A voice from Waterloo: A history of the battle fought on the 18th June, 1815Cotton, Edward
History
A voice from Waterloo: A history of the battle fought on the 18th June, 1815
Cotton, Edward
Waterloo, Battle of, Waterloo, Belgium, 1815
continued my march upon Avesnes, where I could obtain no intelligence
of what had become of the Emperor.
“In this state of matters, having no knowledge of his Majesty nor
of the Major-General, confusion increasing every moment, and, with
the exception of some fragments of regiments of the guard and of
the line, every one following his own inclination, I determined
immediately to go to Paris by St.-Quentin, to disclose, as quickly as
possible, the true state of affairs to the minister of war, that he
might send to the army some fresh troops, and take the measures which
circumstances rendered necessary. At my arrival at Bourget, (two
leagues from Paris,) I learned that the Emperor had passed there at
nine o’clock in the morning.
“Such, _M. le duc_, is the history of this calamitous campaign.
“Now I ask those who have survived this fine and numerous army, how I
can be accused of the disasters of which it has been the victim, and
of which our military annals furnish no example. I have, it is said,
betrayed my country, I who, to serve it, have shown a zeal which I
perhaps have carried to an extravagant height: but this calumny is
supported by no fact, by no circumstance. But how can these odious
reports, which spread with frightful rapidity, be arrested? If, in
the researches which I could make on this subject, I did not fear
almost as much to discover as to be ignorant of the truth, I would
say, that all was a tendency to convince that I have been unworthily
deceived, and that it is attempted to cover, with the pretence of
treason, the faults and extravagancies of this campaign; faults which
have not been avowed in the bulletins that have appeared, and against
which I in vain raised that voice of truth which I will yet cause to
resound in the House of Peers.
“I expect, from the candour of your Excellency, and from your
indulgence to me, that you will cause this letter to be inserted in
the _Journal_, and give it the greatest possible publicity.
“MARSHAL PRINCE DE LA MOSKOWA.
“PARIS, June 26th, 1815.”
[Illustration: (end of Note; decorative separator)]
No. VI.
ANECDOTES
RELATIVE TO THE CAMPAIGN OF WATERLOO.
At a period of the battle, when the Duke was surrounded by his staff,
it was evident they had become the object of the fire from a French
battery. The shot fell fast around them. Their horses became restive,
and Copenhagen himself (the Duke’s horse,) so fidgety, that the Duke
became impatient, and having reasons for remaining on the spot, said,
“Gentlemen, we are rather too close together: better divide a little.”
On one occasion Wellington rode up to Picton’s division, just as a
hot fire of musketry opened upon the 92d. The staff expected every
instant to see him drop, as he sat coolly watching the effect of the
enemy’s fire: but he remained untouched; as did also lord Arthur
Hill, who was the only officer that had accompanied him to the crest
of the ground.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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