DUFF & NONSENSE!: The last throw of the dice: from our reporting team: June 18th, 1815

The last throw of the dice: from our reporting team: June 18th, 1815

From Wellington's HQ: I have never witnessed such a sight in all my life! For over an hour something close to 8,000 French cavalry swept up and over the ridge and surrounded nearly two dozen British and Allied infantry squares. The brave French horsemen tried, and tried, and tried again to break the squares but to no avail, they held firm. As and when able, the Duke moved from square to square encouraging his men by his presence. Finally, the enemy withdrew leaving behind a carnage of dead and dying horses and men who just an hour before had made such a pretty and brave spectacle as they advanced. The Duke is now busy organising his infantry ready for the next threat.

From the Emperor's HQ: It is now evening and the Emperor finds himself, not for the first time in his career, in an exceedingly tight spot. The cavalry attack ordered and led by Marshal Ney has failed. The Prussian pressure at the village of Plancenoit, just behind the right flank of the French army, is so severe that the Emperor has been forced to commit not only his normal reserve but also the Young Guard. The battle for this village is ferocious and it has changed hands several times.

But now, the crisis is reached. Grouchy's Corps is nowhere to be seen, D' Erlon's Corps on our right is finished as a fighting force, Reille's Corps on our left has been dissipated on fruitless attacks against Hougoumont and the reserves have been committed to holding off the Prussians. At this moment of utmost peril the Emperor turns to his saviours in battles past - the Imperial Guard, the Middle and Old divisions. In a dramatic scene, he personally led forward these divisions and directed them towards the British right flank which had thwarted the cavalry earlier. With bands playing the most formidable troops in Europe, troops who had never lost a battle, slowly advanced across the valley and began to mount the opposite slope. Your reporter went with them to witness at first hand. There was nothing to be seen as we approached the crest and we began to believe that perhaps the British had called it a day after the punishment they must have taken from the cavalry. Finally we reached the top and all we could see apart from the detritus of earlier fights, was the tall, waving corn in the fields - when suddenly, from out of these seemingly empty fields there stood up, like so many jack-in-the- boxes, line after line of British infantry. With great deliberation and at point blank range they opened fire with volley after volley and in our massed ranks men fell in their hundreds. A British regiment on our left actually wheeled round in order to fire into our exposed flank. There was an almost palpable pause - a beat - a hesitation - and then, unbelievably, the mighty French Imperial Guard turned about and marched away!

At around 8.00 o'clock on the evening of the 18th July 1815 the battle was lost. The great gamble of the hundred days had come to an end and the Napoleonic era was finally over.

Posted by David & Son of Duff | Permalink