The End of an Era

The Marquess of Anglesey at Waterloo¹
Jan Willem Pieneman (PD)

The Earl of Uxbridge rode up to the gathering of staff officers around the Prince of Orange in a foul mood. He had just come from the far left flank, where with his cavalry he had been trying to delay the advance of a sizeable French force. The few prisoners they had taken claimed they were under the command of Maréchal Vandamme.

Uxbridge had scoffed at that, "Vandamme is nothing more than a Général de Division, he's not a bloody marshal!'

The ensign he'd torn a strip from had looked offended, then had pointed out that one of the prisoners, a captain, had sworn seeing Bonaparte promote Vandamme at Ligny. If, as the man had said, his Excellency, the Earl, didn't believe him, then perhaps the Earl should go and see for himself.

He had damned the man's insolence but regardless of Vandamme's rank, his forces were coming on string and weren't all that far behind.

"De Lancey! What in the seven hells is going on here?" Uxbridge also took the time to throw a disrespectful look at the Prince.

"La Haye Sainte has fallen, the 95th are holding the Frenchies at bay for the moment, but their ammunition is not limitless. The Prince here, insists that we throw in the last of Pack's brigade to drive them off. Ompteda has already been torn apart attempting that. There is more French cavalry down in that valley than I can scarce believe!"

"Where the bloody hell is the Duke!?" Uxbridge barked, not seeing his commander anywhere nearby.

"He's back at the village, he's badly wounded, Doctor Hume says he might not survive the day."

Uxbridge's face went pale, the Duke, mortally wounded? Now this sprig of Dutch aristocracy was attempting to take command?

Leaning in, he grasped the bridle of the Prince's horse, "Begging your pardon, Your Majesty, but your army has scarce two thousand men on the field. This is no longer an allied army, it's a bloody British army. Now sod off."

The Prince turned beet red, "How dare you ..."

Turning to a sergeant of hussars who had accompanied him throughout this long day, Uxbridge barked, "Sergeant Wolsey, please escort the Prince to the nearest Dutch contingent. There may some left out on the left, Boney's boys have been driving them from the field, but mayhaps a few stragglers from his lot might be needing his leadership, we don't need it here."

Without another word to the Prince, Uxbridge turned back to De Lancey, "What say you, Sir William?"

De Lancey looked down at the ground and took a deep breath, "I'm sorry, my Lord, I see no alternative but to retreat on Ghent. As fast as bloody possible."

At that moment everyone felt the ground shaking, the French cavalry!

"For now, Sir, we need to take shelter in yon square!" De Lancey shouted then turned his mount.

Vive l'Empereur!
Édouard Detaille (PD)

The Emperor turned and looked for Grouchy, the man was busy describing what he wanted next, Napoléon was impressed with the man's eye for detail. He had sent a brigade of light cavalry up the slope in support of the heavy brigade which had sabered a Hanoverian brigade to pieces next to the farm of La Haye Sainte. Napoléon could sense that the critical point in the battle was upon them.

"Ney!"

Le Rougeaud had been fuming the entire afternoon, like a hunting dog held back on the leash, scenting blood, he wanted to be released into the fray.

"Sire!"

Napoléon thought the man was ready to vomit flames from his mouth, he was so keyed up.

"Take my Guard and drive those people from that ridge. Grouchy will provide support. I believe d'Erlon has his lads up there already, they just need a push and I think the whole facade will come crashing down."

Ney smiled from ear to ear, drawing his sword he galloped back to where two brigades of Guardsmen stood, ready for action. Napoléon watched, he was reluctant to send in his grenadiers and chasseurs, but now was the moment, this was what he paid them for.

The Attack of the Middle Guard Against Wellington's Center at the Battle of Waterloo
Giuseppe Rava
Source

Maréchal of France Michel Ney felt that this, this very moment, had to be the most special of his long career. He was riding at the head of the "immortals" as the rest of the army called them. Not because of their prowess in battle, but because they were seldom committed to battle. Each man in their ranks had proven himself in war, membership in the Guard was a reward for long, dedicated service.

But in the back of every man's mind they knew, that occasionally, le Tondu would call on them to justify their existence. When the battle was in doubt or when the enemy needed one final blow to finish things, the Guard would march.

In the front of the advance were the Middle Guard, so called to distinguish them from the older, more experienced men in the senior regiments known as the Old Guard, and from the more junior regiments of the Young Guard. Behind them marched the Old Guard, a solid corps of the most fierce soldiers in Europe.

The Old Guard wore the tall bearskins which distinguished them on the battlefield, most of the Middle Guard wore whatever could be scraped together after the Emperor's reappearance in France earlier in the year. Some had bearskins, a number had shakos and many even wore nothing more martial than a fatigue cap. But to dismiss them because of their appearance could be fatal.

One Hanoverian regiment of young soldiers and inexperienced officers made that very mistake. They attempted to charge the oncoming 3rd Regiment of Chasseurs à Pied² with their bayonets. A volley knocked many of those young men off their feet, then the chasseurs lowered their own bayonets and plunged into the confusion.

The Hanoverians fled, leaving disaster in their wake.

A Cameron, piper Kenneth McKay of the 79th Highlanders urging on the Highland Line at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815
William Lockhart Bogle (PD)

"We stand here, laddies! The Duke is counting on us!"

The young captain of the 92nd Highlanders, now commanding the amalgamated survivors of Quatre Bras, scarcely 400 men of all three Highland regiments present at that debacle, watched with his heart in his throat as the Imperial Guard slammed into the British line not a hundred paces to their right.

Across the valley, what looked like a wave of steel was coming down the slope and then up the slope towards his own position. Heavy French cavalry, cuirassiers and carabiniers³ their sabers glittering, the sun shining off their breastplates, the captain felt the need to urinate become incessant, then he heard it and his heart steadied.

Pipe Major Kenneth McKay of the 79th had stepped out of the ranks, his pipes penetrated the din of musketry, the roar of cannon, and the screams of the combatants. The captain recognized the tune, for a moment he was back in the Highlands, back in his home, then he blinked and shouted, "Make ready!"

The Highland volley emptied many a saddle, but to no avail, the last survivors of Quatre Bras perished under the hooves and heavy sabers of the cuirassiers.

Le maréchal Ney et ses aides-de-camp conduisant la charge de cavalerie à Waterloo.⁴
Louis Dumoulin (PD)

The sounds of battle were gone, all that was left were the screams and moans of the wounded. The night was full of horrors as the peasants and uniformed marauders made their way over the field of battle, robbing the dead and the not quite dead of their valuables. Some of the wounded were quietly dispatched if they were determined to retain their property.

The Emperor had pickets stationed around the area to try and dissuade these practices, as old as warfare. He knew it would have little effect, but he felt the need to try.

"Sire?"

Napoléon looked up, snapping back to the present from his thoughts, "What is it, de la Bédoyère? Have they found him?"

The Comte de la Bédoyère, one of the Emperor's aides, stepped into the lamp light with a disheveled Englishman, from the look of the man, he was a surgeon.

"Sire, this is Doctor Hume, Wellington's physician. He has been treating the Duke. He is still alive, though barely."

"Convey me to him."

The small party stepped into the farmer's house, in a back bedroom, alone, was Sir Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington. Napoléon stopped in the doorway, if things had been different, that might have been him lying on the bed, dying after an ignominious defeat. Today though, it was his opponent, his most inveterate opponent in Spain, Napoléon had never met Wellington in battle before this day. But the man had defeated many of the Emperor's best marshals, for that, he had Napoléon's respect.

The Emperor turned, "Send for Larrey."

"Sire, I don't think there is anything that ..."

"Do it."

He approached the bed, Wellington opened his eyes, weakly he spoke, "Ah, General Bonaparte, well met, Sir."

Being addressed by his family name and his old rank rather grated on the Emperor's nerves, but he could be magnanimous when needed.

"Your men fought well today, Your Grace. They died well."

Wellington smiled softly, then died.

Their was silence in the room, Napoléon stood there for a long moment, gazing down at his dead foe.

Napoléon spoke, softly, "Mon général, votre gloire vivra éternellement.⁵"

Then the Emperor turned on his heel and left the building.

The Comte de la Bédoyère later swore that there was a tear running down Napoléon's cheek in the dim lamplight of the Great Duke's death chamber.

The Battle of Waterloo was over, the French had won and were now moving on Brussels.

¹ Henry Willian Paget, known as Lord Uxbridge during the Waterloo campaign.

² Literally "Hunters on foot," French Imperial Guard light infantry

³ Cuirassiers and Carabiners at Waterloo wore steel back and breast plates. The cuirasses of the Carabiniers were covered in brass sheathing. Both types wore helmets and were big men riding big horses.

⁴ Marshal Ney and his aides-de-camp leading the cavalry charge at Waterloo.

⁵ My general, your glory will live forever.

Joe Jackson MOH updated

 Old pilots AND Bold pilots

Sarge posted a tale about this MOH recipient back in 2015.  That's long enough to post a rerun.  Besides, I've been on Vacay for a week.  Yes, Beans, a very relaxing cruise on a Disney Cruise ship around Norway with Little J, LJW and the lovely Miss Bella.  Great fun!  So,  the story of this hero's efforts has been in the hopper for about 10 days.  Enjoy. 

 

Source

 

 

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If you'll notice in the bottom left corner of the picture, there's a airplane there. That would be LtCol Jackson's C-123 which he has landed on an airstrip that is under artillery attack.  His intent is to prevent 3 Americans from being captured by the VC.  As I read through the information about this episode, I realized that I would have to revise my normal saying I had back in my flying days.  It used to be "I'd rather be lucky than good".  It became "I'd rather be lucky AND good."  

Well done LtCol Jackson and well deserved. 

Addendum

Flight examiner/co-pilot Maj. Jesse W. Campbell; Flight Engineer TSgt. Edward M. Trejo; Loadmaster SSgt. Manson L. Grubbs, the crew of Jackson's plane on this mission, each received the Air Force Cross.

 Citation for the award of the Medal of Honor to LtCol Joe Jackson USAF

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Lt. Col. Jackson distinguished himself as pilot of a C-123 aircraft. Lt. Col. Jackson volunteered to attempt the rescue of a 3-man USAF Combat Control Team from the Special Forces camp at Kham Duc. Hostile forces had overrun the forward outpost and established gun positions on the airstrip. They were raking the camp with small arms, mortars, light and heavy automatic weapons, and recoilless rifle fire. The camp was engulfed in flames and ammunition dumps were continuously exploding and littering the runway with debris. In addition, eight aircraft had been destroyed by the intense enemy fire and one aircraft remained on the runway reducing its usable length to only 2,200 feet. To further complicate the landing, the weather was deteriorating rapidly, thereby permitting only one air strike prior to his landing. Although fully aware of the extreme danger and likely failure of such an attempt. Lt. Col. Jackson elected to land his aircraft and attempt to rescue. Displaying superb airmanship and extraordinary heroism, he landed his aircraft near the point where the combat control team was reported to be hiding. While on the ground, his aircraft was the target of intense hostile fire. A rocket landed in front of the nose of the aircraft but failed to explode. Once the combat control team was aboard, Lt. Col. Jackson succeeded in getting airborne despite the hostile fire directed across the runway in front of his aircraft. Lt. Col. Jackson's profound concern for his fellow men, at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself, and the Armed Forces of his country. 

He passed away in 2019 at age 95.  A life well lived and a reward well earned.  Rest in Peace. 

 

Medal of Honor Facts and Figures

 

 Ok, This posting is about the facts, figures and numbers concerning the Medal of Honor.  We'll start with the very first ones, then the number awarded in each of the wars and other "operations" and then the latest Recipient from each service.  One may surprise you.  

Enjoy! 

 

The Medal of Honor throughout the Ages

Source 

 

History of The Medal of Honor (Source)

"The Medal of Honor is the nation's highest medal for valor in combat that can be awarded to members of the armed forces. The medal was first authorized in 1861 for Sailors and Marines, and the following year for Soldiers as well. Since then, more than 3,400 Medals of Honor have been awarded to members of all DoD services and the Coast Guard.

Medals of Honor are awarded sparingly and are bestowed only to the bravest of the brave; and that courage must be well documented. The most recent U. S. Army recipients are listed below

Since 1998 at least 15 other Medals of Honor have been awarded to correct past administrative errors, oversights and follow-up on lost recommendations or as a result of new evidence.

Here are just a few examples of Soldiers who were awarded the Medal of Honor from three wars. Their actions, like the other recipients of the medal, were far and above the call of duty.

During the Civil War, the job of color bearer was one of the most hazardous as well as important duties in the Army. Soldiers looked to the flag for direction and inspiration in battle and the bearer was usually out in front, drawing heavy enemy fire while holding the flag high. On Nov. 16, 1863, regimental color bearer Pvt. Joseph E. Brandle, from the 17th Michigan Infantry, participated in a battle near Lenoire, Tenn. "...[H]aving been twice wounded and the sight of one eye destroyed, [he] still held to the colors until ordered to the rear by his regimental commander."

Cpl. Alvin C. York, from the 82nd Division, fearlessly engaged the numerically superior German force at Chatel-Chehery, France, on Oct. 8, 1918 - just a month before the armistice was signed. His citation reads: "...After his platoon had suffered heavy casualties and three other noncommissioned officers had become casualties, Cpl. York assumed command. Fearlessly leading seven men, he charged with great daring toward a machine gun nest, which was pouring deadly and incessant fire upon his platoon. In this heroic feat the machine gun nest was taken, together with four officers and 128 men and several guns."

Valor is found across the times as well as across the ranks, as World War II 2nd Lt. Robert Craig, from the 3rd Infantry Division, demonstrated. According to his citation, 2nd Lt. Craig volunteered to defeat an enemy machine gun that three other officers before him could not. He quickly located the gun outside of Favoratta, Sicily, but without cover, he and his men found themselves vulnerable to approximately100 enemies. "Electing to sacrifice himself so that his platoon might carry on the battle, he ordered his men to withdraw... while he drew the enemy fire to himself. With no hope of survival, he charged toward the enemy until he was within 25 yards of them. Assuming a kneeling position, he killed five and wounded three enemy soldiers. While the hostile force concentrated fire on him, his platoon reached the cover of the crest. 2nd Lt. Craig was killed by enemy fire, but his intrepid action so inspired his men that they drove the enemy from the area, inflicting heavy casualties on the hostile force."

Source 

 I found the above source to be very well written, so copied it verbatim.

Source

The first Medal of Honor was awarded to  Jacob Parrot pictured above.

Medal of Honor Recipients by Conflict

Conflicts	Recipients
Civil War	1522
Indian Campaigns	426
Korea 1871	15
Spanish American	110
Samoa	4
Philippine Insurrection	80
Philippine Outlaws	6
Boxer Rebellion	59
Mexican Campaign	56
Haiti	6
Dominican Republic	3
World War I	124
Haiti 1919-1920	2
Nicaraguan Campaign	2
World War II	464
Korean War	133
Vietnam	246
Somalia	2
Operation Iraqi Freedom	4
Operation Enduring Freedom	6
Operation Inherent Resolve	6
Non-Combat	193
Unknowns	9

 There have been 3520  of Medals of Honor awarded of which 62 recipients are still alive.  19 were double awards and 204 were awarded in Non-Combat incidents. Non-Combat awarding was discontinued in 1945.  Most had been boiler explosions on the old Navy ships.

The latest Army Medal of Honor recipient is Major Nicholas Dockery.   

 
Source

The latest USAF Medal of Honor recipient is  MSGT John A Chapman. 

Source

 

 

The latest USN Medal of Honor recipient is Elmer Royce Williams. He is known for his solo Dogfight with seven Soviet pilots during the Korean War shooting down four.

Source

 

 

The latest USMC Medal of Honor Recipient is Corporal Kyle Carpenter

Source

 

 

The latest USCG Medal of Honor Recipient is Douglas A. Munro 

(The Only USCG Medal of Honor Recipient) 

 

Source

Well, Campers, that's all I got.  Hope you folks realize how much Americans have given to keep this Country free.

 

"Never give up. Never surrender!" While it is quoted in a comedy, I think that's a pretty good strategy which was and is followed by an awful lot of Americans. 

 

 It caught my Eye that there were Non Combat Medal of Honor Recipients. 193 of them, their stories can be found here. For those interested this is  a policy for awarding that has been changed. 

 Finally, it occurred to me as I read the stories that every one of them to one degree or another was scared to death, yet continued to do there duty.  I think that's a pretty good definition of the word "Valor"!

Sources

https://www.cem.va.gov/history/Medal-of-Honor-history.asp

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Medal_of_Honor_recipients   All of them

https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/overview 

https://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/statistics.html   Number chart

It Begins ...

Source

Newly minted Marshal of France, Dominique Joseph René Vandamme sat his horse, strong emotions were warring inside of him, as they often did. On the march towards Wavre, his wing of the army had caught, and destroyed, a Prussian division, that of von Krafft.¹ Interrogations of prisoners taken revealed that most of the corps to which von Krafft belonged to was routed and headed towards Liege, only two divisions had kept together. Now there was one, that of von Bose.

"What of their cavalry?" he snapped at the young officer who had questioned the prisoners.

"Most of them were dispersed covering von Pirch's retreat, at most there is a single division remaining, that of von Sohr. They have a single battery of horse artillery² and one of foot."

Maréchal Vandamme dismissed the man with a grunt, turning to an aide he barked, "Have Vichery, Péchaux, and Maurin³ report to me, everyone else is to turn and march west."

"West, Sir?"

"Yes, to Mont St. Jean, I promised the Emperor I would support him there once the Prussians were dealt with. I believe the divisions of Vichery, Péchaux, and Maurin should be sufficient to deal with the remnants of the Prussian Army. Hulot will remain attached to III Corps."

"Sir, what of Lobau? The last message we had from him indicated that he was being pushed back by von Thielmann."

"Général de Division Lobau is on his own. Victory will be decided here, in the north, not outside Namur. Now go, we must be headed west within the hour!"

Now that the decision was made, the warring thoughts within him could cease. He knew his Emperor, he wanted to be in at the kill, not chasing these damned Prussians around the Belgian countryside!

L'artillerie à cheval de la Garde impériale prenant position.⁴
Alphonse Lalauze (PD)

The Emperor sat his mount atop the slope near the little inn called La Belle Alliance. The grand battery was nearly complete, it had been slow to take shape as the ground was still muddy in spots. He turned as a battery of his Guard's horse artillery clattered past on the main road, all of them screaming "Vive l'Empereur!"

He tipped his famous hat then turned to Davout, "The time?"

Davout had been consulting his pocket watch, wearing his spectacles which he knew the Emperor hated. Looking up, he blushed. Regaining his composure he answered Napoléon ...

"Nearly half past one of the clock, Sire. I recommend we begin the bombardment. I have already issued the orders to Reille and d'Erlon to begin their part once the grand battery opens fire."

The Emperor scanned the field once more, then nodded to Davout, "You may commence."

Wellington at Waterloo
Ernest Crofts
Source

Copenhagen was nervous, the Duke hoped that no one noticed as the horse was reacting to his rider's own nervousness. As he watched the French mustering a grand battery, not all that far from where he sat his horse, he wondered where Bonaparte might try his line. It seemed to be weak everywhere. He kept glancing to his right, wondering if it was already too late to withdraw to Ghent and the Channel.

"Your Grace, it looks as though Boney intends to scare us off the field."

The Duke turned to see who had made the remark, wondering why the man couldn't keep silent. He saw that it was his chief of engineers.

"Sir James, I daresay Bonaparte intends to soften us up a bit before launching his infantry this way. Perhaps he doesn't realize our lack of strength."

Sir William de Lancey chimed in, "Soult has experience in the Peninsula, no doubt he told Boney of our preference of deploying on reverse slopes to stay out of the reach of his artillery."

"Perhaps, now let us all remain ..."

Everyone saw the smoke from a single cannon across the valley, the report of the gun would arrive shortly after the ball which issued from the mouth of that piece.

Sir Alexander Gordon shifted in his saddle, about to make a comment when the ball in question drove him from the back of his horse. He died without a sound.

"Dear God, but that was a lucky shot," someone among the staff offered.

"Not for Gordon. Now gentlemen, let us move to the rear a bit, we are a conspicuous target." Copenhagen was already moving before the last word came out of the Duke's mouth.

French foot artillery
Source

The pounding from the French artillery seemed to have lasted hours but had actually been going on for scarcely 30 minutes. The Duke had ordered his men to lie down, to at least spare them the horror of standing there and just taking it. To an observer across the valley, it would seem that the British infantry had been swallowed up by the ground.

Davout looked to the Emperor, who deferred to Maréchal Soult.

"Wellington will have his front line lie down, they are still there, no doubt there are more on the other side of the ridge."

"Let the battle ripen, Davout. When it is time, I shall let you know."

"Very well, Sire."

The Duke was down, Copenhagen had been hit by a piece of bursting shell, the horse had reared up and either threw his rider, or the Duke had jumped free. Amidst the smoke and the noise, his staff couldn't see him.

Copenhagen staggered to the rear, then collapsed.

"Your Grace!" Sir William called out, frantically looking for the Duke.

Wellington staggered to his feet, hatless, his chest was soaked in blood. Sir William assumed that it was his horse's blood, he dismounted and went to his commanding officer.

"Your Grace, are you hit?" Sir William wrapped an arm around Wellington, trying to help him stay upright. Then he shouted at one of the cavalry escorts, "Sergeant, your horse!"

"I'm afraid it's all over for me, Sir William."

The Duke staggered again, then dropped to one knee, fresh blood coming from his mouth.

De Lancey looked about, frantically looking for Wellington's surgeon, then he spotted the man, rushing towards them.

"Doctor Hume, the Duke ..."

Hume assisted the Duke to lie back on the ground, the blood issuing from the Duke's mouth looked problematic, "I have him, Sir William, where is the Prince?⁵ I'm afraid he'll have to take command, the Duke is in no condition to continue."

The storming of La Haye Sainte
Richard Knötel (PD)

Général de Brigade Baron Joachim Jérôme Quiot du Passage looked around as his men surged through the gate of the farmhouse. The Germans inside were fighting desperately but with no visible support either around them or above them on the ridge, they were now looking over their shoulders, looking for a place to run.

"Press them you scoundrels! Attack!" the General was screaming himself hoarse until he was struck in the throat by a shot from the top of the farmhouse.

"Rifles! The bastards are riflemen!" came shouts from around the fallen officer.

"No quarter! No quarter!" The cry was taken up by the entire brigade.

On the ridge the staff was scrambling to get control of the situation, Prince William was trying to induce the British cavalry to charge down the road to relieve La Haye Sainte. Those men were looking to their officers, who were looking for a British officer to confirm the command.

"Charge, damn you! Your King's German Legion comrades are looking to you!"

"I don't see any KGL chaps to our front, d'you Mickey?" The words of one Irish sergeant summarized the attitude of the regiment, while Sir William, Prince of Orange, might know what was happening to their front, the British cavalry did not.

At a critical point in the battle, confusion reined in the upper ranks of the British Army at Mont St. Jean.

¹ The Prussian Army actually didn't have divisions in name, what other armies called divisions, the Prussians called brigades. So in actuality, Vandamme destroyed von Krafft's brigade, a force of some 6,700 men. Two regiments of regulars with a single regiment of Landwehr.

² In horse artillery batteries, every man was mounted, in foot batteries everyone walked. Horse artillery was much faster to get into action, but their guns tended to be lighter in weight of shot.

³ Vichery and Péchaux commanded infantry divisions in IV Corps, Maurin commanded the cavalry division belonging to that corps.

⁴ The Imperial Guard horse artillery taking up position.

⁵ General William, the Prince of Orange. He was the highest ranking officer on the scene. Some of the British called him "Slender Billy." He was popular with the troops. At this point in the story, Lord Uxbridge, whom Wellington had designated as his second in command, was on the far left flank of the British position.

Decisions at Dawn

Dawn of Waterloo
Elizabeth Thompson, Lady Butler (PD)

The Duke of Wellington stood in the courtyard of the Chateau de Goumont staring into the cooking fire where a number of Guardsmen were cooking their breakfast. On a smaller fire there was a pot, a teapot he surmised. His glance fell on that pot, without thinking, he sighed. The last three days had been disastrous.

"Tea, Your Grace?"

He turned to look at a sergeant of the Coldstream Guards, he thought he recognized the man.

"It's Graham,¹ isn't it?"

"As it ever was Your Grace," pausing he lifted the enameled cup and offered it, "still hot it is."

The Duke held the cup in both hands, the tea smelled very good, he drank deeply, emptying the cup, then handed it back to the sergeant.

"You're Irish, isn't that right Sergeant?"

"Yes, indeed, Your Grace, County Monaghan to be sure."

"Thank you for the tea, where is your commander?"

Graham nodded towards the manor house, "Lieutenant Colonel Macdonell² is inside, Sir."

"Thank you again, Sergeant. Keep an eye on things here today, I fear it shall be bad today. Very bad."

"That's it then, keep your lads well in hand today Morrisey. I fear the Frenchies are rather thicker on the ground than we are. Oh, and ..." Macdonell paused as he saw a familiar figure enter the room, he stood up.

"Your Grace."

"Macdonell. I am counting on you and your lads today. We are very thin on the ground and I expect no help from the Prussians. If we need to withdraw, your position here will be the hinge. I do not intend to withdraw to Brussels but via Braine-l'Alleud then Halle, I intend to make for Ghent with all haste should this position become untenable. Are we clear?"

"Your Grace, we shall remain here until you order us to leave, or until we have died at our posts."

Uncharacteristically, the Duke thrust his hand out, Macdonell took it in his own strong grip. Neither man said a word, but the emotion in the room was thick. Eventually Lieutenant Colonel Gordon,³ one of the Duke's principal aides, broke the silence.

"Your Grace, we must be off ..."

Wellington nodded, then released Macdonell's hand, without a word he spun on his heel and went out to where Copenhagen was waiting.

"Your Grace ..."

"I know, Sir Alexander, I know. This will no doubt be the hardest day of our careers. Perhaps the rain will continue and we can simply steal away into the mist."

Gordon looked to the sky, as if to defy the Duke, the rain began to lessen.

"One can hope, Your Grace."

Napoléon in 1806
Édouard Detaille (PD)

The Emperor was up early, the noise of his staff moving around in the room adjacent to his sleeping chamber had woken him from a deep sleep. Oddly enough, he felt well-rested and the pain that had been dogging him for so many days had subsided. Not even a dull ache remained.

His Mamelouk servant, Ali⁴ heard the Emperor stir and cautiously checked on his charge.

"Sire?"

"I am all right, Ali. Surprisingly well, is there any breakfast?"

"I will see to it, Sire."

Napoléon got out of bed and dressed himself, not waiting for his valet. As he finished buttoning the undress jacket of the Chasseurs à Cheval of the Imperial Guard, he heard a tap on the door.

"Enter."

He was surprised to see two of his marshals, not Ali with his breakfast. He had a sudden sick feeling, had some ill tidings arrived in the night?

Davout spoke while Berthier stood behind him, "Sire, it appears that Wellington has elected to make a stand on the Mont St. Jean ridge. He doesn't really have enough men to cover the entire position. He is very weak on his left, we think ..." he turned to Berthier who stepped forward with a map.

Source
Compare this version with the original at the source,
both sides lines are considerably thinner.

"Here, as you can see here Sire," Berthier pointed to the map, "it seems that Wellington is leaning to his right, towards La Manche.⁵ I daresay he is hedging his bets and with a strong enough push, he will withdraw in that direction."

With his left hand behind his back, the Emperor leaned over the map, he placed his finger near the right edge, near a place marked "Frischermont," then traced his finger over the hamlets and farms labeled "Papelotte," "La Haye," and "Smolhain." His eyes strayed to the positions of units Berthier's staff had drawn in.

"Saxe-Weimar, what does he have here, perhaps a regiment?"

"Our scouts tell us that he has three weak battalions holding this area. They also seem to be the only remaining forces of the Netherlands in Wellington's lines."

"The others? Early reports showed three Dutch-Belgian divisions under Wellington's command, where are they?"

Davout answered, "The divisions of Perponcher and Chassé were destroyed around Quatre Bras. Stedman's division was last reported to be retreating through Brussels. It seems the Netherlands has abandoned their British and German allies."

The Emperor seemed to growl, then he said, "Those damned Dutchmen did considerable damage to Reille's corps, from the looks of it, II Corps doesn't have enough men to advance aggressively." He slapped the map where a substantial chateau labeled "Hougoumont" was situated.

No one spoke, unbeknownst to the Emperor, his brother, Prince Jérôme, had died of his wounds overnight, at Genappe.

"Sire, it is true that your brother's division was badly hurt at Quatre Bras, he, uh ..." Davout hesitated.

"What is it?" Napoléon snapped.

"The Prince was wounded at ..."

"I know that, so what ..."

It then struck the Emperor that his youngest brother was dead.

"Not one of you thought to tell me that the Prince was dead?"

Berthier spoke up, we received word only an hour ago, Sire. My condolences."

Napoléon got a far away look on his face, he stayed silent for a moment, then spoke.

"We shall mourn the dead later. For now, what do you propose, Davout?"

The marshal looked at the map, then ran his finger along a slight ridge just south of the La Haye Sainte farm.

"I propose a grand battery here, with which we will pound Wellington's center. While this is going on, I propose sending Foy and Bachelu forward to draw Wellington's attention to his right center. Then I should think we send d'Erlon straight at the English left. They are weak there."

The Emperor nodded, "I agree. Any news from Vandamme?"

"A single Prussian corps, that of von Pirch, withdrew towards Wavre. Vandamme has been harrying them without rest. I have sent for more information, but we had a courier from Vandamme saying that that Prussian corps was dissipating under his attacks, he likened it to a mist fading under a hot summer sun ..." Berthier paused.

The Emperor chuckled, "I never knew Vandamme to wax poetic."

"One of his aides I'm sure, Sire. If I know Vandamme he would have mentioned something about 'kicking their arses,' not mist dissipating in the hot sun." Soult entered with that remark, then turned to his Emperor.

"The army is in position, Sire. The fields are sodden, it might be a while before we can move our guns to create that grand battery Davout has suggested."

"Very well, let us have breakfast gentlemen, we have time before we destroy Wellington. That, is inevitable."

As the leaders of the French army gathered to eat, Wellington rode his lines. He had some hard decisions to make.

Should he stand and fight, with no word having come from the Prussians, or should he withdraw towards the Channel ports? Regardless of his decision, he would be raked over the coals in Parliament by those who had never seen a battle.

His heart said "stand," his head said "flee."

As the sun rose over the fields between Mont St. Jean and La Belle Alliance, Wellington knew that it was going to be a long, hard day, no matter which option he chose.

¹ Sergeant James Graham was a sergeant in the Coldstream Guards, said to be the bravest man in the British Army by the Duke himself.

² Lieutenant Colonel Sir James Macdonell commanded the 2nd Battalion of the Coldstream Guards at Waterloo

³ Lieutenant Colonel Sir Alexander Gordon was a Scottish officer in the British Army. The bed where he died of his wounds after the battle is still present in the inn at Waterloo where Wellington had his headquarters.

⁴ Louis-Étienne Saint-Denis (22 September 1788 – 3 May 1856) was a member of the Mamelukes of the Imperial Guard, leading him to be known in his lifetime as "Mamelouk Ali". He was most notable as a faithful servant to Napoleon I during his two exiles on Elba and Saint Helena. Wikipedia

⁵ What the French called the English Channel, literally means "the sleeve."