Frasers of Philorth > Volume 1

260 THE FRASERS OF PHILORTH, LORDS SALTOUN.
18th. Sucli was not the case, for in the early morning, just hefore dawn,
a staff Officer conducted to the post a Battalion of Nassauers, one company of
Hanoverian riflemen, and 100 Liineburghers, and handed to Lord Saltoun an
order to deliver up the charge of the orchard to the Officer commanding them,
and to retire with his own men to join his Brigade, posted on the hill in rear
of Hougomont. After taking the Nassau officer over the orchard, and show-
ing him all the plans and preparations for defence, Saltoun was marching
towards the First Guards' Brigade on the ridge behind Hougomont, when about
half way, in the early grey of the morning, he met the Duke of Wellington
and Lord Fitzroy Somerset. The Duke called out, ' Hallo, who are you ?
Where are you going V Saltoun immediately halted, ordered arms, directed
his men to lie down, according to an invariable custom ; and on advancing to
the Duke, explained to him the orders he had received. The Duke was
surprised, and said, ' Well, I was not aware of such an order ; but, however,
don't join the brigade yet ; remain quiet here where you are until further
orders from me,' and then he rode away. 1 Saltoun remained here several
hours, when, just as the battle was beginning, an aide-de-camp rode up and
said he was to follow out his former orders and join his Brigade, on reach-
ing which he gave up his temporary command, and resumed that of his
company, in rear of his own battalion. Lord Saltoun had no sooner done
this and ordered arms, when a shout came up, ' Light infantry to the front,'
and a cry arose of, ' The Nassauers are driven out of the orchard ;' and such
proved to be the case, for the French had attacked, and in spite of the gallant
defence that was made, had swept them clear and clean out of it. No time
was to be lost ; Saltoun was again put in command of the light companies of
the First Guards, and went down the hill to attack the French. The first
duty, therefore, that these Light Companies had to perform that day was to
retake the orchard, not to resist an attack upon it; and that made a great differ-
ence in the work to be performed so far as these companies were concerned ;
for when they had re-occupied the wood, which they were not long in doing,
they found nearly all the preparations they had made for defence completely
1 In relating this occurrence, Lord Saltoun ning away, Fitzroy," and that it was a false
used to say that upon his ordering the men rumour of the desertion of large bodies of the
to lie down, the Duke turned to his com- troops that had caused the Duke to ride about
panion and said, " That don't look like run- at that early hour to ascertain the truth.