Prussians Arrive at Waterloo Battlefield

The Prussians, fired by enthusiasm, forgot the fatigues they had for four days endured.

Continuing The Battle of Waterloo,
with a selection from The History of Germany from the Earliest Period to the Present Time by Wolfgang Menzel published in 1852. This selection is presented in 2 easy 5 minute installments. For works benefiting from the latest research see the “More information” section at the bottom of these pages.

Previously in The Battle of Waterloo.

Time: 1815
Place: Waterloo Crossroads, 9 miles south of Brussels

Napoleon, far from imagining that the Prussians, after having been, as he supposed, completely annihilated or panic stricken by Grouchy, could aid the British, wasted the precious moments and instead of hastily attacking Wellington spent the whole of the morning of the 18th in uselessly parading his troops, possibly with a view of intimidating his opponents and of inducing them to retreat without hazarding an engagement. His well-dressed lines glittered in the sunbeams; the infantry raised their shakos on their bayonet points, the cavalry their helmets on their sabers and gave a general cheer for their Emperor. The English, however, preserved an undaunted aspect. At length, about midday, Napoleon gave orders for the attack, and, furiously charging the British right wing, drove it from the village of Hougomont. He then sent orders to Ney to charge the British center. At that moment a dark spot was seen in the direction of St. Lambert. Was it Grouchy? A reconnoitering party was dispatched and returned with the news of its being the Prussians under Buelow. The attack upon the British center was consequently countermanded and Ney was dispatched with a considerable portion of his troops against Buelow.

Wellington now ventured to charge the enemy with his right wing but was repulsed and lost the farm of La Haye Sainte, which commanded his position on this side as Hougomont did on his right. His center, however, remained unattacked, the French exerting their utmost strength to keep Buelow’s gallant troops back at the village of Planchenoit, where the battle raged with the greatest fury and a dreadful conflict of some hours’ duration ensued hand to hand. But about five o’clock, the left wing of the British being completely thrown into confusion by a fresh attack on the enemy’s side, the whole of the French cavalry, twelve thousand strong, made a furious charge upon the British center, bore down all before them and took a great number of guns. The Prince of Orange was wounded. The road to Brussels was already thronged with the fugitive English troops and Wellington, scarcely able to keep his weakened lines together, was apparently on the brink of destruction, when the thunder of artillery was suddenly heard in the direction of Wavre. “It is Grouchy!” joyfully exclaimed Napoleon, who had repeatedly sent orders to that general to push forward with all possible speed. But it was not Grouchy, it was Blucher.

The faithful troops of the veteran Marshal (the old Silesian army) were completely worn out by the battle, by their retreat in the heavy rain over deep roads and by the want of food. The distance from Wavre, whence they had been driven, to Waterloo, where Wellington was then in action, was not great, but was rendered arduous owing to these circumstances. The men sometimes fell down from extreme weariness and the guns stuck fast in the deep mud. But Blucher was everywhere present and notwithstanding his bodily pain ever cheered his men forward, with “indescribable pathos,” saying to his disheartened soldiers: “My children, we must advance; I have promised it; do not cause me to break my word!” While still distant from the scene of action, he ordered the guns to be fired in order to keep up the courage of the English and at length, between six and seven in the evening, the first Prussian corps in advance, that of Zieten, fell furiously upon the enemy. “Bravo!” cried Blucher, “I know you, my Silesians; today we shall see the backs of these French rascals!”

Zieten filled up the space still intervening between Welling ton and Buelow. Exactly at that moment Napoleon had sent his Old Guard forward in four massive squares in order to make a last attempt to break the British lines, when Zieten fell upon their flank and dealt fearful havoc among their close masses with his artillery. Buelow’s troops, inspirited by this success, now pressed gallantly forward and finally regained the long-con tested village of Planchenoit from the enemy. The whole of the Prussian army, advancing at the double and with drums beating, had already driven back the right wing of the French, when the English, regaining courage, advanced.

Napoleon was surrounded on two sides and the whole of his troops, the Old Guard under General Cambronne alone excepted, were totally dispersed and fled in complete disorder. The Old Guard, surrounded by Buelow’s cavalry, nobly replied, when challenged to surrender, “La Garde meurt, et ne se rend pas” [“The Guard dies and never surrenders”]; and in a few minutes the veteran conquerors of Europe fell beneath the righteous and avenging blows of their antagonists. At the farm of La Belle Alliance, Blucher offered his hand to Wellington. “I will sleep tonight in Bonaparte’s last night’s quarters,” said Wellington. “And I will drive him out of his present ones!” replied Blucher.

The Prussians, fired by enthusiasm, forgot the fatigues they had for four days endured, and, favored by a moonlight night, so zealously pursued the French that an immense number of prisoners and a vast amount of booty fell into their hands and Napoleon himself narrowly escaped being taken prisoner. At Genappe, where the bridge was blocked by fugitives, the pursuit was so close that he was compelled to abandon his carriage, leaving his sword and hat behind him. Blucher, who reached the spot a moment afterward, took possession of the booty, sent Napoleon’s hat, sword and star to the King of Prussia, retained his cloak, telescope and carriage for his own use and gave up everything else, including a quantity of the most valuable jewelry, gold and money, to his brave soldiery. The whole of the army stores, two hundred forty guns and an innumerable quantity of arms thrown away by the fugitives, fell into his hands.

Wolfgang Menzel begins here. William Siborne begins here. Victor Hugo begins here.

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