The life of Napoleon Buonaparte, emperor of the French. By Sir Walter Scott.

LIFE OF-NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 715
plan of battle. He determined to leave Ney with army into action on the eventful 18th of June.
a division of 45,000 men, with instructions to drive When relieved, and again mounted, Blucher dithe IEnglish from Quatre-Bras, ere their army was rected the retreat upon Tilly, and achieved it unconcentrated and reinforced, and thus prevent their molested by the enemy, who did not continue their
co-operating with Blucher, while he himself, with pursuit beyond the heights which the Prussians
the main body of his army, attacked the Prussian had been constrained to abandon.
position at IZigny. Ney being thus on the French Such was the battle of Ligny, in wvliich the Prusleft wing at Frasnes and Quatre-Bras, and Bona- sians, as Blucher truly said, lost the field, but not
parte on the right at Lighny, a division under d'Er- their honour. The victory was attended with none
ion, amounting to 10,000 men, served as a centre of of those decisive consequences which were Xwont to
the army, and was placed near Marchiennes, from mark the successes of Bonaparte. There were no
which it might march laterally either to support corps cut off or dispersed, no regiments which fled
Ney or Napoleon, whichever might require assist- or flung down their arms, no line of defence forced,
ance. As two battles thus took place on the 16th and no permanent advantage gained. Above all,
June, it is necessary to take distinct notice of both. there was not a man who lost heart or courage. The
That of Ligny was the principal action. The Prussians are believed to have lost in this bloody
French Emperor was unable to concentrate his action at least 10,000 men; the Moniteur makes the
forces, so as to commence the attack upon the number of the killed and wounded 15,000, nond GePrussians, until three o'clock in the afternoon, at neral Gourgaud, dissatisfied with this liberal allowwhich hour it began with uncommom fury all along ance, rates them afterwards at no less than 25,000,
the Prussian line. After a continued attack of while writing under Napoleon's dictation. The loss;
two hours, the French had only obtained possession of the victors was, by the official accounts, estimated
of a part of the village of St-Amand. The position at 3000 men, which ought to have been more than}
of the Prussians, however, was thus far defective, tripled. Still, the French Emperor had struck a,
that the main part of their army being drawn up on great blow-overpowered a stubborn and inveterate
the heights, and the remainder occupying villages enemy, and opened the campaign with favourable
which lay at their foot, the reinforcements dis- auspices. The degree of advantage, however, which
patched to the latter were necessarily exposed Napoleon might have derived from the Prussian
during their descent to the fire fiolm the French retreat, was greatly limited by the indifferent success.
artillery, placed on the meadows below. Notwith- of Ney against the forces of Lord Wellington. Of'
standing this disadvantage, by which the Prussians this second action we have now to give some acsuffered much, Napoleon thought the issue of the count.
contest so doubtful, that he sent for d'Erlon's di- Frasnes had been evacuated by the British, who,.
vision, which, as we have mentioned, was stationed on the morning of the 16th, were in position at
near Marchiennes, half way betwixt Quatre-Bras Quatre-Bras, a point of importance, as four roads
and Ligny. In the meanwhile, observing that diverge from it in different directions; so that the
Blucher drew his reserves together on St-Amand, British general might comlnlunicate firono his left.
he changed his point of attack, and directed all with the Prussian right at St-Amand, besides havinghis force against Liguy, of which, after a desperate in his rear a causeway open for his retreat. On the
resistance, he at length obtained possession. The left of the causeway; leading from Charleroi to.
French Guards, supported by their heavy cavalry, Brussels, is a wood, called Bois de Bossus, which,.
ascended the heights, and attacked the Prussian during the early part of the day, was strongly conposition in the rear of Ligny. The reserves of the tested by the sharp-shooters on both sides, bhlt at|
Prussian infantry having been dispatched to St- length carried by the French, and umaintained for a
Amand, Blucher had no imeans of repelling this time. About three o'clock in the afternoon, the
attack, save by his cavalry. He placed himself at mtain attack commenced, but was repulsed. The
their head, and charged in the most determined British infantry, however, and particularly the 4~2f
manner, but without success.'['he cavalry of Blu- Highlanders, suffered severely from an unexpectedl
cher were forced back ill disorder. charge of lancers, whose approach was hid fiom
The Prince Marshal, as he directed the retreat, them by the character of the ground, intersected
was involved in one of the charges of cavalry, his with hedges, and covered with heavy crops of i ye.
horse struck down by a cannon-shot, and he him- Two companies of the Highlandelrs were cut off, not
selfl' prostrated on the ground. His aide-de-cam.) hlaving time to form the square; the others succeeded
threw himself beside the veteran, determined to in getting into order, and beating off the lancers.
share his fate, and had the precaution to fling a Ney then attempted a general charge of heavy cacloak over him to prevent his being recognized by valry. But they were received with such a galling
the French. The enemy's cuirassiers passed over fire fiom the British infantry, joined to a battery of
him, and it was not until they were repulsed, and two guns, that it could not be sustained; the whole
in their turn pltrsued by the Prussian cavalry, that causeway was strewed with men and horses, antd
the gallant veteran was raised and remounted.- the fiugitives, who escaped to the rear, announced
Blu.:her's death, or captivity, at that eventful no- the loss of an action which was far fisom being dement, might have had most sinister effects on the cided, considering that the British had few infantry
event of the campaign, as it may be fairly doubted, and artillery, though reinforcements of both wele
whether anything short of his personal influence coming fast forward.
and exertion could, after this hard-fought and un- The French, as already noticed, had, aIbout three
fortunate day, have again brought the Prussian o'clock, obtained possession of the Bois de Bossus,