How did British infantry and cavalry stop the first French attack on the Allied centre?

At the Battle of Waterloo, the first French attack on the Allied centre—led by 18,000 infantry under Marshal Ney and Drouet—was repulsed through a combination of infantry firepower and cavalry intervention.1

Because the French infantry advanced in unusual, deep divisional columns, they were unable to return fire effectively and were highly vulnerable to Allied artillery. The British infantry met these columns with maximum firepower, inflicting severe casualties.1

Following this, the Allied cavalry commander, the Earl of Uxbridge, ordered his horsemen to charge the disorganized French columns. Although the subsequent cavalry action resulted in significant losses for the British, it successfully broke the French advance, forcing them to withdraw with the loss of 3,000 prisoners. This failure was largely attributed to the lack of coordination between French infantry and cavalry during the assault.12