Page:Life of the Duke of Wellington.pdf/19

Rh compelled the Prussians to retire. BlueherBlucher [sic] retreated on the river Dyle, towards Wavre.

The Duke of Wellington did not hear of the Prussians' retreat till seven o'clock on the morning of the 17th; for an aide-de-camp whom Blucher had sent to acquaint him of it, was killed. A patrole, however, sent out to Sombref at daylight, ascertained the state of matters; they found out how little real success had been gained over the Prussians by the French, for Blucher had fallen back most leisurely, and his rear-guard did not evaeuateevacuate [sic] Bry till threothree [sic] in the morning. The Duke had already collected his troops at Quatre Bras, and was prepared to have maintained that position; but the retrograde movement of the Prussians rendered it necessary for him to adopt a corresponding movement. He therefore retired by Genappe upon Waterloo, about ten o'clock on the morning of the 17th. His march was conducted so leisurely, and in such admirable order, that the enemy did not venture to molest it; but a large body of horse followed the cavalry of the rear-guard under Lord Uxbridge. Wellington retired to Waterloo in confidence of being joined there by Blucher before the decisive eontestcontest [sic] began.

Having finished all his arrangements on the evening of the 17th, the Duke of Wellington rode across the country to Blucher, to inform him that he had thus far aetedacted [sic] on a plan previously fixed at Bry—expressing at the same time his hope that he would be next day supported by two Prussian battalions. Blucher replied, that after leaving a single corps to keep GrouehyGrouchy [sic] at bay, he would himself march to Waterloo with the rest of his army. Wellington returned to the scene of action, expecting that Blucher would be able to come up in time. But so terrible was the state of the cross roads between Wavre and Mont St. Jean, and such torrents of rain fell, that though Blucher began his marehmarch [sic], he found