Most of the houses in the villages adjacent Waterloo were occupied by our generals, their staff, and the superior officers. Their names and rank were chalked on the doors, and legible long after a soldier’s death had snatched many of them from the field of their prowess and glory. In the course of the evening the Duke received a dispatch from Blücher, in answer to his letter sent from Quatre-Bras, requesting the support of two corps of the Prussian army. The officer bearing this dispatch was escorted from Smohain, to Waterloo, by a party of the 1st King’s German hussars. Blücher’s reply was: “I shall not come with two corps only, but with my whole army, upon this condition, that should the French not attack us on the 18th, we shall attack them on the 19th.” The Duke therefore accepted battle only under these circumstances; Napoleon’s lauded plan of operations enabling his Grace to ultimately place the author of those brilliant conceptions between two fires. Blücher appeared most anxious to fight side by side with the allies and their chief, deeming an Anglo-Prussian army invincible; while Wellington, after having defeated most of Napoleon’s best marshals, was no doubt desirous of measuring swords with their mighty master himself, the hero of a hundred battles. There is every reason to believe that the Duke was more apprehensive of being turned by Hal on his right, and of Brussels being consequently taken by a _coup de main_, than about any other part of his position. This fact is confirmed by the following orders, dated “WATERLOO, 17th June, 1815. “The army retired this day from its position at Quatre-Bras, to its present position in front of Waterloo. “The brigades of the 4th division at Braine-le-Comte are to retire at day-light to-morrow morning upon Hal. “Major-general Colville must be guided by the intelligence he receives of the enemy’s movements, in his march to Hal, whether he moves by the direct route, or by Enghien. “Prince Frederick of Orange is to occupy with his corps the position between Hal and Enghien[19], and is to defend it as long as possible. “The army will probably continue in its position, in front of Waterloo, to-morrow. “Lieutenant-colonel Torrens will inform lieutenant-general sir Charles Colville of the position and situation of the armies.” [Illustration: FIELD OF WATERLOO, LA HAYE-SAINTE AND MONUMENTS.]