Editing Battle of Waterloo (section)

===First French infantry attack===
A little after 13:00, I Corps' attack began in large [[Column (formation)|columns]]. Bernard Cornwell writes "[column] suggests an elongated formation with its narrow end aimed like a spear at the enemy line, while in truth it was much more like a brick advancing sideways and d'Erlon's assault was made up of four such bricks, each one a division of French infantry."{{sfn|Cornwell|2015|loc=''Those terrible grey horses, how they fight''}} Each division, with one exception, was drawn up in huge masses, consisting of the eight or nine battalions of which they were formed, deployed, and placed in a column one behind the other, with only five paces interval between the battalions.{{sfn|Haweis|1908|p=228}}

The one exception was the 1st Division (led by [[Joachim Jérôme Quiot du Passage|Quiot]], the commander of the 1st Brigade).{{sfn|Haweis|1908|p=228}} Its two brigades were formed in a similar manner, but side by side instead of behind one another. This was done because, being on the left of the four divisions, it was ordered to send one (Quiot's brigade) against the south and west of La Haye Sainte, while the other ([[Baron Charles-Francois Bourgeois|Bourgeois]]') was to attack the eastern side of the same post.{{sfn|Haweis|1908|p=228}}

The divisions were to advance in [[Echelon (formation)|echelon]] from the left at a distance of 400 paces apart—the 2nd Division ([[François-Xavier Donzelot|Donzelot]]'s) on the right of Bourgeois' brigade, the 3rd Division ([[Pierre-Louis Binet de Marcognet|Marcognet]]'s) next, and the 4th Division ([[Pierre François Joseph Durutte|Durutte]]'s) on the right. They were led by Ney to the assault, each column having a front of about a hundred and sixty to two hundred [[File (formation)|files]].{{sfn|Haweis|1908|p=228}}

[[File:Ferme de la Haie Sainte 01.JPG|thumb|La Haye Sainte – one of Wellington's advanced defensible positions. As the battle progressed it became clear that its defence and control was of greatest tactical importance.{{sfn|Simms|2014|p=64}}]]

The leftmost division advanced on the walled farmhouse compound [[La Haye Sainte]]. The farmhouse was defended by the King's German Legion. While one French battalion engaged the defenders from the front, the following battalions fanned out to either side and, with the support of several squadrons of cuirassiers, succeeded in isolating the farmhouse. The King's German Legion resolutely defended the farmhouse. Each time the French tried to scale the walls, the outnumbered Germans somehow held them off. The [[William II of the Netherlands|Prince of Orange]] saw that La Haye Sainte had been cut off and tried to reinforce it by sending forward the Hanoverian Lüneburg Battalion in line. Cuirassiers concealed in a fold in the ground caught and destroyed it in minutes and then rode on past La Haye Sainte, almost to the crest of the ridge, where they covered d'Erlon's left flank as his attack developed.{{sfn|Hamilton-Williams|1993|pp=289–293}}

At about 13:30, d'Erlon started to advance his three other divisions, some 14,000&nbsp;men over a front of about {{convert|1,000|m|yd|abbr=off}}, against Wellington's left wing. At the point they aimed for, they faced 6,000&nbsp;men: the first line consisted of the 1st brigade ([[Van Bylandt's brigade]]) of the 2nd Netherlands Division, flanked by the British brigades of Kempt and Pack on either side. The second line consisted of British and Hanoverian troops under [[Sir Thomas Picton]], who were lying down in dead ground behind the ridge. All had suffered badly at Quatre Bras. In addition, Bylandt's brigade had been ordered to deploy its skirmishers in the hollow road and on the forward slope. The rest of the brigade was lying down just behind the road.{{efn|Website of current Dutch historian<!--s: Erwin van Muilwijk: [http://home.tiscali.nl/erwinmuilwijk/index.htm Tiscali.nl], and... website no longer contains the referenced sources--> Marco Bijl: [http://www.8militia.net/ 8militia.net];{{harvnb|Eenens|1879|pp=14–30, 131–198}}; De Jongh, W.A.: Veldtocht van den Jare 1815, Historisch verhaal; in De Nieuwe Militaire Spectator (Nijmegen 1866), pp. 13–27.(This is the original account of Colonel de Jongh, commander of the Dutch 8th Militia. It can be downloaded at the site of Marco Bijl above.); Löben Sels, Ernst van Bijdragen tot de krijgsgeschiedenis van Napoleon Bonaparte / door E. van Löben Sels Part 4; Veldtogten van 1814 in Frankrijk, en van 1815 in de Nederlanden (Battles). 1842. 's-Gravenhage : de Erven Doorman, pp. 601–682; Allebrandi, Sebastian. Herinneringen uit mijne tienjarige militaire loopbaan. 1835. Amsterdam : Van Kesteren, pp. 21–30; (Allebrandi was a soldier in the Dutch 7th Militia, so his account is therefore important).}}{{efn|1=De Bas reprints colonel Van Zuylen's 'History of the 2nd division'. Van Zuylen van Nijevelt was the chief of staff of the 2nd Division and located right behind the Bylandt brigade the whole day ({{harvnb|Bas|Wommersom|1909|pp=134–136}}(vol.2)). He wrote a 32-page report, right after the battle. This report forms the basis of most of the other literature mentioned here: see {{harvnb|Bas|Wommersom|1909|pp=289–352}}(vol.3). [https://books.google.com/books?id=V5wLAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA61 Google Books]; Boulger has an English translation of the report {{harv|Boulger|1901}}.}}

At the moment these skirmishers were rejoining their parent battalions, the brigade was ordered to its feet and started to return fire. On the left of the brigade, where the 7th Dutch Militia stood, a "few files were shot down and an opening in the line thus occurred."<ref>Van Zuylen report {{harvnb|Bas|Wommersom|1909|pp=338–339}}(vol. 3)</ref> The battalion had no reserves and was unable to close the gap.{{efn|The brigade's losses were very heavy: one French volley at point blank range decimated the 7th and 8th Militia, who had most of their officers killed or wounded, the brigade commander [[Willem Frederik van Bylandt|Bylandt]] being one of the wounded who had to be evacuated; he transferred command of the brigade to Lt. Kol. De Jongh.{{efn|{{harvnb|Pawly|2001|pp=37–43}}; The two battalions lost their command structure in one stroke. The total casualties for the whole brigade for the day was around 800 killed and wounded {{harv|Hamilton-Williams|1993|pp=310–311}}.}} D'Erlon's troops pushed through this gap in the line and the remaining battalions in the Bylandt brigade (8th Dutch Militia and Belgian 7th Line Battalion) were forced to retreat to the square of the 5th Dutch Militia, which was in reserve between Picton's troops, about 100 paces to the rear. There they regrouped under the command of Colonel [[Pieter Hendrik van Zuylen van Nijevelt|Van Zuylen van Nijevelt]].{{efn|Van Zuylen report; he refers to himself as "the chief-of-staff" ({{harvnb|Bas|Wommersom|1909|pp=338–339}}(vol. 3)).}}{{efn|Some of the retreating troops panicked and fled. This was not to be wondered at in the circumstances. The British troops of the 1/95th Battalion, also under great pressure from the French, did the same at the time. This flight did not involve all of the Dutch battalions, as has been asserted by some historians. Van Zuylen rallied 400 men, according to his estimate, who were ready to join the counterattack and even captured two French fanions ({{harvnb|Bas|Wommersom|1909|pp=338–341}}(vol. 3); {{harvnb|Hamilton-Williams|1993|pp=293–295}}).}} A moment later, the Prince of Orange ordered a counterattack, which actually occurred around 10 minutes later. The following letters are used: the accounts of General Kempt, Calvert of the 32nd Infantry, Cruikshank of the 79th, Winchester & Hope of the 92nd, Evans (Ponsonby Cavalry brigade) and Clark Kennedy of the Royal Dragoons {{harv|Glover|2004|p={{Page needed|date=June 2015}}}}. These are the only letters that actually state some details about the Dutch and Belgian troops.}}

[[File:Andrieux - La bataille de Waterloo.jpg|thumb|''The Battle of Waterloo'' by [[Clément-Auguste Andrieux]]]]

D'Erlon's men ascended the slope and advanced on the sunken road, Chemin d'Ohain, that ran from behind La Haye Sainte and continued east. It was lined on both sides by thick hedges, with Bylandt's brigade just across the road, while the British brigades had been lying down some 100 yards back from the road, Pack's to Bylandt's left and Kempt's to Bylandt's right. Kempt's 1,900 men were engaged by Bourgeois' brigade of 1,900 men of Quiot's division. In the centre, Donzelot's division had pushed back Bylandt's brigade.{{sfn|Barbero|2006|pp=134–138}}

On the right of the French advance was Marcognet's division, led by Grenier's brigade, consisting of the 45e Régiment de Ligne and followed by the 25e Régiment de Ligne, somewhat less than 2,000 men, and behind them, Nogue's brigade of the 21e and 45e regiments. Opposing them on the other side of the road was [[Denis Pack|Pack]]'s 9th Brigade, consisting of the [[44th Foot]] and three Scottish regiments: the [[Royal Scots]], the 42nd [[Black Watch]], and the 92nd Gordons, totalling something over 2,000 men. A very even fight between British and French infantry was about to occur.{{sfn|Barbero|2006|pp=134–138}}

The French advance drove in the British skirmishers and reached the sunken road. As they did so, Pack's men stood up, formed into a four-deep line formation for fear of the French cavalry, advanced, and opened fire. However, a firefight had been anticipated and the French infantry had accordingly advanced in more linear formation. Now, fully deployed into line, they returned fire and successfully pressed the British troops; although the attack faltered at the centre, the line in front of d'Erlon's right started to crumble. Picton was killed shortly after ordering a counter-attack, and the British and Hanoverian troops also began to give way under the pressure of numbers.{{sfn|Hamilton-Williams|1993|pp=296–297}}

Pack's regiments, all four ranks deep, advanced to attack the French in the road but faltered and began to fire on the French instead of charging. The 42nd Black Watch halted at the hedge and the resulting fire-fight drove back the British 92nd Foot, while the leading French 45e Ligne burst through the hedge cheering. Along the sunken road, the French were forcing the Anglo-allies back, the British line was dispersing, and at two o'clock in the afternoon Napoleon was winning the Battle of Waterloo.{{sfn|Barbero|2006|p=138}}

Reports from [[Karl Freiherr von Müffling|Baron von Müffling]], the Prussian liaison officer attached to Wellington's army, relate that, "After 3 o'clock the Duke's situation became critical, unless the succour of the Prussian army arrived soon."{{sfn|Uffindell|Corum|2002|p=211}}