
ridiculous at that moment to see the number of vacant spots that were
left nearly along the whole of the line, where a great part of the
dark-dressed foreign troops had stood, intermixed with the British, when
the action began.

Our division got considerably reduced in numbers during the last attack;
but Lord Wellington's fostering hand sent Sir John Lambert to our
support with the sixth division, and we now stood prepared for another
and a more desperate struggle. Our battalion had already lost three
officers killed and six or seven wounded; among the latter were Sir
Andrew Barnard and Colonel Cameron.

Some one asking me waht had become of my horse's ear was the first
intimation I had of his being wounded; and I now found that, independent
of one ear having been shaved close to his head (I suppose by a
cannon-shot), a musket-ball had grazed acroos his forehead and another
gone through one of his legs, but he did not seem much the worse for
either of them.

Between two and three o'clock we were tolerably quiet, except from a
thundering cannonade; and the enemy had by that time got the range of
our position so accurately that every shot brought a ticket for
somebody's head. An occasional gun beyond the plain, far to our left,
marked the progress of the Prussians; but their progress was too slow to
afford a hope of their arriving in time to take any share in the battle.
On our right the roar of cannon and musketry had been incessant from the
time of its commencement; but the higher ground near us prevented our
seeing anything of what was going on.

Between three and four o'clock the storm gathered again in our front.
Our three companies on the knoll were soon involved in a furious fire.
The Germans occupying La Haye Sainte expended all their ammunition and
fled from the post. The French took possession of it; and as it flanked
our knoll we were obliged to abandon it also and fall back again behind
the hedge.

The loss of La Haye Sainte was of the most serious consequence as it
afforded the enemy an establishment within our position. They
immediately brought up two guns on our side of it, and began serving out
some grape to us; but they were so very near that we destroyed their
artillerymen before they could give us a second round.

The silencing of these guns was succeeded by a very extraordinary scene
on the same spot. A strong regiment of Hanoverians advanced in line to
charge the enemy out of La Haye Sainte; but they were themselves charged
by a brigade of cuirassiers, and, excepting one officer, on a little
black horse, who went off to the rear like a shot out of a shovel, I do
believe that every man of them was put to death in about five seconds. A
brigade of British light dragoons advance to their relief, and a few on
each side began exchanging thrusts; but it seemed likely to be a drawn
battle between them, without much harm being done, when our men brought
it to a crisis sooner than either side anticipated, for they previously
had their rifles eagerly pointed at the cuirassiers, with a view of
saving the perishing Hanoverians; but the fear of killing their friends
withheld them, until the others were utterly overwhelmed, when they
instantly opened a terrific fire on the whole concern, sending both
sides to flight; so that, on the small space of ground, within a hundred
yards of us, where five thousand men had been fighting the instant
before, there was not now a living soul to be seen.

It made me mad to see the cuirassiers in their retreat stooping and
stabbing at our wounded men as they lay on the ground. How I wished that
I had been blessed with Omnipotent power for a moment, that I might have
blighted them!

The same field continued to be a wild one the whole of the afternoon. It
was a sort of duelling-post betwen the two armies, every half-hour
showing a meeting of some kind upon it; but they never exceeded a short
scramble, for men's lives were held very cheap there.

For the tow or three succeeding hours there was no variety with us, but
one continued blaze of musketry. The smoke hung so thick about, that,
although not more than eighty yards asunder, we could only distinguish
each other by the flashes of the pieces.

I shall never forget the scene which the field of battle presented about
seven in the evening. I felt weary and worn out, less from fatigue than
anxiety. Our division, which had stood upwards of five thousand men at
the commencement of the battle, had gradually dwindled down into a
solitary line of skirmishers. The 27th Regiment were literally lying
dead, in square, a few yards behind us. My horse had received another
shot through the leg, and one through the flap of the saddle, which
lodged in his body, sending him a step beyond the pension-list. The
smoke still hung so thick about us that we could see nothing. I walked a
little way to each flank, to endeavour to get a glimpse of what was
going on; but nothing met my eye except the mangled remains of men and
horses, and I was obliged to return to my post as wise as I went.

I had never yet heard of a battle in which everybody was killed; but
this seemed likely to be an exception, as all were going by turns. We
got excessively impatient under the tame similitude of the latter part
of the process, and burned with desire to have a last thrust at our
respective vis-a-vis; for, however desparate our affairs were, we still
had the satisfaction of seeing that theirs were worse.Sir John Lambert
continued to stand as our support at the head of three good old
regiments, one dead (the 27th) and two living ones, and we took the
liberty of soliciting him to aid our views; but the Duke's orders were
so very particular that the gallant general had no choice.

Presently a cheer, which we knew to be British, commenced far to the
right, and made everyone prick up his ears - it was Lord Wellington's
long-wished-for orders to advance; it gradually approached, growing
louder as it drew near - we took it up by instinct, charged through the
hedge down upon the old knoll, sending our adversaries flying at the
point of the bayonet. Lord Wellington galloped up to us at the instant,
and our men began to cheer him; but he called out, 'No cheering, my
lads, but forward, and complete your victory!'

This movement had carried us clear of the smoke; and, to people who had
been for so many hours enveloped in darkness, in the midst of
destruction, and naturally anxious about the result of the day, the
scene which now met the eye conveyed a feeling of more exquisite
gratification than can be conceived. It was a fine summer's evening,
just before sunset. The French were flying in one confused mass. British
lines were seen in close pursuit, and in admirable order, as far as the
eye could see to the right, while the plain to the left ws filled with
Prussians. The enemy made one last attempt at a stand on the rising
ground to our right of La Belle Alliance; but a charge from General
Adam's brigade again threw them into a state of confusion, which was now
inextricable, and their ruin was complete. Artillery, baggage and
everything belonging to them fell into our hands. After pursuing them
until dark, we halted about two miles beyond the field of battle,
leaving the Prussians to follow up the victory.

This was the last, the greatest, and the most uncomfortable heap of
glory that I ever had a hand in, and may the deuce take me if I think
that everybody waited there to see the end of it, otherwise it never
could have been so troublesome to those who did. We were, take us all in
all, a very bad army.