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called out, That must be the second battalion,' (which had seen comparatively little service). Then-,' he would say, and the narration was completed by the drawing up of his noble head into its grandest military bearing. But the fire was something tremendous. The Peninsular veterans never recollected the like lasting for so long a time. Mr. Leeke mentions one man who cried out loudly on being wounded, but when one of the officers said kindly to him, O, man, do not make a noise,' he controlled himself; and this, except one of the officers, who, being hit on the ancle by a spent ball, hopped about, exclaiming, ' By Jove,' was, he says, the only noise he heard the whole day from a wounded sufferer, though he was near multitudes of both nations. Again, when a shell fell in the midst of a square, Colonel Charles Rowan merely said, 'Steady, men,' and they stood like rocks, while the shell burst, and killed seven poor fellows.

To the cavalry charges they were impervious. The following testimony came to the knowledge of Sir Frederick Love:

'Some years ago he and his brother were returning through the south of France, from a trip they had been taking to the Pyrenees, when they fell in with a nice gentlemanly Frenchman in one of the public conveyances who, in the course of conversation, told them that he also had served at Waterloo : and it turned out, on their comparing notes, that he had been an officer of some standing in the very regiment of cuirassiers which had charged the right square of the 52d in that action. Amongst other things, the French officer said that, whilst the cuirassiers were reforming just under the British position, preparatory to renewing their attacks upon us, he observed that the men had ordered their arms, and were standing at ease, and that he said to a young officer near him, "See how coolly those fellows take it; depend upon it that is one of the old Spanish regiments, and we shall make no impression on them."-Leeke, vol. i. p. 36.

Major Beckwith, of the 95th, riding down into the square, called out to Sir John Colborne, 'I hope you are satisfied now.' Napoleon himself said that the squares stood like walls, and the French cannon-shot seemed to make no impression on it.

About 6.30, an aide-de-camp came to Colborne with orders from the Duke to retire; but on his answering that perhaps the Duke was not aware that they could hold their ground very well, and were not much hurt, he rode away, saying he would tell the Duke. Half an hour afterwards, seeing the enemy's masses again in motion, as preparing for another attack, and that the Nassau troops were running out of the wood of Hougoumont, Lord Seaton thought it more prudent to act on the order, and withdraw to the top of the ridge, the 71st falling back at the same time. He was riding in rear of his regiment as they retired, when a colonel of the cuirassiers, having separated from his corps in their last attempt at a charge, galloped up to him, shouting "Vive le Roi!" and saying that he might expect an immediate attack; that Napoleon was bringing forward all his reserves, including the hitherto unengaged Old and Moyenne Guard, and pointing out where he was occupied in arranging them.

'When the two regiments regained the height, they deployed, and formed lines four deep, on the same ground they had occupied before their descent into the plain. As soon as the formation was completed, Colonel Colborne riding forward, watched the heavy columns of the enemy debouching from their position in front of La Belle Alliance, the cuirassier colonel still at his side, pointing out the different corps as they traversed the space between the two armies, and took the direction towards that part of the position occupied by the British Guards, about 200 yards to the left and rear of the 52d. Twenty thousand men concentrated for this last effort, and came on in gallant style under cover of a prodigious fire of artillery, the leading column composed of the Imperial Guard, conspicuous with their bearskin caps. The position of the British army in the direct line of their attack was greatly weakened. The Guards, as well as Halket's brigade, had been much engaged, and had suffered severely. There was no infantry in their rear to be depended on; most of the cavalry regiments had been expended; only one brigade of guns was serviceable in that part of the field; the Brunswickers who had occupied the ground in the rear of La Haye Sainte were driven back with great loss; and altogether there was more cause for anxiety than at any previous period of the day; for it was evident that if the line should now be pierced by this large body of fresh troops, the consequences must be most serious. Lord Seaton, then judging that the most effectual way of arresting the progress of so formidable a force was by a flank attack, and seeing that there was no time to be lost, took upon himself the bold measure of wheeling the whole line of the 52d on its left, as a pivot, as if it had been a single company, so as to bring it at nearly right angles to its previous formation, and facing directly on the line of march of the attacking columns.

During the operation, General Adam came up and inquired what he was doing, on which Colborne, pointing out the enemy advancing up the hollow formed by the undulation of the ground to the right of La Haye Sainte, the general rode away towards the 71st, and being shortly after severely wounded, the regiments of the brigade were, for the rest of the day, left to the direction of their own commanding officers. Moving on as soon as their right was sufficiently thrown forward, the 52d was ascending a slight elevation of the ground, which projected from the position at this point, when about fifty vards in front came a sudden apparation of an irregular throng of cavalry, bearing down upon them at full gallop. The air was full of smoke, but almost as soon as it was possible to distinguish anything, it was seen by some of the officers that the foremost riders were leaning forward over their horse's necks, and those that followed cutting at them. A cry arose, "They are English," but the affair was altogether momentary, and there was no time for orders, so of their own accord, along the line wherever a trooper came opposite, two or three files opened back, and shot the French as they passed through, several falling in the rear of the line. It turned out that the pursued were a squadron of the 23d Light Dragoons, whom, in consequence of the absurd fashion of dressing our light cavalry in blue, just like the French, it was impossible in such a melee to distinguish, and some few of them were unavoidably involved in the fate of their pursuers.'

The regiment then resumed its progress in perfect order, and being the strongest battalion in the field, numbering upwards of 1,000 rank and file at the commencement of the action, presented an imposing front, which, at such a moment, it was particularly undesirable to diminish; but as the movement of the 52d was entirely independent, and no other skirmishers could be obtained, the two right sub-divisions were extended, with directions to the officer commanding them to keep a few paces in front, and make the enemy feel his fire. This was soon done, and the imperial column, which by this time had

reached nearly the summit of the position, as soon as the shot began to tell upon them, halted, and endeavoured to check the advance of the line by a very sharp fire from the outward files along the whole length of the lett flank.

Seeing, however, that this was of no avail, that the line pressing forward with increasing pace would presently be upon them, and feeling their utter inability in this formation to withstand the impending charge, the whole body broke, and rushing with confusion obliquely to the rear, involved in their disorder the other troops in echelon to their right, suffering immense loss from the running fire of the 52d, at point blank distance. The 71st, too, who had promptly conformed to the movement of the 52d, now beginning to come up to their right, opened a partial, more distant fire on the retreating multitude, which to these regiments, standing on the higher ground, showed as it crowded the valley towards La Haye Sainte, without a vestige of ranks remaining, like the vast wreck of a great army. Never was disorganization more sudden and complete. Then the two regiments bringing up their left shoulders still in line, followed them at double-quick, sweeping the whole front of the attack, and gaining so much ground to the left, that at 500 or 600 yards beyond La Haye Sainte, the 52d came out on the Charleroi road, having in their rapid advance left behind a confused mass of guns, tumbrils, and several hundreds of the enemy, who became prisoners.

They had been enfiladed by several discharges of canister shot from three guns on their right, till a detachment of the 52d went out and drove them off, and the cuirassiers involved in the flight made repeated attempts to reform in order to charge, but were as often driven on before they could gain sufficient time. The regiments were far in advance of everything; neither cavaly nor infantry appeared to be coming on in support, not one other battalion had advanced from the position. It seemed, therefore, the more necessary to avoid loosening the ranks too much, and Lord Seaton, seeing that many of the men, having been so many hours under arms, could with difficulty keep up over the deep trampled ground, was directing the officers to moderate the pace, when the Duke, who had come up, and had been riding for a few minutes in the rear of the regiment, called out, Go on, Colborne; give them no time to rally;" and so the pursuit continued.

Three squares of Grenadiers of the Guard then appearing, formed on a ridge of hill to the left of the road; the two regiments, closing together, immediately advanced upon them, in face of a sharp well-directed fire, till they reached the foot of the hill. As soon as they began to ascend it, the squares ceased firing, faced to the rear as if by word of command, and were soon out of sight, to which movement some cannon shot, passing from the rear over the beads of the two regiments, and giving to them the first intimation of the approach of the Prussians, must have doubtless been an additional inducement. This was the last body of French infantry that retained their formation, and may be supposed to be that portion of the Od Guard, of whom the myth was current in Paris, and possibly is so to this day, that being surrounded and summoned to surrender, they cried out, "La Garde meurt mais ne se rend pas," and were all cut to pieces.-Yonge's Memoirs, p. p. 9, 10, 11.

Though Cambronne, their general, testified "ma foi," I cannot tell what I said, I only know that the English officer said mange."

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Such was the excitement of this advance, that Sir John Colborne, having had his horse killed under him, mounted another without perceiving that it was attached to a French tumbril, and spurred it on, at first amazed at its tardiness, then shouting loudly 'cut me out.'

The 52d and 71st followed as far as the farm of Rossomme, where they met the head of the Prussian columns coming from Wavre, and the mounted officer threw his arms round Ensign Leeke, and embraced him, colour and all. The other colour lay on the hill above, dyed with the life-blood of the other ensign, young Nettles.

The Duke and Marshal Blucher here met, and arranged that the pursuit should be continued by the Prussians. The Duke asked Sir John Colborne what he could do for him, and he begged for a barrel of biscuits, which was sent, and the regiment spent the night of victory as best they could, where they were, half-a-mile in advance of the rest of the army.

The first care of the commanding officer the next morning, was to send back a strong party of the 52d to remove the wounded of the regiment; an attention which was not bestowed on those of the army generally, a large portion of them remaining on the field the second day afterwards.

The next day, Sir John Colborne wrote the following letter, which we have received permission to copy :

'Nivelles, June 19 h, 1815.

'You will be anxious to hear of us after the most severe conflict I have ever witnessed, and I think it will be the most important in the result. William Leeke is very well. The infantry behaved nobly, and the 52d as usual.

I have only time to write you these few lines. You will be surprised at the Gazette. We have lost some of our most valuable officers.'

For many years his correspondent was not aware of what was to be surprising in the Gazette, but there can be little doubt that Sir John was thinking of the transcendent glory which his regiment and himself had gained; and which has of late years been pronounced by Sir Robert Shaw Kennedy, one of the most memorable exploits performed by a British officer.

But when the Gazette appeared, it only contained these words respecting the period of advance: These attacks were repeated 'till about seven in the evening, when the enemy made a desperate charge with the cavalry and infantry, supported by the fire of artillery, to force our left centre, near the farm of 6 La Haye Sainte, which, after a severe contest, was defeated.' Not one word however of complaint or remonstrance was even uttered by Sir John Colborne, to the close of his long life. He was wont to say that no one knew how difficult it was to write a despatch,' and to remind his more impatient friends that the letter was written late that same evening, and in a house and room filled with wounded men, so that even to the Duke, distinct recollection might be impossible. His officers, however, could not fail to be disappointed.

'It was not only those who had been engaged in that particular part of the fight we have been describing who were impressed with the importance of the service rendered in that conjuncture, but, two days after the battle, it so happened that sufficient means were afforded of learning something of the general sense of the army on the subject. Two officers from every regiment of cavalry and infantry were ordered back to Brussels to look after any missing soldiers, and among these, on their meeting there in the public rooms, discussing the events so fresh in their minds, it was the common consent that the charge of the 52d was not only the decisive action of the day, but that it was one of the most gallant feats ever performed.

And it may be said that a feeling stronger than disappointment arose, when it appeared that the defeat of Napoleon's last great effort was attributed to the Guards. The error was thus occasioned :

The battle commenced by the attack on Hougoumont, which was occupied by a detachment of Byng's brigade of Guards, who held it during the day, had a hard service, and performed it well. So the Duke, in his despatch, said, "The Guards set an example which was followed by all."

"This, therefore, was true enough, but Lord Bathurst, at that time Secretary for War and the Colonies, having to make a speech on the occasion in the House of Lords, founded a romance upon it, and said that the British Guards had encountered the Grenadiers of the Imperial Guards and overthrown them. Then, too, was invented the story of "Up Guards, and at them "-a myth of the same baseless character with the "Meurt mais ne se rend pas" of the French. It was a piece of gossip picked up in the camp by Sir Walter Scott, on his visit to Paris, first appearing in his "Paul's Letters to his Kinsfolk," and from thence gravely adopted by Alison as a historical fact.

In truth, they never came in contact at all with the Imperial Guards, and were in no way instrumental to their repulse. The 52d, in marching to the attack, saw the Guards stationary in line to their left, and expecting them every moment to advance, speculated on the chance of the right of the Guards being entangled with their own left. But they never did advance till after the French had retired, for the very sufficient reason given by Sir John Byng (now Lord Strafford), who commanded the right brigade, viz., that they had not a round of ammunition remaining, and were therefore very glad to see the 52d come in their front, and when the 52d brought up their left shoulders to pursue the routed enemy, they left the Guards far enough in their rear.'— Yonge's Memoirs, p. 14.

It may well be believed that a very painful sense of injustice existed in the minds of the officers who found themselves and their leader thus passed over, and the United Service Gazette was long full of letters fighting the battle over again.

Colonel Gawler published The Crisis of Waterloo,' and indeed Mr. Leeke's book is a true representation of the long anxiety that prevailed among all these old fellow soldiers to have the matter cleared up, but the Duke owned that he could not remember his own exact words, and indeed professed (and truly) that no individual can recollect all the order in which, or 'the exact movement in which (events) occurred.' 'I am really disgusted,' he writes, and ashamed of all I have seen of the Battle of Waterloo. The number of writings upon it would lead the world to suppose that the British army had never fought a battle before."

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