supposed to get them from? Do you want me to manufacture some?' But
some military historians think the true reason Napoleon did not indulge
Ney was that the marshal had lost credibility and had cried 'wolf once
too often.
It took until 6.45 p.m. for the Guard to stabilize the front facing
Biilow. By then Wellington had used the slight lull in fighting to stiffen
the centre by throwing in his last reserves of fo ot and horse. As
Napoleon's confidence rose, the Duke's dipped: 'God bring me night or
bring me Blucher,' Wellington was heard to remark. Then at around
7 p.m. Napoleon decided to send in the Middle Guard to finish the
business. French spirits rose as Napoleon led forward eleven battalions of
his crack troops and handed them over to Ney at the smoking ruins of La
Haie Sainte, and morale soared even higher as Ney spurred on the
'immortals' of the Grande Armee, resplendent in their columns seventy to
eighty men wide. Ney was not a bit cast down when, for the fifth time
that day, he had a horse shot from under him. He simply drew his sword,
and joined the front ranks of the Guard.
Soon the Guard came under fire from British guns at Hougoumont.
But initially they made good progress, overran the Brunswick brigade on
the forward slope of Mont St Jean and captured two artillery batteries.
Then they attacked and drove back the left-hand square of Halkett's
brigade. Unexpectedly, the Belgians counterattacked, fo rcing back one
battalion of the Guard with a barrage from horse artillery on the crest of
the ridge, firing grapeshot, and following with a bayonet charge. By this
time the French grenadiers were engaged in furious combat with the 69th
Foot and the 33rd Foot, Wellington's old regiment from India. None the
less, two battalions of the Chasseurs were on the point of gaining the crest
when Wellington played his only remaining card. He ordered the 1st
Foot Grenadiers, who had been lying hidden on the reverse slopes, to rise
up and confront the enemy.
A scorching volley from the 1st Foot stopped the Guard dead in their
tracks. As they hesitated, losing men all the time, they made the fatal
mistake of deploying under fire. Taken in the flank by more British
infantry, the Guard fell into confusion. The 1st Foot advanced with
bayonets drawn and drove Napoleon's crack troops down the slope
towards Hougoumont, where they collided with the still advancing rear
columns of the Guard - the 4th Chasseurs and the remainder of the 4th
Grenadiers. The 1st Foot retreated to the foot of the ridge and turned to
face the hastily reassembled Guard. On came the French again and this
time they seemed likely to overwhelm the opposition. Suddenly a fresh
British force, the sznd Foot under Sir John Colbourne, appeared over
marcin
(Marcin)
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