Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1769-1821 -- Elba and the Hundred Days, 1814-1815; Waterloo, Battle of, Waterloo, Belgium, 1815
It was eight o'clock when these dispositions were completed; and about
eleven o'clock, PIRCH's Corps, which more than an hour before had
quitted its bivouac near Mazy, was formed up in reserve to ZIETEN. The
Fifth Brigade (General TIPPELSKIRCHEN) stood across the high road, near
its intersection with the old Roman road, in the customary Prussian
Brigade order of three lines of Columns of Battalions at deploying
intervals, and had in its front the two Batteries, Nos. 10 and 37.
The Sixth Brigade (General KRAFFT) was posted in similar order in
the rear of the Farm of Bussy, and in left rear of Bry. The Seventh
Brigade (General BRAUSE) stood more to the left: it had only the 14th
Regiment then present, for the 22nd Regiment and the Elbe Landwehr
did not rejoin it until one o'clock in the afternoon. The Eighth
Brigade (Colonel LANGEN) was ordered to remain upon the high road
leading from Sombref to Fleurus, until the arrival of the Third Corps
(THIELEMANN's). One of its Battalions--the 3rd of the 21st Regiment--as
also two Squadrons of the Neumark Dragoons attached to this Corps,
had been left in the line of Outposts beyond the Meuse, towards
Philippeville; and did not rejoin it until the 20th of June.
The Reserve Cavalry of PIRCH's Corps, under General JÜRGASS, was
stationed in rear of the high road, and on the west side of Sombref.
The twelve pounder Batteries, Nos. 4 and 8, and the Horse Batteries,
Nos. 5 and 18, remained in reserve, near Sombref.
THIELEMANN's Corps, which had quitted Namur about seven o'clock in the
morning, had reached Sombref before twelve. It was immediately assigned
its position in that part of the Field which lies between Sombref and
Balatre, and was posted in Columns upon both high roads, here to remain
available for either a movement to the right, or for the occupation of
the position in Left Front of Sombref, along the Heights in rear of the
Ligny rivulet.
Such were the dispositions made by BLÜCHER previously to NAPOLEON's
advancing from Fleurus. The occupation of Ligny and St Amand--the most
salient part of the position--by ZIETEN's Corps, and the posting of the
Reserve Cavalry of the latter in the intervening space between those
Villages and Fleurus, were justly calculated to secure for the Prussian
Commander ample time for further developing his Line of Battle in such
a manner as the direction and mode of his opponent's attack might
render most expedient.
* * * * *
In the morning of the 16th, the French troops which lay along the
Sambre, and which belonged to that main portion of the Army which was
more immediately under the orders and guidance of NAPOLEON, quitted
their bivouacs, and marched to join their leading Columns, the position
of which in front of Fleurus was described in the Fourth Chapter.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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