“The Saxons, the Belgians, the Hanoverians, the soldiers of the Confederation of the Rhine, lament that they are compelled to use their arms in the cause of princes, the enemies of justice, and of the rights of nations. They know that this coalition is insatiable: after having devoured twelve millions of Italians, one million of Saxons, and six millions of Belgians, it now wishes to devour the states of the second rank in Germany. Madmen! one moment of prosperity has bewildered them: the oppression and humiliation of the French people are beyond their power: if they enter France, they will find their grave. “Soldiers! we have forced marches to make, battles to fight, dangers to encounter; but with firmness, victory will be ours. “The rights, the honour and the happiness of the country will be recovered. “To every Frenchman who has a heart, the moment is now arrived to conquer or to die[10].” About four o’clock in the morning of the 15th of June, Napoleon attacked the Prussian outposts in front of Charleroi, at Thuin and Lobbes[11]. The Prussians fell back, slowly and with great caution, on their supports. By some unaccountable neglect Willington was not informed of the attack until after three o’clock in the afternoon, although the distance from Thuin and Lobbes to Brussels is but forty-five miles[12]. Had a well arranged communication been kept up, the Duke could have been informed of the first advance of the French by ten o’clock A.M., and of the real line of attack by four P.M. The French were in possession of Charleroi by eleven o’clock. The Prussians retired to a position between Ligny and St.-Amand, nearly twenty miles from the outposts. At three o’clock in the afternoon, the 2d Prussian corps had taken position not far from Ligny; Blücher had established his head-quarters at Sombreffe. The advanced posts of the French left column were at Frasnes, three miles beyond Quatre-Bras, from which the advanced posts of the allies had been driven. Ney’s head-quarters were at Gosselies, with a part of his troops only, whilst D’Erlon’s corps and the cavalry of Kellermann were on the Sambre. The centre column of the French army lay near Fleurus, the right column near Châtelet, and the reserve, composed of the Imperial guard and the 6th corps, between Charleroi and Fleurus. The duke of Wellington, although apprized of the advance of Napoleon and his attack on the Prussian outposts, would make no movement to leave Brussels uncovered, until certain of the real line of attack, as such attacks are often made to mask the real direction of the main body of the enemy. But orders were immediately transmitted to the different divisions to assemble and hold themselves in readiness to march, _some at a moment’s notice_, and _some at day-light in the morning_[13].