The following account is given in a book called Links with the Past: Lady Mornington, when the firing was heard in Brussels at the commencement of Waterloo, went to wake her maid, who asked, "Is the Duke between us and the French army, my lady?" "Yes," was the reply. "Oh, then, my lady, I shall go to sleep again."
And on the battlefield, when the fighting started, Sir James Kempt rode up to a group of officers standing in front of their men and said, "Gentlemen, here you are, as usual, congregated together talking." An officer replied, "Oh yes, we were just saying that there appeared to be a slight difference of opinion down yonder," pointing to a scene of fierce fighting.
以下記述，出自《今昔相關》一書：滑鐵盧戰役開始時，槍砲聲傳到布魯塞爾。莫寧頓夫人走去把侍女喚醒。那侍女問：「夫人，威寧頓公爵是不是在我們和法軍之間？」莫寧頓夫人回答：「不錯。」「那麼，夫人，我還要再睡一會兒。」
在戰場上，戰爭開始時，詹姆斯．肯特爵士策馬走到一群站在陣前的軍官那裏，說道：「哈，你們還是和平常一樣，聚在一起傾談。」一名軍官指着戰鬥激烈的一處，回答說：「是啊，我們剛才談到，那邊似乎有點意見不合。」