The morning and afternoon of the 18th June 1815:
At 11am the French bombardment of Hougoumont Farm, on the extreme right of the Allied line, began the battle. The
British artillery on the ridge behind the farm replied, cannonading the French infantry massed for the attack on the
far side of the valley.
At midday Prince Jerome ordered the assault on Hougoumont and the French infantry columns of his division moved forward to begin the day long struggle around the farm buildings.
At about 1.30pm Marshal Ney brought forward 74 French guns over the ridge opposite La Haye Sante followed by the 17,000 infantry of D’Erlon’s corps to begin the attack on the Duke of Wellington’s centre and left.
The French cannonade began and was later described by veterans as the heaviest they had experienced. The Duke ordered his infantry battalions to move behind the ridge and to lie down. This had the effect of shielding them from the worst of the cannonade.
After half an hour the barrage stopped, giving way to the roar of drums as Ney’s columns advanced to the attack. The French infantry passed La Haye Sante and marched up to the crest of the ridge, where Picton’s 5th division was positioned.
As part of the advance a furious assault began on La Haye Sante, held by the King’s German Legion, which was to
continue intermittently for the rest of the day until the German troops ran out of ammunition and were finally
overwhelmed.
As the French infantry approached the hedge at the top of the ridge the line of British infantry stood, fired a
volley and charged, driving back the massed French columns.
Cavalry formations were ordered to charge in support of the infantry attack; the Household Brigade (1st and 2nd Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards), the Union Brigade (Royals, Scots Greys and Inniskillings) and Vivian’s Hussar Brigade (10th and 18th Hussars and 1st Hussars, King’s German Legion).