Waterloo campaign: Ligny through Wavre to Waterloo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Waterloo campaign: Ligny through Wavre to Waterloo |
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| Part of The Waterloo campaign | |||||||
 A portion of Belgium with some places marked in colour to indicate the initial deployments of the armies just before the commencement of hostilities on 15 June 1815: red Anglo-allied, green Prussian, blue French |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 France |
 Prussia |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Napoleon, Marshal Grouchy | Prince Blücher | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| French Army order of battle | Prussian Army order of battle | ||||||
After the Battle of Ligny on June 16, 1815, the French army had beaten the Prussians. However, the Prussians managed to escape and pull back north to Wavre. There, they got their forces back together. Later, they marched west with three army groups (called corps) to attack the side of the French army at the Battle of Waterloo.
The French leader, Napoleon, was slow to follow up on his victory at Ligny. He spent the morning of June 17 having a late breakfast and looking around the battlefield from the day before. Then, he finally started to chase the two enemy armies. Napoleon and Marshal Michel Ney took the main French forces to chase the Duke of Wellington's army, which was made up of British and allied soldiers. Marshal Emmanuel de Grouchy was told to chase the Prussians and stop them from regrouping.
Napoleon and Grouchy thought the Prussians were heading towards Namur and Liège to set up defenses along the Meuse river. On June 17, Grouchy sent most of his cavalry (horse soldiers) far in that direction, as far as Perwez. By 10:00 PM, Grouchy still believed the Prussians were going northeast, even though he knew two Prussian corps were heading north towards Wavre. Four hours later, he planned to go to either Corbais or Wavre. But by the end of June 17, Grouchy's group was behind the Prussians, on the other side of the Dyle river. This meant Grouchy could not stop the Prussians at Wavre from moving to Waterloo, nor could he join Napoleon at Waterloo on June 18.
On the morning of June 18, the rest of the Prussians crossed the Dyle river near Wavre and marched west towards Waterloo. Grouchy was at Sart-lez-Walhain when, around 11:30 AM, he and his officers heard the sound of cannons from the Battle of Waterloo. It was about 23 kilometres (14 mi) to the northwest. A local person told them exactly where the sound was coming from. There were no direct roads for Grouchy to get to the battle, but there was a road to Wavre, about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) away to the north-northwest. Grouchy moved towards Wavre, arriving at 4:00 PM. At the Battle of Wavre, the French fought and defeated the Prussian rearguard (the soldiers protecting the back of the army), which was the Prussian III Corps led by Johann von Thielemann. This Prussian group had been about to leave for Waterloo.
The Prussian march to Waterloo was made harder by swollen streams, which turned their valleys into muddy swamps. This was especially true for the small Lasne river near Saint-Lambert. Napoleon had not protected his right side and failed to notice the Prussians coming. Around 5:00 PM on June 18, the first Prussian soldiers started to arrive at Waterloo in large numbers from the Wood of Paris. Soon after, they began attacking the right side of Napoleon's army.
Prussian Retreat to Wavre (June 17)
Prussians Leave Ligny
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After the Battle of Ligny, the Prussian I Corps, led by Zieten, and II Corps, led by Pirch I, moved back to Tilly and Gentinnes.
On the night of June 16, the Prussian army leaders ordered their troops to fall back to Wavre. This was instead of going back along their usual supply routes towards Prussia. By doing this, Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher kept open the chance to join up with the British and allied army. The I and II Corps were told to go to Bierges and Saint-Anne.
Thielemann's III Corps and Bülow's IV Corps, which were at Gembloux, received their orders on the morning of June 17. They were to move and set up camp at Bawette and Dion-le-Mont, near Wavre.
The I and II Corps passed through Mont-Saint-Guibert. The II Corps stayed behind as a rearguard in a narrow valley (defile) behind the town. The I Corps reached Wavre around noon, crossed the Dyle river, and took positions at Bierges. The II Corps followed but stayed on the right bank of the Dyle, between Sainte Anne and Aisémont.
A group of cavalry (horse soldiers) with half a horse battery (cannons pulled by horses), led by Lieutenant Colonel Eston von Sohr, acted as a rearguard for the I and II Corps. They were told to hide between Tilly and Gentinnes and watch for French movements. They would fall back to the valley at Mont-Saint-Guibert if attacked.
That same night, Colonel von Röhl, who was in charge of the army's weapons, went to Wavre. His job was to get any arriving artillery ready for battle. His assistant went to Gembloux to move the army's extra ammunition wagons to Wavre. More steps were taken to be safe. Urgent orders for ammunition were sent to Maastricht, Cologne, Wesel, and Münster. Orders were also sent to Liège to move the large siege cannons to Maastricht and to destroy the iron factory at the arsenal.
General Friedrich Wilhelm von Jagow's group had held Byre during the night. At first light on June 17, they started moving to Gembloux through Sombreffe. They arrived before the III Corps. After getting the retreat order, Jagow sent his units back to their main groups.
Prussian III Corps Joins IV Corps
The Prussian III Corps stayed in place for most of June 16. This helped cover the retreat through Gembloux.
Blücher was still recovering from his fall at the Battle of Ligny. It was Gneisenau, Blücher's chief-of-staff, who gave the III Corps the choice of retreating through Tilly or Gembloux. Thielemann chose Gembloux because he knew the French held Saint-Amand, Ligny, and the Ligny battlefield up to Sombreffe.
The III Corps, which was spread out, regrouped during the night of June 16. This took a long time. It wasn't until 2:00 AM on June 17 that the front of the column, made up of the reserve artillery, reached the Nivelles–Namur/Fleurus–Gembloux crossroads and the Gembloux road. The main part of the corps reached Gembloux at 6:00 AM.
The III Corps' rearguard, made of Borcke's 8th Infantry Brigade and Hobe's III Corps Cavalry, took positions along the Namur road. They faced south down the Fleurus main road towards the French. The rearguard pulled back at 4:00 AM.
The IV Corps' front reached Baudecet by the old Roman road at nightfall on June 16. Bülow learned about the Battle of Ligny and ordered his brigades to be placed at different spots along the road. Hake's 13th Brigade camped further back, near Hotomont, where the road crossed with the Namur-Louvain road. In the morning, the IV Corps was about 4.8 kilometres (3 mi) behind Gembloux on the Roman road.
As the III Corps got close to Gembloux, they learned where the IV Corps was. Major Karl von Weyrach, Blücher's assistant, who had been with the III Corps all night, left to tell army headquarters about both corps. He found headquarters at Mellery. The III Corps stopped on the other side of the town. Neither Thielemann nor Bülow knew where the I and II Corps were. Thielemann wrote to Bülow, saying he had no new orders from Blücher but believed the army was retreating to Saint-Trond. Also, the French had not followed the III Corps, but he had heard distant firing on the right. He thought this was connected to Duke of Wellington's British and allied Army.
With two corps ready, the Prussians could fight back against a French chase towards Gembloux.
French Inactivity and Pursuit
The Prussians were too far away to be easily followed by the time the French started their chase. The French sent Pajol and the 4th Cavalry Division to pursue. This division, led by Pierre Soult, quickly met a Prussian group. The French captured all the Prussian cannons, and the Prussian Uhlans (lancers) lost 30 men before escaping. This small fight made the French think the Prussians were retreating towards Namur.
In the morning, Marshal Emmanuel de Grouchy, who was in charge of the French Right Wing, went to meet Napoleon at his headquarters in Fleurus. He was answering a call from the night before. At 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM, Napoleon, with Grouchy, started to look around the area. He visited officers, troops, and the battlefield at Ligny. At one point, he had a long talk with Grouchy and Gérard, the commander of the IV Corps, about politics and other things not related to the war.
French Army Splits Up
By noon on June 17, Napoleon had received reports about the area near Quatre Bras. He also learned that the Prussians were gathering at Gembloux. The French army was then split into two groups to deal with these two targets.
One group was for an attack on Quatre Bras. This group included Lobau's VI Infantry Corps (minus one division), Milhaud's IV Cavalry Reserve Corps, and the Imperial Guard.
A separate group, mainly made of the III Corps, IV Corps, and II Cavalry Corps, was given to Grouchy to chase the Prussians. This group was strong enough to check on Prussian movements, stay in touch with the main French army, and pull back if they faced too much pressure. It was not meant to fight the entire Prussian army. The 7th Infantry Division, led by Lieutenant General Girard, had suffered many losses the day before and stayed at Ligny.
Napoleon's orders to Grouchy were clear:
"Pursue the Prussians, complete their defeat by attacking them as soon as you come up with them, and never let them out of your sight. I am going to unite the remainder of this portion of the Army with Marshal Ney's Corps, to march against the English, and to fight them if they should hold their ground between this and the Forest of Soignies. You will communicate with me by the paved road which leads to Quatre Bras."
The French still did not know the Prussians' main retreat path. Napoleon believed the Prussians were going towards Namur and Liège, to a line on the Meuse river. From there, the Prussians could threaten the right side of a French advance on Brussels. Grouchy thought chasing them was not worth it because the Prussians were many hours ahead, having started retreating at 10:00 PM the night before. He could not convince Napoleon to let him go to Quatre Bras with the main French army.
Once the plans with Grouchy were finished, Napoleon ordered the army at Marbais to advance. The 5th Light Cavalry Division led the way, and the French reached Quatre Bras around 2:00 PM. By that time, the foot soldiers of the British and allied army had crossed the Dyle river and were retreating along the main road to Brussels. The French fought the British and allied cavalry that was covering their retreat.
Prussian Rearguard Retreats
French movement through Byre towards Quatre Bras was seen by Sohr's Prussian rearguard. Sohr kept a cavalry group behind Tilly. Soon after, the Prussians slowly started to pull back to Mont-Saint-Guibert as French dragoons from Exelmans' II Cavalry Corps approached. The French skirmishers slowed the Prussians by making them take frequent steps to avoid attack. The French stopped chasing as night fell. Ledebur's IV Corps rearguard was waiting at Mont-Saint-Guibert when Sohr's group arrived on the evening of June 17. Ledebur passed on orders to defend the narrow valley.
Grouchy Advances to Gembloux
After Napoleon left, Grouchy ordered the III and IV Corps to move to the meeting point of the Gembloux and Namur roads. Then, after getting reports of a lot of Prussian movement through Gembloux, they were to go to Gembloux itself. Meanwhile, Grouchy went to the advanced positions of Exelmans' dragoons, which were now beyond Gembloux. The III and IV Corps reached Gembloux very late in the evening. The III Corps was placed in front of the town, and the IV Corps behind it. The 6th Light Cavalry Division was stationed nearby on the right bank of the Orneau river.
The 1st Brigade of Lieutenant General Chastel's 10th Cavalry Division was sent to Sart-lez-Walhain. The 15th Dragoons were sent to Perwez. These units reported that the Prussians had pulled back towards Wavre.
The 21st Infantry Division, with Pajol's cavalry, went back to its starting position of Mazy from Saint-Denis.
Grouchy wrote a message to Napoleon dated 10:00 AM on June 17. He described his position around Gembloux and gave a less accurate idea of Prussian movements. According to Grouchy, one Prussian column went to Wavre, perhaps to join the British and allies, while the main Prussian group went to Perwez on its way to Liège. Finally, a column of Prussian artillery went to Namur. Grouchy reported he would follow the main Prussian group, which at that time seemed to be going to either Wavre or Perwez.
At 2:00 AM on June 18, Grouchy sent another message to Napoleon, saying he would advance on either Corbais or Wavre.
Prussians Regroup at Wavre
At 5:00 PM on June 17, the Prussian reserve ammunition wagons reached Wavre, and the army got new supplies. By evening, the Prussian army was positioned around Wavre. Two corps were on each side of the Dyle river and ready to start fighting again. The rearguards stayed at Vieux-Sart and Mont-Saint-Guibert and pulled back easily the next day. The only units still moving were Borcke's 9th Brigade, Hacke's 13th Brigade, and Hobe's reserve cavalry from the III Corps. They arrived in Wavre by 6:00 AM the next day. Patrols were sent towards the main Namur-Louvain road and up the river to stay in touch with the rearguard at Mont-Saint-Guibert. A group from the I Corps protected the side at Limal.
The narrow valleys of the Lasne river were patrolled during the evening.
According to William Siborne, the soldiers' spirits and trust in Blücher's leadership remained high.
With everything ready, Blücher replied to Wellington's request for more soldiers. Blücher promised the support of his entire army. His only condition was that the combined armies would attack on the 19th if the French did not attack first on the 18th. Before midnight, Blücher received a message from General Karl Freiherr von Müffling, who was with the British and allied headquarters. The message said that the British and allied army was set up at Waterloo and waiting for the French army and Prussian help.
From midnight, the army received orders to advance on Waterloo. The IV Corps, followed by the II Corps, would advance to Chapelle-Saint-Lambert at dawn. They would attack the French right side if serious fighting had already started. Otherwise, they were to hide their strength. The IV Corps would leave a small group at Mont-Saint-Guibert to watch. This group would slowly fall back to Wavre if attacked. Any baggage not needed for the battle would be sent to Louvain. The I and III Corps would be ready to follow the IV Corps if needed. This plan was sent to Müffling to give to Wellington, with an explanation that tired troops prevented an earlier move.
The combined armies were ready to meet at Waterloo on June 18, unlike the main French army and Grouchy's group.
From Wavre to Waterloo (June 18)
Grouchy Chooses Wavre, Not Waterloo
The French army started moving towards Wavre on the morning of June 18.
At 5:00 AM, Pajol's cavalry and the 21st Infantry Division left Mazy for Saint-Denis and Grand-Leez, then to Tourinnes, where they waited for more orders.
Grouchy's group also started moving. The Heavy Cavalry Corps began around 8:00 AM. The III and IV Corps started moving along the same road through Sart-lez-Walhain towards Wavre around 9:00 AM. The left side of the corps was protected by the 6th Light Cavalry Division, which moved towards the Dyle river. The march of the III and IV Corps was slow because of bad roads and narrow, muddy valleys. Gérard, who was ahead of the IV Corps, arrived at Sart-lez-Walhain at 11:00 AM. There, he found Grouchy eating breakfast at a notary's house.
Around 10:30 AM, the front of the Heavy Cavalry Corps met the Prussian rearguard on the road to Wavre. As small groups of soldiers fought, Exelmans sent a message to Grouchy, saying that the Prussians had retreated towards Wavre during the night and morning to be closer to the British and allied forces.
Around 11:30 AM, Colonel Simon Lorière, Grouchy's chief of staff, heard a distant but loud cannon fire coming from Waterloo while walking in the garden. He told Grouchy. Grouchy went into the garden with several officers, including Gérard, Vandamme, and Exelmans. The notary, Hollaëbt, was called and asked to point out where the sound was coming from. He pointed to the Forest of Soignies and said it was coming from near Plancenoit and Mont-Saint-Jean.
Gérard wanted to move immediately towards the sound to help Napoleon and offered his IV Corps. General Baltus, who was in charge of the artillery, disagreed, perhaps worried about moving the cannons. General Valaze, who commanded the engineers of Gérard's corps, first agreed with Baltus but noted that he had three companies of sappers (soldiers who build or destroy things) to remove obstacles. This made Gérard confident that the cannons could be moved.
Grouchy was determined to follow Napoleon's orders to chase the Prussians and refused Gérard's idea. Grouchy believed his group had just met the rearguard of the Prussian foot soldiers. Also, Blücher's plans were unclear. The Prussians might decide to fight at Wavre, or keep retreating towards Brussels, or try to join the British and allies by moving in front of or behind the Forest of Soignies. Grouchy decided his group would go to Wavre. After the campaign, Grouchy explained his decision. He felt his job was to follow Napoleon's orders exactly. Sending even part of his group towards the Forest of Soignies would have gone against those orders. Also, it would have been hard for separated parts of his group to help each other near the Dyle river, which was swollen by rain and had muddy banks.
As Grouchy moved to join the front of his army, he received a message from Napoleon that supported his decision. The message, written at the Farm of Caillou on June 18 at 10:00 AM, warned of the coming attack on the British and allied army at Waterloo. It told Grouchy to move towards Napoleon from Wavre and to stay in close contact. Grouchy did not act immediately on these new instructions. No steps were taken to find out if the Prussians were moving towards Waterloo or to get closer to the main French army. Grouchy simply marched directly on Wavre. The left side of his army was not watched. The Heavy Cavalry Corps was ordered to take a position on the right at Dion-le-Mont, with its spot taken over by the 6th Light Cavalry Division.
Prussians Head for Waterloo
Before dawn, Major Witowsky led a group from the 2nd Silesian Hussars to Maransart to scout the narrow valleys of the Lasne river and the area beyond towards the French. They met a French patrol at Maransart. Falkenhausen also sent scouting parties to the Lasne, who also stayed in touch with the group at Mont-Saint-Guibert. They found the valleys free of French soldiers. French movement between the Dyle river and the Charleroi main road was accurately seen and reported. The Prussian patrols forced French messengers to avoid the area, which made the communication line between the main French army and Grouchy's group longer.
At daybreak on June 18, the Prussian IV Corps began to move from near Dion-le-Mont to Saint-Lambert through Wavre. The front of the army reached Saint-Lambert by 11:00 AM. They then crossed the soft and muddy valley before stopping in the Wood of Paris. Hussar patrols went to scout the British and allied and French eastern sides.
A Prussian patrol with an officer made contact with a group of British 10th Hussars. The Prussian officer had a report for Wellington, saying that Bülow was at Saint-Lambert and was advancing with the IV Corps. This was an overstatement as only the front of the corps had reached Saint-Lambert at the time.
The rest of the IV Corps was delayed by a fire that started in Wavre after the front passed. The fire spread quickly and put ammunition wagons at risk. Soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the 14th Regiment and the 7th Pioneer Company put out the fire. Hiller's 16th and Hacke's 13th Brigades arrived at Saint-Lambert much later than the front. The rearguard, the 14th Brigade, was even further behind.
Blücher acted immediately when he learned that the right side of the main French army was open. He saw a chance to move his army through the Lasne valleys to the Wood of Paris.
The I Corps was ordered to leave after the V Corps passed through Wavre. It would march through Fromont and Ohain and join the British and allied left side at La Haye. The I Corps set out around 12:00 PM along the left bank of the Dyle river.
The II Corps was ordered to follow the IV Corps to Saint-Lambert.
The III Corps would stay for a while as a rearguard in the narrow valley of Wavre. Then, it would follow the II Corps. Blücher planned to have most of his army past the Saint-Lambert valleys before leaving Wavre.
At 9:30 AM, Blücher sent a message telling Wellington that he planned to attack the French right side as soon as possible. Blücher left Wavre before 11:00 AM to check the land towards Saint-Lambert from near Limale.
French Attack Wavre
French cavalry moved between the Prussian rearguard at Vieux-Sart and Mont-Saint-Guibert when the Prussian IV Corps' Reserve Cavalry was passing through Wavre. The Reserve Cavalry immediately sent two regiments to fight the French advance. Ledebur's Prussian group at Mont-Saint-Guibert started falling back to Wavre when they learned of the French advance. Sohr's Prussian group, which had pulled back from Mont-Saint-Guibert in the morning, sent more cavalry and cannons to help Ledebur. Ledebur's group joined up with the IV Corps' Reserve Cavalry regiments and Sohr's cavalry. They reached Farm de Auzel after a small fight with the French III Corps.
Around noon, the Prussian II Corps began moving from between Saint-Anne and Aisémont on the right bank of the Dyle river, through the narrow valley towards Wavre for a river crossing. Progress was slow as the corps crowded into the valley. At Wavre, the soldiers guarding the town were replaced by a battalion from the Prussian III Corps.
While moving, the II Corps was told by Sohr's group, the corps rearguard, about the French advance. The French had six cavalry regiments, ten cannons, and two strong columns of foot soldiers. By this time, the Wood of Sarats, close to the Farm of Auzel, was held by battalions of the 8th Brigade, II Corps. Pirch put General Brause in charge of the rearguard and sent more soldiers to help Sohr's group. Brause placed the remaining battalions of the 8th Brigade behind the wood, the three cavalry regiments on the right, and cannons in front. The 7th Brigade stayed in reserve.
The French "did not advance with much vigour," and the Prussians pulled back in perfect order. Ledebur's group slowly pulled back before the French and joined up with the 8th Brigade. The 8th Brigade held its position until 3:00 PM against the front of the French III Corps. General Brause ordered the retreat between 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM. Sohr's group and then the II Corps reserve cavalry crossed the bridge at the Mill of Bierges. Sohr's group only rejoined the II Corps at Waterloo. After the river crossing was done, the 1st Battalion of the Elbe Landwehr stayed at Bierges until the bridge was destroyed and the mill was set on fire.
Blücher learned of the French advance on Wavre while near Limale. He ordered the Prussian III Corps to hold Wavre against a strong French attack. The strength of Grouchy's attacking French group was unknown to the Prussians. If the French crossed the Dyle river upstream or did not attack strongly, the III Corps was to leave a few battalions in the town and rejoin the main army towards Couture-Saint-Germain as the reserve. Vandamme's French III Corps attacked Wavre at 4:00 PM as the Prussian III Corps was leaving Wavre.
Prussians Advance to the Wood of Paris
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A group of the 2nd Silesian Hussars and an officer, Major Lützow, were sent to scout the right front of the Prussian advance towards the French right side at Waterloo. They reached the Wood of Paris and found that the French right side was completely open. A Prussian group of Hussars went beyond the Wood of Paris to near Frischermont, where they had a good view of the Waterloo battlefield. This group also did not meet any French forces.
The Prussians had a chance to quickly take over the Wood of Paris. Lützow, on his way to report to Blücher, met General Grolman, the Quartermaster General of the Army. Grolman ordered the Silesian Hussars and two battalions of foot soldiers from Bülow's front group to immediately take the wood. He sent a message to Blücher suggesting that the 15th and 16th Brigades be ordered to follow the front group once they had regrouped on the Waterloo side of the narrow valley.
The march through the narrow valley of Saint-Lambert was hard and tiring. Rain, which started on the afternoon of June 17 and continued through the night, had turned the Lasne valley into a swamp. The roads between Wavre and Saint-Lambert were also affected. The columns of soldiers stretched for miles because of frequent stops and breaks. Blücher traveled along the marching line to encourage his troops. By 4:00 PM, after much difficulty and delay, the 15th and 16th Brigades, and the reserve cavalry and artillery, had reached the high ground between the Lasne and the Smohain. This high ground was relatively dry and firm and good for marching.
At the Wood of Paris, the Prussians spread out along a wide front in a tight, organized way, on each side of the road leading from Lasne towards Plancenoit. The artillery stayed on the road. The cavalry lined up behind the wood to follow the foot soldiers. The 15th Brigade spread out around 3:00 PM. Soon after, its cavalry screen had a small fight with a French patrol, in which Colonel Schwerin was killed. Schwerin may have been the first Prussian officer killed at the Battle of Waterloo. A memorial now marks the spot.
Blücher saw the "tremendous cannonade" (loud cannon fire), the renewed French attack at 4:00 PM, and the French reserve forces behind La Belle Alliance getting ready for another attack. He feared that the British and allied line might break if the Prussians waited. Wellington's frequent and urgent messages made it even more pressing. Blücher had planned to attack with the II and IV Corps. Instead, he decided to attack with only the soldiers he had at the Wood of Paris and ordered units still marching to join as quickly as possible.
The Prussian attack direction was straight into the right side of the French Army and the Charleroi road, which was the French main path of operation.
At 4:30 PM, the 15th and 16th Brigades came out in their usual Prussian brigade formation. The 15th Brigade spread out on the right, sending three battalions towards Frischermont and Smohain to cover the right side. The 16th Brigade spread out on the left, with two battalions to cover the left side to the Lasne stream. 100 cavalry from the 3rd Regiment of Silesian Landwehr Cavalry patrolled beyond the Lasne.
Prussians Advance from the Wood of Paris
During the march from Genappe to La Belle Alliance, the main French army had sent Domon's 3rd Cavalry Division east to scout the area between the main road to Brussels and the Dyle river. Desmichels' 4th Regiment of Chasseurs (light cavalry) pushed as far as the bridge at Mousty. There, their skirmishers exchanged a few shots with some Prussian dragoons, who did not fight them further. This allowed Napoleon to guess that the main Prussian column, made of the I and II Corps, had retreated through Tilly and Gentinnes. Grouchy was still unaware of this.
Blücher ordered cannons to fire at Domon's group, which was forming up at a good distance from the Prussian front. This was mainly to announce the Prussian presence and draw French attention away from the British and allied forces. Domon's entire line advanced to attack, led by a regiment of chasseurs. The Prussian 2nd Silesian Hussars and the 2nd Neumark Landwehr Cavalry moved forward through their foot soldiers and attacked. The Prussian cavalry, supported by the 3rd Silesian Landwehr Cavalry, attacked and pushed back the chasseurs before retreating to avoid being surrounded by the advancing French line. The Prussian cavalry were protected by Horse Battery No. 11 and Captain Schmidt's Foot Battery of the 15th Brigade, which moved up to stop a French chase. The French chose not to continue their attack because of the Prussian cannon fire and the advancing Prussian foot soldiers.
By now, the battalions of the Prussian 15th Brigade's flank guard had reached Smohain. They had advanced so carefully that their appearance from the southeastern part of the village surprised both nearby British and allied and French troops. The Prussian battalions crossed the main fence separating them from the far right of the French army. At 5:30 PM, they lined up almost at right angles to the direction of the French front. Two battalions were in line, with the third supporting them. This marked the full entry of the Prussians into the Battle of Waterloo.
