BREAKING NEWS: Allied army HQ, June 18th 1815

From our reporter with the Duke of Wellington:  Shortly before midday, considerable gunfire was heard in the vicinity of Hougoumont, the large chateau/farm house forward of the Allies' right wing.  The Duke road over to investigate and on being told that French troops were pushing through the woods and orchard to the south of the farm he quickly issued orders for a howitzer battery to open fire with exploding shells filled with musket balls which, I am told, will have made life exceedingly uncomfortable, not to say, downright unhealthy for the soldiers sheltering below. However at around one o'clock the most tremendous artillery barrage opened up from the French right wing and the Duke, with a few short commands, departed along the ridge line in time to see what appeared to be an entire French Corps forming up east of the main road.

He watched imperturbably as the Fench columns massed and then began to advance up the slopes towards our troops who were lined up a hundred yards behind the crest.   I confess that at this moment your reporter was exceedingly anxious but as the French forced their way through the hedge that ran along the lane at the top of the ridge and attempted to regain their order on the far side the hitherto unseen British infantry in immaculate lines loosed off a volley at point blank range.  The French columns shuddered and went down in their hundreds.  The British immediately followed up their volleys with an advance with their bayonets.  The French hesitated and at that moment the most extraordinary sight your correspondent has ever witnessed took place before his eyes.  Suddenly from the rear echelons of the Allied army there appeared the massed ranks of British heavy cavalry including the magnificent Life Guards and Scots Greys.  That made up the minds of the French infantry in a trice and they quickly turned about and made off down the slope back towards their own lines chased by our gallant cavalrymen who exacted a terrible toll upon their exposed backs as they went.  Alas, a source from Cavalry HQ informs me that perhaps it was not the wisest thing for the cavalrymen to have done and very shortly it became clear why.  Our brave horsemen having ridden across the sodden valley now found themselves on the other side with blown horses, at which point, the French cavalry attacked them!

Meanwhile, a terrific fight is going on in the centre for the farmhouse, La Haie Sainte, which has been such a nuisance to the French as they try to advance.  The figure of Marshal Ney, himself, can be seen personally directing his soldiers as the vicious hand-to-hand fighting goes this way and that.  Throughout, however, the Duke remains calm and, indeed, finds time to ride over again to the flank facing Hougoumont and to despatch another handfull of troops to ensure that there are just sufficient inside its walls to hold out.

LATE NEWS:  Reports are coming in that lines of troops have been spotted way over in the east heading towards the battlefield, although whether they are Prussian or French re-enforcements is not yet clear.

Comments

[GD]

I didn't catch the start of these posts so have missed some of the atmosphere in my catch up. I must say it's a terrific way of dealing with the battle in such a concise manner. I look forward to it's conclusion later.

[David Duff]

Thanks, 'GD', if you start here

http://duffandnonsense.typepad.com/duff_nonsense/2010/06/despatches-from-the-front-charleroi-june-15th-1815.html#tp

you can work your way forwards. I thought it might be fun to have a 'rolling news' scenario on the days it actually happened.

[GD]

I did start from there which is why I feel I missed some of the atmosphere by reading it in a single session. I am now just about to devour the last scenes. Thanks for taking the time to make such a series of enjoyable postings.

[David Duff]

Glad you enjoyed it, 'GD', although I wish I had spent more time in preparation but I didn't think of it until the day I started it. Never mind, it was a bit of fun.

[Lawrence Duff]

Charge of the Union Brigade destroys and routs d'Erlon's Corps

This film, along with all the other continental and ex-colonial pap written about Waterloo, misses the critical point of the charge of the Union brigade - namely, that it destoyed Bonaparte's strongest Corps outside of the Imperial Guard. Instead, the film, and all the other pap spewed by anti-British elements, focuses solely on the mauling received by the Union Brigade after it had ridden over d'Erlon's Corps and burst out the other side behind the French front lines. That Europe was saved from its own tyranny by a Brigade of one English, one Irish and one Scottish cavalry regiment sticks so badly in the craw of Brit-haters that they airbrush it out of history.

One Brigade of cavalry in exchange for Boney's premier Corps of line infantry was THE exchange that made victory at Waterloo possible.

The lying MSM, eh? Same as it ever was.

Son of Duff

[David Duff]

Lawrence, I can't go along with that assertion. I refer you to your copy of 'The Waterloo Companion' in which, at the back, it covers the various controversies that still thrive, one of which reads :

"That d' Erlon's Corps was destryed by Picton's division and the Union brigade."

Its conclusions are:

" a: D' Erlon's corps was undoubtedly repulsed with severe but not crippling losses [...]
b: Only two and a half out of the four divisions actually attacked the ridge.
c: Most of the casualties are unlikely to have been caused by the Union brigade.
d: The corps was able to recover quite quickly and participate effectively in further fighting.
e: The great majority of its losses at Waterloo occurred after the first attack and in the final retreat."

Remember one of the divisions continued fighting for La Haie Sainte long after some of the others had been sent flying by the Union brigade - and indeed, in the end they succeeded in taking the farm house. Also on the far right they continued a stiff fight for the small hamlets and villages, Papelotte, etc.

The fact is that the British (and others) cavalry did what they always tended to do which was to allow their blood lust to overcome their discipline. It left Wellington with very little heavy cavalry to deal with the swarms of French cavalry that surrounded his squares later on.

Wellington never entirely trusted his cavalry, and nearly 130 years later, neither did Montgomery!