On the Attack Formation
of the Middle Guard
at Waterloo

(Houssaye, 1815)

edited by Jean A.Lochet

The subject of the attack formation of the Middle Guard at Waterloo is not new to EE&L. It has already been covered mainly in issues 68, 89, etc.. We edited these past articles and somewhat shortened them without changing their basic contents. We'll be presenting our "digest" in two parts.

The first part deals with Houssaye's account of the attack of the Middle Guard at Waterloo and the second part with General Petit's report on which Houssaye's narrative is based.

Furthermore, elsewhere in this issue, the reader will find two other articles related to squares: On Squares by George Nafziger and More on Squares, by J.Lochet. These articles show that squares were often used as moving and/or attack formations and consequently assists us to look at General Petit's report with a new outlook and better understanding.

We are aware that some of the material will come as a surprise to many readers.

I. The attack of the Middle Guard at Waterloo as per Houssaye's 1815:

In EE&L 68 (December 1982), we discussed the formation used during the attack by the Middle Guard at Waterloo as reported by Houssaye in 1815 who used the report of General Petit to write the following (pp.392-393):

"The five battalions of the Middle Guard, formed in as many squares, started to advance in echelons, with the right in front. Between each echelon, the horse artillery of the Guard had two 8-pounder guns, [1] a total of a complete battery under Colonel Durand. During the oblique march, almost like "to the left, forward in battle" (i.e. in line JAL) all the echelons did not keep their intervals. The Fourth came closer to the Third. Soon, the five echelons were only four: on the right the 1st battalion of the 3rd Grenadiers, in the center, the only battalion of the 4th Grenadiers, then on the left, the 1st and 2nd battalions of the 3rd Chasseurs, at the extreme left the 4th Chasseurs now only 1 battalion strong...." [2]

So, here we are with Houssaye's quotation. Houssaye, always an objective and careful historian, comments on the above in footnote 2 of his book (pages 392-393) in which he examines his sources (all primary sources):

"I follow General Petit's precise and very detailed relation (to be found in Morrison's Collection in London), which witnessed the formation of these squares and saw them depart and perhaps ascend the slopes of Mont-Saint-Jean, and then later on, collected some complementary information from the surviving officers. Hence, it is certain that the battalions marched in squares. That formation, at least strange to assault a position, can be explained by the fear of potential cavalry charges." [3]

Other Side

Then Houssaye, always presenting the other side of the story, relates some of the British accounts describing the attack:

"To be truthful, according to Siborne, Cotton, Kennedy and several of the Waterloo letters, the Guard was formed in close columns. "I believe, says Lieutenant Sharpin (228) that they were in close columns". "I could not see exactly", says Colonel Gawler (292)," the enemy's formation, the smoke was too thick; but I was told they were in columns". I would state further that in the English Relation of the Battle of Waterloo (Relation Anglaise de la Bataille de Waterloo), published in 1815, (p.32), it is said that the Guard attacked in squares."

Houssaye goes on with some surprising remarks showing how some historians can be in error in their interpretation of events:

"According to all the French historians, the Guard attacked in one column and according to British historians, in two columns. Both assertions are in error. If the attack had taken place in ONLY ONE COLUMN, the Guard could not have contacted the two Brunswick battalions, the left of Halkett's brigade, Didier's brigade and Adam's brigade, these troops not being in depth but deployed on a curved line in excess of 1000 yards long (French text says 1000 meters). If the attack had taken place in TWO COLUMNS, the Guard would have only contacted Maitland's and Adam's brigades.

The Brunswickers, Halkett's and Didier's brigades would not have been in action against the Guard. That is what the British historians claim, in vain glory (the French text says dans un sentiment de gloriole); on the same basis they also claim that the attack was made by twelve battalions. [4]

But as I prove it later on by quoting exclusively British eyewitness accounts (letter of Lord Hill to Chasse, from Lieutenant Sharpin, Colonel Gawler, Major Kelly, Captain MacReady, etc., and the 5th Brigade at Waterloo, an account of an ex-officer of the 30th Regiment, published in the United Service Gazette, October, 1845), it is without a shadow of a doubt that the five battalions of the Guard attacked at four different points, two Brunswicker battalions, three British brigades, and one Belgian brigade.

Hugle's letter to the King of Wurttemberg , Brussels, June 10 (quoted by Pfister, 370), says explicitly that "the attack of the Guard was repulsed by six or eight thousand infantrymen" - the Guard was therefore in five echelons at the beginning of the attack, as reported by General Petit, and four echelons during the attack because of the consolidation of the third and fourth echelons together, as indicated by the position of the different enemy brigades and as absolutely confirmed by the Relation of the United Service Magazine. The columns of the Imperial Guard were divided and advanced in four columns by echelons."

Continues

Houssaye, p. 394 continues with the attack:

"Between la Haye-Sainte and Hougoumont, the five Guard battalions alone advanced against the British army. They marched with shoulder arms, aligned like during a parade in the Tuileries superb and impassible. All the officers were in the front, the first ones to take enemy shots. Generals Friant and Porret de Morvan commanded the battalion of the 3rd Grenadiers, General Harlet the battalion of the 4th Grenadiers; General Michel, the 1st Battalion of the 3rd Chasseurs; Colonel Mallet, a devoted follower, who was in Elba, the 2nd battalion of the 3rd Chasseurs; General Henrion, the battalion of the 4th Chasseurs.

Ney fell with his horse, the fifth horse killed under him that day. He got up, and on foot, sword on hand, marched next to General Friant. The British artillery, deployed, started to fire double canister at 200 yards. The Guard received fire from the front and one side. Each volley took effect. The Grenadiers closed their ranks, made the squares smaller, and continued to move forward at the same pace screaming: "Vive l'Empereur!"

The 1st battalion of the 3rd Grenadiers (of the right echelon) overthrew a unit of Brunswickers, took possession of the batteries of Cleeves and Lloyd, which the gunners had abandoned, and by a light conversion moved toward the left of Halkett's brigade. The 30th and 73rd Foot fell back in disorder. Friant wounded left the battlefield believing that victory was near. But the Belgian General Chasse, one of the heroes of Arcis-sur-Aube (he served then in the French army!), sent forward on the right of the 30th and 73rd Foot, Van der Smissen's battery whose fire took the assailants in flank. Then, he deliberately sent Ditmer's brigade, some 3000 strong, charging the weak square (of the 3rd Grenadiers) with the bayonet, breaking it, taking it to pieces, overwhelming it by numbers and pushing the remains down the slope. [5]

During that time, the battalion of the 4th Grenadiers (second echelon) engaged the right of Halkett's brigade. Under the fire of Duchand's 2 guns firing canister and the musket fire of the grenadiers, the 33rd and 69th Foot gave way. General Halkett took the flag of the 33rd, waving it and, by his example, held his men. "See the General, he is taken between two fires, he can not escape!" That was true and he fell seriously wounded. But the English had rallied, they were now firm......

The 1st and 2nd battalions of the 3rd Chasseurs (third echelon) almost reached the summit without encountering any infantry. They moved toward the Ohain road, no further than a pistol shot away. Suddenly, at 20 paces, a red wall rose up. There were the 2000 Guards of Maitland, deployed in 4 ranks. They had been waiting, laying down in the wheat field. At Wellington's command "Up, Guards", they rose as if moved by a spring. They aimed, they fired. Their first discharge, cut down 300 men, almost half of these battalions already decimated by the artillery. General Michel fell fatally wounded. The French stopped, their ranks broken, their march impaired by the cadavers. Instead of immediately launching them with the bayonet without worrying about disorder, the officers try to form them in line to answer fire with fire. Confusion increases. The deployment was incomplete and took too much time.

During 10 minutes, the Chasseurs held their ground under the fire of Maitland's Guards and under the canister fire of Bolton's and Ramsay's batteries that took them in flank. Wellington seeing finally the Guard wavering, commanded his men to charge. "Forward Lads", screamed Colonel Saltoun, it is time!" The 2000 English charged head long at that handful of soldiers, breaking through them and came down the slope intermixed with them in a furious hand to hand combat all the way down to Hougoumont's orchards. "The combatants were so intermixed, said an officer of Bolton's battery, that we had to stop firing."

At a the hasty command of their chiefs, the English stopped abruptly. The battalion of the 4th Chasseurs (left echelon) came closer to extricate the remains of the 3rd Chasseurs, and also those of the 4th Grenadiers which were also retreating. Without awaiting the impact, Maitland's soldiers withdrew in disorder and climbed back to their position as fast as they came down. Chasseurs and Grenadiers followed them closely, climbing up the slope under a hail of fire (mitraille in the French text).

They are going over Ohain's road when Adam's brigade (52nd, 71st and 95th Foot) which had quickly moved en potence, i.e. on their left flank, tore them apart by their four-rank fire. Maitland's Guard faced back and, still poorly formed, resumed their fire along with Colin Halkett's brigade, while the Hanoverians of William Halkell's brigade came out from the Hougoumont edges and fired on the French rear. From all sides, the shots came in clusters. Mallet was seriously wounded. A battalion deployed facing Maitland; what is left of the two others moved forward against Adam's brigade. Colonel Colborn, "the Fire Eater", charged with the 52nd. The full brigades followed him, bayonet shining. Already very shaken by the gunfire they suffered, Chasseurs and Grenadiers bent under the number and withdrew in disarray."

That is the attack of the Middle Guard as per Houssaye's 1815. It differs from many English language accounts, which have a tendency to present the defeat of the Middle Guard as the achievement of Maitland's Guards and of the 52nd. From the above, it appears that the Middle Guard was defeated in four different actions (which should not be surprising if it attacked in four different echelons). But that is not the point we are debating here. [6] Here we are strictly speaking of the formations adopted by the Middle Guard prior to the attack and during the attack.

Note that the late Commandant Lachouque in his Waterloo represents the attacking Middle Guard in squares. (The drawing was made by Jean Auge apparently to illustrate Lachouque's work.)

The above is essentially what was printed in EE&L 68. In that issue, we asked the readership to provide us with General Petit's original report. That took some time, but that report eventually reached us and we presented it in EE&L 89 in July 1985. It had been sent by reader Rory Muir to John Koontz and was translated by George Jeffrey. Note that Houssaye wrote his account of the attack of the Guard after viewing and studying Petit's report. That is clearly stated below.

More Waterloo

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