De Pruisische Slagorde Bij Wavre
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The action at Wavre. The orders for general Thielmann for the early morning of the 18th of June prescribed him to hold himself with his corps into readiness, if needed, to follow the other corps to the battlefield of Mont Saint Jean. Thielmann was also informed that all the baggage and trains had to be directed towards Louvain. 1 Further instructions came at 1 p.m. At that time Von Grolmann told the chief of staff of the 3rd corps, general Von Clausewitz, that the 3rd corps was intended either to defend the position at Wavre or to leave some battalions there and to march off towards the battlefield of Mont Saint Jean, to act as a reserve and a rear-guard. 2 Eventually, by 3 p.m. Thielmann received the order to march off towards Couture. 3 In leaving, Thielmann was convinced the enemy would only keep him occupied and that he wouldn’t push through any attack. 4 Thielmann had started his march when circumstances however forced him to change his intention. Therefore, he decided to halt his troops and to take up positions in and around Wavre. His main reason to do so was the fact that the enemy was deploying in front of him. Further, he wasn’t able to continue his march as the 1st corps filled up the road of Bierges, while the 2nd was doing the same towards Neuf Cabaret. 5 While the brigade of Von Kemphen hadn’t moved at all, the brigade of Von Stülpnagel was already moving and the one of Von Lucke had just started its march. 6 Both brigade were now ordered to return to their positions. With Von Borcke’s brigade the situation was that at 8.30 .a.m. Thielmann had ordered Von Borcke to occupy the defile at Wavre with two battalions and to keep them there until further notice so as to cover the retreat of the rear-guard across the Dyle here. Von Borcke received the order by 10 a.m. 7 The battalions Von Borcke used to accomplish this were the 3rd battalion of the 1st regiment of Kurmark Landwehr-infantry (led by major Von Bornstedt) and the 3rd battalion of the 30th regiment (led by major Von Sprenger). At Wavre, both battalions came under the command of the brigade major Von Zeppelin. 8 While the units of Bülow crossed Wavre, both battalions arrived there. At Wavre, Von Zeppelin had his post on the market-place from where he directed his command. 9 It was Thielmann’s intention that Von Borcke would follow the 3rd corps in its course towards Couture. Of the 2nd corps, two brigades of infantry (those of Von Reckow and of Von Brause) and one brigade of cavalry (Von Sohr) were still on the right bank of the Dyle, forming a rear- guard. Eventually, Von Brause and Von Reckow crossed the Dyle at Wavre, while Von Sohr did so at Bierges. Von Borcke crossed the Dyle at Basse Wavre in order not to obstruct the units of the 2nd corps moving through Wavre. 10 It was here that Von Borcke left the Schützen- platoons of the fusilier battalion of the Leib-regiment, led by captain Von Steinäcker, as well as those of the 1st battalion of the 30th regiment (led by captain Von der Horst), under the common command of major Von Bornstedt. 11 Before ascending the north bank of the Dyle, Von Borcke reinforced the garrison of Von Zeppelin at Wavre with the 2nd battalion of the 30th regiment (led by major Grolman) and the two squadrons of the brigade (the 1st and 2nd squadron of the 3rd regiment of Kurmark 1 Landwehr-cavalry) which came in observation at the crossing of the Dyle at the chateau de Laurensart, some two kilometres further north-east from Wavre. 12 Now, Von Borcke moved his remaining forces (of five and half battalion and a battery) further in a northwest direction, through Champles as he had got the order to take up a position on the other side of Wavre, on the road which leads to Brussels and to await further orders there. 13 As Von Borcke had original orders to move to Couture, he yet wheeled from the Brussels road to his left and by doing so eventually bumped in the early evening into the flank of the 1st corps which was moving towards Wellington. This may have been in the vicinity of Bourgeois or Froidmont. In fact, by passing through the gap of the column, it seriously delayed the 4th brigade of Von Henckel in its course towards Mont Saint Jean. 14 As the brigade continued it course towards Couture it was informed of the success at Waterloo and then halted at Chapelle Saint Lambert. 15 The field. The field of Wavre is located in the valley of the Dyle, which is bordered on both sides by heights. Those on the right bank of the Dyle (i.e. the French side) dominate those on the left side (110-115 / 90-100) , but the last ones were steeper. 16 Due to the rainfall in the afternoon and the night of the 17th of June, the Dyle had swollen at some points to several metres wide. 17 On top of that, the bottom of the valley between Wavre and Limale consisted mostly of marshy grass-fields, which were cut up by deep ditches which ran parallel to the stream and which were filled with water. 18 At some places the Dyle was bordered by trees, most of them on the left bank. 19 The Dyle in the centre of Wavre, with the pont du Christ in the background. 2 Wavre, counting in 1815 about 400 inhabitants and 725 houses, was for the most part located on the left bank of the Dyle and some parts were on the slopes of the valley. The suburb of Wavre was situated on the right bank of the Dyle and was grouped around a square called the Place du Sablon and a street which left south (now called the rue de Namur). In 1774 this street was paved and prolonged as far as l’Auzel in 1783. At the side of the street was the farm of Demortier, and it was this farm which escaped the flames of the fire on the morning of the 18th of June. 20 At about one kilometre east of the Place du Sablon was the farm of Chèremont. About 300 metres east of the suburb of Wavre were the scattered houses of the hamlet of Aisémont. Wavre was connected to its suburb by a stone bridge over the Dyle, the so-called Pont du Christ" (1702). 21 Three-hundred metres upstream there was in 1815 another stone bridge but this one was smaller as the Pont du Christ. It emerged on a small square, which was surrounded by some houses and which was 200 metres west of the suburb. 22 At Wavre, the Carmelites church was located at the Place de l'Hotel de Ville. 23 Just as the church, the Hotel de l'Escaille, at the rue de Bruxelles nr.20, served as a hospital after the battle. 24 West of Wavre and 600 metres west of the church was an isolated house called the Hermitage St.Jacques. The Place du Sablon at Wavre. The hamlet of Basse-Wavre (25) was at one kilometre north-east of the church of Wavre and was located on both banks of the Dyle. The bridge here was built from wood. 26 The extreme north- east part of Wavre was in 1815 connected with Bas-Wavre by a 600 metre long lane, bordered by trees, called the Belle Voie. This lane led through the marshy fields which separated Wavre and Bas-Wavre. In 1815, a footpath here led here along the Dyle and which was called the sentier des Olives. The Belle Voie emerged in one of the two wooden bridges of the hamlet in 1815. The other bridge was 150 metres further downstream. 27 In the part on the right bank of the Dyle, the farm 3 of la Vacherie was the most important building; the houses here were grouped around a small square and an old chapel of St. Job. On the other side of the Dyle, Bas-Wavre was dominated by a monastery and its church, dating from 1708-1712. At about 400 metres north of these buildings was the farm of l'Hotel (now called the farm de l'Hosté). The Dyle, with Basse Wavre in the back and the Belle Voie on the left. General Thielmann’s headquarters were established in the chateau of la Bavette. 28 The chateau is situated about 1.5 kilometres north-west of Wavre, at the road which leads from Wavre towards Brussels. Until 1770 this paved road ran up to the hamlet Notre Dame des Bois (about 14 kilometres north-west of Wavre), but in that year it was extended up to Wavre. 29 On the other side of the road was the farm of du Rie. 30 The area to the west, between this farm and Wavre, was covered by the Bois de Beumont. The village of Bierges was situated on the left bank of the Dyle and had, like today, an extended and scattered outline. Its church and its rectory date from 1788. A building here which played a major role in the struggle in and around Wavre in 1815 was the watermill. Situated on the left bank of the Dyle, it was at 750 metres south-east of the church of Bierges and about 1300 metres south-west of the one at Wavre.