The Prussians had been defeated at Ligny and forced to retire; the Duke of Wellington made a corresponding movement; and the ROYAL DRAGOONS, after passing the night under arms in the open fields, were formed in line, on the forenoon of the 17th of June, with the other cavalry regiments, to cover the retreat of the infantry. The British cavalry, manœuvring, and, by their varied evolutions, masking and covering the retreat of the infantry, exhibited a splendid spectacle of war. One squadron of the ROYALS, commanded by Major Radclyffe, was sent to the front to skirmish. "I was detached," observes the major, in his narrative, "with my squadron to cover the brigade by skirmishing, and Major-General Sir William Ponsonby, and the brigade generally, were pleased to applaud the style in which we acquitted ourselves. It rained with greater violence than I ever witnessed before, which I found to my advantage when it was my turn to skirmish. The enemy had two squadrons of Chasseurs opposed to me, and as they could not overpower us by their fire, they huzzaed and endeavoured to excite each other on with 'Vive l'Empereur!' and once actually charged towards my skirmishers, but they stopped short, not daring to come to daggers with us." Towards the evening the ROYALS arrived at the position in front of _Waterloo_, where they halted, and again passed the night in the open fields, without provisions, without drink, and exposed to continued rain. On the morning of the 18th of June the army was formed in order of battle. "We" (the ROYALS) "found ourselves," states the Major, in his journal, "in our place in close column behind the second line of infantry, fetlock deep in mud; no baggage for the officers, and neither provision nor water for the men (though some stray cattle had been killed and eaten, and a small supply of spirits had, a short time before, been found on the road), so that we might be said to go _coolly_ into action, for every man was wet to the skin." Notwithstanding these disadvantages the ROYALS proved "true Britons."