nadiers on horseback, and the dragoons in advance of Avesnes. each corps will have its artillery with it; the reserve artillery in advance of Avesnes. "June 14.-Slept at Beaumont. "June 14.-To Prince Joseph. - Brother, -I remove my head-quarters this evening to Beaumont: to-morrow, the 15th, I shall advance to Charleroi, where the Prussian army is, which will occasion a battle, or the retreat of the enemy. The army is fine, and the weather pretty fair; the country perfectly well disposed. I shall write this evening, if the communications are to be made on the 16th; mean time we must prepare. Adieu. "To the Minister of War. I hope to pass the Sambre tomorrow, the 16th. If the Prussians do not evacuate, we shall have a battle. Suchet must take Montmeillan, and fortify himself there. Recommend that there be 10,000 muskets at Lyons to arm the National Guards. The 300 cannon of the marine must be placed in batteries at Paris; let them be there before the 25th. Lastly, let the company of cannoneer ... march-let them go en diligence to Vincennes, on Thursday. Do not be too prodigal of muskets to the Fédérés; we are in great want of them everywhere. I direct . . . . . from Maubeuge to Paris."-[The blanks are for two words that we cannot decipher. The rest of the letter is quite unintelligible, except a few words; we see that mention is made of the Rhône, of the Saone; of Rapp, who is to defend Alsace to the utmost; of Befort, of Marne, &c. His imperial Majesty seems very uneasy about all this: he has much business on his hands at this moment, and never wrote with more precipitation.] "General Order. "Avesnes, June 14, 1815. "Soldiers! This day is the anniversary of Marengo and of Friedland, which twice decided the destiny of Europe. Then, as as after Austerlitz, as after Wagram, we were too generous! We believed in the protestations and in the oaths of princes whom we left on the throne! Now, however, coalesced among themselves, they would destroy the independence and the most sacred rights of France. They have commenced the most unjust of aggressions. Let us march, then, to meet them. Are they and we no longer the same men? "Soldiers! at Jena, against these same Prussians, now so arrogant, you were one against three, and at Montmirail one against six! "Let those among you who have been prisoners of the English, detail to you the hulks and the frightful miseries which they suffered! "The Saxons, the Belgians, the Hanoverians, the soldiers of the Confederation of the Rhine, lament that they are compelled to lend their arms to the cause of princes, the enemies of justice and of the rights of all nations; they know that this coalition is insatiable! After having devoured twelve millions of Poles, twelve millions of Italians, one million of Saxons, six millions of Belgians, it must devour the states of the second rank of Germany. "The madmen! a moment of prosperity blinds them. The oppression and humiliation of the French people are beyond their power. If they enter France, they will there find their tomb. "Soldiers! we have forced marches to make, battles to fight, dangers to encounter; but, with steadiness, victory will be oursthe rights, the honour, the happiness of the country will be reconquered! "To every Frenchman who has a heart, the moment is arrived to conquer or perish. "(A true copy), "The Marshal Duke of DALMATIA, Major-general.” "Beaumont, June 15th, three in the morning. "To Prince Joseph.-Brother, the enemy being in motion to attack us, I march to meet him: hostilities will then begin to-day. Thus I desire that the communications which have been prepared may be made. "Your affectionate Brother." "Charleroi, June 16th, 1815.-To the Minister at War.-My Cousin,-Send me all the Generals I have demanded, and particularly General Mouton Duvernet; send me also General Lepie of the Guard; he understands the use of the sabre (c'est un bon sabreur), and will do well in the Grenadiers." "June 16th.-To Prince Joseph.-Brother,-The bulletin will inform you what is passed. I advance my head-quarters to Sombref; we are all in motion. I much regret the loss of General Letort. The loss yesterday was inconsiderable, and fell chiefly on the four squadrons of the Guard on duty. The confiscation of the property of the traitors, who hold meetings at Ghent, is necessary. "Your affectionate Brother." FRENCH OFFICIAL DETAIL OF THE BATTLES WITH THE PRUSSIANS AND ENGLISH, WITH NEY'S OBSERVATIONS. Position of the French Army. On the 14th the army was placed in the following order: The first corps, commanded by General Count D'Erlon, was at Solre-sur-Sambre. The second corps, commanded by General Reille, was at Hamsur-Heure. The third corps, commanded by General Vandamme, was on the right of Beaumont. The fourth corps, commanded by General Girard, was arriving at Philippeville. On the 15th, at three in the morning, General Reille attacked the enemy, and advanced upon Marchiennes-au-Pont. He had several engagements, in which his cavalry charged a Prussian battalion, and made 300 prisoners. At one o'clock in the morning, the Emperor was at Jamignansur-Heure. General D'Aumont's division of light Prussian battalions, and made 400 prisoners. cavalry sabred two General Pajol entered Charleroi at noon. The sappers and the marines of the Guard were with the van to repair the bridges. They penetrated the first into the town as sharpshooters. General Clari, with the first regiment of hussars, advanced upon Gosselies, on the road to Brussels, and General Pajol upon Gilly, on the road to Namur. At three in the afternoon, General Vandamme, with his corps, débouched upon Gilly. Marshal Grouchy arrived with the cavalry of General Excelmans. The enemy occupied the left of the position of Fleurus. At five o'clock in the afternoon the Emperor ordered the attack. The position was turned and carried. The four squadrons on service of the Guard, commanded by General Letort, broke three squares. The 26th, 27th, and 28th Prussian regiments were put to the rout. Our squadrons sabred 400 or 500 men, and made 150 prisoners. During this time General Reille passed the Sambre, at Marchiennes-au-Pont, to advance upon Gosselies, with the divisions of Prince Jerome and General Bachelu, attacked the enemy, took from him 250 prisoners, and pursued him on the road to Brussels. Thus we became masters of the whole position of Fleurus. * Vide further particulars in the French Officer's Account, p. 89. At eight in the evening, the Emperor returned to his headquarters at Charleroi. This day cost the enemy five pieces of cannon, and 2000 men, of whom 1000 are prisoners. Our loss is 10 killed and 80 wounded, chiefly of the squadrons of service which made the charges, and of the three squadrons of the 20th Regiment of Dragoons, who also charged a square with the greatest intrepidity. Our loss, though trifling as to number, is sensibly felt by the Emperor, on account of the severe wound received by General Letort, his aide-de-camp, while charging at the head of the squadrons of service. This is an officer of the most distinguished merit; he is wounded by a ball in the stomach, and the surgeon is apprehensive that his wound will prove mortal. We have found some magazines at Charleroi. The joy of the Belgians is not to be described. There are villages where, on the sight of their deliverers, they made dances; and everywhere it is a transport which comes from the heart. The Emperor has given the command of the left to the Prince of Moskwa, who had his head-quarters, this evening, at Quatre Chemiers (Quatre Bras), on the road to Brussels. The Duke of Treviso, to whom the Emperor had given the command of the Young Guard, has remained at Beaumont, being confined to his bed by a sciatica. The fourth corps, commanded by General Girard, arrived this evening at Châtel. General Girard reports, that Lieutenant-general Bourmont, Colonel Clouet, and Captain Villontreys, of the cavalry, have gone over to the enemy. A Lieutenant of the 11th Chasseurs has also gone over to the enemy. The Major-general has ordered the sentence of the law to be pronounced against these deserters. Nothing can paint the good spirit and the ardour of the army. It considers, as a happy event, the desertion of this small number of traitors who thus throw off the mask. BATTLE OF LIGNY-UNDER-FLEURUS. Paris, June 21. On the morning of the 16th the army occupied the following position: The left wing, commanded by the Marshal Duke of Elchingen, and consisting of the 1st and 2d corps of infantry, and the 2d of cavalry, occupied the positions of Frasne. The right wing, commanded by Marshal Grouchy, and composed of the 3d and 4th corps of infantry, and the 3d corps of cavalry, occupied the heights in rear of Fleurus. The Emperor's head-quarters were at Charleroi, where were the Imperial Guard and the 6th corps. The left wing had orders to march upon Quatre Bras, and the right upon Sombref. The Emperor advanced to Fleurus with his reserve. The columns of Marshal Grouchy being in march, perceived, after having passed Fleurus, the enemy's army, commanded by Field-marshal Blücher, occupying with its left the heights of the mill of Bussy, the village of Sombref, and extending its cavalry a great way forward on the road to Namur; its right was at St. Amand, and occupied that large village in great force, having before it a ravine which formed its position. The Emperor reconnoitred the strength and the positions of the enemy, and resolved to attack immediately. It became necessary to change front, the right in advance, and pivoting upon Fleurus. General Vandamme marched upon St. Amand, General Girard upon Ligny, and Marshal Grouchy upon Sombref. The 4th division of the 2d corps, commanded by General Girard, marched in reserve behind the corps of General Vandamme. The Guard was drawn up on the heights of Fleurus, as well as the Cuirassiers of General Milhaud. At three in the afternoon these dispositions were finished. The division of General Lefol, forming part of the corps of General Vandamme, was first engaged, and made itself master of St. Amand, whence it drove out the enemy at the point of the bayonet. It kept its ground, during the whole of the engagement, at the burialground and steeple of St. Amand; but that village, which is very extensive, was the theatre of various combats during the evening: the whole corps of General Vandamme was there engaged, and the enemy there fought in considerable force. General Girard, placed as a reserve to the corps of General Vandamme, turned the village by its right, and fought there with his accustomed valour. The respective forces were supported on both sides by about 50 pieces of cannon each. On the right, General Girard came into action with the 4th corps at the village of Ligny, which was taken and retaken several times. Marshal Grouchy, on the extreme right, and General Pajol, fought at the village of Sombref. The enemy showed from 80,000 to 90,000 men, and a great number of cannon. At seven o'clock we were masters of all the villages situate on the bank of the ravine, which covered the enemy's position; but he still occupied, with all his masses, the heights of the mill of Bussy. The Emperor returned with his Guard to the village of Ligny; General Girard directed General Pecheux to débouch with what remained of the reserve, almost all the troops having been engaged in that village. Eight battalions of the Guard débouched with fixed bayonets, |