The commanding officer of French I Corps artillery at Waterloo, Desalles, has this to say about the French officer who ordered two foot companies forward (apparently without orders) from the massed artillery and which were subsequently overrun and dispersed by Allied cavalry:

'J'ai dit dans le cours de cette narration que le lieutenant -colonel X - qui avait, sans mes ordres, intempestivement précipité le mouvement de ma grande batterie, avait été cause non de la perte, mais de la dispersion de ces forces si utiles. Ce que je dois ajouter me navre encore le cœur en l'écrivant. Cet officier, plein d'honneur, venait d'être fait lieutenant-colonel au passage de Napoléon par Grenoble (4e régiment à pied). Il avait la tête exaltée, et avait suivi une partie de la batterie dans sa fuite. Il avait fait de vains efforts pour ramener quelques bouches à feu au combat, mais n'y ayant pas réussi il venait me trouver pour me rendre compte et avouer ses torts. J'étais si furieux que ne sentant pas d'abord la portée de mes expressions, je le reçus avec ces mots exacts: « Monsieur ! quand on a coni mis une pareille faute militaire, on ne reparait plus, on se fait tuer!» Le pauvre
ieune homme! Il partit au galop. Je n'ai plus jamais entendu parler de lui.'

Roughly translated:

'I said in the course of this narration that lieutenant-colonel X - who, without my orders, had inopportunely precipitated the movement of my large battery, and had been the cause not only of the loss, but of the dispersion of these useful forces. What I must still add to makes my heart sorry in the writing. This officer, full of honour, came to be made lieutenant-colonel with the passage of Napoleon through Grenoble (4th regiment of foot). He had an exalted head, and had followed part of the battery in its escape. He had made vain efforts to bring back some pieces of ordnance to the combat, but having not succeeded he came to find me to return an account to me and acknowledge his mistake. I had stayed so furious that not being able to contain the range of my expressions, I received him with these exact words: “Sir! When one has committed a similar military fault, one does not reappear any more, one simply dies.” The poor young man! He left by the gallop. I never again heard of him.'

I have a couple of questions:

1. Shouldn't 'lieutenant-colonel' read 'Major'?

2. If Major is intended, according to Martinien, a Major Chandon of the 4th Foor Artillery is listed as killed at Waterloo. Could this be the mysterious 'lieutenant-colonel X'?

- Allan