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Updated: May 11, 2025
But the remainder of their line did not change; they had squares of red and squares of black touching each other at the corners like the squares of a chess-board, in the rear of the deep road; and in attacking them we would come under their crossfire. Their artillery was in position on the brow of the hill, and in the hollow on the hill-side toward Mont-St.-Jean their cavalry was waiting.
Behind their lines at the top of the hill was the village of Mont-St.-Jean, and a league and a half still farther away, was a forest which bounded the horizon. Between us and the English, the ground descended gently and rose again nearest us, forming a little valley, but one must have been accustomed to the country to perceive this; it was deepest on the right and contracted like a ravine.
"From which battalion are you?" said he, knitting his brows. "The third." Buche, pale as ashes, did not say a word. The officer looked at our guns and knapsacks and cartridge-boxes behind the bed in the corner. "You have deserted," said he. "No, lieutenant, we left, the last ones, at eight o'clock, from Mont-St.-Jean." "Go downstairs, we will see if that is true." We went downstairs.
We saw that the cavalry on the plateau in the vicinity of the main road after having passed the hill, descended before going to Mont-St.-Jean, and we understood that there was a hollow between the position of the English and that village; not very deep, as we could see the plumes of the soldiers as they passed through, but still deep enough to shelter heavy reserves from our bullets.
We recognized them as Frenchmen, and the officer asked brusquely, "Where do you come from?" "From Mont-St.-Jean, lieutenant," I replied. "From what regiment are you?" "From the Sixth light infantry," I answered. He looked at the number on my shako, which was lying on the table, and at the same time I saw that his number was also the Sixth.
It was straight, and we could follow it with the eye to the village of Mont-St.-Jean and beyond quite to the entrance of the forest of Soignes. This we saw the English intended to hold to prevent us from going to Brussels.
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