Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1769-1821 -- Elba and the Hundred Days, 1814-1815; Waterloo, Battle of, Waterloo, Belgium, 1815
"I request you will say to the Duke of WELLINGTON, in my name, that
even ill as I am, I shall, nevertheless, put myself at the head of my
troops, for the purpose of immediately attacking the Enemy's Right
Flank, should NAPOLEON undertake anything against the Duke. If,
however, the day should pass over without a hostile attack, it is my
opinion that we ought tomorrow, with our combined forces, to attack
the French Army. I commission you to communicate this as the result
of my inward conviction, and to represent to him that I consider this
proposal to be the best and most suitable in our present position.
"BLÜCHER."
The Prussians very soon discovered that the French had made no
disposition whatever for the protection of their Right Flank. Major
WITOWSKY had proceeded as far as Maransart before he fell in with an
Enemy's Patrol; and Major FALKENHAUSEN found the Defiles of the Lasne
perfectly free and unobserved. Upon receiving this intelligence,
BLÜCHER decided upon supporting the Anglo-Allied Army, by directing the
march of his whole force, or at least of three Corps, towards the Wood
of Paris, and debouching from thence upon the Flank and Rear of the
Enemy; and Major LÜTZOW was immediately despatched for the purpose of
narrowly watching, from the other side of the above Wood, the French
movements directed against the position of the Anglo-Allied Army.
No report as yet had been received from the Rear Guard, concerning
GROUCHY's advance, and as BLÜCHER's object was now to gain the Defiles
of the Lasne without interruption, and to occupy in force the Wood of
Paris, he determined to avail himself of the time and opportunity which
offered for the projected movement. Being, however, uncertain as to the
amount of GROUCHY's force, the Prince deemed it advisable that Wavre
should not be abandoned until the greater part of the Army had passed
the Defiles of St Lambert; and with this view, he directed that as soon
as BÜLOW's Corps should have proceeded beyond Wavre, ZIETEN's Corps
was to commence its march by Fromont and Ohain to join the Left Wing
of WELLINGTON's Army near La Haye. PIRCH's Corps was ordered to follow
BÜLOW's in the direction of St Lambert; and THIELEMANN's Corps, after
retaining possession of the Defile of Wavre sufficiently long to render
the general movement of the Army secure, was then gradually to follow
ZIETEN's Corps upon Ohain.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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