Napoleon, a short biography . of theSambre and Meuse through Liege and Namur,and his different corps were distributed in theneighbourhood of the last-named city andCharleroi. The British under the Duke ofWellington had their base at Antwerp and theirline of communications ran from that city toBrussels, and thence some twenty-five milessouth where the troops were quartered to thewest of the Prussians in the neighbourhood ofQuatre Bras, Genappe, Nivelles and furtherto the west. A road running east and westthrough Quatre Bras and Ligny served toconnect the Prussian right with the Britishleft. It
Napoleon, a short biography . of theSambre and Meuse through Liege and Namur,and his different corps were distributed in theneighbourhood of the last-named city andCharleroi. The British under the Duke ofWellington had their base at Antwerp and theirline of communications ran from that city toBrussels, and thence some twenty-five milessouth where the troops were quartered to thewest of the Prussians in the neighbourhood ofQuatre Bras, Genappe, Nivelles and furtherto the west. A road running east and westthrough Quatre Bras and Ligny served toconnect the Prussian right with the Britishleft. It was at this point that Napoleonaimed. On the 15th the armies were in contact, theFrench driving back such opposition as theymet with and occupying Charleroi. Bluchersucceeded, however, in concentrating the greaterpart of his troops in the course of the night,and determined to hold his ground at and Ligny the next day. The Britishwere more completely surprised than the Prus-sians, yet the small force occupying Quatre. Position at nightfall, June 17, 1815 WATERLOO AND ST. HELENA 225 Bras was left there and received such supportsas could be pushed forward. On the i6th Na-poleon advanced to the attack of the Prussians,detaching a corps under Ney to operate againstthe British. A fierce struggle took place forthe possession of the villages of St. Amand andLigny that were at last carried by the French;Blucher, although he had lost heavily, retiredslowly towards Gembloux in fairly good the course of the same day Ney hadbeen engaged with the British at Quatre Bras,but had not gained any ground. Yet on thewhole the operations of the i6th had been veryfavourable to Napoleon: he had defeated thePrussians, inspirited his soldiers, and brokenthrough the line of contact between the twoallied armies. That night Napoleon formed acorps of some thirty thousand men which heplaced under Grouchy, ordering him to followBluchers retreat. The Prussian general mightwithdraw along t
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