end their own lives and the blood which
is shed is not on their hands.

But I must finish my story of the battle and the removal of the wounded.

I saw sights there which are incredible; men killed in a moment of
fury, whose faces had not lost their horrible expression, still held
their muskets in their hands and stood upright against the walls, and
you could almost hear them cry, as they stared with glazed eyes, "To
the bayonet! No quarter!"

It was with this thought and this cry that they appeared before God.
He was awaiting them, and He may have said to them, "Here am I. Thou
killest thy brethren--thou givest no quarter? None shall be given
thee!"

I have seen others mortally wounded strangling each other. At Fleurus
we were obliged to separate the French and the Prussians, because they
would rise from their beds, or their bundles of straw, to tear each
other to pieces. Ah! war! those who wish for it, and those who make
men like ferocious beasts, will have a terrible account to settle above.

XX

The removal of the wounded continued until night. About noon shouts of
_Vive l'Empereur_ extended along the whole line of our bivouac from the
village of Bry to Sombref. Napoleon had left Fleurus with his staff
and had passed in review the whole army on the plateau. These shouts
continued for an hour, and then all was quiet and the army took up its
march.

We waited a long time for the orders to follow, but as they did not
come, Captain Florentin went to see what was the matter, and came back
at full speed shouting, "Beat the assembly!" The detachments of the
battalion joined each other and we passed through the village at a
quick step.

All had left, many other squads had received no orders, and in the
vicinity of St. Amand the streets were full of soldiers.

Several companies remained behind, and reached the road by crossing the
fields on the left, where we could see the rear of the column as far as
the eye could reach--caissons, wagons, and baggage of every sort.

I have often thought that we might have been left behind, as Gerard's
division was at St. Amand, and nobody could have blamed us, as we
followed our orders to pick up the wounded, but Captain Florentin would
have thought himself dishonored.

We hurried forward as fast as possible. It had commenced to rain again
and we slipped in the mud and darkness. I never saw worse weather, not
even at the retreat from Leipzig when we were in Ge