ome Uhlans and mounted Landwehr
reached the place where the hero lay; and Nostitz was able to save
that precious life. Sorely battered, but still defiant like their
chief, the Prussian cavalry covered the retreat at the centre; the
wings fell back in good order, the right holding on to the village of
Bry till past midnight; but several battalions of disaffected troops
broke up and did not rejoin their comrades. About 14,000 Prussians and
11,000 French lay dead or wounded on that fatal field.[492]

Napoleon, as he rode back to Fleurus after nightfall, could claim that
he had won a great victory. Yet he had not achieved the results
portrayed in Soult's despatch of 3.15 to Ney. This was due partly to
Ney's failure to fulfil his part of the programme, and partly to the
apparition of D'Erlon's corps, which led to the postponement of
Napoleon's grand attack on Ligny.

The mystery as to the movements of D'Erlon and his 20,000 men has
never been fully cleared up. The evidence collected by Houssaye leaves
little doubt that, as soon as the Emperor realized the serious nature
of the conflict at Ligny, he sent orders to D'Erlon, whose vanguard
was then near Frasnes, to diverge and attack Bluecher's exposed flank.
That is to say, D'Erlon was now called on to deal the decisive blow
which had before been assigned to Ney, who was now warned, though very
tardily, not to rely on the help of D'Erlon's corps. Misunderstanding
his order, D'Erlon made for Fleurus, and thus alarmed Napoleon and
delayed his final blow for wellnigh two hours. Moreover, at 6 p.m.,
when D'Erlon might have assailed Bluecher's right with crushing effect,
he received an urgent command from Ney to return. Assuredly he should
not have hesitated now that St. Amand was almost within cannon-shot,
while Quatre Bras could scarcely be reached before nightfall; but he
was under Ney's command; and, taking a rather pedantic view of the
situation, he obeyed his immediate superior. Lastly, no one has
explained why the Emperor, as soon as he knew the errant corps to be
that of D'Erlon, did not recall him at once, bidding him fall on the
exposed wing of the Prussians. Doubtless he assumed that D'Erlon would
now fulfil his instructions and march against Bry; but he gave no
order to this effect, and the unlucky corps vanished.

At that time a desperate conflict was drawing to a close at Quatre
Bras. Ney had delayed his attack until 2 p.m.; for, firstly, Reille's
corps alone was a