six o'clock
Each battalion formed in a square . At three o'clock in the morning the cannon of the Prussians had awakened the bivouacs , and they had skirmished until two o'clock in the afternoon , when the order to retreat reached them . Again , Martin said they were too late , for a part of the enemy 's force which had been engaged with that of the Emperor , was in their rear , and they were obliged to march all the rest of that day and the night following in order to escape from their pursuers . At six o'clock the battalion had taken a position near the village of Temploux , and at ten the Prussians came up in superior force . They opposed them in the most vigorous manner in order to give the baggage and artillery time to get over the bridge at Namur . Fortunately the whole army corps had escaped from the village except the 4th battalion which , through a mistake of the commandant , had turned off the road at the left , and was obliged to throw itself into the Sambre in order to escape being cut off . Some of the men were taken prisoners and some were drowned in trying to swim across the river .