The Campaign of Waterloo: A Military History: Third EditionRopes, John Codman
History
The Campaign of Waterloo: A Military History: Third Edition
Ropes, John Codman
Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1769-1821 -- Elba and the Hundred Days, 1814-1815; Waterloo, Battle of, Waterloo, Belgium, 1815
To return now to the battle. The arrival of Alten’s division gave
Wellington the advantage, certainly in point of numerical force;
still, the three infantry-divisions of the 2d Corps were superior in
numbers to the two divisions of Picton and Alten; and the Dutch-Belgian
and Brunswick troops had suffered so much that there was very little
fight left in them. The cavalry of Piré was easily superior to that of
the Brunswickers and Dutch-Belgians; none of the English cavalry had
arrived; and the French were decidedly superior in artillery.
About 5 P.M.[415] the 2 o’clock order from Napoleon was received, but
it was impossible for Ney, situated as he was, to execute it. At 6
P.M.[416] the 3.15 P.M. order arrived. Then, according to Charras,[417]
Ney for the first time sent to Kellermann to bring up L’Heritier’s
division. The veteran of Marengo made a gallant and at first a
successful charge[418] at the head of the cuirassier brigade of this
division, but, finally, the galling fire from the British in the
farm-enclosures near the intersection of the roads, received when the
horses were blown and the impetus of the charge was exhausted, brought
about a panic, and the troops retired in great disorder. Soon after
this, which was the last offensive move made by the French, Cooke’s
division of the English Guards came up from Nivelles, and the French
were forced to retire to Frasnes, which they did in good order.
At the close of the action, the Duke of Wellington had employed his
1st, 3d and 5th British divisions, the 2d Dutch-Belgian division,
and the Brunswick contingent, numbering in all over 31,000[419] men;
Marshal Ney, of the 43,000 men which had been entrusted to him and with
which he was to “beat and destroy any enemy’s force” in his front, had
brought to the encounter less than 22,000 men. The casualties of the
Anglo-Dutch army were nearly or quite 4,500,—those of the French over
4,000.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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