he might have received from
the Emperor himself, to return, Count Erlon was so unfortunate and
weak as to obey. He brought his troops back to the marshal; but it was
nine o'clock in the evening, and the marshal, dispirited by the checks
he had received, and dissatisfied with himself, and others, had
discontinued the engagement.

The Duke of Wellington, whose forces had increased successively to
more than fifty thousand men, retired in good order during the night
to Genappe.

Marshal Ney was indebted to the great bravery of his troops, and the
firmness of his generals, for the honour of not being obliged, to
abandon his positions.

The desperation, with which this battle was fought, made those men
shudder, who were most habituated to contemplate with coolness the
horrors of war. The smoking ruins of Ligny and St. Amand were heaped
with the dead and dying: the ravine before Ligny resembled a river of
blood, on which carcasses were floating: at Quatre Bras there was a
similar spectacle! the hollow way, that skirted the wood, had
disappeared under the bloody corses of the brave Scotch and of our
cuirassiers. The imperial guard was every where distinguished by its
murderous rage: it fought with shouts of "The Emperor for ever! No
quarter!" The corps of General Gerard displayed the same animosity. It
was this, that, having expended all its ammunition, called out aloud
for more cartridges and more Prussians.

The loss of the Prussians, rendered considerable by the tremendous
fire of our artillery, was twenty-five thousand men. Blucher, unhorsed
by our cuirassiers, escaped them only by a miracle.

The English and Dutch lost four thousand five hundred men. Three
Scotch regiments, and the black legion of Brunswick, were almost
entirely exterminated. The Prince of Brunswick himself, and a number
of other officers of distinction, were killed.

We lost, in the left wing, near five thousand men, and several
generals. Prince Jerome, who had already been wounded at the passage
of the Sambre, had his hand slightly grazed by a musket shot. He
remained constantly at the head of his division, and displayed a
great deal of coolness and valour.

Our loss at Ligny, estimated at six thousand five hundred men, was
rendered still more to be regretted by General Gerard's receiving a
mortal wound. Few officers were endued with a character so noble, and
an intrepidity so habitual. More greedy of glory than of wealth, he
possessed nothing