Night was now falling, and Ney fell back under cover of
darkness to his original position in Frasnes; while the British
lighted their fires, and bivouacked on the ground they had so bravely
held.
As soon as the order came for the troops to bivouac where they were
standing, arms were piled and the men set to work. Parties chopped
down hedges and broke up fences, and fires were soon blazing. Owing to
the late hour at which the fight terminated, and the confusion among
the baggage wagons that were now beginning to arrive from the rear, no
regular distribution of rations could be made. Most of the men,
however, had filled their haversacks before leaving their quarters on
the previous evening, and a party sent down the road obtained a
sufficient supply of bread for the rest from a commissariat wagon.
While the fires were being lighted the light company were ordered to
aid in the work of collecting the wounded. The other regiments had
also sent out parties, and for hours the work went on. Owing to the
frequent movements of the troops, and the darkness of the night, it
was difficult to discover the wounded, and there were no materials at
hand from which torches could be made.
No distinction was made between friend and foe. The bodies found to be
cold and stiff were left where they lay; the rest were lifted and
carried to one or other of the spots where the surgeons of the force
were hard at work giving a first dressing to the wounds, or, where
absolutely necessary, performing amputations.
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