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wood, which he took for the main body of the British. At length his troops marched forward, and, to their utter astonishment, found that the army had retired, and were then considerably in advance on the road to Brussels. In their march, the wind blew extremely loud, the rain fell heavy and incessant, and the roads, which were covered with a thick clay, could scarcely be traversed even by cavalry, which rendered their retreat slow and fatiguing. The honour of being rear-guard was conferred on the 7th hussars. This regiment, formed into 3 squares, and placed at equal distances from one another, retired alternately at a walk, during which their skirmishers were warmly engaged with those of the enemy. Their mode of fighting was done in a very spirited manner. The first squadron, facing the French horsemen, gave their fire, and retired behind the third; the second, following the same manoeuvre, retired behind the first; and the third behind the second, and so on, keeping up a front, and an almost constant fire on the enemy. At 5 o’clock, the British army arrived at its destined position. The extremity of the right wing was stationed at Merke Braine, and the left on the rising ground above the hamlet of Ter la Haye, with the view of keeping up a communication with the Prussians. The night of the 17th was dreadful. The rain fell in torrents, and the most brilliant flashes of lightning ever seen illumined the adjacent scenery. The soldiers were up to the knees in mud. In the morning their limbs were stiffened by the cold and wet, and they were unable to move.
Notwithstanding the fury of the weather, Napoleon brought up his army during the night, and his artillery consisting of more then 300 pieces. When he came into the field in the morning, he
