[15] There has arisen a discussion as to the whole nature of this retreat between the French authorities, who insist upon the close pursuit by their troops and the precipitate flight of the English rearguard, and the English authorities, who point out how slight were the losses of that rearguard, and how just was Wellington's comment that the retreat, as a whole, was unmolested. This dispute is solved, as are many disputes, by the consideration that each narrator is right from his point of view. The French pursuit was most vigorous, the English rearguard was very hard pressed indeed; but that rearguard was so well handled that it continually held its own, gave back as good as it got, and efficiently protected the unmolested retreat of the mass of the army. [16] "Dead" ground means ground in front of a position sheltered _by its very steepness_ from the fire of the defence upon the summit. The ideal front for a defence conducted with firearms is not a very steep slope, but a long, slight, open and _even_ one. [17] Almost exactly ten per cent. [18] It is from thirty to fifty feet above the spur on which he had just ranged his guns in front of the army, some twenty-five feet higher than the crest occupied a mile off by the allied army, and a few feet higher than the bare land somewhat more than four miles off, upon which Napoleon first discerned the arriving Prussians. [19] See map opposite title-page. [20] There is conflict of evidence as to how long the brigade was exposed to this terrible ordeal. It was slightly withdrawn at some moment, but what moment is doubtful. [21] The group marked "C" upon the coloured map. It was for the most part under the command of Milhaud, but the rear of it was under the command of Desnoettes. [22] See sketch opposite page 134. [23] This is the wood upon the extreme right hand of the coloured map. [24] In the model on p. 155 Plancenoit is not shown. It would be out of the model, nearer the spectator, behind Napoleon's position at A, and between A and N. [25] The Guard as a whole had lain behind the French line in reserve all day upon the point marked D upon the coloured map. [26] Virtually, this advance in echelon had turned into four columns. [27] We may allow certainly 7000 prisoners and 30,000 killed and wounded, but that is a minimum. It is quite possible that another 3000 should be added to the prisoners and other 5000 to those who fell. The estimates differ so widely because the numerous desertions after the fall of the Empire make it very difficult to compare the remnant of the army with its original strength. Transcriber's Notes: Passages in italics are indicated by _underscore_. The following misprints have been corrected: "prople" corrected to "people" (page 19) "Quartre" corrected to "Quatre" (page 49) "Brussells" corrected to "Brussels" (page 155) Other than the corrections listed above, printer's inconsistencies in spelling and hyphenation usage have been retained.