6

Withdrawal to Mont St Jean

Although Marshal Blücher had maintained his position at Sombref, Wellington wrote to Earl Bathurst in a letter from Waterloo dated 19 June 1815, ‘he still found himself much weakened by the severity of the contest in which he had been engaged’. He went on to add,

As the 4th corps had not arrived, he determined to fall back and to concentrate his army upon Wavre; and he marched in the night, after the action was over. This movement of the Marshal rendered necessary a corresponding one upon my part; and I retired from the farm of Quatre Bras upon Genappe, and thence upon Waterloo, the next morning, the 17th, at ten o’clock.¹

As Wellington explained, because the Pussians had been forced to retreat, he had to make a corresponding withdrawal or face being cut off from his ally. Wellington, though, did not receive news of Blücher’s defeat at Ligny or of the Prussian withdrawal until the morning of the 16th because the aide carrying a message to Müffling was shot off his horse.

It was only when Quartermaster Colonel De Lancey himself actually rode over to the east to find out what was happening that the Duke learnt of the disaster that had befallen the Prussians. The following comments were those that he made to Captain George Bowles:

Old Blücher has had a damned good licking and gone back to Wavre, eighteen miles. As he has gone back, we must go too. I suppose in England they will say we have been licked. I can’t help it; as they are gone back, we must too.²

As it happened, Wellington had already made arrangements to withdraw to his chosen position, and quickly decided upon a retreat. The respective orders, once again signed by De Lacy Evans, were issued at approximately 09.00 hours:

The 1st division to keep piquets only in the wood on the right of the high road, and to be collected on the road to Nivelles, in rear of the wood.

The 2d division to march from Nivelles to Waterloo, at 10 o’clock.

The 3d division to collect upon the left of the position, holding by its piquets the ground it now occupies.

The 4th brigade 4th division now at Nivelles to march from Nivelles upon Waterloo, at 10 o’clock. The brigades of the 4th division on the road from Braine le Comte, or at Braine le Comte, to collect and halt this day at Braine le Comte.

All the baggage on the road from Braine le Comte to Nivelles to be sent back to Braine le Comte, and to be sent from thence to Hal and Bruxelles.

The 5th division to collect upon the right of the position in three lines, and the 95th regt. to hold the gardens.

The 6th division to be collected in columns of battalions, showing their heads only on the heights on the left of the position of Quatre Bras.

The Brunswick corps to be collected in the wood on the Nivelles road, holding the skirts with their piquets only.

The Nassau troops to be collected in the rear of the wood on the Nivelles road, holding the skirts with their piquets only.

The 2d division of the troops of the Netherlands to march from their present ground on Waterloo, at 10 o’clock (then marching). The march to be in columns of half companies at quarter distance.

The 3d division of the troops of the Netherlands to march from Nivelles at 10 o’clock. The spare musket ammunition to be transported behind Genappe, as well as the reserve artillery. The waggons of the reserve artillery to be parked in the Foret de Soignies.

The British cavalry to be formed at 1 o’clock in three lines in rear of the position at Quatre Bras, to cover the movement of the infantry to the rear, and the retreat of the rear guard.³

The following letter was written by a sergeant in the Royal Artillery Drivers, from his camp in the Bois de Boulogne near Paris, to his father in Edinburgh on 22 September 1815.

We were roused on the morning of the 17th, about three o’clock, by the skirmishing of the out picquets, which continued till about seven, when we received orders to retire. I was sent off with the spare division of the brigade, and appointed to go to a village called Rhode; but either through ignorance or design, the inhabitants directed us wrong, and it was not till about four in the afternoon that we joined the brigade on the field since called Mount St John and Waterloo.

At that time the enemy’s cavalry was following our army close up, harassing the rear. About ten minutes after we had passed, the enemy cut off several detachments with baggage, &c. who were in rear of us.

The withdrawal was also described in a letter from Sergeant Ewart of the Scots Greys to his brother in Ayr, which, written at Rouen, was dated 16 August 1815:

Next morning, 17th, as soon as day, the outposts began to skirmish, and we advanced close upon them. While we shewed ourselves, their cavalry would not come out, which gave our infantry the liberty of forming their line, and braving them out, but all to no purpose.

When Lord Wellington saw that they would not come out of the wood, he made the infantry retreat, and we kept the ground for about three hours, to let the infantry get off before we fell back; but, as soon as we began to retreat, they came out of the wood in clouds; it was about one o’clock of the day when we began our retreat, and the rain and thunder came on most dreadfully, it is impossible to describe the awfulness of it, for in less than five minutes, the whole of us were as wet as if we had come out of a pond.

It continued this way the whole of the afternoon, we all the time falling back and the enemy advancing, until we pressed so close upon our infantry that we were obliged to make a stand to save them, until they formed line upon a height behind us, and had their cannon placed there; we gave them some of our British balls, which silenced them for that night. We lost few men that day, but the enemy must have lost a great number, from the shot firing so fast upon them; this concluded the 17th.⁴

An officer of the Guards, the same individual quoted previously and who is any named as ‘a near observer’, also corresponded:

Next morning, our men were drawn up in a line of battle fronting the wood where the French had retired [at Quatre Bras]; but they would not venture to attack us. Lord Wellington by a ruse de guerre, however, drew them from the wood, by a rapid retreat, for a few miles, towards Brussels; which brought the French exactly on the spot where he wished to fight them, and where he might bring his cavalry into play.

While retreating, we were overtaken by a most violent thunderstorm and a heavy rain, which rendered us very uncomfortable. During the whole, no man was lost, but the Blues lost three or four; the 1st Life Guards charged some of the French Lancers, and almost cut them to pieces. We were drawn up to give them a second charge, but they would not stand it. This evening, we are bivouacked in a piece of boggy ground, where we were mid-leg up in mud and water.⁵

Though Wellington was retiring on his chosen position near Waterloo, he remained concerned with his right flank, fearing being cut off from his communications with the Channel ports. This had preoccupied him for months before Napoleon had invaded Belgium and it was still a factor in his calculations. With Napoleon close on his heels, Wellington could be certain that he would have to fight at Mont St Jean. Nevertheless, he detached a considerable proportion of his army to Hal (or Halle) to protect that right flank. A ‘Memorandum for the Quartermaster-General, 17th June, 1815’ stated:

The corps under Prince Frederick of Orange will move from Enghien this evening, and take up a position in front of Hal, occupying the château with two battalions. Colonel Estorff will fall back with his brigade on Hal, and place himself under the orders of Prince Frederick of Orange. Wellington.

On the same day, ‘instructions from the Quartermaster-General to Major-General The Hon. Sir Charles Colville, G.C.B.’ were issued:

The army retired this day from its position at Quatre-Bras to its present position in front of Waterloo. The brigades of the 4th Division at Braine le Comte are to retire at daylight to-morrow morning upon Hal. Major-General Colville must be guided by the intelligence he receives of the enemy’s movements in his march to Hal, whether he moves by the direct route or by Enghien.

Prince Frederick of Orange is to occupy with his corps the position between Hal and Enghien, and is to defend it as long as possible. The army will probably continue in its position in front of Waterloo tomorrow. Lieutenant-Colonel Torrens will inform Major-General Sir Charles Colville of the position and situation of the armies.⁶

An unidentified French soldier wrote the following from Fleurus:

This morning the (17th) the cavalry of General Pajol is gone in pursuit of the Prussians upon the road to Namur. It is already two leagues and a half in advance; whole bands of prisoners are taken. They do not know what is become of their commanders. The rout is complete on this side, and I hope we shall not so soon hear again of the Prussians, if they should ever be able to rally at all.

As for the English, we shall see now what will become of them. The Emperor is here.

Some private letters from the army give the following particulars: The English are retiring upon Brussels by the forest of Soignies; the Prussians are falling back upon the Meuse in great disorder.

The 17th at 11p.m. the Emperor had his head-quarters at Planchenoit, a village only five leagues from Brussels. The rain fell in torrents. His Majesty was fatigued, but he was very well.

Count Lobau, who was marching with the 6th corps upon Namur, was, with his van-guard, only half a league from the town. Five battalions are gone from Lille to escort the prisoners taken on the 15th and 16th.⁷

The Emperor was obviously disappointed with Ney’s failure to either drive Wellington from Quatre Bras or support the force under Napoleon at Ligny. Nevertheless, he evidently felt that the campaign was going well, and that he had succeeded in separating the two allied armies. Marshal Soult wrote to Ney, on Napoleon’s behalf, on 17 June 1815:

General Flahault, who has just reached here, reports that you are in no doubt about the precise result of yesterday’s operations on this wing. I thought that I had already acquainted you of the victory which the Emperor gained. The Prussian army has been routed, and General Pajol is now pursuing it along the roads leading to Namur and Liège. We have captured some thousands of prisoners and 30 cannon. Our troops have behaved very well: one charge by six battalions of the guard, and the squadrons of the cavalry division of Delort, pierced the enemy line, caused great disorder and seized the position.

The Emperor is proceeding to the windmill at Bry, past which runs the Namur and Quatre Bras high road; and, as it is possible that the English army will engage your command, then, in such circumstances, the Emperor would march by the Quatre Bras road against the enemy in front of you, whilst you attack them in front with your divisions, which ought now be concentrated; and in such an eventuality the hostile army would be annihilated immediately.

Yesterday the Emperor remarked with regret that you had not massed your divisions; they acted spasmodically, and consequently, you suffered disproportionate loss.

Not a single Englishman would have escaped if the corps of counts d’Erlon and Reille had been kept together. If count d’Erlon had carried out the movement on St. Amand, prescribed by the Emperor, then the Prussian Army would have been totally destroyed, and we might have captured 30,000 prisoners

The corps of generals Gérand, Vandamme, and the Imperial Guard have been kept together as if they are detached they are exposed to setbacks.

The Emperor hopes and desires that your seven infantry divisions and the cavalry are concentrated, and that they occupy mo more than a league of ground, so as to have the whole force in hand, and ready for immediate action in case of need.

His Majesty’s intention is that you will take up a position at Quatre Bras as you were ordered to; but if this is impossible to act in this manner send a detailed report immediately and the Emperor will move there along the road already mentioned; if, on the other hand, you are only confronted with a rear-guard, drive it off, and occupy the position. Today is required for completing this operation, replenishing ammunition, gathering stragglers and detachments. Give orders accordingly, and make sure that all the wounded are transported to the rear.

The well-known partisan leader, Lutzow, who has been taken prisoner, stated that the Prussian army was lost, and that for the second time Blücher has jeopardized the Prussian monarchy.⁸

Just how wrong Napoleon was with his assessment of the state of the Prussian army is made clear in this report by Gneisenau:

On the 17th, in the evening, the Prussian army concentrated itself in the environs of Wavre. Napoleon put himself in motion against Lord Wellington, upon the great road leading from Charleroi to Brussels. An English division maintained, on the same day, near Quartre Bras, a very severe contest with the enemy. Lord Wellington had taken a position on the road to Brussels, having his right wing leaning upon Bruerie la Leu, the centre near Mont St. Jean, and the left wing against La Haye Sainte.

Lord Wellington wrote to the Field Marshal that he was resolved to accept the battle in this position if the Field Marshal would support him with two corps of his army. The Field Marshal proposed to come with his whole army; he even proposed, in case Napoleon should not attack, that the Allies themselves with their whole force united should attack him the next day. This may serve to shew how little the battle of the 16th had disorganized the Prussian army or weakened its moral strength. Thus ended the day of the 17th.⁹

Napoleon spent the morning of the 17th at Ligny, waiting for reports from Ney and Grouchy before committing his reserve force, principally the Imperial Guard, which he had kept under his immediate command, to any particular course of action. Having told Grouchy to ‘keep a sword in the backs’ of the Prussians, Napoleon decided to concentrate his efforts on Wellington, but Ney, once again appeared to be dragging his feet. Soult wrote this message at midday:

The Emperor has just placed in position before Marbais a corps of Infantry and the Imperial Guard. His Majesty desires me to tell you that his intention is that you shall attack the enemy at Quatre Bras, and drive them from their position; the corps of Marbais will support your operations. His Majesty is going to Marbais, and awaits impatiently your report.¹⁰

Ney had actually sent a report (at 06.30 hours), which evidently had not yet arrived at Napoleon’s headquarters. In the report, a copy of which has not survived, Ney explained that he was facing a powerful force in a strong position and that he would need the Emperor’s support before he could risk attacking again. By the time Napoleon moved up to Quatre Bras, it was already too late, as the Anglo-Netherlands army had spent the morning withdrawing through the forest of Soignes, leaving only a rearguard to face the French. The official French account explains the movements of l’armée du Nord:

In the morning of the 17th, the Emperor repaired to Quatre Bras, whence he marched to attack the English army: he drove it to the entrance of the forest of Soignies, with the left wing and the reserve. The right wing advanced by Sombref, in pursuit of Field Marshal Blucher, who was going towards Wavre, where he appeared to wish to take a position.

At ten o’clock in the evening, the English army occupied Mount St.Jean with its centre, and was in position before the forest of Soignies: it would have required three hours to attack it; we were therefore obliged to postpone it till the next day. The head-quarters of the Emperor were established at the farm of Caillou, near Planchenoit. The rain fell in torrents. Thus, on the 17th, the left wing, the right, and the reserve were equally engaged, at a distance of about two leagues.¹¹

The Honourable Fred Ponsonby, of the 12th Light Dragoon, who was a cousin of Major General Sir William Ponsonby (who commanded the Union Brigade), described the withdrawal of the Anglo-Netherlands army from Quatre Bras:

Early in the morning the Duke [of Wellington], having ascertained the retreat and defeat of Blucher, gave orders for all the Infantry to retire to Waterloo. The cavalry with two battalions of the 95th remained as a rear guard to mask the retreat of our infantry. The whole of the Cavalry were drawn up on some rising ground and remained there till after two. It was a most interesting time for the Duke who had every reason to expect that the whole of Bonaparte’s army would immediately fall upon him, before he could collect his army on the position of Waterloo.

I was with him, the Duke, just in front of this line of cavalry when we were all observing the preparations and movements of the immense mass of Troops before us. He was occupied reading the newspapers, looking through his glass when anything was observed, and then making observations and laughing at the fashionable news from London.

The French Cavalry were now mounted, it was passed two and the whole of their army were seen getting under arms. We commenced our retreat in three columns. I was with the left column. We had nothing, however, but a skirmish. The centre column had a sharp affair, but we arrived at Waterloo without suffering any material loss. The rain fell in torrents, it was so heavy that my large thick coat was wet thro’ in a few minutes. The whole country became almost a swamp.¹²

Captain Cavalie Mercer, in charge of a troop of the Royal Horse Artillery, had helped cover the Allied withdrawal:

Up came Lord Uxbridge [who had taken charge of the rearguard] … ‘Captain Mercer, are you loaded?’ ‘Yes, my lord. ‘Then give them a round as they rise the hill, and retire as quickly as possible.’ … ‘They are coming up the hill,’ said Lord Uxbridge. ‘Let them get well up before you fire. Do you think you can retire quick enough afterwards?’ ‘I am sure of it, my lord.’ ‘Very well, then, keep a good lookout, and point your guns well.’

I had often longed to see Napoleon, that mighty man of war – that astonishing genius who had filled the world with his renown. Now I saw him.¹³

Mercer was able to see Napoleon because the Emperor of the French was at the forefront of the French pursuit, as Lieutenant Pontécoulant of the Imperial Guard observed:

It was necessary to have been a witness of the rapid march of this army on the 17th, a march which resembled a steeple chase rather than the pursuit of a retreating enemy … The emperor, mounted on a small and very nimble Arab, galloped at the head of the column; he was always close to the guns, exciting the gunners by his presence and his words, and more than once in the midst of the shells and balls which the enemy artillery showered upon us, was heard to shout to them, in a voice full of hatred, ‘Fire, Fire, those are the English!’¹⁴

It was probably more of anger and frustration than hatred that caused the outburst from Napoleon. He was dismayed by Ney’s reluctance to attack the Anglo-Netherlands army which Napoleon saw had been gathered at Quatre Bras but which was now escaping.

The Emperor, realising that the entire campaign plan was in danger, had ridden up to d’Erlon and said to the commander of I Corps,

In a tone of profound chagrin these words, which have been always graven on my memory:- ‘They have ruined France; come, my dear general, put yourself at the head of this cavalry, and vigorously push the English rearguard.’ The Emperor never quitted the head of the advance-guard, and was even engaged in a charge of cavalry in debouching from Genappe.¹⁵

The Lancaster Gazette published the following eye-witness account which was dated 22 June and sent from the village of Gommignies:

Having completed our day’s march, I once more take up my pen, and, after giving you some of the leading features of the 17th, shall do my best to relate to you, as far as lies in my power, the most striking incidents of the glorious day of ‘Waterloo’.

At day break, on the 17th, we were again under arms, having snatched a hurried repose to our wearied limbs on the ground near which we fought. Uncertain as to the movements of the enemy, or whether they purposed renewing their attack, we were in a state of anxious suspense: and the skirmishing at intervals in our front made us expect that something was about to be done; during all this time we were employed by parties in bringing in our wounded companions, whom the darkness had the night before prevented our finding, and in doing our best to be ready for anything that might occur, and in assuaging, as well as we could, the sufferings of those around us.

We succeeded in finding the bodies of our four officers, Captains Grose and Brown, Ensigns Lord Hay and Barrington, who were killed; and had the melancholy satisfaction of paying the last tribute of respect to their remains; they were buried near the wood, and one of our officers read the service over them; never did I witness a scene more imposing; those breasts which had a few hours back boldly encountered the greatest perils, did not now disdain to be subdued by pity and affection; and if the ceremony wanted the real clerical solemnity due to its sacred character, it received an ample equivalent in this mark of genuine regard, and the sincerity with which we wished them a more immortal Halo than that which honour could confer.

The whole night was occupied in getting up the cavalry and artillery; and report said, that the Duke of Wellington had it in contemplation to become, in his turn, the assailant; be that as it may, we were ordered to fall back by the Charleroi road through Gemappe, to our position of Waterloo. I will not invite you to accompany us on our march, which was only marked by fatigue, dust, heat, and thirst.

After halting for a short time to ascertain our actual position, we marched to it, and were greeted by one of the very hardest showers of rain I ever remembered to have seen, which lasted nearly half an hour; it then ceased. The whole afternoon was taken up by the various divisions getting to their respective posts, and making active preparations for the expected attack of the morrow.

Jardin Ainé was Napoleon’s equerry and was, therefore, responsible for Napoleon’s horse. He also had a first-hand view of the momentous events of June 1815:

On the 17th of June, Napoleon left the village where he had slept, and visited the battlefield of the evening before as he always did on the day after a battle. He went very quickly up the hill to Genappes where he remained making observations on the movements of his advance guard; the cavalry attached to which several times charged the British cavalry as it passed out of the town.

At this time a violent storm threw into confusion the whole French army which, owing to their many days of rapid marching, lack of provisions, and want of rest was in a most pitiable state. At last the courage of the French overcame the horrible weather. The troops struggled on with unparalleled valor; in the evening Napoleon visited the outposts in spite of the heavy rain and did his utmost to encourage the men. At seven o’clock, p.m. he took out his watch and said that the troops had need of rest, that they should take up their positions, and that the next day early, they would be under arms.

At this moment shouts were heard from the British army, Napoleon asked what these could be. Marshal Soult (then Chief of Staff) replied ‘It is certainly Wellington passing through the ranks that is the cause of the shouting.’ At seven o’clock, Napoleon said he wished to bivouac; it was pointed out to him that he was in a ploughed field and in mud up to the knees, he replied to the Marshal, ‘Any kind of shelter will suit me for the night’ …

Napoleon went into a kind of Inn out of which the troops, who had installed themselves in it, were turned, and here he fixed his General Headquarters, because he did not wish to go to the town of Genappes, which was only a league distant, saying that during the night he would here receive more readily reports from the army. At the same time everyone had found the best available quarters in which to pass the night. Generals Corbineau, La Bedoyere, Flahaut, aides-de-camp on Napoleon’s staff, spent the night in riding between the various army corps and returning to him to give an exact account of the movements which were taking place.¹⁶

The city of Brussels was, of course, almost on the front line and the place was understandably in a state of high alert. One officer, W.A. Scott, provided us with this description:

The news arrived at Brussels that Blucher was defeated, and the English army had retired. ‘Cest trop clair – c’est trop clair,’ was repeated on every side. In fact, we were roused, says a correspondent, by a loud knocking at the door, and the cries of ‘Les Francois sont ici – Les Francois sont ici.’ Starting up, and the first sight we beheld, was a troop of Belgic cavalry, covered not with glory, but with mud, galloping through the town at full speed, as if the Devil were at their heels; and immediately the heavy baggage waggons, which had been harnessed from the moment of the first alarm, set off full gallop down La Montagne de la Cais, and through every street by which it was possible to effect their escape.

In less than two minutes, the great Square of the Place Royale, which had been crowded with men and horses, carts and baggage waggons, was completely cleared of everything, and entirely deserted. Again were the cries repeated, of ‘Les Francois sont ici! – lis s’emparent de la porte de laville!’ The doors of all the bed-rooms were thrown open – the people flew out with their night-caps on, scarcely half dressed, and looking quite distracted, running about pale and trembling, they knew not whither, with packages under their arms – some carrying huge collections of valuable things down to the cellars, and others loaded with their property were flying up to the garrets.

In the yards of the several inns, a scene of the most dreadful confusion ensued; the scuffle that took place to get at the horses and carriages it is impossible to describe; the squabbling of masters and servants, ostlers, chambermaids, coachmen, and gentlemen, all scolding at once, and swearing at each other in French, English, and Flemish; every opprobrious epithet and figure of speech which the three languages contained was exhausted upon each other, and the confusion of tongues we might suppose to resemble the Tower of Babel.

Those who had horses, or means of procuring them, set off with most astonishing expedition, and one carriage after another took the road to Antwerp. The corpse of the Duke of Brunswick had passed through Brussels during the night, and his fate seemed to be much lamented, and to make a great impression upon the people.

Waggons filled with the wounded began to arrive, and the melancholy spectacle of these poor sufferers increased the general despondency. These were streaming with blood, and at every jostle were heard groans or shrieks, which pierced the very heart. The streets were filled with the most pitiable sights. I saw a Belgic soldier dying at the door of his own home, and surrounded by his relatives, who were lamenting over him. Numerous were the sorrowful groups standing round the dead bodies of those who had died of their wounds in the way home. Numbers of wounded who were able to walk, were wandering in every street; their blood-stained clothes and pale haggard countenances looking most dreadful, and giving the idea of sufferings equal to the reality.

In the eagerness to escape, a number of ladies and children, and old men, were crushed to death, and the merchants who had come to barter their goods to strangers, actually left them unprotected, as well as the houses, for a general pillage, by the lower orders of the people. It would be endless to dwell upon every fresh panic. An open town like Brussels, within a few miles of contending armies, its subjects to perpetual alarms, and scarcely an hour passed without some false reports occurring to spread general terror and confusion. Every hour only served to add to the dismay. So great was the alarm in Brussels on Saturday evening, that £100 were offered in vain for a pair of horses to go to Antwerp, a distance of thirty miles! and numbers set off on foot, and embarked in boats upon the canal.¹⁷

There was at least one person in Brussels who was not immediately alarmed, and that was Lady Frances Wedderburn-Webster, who was, allegedly Wellington’s lover. He wrote the following in a letter to her on the evening of the 17th from Waterloo:

We fought a desperate battle on Friday, in which I was successful, though I had but very few troops. The Prussians were very roughly handled, and retired in the night, which obliged me to do the same to this place yesterday. The course of my operations may oblige me to uncover Bruxelles for a moment, and may expose that town to the enemy; for which reason I recommend that you and your family should be prepared to move to Antwerp at a moment’s notice.

I will give you the earliest intimation of any danger that may come to my knowledge: at present I know of none.¹⁸