from the hilly and intersected ground it occupied. However the French, inclined more to their right, and joined other troops advancing along the road to Thuin, which lay on his left. Shortly after they drove back an advanced cavalry vedette; and, at 04:30 commenced firing four guns on the outpost at Maladrie, about in front of Thuin. This cannonade announced the opening of the campaign by the French, and was heard by the Prussian troops forming the left wing of Steinmetz's Brigade. However the sound didn't carry well in the extremely thick and heavy air, and because of this the greater portion of the right wing of the brigade was unaware of the French advance for some time. The firing, was distinctly heard at Charleroi, and Zieten—who, by the reports which he had forwarded on 14 June to Blücher and Wellington, had fully prepared these commanders to expect an attack—lost no time in informing Blücher and Wellington that hostilities had commenced. Shortly before 05:00, he despatched Courier Jäger to their respective headquarters, Namur (Blücher) and Brussels (Wellington). He informed them that since 04:30, he had heard several cannon shots fired in his front, and at the time he was writing the fire of musketry also, but that he had not yet received any report from his outposts. To Blücher he also intimated that he should direct the whole Corps to fall back into position, and should it become absolutely necessary to concentrate at Fleurus. Zieten's report to Wellington arrived in Brussels at 09:00; that to Blücher reached Namur between 08:00 and 09:00 on 15 June. it should be pointed out that there is very serious doubt that Zieten sent a message to Wellington as early as this. Muffling, the Prussian liaison officer assigned to Wellington, in his memoirs was only aware of a message that was sent between 8 am and 9 am that arrived about 5 pm with him. Wellington's own remark that he had news of Charleroi at 9 am probably meant that the news he had related to the situation at 9 am rather than the news arrived at 9 am. While it placed Wellington on the qui vive (alert), it did not induce him to adopt any particular measure, as he was writing for more definite information. But Blücher was satisfied that he had taken a wise precaution in ordereing the concentration of his several corps