At one o'clock, while the fate of D'Erlon's onslaught was still
undecided, Napoleon observed Prussian troops on his right. An
intercepted despatch proved these to be Buelow's corps. He instantly sent
off a despatch to Grouchy, whom he supposed to be within reach, ordering
him to attack Buelow in the rear. Then followed the memorable succession
of charges by the whole of the French cavalry upon the squares of the
British infantry. Not one of these squares was broken; a great part of
the French cavalry was mown down by volleys or cut to pieces by the
British cavalry in their precipitate retreat, and the British line
remained unmoved, though grievously weakened, behind its protecting
ridge. This was the crisis of the fight. Much of the British artillery
was dismounted, and Wellington confessed to one of his staff that he
longed for the advent of night or Bluecher. Napoleon next felt himself
compelled to detach Lobau's corps for the purpose of meeting the
advancing Prussians. Soon afterwards Ney carried La Haye Sainte by a
most determined assault, aided by the failure of ammunition within its
defences, and thus captured the key of the British position. But
Napoleon saw that his one chance of victory lay in a final _coup_ before
the Prussians could wrest it from him. He ordered the imperial guard to
the front, leading it himself across the valley, and then handing over
the command to Ney. The guard was but the remnant of its original
strength, for all its cavalry had been wrecked in wild charges against
the British squares, and several battalions of its infantry were kept in
reserve to hold back the Prussians and protect the baggage train.
Nevertheless, the advance of this superb corps, the heroes of a hundred
fights, who had seldom failed to hurl back the tide of battle at the
most perilous junctures, was among the most impressive spectacles in the
annals of war. They swerved a little to the left, thereby exposing
themselves to the fire of the British footguards and of a battery in
excellent condition. The former were lying down for shelter, but when
the imperial guard came within sixty paces of them they started up at
the word of command from Wellington himself. The footguards poured a
deadly fire into the front, and the 52nd regiment into the flank of
their columns; as they wavered under the storm of shot a bayonet charge
followed, and the imperial guard, hitherto almost invincible, was
dissolved into a mob of fugitives sc