ps
were reinforced by Alten's division. A little later, a brigade of
Kellermann's heavy cavalry came up from the rear and renewed Ney's
striking power--but again too late. Already he was maddened by the
tidings that D'Erlon's corps had been ordered off towards Ligny, and
next by Napoleon's urgent despatch of 3.15 p.m. bidding him envelop
Bluecher's right. Blind with indignation at this seeming injustice, he
at once sent an imperative summons to D'Erlon to return towards Quatre
Bras, and launched a brigade of Kellermann's cuirassiers at those
stubborn squares.

The attack nearly succeeded. The horsemen rushed upon our 69th
Regiment just when the Prince of Orange had foolishly ordered it back
into line, caught it in confusion, and cut it up badly. Another
regiment, the 33rd, fled into the wood, but afterwards re-formed; the
other squares beat off the onset. The torrent, however, only swerved
aside: on it rushed almost to the cross-roads, there to be stopped by
a flanking fire from the wood and from the 92nd (Gordon) Highlanders
lining the roadway in front.--"Ninety-second, don't fire till I tell
you," exclaimed the Duke. The volley rang out when the horsemen were
but thirty paces off. The effect was magical. Their front was torn
asunder, and the survivors made off in a panic that spread to Foy's
battalions of foot and disordered the whole array.[494]

Ney still persisted in his isolated assaults; but reinforcements were
now at hand that brought up Wellington's total to 31,000 men, while
the French were less than 21,000. At nightfall the Marshal drew back
to Frasnes; and there D'Erlon's errant corps at last appeared. Thanks
to conflicting orders, it had oscillated between two battles and taken
part in neither of them.

Such was the bloody fight of Quatre Bras. It cost Wellington 4,600
killed and wounded, mainly from the flower of the British infantry,
three Highland regiments losing as many as 878 men. The French losses
were somewhat lighter. Few conflicts better deserve the name of
soldiers' battles. On neither side was the generalship brilliant.
Twilight set in before an adequate force of British cavalry and
artillery approached the field where their comrades on foot had for
five hours held up in unequal contest against cannon, sabre, and
lance. The victory was due to the strange power of the British soldier
to save the situation when it seems past hope.

Still less did it redound to the glory of Ney. Once more he h