General Bachelu’s French 5th Infantry Division closed on the Dutch at Pireaumont Farm and became embroiled in a fierce but short battle. Outnumbered the Dutch withdrew falling back on Quatre Bras. General Foy’s French 9th Infantry Division engaged the Dutch at Gemioncourt Farm where the battle ebbed to and fro with the farm changing hands twice. One of the defending Dutch battalions, the 5th Militia, lost nearly 62% of its original strength during the engagement, before they too were finally driven back towards Quatre Bras.
The French 6th Infantry Division under the command of Napoleon’s brother Prince Jerome attacked the builds at Pierrepont Farm and was making steady progress against Prince Bernhard's Nassau Brigade. They too eventual drove the defenders out and the Nassau troops withdrew to Bossu Wood. Prince Jerome’s 6th Infantry Division followed up to be drawn into the wood. Once inside the French advance slowed to a crawl as the withdrawing men of Prince Bernhard’s Nassau Brigade fought from tree to tree.
Shortly after 15:00 hrs the Duke of Wellington arrived back at Quatre Bras. Prince William’s Anglo-Dutch were being assailed on all sides and it looked as if the Quatre Bras position would soon be overrun. In the nick of time the 2nd Netherlands Light Cavalry Brigade commanded by General Baron van Merlen galloped up followed closely by Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Picton’s British 5th Division. These 8,000 or so relatively fresh troops were immediately pushed forward into the battle.
At around the same time another communication from Marshal Sault arrived at Marshal Ney's headquarters. It was Napoleon’s despatch informing Marshal Ney that Marshal Grouchy’s force was about to engage the Prussians. It was with Napoleon’s orders that he was to; “…attack whatever force is in front of you, and after you have vigorously pushed it back, you will turn in our direction, so as to bring about the envelopment of that body of the enemy’s troops whom I have just mentioned” fresh in his mind that Marshal Ney watched Lieutenant General Picton’s British 5th Division arrive upon the scene.
General van Merlen’s 2nd Netherlands Light Cavalry Brigade charged the French Cavalry. Outnumbered they were thrown back, but their attack bought the Prince of Orange time. Sir Thomas Picton’s 5th Infantry Division was pushed forward and formed a ‘Thin Red Line’, but as the Dutch Light Cavalry withdrew Picton’s Scottish Battalions opened fire upon them believing that they were French. The Dutch cavalry uniforms were very similar to those of the French Chasseurs a Cheval.
Just after 16:00 hrs Marshal Nay received additional orders from Napoleon via Marshal Soult. The new orders read: ‘Monsieur le maréchal, I wrote to you an hour ago to say that the Emperor would be attacking the enemy at half past two in the position he has taken between the village of Saint-Amand and Brye. At this moment the engagement is very sharp. His Majesty orders me to say that you must manoeuvre immediately so as to hem in the enemy’s right and give him a good pounding in the rear. His army is lost if you act vigorously. The fate of France is in your hands. Do not hesitate an instant, therefore, to move as the Emperor orders, bearing on the heights of Brye and Saint-Amand so as to take part in a victory which may be decisive. The enemy has been caught flagrante delicto as he was seeking to join the English.’
Embroiled in the battle at Quatre Bras as he was Marshal Ney was unable to immediately comply with these new orders. With the Emperor’s words ‘The fate of France is in your hands” however, he tried to bring the battle at Quatre Bras to a conclusion. He sent for Lieutenant General d’Erlons French I Army Corps and Lieutenant General Kellermann’s French III Cavalry Corps. Lieutenant General Kellermann’s Cavalry came up to reinforce Lieutenant General Reille’s French II Army Corps, but Lieutenant General d’Erlon’s I Army Corps was no where to be seen. Marshal Ney flew into a rage and sent one of his ADCs to find Lieutenant General d’Erlon with orders to bring up his men.
At 16:15 hrs a mixed French force from Lieutenant General Reille's II Corps and Lieutenant General Kellermann's Cavalry Corps pushed forward and penetrated the Anglo-Dutch line to reach the crossroads at Quatre Bras. Facing them were the bulk of Major General Sir Dennis Pack's 9th British Brigade, the 42nd (Black Watch), 44th (East Sussex) and 92nd (Gordon Highlanders) Regiments of Foot. The British infantry deployed in their famous packed lines held off their French counterparts, but were attacked by the French Cuirassiers. These and the French infantry were subsequently driven back by the British musket fire, but not until the French cavalry had done a great deal of damage.
In Bossu Wood Prince Jerome's French 6th Infantry Division continued to push Prince Bernhard's Nassau Brigade back. In all three Anglo-Dutch Brigades became involved in the battle within Bossu Wood and eventually they jointly halted the French advance. By the end of the afternoon Prince Jerome's French 6th Infantry Division was pushed back to its original positions, but not without cost to the Anglo-Dutch. The 1st (Royal Scots) Regiment of Foot suffered 500 or more casualties when they followed the French out of the wood towards Pierrepont Farm. They caught in the open by Lancers from Lieutenant General Piré's French 2nd Cavalry Division and forced back to Bossu Wood.
The injection of Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Picton's British 5th Division and General van Merlen’s 2nd Netherlands Light Cavalry Brigade stabilized the situation and even thought the Anglo-Dutch were still outnumbered the Duke of Wellington appeared to be confident that Quatre Bras could now be held.
Marshal Ney’s ADC located Lieutenant General d’Erlon’s French I Army Corps not at Quatre Bras but approaching the battlefield at Ligny. It appeared that Lieutenant General d’Erlon had been responding to a note he had received instructing him to make contact with Napoleon’s left wing at Wagnelée. The ADC conveyed Marshal Ney’s orders to bring his Corps to Quatre Bras and Lieutenant General d’Erlon turned his men around. Before turning back however he detached his 4th Infantry Division commanded by General (GdD) Count Durutte and his 1st Cavalry Division, commanded by General (GdD) Baron Charles Claude Jacquinot ordering them to remain in the area of Wagnelée in case they were needed.
As the day progressed the balance in numbers swung in favour of the Anglo-Dutch as more and more Battalions arrived at Quatre Bras. These reinforcements nullified the attempts by Marshal Ney's Frenchmen and the battle fizzled out ending in a tactical draw. It cost the Duke of Wellington nearly 4,800 casualties and the French about 4,000, but perhaps more importantly Marshal Ney prevented any Anglo-Dutch reinforcements moving east along the road to Namur and supporting Blücher's Prussians at Ligny.
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