Cambronne, born close of Nantes in 1770, had engaged like volunteer in 1792, and was named general in 1813. It was distinguished in the Vendée, in Zürich, Iéna, in Saragossa, with Hanau and immortalisa in Waterloo.

When Louis XVIII learned that Napoleon dared to give the foot on the French ground, it sent against him an army to stop it; but the soldiers had not earlier re-examined their former chief, than they were seized by an immense enthusiasm: the same cry left all the chests "Lives the Emperor", the white rosette made place with the tricolour rosette, and Napoleon became again in a few days the Master of France.

Drouot, born in Nancy in 1774, had taken share with the forwarding of Egypt and all the wars of the Empire.

Major general in 1813, it made wonders in the countryside of France, and organized the army of the Loire.

Napoleon, after having beaten the Prussians with Ligny, entrusted to Grouchy the responsibility to supervise them, and turned himself against the English with 72 000 men.

The English army, ordered by Wellington, was arranged on the plate of the Midsummer's Day mount, in front of a forest; it was as numerous as the French Army and had the advantage of the position.

The Ney marshal, extraordinary of heroism, approached the plate and ends up being established there; at four hours of the evening, the English army, driven back with the forest, prepared with the retirement, and the road of Brussels was encumbered already runaways.

But, instead of Grouchy until one waited by completing the victory, Bulow arrived on our line with 30 000 Prussians; a part of the reserves on which counted the Ney marshal were employed to fight these new enemies: they gave with as well strength as the Prussians, after us to have threatened to turn our line, were pushed back in their turn.

At seven hours of the evening, the victory seemed assured: the old guard was going to climb the plate; Wellington was with despair.

Suddenly a sharp shooting bursts on the line: "It is Grouchy", exclaims Napoleon.

It was Blücher, Blücher which had escaped in Grouchy, and which brought to the enemy army 30 000 fresh troops.

Confidence passed from one camp to the other: the English took again the offensive, and the Prussians, carrying all their efforts on the same point, succeeded in boring our lines: a French division, overpowered under the number, shouted with treason and released foot.

At once the Prussian cavalry flooded the battle field, and the part of the guard which went against the English, had to face behind to defend oneself.

The night changed the defeat into disaster: only the imperial guard, ordered by Cambronne, was formed in squares, refused to go and died; the remainder of the army was nothing any more but one mob which whirled at the thank you of the Prussian sabres (June 18, 1815).