The Left Column
Beyond Charleroi was a major road junction, with main roads leading towards Mons, Brussels and Namur. After its successful capture, Napoleon immediately sent Pajol’s cavalry in pursuit of the retreating Prussians. Colonel Gourgaud, Napoleon’s premier officier d’ordonnance, takes up the story:
Hardly out of Charleroi, we saw an enemy column, infantry and cavalry, of twelve to fifteen hundred men, retiring in great disorder on the Brussels road. I pointed them out to Pajol who immediately sent the 1st Hussars after them, commanded by my friend General Clary [commander of the 1st Brigade of the 4th Division (Soult)]. I accompanied this regiment. The enemy infantry, to save themselves, dispersed into the large village of . . . [Gourgaud leaves this blank, but Prussian accounts name the village as Jumet]. We took a hundred prisoners and continued to pursue the cavalry [this was the 6th Uhlans] as far as Gosselies. There, some hidden Prussian infantry fired on us by platoon at fifteen paces. My frightened horse, swerving suddenly, fell with me into a ditch. I thought I would be captured, but the hussars did not abandon me; they stopped my horse and gave me the time to remount. The enemy infantry, after firing their volley and receiving ours, retired a little and I rejoined the 1st Hussars with my brave platoon. I discussed the situation with Clary; we deployed three squadrons in line on the plain with one remaining in column on the road. This move forced the enemy to reveal a large part of his force; we could distinguish eight to ten thousand men, infantry and cavalry.
Being more than two leagues from Charleroi, and having a long village behind us, we began to skirmish, but as we started our withdrawal we lost a few hussars and an officer was killed. We captured three officers and ten lancers.
The enemy followed us as far as the middle of the long village where we stopped. I left at the gallop to warn the emperor that it appeared as if the enemy held the route to Brussels in force.1
Zieten’s troops were withdrawing east across the front of the French advance, leaving their southern flank vulnerable. Identifying that the main road to Brussels from Charleroi was a likely French axis, he had sent his 3rd Brigade to occupy Gosselies, through which this road passed. The 6th Uhlans, commanded by Colonel Lützow, the former partisan leader, were also there, having been left by the Reserve Cavalry commander to maintain contact with Zieten’s men. These were the troops encountered by Gourgaud and Clary.