as reinforcement. By yet another of the twists that made the Belgian
campaign a chapter of accidents for Bonaparte, the Prussians were that
evening mustering at Wavre; ironically the net effect ofLigny and Q!tatre
Bras was to push the two Allied armies closer together. Grouchy,
supposedly in hot pursuit of Blucher, had not only failed to interpose
himself between the two Allied armies, but at 6 p.m. stopped for the
night at Gembloux, twelve miles south of Wavre; incredibly, his corps
had covered just six miles in the whole of that day. Had Blucher gone
anywhere but Wavre, or if anyone but Grouchy had been pursuing him,
Wellington's position at Waterloo would already have been hopeless.
At I I p.m. at his base at the farmhouse of Belle Alliance, two miles
south of Mont-St-Jean, Napoleon received the astounding news that
Grouchy was nowhere near Wavres but was complacently ensconced at
Gembloux; the marshal actually had the stupid effrontery to send a
reassuring message that he would be advancing on Wavres at first light,
so nothing was lost. Scarcely able to believe his eyes when he read the
dispatch, the Emperor sought confirmation. A ware that if, after all his
efforts, the two Allied armies managed to combine, the tables would be
turned on him, he went for a walk at I a.m., accompanied only by the
Grand Marshal. The torrential rainfall had eased off, and in the clear
light the forest of Soignes looked as if it were on fire, lit up as it was from
the glow of myriad bivouacks. At 2.30 a.m. the rain began to pelt down
once more. Napoleon grabbed some fitful sleep, only to be awakened at 4
a.m. by a dispatch confirming Blucher's presence at Wavres. This was the
point where he should have sent an express to Grouchy, ordering him to
break off the pursuit of the Prussians to Wavre and instead station
himself between Waterloo and Wavre to prevent the Prussians moving
west. In yet another fateful decision he delayed sending this crucial
message until IO a.m. on the I8th.
On the morning of Sunday I8 June Napoleon was once again unwell.
He had slept less than four hours and before daybreak rode his horse in
teeming rain to inspect his advanced posts. The deluge-like precipitation
in the early morning was to have important effects: not only did the
waterlogged ground make it impossible for the French to manoeuvre
their superior artillery but the lethal impact of their cannonballs was
reduced; since round shot would not ricochet in these conditions, the
artillery would not be able to tear holes in the dense British squares.
When he had completed his tour of inspection, the Emperor again felt
tired. So fatigued was he that between IO and I I a.m. he fell asleep while
seated on a chair on the Brussels road.
In his preparations for the battle of Waterloo Napoleon contrived to
marcin
(Marcin)
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