After the Battle of Ligny (16 June 1815) ADC sees the Emperor
Nephew/ACD to General Lefol writes (translated):
After my mission was accomplished, I returned to my bivouac, where I was able to remain undisturbed for some time. Around ten o'clock, still lying in a drowsy state, I suddenly saw the Emperor emerging from a small street, which was so littered with corpses that he had to stop there to allow time for a passage to be cleared through this human carnage. When the road was clear, he continued on his way and was about to turn into a narrow alley opposite where I was standing when, rising quickly, I ran to him to warn him that he was entering a cul-de-sac. He turned back and stopped for a moment to speak with my general, who had seen him and was rushing over to report on the details of the battle concerning his division.
Napoleon, noticing then that my coat was torn by the projectile that had removed my epaulette, congratulated me with interest on the danger I had escaped. As he left, he instructed us to look after the wounded, and we followed his orders with pious eagerness. As I helped up a young soldier wounded in the temple, who had signaled me to give him water, I felt the emotion of seeing him die in my arms, uttering these words: "My poor mother!"
Souvenirs sur le retour de l'empereur Napoléon de l'île d'Elbe et sur la campagne de 1815 pendant les Cent-jours / par M. Lefol (trésorier de l'École de Saint-Cyr), 1856.
gallica
