While Pack’s brigade secured the prisoners taken by the cavalry and sent them to the rear, the cavalry themselves continued their charge.  In vain Ponsonby ordered the trumpeters to sound the halt.  Carried away by the excitement of their success—­an excitement in which the horses shared—­the three regiments galloped on.  The Royals on the right fell upon two French regiments advancing in column, broke them, and cut them up terribly.  The Inniskillens also fell on two French line regiments, shattered them with their charge, and took great numbers of prisoners, whole companies running up the hill and surrendering to the infantry in order to escape from the terrible horsemen.

The cavalry were now terribly scattered; the three regiments of Ponsonby’s brigade were far down in the valley, as were the Second Life Guards and First Dragoon Guards.  The First Life Guards and the Blues were still engaged with the cuirassiers opposed to them; for these, although driven back, were fighting doggedly.  The Greys, who should have been in reserve, galloped ahead and joined Ponsonby’s squadrons, and the two brigades of heavy cavalry were far away from all support.  When they reached the bottom of the hill a tremendous fire was poured from a compact corps of infantry and some pieces of cannon on the right into the Royals, Inniskillens, and Second Life Guards, and a fresh column of cuirassiers advanced against them.  They wheeled about and fell back in great confusion and with heavy loss, their horses being completely blown with their long gallop across the heavy ground.

These regiments had fared, however, better than the Greys, Royals, and Inniskillens on the left, for they, having encountered no infantry fire, had charged up the hill until level with the French guns, when, turning sharp to the left, they swept along the line cutting up the artillerymen, until suddenly they were charged by a brigade of lancers, while a large body of infantry threatened their line of retreat.  Fortunately at this moment the light cavalry came up to their assistance.

Riding right through the infantry column the light cavalry fell upon the French lancers and rolled them over with the fury of their charge, and then charged another regiment of lancers and checked their advance.  Light and heavy horse were now mixed up together, and a fresh body of French cavalry coming up, drove them down the hill with great loss—­they being saved, indeed, from total destruction by the Eleventh Hussars, who, coming up last, had kept their formation.  Covered by these the remnants of the cavalry regained their own crest on the hill, and reformed under cover of the infantry.  General Ponsonby was killed, and his brother, the colonel of the Twelfth, severely wounded and left on the field.