In his report of the 7th August 1815, Cornelis van Opstall, who wrote in the third person, outlined the series of events which marked the start of the campaign following receipt of the news that the French army had crossed the Sambre river, and that they were advancing on Charleroi: ‘On the 15th June the battery commanded by Captain Bijleveld was at Frasnes and the foot battery under Stievenaar [sic] was outside of Nivelles on the road to Brussels. Both batteries had, in consequence of orders that had been issued previously, placed everything ready so as to move at a moment’s notice. At 10 o’clock in the evening of the 15th a report from Captain Bijleveld reached Major van Opstall that, after cannon fire had been heard in the early morning, infantry fire had been heard at Frasnes at 3 o’clock in the evening, after which Bijleveld and Major von Normann made the necessary dispositions.’ The contents of this  file are also available within the new on-line archive.

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