sing the courage of the French, who pressed on in defiance of every obstacle, and of the continued and immense slaughter that was made in their ranks. Or if the attack of the cavalry was suspended for a space, it was to give room to the operation of their artillery, which within the distance of one hundred and fifty yards, played upon so obvious a mark as the British squares afforded, with the most destructive effect. Yet under such a fire, and in full view of these clouds of cavalry, waiting like birds of prey to dash down upon them, where the slaughter should afford the slightest opening, did these gallant troops close their files over the bodies of their dead and dying comrades, and resume with stern composure that close array of battle, which their discipline and experience taught them, afforded the surest means of defence. After the most desperate but unavailing efforts on the part of the French, to push back the British right wing, the battle slackened in some degree in this quarter, to rage with greater fury, if possible, towards the left and centre of the line.

It was now upon the village of Mount Saint John, and making use of the high road between that hamlet and La Belle Alliance, that Bonaparte precipitated his columns both of infantry and cavalry, under a tremendous fire of artillery,

not discovered when the dead were buried, and who were unable to crawl to any habitation, must have perished by famine. For my own part, when we halted for the night, I sunk down almost insensible from fatigue; my spirits and strength were completely exhausted. I was so weak, and the wound in my thigh so painful, from want of attention, and in consequence of severe exercise, that after I got to Nivelles, and secured quarters, I did not awake regularly for 36 hours.'

Extract of a Letter from an officer in the Guards.

On the evening of the 17th, we were posted near Hougoumont. The weather which had hitherto been showery, became settled into a decided and heavy rain, which continued in actual torrents the complete night through, accompanied by a gale of wind and constant thunder and lightening. Such a night few have witnes

that was calculated to sweep every obstacle from their course. The ridge of the hill was upon this occasion very serviceable to the British, whose second line was posted behind it, and thus protected in some degree from the direct fire, though not from the showers of shells which were thrown on purpose to annoy the troops, whom the French with reason supposed to be thus sheltered. The first line derived some advantage from a straggling hedge, already mentioned, extending along their centre and left, and partly masking it, but capable of being penetrated by cavalry in almost every direction. Such as it was, however, its line of defence, or rather the troops by whom it was occupied, struck awe into the assailants; and while they hesitated to advance to charge it, they were themselves charged and overwhelmed by the British cavalry, who, dashing through the hedge at the intervals which admitted it, formed, charged, and dispersed the battalions that were advancing upon their line. The French cavalry came up to support their infantry, and where the British were in the least dispersed, which, from the impe tuosity of the men and horses, was frequently unavoidable, our troops suffered severely. This was particularly expe rienced by the Hussars, or Light Dragoons, who, notwithstanding the most undaunted exertions, were unequal to

sed, it was one that imagination would paint as alone fit for the festival of the dæmons of death, and for the fates to complete the web of those brave souls whose thread of life was so nearly spun. After such a night of horrors and contending expectations, the dawn of any kind of day was welcome; it seemed, however, with difficulty to break through the heavy clouds which overhung the earth, and appeared so slowly, that it seemed as if nature reluctantly lent her light to assist at the scene of carnage and distress, which was to mark the history of this eventful day. Our artillery, which had the night before so admirably answered the fire of the French guns, was all placed on the heights in our front.

About a quarter past eleven o'clock, A. M. the battle commenced by the French making a most desperate and impetuous attack upon Hougoument, against which, as well as La Haye Sainte, they directed their most furious efforts during the whole day.

encounter with the ponderous sword-proof cuirassiers, and with the lancers. The German Legion also, so distinguished during the peninsular conflicts, were unequal on this occasion to sustain the shock of the French cavalry. And thus, such was the dexterity of Bonaparte in finding resources and in applying them, that he seemed to have a temporary superiority in that very description of force, with which it was supposed altogether impossible he could be adequately provided. Many were killed and many made prisoners, some of whom the French afterwards massacred in cold blood. It was upon this occasion that Sir John Elley requested and obtained permission to bring up the heavy brigade, consisting of the Life Guards, the Oxford Blues, and the Scotch Greys, and made a charge, the effect of which was tremendous. Notwithstanding the weight and armour of the cuirassiers, and the power of their horses, they proved altogether unable to withstand the shock of the heavy brigade, being literally rode down, both horse and man, while the strength of the British soldiers was no less pre-eminent, when they mingled and fought hand to hand. Several hundred of the French were forced headlong down a sort of quarry or gravel pit, where they rolled a confused and indistinguishable mass of men and horses, exposed to a fire which being

The French opened upon us a dreadful cross-fire, from three hundred pieces of artillery, which was answered with a most uncommon practice from our guns; but to be just, we must own that the French batteries were served in a manner that was terrible. During this period, the Enemy pushed his troops into the orchard, &c. &c., and after its being contested for some hours, he succeeded in reducing our men to nothing but the house itself. Every tree, every walk, every hedge, every avenue had been fought for with an obstinacy almost unparalleled; and the French were killed all round, and at the very door of the house, to which, as well as a hay-stack, they succeeded in setting fire; and though all in flames over their heads, our brave fellows never suffered them to penetrate beyond the threshold; the greatest part of the wounded on both sides were, alas, here burned to death!-In consequence of this success on the part of the French, the Coldstream and third regiment were ordered into the wood, from

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poured closely into them, soon put a peried to their struggles. Several instances of military indifference occurred during the fury of the conflict. The Life Guards coming up in the rear of the 95th, which distinguished regiment acted as sharp-shooters in front of the line, sustaining and repelling the most formidable onset of the French, called out to them, as if they had been on the parade in the Park, Bravo, ninety-fifth! do you lather and we'll shave them!" Amid the confusion presented by the fiercest and closest cavalry fight which had ever been seen, many individuals distinguished themselves by feats of personal strength and valour. Among these should not be forgotten Shaw, a corporal of the Life Guards, well known as a pugilistic champion, and equally formidable as a swordsman. He is said to have slain, or disabled, ten Frenchmen with his own hand before he was killed by a musket or pistol shot. Officers also were in this desperate action seen fighting hand to hand, like common soldiers: You are uncommonly savage to-day,' said an officer to his friend, a young man of rank, who was arming himself with the third sabre, after two had been broken in his grasp: What would you have me to do,' answered the other, one of the most gentle and humane men breathing, we are here to kill the French;

whence they drove the Enemy; and every subsequent struggle they made to re-possess themselves of it, proved abortive. The places of these two battalions of guards were supplied by two of our gallant friends, the Black Brunswickers, who seemed, like salamanders, to revel in the smoke and flaines. The 2d and 3d battalions of the first regiment were formed with the two battalions of Bruswickers into hollow squares, on the slope and summit of the hill, so as to support each other; and in this situation we all lay down, till between three and four o'clock P. M., in order to avoid the storm of death, which was flying close over our heads, and at almost every moment carrying destruction among us: and it is, you will allow, a circumstance highly creditable to those men, to have lain so many hours under a fire, which for intensity and precision was never, I believe, equalled; with nothing else to occupy their attention, save watching their companions falling around them, and listening to their mournful cries.

and he is the best man to-day who can kill the most of them;'--and he again threw himself into the midst of the combat. Sir John Elley, who led the charge of the heavy brigade, was himself distinguished for personal prowess. He was at one time surrounded by several cuirassiers; but, being a tall and uncommonly powerful man, completely master of his sword and horse, he cut his way out, leaving several of his assailants on the ground, marked with wounds, indicating the unusual strength of the arm that inflicted them. Indeed had not the ghastly evidences remained on the field, many of the blows dealt on this occasion would have seemed borrowed from the annals of knight-errantry, for several of the corpses exhibited heads cloven to the chine, or severed from the shoulders. The issue of this conflict was, that the French cavalry was completely beaten off, and a great proportion of their attacking column of infantry, amounting to 3000 men, threw down their arms, and were sent off to Brussels as prisoners.

The contest, however, continued to rage with the most uninterrupted fury. It had paused in some degree upon the centre and left, but only to be renewed with double ferocity in the right wing. The attack was commenced by successive columns of cavalry, rolling after each other like

It was about the time I have just named, that the Enemy, having gained the orchard, commenced their desperate charges of cavalry, under cover of the smoke which the burning houses, &c. had caused; the whole of which the wind drifted towards us, and thus prevented our observing their approach. At this period the battle assumed a character beyond description interesting, and anxiously awful. Bonaparte was about to use against us an arm, which he had never yet wielded but with success. Confidently relying upon the issue of this attack, he charged our artillery and infantry, hoping to capture the one, and break the other, and, by instantly establishing his own infantry on the heights, to carry the Brussels road, and throw our line into confusion. These cavalry, selected for their tried gallantry and skill (not their height or mustachios), who were the terror of Northern Europe, and had never yet been foiled, were first brought up by the 3d battalion of the 1st regiment. Never was British va