rts of the field; and, did I live
near the spot, I should be anxious about the diseases which
this steaming carnage might occasion. The rest of the
ground, excepting this chateau, and a farmhouse called La
Hay Sainte, early taken, and long held, by the French,
because it was too close under the brow of the descent on
which our artillery was placed to admit of the pieces being
depressed so as to play into it,--the rest of the ground, I
say, is quite open, and lies between two ridges, one of
which (Mont St. Jean) was constantly occupied by the
English; the other, upon which is the farm of La Belle
Alliance, was the position of the French. The slopes between
are gentle and varied; the ground everywhere practicable for
cavalry, as was well experienced on that memorable day. The
cuirassiers, despite their arms of proof, were quite
inferior to our heavy dragoons. The meeting of the two
bodies occasioned a noise, not unaptly compared to the
tinkering and hammering of a smith's shop. Generally the
cuirassiers came on stooping their heads very low, and
giving point; the British frequently struck away their
casques while they were in this position, and then laid at
the bare head. Officers and soldiers all fought hand to hand
without distinction; and many of the former owed their life
to dexterity at their weapon, and personal strength of body.
Shaw, the milling Life-Guardsman, whom your Grace may
remember among the champions of The Fancy, maintained the
honor of the fist, and killed or disabled upwards of twenty
Frenchmen with his single arm, until he was killed by the
assault of numbers.[20] At one place, where there is a
precipitous sand or gravel pit, the heavy English cavalry
drove many of the cuirassiers over pell-mell, and followed
over themselves, like fox-hunters. The conduct of the
infantry and artillery was equally, {p.052} or, if
possible, more distinguished, and it was all fully
necessary; for, besides that our army was much outnumbered,
a great part of the sum-total were foreigners. Of these, the
Brunswickers and Hanoverians behaved very well; the Belgians
but sorrily enough. On one occasion, when a Belgic regiment
fairly ran off, Lord Wellington rode up to them, and said,
"My lads, you must be a little blown; come, do take