the baggage which had not repassed the Sambre, in short, every thing that was on the field of battle, remained in the power of the enemy. It was impossible to wait for the troops on our right every one knows what the bravest army in the

fusion, and when its organisation no longer exists. The Emperor crossed the Sambre at Charleroi, at five o'clock in the morning of the 19th. Phil lipeville and Avesnes have been given as the points of re-union. Prince Jerome, General Morand, and other Generals have there already rallied a part of the army. Marshal Grenchy, with the corps on the right, is moving on the Lower Sambre. The loss of the enemy must have been very great, if we may judge from the number of standards we have taken from them, and from the retrogade movements which he made;-our's cannot be calculated till after the troops shall have been collected.-Before the disorder broke out, we had already experienced a very considerable loss, particularly in our cavalry, so fatally, though so bravely engaged.-Notwithstanding these losses, this brave cavalry con

left of the division, which had manenvred upon our flanks, in order not to have any uneasiness on that side-the rest was disposed in reserve, part to occupy the potence in rear of Mount St. Jean, part upon the ridge in rear of the field of bat tle, which formed our position of retreat.-world is when thus mixed and thrown into con-i In this state of affairs the battle was gained; we occupied all the positions which the enemy ocempied at the outset of the battle: our cavalry having been too soon and ill employed, we could no longer hope for decisive success; but Marshal Grouchy, having learned the movement of the Prussian corps, marched upon the rear of that corps, which insured us a signal snecess for next day. After eight hours fire and charges of infantry and cavalry, all the army saw with joy the battle gained, and the field of battle in our power. At half after eight o'clock, the four battalions of the middle guard, who had been sent to the ridge on the other side of Mount St. Jean, in order to support the cuirassiers, being greatly annoyed by the grape-shot, endeavoured to carry the bat teries with the bayonets. At the end of the day, a charge directed against their flank by several English squadrons put them in disorder.stantly kept the position it had taken from the The fugitives recrossed the ravin. Several regiments near at hand seeing some troops belonging to the guard in confusion, believed it was the old guard, and in consequeene were thrown into disorder. Cries of all is lost, the guard is driven back, were heard on every side. The soldiers pretend even that on many points ill-disposed persons cried out, sauve qui peut. However this may be, a complete panic at, once spread itself throughout the whole field of battle, and they threw themselves in the greatest disorder on the line of communication; soldiers, cannoneers, caissons, all pressed to this point; the old guard, which was in reserve, was infected, and was itself hurried along. In an instant, the whole army was nothing but a mass of confusion; all the soldiers of all arms were mixed pel-mel, and it was utterly impossible to rally a single corps. The enemy, who perceived this astonishing confusion, immediately attacked with their cavalry, and increased the disorder, and such was the confusion owing to night coming on, that it was impossible to rally the troops, and point out to them their error. Thus a battle terminated, a day of false manœuvres rectified, the greatest success insured for the next day, all was lost by a moment of panic terror. Even the squadrons of service, drawn up by the side of the Emperor, were overthrown and disorganised by these tumultnous waves, and there was then nothing else to be done but to follow the torrent. The parks' of reserve,

English, and only abandoned it when the tumult and disorder of the field of battle forced it. In the midst of the night, and the obstacles which encumbered their route, it could not preserve its own organization. The artillery has, as usual, covered itself with glory. The carriages belonging to the head-quarters remained in their ordi nary position; no retrograde movement being judged necessary. In the course of the night they fell into the enemy's hands. Such has been the issue of the battle of Mount St. Jean, glorious for the French armies, and yet so fatal.

PRUSSIAN ACCOUNT OF THE
THE 18TH.

BATTLE OF

At break of day the Prussian army again began to move. The 4th and 2d corps marched by St. Lambert, where they were to take a position, covered by the forest, near Frichemont, to takė the enemy in the rear, when the moment should appear favourable. The first corps was to ope rate by Ohaim on the right flank of the enemy. The third corps was to follow slowly, in order to afford succour in case of need. The battle began about ten o'clock in the morning. The English army occupied the heights of Mont St. Jean; that of the French was on the heights before Plachenoit; the former about 80,000 strong'; the enemy had above 130,000. In a short time,

the battle became general along the whole line.
It seems that Napoleon had the design to throw
the left wing upon the centre, and thus to effect
the separation of the English army from the
Prussian, which he believed to be retreating
upon Maestricht. For this purpose, he had
placed the greatest part of his reserve in the
centre, against his right wing, and upon this point
he attacked with fury. The english army fought
with a valour which it is impossible to surpass.
The repeated charges of the Old Guard were
baffled by the intrepidity of the Scotch regi-
ments; and at every charge the French cavalry
was overthrown by the English cavalry. But the
superiority of the enemy in numbers were too
great; Napoleon continually brought forward
considerable masses, and with whatever firmness
the English troops maintained themselves in their
position, it was not possible but that such heroic
exertions must have a limit. It was half past
four o'clock. The excessive difficulties of the
passage by the defile of St. Lambert had consider-
ably retarded the march of the Prussian columns,
so that only two brigades of the fourth corps had |
arrived at the covered position assigned to them.
The decisive moment was come; there was not
an instant to be lost. The Generals did not
suffer it to escape. They resolved immediately
to begin the attack with the troops which they
bad at hand. General Bulow, therefore, with
two brigades and a corps of cavalry, advanced
rapidly upon the rear of the enemy's right wing.
The enemy did not lose his presence of mind;
he instantly turned his reserve against us, and a
murderous conflict began on that side. The com
bat remained long uncertain, while the battle of the
English Army still continued with the same vio-
lence. Towards six o'clock in the evening, we
received the news that General Thielman with
the third corps, was attacked near Wavre by a
very considerable corps of the enemy, and that
they were already disputing the possession of the
The Field Marshal, however, did not
town.
suffer himself to be disturbed by this news; it
was on the spot where he was, and no where else,
that the affair was to be decided. A conflict
continually supported by the same obstinacy and
kept up by fresh troops, could alone insure
the victory, and if it were obtained here, any
reverse near Wavre was of little consequence.
The columns, therefore, continued their move-
ments. It was half an hour past seven, and the
issue of the battle was uncertain. The whole of
the 4th corps and a part of the 2d under General
Prisly had successively come up. The French
troops fought with desperate fury: however,

some uncertainty was perceived in their move
ments, and it was observed that some pieces of
cannon were retreating. At this moment the
first columús of the corps of General Ziethen ar
rived on the points of attack, near the village of
Smonben, on the enemy's right flank, and in-
stantly charged. This moment decided the de-
feat of the enemy. His right wing was broken in
three places; he abandoned his positions. Our
troops rushed forward at the pas de charge, and
attacked him on all sides, while, at the same
time, the whole English line advanced. Cir*
cumstances were extremely favourable to the
army; the
attack formed by the Prussian
ground rose in an amphitheatre, so that our artil-
|lery could freely open its fire from the summit of
a great many heights which rose gradually above
each other, and in the intervals of which the
troops descended into the plain formed into bri
gades, and in the greatest order; while fresh
corps continually unfolded themselves, issning
from the forest on the height behind us. The
enemy, however, still preserved means to retreat,
till the village of Planchenoit, which he had on
his rear, and which was defended by the gnard,
was, after several bloody attacks, carried by
storm.

The causeway pre

From that time the retreat became a rout, which soon spread through the whole French army, which in its dreadful confusion, hurrying away every thing that attempted to stop it, soon assumed the appearance of the flight of an army of barbarians. It was half-past nine. The Field Marshal assembled all the superior officers, and gave orders to send the last horse and the last man, in pursuit of the enemy. The van of the army accelerated its march. The French being pursued without intermission, was absolutely disorganised. sented the appearance of an immense shipwreck: it was covered with an innumera caissons, carriages, ble quantity of cannon, luggage, arms, and wrecks of every kind. Those of the enemy who had attempted to repose for a time, and had not expected to be so quickly pur sued, were driven from more than nine bivouacs. In some villages they attempted to maintain them. selves; but as soon as they heard the beating of our drums or the sonud of the trumpet, they either fled or threw themselves into the bouses, where they were cut down or made prisoners. It was moonlight, which greatly favoured the par suit, for the whole march was but a continued chace, either in the corn-fields or the houses. At Genappe the enemy had entrenched himself with cannon and overturned carriages; at our ap proach we suddenly heard in the town a greas

that this battle should bear the name of La Belle
Alliance.

By the order of Field Marshal Blucher,
General GNEISENAU

ADVANCE OF THE ALLIED ARMIES.
DOWNING-STREET, JUNE 29, 1815.-Dispatches,
of which the following are extracts, have been this
day received by Earl Bathurst, from Field Marshal
his Grace the Duke of Wellington, dated Cateau,
22d, and Joncourt, 25th instant.

La Cateau, June 22, 1815.
We have continued in march on the left of the
Sambre since I wrote to you. Marshal Blucher
crossed that river on the 19th, in pursuit of the ene.

noise and a motion of carriages; at the entrance
we were exposed to a brisk fire of musketry; we
replied by some caunon shot, followed by an
hurrak, and in an instant after the town was ours.
It was here that, among other equipages, the car-
riage of Napoleon was taken; he had just left it
to mount on horseback, and in his hurry had for
gotten in it his sword and hat. Thus the affairs
continued till break of day. About 40,000 men,
in the most complete disorder, the remains of
the whole army, have saved themselves, retreat.
ing throngh Charleroi, partly without arms, and
carrying with them only 27 pieces of their nume-
rons artillery. The enemy in his flight has passed
all his fortresses, the only defence of his fron-
tiers, which are now passed by our armies.
At three o'clock, Napoleon had dispatched from
the field of battle, a courier to Paris, with themy, and both armies entered the French territories
news that victory was no longer doubtful: a
few hours after, he had no longer any army left.
We have not yet any exact account of the enemy's
loss; it is enough to know that two-thirds of the
whole army are killed, wounded, or prisoners
among the latter are Generals Mouton, Duhesme,
and Compans. Up to this time about 300 cannon,
and 1000 cassions, are in our hands. Few victories
have been so complete, and there is certainly no
example that an army two days after losing a
battle, engaged in such an action, and so glorious
ly maintained it. Honour be to troops capable
of so much firmness and valour! In the middle
of the position occupied by the French army, and
exactly upon the height, is a farm called La Belle
Alliance. The march of all the Prussian columns
was directed towards this farm, which was visible
from every side. It was there that Napoleon was
during the battle; it was thence he gave his
orders, that he flattered himself with the hopes of
victory, and it was there that his ruin was de-
cided. There, too, it was, that by a happy chance
Field Marshal Blucher and Lord Wellington met
in the dark, and mutually salnted each other as
victors. In commemoration of the alliance which
now subsists between the English and Prussian |
nations, of the union of the two armies, and their
reeiprocal confidence, the Field Marshal desired,

yesterday; the Prussians by Beaumont, and the at-
lied army, under my command, by Bavay. The
remains of the French army have retired upon
Laon. All accounts agree in stating, that it is in a
very wretched state; and that, in addition to its
losses in battle and in prisoners, it is losing vast
numbers of men by desertion. The soldiers quit.
their regiments in parties, and return to their homes;
those of the cavalry and artillery selling their horses
to the people of the country. The 3d corps, which
in my dispatch of the 19th I informed your Lord-
ship had been detached to observe the Prussian
army, remained in the neighbourhood of Wavre till
the 20th; it then made good its retreat by Nainur
and Dinant. This corps is the only one remaining
entire. I am not yet able to transmit your Lord-
ship returns of the killed and wounded in the army
in the late actions. It gives me the greatest satis-
faction to inform you, that Colonel Delancy is not
dead: he is badly wounded, but his recovery is not
doubted, and I hope will be early. -

Joncourt, June 25, 1815. Finding that the garrison of Cambray was not very strong, and that the place was not very well supplied with what was wanting for its defence, I sent Lieut. General Sir Charles Colville there, on the day before yesterday, with one brigade of the

L

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