The axis of advance of Napoleon's L’Armée du Nord was directed at Charleroi the juncture of the Anglo-Dutch and Prussian Armies. This was the likeliest weak point of the Allied line and was thus the best place for Napoleon to split Wellington and Blücher. The bridge over the River Sambre at Charleroi although stoutly defended was cleared by the French at 10:30 hrs. By noon Napoleon rode into the city and at 15.00 hrs Marshal Michel Ney arrived to be given command of the French Left Wing. Napoleon order Marshal Ney to 'Go and pursue the enemy' and instructed him to clear the enemy off the Charleroi to Brussels road in order to establish a position centred on the crossroads at Quatre Bras. Napoleon's aim seems to have been to block any attempt by the Anglo-Dutch moving to aid Blücher's Prussians and vice versa.
It was at about 15:00 hrs that the news that the French had crossed the border arrived at Wellington’s headquarters near Brussels. The French advance was in strength and they were heading for Charleroi. Field Marshal Blücher was rapidly concentrated his forces on Sombreffe to the northeast of Charleroi where he planned to face the French. The Prussian I Corps was retiring before the advancing Frenchmen towards Fleurus. General Steinmetz’s 1st Brigade became exposed and was in danger of being cut-off before being hastily pulled back to Gosselies. General Pirch II’s 2nd Brigade took up a defensive position at Gilly ready to face the French.
The Duke of Wellington began to draw in his army and prepare to meet the French, but there were a number of questions that he needed to have answered before he could fully commit them. The French heading for Charleroi was certainly a major force, but was it all of Napoleon's men? Could another French Corps be marching on Brussels from a different direction? Would Napoleon detach a Corps to bypass the Allied Army and attack Brussels once he had the Allied Army engaged? Could the French out manoeuvre the Allied Army if Wellington congregated all of his strength to face them with Blücher's Prussians? Unable to confirm that there was not a separate French force making for Brussels, the Duke of Wellington chose to gather his Anglo-Dutch not at Sombreffe but in and around Brussels. By doing this he put his army in a position whereby they were ready to move south to support Blücher's Prussians via the crossroads at Quatre Bras, but also ready to meet and defeat any separate French force trying to out manoeuvre them.
Napoleon’s main body of his L’Armée du Nord continued its advance through Charleroi towards Fleurus. They inflicted considerable casualties on the Prussians with their central column as they went. The French Right Wing, which has been placed under the command of Marshal Emmanuel, Count de Grouchy met with comparatively little opposition and advanced as far as the bridge at Chatelet. By the end of the 15th June 1815 Napoleon's L’Armée du Nord had manoeuvred their forces to a position facing Blücher's Prussians that were mustering at Sombreffe.
At 04:00 hrs on 16th June 1815 Napoleon was in the saddle intent on reaching Brussels. The precise whereabouts of Wellington's Anglo-Dutch was still unknown but it was likely that they would make a stand somewhere in front of Brussels. By 08:00 hrs he knew that the Prussians were congregating in the vicinity of Sombreffe, but believed that this was too far forward for Blücher to make a concerted stand. Deciding that he needed to see the situation for himself he rode forward to Fleurus to reconnoitre the area.
At Fleurus Napoleon observed that the Prussian I Corps had pulled back to cover the approaches to Sombreffe. General Ziethen's four brigades were drawn up on the high ground in the vicinity of the farm and windmill at Bussy with its forward elements occupying the villages of Brye, Saint-Amand, Saint-Amand La Haye and Ligny along the line of the Ligne Brook. By 11:00 hrs Napoleon had moved his headquarters forward to Fleurus and order the construction of a viewing platform around the Naveau Windmill. Although only General Ziethen's Prussian I Army Corps was visible Napoleon was now convinced that Blücher was gathering his main forces in the area. Realising that he could not leave the Prussians unmolested where they were whilst he dealt with Wellington's Anglo-Dutch, Napoleon resolved to attack the Field Marshal Blücher's Army. The importance of Marshal Ney's Left Wing at Quatre Bras took on a very significant role as a blocking force to prevent Wellington's Anglo-Dutch Army coming to the aid of the Prussians via the crossroads.
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