increased its pace; the men were anxious to charge; but Colonel Ponsonby, whose courage they admired, and in whose talents they placed unlimited confidence, restrained their ardour, that he might maintain their compact formation, and reserve the power of the horses for the critical moment. When that moment arrived, he gave the word "Charge." The French, dismayed by the heroic bearing of the regiment, gave way, and the TWELFTH plunged at speed into the column, broke its formation, and cut down the French soldiers with a terrible carnage. The moment the regiment had cut through the infantry, it was stopped by the columns of reserve, and charged by the lancers. Having succeeded in the object of the charge, Colonel Ponsonby was anxious to withdraw the regiment, and spare his men, who were fighting against fearful odds; but friends and foes were mixed in a confused mêlée; the colonel fell, dangerously wounded, and the regiment withdrew from the unequal contest. After returning from the charge, the regiment was re-formed under Captain (now Colonel) Stawell; its loss had been severe; of the three squadrons, which ten minutes before had gone into action, one-third had fallen; it was found necessary to tell off the regiment into two squadrons, and the grief of the soldiers was great at the absence of their colonel, of whose fate they were ignorant[5]. Major James Paul Bridger, whose charger was killed in the attack, procured another horse, and assumed the command of the regiment. The following account of the charge of the TWELFTH, and of his own sufferings, was afterwards written by Colonel Ponsonby to satisfy the inquiries of numerous friends:-- "I was stationed with my regiment (about 300 strong) at the extreme of the left wing, and directed to act discretionally:--each of the armies was drawn up on a gentle declivity, a small valley lying between them.