itself between two fires, it gave him but
little uneasiness. However, rather from precaution than from fear, he
gave orders to General Domont, to advance with his cavalry and that of
General Suberwick, to meet the Prussians and directed Count de Lobau,
to be ready to support General Domont in case of necessity. Orders
were despatched at the same time to Marshal Grouchy, to inform him of
what was passing, and enjoin him _anew_, to hasten his march, to
pursue, attack, and crush Bulow.

Thus by drawing off the divisions of Domont and Suberwick, and by the
paralyzation of the 6th corps, our army was reduced to less than
fifty-seven thousand men: but it displayed so much resolution, that
the Emperor did not doubt its being sufficient, to beat the English.

The second corps, as I have already said, had effected the dislodgment
of the English from the woods of Hougoumont; but the first corps,
notwithstanding the continual play of several batteries, and the
resolution of our infantry and of the light horse of General Lefevre
Desnouettes and Guyot, had been unable to force either La Haie
Sainte, or Mont St. Jean. The Emperor ordered Marshal Ney, to
undertake a fresh attack, and to support it by eighty pieces of
cannon. A tremendous fire of musketry and artillery then took place
throughout the whole line. The English, insensible to danger,
supported the charges of our foot and of our horse with great
firmness. The more resistance they displayed, the more furiously did
our soldiers engage. At length the English, driven from one position
to another, evacuated La Haie Sainte and Mont St. Jean, and our troops
seized on them with shouts of "Long live the Emperor!"

To sustain them there, Count d'Erlon immediately sent the second
brigade of General Alix. A body of English horse intercepted the
passage, threw the brigade into disorder, and then, falling on our
batteries, succeeded in dismounting several pieces of artillery. The
cuirassiers of General Milhaud set off at a gallop, to repulse the
English horse. A fresh division of these came and fell upon our
cuirassiers. Our lancers and chasseurs were sent to their assistance.
A general charge ensued, and the English, broken, overthrown, cut
down, were forced to retire in disorder.

Hitherto the French army, or, to speak more properly, the forty
thousand men of Generals Reille and d'Erlon, had obtained and
preserved a marked superiority. The enemy, driven back, appeared
hesitating on