GENERAL EDITOR DAVID G.

CHANDLER

HS CAMPAIGN SERIES 15

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THE BIRTH OF
MODERN EUROPE
GEOFFREY WOOTTEN
 ' The Wounding of the GENERAL EDITOR DAVID G. CHANDLER
Marquess of Anglesey’: a
painting by Charles
Warren. Henry William
Paget, 2nd Earl of
HH CAMPAIGN SERIES 15
Uxbridge ( 1768-1854 ),
who was created
Marquess of Anglesey
only after Waterloo,
commanded Wellington’s
cavalry and lost his leg to a
grapeshot at the very' end
of die battle. Reputedly he
was riding beside
Wellington when his knee
was struck , causing the
famous exchange: *.By
God , Sir,Vve lost my leg!’;
' By God , Sir, so you have!’
BIRTH OF MODERN
( ASKB)
EUROPE
GEOFFREY WOOTTEN
I 'irst published in Great Britain in 1992- study , research , criticism or review , as Prodiuccd by DAG Publications I . td
British Library Cataloguing in for Otyprcy Publishing I .td . Printed and bound in I long Kong. Colour illustration credits:Jeffrey
bv Osprey, an imprint of permitted under the Copyright
Publication Data Colour bird’s ey e view illustrations by Burn , 59; Cilia Furich , 18 and 26;
Reed Consumer Book Limited Designs and Patents Act , 1988, no
Wootten , Geoffrey Cilia Rurich . Illustration credits. Pictures keyed David F. Smith , 23, 30, 63, 71 , 75;
part of this publication may be
Michelin House, 81 Fulham Road , Waterloo, 1815: Birth of Modern Cartography by Micromap. ‘ASKIT are reproduced by Pilot Press, 67; Ron Volstad , 46;
reproduced , stored in a retrieval F.urope. - (Osprev Campaign Series;
London SW3 6 RB
and Auckland , Melbourne, Singapore
and Toronto
system , or transmitted in any form or
by any means electronic, electrical,
chemical , mechanical, optical ,
v. 15 )
I. Title II . Series
940.27
Wargames consultant Duncan
Macfarlanc.
Typeset by Ronset 'Typesetters,
permission of the Anne S. K . Brow n
Military Collection
Steven J . Zaloga , 55, 83.
CONTENTS
Darwen , Lancashire. The publishers wish to express their
© 1992 Reed International Books Limited photocopying, recording or otherw ise ISBN 1 -85532 -210-2 Mono camerawork by M & F special gratitude to Philip J .
Reprinted 1993 without prior permission of the
copyright ow ner . F.nquirics should be Reproductions, North Fambridge, I laythornthwaitc for his expert
Ml rights reserved . Apart from any F.sscx. assistance in the preparation of this
fair dealing for the purpose of private addressed to the Publishers.
volume.

The battlefield of The Road to 1815 7

Waterloo, looking towards
the French position from Empire to Exile 7
the centre of the Anglo - Return to the Emperor 8
Netherlands line . The
Charleroi road runs Ehe Opposing Commanders 10
towards the buildings of Ehe French Commanders 10
La Belle Alliance, visible
in the background ; the Ehe British Commanders 13
woods ofHougoumont are Prince Wahlstadt Gebhard von Bl ücher 16
the stand of timber in the
right mid - ground, Opposing Armies 17
concealing the chateau L’ Armee du Nord 17
itself Early watercolour.
( ASKB) Wellington ’s Army 21
Bl ücher’s Army 25
The Campaign Opens 29
For a catalogue of all
books published by 15-16 June 29
Osprey Military, please 16-17 June 31
write to:
Ehe Battle of Quatre Bras, 16 June 32
The Marketing Manager , Ehe Battle of Ligny , 16 June 40
Consumer Catalogue
Department, 17 June: Interlude of Missed Opportunities 46
Osprey Publishing Ltd , 18-19 June: The Battle of Wavre 48
Michelin House 18 June: The Battle of Waterloo 51
81 Fulham Rd Waterloo Dawn 51
London SW3 6 RB '
Ehe Battle Opens: d ’Erlon’s Assault 53
Ehe French Cavalry Attack 64
Key to Ehe Prussians Arrive 68
Map Symbols Wellington ’s Crisis 68
XXXXX ‘Le Centre Est Ouvert! Vive l’Empereur ’ 73
Army Group Ehe Assault by the Imperial Guard 74
XX XX
Finale 88
Armv
XXXX The Battlefield Today 89
Corps Chronology 92
XX
1 ) i \ ision A Guide to Further Reading 94
X Wargaming Waterloo 95
Brigade
Cavalry
a
^ Napoleon
from
’s departure
Elba at the beginning
of his attempt to regain his
throne, on the evening of
26 February 1815; his
barge, crewed by Seamen
of the Imperial Guard ,
awaits to row him to his
ship Inconstant. ( Painting
byj. Beaume ) .

M Napoleon aboard his

ship Inconstant, returning
from Elba to land in
France to reclaim his
throne, 26 February to 1
March 1815. In addition to
his staff, Grenadiers of the
*Elba Battalion ’ are shown
on deck . Painting by Jules
Vemet. ( ASKB)

M Napoleon supervises the

landing of his troops from
Elba at Golfe Juan, near
Antibes, 1 March 1815.
The iElba Battalion ’
disembarking at left wears
the uniforms of the
Grenadiers and Chasseurs
a Pied of the Imperial
Guard. Print after
Friedrich Philip Reinhold.
( ASKB)
 THE ROAD TO 1815

The early zeal of the French revolutionary armies he was well enough to take his leave from his
had been honed over time into a formidable beloved Imperial Guard in a moving scene that
weapon, grasped firmly in the hand of one man - touched all hearts. Clad in a general’s uniform,
Napoleon Bonaparte . He had not hesitated to and his characteristic hat and greatcoat , he took a
wield it in the pursuit of national and personal tearful farewell , weeping into the colours of the
ends, and the perceived glory of France and her Guard before entering the carriage that was to
republic. By 1814, however, from his apparent bear him away. ‘Adieu mes enfants! Mes voeux
pinnacle of success at Tilsit, the myth of Napole - vous accompagneront toujours!’
onic invincibility had been totally shattered. Other Travelling in disguise, in fear for his life from
countries had gained confidence by copying his the mobs and his enemies, he was transported by
methods of organization and tactics, while Russia coach to the south of France, and beyond to the
had finally proved what could be done by sticking tiny island of Elba . The terror of the continent ,
it out to the bitter end , costing the Emperor more once master of Europe from Lisbon to Moscow,
than 400,000 men in the process. Two years after was now lord of a mere islet in the Mediterranean
the devastating catastrophe of the Russian Cam - no more than eighteen miles by twelve, his
paign, France had been bled white by a struggle command of the Grande Armee - once around
against overwhelming odds. With a coalition that half a million men strong - exchanged for that of
finally worked ( just), the irresistible forces of a personal guard of just 1,000 men.
Austria, Russia, Prussia and other states had Once on Elba, he must have slipped even
finally pressed into the very heart of France itself. further into despair. The French government
French allies such as Bavaria and Saxony had reneged on the two million francs a year income
either defected or been overrun , leaving the much they had promised him , while in Paris his first
reduced French conscript army alone against wife, the Empress Josephine, met an untimely
overwhelming odds. The Allies were content to death from diphtheria . Worse was to follow, for his
fight battles of attrition against these numerically equally beloved second wife, Marie Louise, had
inferior and irreplaceable armies, pressing been whisked away to the depths of Austria where
Napoleon back to the very gates of Paris. His her impressionable and highly sensual nature
political control of France was diluted with every quickly allowed her to fall prey to the advances of
military reverse, and soon the marshals were in her new aide -de -camp, General Count Neipp-
revolt. Some defected . With the Allies in Paris, berg; and , perhaps worst of all , he was not
Napoleon was finally persuaded to abdicate in permitted to see his son, the King of Rome .
April 1814. To add insult to injury, many of Napoleon’s
former marshals were using the very wealth and
titles he had bestowed on them to entertain in
From Empire to Exile
lavish style the very enemies who had caused his
His punishment was to be banishment. The shock downfall. Even Josephine had unashamedly enter-
was absolute, and at Fontainebleau Napoleon tained Tsar Alexander in Paris.
drank the vial of poison he had always carried with Penned on the tiny island , Napoleon moved
him since narrowly avoiding capture in Russia . But around restlessly, repeatedly changing his resi-
although the poison made him gravely ill, it’s dence, frustrated at his confinement and quickly
efficacy had diminished over time, and by 14 April bored by the mind - numbing routine of Elba, the
7
THE ROAD TO 1815

monotony of the day broken only by meals and Decisive action could perhaps unite the French
card games. The venal Prince de Talleyrand , who nation again and restore her pride and glory.
had helped to engineer Napoleon ’s final downfall Napoleon had little to lose . Ever the opportunist ,
in Paris, had his spies everywhere , so many that with the governor of Elba absent in Italy, on 1
they sometimes spied on each other by mistake . March 1815 Napoleon landed in the south of
They irritatingly dogged Napoleon ’s footsteps and France for perhaps the most famous hundred days
fabricated wild and outrageous reports that Talley- in history .
rand lost no time in printing in the Bourbon press.
After an initial burst of reforming energy, Return of the Emperor
Napoleon basically ran out of things to do on Elba .
His lifestyle became increasingly sedentary, his A deliberately slow route to Paris via Nice and
brilliant mind untaxed . The high spots of his life Grenoble gave Napoleon time to rebuild and
now came from the snippets of news that slipped extend his popular support within France. His
in from France , and which must have been his only trickle of followers at Nice became a flood by
consolation , since things were not going at all well Grenoble, a veritable torrent of popular support by
for the new Bourbon king, Louis XVIII . The Lyons. Whole armies sent to capture him deserted
welcome relief from war initially felt by the French to his charismatic appeal, and without firing a shot
at the return of the Bourbons soon gave way to he entered Paris in triumph on the 20th .
great dissatisfaction as the old Bourbon hangers- However, in spite of the emotional popular
on flooded back from exile to make their unwel - support that was still building in France , he was
come mark on the nation and manipulate the still far from secure in his position . The all - too-
system for their own ends. Meanwhile, as the recent horrors of war were not yet forgotten .
newly crowned Louis lavishly spent the fast - Bereaved mothers still grieved for their lost sons,
shrinking sixty million francs of Napoleon’s wives for their dead husbands; and with the Allies
amassed treasure, veterans of the wars who had still looking over their shoulders from Vienna , the
given their youth and health for the nation were Chamber of Deputies itself remained cautious and
left to suffer on hard times. The violet - adopted unconvinced . Rumblings in the pro- Bourbon areas
symbol of the Bonapartists - was soon to be seen of France erupted into uprisings in the Vendee ,
discreetly worn in ladies’ hair, or in men’s lapels. during March and were to be quashed only in
Meanwhile, the coalition of France’s enemies June. Napoleon clearly no longer had the total
barely lasted to the end of the war . Petty squabbles sovereign authority of previous years. Something
and in - fighting soon broke out among the Allies at had to be done quickly if he were not to lose the
the Congress of Vienna as they jostled for national momentum he had already built up since his
advantage and swapped minor states like small return to France.
change in the reorganization of Europe . The Throughout his career he had never been slow
united front had broken down, and the minor to adopt a military solution to international prob -
states were disaffected . Also at Vienna was Talley - lems, but now he needed time to stabilize the
rand , who lost no opportunity to stir things up situation . His immediate political overtures were
further, demanding that Napoleon be transported in fact aimed at peace in Europe, with generous
well away from Europe to the Azores, or worse. terms for the Allies. Nevertheless he prepared to
The West Indies and St. Helena were both also mobilize his forces, and the Allies played right into
proposed , and by the end of 1814 Napoleon knew his hands. Even before he had reached Paris, the
that Britain and Prussia had agreed in principle to Allies had with uncharacteristic consensus put
move him , and that Russia’s silent acquiescence their differences aside and declared war on him on
made it only a matter of time before Napoleon was 25 March, together pledging 600,000 men to
to lose even Elba . ensure his final downfall. The rejection of his
The unrest in France showed that a small peace terms in mid - April gave Napoleon the moral
window of opportunity for Napoleon was opening. justification he needed to begin his campaign . In
8
 RETURN OF THE EMPEROR

A At Grenoble on 7 March adventurer\ Napoleon against him , only those of Bl ü cher and Wellington
1815, Napoleon was remarked ; ‘after, I was a
were deployed within striking distance of France
confronted by a battalion prince\ ( Print after
of the 5th Ligne, intended Charles Steuben ) by late May, and even these were spread thinly
to arrest him. At the sight over a wide area - offering Napoleon the possi -
of the Emperor they forgot
bility of surprise attacks with local superiority. As
their allegiance to the
Bourbon monarchy and a bonus, defeating the unbeaten Wellington could
flocked to his standard . conceivably bring the UK stock market crashing
‘ Before Grenoble I was an down, and with it the British Government , taking
a highly indebted Britain out of the conflict for
the face of invasion once again , the French months to come .
population prepared for war amid a hubbub of Further, by defeating Bl ü cher and Wellington
activity and excitement. and taking control of the Low Countries, Napo-
A swift victory would confirm Napoleon ’s leon would be following the tried and tested
political position within the country beyond doubt, Revolutionary Wars principle of exporting trouble
reinforce his military' reputation and offer a strong at home to a neighbouring country. He would also
warning to his enemies to make peace or suffer the immediately boost his available manpower from
consequences of another terrible war. Even a these largely pro- French countries and provide
modest success could perhaps shatter the coalition encouragement to the German and Polish states to
against him . To have any chance of success, he once again join with him before the war was taken
must defeat the Allied armies in detail , before they to their lands with the arrival of the Austrian and
could converge into an overwhelming force. Russian armies. Already, mutiny in the Prussian
Time was clearly of the essence from a military army had caused 14,000 discontented Saxons to
viewpoint, as out of the five armies mobilizing be sent home .
9
 THE OPPOSING COMMANDERS

exile. This was not the tireless figure of Austerlitz,

The French Commanders
immediately present wherever crisis loomed , rush -
Napoleon stands as one of the greatest com - ing to centre or to flank to bolster morale and issue
manders of all time, with a reputation that even orders. Even riding a horse now caused him severe
today holds military leaders in awe . Probably only physical discomfort , and it has been suggested that
Alexander the Great can match his laurels on the his haemorrhoids had reappeared during his exile
field of battle, with perhaps the added edge that in Elba. 'Ehe evidence is not conclusive, but
can only go to those commanders who die young; certainly Napoleon had suffered from this malady
for by the campaign of 1815, although still highly as a younger man .
talented , superbly charismatic and strategically He was also possibly suffering from acro-
brilliant when on form, this was not really the megaly, a glandular disorder that makes one
Napoleon of the Italian or Danubian campaigns. subject to intermittent bouts of both torpor and
Aged 46 at the time of Waterloo, he was not a well over-optimism . We will see evidence of what may
man. Years of soft living interspersed with the well be these symptoms in Napoleon’s perfor -
rigours and long hours of campaign had taken their mance during the campaign . His lessened atten -
toll , as had the eleven indolent months in Elban tion to detail , periods of mental weariness, unjusti -
fied over-optimism and diminished drive - highly
symptomatic of the disease - all contributed to his
overall lack of success in 1815. His stamina after
Elba was much lowered , and it was to desert him
on more than one occasion in this campaign. The
impact was that the intense, almost absolute unity
of purpose that once characterized his way of
waging war was now diluted , and both of his
opposing generals were able to recover from
mistakes and avoid disaster in the Waterloo
campaign because of it. Generals did not usually
get a second chance when they were facing
Bonaparte.
On the battlefield , although his reputation was
still formidable, the earlier intense energy, genius
and the finesse of the enveloping battlefield
manoeuvre seen at, for example , Castiglione, Ulm,
Austerlitz and Jena had now gone. Whereas in
1805 it could be said: ‘The Emperor has dis-
covered a new way of waging war; he makes us use
our legs instead of our arms’, this innovative
approach had been eroded over the years in favour
Napoleon in 1815, wearing his famous grey of the large -scale, bloody, hard -fought frontal
greatcoat (Print after Paul Delaroche) assaults seen at Wagram , Borodino, Leipzig - and
10
 THE FRENCH COMMANDERS

now to be repeated at Ligny and Mont St . Jean . A appointed for political reasons. In choosing his
frontal assault is a battle of attrition , rather than staff, Napoleon either failed or refused to play to
manoeuvre. Although brutal , it is quick to set up their strengths, perhaps counting on his own bright
and execute, takes less concentration and energy but fading genius to overcome the deficiencies
on the part of the commander and can be inherent in his command , and hoping to reap all
supervised more easily than a battle of manoeuvre. the credit.
Napoleon’s most decisive victories had been his Admittedly, the obvious choice for Chief of
early ones - all battles of manoeuvre followed by Staff, Berthier, was no longer available to him , for
vigorous pursuit. His increasing dependence in his he had crashed to his death from a high window
later battles on frontal assaults (from about Wag- early in June 1815. Napoleon and Berthier had
ram onwards) probably suggests tactical decline made an excellent team during many campaigns,
and over -optimism . Phis dangerous habit of Berthier having the knack of overcoming detail
underestimating the strength and capabilities of shortcomings in Napoleon’s ‘broad brush’ con -
one’s enemy can influence considerably the out - cepts and interpreting his general ideas and rather
come of a campaign , and it is perhaps interesting poor Corsican French (and appalling handwriting)
to observe that although by 1815 Napoleon had into practical operations. In Berthier’s absence, the
never really lost a battle when he was present on logical choice for Chief of Staff was Marshal
the field , he also never won a campaign outright Louis-Gabriel Suchet, an extremely able, experi -
after 1809. Certainly, unlike the Napoleon of enced and competent choice for this demanding
Austerlitz, we see him now increasingly content to and critical position . But perhaps Suchet would
allow tactical control on the day to pass to a battle have been too good a choice for Napoleon , who
commander - and at Waterloo the choice of had always operated his generals on a ‘divide and
Marshal Ney for this role was to be far- reaching. rule’ principle and rarely exposed to the world a
In 1815, Napoleon was still a great com - rival for the laurels of victory. Whatever the
mander, with a genius for strategy that was easily reason , this able commander found himself posted
to outmatch Wellington and Bl ü cher in this to Lyons, well away from any position of influence
campaign . On form, he had a sparkle and insight in the coming campaign.
that can only be described as breathtaking; but his Instead , Marshal Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult
form was to vary wildly and unpredictably during was made Chief of Staff, a position for which he
the Waterloo campaign, along with his energy. Of had relatively little prior experience, and unproven
all the commanders of the period , he had a unique ability. Many of the communication problems
ability to inspire the rank and file to incredible during the campaign can be laid at his door, with
feats of bravery and determination - even today he key orders written ambivalently, misplaced, or sent
inspires from the grave - but tactically, Wellington late . As one of Napoleon’s best and most experi -
was markedly his better, obtaining inspired results enced field officers, Soult should have been in
in spite of regular shortages in cavalry and artillery, command of the left wing of the army against
and often with poorer raw material within his Wellington, who was tactically almost certainly the
armies. best army commander in Europe by 1815. Soult
Given the sometimes variable qualities of the had fought Wellington in the Peninsula and the
Emperor in 1815, the quality of the staff support - Pyrenees, and well knew his temperament and wily
ing him would be crucial to the eventual success ways of fighting.
of the campaign; but in the choice of key staff Instead , the left wing of the army went to
officers there was a lot to be desired. Napoleon Marshal Michel Ney, a choice that was ultimately
personally appointed his staff, and difficulties and to prove fatal. This officer had almost manic
mistakes here show the real importance of good tendencies, and was quite possibly suffering from
leadership. Many of the blunders and errors that battle fatigue. Periods of intense, impetuous,
later dogged the campaign for the French came almost irrational activity were interspersed with
from the choices made here, many of whom were periods of total caution, lethargy and inactivity.
THE OPPOSING COMMANDERS

A. Marshal Michel Ney, Hundred Days campaign. Marshal Emmanuel, campaign. ( Engraving by
prince de la Moskowa, due He has been criticized for Marquis de Grouchy Henry Wolf after
d’Elchingen ( 1769- 1815);
known as ‘the bravest of
his conduct at Quatre Bras
and Waterloo. ( Engraving
-
( 1766 1847 ); a skilled
cavalry commander, but
Jean-Sebastien Rouillard )
the brave\ he was by R. G. Tietze after perhaps unsuited for the
Napoleon’s chief Frangois Gerard ) task of leading Napoleon’s
subordinate in the right wing in the Waterloo

Even by Napoleon’s own assessment, Ney’s ability back in an iron cage. Ney also had great charisma
limited , and on
to think strategically was extremely and popularity with the rank and file .
more than one occasion he had compromised The right wing of the army went to Marshal
Napoleon’s plans by rash action . Yet this officer Emmanuel de Grouchy , an expert cavalry com -
was given command of the left wing, a wing mander who was totally inexperienced at handling
planned to be semi -independent if Napoleon large forces of combined arms in a Senior
turned his attention to deal with the Prussians. It Command capacity. Grouchy would have been an
required both energy and perception to take key obvious choice for command of the Cavalry
objectives and prevent the Allies uniting, and being reserve, given Napoleon ’s refusal to employ Murat
required to exploit any strategic opportunities that - probably the greatest cavalry commander in
a slow British mobilization could present. Europe - who had defected to the Allies in 1814.
On the other hand , it did show politically that Grouchy had in fact only just received his mar -
Napoleon would be prepared to forgive and forget shal’s baton - the 26 th, and last , of the Emperor’s
as regards Bourbon generals - Ney was formerly Marshals.
Commander - in -Chief of the Bourbon forces and The best choice for the right wing - against the
had promised Louis that he would bring Napoleon Prussians - would have clearly been Marshal
12
 THE BRITISH COMMANDERS

Louis- Nicolas Davout. He had beaten the Prus-

sians on numerous occasions, and they showed
him a healthy respect and caution . His tremendous
ability had made him seem the only serious rival
to Napoleon in the early years of the Empire, but
although this honourable , apolitical and talented
soldier gave unquestioning loyalty to Napoleon
throughout his imperial career, perhaps the Cor -
sican mind could never quite put the early days
aside. The suspicion that Napoleon would have to
share the laurels once again reared its head , and ,
with the political stability of Napoleon ’s regime far
from assured , Davout - Napoleon ’s undefeated
marshal - was left in Paris as Minister of War -
well away from the action .
The few hours that Napoleon took to select his
staff arguably had as much impact on the eventual
outcome of the campaign as the combined efforts
of more than 220,000 Allied troops between 15
and 18 June, as will be seen .
In sum, although past his very best , Napoleon
was still among the world ’s great leaders in 1815 ,
but supported by a staff that was less than perfect
for the task ahead of it. Deficiencies would
therefore have to be compensated by the dogged
performance of the rank and file, and Napoleon’s
A Field Marshal Arthur
ability to inspire them would be the key to this. It Wellesley, 1st Duke of
was a facility he possessed above all others: his Wellington ( 1769-1852 ),
men would literally risk death for a friendly tug on commander of the Anglo-
Netherlands forces.
the ear from their Emperor , and Wellington put it ( Painting by Sir Thomas
very succinctly when he declared that on the field Lawrence )
of battle the sight of his hat was worth 40,000 men .
it made an impression that was to help develop his
philosophy for the British army in his later years.
The British Commanders As he later recalled : ‘1 learnt more by seeing our
Wellington was the same age as Napoleon . Born own faults and the defects of our system in the
with the family name of Wellesley, he was the third campaign of Holland than anywhere else. The
son of an Anglo- Irish peer , and as such had to find Regiments were as good in proper hands as they
himself a career. After an indifferent schooling at are now, but the system was wretched .’ The
Eton, he more or less drifted into the army in a system was indeed wretched , for although in
manner not untypical of his day. The British Wellington it produced a first-class general, this
purchase system ensured his rapid promotion as was the exception rather than the rule, and capable
he moved from regiment to regiment until by 1794 senior officers were very thin on the ground .
he was in command of the 33 rd Foot, with whom Furthermore, the commissariat was so corrupt that
he joined the retreating army of the Duke of York the Royal Wagon Corps soon earned itself the
during the Flanders campaign, the 33 rd distin - nickname of ‘The Newgate Blues’. ‘I learned what
guishing itself at the Dommel. not to do,’ he said ‘and that is always something.’
The campaign in Flanders was a disaster, and It was India that shaped his skill on the
13
THE OPPOSING COMMANDERS

battlefield . He spent eight years there, following elevated strategy to an almost intuitive art form ,
his elder brother who had been made Governor Wellington developed a style that depended on
General in 1798. Wellesley quickly rose to the analysis and logic. Where Napoleon would throw
rank of Major -General , and was the victor of the troops in by the thousand, sometimes wastefully,
Mahratta War, with many successes to his credit. Wellington would hoard his meagre army and
But these counted for little within the career- begrudge improvident loss of human life. A hard ,
officer culture that met him upon his return . He aloof, but always fair man, Wellington set both his
was branded a ‘sepoy general’, an outrageous slur officers and himself intolerably high standards. A
given the almost total lack of active fighting thorough aristocrat , he despised the raw material
experience in British officers at the time. from the classes that typically made up the rank
It was in Spain and Portugal that he really and file; but he had total respect for the quality of
made his name, working with Britain’s Iberian the fighting men his system produced and would
allies to develop an army that gradually cleared the set them - the infantry at least - against any foe .
peninsula of French troops and entered France In this campaign at least, the vagaries of the
itself. When the armistice was signed in 1814, the British appointments system provided him with
Duke of Wellington (as he was by now) had not what was on the whole to be a good British
faced an army led by Napoleon himself; only now, command - almost by accident it seems, for
in 1815, were the two great generals destined to Wellington was not pleased with the staff that
meet on the field of battle. awaited him upon his taking command . Although
In personality, temperament and outlook the he was able to make some key changes, including
two men were as different as chalk and cheese . appointing the very able Sir William Delancey as
Where Napoleon inspired by sheer charisma, Quartermaster General, the remainder of his
tempered by volatile outbursts, Wellington led by command proved very much of mixed quality ,
cool ability and competence. While Napoleon Although many of the officers he would have
 THE BRITISH COMMANDERS

wanted (such as Alexander Dickson, who would

have commanded the artillery) were en route from
America, in some respects it was a well-tried team.
Some of his senior officers, such as General Sir
Roland ‘Daddy’ Hill were highly respected , having
served with him in Spain; others were inexperi -
enced but confident; and as for the others, he
made do with what he had.
The 22 -year - old Prince of Orange, for exam -
ple, was very inexperienced , but at the time war
was declared was in command of the 30,000 or so
native Dutch/ Belgian troops. It was with reluc-
tance that he handed over command to Welling-
ton , and only the infantry at that until the very
morning of Waterloo itself. In the very nick of time
too, for ‘The Young Frog’ (as he was known in the
British ranks) was about to launch an uncoordin -
ated , unsupported and almost certainly doomed
offensive against Napoleon on his own initiative.
For political reasons he received I Corps.
Another interesting appointment was that of
the Earl of Uxbridge as both Wellington’s second -
in -command and commander of the cavalry. He
was appointed against Wellington’s express wishes.
Professionally, Uxbridge was a very able officer,
but he was not on the best of personal terms with
Wellington, for there was deep scandal in the
family - Uxbridge had eloped with Wellington’s
sister - in -law. Wellington was to treat Uxbridge
with cool politeness during the campaign. Cer-
tainly Uxbridge was not privy to his commander’s
inner thoughts, and when he tactfully asked
Wellington what his plans were, in case anything
untoward were to occur to his person , all he
received was the icy reply, ‘My plans, Sir, are to
beat the French’.
If the higher echelons of the Allied force were
of variable quality, it was fortunate for Wellington
that at divisional level his command was both
A Prince William of A Henry William Paget,
Orange ( 1792- 1849 ), later Earl of Uxbridge competent and reliable; officers such as Picton,
King William II of the ( 1768- 1854 ) who Maitland , Cooke and Ompteda were to repay
Netherlands distributing commanded the Allied Wellington’s trust in them . It would be unfair,
medals; commander of the cavalry at Waterloo and
Anglo- Netherlands I was to lose a leg during the however, not to recognize also the abilities of many
Corps, he was nominally battle . He became the first of his Netherlands commanders, most of whom
Wellington’s deputy Marquess of Anglesey in had served under French command in the pre -
despite being dangerously 1815. ( Engraving after the ceding campaigns. For example, the benefits of
inexperienced . (Print portrait by Sir Thomas
published by Thomas Lawrence . ) their French training were to be demonstrated by
Kelly) Perponcher and Saxe -Weimar at Quatre Bras,
15
THE OPPOSING COMMANDERS

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A Field Marshal Gebhard Prussian army. ( Engraving AGeneral August - - .

Chief of Staff ( Portrait
Leberecht von Bl ücher, by T. W. Harland after Wilhelm Anton, Count by P. E. Gebauer)
Prince of Wahlstadt ( 1742 - F. C. Gröger) Neithardt von Gneisenau
1819 ), commander of the -
( 1760 1831 ); Bl üchcr' s

where bold initiative and intelligence - the hall - gambling, wenching and drinking did not exactly
mark of the French approach - were to be critical further his military career, and , following a quarrel
to Wellington ’s survival and eventual success. with Frederick the Great, he spent sixteen years
in ‘retirement’ in Silesia before returning to
the colours once more with the accession of
Prince Wahlstadt Gebhard von Blücher Frederick Wilhelm III . He had risen to the rank
In spite of the fact that he was more than 72 years of lieutenant - general by 1806, when he was
old in 1815, Bl ü cher retained a fiery energy and captured after the Battles of Jena and Auerstadt -
an indomitable courage . A blustering hussar men - which battles Bl ü cher sought to avenge right up to
tality encouraged him to lead from the front , which 1815, gaining many successes in Silesia during the
inspired his men but afforded him a narrow view 1813 campaigns. His capture perhaps contributed
of the battlefield not always conducive to victory. to his great personal hatred of Napoleon , and his
In his later career his partnership with General desire to capture and hang him was to be a key
Graf Niethard von Gneisenau contributed greatly motivation during the 1815 campaign along with a
to his successes, Bl ü cher providing the determin - genuine love of his troops and a great sense of
ation and inspiration , Gneisenau the brainwork . patriotism . Honour and loyalty were perhaps his
Bl ü cher had fought both against the Prussians two principle qualities, and without them Welling-
in the Seven Years War and for them (which was ton would have lost the Battle of Waterloo - the
not unusual in those days of the professional contribution of the anglophobic Gneisenau , alone
gentleman soldier ) . Bl ü cher’s fiery passions for would not have been enough .
16
 OPPOSING ARMIES

L’Armee du Nord of the best troops from the line regiments, training
them for junior and intermediate rank leadership
It was certainly Napoleon ’s charisma that brought roles before returning them to the line regiments
thousands of French veterans back to the colours in a command capacity. This had the advantage of
for the campaign , augmenting the hastily con - providing an example for the raw recruits in their
scripted levies to provide a backbone of high - charge and maintaining high standards and ex-
morale troops to the less enthusiastic conscripts pectations within the rank and file. However, the
who made up substantial parts of the army from peace of 1814 had broken the rhythm of this
May onwards. Many of these veterans found their system , and in 1815 the veterans were hoarded
way into the Imperial Guard for the 1815 cam -
paign, following a slight relaxation in the rules ' Inspection 1: Napoleon were generally worn on
governing eligibility but probably not quality. und the Grenadiers a Pied campaign ). Lithograph by
of the Imperial Guard, Auguste Raffet . ( ASKB)
There was nothing unusual in thus creaming off here in their dress
the veterans, as the Guard traditionally took some uniform ( overall trousers

17
OPPOSING ARMIES

carefully within the Guard at the expense of the If numbers were comparatively tight in the
line regiments. Guard , what of the rest of the army? On 1 June,
Even by hoarding troops, however , numbers in Napoleon held a spectacular review - Le Champ de
the Guard did not achieve the figures for previous Mai - at which he presented Eagles to the troops.
campaigns: compared with the 112,480 men of the One eyewitness, Captain Coignet of the Imperial
1814 campaign , Waterloo was to see an Imperial Guard reveals that ‘the Emperor made a speech.
Guard of 25,000. 'Ehe 4th Grenadiers of the He had the eagles brought to him to distribute to
Middle Guard , for example, found themselves the army and the national guard . With that
able to muster only a single battalion . stentorian voice of his, he cried to them, “Swear
to defend your eagles! Do you swear it ?, ” he
repeated . But the vows were made without
warmth ; there was but little enthusiasm : the shouts
were not like those of Austerlitz and Wagram, and
the Emperor perceived it . . Maybe this view
reflects more of the elitist nature of a guardsman
than the state of the army, or perhaps the pomp
and ceremony was out of place in the survivalist
mood of 1815, for even his old soldiers were
shocked by their Emperor. He had put aside his
well known uniform and hat in favour of an
embroidered violet mantle of state , crimson velvet

18
 L ’ ARMEE DU NORD

‘The Field ofMay’.

Napoleon mounted an
impressive parade in Paris
on 1 June 1815, to present
‘ Eagles’ to the army and
encourage support; but his
appearance in state dress
rather than the expected
military uniform
disappointed the
onlookers. ( Print after
F. de Myrbach )

T Napoleon inspects his

army on the morning of
Waterloo, 18 June 1815; a
regiment of cuirassiers at
lefty and a unit of Foot
Artillery, armed with
Gribeauval ordnance, in
the foreground. ( Painting
byJ . P. Beadle )
OPPOSING ARMIES

ORDER OF BATTLE: THE FRENCH ARMY

i
The Emperor Napoleon

Total strength of the French Army : approx 128 ,000 men, 366 guns

I Corps II Corps III Corps

D’Erlon Reille Vandamme
1 st Division ( Allix/Quiot) 5 th Division (Bachelu) 8th Division (Lefol)
54th 55th Light Infantry (Quiot) 2nd Light Infantry, 3rd Infantry (Husson) 15th Light Infantry , 23rd Infantry ( Billiard)
28 th 105 th Infantry ( Bourgeois) 72nd 108th Infantry (Campi) 37th 64 th Infantry (Corsin)
2nd Division (Donzelot) 6th Division (J6r ö me ) 10th Division ( Hubert)
13 th Light Infantry, 17 th Infantry (Schmitz) 1 st Light Infantry, 3rd Infantry ( Baudouin) 34 th 88th Infantry (Gengoult)
19 th 31 st Infantry ( Aulard) 1st 2nd Infantry (Soye) 22nd 70 th Infantry, 2nd (Swiss) Infantry
( Dupeyroux )
3rd Division ( Marcognet) 7th Division (Girard)
21st 46th Infantry (Noguez) 11 th Light Infantry , 82nd Infantry ( Villiers) 11 th Division (Berthezöne)
25th 45 th Infantry (Grenier) 12th Light Infantry , 4th Infantry (Piat) 12th 56th Infantry (Dufour)
4 th Division (Durutte) 9 th Division (Foy ) 33rd 86th Infantry ( Lagarde )
8 th 29th Infantry (Pegot) 92nd 93rd Infantry (Gauthier) 3rd Cavalry Division (Domon )
85th 95th Infantry ( Brue) 4 th Light Infantry , 100 th Infantry ( Jamin) 4 th 9th Chasseurs ( Dommanget)
12 th Chasseurs ( Vinot)
1 st Cavalry Division (Jaquinot) 2nd Cavalry Division (Pir6 )
7 th Hussars, 3rd Chasseurs ( Bruno) 1 st 6th Chasseurs (Hubert) III Corps Artillery (Douguereau)
3rd 4th Lancers (Gobrechet) 5 th 6th Lancers ( Wathiez) 4 foot batteries
1 horse battery
I Corps Artillery (de Salles) II Corps Artillery (Pellitier )
5 foot batteries 5 foot batteries
1 horse battery 1 horse battery

IV Corps VI Corps
G6rard Lobau
12th Division ( Pöcheux ) 19th Division (Simmer )
30th 96th Infantry ( Rome) 5 th 11 th Infantry ( Bellair) I Cavalry Corps
6th Light Infantry, 63rd Infantry (Schoeffer) 27th 84th Infantry (Jamin) Pajol
13th Division ( Vichery ) 20th Division (Jeanin) 4 th Cavalry Division ( Soult)
59th 76 th Infantry ( le Capitaine) 5 th Light Infantry, 10th Infantry ( Bony ) 1 st 4 th Hussars (St Laurent)
48th 69 th Infantry ( Desprez ) 107th Infantry (Tromelin) 5 th Hussars ( Ameil)
14 th Division ( Bourmont/Hulot) 21st Division (Teste) 5 th Cavalry Division ( Subervie)
9th Light Infantry, 111 th Infantry ( Hulot) 8 th Light Infantry ( Lafitte) 1st 2nd Lancers (Colbert)
44th 50th Infantry (Toussaint) 65th 75 th Infantry (Penne) 11th Chasseurs ( Douai)
7th Cavalry Division (Maurin) VI Corps Artillery (Noury ) Artillery
6th Hussars, 8 th Chasseurs ( Vallin) 4 foot batteries 2 horse batteries
6th 11 th 16th Dragoons ( Berruyer) 1 horse battery
IV Corps Artillery ( Baltus)
4 foot batteries
1 horse battery

II Cavalry Corps III Cavalry Corps IV Cavalry Corps

Exelmans Kellermann Milhaud
9th Cavalry Division (Strolz) 11 th Cavalry Division (l'H6ritier ) 13th Cavalry Division ( Wathier )
5th 13th Dragoons ( Burthe) 2nd 7th Dragoons ( Picquet) 1st 4th Cuirassiers ( Dubois)
15 th 20th Dragoons ( Vincent) 8th 11 th Cuirassiers (Guiton) 7 th 12th Cuirassiers (Travers)
10 th Cavalry Division (Chastel) 12th Cavalry Division (d'Hurbal ) 14th Cavalry Division ( Delort )
4th 12 th Dragoons ( Bennemains) 1 st 2nd Carabiniers (Blanchard) 5 th 10th Cuirassiers ( Vial)
14 th 17th Dragoons ( Berton) 2nd 3rd Cuirassiers (Donop) 6th 9th Cuirassiers (Fahne)
Artillery Artillery Artillery
2 horse batteries 2 horse batteries 2 horse batteries

20
 WELLINGTON S ARMY

tunic, velvet togue with white plume, white satin So, amazing as it now seems, from leaving Elba
vest and breeches, white satin shoes with diamond with almost nothing, Napoleon managed to put
buckles, Grand Cross of the Legion of 1 lonour in 128,000 good -quality men into the field in a
diamonds and rubies, and a diamond hilted sword . matter of months. With essential military equip -
It was not perhaps the attire a corpulent middle- ment either improvised or scraped together from
aged general would usually wear to inspire fana - all available sources, Napoleon crossed the Belgian
tical emotion in his troops. frontier early on 15 June with his ‘ Armee du Nord ’
In fact , the vast majority of the troops in to take on the Allies who had so recently bayed for
Napoleon ’s army of 1815 were volunteers, pre - his abdication. He was convinced that he would
dominantly with an intense devotion to the Em - soon make short work of the Prussians again , and
peror. Many of the line troops had fought in would show the world that Wellington’s reputation
previous campaigns, and the army was based was seriously over- rated . Had he understood
almost entirely on French nationals - in contrast Wellington and Bl ü cher a little better, perhaps he
-
to some of the 1813 14 armies, which had would not have been quite so confident .
included substantial proportions of sometimes
half- hearted and dubious allies. Many of the
Wellington’s Army
troops saw themselves as fighting to protect their
homeland from invasion once more, and this must -
Of the two Allied armies, the Anglo Allied army
have been a significant boost to the motivation of was the least homogeneous. Described by Well -
even the newest conscript soldiers. ington as an ‘infamous’ army, it consisted of a
Smaller this army may have been, hastily polyglot of British , German, Hanoverian, Bruns -
-
trained and ill equipped it certainly was; but in wick , Nassau and Dutch- Belgian troops. Of these
terms of overall quality it was probably one of the the British and King’s German Legion were the
better armies that Napoleon had commanded and most dependable , but many of Wellington’s Penin -
certainly one of the most homogeneous. The only sula veterans were away fighting in America,
-
real question mark hung over those troops who leaving well-trained but untried and unproven
until recently had formed the French army under troops in their place. The famous 2 nd Royal North
the Bourbons. These formed part of the right wing British Dragoons (Scots Greys), for example, had
under Grouchy’s command and were treated with not seen active service as a unit since 1801!
utmost suspicion and near contempt by their peers Overall , however, the British soldier was to acquit
during the Hundred Days. himself well , and the British contingents were the

Imperial Guard
Drouot ( Mortier absent )
Grenadier Division (Friant ) Guard Heavy Cavalry Division
1 st 2nd Grenadiers ( Friant ) ( Guyot)
3rd 4 th Grenadiers ( Rouguct ) Grenadiers ä Cheval (Jarnin)
Guard Dragoons (Letort )
Chasseur Division ( Morand) Gendarmerie d'Elite ( Dyonnet )
1 st 2nd Chasseurs ( Morand)
2nd 3rd Chasseurs (Michel ) Guard Artillery
(Deployed with Guard infantry and cavalry )
Young Guard ( Duhesme ) 6 medium foot batteries
1 st Tirailleurs Ist Voltigeurs (Chartrand) 4 horse batteries
3rd Tirailleurs 3rd Voltigeurs (Guye)
Guard Artillery Reserve
Guard Light Cavalry Division ( Desvaux de Saint-Maurice)
(Lefebvre -Desnouettes) 4 heavy foot batteries
Guard Chasseurs a Cheval (Lallemand)
Lancers of the Guard (Colbert- Chabanais)

21
OPPOSING ARMIES

22
 WELLINGTON’S ARMY

keystones of Wellington’s divisions. The kilted provided a useful if inexperienced force of very
Highlanders were particularly terrifying, to foe and young troops; but it was the Dutch -Belgians who
ally alike, the skirl of the pipes and terrifying gave Wellington most cause for concern . Making
screams that accompanied their ferocious charge up almost 30 per cent of Wellington’s command ,
justly earning them the nickname of 'ladies from until very recently they had been allied to the
hell’. French, and their leanings - especially those of the
The Kings German Legion ( KGL) were Belgian troops - were still very much in this
German troops clothed in British style uniforms, direction . Even their uniforms and equipment
trained by Britain and incorporated into Welling- followed the French pattern , as did their columnar
ton’s command . They were highly experienced tactics and formations. With such motivation , and
troops of superb quality and brilliant leadership. In the youthful and inexperienced Prince of Orange
the KGL alone, a foreign force in British service, providing dubious leadership, it would be unfair
was promotion within Wellington’s army possible not to make some allowances for the overall mixed ,
primarily on merit rather than by purchase, but by no means poor, performance of these troops
demonstrating what British training could do with during the campaign .
genuine talent. The Anglo- Allies were organized into a Caval -
Alas, many of the Hanoverian units, although ry Corps, two main Infantry Corps and a Reserve ,
similarly clothed in British uniforms, were of
decidedly conscript quality. Wellington sprinkled Assembly of the 2nd served in Byng's British
these among his veterans to provide them with
some suitable bolstering and to minimize deser -
tion . Wherever possible, Wellington’s tactic was to
^ themomingof
Waterloo, depicting the
service uniform of the
British infantry, here with
in the defence of
Uougoumont. ( Print after
James Thiriar)
place these troops in the second line. the shoulder- wings of a
Of the rest , the tiny contingent of Nassauers flank company. The 2nd
were also fine troops, and the black Brunswickers Battalion 2nd Guards

V . y/
'
-
/

-jji
.

23
OPPOSING ARMIES

ORDER OF BATTLE: THE ANGLO- ALLIED ARMY

Field Marshal The Duke of Wellington
Total strength of the Anglo- Allied Army : approx 106 ,000 men, 216 cannon, including garrisons

I Corps II Corps
The Prince of Orange Lord Hill
1 st Division ( Cooke ) 2nd Division (Clinton )
2/1 st 3/1st Guards (Maitland) 1 /52nd 1 /71 st 2/95 th 3/ 95th ( Adam)
2/2nd 2/3rd Guards (Byng) 1 st 2nd 3rd 4 th Line Btns KGL ( du Plat)
Artillery ( Adye) 4 Hanoverian Landwehr Bns ( H. Halkett)
Sandham’s Field Brigade R . A . Artillery (Gold)
Kiihlmann's Horse Artillery KGL Bolton's Battery R. A .
3rd Division ( Alten ) Sympher's Horse Battery KGL
2/30th 33rd 2/69th 2/73rd (Colin Halkett) 4 th Division ( Colville)
1 st 2nd Light Btns KGL, 5 th 8 th Line KGL (Ompteda) 3/14 th 1/23rd 51 st (Mitchell)
6 Battalions Hanoverians ( Kielmansegge) 2/35 th 1/54 th 2/59 th 1/91 st (Johnstone)
Artillery ( Williamson) 2 Hanoverian Line Bns, 3 Landwehr ( Lyon)
Lloyd’s Field Brigade R . A. Artillery (Hawker)
Cleeve 's Field Brigade KGL Brome's Battery R . A.
Rettburg’ s Hanoverian Foot Artillery
2nd Dutch Belgian Division (Perponcher )
7th Line, 27th Jäger, 5 th 7th 8 th Militia ( Bylandt ) 1 st Dutch Belgian Division ( Stedmann)
2nd Nassau Regiment of Orange Nassau (Saxe - Weimar ) 4th 6th Line, 16th Jäger, 9th 14 th 15th Militia (Hauw )
Artillery ( Opstal) 1 st Line, 18 th Jäger , 1 st 2nd 18th Militia ( Eerens)
Byleveld's Horse Artillery Artillery
Stievenaar 's Foot Artillery Wynand’s Foot Artillery
4 Bns, 1 Field Battery ( Netherlands Indian Brigade)
3 rd Dutch Belgian Division ( Chassö)
2nd Line, 35th Jäger, 4 th 6 th 17th 19th Militia (Ditmers)
3rd 12th 13 th Line, 36th Jäger, 3rd 10th Militia (d'Aubreme )
Artillery ( van der Smissen)
Krahmer’s Horse Battery
Lux ’s Foot Battery
Reserve
under command of the Duke of Wellington
5 th Division (Picton)
1 /28 th 1 /32nd 1 /79th 1 /95 th ( Kempt)
Cavalry Corps 3/1st 1 /42nd 2/44 th 1 /92nd ( Pack )
Uxbridge 4 Hanoverian Landwehr Bns ( Vincke)
Artillery (Heisse)
1 st 2nd Life Guards, Royal Horse Guards, Roger 's R. A .
1 st Dragoon Guards (Somerset) Braun’s Hanoverian Foot Artillery
1st Royal Dragoons, 2nd North British Dragoons,
6th Inniskilling Dragoons (Ponsonby) 6th Division (Cole)
1 st 2nd Light Dragoons KGL, 23rd Light Dragoons ( Dörnberg) 1/4 th 1 /27th 1 /40th 2/81 st ( Lambert)
11 th 12th 16th Light Dragoons ( Vandeleur ) 4 Hanoverian Landwehr Bns ( Best)
7th 15th Hussars, 2nd Hussars KGL (Grant) Artillery ( Bruckmann)
10th 18th Hussars, 1 st Hussars KGL ( Vivian) Unett's R . A .
13th Light Dragoons KGL, 3rd Hussars KGL ( Arentschildt) Sinclair's R. A.
Attached Artillery (Fraser) British Reserve Artillery ( Drummond)
Bull's Troop R . H. A. Ross’ R . H. A .
Webber - Smith's R. H. A. Bean's R . H. A .
.
Gardiner 's R . H. A Morrison's R . A .
Whinyate's R . H. A. Hutchesson's R. A .
Ramsay's R . H. A . Ibert's R . A .
Mercer's R . H. A .
Brunswick Corps (The Duke of Brunswick)
Prince Regents Hussars, Bremen and Verden Hussars,
Duke of Cumberland's Hussars ( Estorff ) Brunswick Advance Guard ( Rauschenplatt)
1 st 3rd Dutch Carabiniers, 2nd Belgian Carabiniers (Trip)
Guard Btn, 1 st 2nd 3rd Light (Buttlar)
1st 2nd 3rd Line Bns (Specht)
4 th Dutch Light Dragoons, 8 th Belgian Hussars (Ghingy)
5 th Belgian Light Dragoons, 6 th Dutch Hussars ( Merlen) Artillery ( Mahn)
Artillery Heinemann’s Horse Battery
Two half horse batteries Moll's Foot Battery
Cavalry of the Brunswick Corps Hanoverian Reserve Corps (Decken )
Regt Hussars, Regt Uhlans 12 Hanoverian Bns in Garrisons

24
 BLUCHER’S ARMY

These were deployed in the area between Brus- A Two of the regiments portrayed here by Johann
especially distinguished at Georg Paul Fischer in
sels, Mons, Ypres and Ghent, with lines of Waterloo: the 92nd 1814, but have
communication going back to Ostend and the (Gordon ) Highlanders ( Sir substantially the costume
Channel ports. Thus a French sweep towards the Denis Pack 's 9th British worn at Waterloo; the
coast could give Wellington severe supply prob - Brigade, Picton's 5th sporrans, however, were
Division ) and (in the not worn on campaign.
lems. In fact, Wellington was particularly sensitive, bearskin caps ) the 2nd ( ASKB )
perhaps excessively so, to a possible threat to his ( Royal North British )
communications. He was to keep substantial parts Dragoons ( Royal Scots
Greys ). They are
of his army placed at Mons to cover his communi -
cations until almost the last minute .
the revitalized Prussian army - over half of it - was
of Landwehr’ status, hastily and poorly equipped ,
4

Bliicher’s Army
lacking in discipline and experience, but in some
The Prussians had reorganized on the French cases fighting as a patriotic force for their revered
model after the disaster of 1806, and although the Bl ücher. Indeed , although the term ' Prussian
size of their standing army had initially been army’ is used , this was not a homogeneous force ,
limited , they had introduced a system of reservists Significant reorganization may have increased the
to make ultimate remobilization a quicker process , size of the Prussian army, but it had also brought
There were no guard units present during the in, besides the novice Landwehr, troops from
1815 campaign , and the qualitative backbone of newly acquired provinces whose loyalty was not
this Prussian army lay in the original twelve, long- unquestioned . Mass desertions from the veteran
established ‘old ’ regiments (36 battalions) and , to Russo-German Legion had occurred as early as
a lesser extent, the twelve reservist regiments. 1814, for example, as state boundaries had
During 1814/ 15 Prussia had also levied large changed , and the 10,000 troops from what had
numbers of new troops from the provinces to make recently been the Confederation of the Rhine
up the required numbers. To that end , much of states deserted at the first reverse (Ligny). The
25
OPPOSING ARMIES

Saxons and Silesians 14,000 strong - did not

- corps were thus large and of mixed quality. As
even last that long, but were disarmed after mutiny might be expected from such large organizations,
before the campaign opened . Even some of the at corps level the Prussian infantry was a big but
more Germanic states - such as Westphalia - were rather blunt and unwieldy weapon . Overwhelming
unreliable. With more time, greater cohesion numbers were seen to be the secret of success,
could have followed , but time was a luxury rather than fine tactics.
Napoleon was not to allow them . Troops from The cavalry had suffered from reorganizations
newly acquired states were therefore mixed into that had lumped together regiments of different
corps with the more reliable Prussian troops to weapon and training types and from different
stiffen their performance - with variable success. provinces, many of which were new acquisitions of
Given the static and limited numbers of the Prussian state . The scarcity of horses in
experienced and trustworthy officers, the infantry eastern Europe was a real problem , and many

ORDER OF BATTLE
THE PRUSSIAN ARMY
i
Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher , Prince of Wahlstadt
i
Total strength of the Prussian Army : approx 128 ,000 men, 312 guns, including garrisons

I Corps II Corps
von Ziethen Pirch I
12th 24th Infantry , 1st Westphalian Landwehr (Steinmetz) 2nd 25th Infantry, 5th Westphalian Landwehr (Tippelskirch)
6th 28th Infantry , 2nd Westphalian Landwehr ( Pirch II) 9 th 26th Infantry , 1 st Elbe Landwehr ( Kraft)
7th 29th Infantry , 3rd Westphalian Landwehr (Jagow) 14 th 22nd Infantry, 2nd Elbe Landwehr ( Brause)
19th Infantry, 4 th Westphalian Landwehr ( Donnersmarck) 21 st 23rd Infantry, 3rd Elbe Landwehr ( Bose)
I Corps Cavalry ( Röder ) II Corps Cavalry ( Wahlen-Jürgass)
2nd 5th Dragoons, Brandenburg Uhlans (Treskow) Silesian Uhlans, 6th Dragoons, 11 th Hussars (Thümen)
6th Uhlans, 1st 2nd Kurmark Landwehr, 1st Silesian Hussars, 1st Dragoons, 4 th Kurmark Landwehr ( Schulenburg)
1st Westphalian Landwehr (Lützow) 3rd 5th Hussars, 5th Kurmark Landwehr , Elbe Landwehr (Sohr )
I Corps Artillery (Lehmann) II Corps Artillery ( Röhl)
3 horse batteries 3 horse batteries
3 12pdr field batteries 2 12pdr batteries
5 6pdr field batteries 5 6pdr batteries
1 Howitzer battery

III Corps IV Corps

Thielemann Bülow
8th 36th Infantry , 1 st Kurmark Landwehr (Borcke) 10th Infantry , 2nd 3rd Neumark Landwehr ( Hacke)
27th Infantry, 2nd Kurmark Landwehr ( K ämpfen) 11 th Infantry , 1st 2nd Pomeranian Landwehr ( Ryssel)
3rd 4 th Kurmark Landwehr ( Luck ) 18th Infantry , 3rd 4 th Silesian Landwehr ( Losthin)
31st Infantry, 5th 6th Kurmark Landwehr (Stülpnagel) 15 th Infantry , 1 st 2nd Silesian Landwehr ( Hiller )
III Corps Cavalry (Höbe) IV Corps Cavalry (Prince William of Prussia)
7th 8th Uhlans, 9th Hussars (Marwitz) 1st Uhlans, 2nd 8 th Hussars ( Sydow )
5th Uhlans, 7th Dragoons,3rd 6th Kurmark Cavalry ( Lottum) 10th Hussars, 1st 2nd Neumark Landwehr Cavalry,
III Corps Artillery (Mohnhaupt) 1st 2nd Pomeranian Landwehr Cavalry (Schwerin)
3 horse batteries 1 st 2nd 3rd Silesian Landwehr Cavalry ( Watzdorf)
1 12pdr battery IV Corps Artillery ( Bardeleben)
2 6pdr batteries 3 horse batteries
3 12pdr batteries
5 6pdr batteries

26
BLUCHER’S ARMY

27
OPPOSING ARMIES

regiments had more troopers than horses. Morale trained personnel who had been gleaned from all
on the whole remained high however. Overall, the manner of sources including infantry reserv es and
cavalry arm was dependable - which is more than depot battalions. They performed well on the field
could be said of some of Wellington 's cavalry, in under the circumstances, but the newer batteries
spite of its being well equipped . were not to be compared with the quality of
The artillery arm was essentially a good one gunners in French or British / KGL service; their
but had been increased in size by 50 per cent lack of training and experience was manifested by
following a decree of April 1815. These new, their late arrival in the battles of this campaign .
hastily raised and equipped artillery batteries The Prussians were spread over a very wide
looked good on paper , but were manned by half - area in four corps occupying the area between
Wavre, Charleroi , Dinant and Liege/ Maastricht.
Lines of communication passed through Liege and
$
back to the Rhine - in almost exactly the opposite
direction to those of Wellington. Thus, if Napo-
leon could force either or both armies back along
their lines of communication, he would split them
apart , and could take on and probably defeat either
of the two in detail . With the added benefits of
surprise, he might catch at least one of the armies
concentrating - and then Brussels would be open .
Wellington had 107 ,000 men and 216 guns
available to him ; Bl ü cher had 128,000 infantry and
312 guns. Both forces were very mixed in quality .
Phis compared with the 128,000 men and 366
guns of Napoleon , all volunteers and mostly
experienced . If the Allies could operate together
in a major action, Napoleon would be outnum -
bered and outgunned ; but in the case of inde -
pendent action , the odds were almost certainly in
favour of the French , whose force had a strong
superiority in heavy battle cavalry and a huge and
devoted Imperial Guard .
The Prussian and Anglo- Allied armies, being
dispersed in a wide arc around and to the south of
Brussels in order to ease the strain of forage and
supply , would have to be concentrated before they
could be used in the field. Their strength as a
united force was thus initially well diluted If
Napoleon could strike quickly, and with surprise,
the chances of catching them individually and in
isolation were very good . Given the very wide
•v
Prussian dispositions, in the face of a French
advance, Napoleon expected Bl ü cher to fall imme -
diately back on his lines of communication and to
concentrate towards his headquarters at Namur -
Private of Prussian rolled blanket worn in which case it would be left to Wellington to meet
Landwehr wearing their bandolier - fashion . ( Print
typical Litewka coat , cap by Jacquemain ) the full force of tht Armee du Nord, even as he was
with oilskin cover and himself concentrating before Brussels.
28
 THE CAMPAIGN OPENS

Napoleon had further encouraged the Allies to

15 - 16 June split their forces by pushing two feint attacks wide
Although Napoleon immediately made contact to the left and right, aiming for Mons and Namur.
with the Prussian outposts of Ziethen’s I Corps, he It nearly worked , for Wellington initially ordered
had the full advantage of almost total surprise, and concentration of his army in the direction of
both Wellington ’s army and the four corps of the Enghien - Braine -Mons - directly away from the
Prussian army were still spread over a wide area. Prussians. It was subsequently modified in the
Although he probably had not finally decided by early hours of the 16 th , with Nivelles selected as
this stage which of the two enemy armies he would the point of concentration , which still gave Na -
attack first, Napoleon’s plan was to defeat the two poleon his gap to exploit next day. Bl ücher,
armies separately and in detail using the strategy however , showing a distinct hussar mentality,
of the central position , forcing himself between the ignored the threat to Namur , where he already had
two armies to prevent them uniting and providing a corps anyway, and actually ordered a forward
local superiority at a chosen battlefield . A swift concentration of his forces behind I Corps .
defeat would force the enemy army back along its A forward concentration was really very dan -
supply route , and away from the centre where it gerous. Not only would it deprive Bl ü cher of his
could otherwise possibly reinforce the second IV Corps at Liege in the event of an immediate
allied army to the French disadvantage . general action, but it exposed him to critical
To that end the French advanced to, and flanking manoeuvres if anything should go wrong
across, the Sambre in a close formation of corps at Namur or if Wellington failed to hold on to his
that arced along the line of the river, the left wing positions on the Prussian right - and , based on his
under Ney consisting of I and II Corps with some early information, Wellington was concentrating
cavalry detachments from the Guard ; the right far to the west , leaving Bl ü cher’s flanks high ‘in
wing under Grouchy consisting of III Corps and the air’. Bl ü cher was unaware of his peril . All it
the Cavalry Corps. 'Ehe remaining two corps, VI needed was for Ney to follow his orders and
Corps and the Guard , were apparently under the advance to the crossroads that night; then at
direct control of the Emperor himself and brought daylight he could immediately fall on the Prussian
up the centre rear, to be deployed right or left as exposed right flank to achieve the assured destruc-
the situation demanded . tion of three- quarters of the Prussian army.
As the right wing pressed back the outposts of So how successful had been Ney’s operations
Ziethen’s Corps, the Prussians fell back smoothly that day? In the afternoon Ney had pushed up the
to the Sambre then northwards, roughly following main Brussels road but had stopped north of
the main road in the direction of Ligny and Gosselies to await the arrival of d ’ Erlon’s 20,000
Sombreffe. Meanwhile the French left wing men . He pushed forward the 2,000 cavalry of
moved up the main Charleroi- Brussels road to Lefebvre- Desnouetes, and these received artillery
take the critical crossroads at Quatre Bras. The fire at Frasnes from enemy who immediately
Guard under Napoleon moved between the two retired through the town towards Quatre Bras.
just north of Charleroi, and Lobau’s corps was left Following up to Quatre Bras itself, the cavalry
south of Charleroi on the other side of the came under significant fire from both artillery and
Sambre. small arms, and halted . The size of the defending
29
 THE CAMPAIGN OPENS -
16 17 JUNE

force was unclear because of the high corn in the Ney had in fact come up against a brigade of Weimar and Perponcher had chosen to stay. By Brussels that events became clearer to Wellington .
area, and after a few minor probes, by 8 p. m . Ney Perponcher’s Nassauers, who had actually been stalling the French south of Quatre Bras, these During the course of the ball came news con -
had ordered camp to be made for the night ordered to move west from Quatre Bras to very able officers had saved valuable time for the firming the French move towards Mons as a feint,
between Gosselies and Frasnes, then trotted off to Nivelles. Without authorization , and in the light of Allies to recover , for it was only very late at the together with first reports of action at Quatre Bras.
meet Napoleon at Charleroi. the situation developing to their front, Saxe - Duchess of Richmond’s ball held that night in Wellington had indeed been ‘humbugged ’ into
deploying his army too far west, perhaps as a result
of his sensitivity concerning his lines of communi -
The Campaign Opens, Nights of 14/ 15 and 15 / 16 June 1815 cation . Realizing the full extent of developments,
xxxx he countermanded his previous orders and shifted
Ghe the weight of his army to his inner flank , towards
1 DB French opening positions
Louis XVIII at Ghent
French manoeuvres, early 15 June Nivelles-Quatre Bras, and it was not until 4 a .m.
'MANN DUKE OF Prussian opening positions on the 16th that Picton’s Reserve Division started
WELLINGTON
XX 9. Small reserve c. 94,000 Prussian initial moves on the road south to Mont St. Jean to the tune of
XXX
1DB
held in north Belgium
XXX xx
% & Allied opening positions i ‘Highland Laddie’, followed at 8 a.m . by Welling-
II Alost Allied concentrations, 14/15 June
es PICTON ton and his staff.
HILL XXX Meanwhile in the French headquarters at
INGTON OLE
6. Remainder of II Corps Cavalry* Louvain Charleroi, Napoleon was still unaware of the
converges on Grammont I

Oudenaarde
^ UXBRIDGE Artillery
BRUNSWICK Maastricht forward concentration of Bliicher’s army. He was
X& J
Ninove
(/ St Trond expecting Wellington to fall back towards Brussels,
KRUSE
4 ID 3. Uxbridge Artillery putting both time and space between himself and
i t
£
ä OLVILLE STED
mmönt
ordered to Enghien
8. 04.00 16 June: Reserve
sets out for Mont St Jean
Kleist already sent
to Luxembourg
ongres Napoleon as he concentrated his forces and only
Ren; 4. Ordered to Enghien Hal Foret de then turning to fight . However, with the French
XXX
\ -Soignes well - justified reputation for rapid manoeuvre,
XX Engh
4 Waterloo
xx Wavre IV
Napoleon would surely attack him before he could
xxx v LMont )
XX 2. Ordered f /{St Jean XXX BULOW gather his army together. Thus, as Ney left
NTSHILDT ~
— to Enghien
COOKE
I Braine- /
I’Alleud Napoleon at Charleroi, his verbal orders stated
La if

PRINCE O x; II 5. IV Corps concentrates

on area of Liege Liege1
xx LINTON Ath aine le Coi
ORANGE ien D PIRCH Menaigne that the main thrust on the 16 th would be against
Tournai I rirr , »ignies 1to. concentrate
I Corps ordered
PERPONCHER the British , and Ney would be expecting the
ivelles
Nivelles/Braine
Quatre
7 . Bylandt/ Saxe - Weimar
Jhold Quatre Bras on
mbloux French Reserve to support his two corps next day.
ras I their own initiative Events would soon overtake them . For the mo-
ombreffe
^ 'w (r U’ ment , Perponcher at Quatre Bras, now reinforced
4. After Gilly, Ziethen
Ligny J 1. Pirch ordered to concentrate
retires on Fleurus
Fleurus
between Namur and Sombreffe
XXXX by Bylandt, had just 8,000 men, 16 guns and 50
9. Ney ordered to
\ ; 5 . Cavalry occupied '
Quatre Bras, takes Gi
Gilly
3. Zeithen covers
Namur
Pirch and Thielemann hussars to face Ney’s initial 25 ,000 infantry, 3,000
Conde Gosselies by end
of 15 June 7. Pajolat Sambre 2. Thielemann ordered
to concentrate on Namur
cavalry and 60 guns, with a further 20,000 men of
I Charldroi Gilly by 11.30
Fontai I BLUCHER d ’Erlon ’s corps coming up from just to their south,
sur I’Eveqi
lienne
/ Cha
6. Ney joins
|
>
ilrt 8. French defeat
8,000 Prussians ZIETHEN
fv
XXX c. 123,000
and VI Corps and the Guard also expected . The
Valenciennes .
4. Guard, I Delort, army 11.00 | J at Gilly on pm of III
to Marchienne
XXX 5. Domon, Pajol,
15 June
odds for the Dutch - Belgians were long indeed .
III, II, IV to Charleroi
HIE ANN
^

/
I REILLE ,
*
Mj ^
/ 3 . Campaign pens duiring | \'
early hours of 15 June drf~~

2 . Feint 1
*
\ %
16 - 17 June
RLON AND , \ linant It was Napoleon’s usual habit to dictate his orders
Beaumont ^ xxx . at about 2 a . m . so that they could reach the army
lippeville
1 \ before 6 a .m. for early operations. On the 16 th ,
xxxx XXX
co
c however, exhausted after the exertions of the
0 5 10 15 20 Miles XXX LOBAU XXX co &rs3
IV // ?
previous days, he did not confirm his verbal orders
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Km D Givet
NAPOLEON ~ GERA
to Ney in writing until 6 a . m., and this message
/ h Avesnes
TT128,000 MO
v GROUC JJ
CavRes
I
l
did not leave the inexperienced HQ staff until
some two hours later.
30 31
THE CAMPAIGN OPENS

Fortunately for Wellington , the forward con - overconfidence and rash attacks. He knew of
centration of Bliicher’s army became known to Wellington’s methods of hiding large parts of his
Napoleon at mid - morning of the 16th , and what army until the last minute; so, noting that the
was originally to be a pinning action by Grouchy undulating terrain provided plenty of scope for
at Ligny was turned into plans for a general concealment in the tall rye, and that Bossu Wood
engagement. Unfortunately for Ney, in all the was a perfect position for a flank ambush , he
excitement, no-one wrote to him until after 2 p. m . advanced with extreme caution.
to tell him that the weight of the French army was Perponcher, now under the newly arrived
now to be directed against the Prussians that day. Prince of Orange, had covered his entire front with
By the time he received the dispatch , it had turned the 27 th J ä gers in a thin line that stretched for
4 p. m . almost a mile . Behind and to the west of the road
Expecting Wellington to withdraw to gather his stood his remaining battalions - some lining the
army, the majority of Ney’s force had bivouacked Bossu Wood - and with the 5 th Militia occupying
in line of march along the road , ready for pursuit the Gemioncourt farm .
and manoeuvre rather than in line of battle. To the east of the road , the French 5 th
Amazingly, Ney issued no preparatory orders to Division under Bachelu advanced behind a strong
his troops as he returned from his meeting with skirmish line and soon pressed against Gemion -
Napoleon , and , as most of his force was spread out court as the opposing skirmishers fell back to the
over fifteen miles, it would be impossible to make farm , but they found this initially a stubborn
immediate headway the next morning. Further- defence. Jerome’s 6th Division , arriving late,
more, Ney waited for the written confirmation of advanced to the west of the road also behind a
his orders to arrive from Charleroi before he skirmishing line and pressed up towards Bossu
started the morning’s operations. As these only left Wood . Within an hour, with the support of
headquarters at 8 a . m., Ney did not receive them artillery , the outposts of Pireaumont and Gemion -
until after 10.30. These clearly told him to ' hold court had finally been taken , and Jerome was
yourself in readiness for an immediate advance moving steadily through Bossu Wood as the weight
towards Brussels once the Reserve reaches you ’. of numbers told on Bylandt’s thin line, which was
Without any sense of urgency, at 11.00 Ney issued retiring in good order and in expectation of
his orders to Reille to concentrate on Quatre Bras. reinforcements from Picton. Suddenly a cavalry
Meanwhile , Wellington had arrived at Quatre charge was hurled against the 17 th Dutch Light
Bras to see the position for himself. Finding it Infantry, which fragmented before it, some rushing
quiet , and seeing the French preparing a meal , he headlong to the rear, others remaining in isolated
rode over to meet Bl ü cher at Ligny and promised groups of men fighting to the last before being
to come to his help if he were not attacked himself. ridden down . The terribly thin line had been
It was probably at this point that he finally decided breached , Pire’s lancers breaking through the
to concentrate in strength on Quatre Bras rather centre in a spirited charge that routed Merlen ’s
than Nivelles, and to that end he called up Picton ’s lighter Dutch cavalry as they tried to stem the tide.
'

Division - which had been waiting at the Mont St. Had Reille started just a short while earlier, with
Jean crossroads in readiness to move to either nothing to stop the exploitation of the break in the
location - to join Perponcher’s troops. Allied line, the battle would have now been over
Before Quatre Bras, Ney totally wasted the almost before it had started ; but in the very nick
morning, and it was not until 2 p. m. that Reille of time, Picton ’s division - including many veteran
started his attack . units - arrived at Quatre Bras with Wellington to
check the French advance .
Perhaps remembering Reille’s advice about
The Battle of Quatre Bras, 16 June Wellington ’s wily tactics in sheltering his troops
Reille had seen the British in the Peninsula and from sight until the last moment, the advancing
had seen many a reputation lost there by French French infantry stopped when they unexpectedly
32
 THE BATTLE OF QUATRE BRAS, 16 JUNE

met fresh troops, then withdrew; but the lancers

came on, some breaking off to surround pockets
of Dutch troops, others heading straight for the
Highlanders who, forming square, issued a volley
that repulsed the remains of the attack.
Under Wellington’s personal supervision, the
British brigades now lined the hedged Namur road
to the east of the crossroads, the 95 th Rifles
occupying the wood just to the north of Lac
Materne, where they engaged and just held
Bachelu ’s advancing tirailleurs, the 92 nd occupy -
ing the buildings at the crossroads itself. The
Hanoverians were placed behind them and to the
north of the Namur road , and the arrival of
Brunswick to the west of Quatre Bras completed
the line in time to meet the next French attack .
Bylandt’s line was by now almost totally in ruins
having been heavily outnumbered from the start
and having faced a well organized combined -arms
attack . Many of his troops had headed for the
comparative safety of Bossu Wood .
Ney’s artillery now turned its full force on to
Picton ’s units, who were ordered by Wellington to
lie down in the shelter of the ditches and the partly
sunken road . This sunken road and its thick
hedges provided valuable cover to Picton ’s men, as
they sheltered from the 38- gun French bombard -
ment that now opened up in anticipation of the
renewed assault , the French columns being organ -
ized by Ney in person . He formed four columns,
each of brigade strength and with a mass that he
was convinced would smash straight through the
thin lines to bring immediate victory .
As the four French columns of infantry ad -
vanced , screening their cannon , the bombardment
subsided , and Wellington ordered Picton’s troops
over the hedges, to stand silently beside the
Brunswick infantry to their right, near the wood .
In Picton’s ranks, the long, thin , silent lines were
waiting calmly as the French came on with cries
of ‘On to victory!’, ‘Give them the bayonet!’ and
‘Vive l’Empereur!’ Even for Napoleon’s veterans
Friedrich Wilhelm, deathys - headbadge of his
of 1813/14, the sight of a British line must have
Duke of Brunswick ( 1771 - Brunswick contingent .
been a perplexing novelty, and one can perhaps 1815), commander of the ( Print from Ackermann fs
visualize during this attack how an initial French Brunswick forces in the Repository of Arts,)
confidence could have turned to panic during the Waterloo campaign, and
few minutes it took for the French columns to depicts die Duke in the
assault the steady British lines. black uniform with

33
THE CAMPAIGN OPENS

At the start, the general bulk and massing troops in the open would almost always break
together of large numbers gave the columns an before contact if they did not use a deeper, column
initial sense of security, stemming from safety in formation themselves. But today this must have
numbers. The spectacle and confidence of the been a very new experience for many of the
French column , advancing to shouts and cheers, French, as Picton’s steady infantry waited silently
loud inspiring music and much waving of banners, to receive them - why were the British standing?
bristling muskets and even shakos held aloft had Could they not see that the French would be
always intimidated their continental opponents through them in moments? Why did they not
when they had met it deployed in line, and the move ? The columns moved quickly through the
continental armies had learned early on that their now -flattened corn , through long musket range

The Battle of Quatre Bras, 16 June 1815

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34
 THE BATTLE OF QUATRE BRAS, 16 JUNE

and into close range . Why did the British still not A‘Quatre Bras 9: British exhibition, it was
open fire ? The impact of a volley at this range infantry in square as described by Ruskin as the
would be horrific.
portrayed by Lady
Elizabeth Butler. One of
-
first Pre Raphaelite battle
painting.
The clear, English voice rose from the line of the highlights of the 1875
red ahead : ‘Present!’ As one, the muskets rose Royal Academy
silently to the firing position, pointing directly at
the heads of the columns from far to their left and over the bloody mess beneath their feet. With
right, an overlapping fire they knew would be confusion and disorder in the columns at its
deadly. It was too late to turn back now. height, through the smoke came the shrieking war
‘ Fire!’ All along the line the British volleys cries heralding the wild , downhill charge of
smashed into the heads of the advancing columns, Picton’s Highlanders. 'Ehe shattered columns fled
proving once again the mathematical certainty of to escape their retribution ,
the superiority of a steady British line over a Against the youthful and less experienced
french column . To the east of the main Brussels Brunswickers to the west of the road , however,
road , the heads of the splendid blue columns of Jerome was having significantly more success, and
infantry that just a few minutes before seemed the Brunswick line broke as most of the remaining
ready to crash through the thin lines before them Belgians flocked to the rear. Jerome’s men swept
had become a reeling, confused mass of dying and unstoppably through Bossu Wood . French cavalry
wounded men . Screams of agony burst from the were coming up to exploit the opening, and the
collapsed and maimed , the once reassuring mass Duke of Brunswick launched a rash counter -attack
of the column now working against it as following with his ‘Death ’s Head’ Hussars, which was
ranks of their comrades stumbled over the mang- decimated by French musketry on the way in, and
led remains at their feet and , moving onwards, routed on contact by Pire’s cavalry. The Duke of
themselves became victims of the rolling, precision Brunswick himself fell a casualty, as the French
fire of Wellington ’s veterans. The front now halted cavalry chased the now broken Hussars. The
in total confusion, trying to deploy to return fire , counter -attack had cost heavy losses, including six
the rear of the column still pressing them forward cannon ; but it had stopped what might have
35
THE CAMPAIGN OPENS

developed into a rout and given the infantry some AQuatre Bras: the 28th is the unit’s commander,
(North Gloucestershire ) Sir Charles Belson. ( Print
respite in which to fall back and try to regroup Regiment repel a French by S. Mitan after Captain
beyond the wood . attack ; the mounted George Jones )
Successful on his left but checked on his right, officer in left background

Ney called up d ’Erlon to help his drive for the vital

crossroads. But to his consternation he found no the rear . Ehe undulating terrain and remaining
sign of I Corps behind him . It was by then around corn concealed the charge until the last minute
4 p. m ., still with a numerical advantage, when Ney and took the British troops almost completely by
received an order from Napoleon (timed 2 p. m .), surprise. The 42 nd Highlanders, caught in the
instructing him to take the crossroads and then fall rear in the act of forming square, incredibly
on the Prussian right and rear. With Reille’s corps managed to complete the square with some of the
already fully committed , Ney bade d’Erlon hasten lancers trapped inside . After a vicious melee that
to deliver what he thought was the coup de grace, cost the 42 nd dear , especially among their officers,
for already his cavalry were roaming freely through the Highlanders killed nearly every one of the now
Wellington ’s right and centre . trapped lancers, before throwing their bodies out
Pire had hurled his chasseurs and lancers once of the square. Next to them the 44th were caught
more at the Allied centre in a surprise attack that by the same charge - too late even to begin to form
took them almost to the crossroads itself, Welling- square. But with total coolness the rear rank was
ton himself having had to leap the (prone) ranks ordered to about face and gave forth a series of
of the 92 nd to evade the French charge . The volleys that were sufficient to repel the half -
cavalry was by now somewhat disordered , as it pressed charge of both the lancers and the
circled round behind the hastily formed square of chasseurs that followed them .
the 92 nd , before swinging south to take the The French cavalry, by now totally disordered ,
adjacent 42nd and 44th - still formed in line - in retired to the French lines, and the respite allowed
36
 THE BATTLE OF QUATRE BRAS , 16 JUNE

Wellington to redeploy some of his troops to stop Then at 5 p.m ., finally outnumbered by
the rot on his right flank. The attack now settled Wellington , under pressure on his right, with that
down to a close - range slogging match , where the flank actually retiring, with no reserves, and
superior firepower of the British troops to the incensed and frustrated almost beyond control at
centre and east of the battlefield slowly began to the day’s muddles and lack of success against his
take its toll - despite being partly still in square very able opponents, he received a ‘hurry up’
against the possibility of enemy cavalry in the area.
' message from the Emperor. It was the last straw.
Two more cavalry charges to the east of the Not only had the previously promised Emperor’s
Brussels road routed a Hanoverian battalion but troops never arrived , he had actually been robbed
otherwise made no impact on Wellington’s steady of troops critical to the success of his operations.
squares. Napoleon clearly had no appreciation of the fact
The initiative was slipping from Ney’s grasp. that Ney was hard pressed and now facing most of
Its delicate balance was now tilting towards the Wellington’s army. With no reserves, he needed
Allies. They had held against the best that Ney time to stabilize his line and reform his right .
could throw against them, and fresh reinforce - "
There was only one . thing left to throw at the
ments in the form of Halkett’s and Kielmansegge’s Allies, and in a fit of desperation Ney ordered the
brigades from Alten ’s division were arriving to recently arrived cavalry of Kellermann to make an
bolster Wellington ’s strength. The French right almost suicidal charge into the Allied lines - a
was actually starting to fall back . Ney’s tired army brigade of cavalry against an entire army . It would
was losing its superiority of numbers over troops be to throw away an irreplaceable force in ex-
who had already proven themselves well prepared change for just a few minutes of respite. Such is
for a fight and who were commanded by one of the logic of war and the value of life to some
the world ’s great generals. Worse still for Ney, it military minds. Kellermann rightly questioned the
was at this point that he learned of the true order, for only part of his brigade had reached the
whereabouts of d ’Erlon . field , namely Guiton ’s brigade of 750 men of the
Some time earlier, d ’Erlon ’s corps been or - 8 th and 11 th Cuirassier Regiments ( the latter not
dered to Ligny by an aide, General de la Bedoyere. even having cuirasses) . Ney would have none of it .
Far from his arrival being imminent at Quatre Promising him support from the depleted ranks of
Bras, d ’Erlon was actually already well on his way Pire’s cavalry , Ney dismissed him abruptly with ,
to Ligny, every minute taking him farther from the ‘Go! But go now!’
crisis now looming for Ney. To save time, de la Kellermann’s regiments moved up beneath the
Bedoyere had not consulted Ney before ordering crest of Gemioncourt ridge, out of sight of the
the corps to Ligny in the name of the Emperor. British infantry beyond . The 42 nd Highlanders
One can only imagine the spirit in which the fiery, and the 2/ 44th were still in square to the east of
red - headed Ney received this news at so critical a the Charleroi road , having already been mauled by
juncture in the battle - that he was the last to be Pire’s lancers. The 92 nd Highlanders were in a
told was simply to add insult to injury. square that actually straddled the Charleroi road ,
Meanwhile, Wellington was not a commander and Wellington himself was still sheltering there .
to sit idly by in such circumstances. A sweeping The cavalry deployed silently into line below
counter-attack by Alten’s troops on the recoiling the crest . The clear notes of the trumpet finally
French right made the situation critical for the signalled the charge, and Kellermann unleashed the
French, and the impetuous Ney immediately brigade forward , straight into charge speed -
decided that he should recall d’Erlon . Not pausing dispensing with the customary build up via walk/
to consider how long it would take for the order to trot/canter. The brigade thundered towards the
reach him , nor how long it would be before that British squares, scattering the remnants of the
corps would appear at Quatre Bras, Ney’s almost Brunswick and Belgian cavalry in their path. The
reflex reaction effectively took this force out of battered squares held firm, offering a deadly fire
both the Ligny and Quatre Bras engagements. that broke up the charge and caused the horsemen
37
THE CAMPAIGN OPENS

38
 THE BATTLE OF QUATRE BRAS, 16 JUNE

to flow around the leading squares, disordered but hacked down the crew of an artillery battery and
not halted , now thundering on towards Halkett’s headed on towards the nearby 33 rd , who were also
Brigade. unformed . Shaken by the fate of their comrades of
A few minutes previously, as Kellermann’s units the 69 th , they too fled towards the wood , where
were preparing to charge, Colin Halkett - in they could reform in safety. Next in the line of
Alten’s 3rd Division , in the Prince of Orange’s I charge, the 2/30th had just been able to form
Corps - was leading his fresh brigade up. In square in time and had easily repulsed the 11 th
Picton’s adjacent division , Pack’s brigade had been Cuirassiers, while a nearby square of the now
under serious pressure for some two hours; unsteady Brunswickers dissolved in the presence
casualties were mounting and ammunition was of the French cavalry.
running low. With the arrival of the fresh troops, Wherever friendly troops cleared the British
the second battalion of the 69th (South lines, French artillery remorselessly pounded the
Lincolnshire) Regiment was ordered to Pack to dense targets of the British infantry squares, and
bolster his position . Halkett therefore moved up, Ney had thrown in all the infantry support he
handed the unit over to him and went back to bring could scrape together. But it was not enough . The
up the remainder of his brigade . Pack ordered the supporting attacks were slowly grinding to a halt .
69 th to form square before moving farther along Elements of Pire’s tired and reformed division had
his brigade. by now also come up, as Kellerman pushed
The Prince of Orange, however, not under - forward almost to the crossroads itself. There,
standing what was happening, found the 69th in blown from the charge, deep in Wellington’s lines,
the act of forming square. Being perhaps some - disordered by the melees and with no local infantry
what piqued that an officer from another corps was support, the cavalry came under a murderous
-
messing about with his’ battalion , he ordered cross fire from the 30 th , 73 rd and a battery of the
4

them back into line again. There were protests. KGL as Kellermann tried to reorganize his com -
The Prince insisted . And it was while the infantry mand .
were in the middle of this manoeuvre that Keller - Ehe French infantry supporting attacks were
man ’s cuirassiers, now emerging past the leading now being firmly repulsed , and every British
British squares, fell upon them from the flank. For regiment was being alerted to bring down the
the 2/69th , it was too late to reform into square. heavy cavalrymen who had done so much damage
Two companies only were able to turn to face the but who were now in considerable disorder.
onslaught before they were isolated from the main Parties of Highlanders were able to range the field
body and hacked down to a man . It was a desperate relatively safely in active pursuit of Kellerman’s
situation for the 69 th . Garavaque’s troops thrust cuirassiers, exacting a bloody revenge for the
into the very heart of the unformed battalion , terrible toll of the afternoon ; while scattered
aiming for the colours ( the capture of which parties of French cavalry remnants were also
qualified for a bounty) . In the Colour Party, roaming about. 'There were plenty of lucky escapes
Ensign Duncan Keith was immediately and ruth - for troops on both sides. In one section of the field ,
lessly slain by cuirassier Lami; the King’s Colour for example, one of a troop of cuirassiers killing
he held was prised from his dying grip and carried wounded Scots came upon a major of the 42 nd
triumphantly to the rear. Volunteer Christopher who had been badly hurt . As the cuirassier stabbed
Clark, carrying the Regimental flag, killed three at the major, the major grasped him and pulled
cuirassiers in its defence. He was only marginally him off his horse and on to the ground , where they
luckier, however, for although he was able to get grappled in hand to hand combat. A French lancer
his Regimental Colour to safety, he incurred no came to the cuirassier’s aid , and thrust at the major
less than 22 wounds in the process. as he struggled with his foe. Rolling away from the
With nothing capable of stopping the charge , lance thrust, the major managed to pull the
the 69 th made for the shelter of Bossu Wood. cuirassier over him, interposing him to take the full
Unchecked , Kellermann drove forward, ruthlessly brunt of the lance thrust as Highlanders rushing
39
THE CAMPAIGN OPENS

to his aid dispatched the mounted lancer in his substantial numbers of the wounded on both sides
turn . appear to have been able to return to the ranks
Meanwhile at the crossroads the remains of within 24 hours or so. No separate return could be
Kellermann’s blown charge was being shot to made for the Dutch - Belgian troops, a great many
pieces. In a hail of fire from Wellington’s battered of whom had left the field by the end of the day,
ranks, the decimated cavalry fled in disorder to the or had headed for the relative security of Bossu
safety of the French lines. Kellermann himself had
' Wood . As the day closed , and having fought the
his horse shot from beneath him and only managed French to a standstill , Wellington’s next move
to return safely from the charge by clinging to the would depend on the Prussians at Ligny.
stirrups of two of his men . For no significant gain ,
the charge had cost him more than a third of his The Battle of Ligny, 16 June
magnificent brigade. Even as the cavalry retired to
the safety of the French lines, Wellington was Ehe unexpected forward deployment of Bliicher’s
being further reinforced by the 5 ,000 crack troops army lining up on the morning of the 16 th awaiting
of the British Guards Division, who stormed into his assault made this very much an opportunist
Bossu Wood . battle for Napoleon . The Prussians had based
Ney’s was a spent force . There was no longer their defence along the Ligny, a small but marshy
any question of his taking Quatre Bras, only the stream that was difficult to cross except at its four
possibility of holding Wellington at bay. There was bridges. Ten villages and hamlets had been
nothing he could do when, at around 6.30, in prepared and incorporated into the defence line ,
typical form , Wellington realized that the French which helped to cover all four of the bridging
had shot their bolt and ordered a large -scale points and thereby deny them to Napoleon . Rising
ground to the rear made an advantageous position
counter-attack across his entire front . By 7.30 p. m .
Bossu Wood was back in Allied hands, the Allies for the supporting Prussian columns.
had taken Pireaumont, and advanced to Gemion - There were flaws in the position , however. By
following the Ligny stream, Bliicher’s line formed
court brook. By 9 p . m ., in the rapidly fading light ,
the battle was over. Ney had been pushed back to a salient that was open to flanking artillery fire; by
his starting positions, and the battle had ended in the same token , troops placed on the forward
a tactical draw. As dusk turned to night , Welling- slopes of the hills would be exposed to massed
ton ’s British cavalry and Royal Horse Artillery artillery fire without being able to advance across
reinforced his position - just too late to participate
the Ligny to engage.
in the battle . Napoleon’s plan was simple. He would use his
Strategically , Wellington had at last managed cavalry to keep the Prussian left flank busy, while
to get his army together. He now had confidence with his superior numbers he engaged in a frontal
in many of his previously unproven troops, who in assault on the Prussian centre and right. After a
their turn must have established something of a massive artillery bombardment and attrition by his
moral ascendancy over their opponents of the day. infantry, part of Ney’s forces would be ready to
Further, his lines of communications were un - appear on the Prussian right wing. As this force
touched , and he had control of a road network that enveloped their right, Napoleon would smash
could take him in any direction he wanted : forward through their centre with his Guard , to destroy
to link with the Prussians (if they had won at almost all of the Prussian army at a stroke. There
Ligny) , north to cover Brussels, or back towards had been no sound of gunfire from Quatre Bras
the Channel ports. For the first time in the during the morning, so Napoleon assumed Ney
campaign , Wellington was properly ready to con - had occupied the crossroads without a hitch, and
trol his destiny . was probably already on his way to Ligny: ‘In three
Losses in the battle were about 4 ,300 for the hours’ time the campaign will be decided . If Ney
French, while Wellington had lost 2, 275 British, carries out his orders thoroughly not a gun of the
369 Hanoverians, and 819 Brunswickers, but Prussian army will get away .’
40
 THE BATTLE OF LIGNY , 16 JUNE

At approximately 2.30 p. m . the battle started . Napoleon and his staff

In the excitement and heat of combat, however, survey the field of Ligny,
16 June 1815 . ( Painting by
the 10,000 men of Lobau ’s VI Corps at Charleroi G . Weiss )
had been completely forgotten , and Napoleon’s
staff had also forgotten to inform Marshal Ney that both parties with their friendly troops - Ney for
his presence would be required at Ligny at his the French, and Wellington for the Prussians. The
earliest convenience. Later in the day , Napoleon fighting here was particularly vicious, and with no
was to wish dearly that he had access to even one quarter given or asked for, Prussians and French -
of these two forces. men tore at each other in hand - to- hand combat,
The fighting was hard from the very start, and every shattered , burning building in the villages
by engaging across Bliicher’s whole front Napo- contested right to the very end . Prisoners taken
leon stopped him being able to redeploy troops in were ruthlessly slain . Around the villages of Ligny
his forward line. Even in the early stages of the and St. Amand losses were very heavy on both
battle, although Bl ü cher had numerical superior- sides. The fighting for Ligny village was parti -
ity, he had to make good losses from his reserves. cularly bloody, but after five attempts involving
These in their turn were subjected to a heavy very intense hand to hand action, the surviving
bombardment as they waited on the forward slopes French forces finally succeeded in prising part of it
of the hills. from the Prussian grip. Losses of up to 60 per cent
The western end of the battlefield was parti - were reported by the French units at Ligny itself.
cularly important to each side, enabling as it did By 3.15 p. m., shattered by artillery fire from
communication and possible reinforcement for the flanks, and seeing the French pouring into
41
THE CAMPAIGN OPENS .
THE BATTLE OF LIGNY 16 JUNE

Ligny, the Prussian salient began collapsing. The

majority of Bl ücher’s force was now committed to
prop up his line and fill the huge gaps scythed by
the artillery bombardment. Now was the time for
Napoleon to send in his Guard in conjunction with
d’Erlon’s flanking manoeuvre. But where was
d’Erlon ? As he ordered the Guard forward to form
up, Napoleon sent an urgent appeal to Ney to
hasten to his aid: ‘The fate of France is in your
hands . . . do not hesitate even for a moment to . . .
direct your advance on the heights of St. Amand .’
Ney had received this message at 5 p. m.
Unable to wait any longer for Ney or d’Erlon,
Napoleon formed up his Guard to smash through
the crumbling Prussian centre. But at 5.30, just as
the assault was about to roll forward , an alarm
spread along the lines. A long column of troops
was appearing behind the French left flank . Scouts
reported it as hostile . Had Wellington broken
through ? It could not be d’Erlon - it was in the
wrong place . Clearly Napoleon could not risk
committing the Guard at such a time, and the
attack was postponed while aides galloped to the
column to determine its status.
It was, in fact, d’Erlon . A poorly written order
had ordered him to conduct his march on ‘Wag-
nee’ instead of ‘Wagnele’; hence his arrival at
completely the wrong place. In addition, he had
failed to push out advance orderlies to warn
friendly troops of his arrival . So the resultant
surprise had not only delayed a critical attack but
had caused the French left ( under Vandamme) to
become decidedly nervous, so that the Young
Guard had to be deployed to bolster them, and at
one stage General Lefol had been forced to turn
his own artillery on to his panic-stricken men as
they deserted the line.
It was only by about 6.30 that the true situation
was made clear, and the Guard could roll forward .
In that respite Bl ücher had consolidated his line
and had even pressed the wavering French left
with a scratch force to retake part of St. Amand .
With almost incredible irony, even as the Guard
formation was being re-assembled , the news came
that d ’Erlon’s corps, now clearly in sight of the
Prussians, had just turned around to march back
to Quatre Bras with almost all of its troops. Ney’s
order of recall had arrived .
42 43
THE CAMPAIGN OPENS

\
\ ..

Nevertheless, for the Prussians the final act A Napoleon gives the Major von Liitzow, who
order for the final advance raised one of the first
had begun. The Young Guard threw them out of to break the Prussian Freikorps for the Prussian
St . Amand , and by 7.30 the grand assault was position at Ligny; the ADC Army in 1813; in the
ready to be launched into the very heart of the re - wears hussar uniform, and Waterloo campaign its
at the right the Imperial members served in 25 th
formed Prussian positions. More than two hun - Guard infantry awaits the Infantry, 6 th Uhlans and
dred guns opened up on the desperately thin order to advance . ( Print 9th Hussars. ( Engraving
Prussian centre. Then at 7.45, as a thunder storm afterJ . Grenier) by Guiseppe Longhi )
broke over the battlefield , more than six thousand
men of the Guard marched forward in a combined
arms assault that swept back into Ligny and
smashed into the Prussian lines. The 21st Prussian
Regiment charged the advancing grenadiers, but
were intercepted by the accompanying French
cuirassiers and thoroughly mauled. Two squad -
rons of the 1st Westphalian Landwehr cavalry
were sacrificed as they charged the disciplined
ranks of the Guard to absolutely no avail as the
French swept on and through the village. Nothing
could save the battle for the Prussians now, but
Bl ü cher could still save his army from the worst
horrors of pursuit if he could just buy some time.
Bl ü cher positioned himself at the head of
Röder’s cavalry and hurled it at the advancing
French Guard . It was a forlorn hope . The Guard’s
squares easily beat off the attack , L ü tzow himself
falling wounded at the head of the shattered 6th
Uhlans, now down to only 300 men . A further
44
 THE BATTLE OF LIGNY , 16 JUNE

charge was launched at the squares by two more he and many others had fallen during the day. It
regiments of Prussian cavalry, but suddenly from was well after dark before a faithful aide finally
the flank came a charge by the supporting French managed to drag him out and take him to the rear ,
cuirassiers, which smashed into the reeling Prus- where liberal applications of gin and garlic revived
sian attack. A succession of piecemeal cavalry him enough to rejoin his army.
charges were similarly repulsed as the squares of Meanwhile, the Prussians were in a state of
the Guard cooly met the attacking Prussians with confusion, with no leader and an army retiring in
measured volleys before the remnants of the disarray looking to put time and distance between
broken cavalry were scooped up by the omni - it and the inevitable French pursuit. The general
present French cuirassiers. staff had to agree quickly among themselves where
Bl ü cher himself had fallen in one of the to go to regroup, for they had already been pushed
charges as his horse was shot. He lay there, pinned back from the main routes to Namur, their
for some time as French cuirassiers repeatedly principal line of communication . And so, in poor
swept by, over terrain packed with bodies where light at the drizzly roadside, Gneisenau and the
corps commanders met to decide an alternative
Bliicher’s accident at action and the withdrawal route for the battered force . The only name on the
Ligny: pinned under his from Ligny passed to maps clearly visible to all was Wavre , somewhat to
horsey the old marshal was Gneisenau. ( Print after the north of Ligny. So it was that Wavre was
ridden - over and R . F. Mcsserschmitt )
extricated only with
chosen as a first stage before retiring eastward
difficulty . Until he had towards Liege . By almost pure accident, it was the
recovered, direction of the one place Napoleon did not expect , and the one
mi m

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45
THE CAMPAIGN OPENS

direction that would allow the Prussians the

slightest option of joining up with Wellington
before Brussels. Not that Gneisenau had any
intention of moving to join Wellington ; not only
was he highly suspicious of his allies, almost to the
point of Anglophobia in fact, but he was fully
expecting the French pursuit to keep him fully
occupied as he fell back.
But - amazingly - as the Prussian army
withdrew from the battlefield , the anticipated
French pursuit did not materialize . Although
deserters fled in droves, the majority of the army
was able to keep maintain cohesion and retire
unmolested on Wavre. The pursuit was actually
late in coming at the direct order and responsibility
of the Emperor. After the battle he made Ligny his
headquarters and , hoping and believing the Prus-
sians to be totally crushed , he refused to allow a
rigorous pursuit that night . Perhaps here again we
can see the evidence of the over-optimism and
missing energy that only a few years before would
have galvanized his cavalry into immediate and
aggressive pursuit . After Jena, for example, the
French pursuit was so vigorous that it lasted almost
to the Baltic, and ended the entire campaign.

17 June: Interlude of Missed Opportunities

Napoleon was not at all well on the night of the
16 th. The following day, drained from the effects
of the battle and his illness, Napoleon was struck
with an overpowering lethargy and depression that
lasted the whole morning of the 17 th, which he
spent touring the grisly battlefield with Grouchy
and his staff. He refused repeated requests by
Grouchy to start his pursuit, preferring to wait for
news from Ney about the battle at Quatre Bras. It
was late morning before the arrival of Ney’s report
on that battle caused him to realize the implic -
ations of his position and the opportunity that was
offered of outflanking Wellington’s force at Quatre
Bras. It snapped him into action . Grouchy was
belatedly sent after the Prussians, presumed to be
retreating towards Namur, and Ney was ordered
to pin the Allied line ready for Napoleon to swing
A fusilier NCO of the some forma tions during in behind its flank and complete the destruction
6 th Infantry Regiment ( 1 st the Hundred Days
West Prussian ) wearing Campaign . ( Bryan Fosten ) Ney had begun on the previous day.
the new tunic worn by Preparations were made, aides hurrying far
46
 17 JUNE : INTERLUDE OF MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

and wide to spur Ney to action and to release mud , and the chances of catching up with Welling-
Grouchy’s forces. But for the Prussians the respite ton ’s army dwindled as the afternoon wore on .
had already had considerable implications. The Finally, any remaining potential for French pro-
main Prussian force had been allowed to disengage gress was easily hindered by Wellington’s rear-
from the French army and to retire intact upon guard of cavalry and horse artillery as it fought a
Wavre, where it was able in part to regroup around successful holding action during the evening rains.
the unmolested IV Corps. Further, because of the His successful withdrawal during the 17 th took
delay in the French pursuit, contact with the main him to a ridge line south of Mont St. Jean, a
body had been broken, and instead of heading position that had been carefully noted by Welling-
north towards the main Prussian force, Grouchy ton and his staff some time ago as being an
headed north -east towards where he expected the excellent defensive location. Even the Forest of
Prussians to be. He was pressing merely against Soignes to his rear was an asset, allowing infantry
the dregs of the army - the eight thousand to melt through it if retreat proved necessary but
stragglers and deserters who had been able to hindering any pursuing cavalry. The outlying
reach the road heading for the safety of Namur. farms along the front of the position and the
Ironically, as Grouchy’s pursuit innocently Chateau de Hougoumont provided excellent
headed north -east, he was describing a wide arc strongpoints that would be hard to overcome and
that could ultimately help to place the Prussian which could offer flanking fire to any enemy
army between the French and British forces and attacking past them - thereby ‘funnelling’ attacks
drive the two Allies together. on to the centre . In fact the original position
Meanwhile, Napoleon was preparing to out - Wellington had favoured was the ridge around La
flank the British at Quatre Bras while they were Belle Alliance, where the French massed battery
held by Ney’s forces resuming the fight of the was later to be positioned , but Delancey had opted
previous day. But something was very suspiciously for the shorter line north of it during the retreat.
wrong on his left wing. Hearing no cannon fire by Napoleon ’s elation that he had finally cornered
lunchtime, Napoleon hastened over to Ney’s Wellington was tempered only by his concern that
position to find the troops still eating lunch and he might slip away from his grasp during the hours
the attack yet to start. Against a general of the of darkness, and repeatedly during his restless
calibre of Wellington , a vital opportunity had night of the 17 th Napoleon called for reports as to
almost certainly been thrown away. the position of the Allied army. His concern was
And so it transpired . In contrast to Napoleon’s unfounded . On the contrary, Wellington was
inaction, Wellington had lost no time during the defending on well known ground of his own
night of the 16 th in determining the fate of the choosing and was therefore at his most dangerous.
Prussian army and the direction of its retreat. The With the promise of imminent help from his loyal
realization of his extreme danger caused him to Prussian ally, battle next day was assured , and the
prepare to withdraw. When, inexplicably, no outcome far from certain for the French .
French attack was immediately forthcoming on the That night Napoleon was convinced Welling-
17 th, he started thinning his line and sending back ton had made a mistake, and considered that he
the transports and wounded to his position at was trapped with no hope of support . Had he
Mont St. Jean. He would be prepared to fight known Wellington a little better he would not have
there if Bl ü cher would commit to send even a been so optimistic. After starting the campaign at
single corps to his aid. By the time the French had a strategic advantage, the French had by now
realized their error, it was already too late, and thrown away and wasted nearly all of the benefits
Wellington’s main force had slipped away, leaving of their surprise and initiative at the start of the
an angry Emperor to berate in frustration his wing campaign , and Wellington had taken the campaign
commander who had shown such inertia. to prepared ground of his own choosing. If the
To cap it all, the weather broke as the French Prussians arrived as promised, he could give
forces came up. Rain churned the roads into thick Napoleon a very nasty surprise indeed .
47
 18 19 JUNE:
THE BATTLE OF WAVRE
-
Wavre nestles in a lightly wooded valley, spanning fresh corps at least could be sent to Wellington’s
the River Dyle by the two strong stone bridges that aid at Mont St. Jean , and Bl ü cher was insistent
link the two halves of the town , the valley rising on that he would not break his word to Wellington to
either side to provide commanding artillery po- support him with at least two corps if the French
sitions in the event of a defence. It was here that gave him enough breathing space . Bulow’s corps
the main part of the Prussian army had finally was at Dion le Mont, two miles south -east of
halted , grateful of the reprieve from pursuit that Wavre itself, and it was ordered to move at 4 a . m .
had allowed it to elude the French grasp. Grouchy through II Corps (which was still south of the
had indeed been late starting his pursuit on the Dyle) through Wavre to Chapelle St. Lambert,
17 th , Napoleon only releasing him at lunchtime . and if the battle at Mont St. Jean had begun - but
Even then , contact having been lost with the not otherwise - he was to attack the French right
Prussians the night before, the leisurely pursuit flank . Thus, by the time the French columns
had initially headed north-east from the battlefield started out on the 18 th , von B ü low was well on his
towards Gembloux, not north towards Wavre . way, reaching St. Lambert with his advance guard
By nightfall Grouchy’s main force was camped at around 10 a . m . But moving more or less through
around Gembloux itself, just seven miles north - the remainder of the army , along a single road and
east of the Ligny battlefield , with his advance through a crowded town , was at best a recipe for
cavalry’ strung out a few miles farther along the confusion and congestion . Even worse, a serious
road , all heading north -east. He was already fire in Wavre slowed down the main body of IV
slightly east of the Prussian army, which was Corps, and it was not until after midday that the
consolidating some twelve miles north and west of main body arrived at St. Lambert.
him behind the untouched IV Corps. Sloppy As B ü low was struggling through the chaos of
French reconnaissance had also completely missed Wavre and the Prussian II Corps, Grouchy was
a reinforced Prussian cavalry’ regiment positioned unconcernedly getting ready to sit down to a late
at Mont St. Gilbert, just six miles away to the breakfast. It was 11.25 a . m . In the distance could
north -west, and slightly behind his left , and it was be heard the rolling thunder of the first cannon
only at 10 p. m . that night that the true location of fire from Napoleon’s Grand Battery to the west,
the Prussian army at Wavre became known . The and Gerard and some other senior officers recom -
axis of pursuit was pivoted northw ards the follow - mended that Grouchy should march to the sound
ing day; Vandamme was ordered to begin the of the guns and join the Emperor. It became a very
march north at 6 a . m . the next morning, Gerard heated discussion, and Gerard put his point in
following some two hours later. 'Fired after the such a tactless and insulting manner that Grouchy
fighting and marching of the previous days, the took offence and insisted on keeping to his latest
army was slow to start , giving the Prussians an orders from the Emperor. These were rather
extra two hours grace to begin their manoeuvres, poorly written and somewhat ambivalent, but they
time that was not to be wasted by Bl ücher’s had clearly indicated the need to take possession
Tinder’, who by 8 a . m . were already widening the of Wavre . He had no intention of invoking the
gap between the two forces. notorious fury of the Corsican for disobeying
The Prussian IV Corps under von B ü low was orders, as Ney had already done in this campaign .
still intact , not having been engaged at Ligny. 'Phis Had Grouchy marched west at this point, he would
48
 18-19 JUNE: THE BATTLE OF WAVRE

almost certainly have intercepted the Prussian IV A similar attempt by Hulot’s brigade on a mill
Corps under Biilow before it reached the field of slightly south of the town was also beaten back ,
Waterloo. and , in an effort to secure a crossing of the Dyle,
However, Grouchy had reasonable cause to be Grouchy diverted the remainder of Gerard ’s corps
cautious about moving westward. He had actually to Limale, two miles to the south - west, while the
sent a dispatch from Gembloux the previous night assault was renewed on the mill at Bierges. It was
to appraise Napoleon of the Prussian threat, but 5 p . m.
no new orders had come. In point of fact his At Limale, Grouchy found a detachment of
dispatch had reached the Emperor at around 2 Ziethen ’s corps under Stengel - possibly left there
a . m ., where it was either forgotten or ignored , for by accident - defending the single bridge across
it was not until 10 a .m . that Napoleon chose to the Dyle . The terrain favoured defence, but the
issue orders to Grouchy, and these clearly indi - superiority of numbers soon told , and the French
cated that his presence at Waterloo was not had poured across the bridge and on to the high
required . In any event, these orders were not to ground before darkness brought an end to the
reach him until it was far too late for him to day’s fighting.
interv ene at Waterloo.
Meanwhile, Prussian reconnaissance had put
Grouchy’s strength at about 20,000, mainly cavalry
(it was, in fact, 33,000 including two infantry
corps). Seeing that no attack was immediately
developing, Pirch ’s II Corps was dispatched at
about noon, and Ziethen’s I Corps shortly after,
adding to the total congestion and leaving just
15,000 men of Thielemann ’s III Corps to face
Grouchy at the Dyle . Even these would have
moved towards Waterloo if the congestion on the
roads had not prevented it.
Ehe unenthusiastic Biilow had assembled his
corps around St. Lambert by about 3 p. m .
Inexplicably he did not move to engage the French
right flank as he had been ordered , but remained
passively in full view of the battlefield below him .
Perhaps he was resting his men before joining the
battle, or expecting to be attacked as he moved
through the nearby Bois de Paris; perhaps he was
just waiting for II Corps to come up from the chaos
behind him on the road ; perhaps he was expecting
hard -pressed Wellington to break before he could
deploy. Whatever the reason, only the personal
intervention and bullying of Bl ü cher got him to
move his leading brigades through the Bois de
Paris to engage the French right, and when at 4 A General Friedrich Wellington. Watercolour
Wilhelm von Biilowy by Philip Heinrich
p.m . B ü low heard Grouchy’s opening cannon fire Count Dennewitz Duncker. ( ASKB)
to the east, he very nearly turned around again . ( 1755-1816 ) gives orders
Back in Wavre, Grouchy opened the attack to an ADC; commander of
with a frontal assault by Vandamme on Wavre Bliicher’s IV Corps in the
Waterloo campaign, which
itself, which cleared the southern part of the town led the Prussian army’s
but which was frustrated at the bridges themselves. arrival in support of

49
18- 19 JUNE: THE BATTLE OF WAVRE

The Battle of Wavre: Situation at 3.30pm 18 June

During the night a confused counter -attack Tactically he had been the victor, but strategic-
was launched by St ü lpnagel, but this was beaten ally he was beaten by a mixture of lethargy in his
off. Meanwhile Thielemann’s appeals for help commanders, ambivalent orders, and an over-
during the day had brought no reinforcements cautious lack of initiative on his own part . Once
(indeed , during the night Stengel marched off contact had been lost with the Prussians on the
quite without orders to rejoin his estranged corps). 17 th, time was always going to be against the
That night Thielemann received news as to the French, but even on the 18th a more vigorous
outcome of the fighting at Waterloo; but no such thrust towards St. Lambert rather than Wavre
news reached Grouchy, and on the 19th the battle would have reduced the number of Prussian corps
recommenced with the Prussians very thin on the available to aid Wellington and could have
ground . By 10 a . m ., Thielemann had abandoned clinched the battle for Napoleon at Waterloo. In
Wavre and retreated before overwhelming odds, view of the events farther to the west, it is
the Prussian III Corps having tied down more than interesting to speculate what might have happened
twice its own number for some 48 hours. But at both Waterloo and Wavre if the commanders of
Grouchy’s victory was short - lived , and at 10.30 the the two wings had been reversed , with the
news from Waterloo reached him . Hearing that impulsive Ney following up the Prussians and the
Pirch ’s Prussian II Corps was on its way to cautious but tactically precise Grouchy meeting
intercept him , he broke off and pulled back, Wellington ,
eventually to France.
50
 18 JUNE: THE BATTLE OF
WATERLOO
army north and east , away from Brussels, and keep
Waterloo Dawn
them from their allies. Unfortunately for the
It was 2 a .m . before the Emperor received the French , Grouchy was at Gembloux when he wrote
dispatch that Grouchy had written at 10 p.m. the this, already slightly east of the Prussians, and , as
previous night . It stated that the Prussians ap- a result of the delay in starting his pursuit from
peared to have divided into three columns, and Ligny, the Prussian army before him was far from
that he would infer from his current information the broken army Napoleon expected him to find ,
that one portion of the army was moving on Wavre, Even as he was writing his dispatch , the Prussians
presumably to join Wellington ; one was heading to were actually completing the concentration of all
Liege, with Bl ü cher himself; and a third , including four corps around Wavre. Given that the Prussians
the artillery , was en route for Namur. He had sent had now regrouped , Grouchy’s more easterly
out a cavalry probe to determine precisely where location , and the various delays in his setting out
the bulk of the Prussians were heading. If the mass on the 18 th , it is doubtful with hindsight whether
of the Prussian army were making for Wavre, Grouchy really had much chance of intercepting
Grouchy intended to follow them , then act to keep the Prussians as he intended . Without the benefit
them from Brussels and prevent them joining
Wellington . TNapoleon reviews the presumably the local
of the Imperial farmer Decoster , who
On the information he had available, Grouchy Grenadiers
Guard on the morning of Napoleon employed as a
must have thought that a drive towards Wavre Waterloo; the civilian in guide to the terrain . ( Print
would push the remains of the shattered Prussian custody of a cuirassier is after Ernest Crofts )

:
18 JUNE: THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO

A The inn of La Belle

Alliance, in the centre of
the French position at
Waterloo, reputedly
( though perhaps not
actually ) the site of the
meeting between
Wellington and Bl ücher at
the close of the action.

of perfect knowledge, however, on the morning of heralded victory later in the day, but in the
the 18th Grouchy headed north to Wavre. It had unfounded optimism of Napoleon such experience
turned 8 a.m . when he started , by which time the was ignored . With a sweep of his hand , by avoiding
Prussians were already on their way to Welling- a battle of manoeuvre, countless extra thousands
ton’s aid . were needlessly condemned to a violent and
As Grouchy’s forces moved out, some miles bloody death that day.
away at Le Caillou , about a mile south of La Belle Once more in contrast to the Napoleon of
Alliance, Napoleon and his generals were sitting earlier years, he was content to postpone the attack
down to breakfast. The Emperor was in ebullient on the Allied lines for four hours to allow the
mood , and was counting on dinner in Brussels. He ground to dry out a little, even though he had
gave Soult short shrift when he tried to bring a received several reports that the Prussians were
note of realism into the after - breakfast meeting by coming to Wellington ’s aid. It would certainly
suggesting that Napoleon should waste no time in make manoeuvring easier and quicker , especially
recalling at least part of Grouchy’s 34,000 men to for his artillery, which would also appreciate the
help against Wellington . ‘You think because Well - firmer ground to increase the ricochet effects of
ington defeated you that he must be a great their solid roundshot projectiles. This was actually
general ,’ he retorted roughly. ‘I tell you he is a bad a somewhat spurious argument, however, due to
general , that the English are poor troops, and that the fact that Wellington had clearly hidden most
this affair will be no more serious than eating one’s of his troops behind a ridge, out of artillery line of
breakfast.’ fire, which in turn negated the ricochet effect that
In his turn , Reille suggested that the British the drier ground could offer. Perhaps Napoleon
infantry were impregnable to a frontal attack was merely rationalizing his delay in starting the
because of their firepower, and believed that battle, for his troops were well behind in their
manoeuvre was the key. Napoleon liked this even schedule for a 9 a.m . start - a situation unthinkable
less, and broke up the meeting. Clearly an only a few years previously , as he himself had once
expensive frontal hammering in a bloody battle of said : ‘Strategy is the art of making use of time and
attrition was to be ordered , with no time for the space . I am less chary of the latter than of the
finesse of manoeuvre. As will be seen , both Soult former; space we can recover, but time, never . . .
and Reille gave advice that would probably have I may lose a battle, but I shall never lose a minute.’
52
 THE BATTLE OPENS: D’ERLON’S ASSAULT

The rear wall of

Hougoumont, its gate , and
the chapel that stands in
the compound ; the scene
of some of the fiercest
fighting in the battle .

Later events were to prove the four - hour delay a waste of a further four hours of the day were all to
critical factor in the French defeat, with almost no prove far - reaching and instrumental in his down -
compensating advantage to the French. fall. As we shall see, if just one of these factors had
After scouting the battlefield and observing been changed , the fate of Wellington at Waterloo
Wellington’s visible dispositions, Napoleon went could well have been sealed . All would have been
to Rossomme farm , about half a mile from La unthinkable of Napoleon in his prime .
Belle Alliance, where at 10 a .m . he dictated his
orders for the day and a dispatch to Grouchy that
The Battle Opens; d’Erlon’s Assault
must have left him in no doubt that his presence
at the field of Waterloo was not required , Grouchy At about 11.25 the twenty -four 12 - pounder can -
actually being instructed to direct his movements non of the French batteries in front of d’Erlon’s
on Wavre . Napoleon’s battle plan was simple, Corps thundered out against the Allied positions.
uncomplicated and brutal. A frontal assault was to Most of Wellington’s infantry were behind the
be made against Wellington’s left centre by ridge, and the French cannon would have had to
d’Erlon ’s I Corps, still totally intact from its lack focus exclusively on thinning out the valuable and
of action on the 16 th and keen to prove itself in outnumbered Allied artillery opposite had not
the eyes of the Emperor. Napoleon was not to Bylandt’s brigade been left exposed on the forward
involve himself in the battle directly, but left the slopes, presumably accidentally.
fine detail of the plan - and effective control - to Simultaneously, an attack was launched by
a battle commander, Marshal Ney. Perhaps Ney’s, Jerome against Hougoumont, initially intended to
performance in this campaign already should not be diversionary but in the event destined to last all
have inspired such trust. day. Some 13,000 French were to be committed
Even at this hour, before the battle had started , against just 2,000 British Guardsmen , who suc-
Napoleon had unwittingly sown the seeds of his cessfully beat off all attacks.
own defeat. His relinquishing effective control to By 1 pm, the guns in front of d ’Erlon had been
the rash Marshal Ney, his underestimation of the joined by a further forty 6-pounders from I Corps,
enemy in the face of experienced advice, his and another twenty - four 12- pounders from the
refusal to accept the possibility of Prussian rein - Guard , making a massed battery of some 88 guns.
forcement, his failure to recall Grouchy and his These tore into the heart of Bylandt’s exposed
53
18 JUNE: THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO THE BATTLE OPENS: D’ ERLON ’S ASSAULT

brigade, which was spared only the ricochet effect

The Battle of Waterloo, 18 June 1815: Initial Dispositions of near - misses in the still soggy ground .
At 1.30, even as the main attack began , a
captured Prussian hussar was presented to the
Emperor, and he confirmed that some 30,000
Prussians were on their way to support Wellington.
To secure the French right, Lobau’s corps was
ordered to form a protective defence to the east of
the main road , along with the cavalry of Domont
and Subervie.
D’Erlon’s I Corps advanced with the cuiras-
siers of Travers on its left, just east of the road ,
and those of Dubois to the west of the main road .
The four divisions advanced in echelon , leading
from the left, so that Allix’s infantry would tie up
the Allied centre in the area of La Haye Sainte
while the main body of the attack swept past and
up the hill, with Donzelof s troops then leading the
assault . However, in the confusion so typical of
war , the two central infantry divisions were drawn
up in divisional column , rather than column of
divisions. Ehe former was a very unwieldy for -
'

mation of 8 or 9 battalions drawn up densely with

a full battalion frontage (200 files x 27 ranks); the
latter were the more usual and far more flexible
battalion columns, each with a frontage of two
companies ( 70 men x 9 ranks) drawn up so as to
leave room between battalions to allow deployment
into line. As such , for most of the force involved
in the main attack, there was room neither to
deploy nor to manoeuvre when they reached their
objectives, or in the event of a setback .
Few can have expected any setbacks after such
a bombardment, and initially all went well for the
French assault. The remaining Netherlanders
broke before the advancing mass of more than
18,000 French infantry. Allix took the garden and
orchard of La Haye Sainte, drove out the 95 th
from the gravel pit and pressed hard at Major
Baring’s Germans in the farmhouse itself. Travers’
cuirassiers broke one of Ompteda’s battalions sent
to Baring’s aid, and the remainder of the French
swept past and advanced up the rapidly emptying
slope . But the congestion in the French ranks was
rapidly becoming unbearable as the uneven
ground and the gradient pressed the files and
ranks together into one amorphous mass. Donze -
lof s division , now leading the assault, halted below
54 55
18 JUNE : THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO

4 The defence of the

woods and chateau of
Hougoumont; the flank
companies of the 2nd
Battalion, 2nd
(Coldstream ) Guards
(right and centre ) repel an
attack by Jerome
Bonaparte’s 6 th Division.
(Painting by Denis
Dighton )

M The interior of the yard

at Hougoumont, defended
by flank companies of
British Foot Guards.
( Print after Robert
Hillingford ).

4 The death of Sir

Thomas Picton at the head
of his division at the
height of the battle; he had
been wounded quite
severely at Quatre Bras
but had concealed the fact
* t so that he could retain his
J . U*L 4 J
\
command at Waterloo. He
is shown here wearing a
Vv > s t a f f officer s bicom hat;
f f
* L VfV i ’
in actual fact he wore his
civilian iround hat’
instead. ( Aquatint by
S. Mitan after Captain
George Jones )

56
 THE BATTLE OPENS: D'ERLON’S ASSAULT

the crest in order to try and deploy from his

' As Kempt ’s brigade swept down the hill he fell,
crowded formation . shot through the temple as the charge successfully
Bylandt’s Belgians may have bolted to the rear, threw back the whole of Donzelot’s division .
but Picton ’s division was ready to rise to the Examination of the body later also revealed a
challenge - quite literally. They had been lying further wound that Picton had received at Quatre
down, sheltering from the French bombardment Bras, but which he had bravely not disclosed in
in the cover of the sunken road and the broken spite of the pain it must have caused him .
hedges at the top of the reverse slope. To Picton ’s Meanwhile Marcognet, catching up with
cry of ‘ Rise up!’, the 3,000 men of his division Donzelot’s deploying troops, did not stop below
stood up to meet the anticipated assault. Then, the crest to deploy but , sensing victory within his
with perfect timing, as Donzelot tried vainly to grasp, swept on over it in column with enthusiastic
organize his chaotic mass of troops, Picton led cries of ‘Vive l’Empereur!’. It was to be short -lived
Kempt’s brigade forward to the crest, clearing a elation . They rushed over the crest to find Pack’s
slight re -entrant in the ridge and sweeping the extended lines far overlapping the head of the
f French tirailleur skirmishers before them . With a column. On command the British let loose devas -
loud ‘hurrah’, a terrible fusillade from the brigade tating close- range volleys that stopped the ad -
tore into the deploying column from less than 40 vancing column in its tracks.
yards. 'Ehe hail of bullets literally scythed down the On the crest, Marcognet had been halted but
leading ranks and added panic and terror to the not routed . Farther down the hill Travers’ cavalry
'
confusion of the column beneath them . Ehe
French infantry wavered under the withering fire ‘Wellington at his staff , as the Life
of some of the best trained infantry in the world ; Waterloothe Duke, in his Guards of Somerset’s
customary civilian brigade charge into
then, with a ‘Charge! Hurrah!’, Picton ordered the costume of blue action in the background .
brigade forward with the bayonet to sweep the frock - coat and cape and Painting by Abraham
French from the hill. They were his final words. plain hat, gives orders to Cooper. ( ASKB)
 18 JUNE: THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO THE BATTLE OPENS: D’ERLON’S ASSAULT

xxxx
ANGLO-
X
WELLINGTON
ALLIED

Ponsonby’s PACK
charges deployed
Mont St . Jean Farm KEMPT

Somerset’s
charges La Haie
Papelotte SAXE-WEIMAR
Smohain

Remainder
of Allied line
west of here mainly
deployed in square
Allied
artillery

F X 4
DURUTTE
La Haye Sainte
held by Baring

JAQUINOT French units:

French columns breaking 4 th Cuirassiers
up from the rear even XXX
before contact QJ 1st Cuirassiers
H Quiot’s brigade cleared
from western side of La
Allied units: IE Best’s Hanoverians D’ERLON
1st Life Guards xxxx Haye Sainte
IB Bylandt reforming
0 1st Cuirassiers
0 The Blues IE 95th reforming after 2nd F NORD
B King’s Dragoon being forced from sandpit Position of Q Bourgeois’s brigade
Guards IE Trip’s cavalry French Grand NAPOLEON Q Donzelot
B 2nd Life Guards EE Ghingy’s cavalry Battery H Marcognet
B 27th The French skirmishing
HI Lüneberg battalion in lines had been driven in
Q 32nd rout; the Prince of Orange MILHAUD
Q The Royals had sent them in support D’Erlon loses 5,000 men by Picton prior to the
79th
Q Inniskilling Dragoons
to La Haye Sainte , but
they had been caught in
-
in the assault more than
30 per cent of his corps
charges and ßre ßghts
shown.
IE 28th line by French cuirassiers
m ist H3 Kielmansegge’s THE ATTACK OF D’ERLON’S CORPS
IB Scots Greys brigade in square
E 42nd
IE 92nd
S3 Ompteda’s brigade in
square La Belle Alliance AND THE BRITISH CAVALRY CHARGE
E 44th EE Halkett in column Napoleon’s forward HQ To Genappe as seen from the south. Situation about 14.15
58 59
 THE BATTLE OPENS: D’ERLON’S ASSAULT

A Sergeant Charles Ewart started to move forward against Kempt’s now

of the 2nd ( Royal North exposed brigade , picking their way through the
British ) Dragoons ( Royal
Scots Greys ) (left centre ) throng, ready to press the British into squares for
captures the ‘ Eagle’ of the the infantry to finish off as they rallied , or else to
French 45th Ligne during ride them into the ground where they stood .
the charge of the ‘Union’
Brigade, one of the most Durutte’s fresh division was also coming up on
famous incidents in the Marcognet’s right . Outnumbered by nearly four to
battle. In actual fact the one, fully committed , with no reserves behind
2nd Dragoons wore oilskin them , and with Picton himself dead , the Fifth
covers over their fur caps
on campaigny and their Division was only minutes away from disaster.
-
horse furniture did not
-
include holster caps.
In the very nick of time, the cavalry came to
Painting bv Orlando
the rescue . Uxbridge had brought up the two
Norie. ( ASKB) brigades of British heavy cavalry. Somerset’s
brigade consisted of the 1st and 2 nd Life Guards,
Royal Horse Guards and 1 st Dragoon Guards.
The other, led by Ponsonby, consisted of the 1st
Royal Dragoons, the 6 th Dragoons, and the 2 nd
Dragoons; the grey horses of the latter had earned
the regiment the nickname of ‘The Greys’. This
was perhaps the most carefully hoarded cavalry *

force in Europe, Wellington never having had the

luxury of plentiful cavalry in his armies. As a result ,
the British heavies were superbly mounted on a
M The Earl of Uxbridge quality of horse that had totally disappeared from
leads a cavalry charge
against French the armies of continental Europe following the
cuirassiers; Uxbridge intensive campaigns of 1812 onwards. They were
(centre ) is shown in hussar big men , on big horses, and with a total confidence
uniform, which he wore at
the battle - he was colonel that nothing could stand in their way.
of the 7th Queen s Own
’ With a perfect sense of timing, Uxbridge led
Light Dragoons ( Hussars ) his heavy cavalry against the stunned but recover -
- but the incident depicted ing French. Somerset’s brigade went to the west
appears to be unrecorded.
( Painting by Orlando of the main road , Ponsonby’s to the east. Somer -
Norie. ( ASKB) set’s cavalry met Dubois’ cuirassiers just west of
La Haye Sainte, the easternmost squadron of
these cuirassiers being partly disordered in cross-
ing the sunken road . Better mounted , the British
routed them on contact, along with Allix’s infantry
that was pressing around the farm. However (and
not for the first time) elements of the British
cavalry got out of hand , failed to rally behind the
reserve squadrons, and took their charge right on
to the French Grand Battery.
Ponsonby attacked Donzelot and Marcognet in
two lines - the Royals and Inniskillings in the first
line, and the Scots Greys in reserve to their left
and rear. The latter soon forgot their supporting
role, however, and swept on into Marcognet’s
flanks to complete the total rout of this Division.
61
18 JUNE: THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO

Supporting charges by Vandeleur’s light brigade The Union Brigade One of the most famous
overruns ( but could not members of the British
pressed Durutte back - in rather better order than remove ) a battery of Army, Captain Edward
the rest of the Corps - to complete a charge across French artillery: the Kelly of the 1 st Life
the whole sector that was unstoppable . The cavalry with bearskin caps Guards, right , in combat
are members of the 2nd with a French cuirassier;
French lost some 5,000 men and two eagles, and (Royal North British ) one of his exploits was the
only on the extreme right at Papelotte and Dragoons; those with killing of a cuirassier
officer , whose epaulettes
Frischermont did they meet with any measure of maned helmets are
members of the 1 st he was reputed to have
success at all. ( Royal ) or 6 th removed as trophies . This
But , not content with success against d ’Erlon’s ( Inniskilling) Dragoons . print published by
infantry , the frenzied Greys also ignored the call ( Print after W . B. Wollen ) Thomas Kelly shows the
old pattern of helmet ,
to rally and swept up amongst the French battery
replaced by a version with
where, the horses blown from the charge, they worsted comb , which was
none the less set about sabring as many gunners worn at the battle .
as they could find. However, together with Somer-
set’s remnants they were flung back with heavy
losses by fresh cuirassiers and lancers. Only
prompt action by Vandeleur’s light horse allowed
them the cover they needed in their escape.
It was now 3 p.m . A lull descended on the
battle as both sides paused to regroup. The French
attack had been broken up, but at a loss of some
40 per cent of Wellington ’s entire cavalry - and
nearly all of it the heavy cavalry that would have
been invaluable against the assaults that must
surely follow. And follow they did . Napoleon,
perhaps suspicious that he might have made a
mistake in giving Ney so much control, now gave
him a direct and categoric order that he must
immediately take La Haye Sainte.
62
THE BATTLE OPENS: D’ERLON’S ASSAULT

63
18 JUNE: THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO

delivered barely at a trot, and the Allied gunners

The French Cavalry Attack
lost no time in taking full advantage of the superb
A little before 4 p. m . Ney took Quiot’s and target opportunity before them. Whole files were
Donzelot’s brigades from the rallied remainder of destroyed by the crashing roundshot flying
I Corps against La Haye Sainte but found that through the crowded mass of horses and riders,
Baring’s position had been reinforced . The attack while repeated charges of shell and shrapnel
was repulsed in just a few minutes, but while at emptied many saddles in the rear ranks. Then it
the front, Ney saw some British battalions still was down to canister range, where whole ranks
returning to the cover of the reverse slopes, and would disappear at a stroke, the following horses
further ‘columns’ of wounded heading back to- stumbling over the broken carnage that was once
wards Mont St. Jean . Taking these to be retreating some of the finest cavalry in Europe . And still they
troops, he immediately ordered up a brigade of came on. Disordered by the mounds of corpses
Milhaud ’s cuirassiers to press the perceived retreat and wreckage, the sunken road and the ceaseless
into a rout. Somehow the attack escalated in all the fire of steady infantry, wave after wave of this
excitement, and instead of just a brigade of magnificent arm broke itself ineffectually against
cuirassiers, some 5,000 French cavalry of all types the squares, to be thrown back down the hill,
- many without orders - were suddenly moving where, reforming with others similarly repulsed ,
against the Allied right centre. On the ridge they would again launch their charge into the very
Wellington and his staff were amazed that such a mouths of the re - manned cannon they had just
mistake could have been made. Wellington or - passed , and to the infantry behind.
dered his troops into square and advanced some No less than four assaults took place on the
of the squares to just behind the Allied cannon Allied squares by this cavalry, in some places
lining the crest, so that the gunners could run back supported by horse batteries, but otherwise with -
into the shelter of the squares at the last minute out any support or coordination . Advancing
and then quickly return to the guns in the French infantry could have approached unmo-
expectation that the unsupported cavalry would be lested by artillery fire as the Allied gunners
beaten back . sheltered within the squares from the milling
Ehe French cavalry advanced spectacularly, en horsemen , but the opportunity was missed . ‘That
echelon from the right. Funnelled into the gap premature movement may have a fatal effect on the
between La Haye Sainte and Hougoumont, charg- fortunes of the day. It is too early by an hour,’
ing uphill, through high corn and over soggy grumbled Napoleon to Soult. ‘He has compro-
ground , it is not surprising that the attack was mised us, as he did at Jena,’ came the reply.
4 French cavalry assail a
<

British square ; note the

temporarily abandoned
artillery, the gunners
being ordered to shelter
inside the squares until
the French cavalry retired,
with a wheel removed
from the gun to prevent
its being dragged away by
the French during the
attack .
 THE FRENCH CAVALRY ATTACK

wm* -

A The 28th ( North retention of the old French cavalryr charge conspicuous in the sky.
Gloucestershire ) ‘stovepipe ’ shako, with British squares at Aquatint by R. Reeve after
Regiment, formed in distinctive badge, which Waterloo; La Haye Sainte William Fleath. ( ASKB)
square, repelling an attack had been replaced for the appears in mid -ground
by French cuirassiers at remainder of the line centre, and Wellington in
Waterloo. The regiment infantry by the false - mid -ground right.
was especially fronted 1812- pattem shako. Rockets Bred by
distinguished by its ( Print after W. B. Wollen ) Whinyates’ battery are
18 JUNE : THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO THE FRENCH CAVALRY ATTACK

Reinforced, Remnant of French IE French cavalry face cuirassiers; 23rd Light instance of Dutch cavalry face ofartillery and
0 Majority ofD'Erlon's I cavalry charges to help Baring still
Corps still regrouping in clear the ridge (against holds out at La Haye cavalry regroup o seven batteries as they Dragoons support them charging; however, they musket fire. Disordered,
this area Kellermann ) Sainte; 95th Rifles in advance by striking cuirassiers on leave the field on being they are picked upon by
Much-reduced British Pirc in wide feint sandpit opposite and at 1st Dutch Belgians the flank before pursuing ordered to charge a small units of British and
cavalry regrouping; they
rejoin the battle towards
Q Pire countered by
Grant's light cavalry
forw ard slope R -
counter charge French across valley and into the
batteries behind. This is
second time
IE French cavalry break
KGL cavalry and thrown
back on to the muskets of
the end of the French
Hougoumont the only recorded around the squares in the infantry
xxxx IE Much movement at
NORD
Adams's brigade brought
up as flanking force
-
Wellington's right centre
La Belle Alliance as French units are
disordered by the squares
and charged by British/
KGL cavalry, who pursue
them over the crest before
being repulsed in turn as
the French rally

Merbe - Braine
French Grand Battery
redeployed farther

slope deployment of
-
forward ; but reverse Chasse cn route from
-
Brainc L' Alleude
Wellington's troops
renders fire relatively S3 Duke of Cumberland's
ineffective 23rd Light Hussars refuse to charge
Q Rcillc's corps still Dragoons and quit the field
engaged at Hougoumont; HI Route of L' Hcritier's
garrison reinforced by retreat
Byng w hile tw o battalions La Haye Sainte Hougoumont and La
of Brunsw ickers occupy
French tirailleur IE Bolton's battery picks Haye Sainte compress the
his place skirmish line First- wave French
off frontage of the French
Bylandt still cavalry stragglers and cavalry attack, affording
regrouping; took little forces them back towards better targets for Allied
part in remainder of
battle
ID Wellington's infantry'
in tw enty squares,
crew s shelter inside
squares after firing upon
the muskets of the
squares, blocking escape
-
artillery , inhibiting
outflanking manoeuvres
Tw o columns from chcquerboard pattern for approaching enemy for many and limiting combined
Donzelot with heavy mutual supporting fire. cavalry; return to their IF1 A group of 140 cavalry -infantry-artillery
skirmisher support attack Average face of a square guns as French retire cuirassiers try to escape operations. Very few
La Haye Sainte occupied 60 yards. Wide IE Milhaud's 24 xxxx along Nivelles road but French guns approach
IE Kempt's brigade intervals betw een squares squadrons of cuirassiers ANGLO- ALLIED lose 80 men to a with the cavalry; and
clears slopes of French in which cavalryr were to ( A ), Lefebvre's 7 detachment of the 51st; infantry from Reille can
skirmishers operate. Forw ard gun squadrons of lancers ( B) and 12 squadrons of WELLINGTON when they encounter a only come up after the
chasseurs (C ) cross the barricade, the survivors cavalry has gone. This
Brussels road and assault surrender attack too is defeated
THE FRENCH CAVALRY CHARGE Wellington's centre en Mont St. Jean IE Kellermann's 37 piecemeal. Wellington is
echelon from the right To Brussels squadrons committed able to coordinate all
as seen from the north -east. Events approximately 16.00 to about 5 p.m. with Guyot's three arms in defence to
18.00 cavalry of the Guard excellent effect.
66
18 JUNE: THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO

By 5 p . m . fully 10,000 horsemen had been fed French right. Lobau attacked before the Prussians
into the maelstrom in an attempt to help extricate could deploy fully, pushing Biilow back on the
the first, blown assaults, yet still no infantry had wood , but a Prussian thrust towards Plancenoit
come up in support, nor any spiking equipment to threatened to turn Lobau ’s right and recovered the
silence the Allied guns. Although casualties situation . By 5 p. m ., with the arrival of Pirch’s II
mounted within the British squares, they were able Corps on Billow’s left , Plancenoit was threatened
to stand firm while there was no threat from the from three sides, and Lobau’s corps was in definite
French infantry, and some well timed charges by difficulties. Vicious fighting broke out on the edge
the Allied light cavalry and the remnant of the of the village, where the Prussians retained a
heavy cavalry helped to clear the now tiring French foothold , and Prussian reserves were coming up to
horsemen from the hill . All had been repulsed exploit it against the beleaguered French . A
when , at last, at 5.30 p. m., 8,000 infantry from division of the Young Guard came to their aid and
Reille’s corps finally arrived in support. It was too briefly secured Plancenoit before fresh waves of
late for the tired horsemen now regrouping in the Prussian assaults wrested it from their grasp in a
lee of the ridge . Lord Hill ’s infantry swung out on bloody hand - to- hand struggle. The Young Guard
the Allied right towards Hougoumont to allow was repulsed and Lobau ’s thinning and tired lines
converging fire on the French infantry as they were being relentlessly pressed back . If only
came up the slope. In view of the presence of Grouchy had been there. . . .
cavalry still in the area, Wellington’s infantry had Things were looking decidedly tight for Na -
formed reinforced (four- deep) lines to meet the poleon by now, and with his front line engaged all
threat but still gave such a volume of fire that along its length there was only the Guard left to
within ten minutes they had broken the attack and reinforce his wavering right. If Plancenoit were not
inflicted more than 20 per cent losses on the retaken, his entire flank could collapse. He sent
columns. two battalions of the Old Guard to take Plancenoit
The second major assault on the Allied lines itself and lined up the remaining eleven battalions
had been broken . And now at last the Prussians along the main road, facing east. Lobau’s hard
were making their presence felt on the French pressed corps in turn shortened its lines and
right. moved north -east of Plancenoit . The demon -
stration and threat of the Old Guard was in itself
nearly enough. The two battalions stormed
The Prussians Arrive through Plancenoit in a brilliant counter-attack,
Wellington had expected the two Prussian Corps which flung a full fourteen battalions of Prussians
dispatched from Wavre to reinforce his right wing back from the immediate area of the village and
by lunchtime, and he had left space in his bolstered the sagging morale of the French right
deployment behind Picton to allow for their arrival. wing. Within the hour, the line had been stabi-
But muddles in Prussian staff work caused con - lized ; each side paused to regroup forces and
fusion on the march as the long columns con - recover strength.
verged , and the sticky mud slowed progress to a Bringing most of the Old Guard back into the
crawl. As a result, the first corps to arrive , Billow’s central reserve at around 7 p. m ., Napoleon must
IV Corps, only came into action shortly after 4 p. m . have felt that victory was still within his grasp, for,
The first brigades had emerged from the Bois de while he had been preoccupied on his right with
Paris on the far right of the French, and behind the Prussians, Ney had remained highly active in
d’Erlon ’s corps, while the remainder of the column the centre.
was strung out way to the rear because of the long
march over difficult ground . Wellington’s Crisis
As the Prussians came out of the wood , they
met Lobau’s corps formed up at right -angles to the Still determined to take La Haye Sainte, the key
French main line, linking up with Durutte on the to the battle, Ney had set up a third assault on the

68
 WELLINGTON’S CRISIS

PP

A Bl ücher encourages his M ü tze ( Held cap ). ( Print T‘Schlacht bei Waterloo French troops wearing
army in their march to after R . Eichstädt ) am 18 Juni 1815’; a bearskin caps (left
Wellington’s relief at watercolour by Philip -
mid ground ) and carrying
Waterloo; the Prussian Heinrich Duncker two ‘Eagles ’, presumably
commander wears his showing the advance of Chasseurs ä Pied of the
service uniform of a caped Prussian infantry, Imperial Guard defending
greatcoat and peaked apparently opposed by Plancenoit. ( ASKB)
18 JUNE: THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO

'

i
T

70
 WELLINGTON’S CRISIS

Allied centre. Launched a little before 6 p.m . , this

time the attack was set up properly, using com -
bined arms of infantry, cavalry and artillery in the
assault . Many of the Allied troops were forced into
square by the presence of the enemy cavalry,
seriously reducing the number of muskets that
could bear on the approaching French infantry.
Worse, supporting French artillery cut large holes
in the densely packed formations, who could only
close ranks in the face of the combined arms
assault.
The pressure on Wellington’s army was now
almost intolerable . Although the line had held all
afternoon , casualties had not been light, and
streams of wounded had flooded back to the rear .
Desertion was not unknown , even in the generally
The light battalions of T The Prince of Orange
dependable British ranks, and some units - such the King’s German Legion directs Dutch troops in
as the Duke of Cumberland’s Hussars - had left attempted to hold La Haye opposition to the French
the field en masse. The staying- power of the Sainte with bayonet and to the right of La Haye
Belgian troops was very questionable by now, and -
rifle butt after their Sainte: a crucial stage in
ammunition had been the Battle of Waterloo at
Brialmont described the road to Brussels as being used; lack of ammunition the height of one of the
so crowded with fugitives that Wellington had no alone caused the post to be French attacks, shortly
evacuated after a most before the Prince was
choice but to hold his ground . heroic defence. ( Print wounded and carried from
Wellington’s centre was rapidly thinning under after W . B. Wollen ) the Held . Painting by
the intense pressure of Ney’s third attack. General Charles Warren. ( ASKB)

S '

I'
*
ft . .4

t ML
 ‘ LE CENTRE EST OUVERT! VIVE L’EMPEREUR ’

A The defence of La Haye Ompteda fell dead near the high road ; Sir William
Sainte: the light infantry of Delancey received a mortal wound from a cannon -
the King's German
Legion, commanded by ball as he rode next to Wellington ; Sir Alexander
Major George Baring, Gordon received his death wound nearby; farther
attempt to repel the final to the right, the Prince of Orange and General
French assault . ( Painting
by Adolf Northen ) Alten were struck down.
Kielmansegge’s tough Germans were at last
pushed back in the centre, leaving a yawning gap
in the Allied line . Worse still, by being locked up
in squares for most of the afternoon during the
French cavalry attack , command control over most
of the battlefield had been severed , with the result
that the garrison of La Haye Sainte had been
neither reinforced nor resupplied . Baring’s men
there, heavily depleted and having fired their last
rounds, had no alternative but to fight their way
out and rejoin the main lines. Of the original 400
defenders of the farm, only 42 got out.
'
faking La Haye Sainte at last , Ney wasted no
time in positioning an artillery battery there, which
enfiladed the Allied troops at less than 300 yards’
range. All Wellington could do was to call in his
last reserves from the extreme left and extreme
4 Napoleon observes the right to plug the rapidly widening gap in the
battle from a position at
the rear of the Grenadiers centre.
of the Imperial Guard,
recognisable by their
bearskin caps and their ‘Le centre est ouvert! Vive VEmpereur!’
painted fabric
cartridge - box covers; a Now was the time for Ney to launch one last
superbly emotive assault to break through Wellington ’s decimated
lithograph after A uguste
Raffet . ( ASKB) centre . But what with ? His own force was
stretched , engaged all along the front, and like
Wellington he had no reserves in the immediate
area . He needed reinforcements, perhaps from the
Guard . He sent Colonel Heymes to ask the
Emperor for more troops. When he arrived at the
Emperor’s observation post, Napoleon was himself
under pressure on the right and was still preoc-
cupied with his problems at Plancenoit. The
Guard was strung out along the right flank in
support of Lobau , and nothing more could be
released to this wasteful Marshal . ’More troops!’
raged Napoleon ; ‘Where am I to get them ? Does
he expect me to make them ?’
Ney’s reinforcements were not to come . The
timing would have been critical, before Welling-
ton’s final reserves came up. The wavering line
held as Chasse arrived from the far right, Wincke
73
18 JUNE: THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO

' '*
•

* - "

from the far left , and Wellington himself brought ‘The Interior of overestimates the
Hougoumontthe British numbers of Frenchmen
up the raw and uncertain Brunswickers from the Foot Guards defending who forced their way into
reserve to fill the gap. To keep the Brunswickers Hougoumont charge to the interior of
in place he lined up behind them Somerset and eject those French troops Hougoumont ; the flames
who penetrated by the in the background stop
Ponsonby’s cavalry brigades - brigades in name rear gate . This engraving before the chapel (right ) is
only, for between them they were barely two by T . Sutherland greatly destroyed . ( ASKB)
squadrons strong. His last reserves had been
committed , the French had been checked for the forward on the slopes to the right of La Haye
time being, but where were the promised Prus- Sainte, and at the farm itself the French cannon
sians? ‘Give me Bl ü cher . . . or give me night . . .’ and sharpshooters were raking the Allied lines to
was his quiet prayer. Had he but known it , in right and left. Ney had breasted the ridge to the
diverting Napoleon’s final reserve the Prussian left of the road , and Wellington’s lines showed
attacks on Plancenoit had probably already saved considerable gaps. Wellington had clearly com -
his army. It was 7 p.m . mitted all his reserves, and since Ney’s appeals half
an hour before he must be even weaker. A
supreme effort all along the front was called for ,
The Assault by The Imperial Guard with an attack by the Imperial Guard to smash
Shortly after 7 p.m. the French right wing had right through the centre and roll up the line - and
been propped up sufficiently to pull most of the there could still be enough time to tackle the
Old Guard back into reserve. The French position Prussians before dark.
looked strong from La Belle Alliance . To the far But even as the attack was being prepared , it
right, Durutte held La Haye and Papelotte, with became clear that the vision of success before him
skirmishers thrown forward to the crest of the was illusory, for to the French right the blue
ridge; the rest of I Corps was busily engaged well uniforms of the Prussian I Corps could now be
74
 THE ASSAULT BY THE IMPERIAL GUARD

75
18 JUNE: THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO

distinguished in the distance as they belatedly was, the leading battalion - the l /3 rd Grenadiers
arrived at Smohain and Frischermont to link the of the Middle Guard - crested the slope to be met
two armies. Signs of panic were already starting to by the Brunswickers and the remains of the British
be seen on the French right as they speculated on 30th and 73 rd . The Grenadiers pushed them
the disaster that would follow. Only a supreme back , the Brunswickers breaking and Wellington
effort could save the day. himself riding to rally them . Chasse, behind them,
Ever ready to take a risk, as the Guard had brought up van der Smissen ’s Dutch battery,
advanced Napoleon deliberately spread the news which had tired on the Guard with good effect,
that the blue uniforms in the distance belonged to and he then ordered up his two infantry brigades
Grouchy’s force . It gave his weary lines the to plug the gap left by the Brunswickers. The sight
strength to make a final effort, and , at last, here of the Guard was enough for d’Aubreme’s brigade,
was the Guard , marching steadily on to break who promptly left the field in disorder. Ditmer’s
Wellington’s line. It’s use had always heralded the brigade, however, formed up on the left of the
victorious end to a battle - victory was near; rallying 30th and 73rd British and charged the
success was certain ; the Guard had never been Grenadiers in fine order to hold the line .
defeated . 4 La Garde au feu! Voila Grouchy! Vive Meanwhile the second echelon of the Imperial
l’ Empereur!’ Guard , comprising the single battalion of the 4th
Details of the actual attack are still slightly Grenadiers, came up on the left of the l /3rd and
confused , with differing sources offering varying engaged in hand -to- hand combat with Colin
interpretations. However , it seems that of the Halkett’s brigade, who were still in four -deep line .
fourteen battalions of the Guard , two were already Ehe line almost broke under the impact, but just
committed at Plancenoit , which left twelve batta - held , Colin Halkett himself rallying the 33rd by
lions available to the Emperor. Leaving three near seizing one of the colours, before falling himself.
La Belle Alliance, Napoleon himself led the
At the critical point of
remainder in column along the main Brussels the attack of the Imperial
road . Guard, the Duke of
1'he Guard descended into the valley. Keeping Wellington orders the
three battalions there with him , Napoleon halted British Foot Guards to
oppose them; the
near La Belle Alliance and released the other six traditional exclamation
to Marshal Ney for the assault on the Allied ‘Up Guards, and at them ’
centre . Most sources reveal that the assault went was probably in actual fact
‘Stand up, Guards 1 ( they
forward in battalion columns with a two-company had been lying down to
wide frontage, but General Petit of the Imperial minimize the effect of
Guard , who helped Ney organize the attack, insists artillery fire ) and, to their
commander, ‘Now
that a hollow square formation was used. Whatever Maitland, now's your
the truth, it is probable that one of the six time! 1. Wellington here
battalions was posted at the main road south of La (centre ) gives the order;
Haye Sainte as the other five ascended the slope the Guards wear their
service dress with covered
en echelon, the Grenadiers of the Middle Guard shakos, and the French
leading from the right, and with a pair of cannon column appears in the
in each interval. D’Erlon ’s battered I Corps background . Lithograph
after John Augustus
launched a supporting attack to their right , while Atkinson . ( ASKB)
Reille should have provided some support from his
easternmost battalions, but by some error these
failed to materialize, leaving the Guard to advance
alone , but confident.
Had the attack been made just half an hour
earlier, the centre would have been open . As it
76
 THE ASSAULT BY THE IMPERIAL GUARD

The fate of these two melees still hung in the 4th Chasseurs, before breaking off and running
balance when the third and fourth echelons arrived back in double -quick time and considerable dis-
together in one mass, consisting of the 1 st and 2 nd order to the crest between Halkett’s and Adams’
Battalions of the 3 rd Chasseurs. There was brigades, where they hastened to form up before
nothing to their front as they neared the road , until the advancing Chasseurs.
Wellington’s voice called out clearly above the As this was happening, Adams’ brigade had not
sounds of battle - ‘Now Maitland , now’s your been idle. Colborne had wheeled the 52 nd forward
time!’ Then the order, ‘Stand up, Guards!’ The to take the last echelon of the Imperial Guard in
Duke had ordered all troops to lie down or shelter flank as it came up the slope and halted it suddenly
behind cover when under fire but not actually short of the ridge . A fierce fire - fight lasted for four
engaged , and Maitland’s brigade of Guards had minutes and cost 150 casualties in the 52 nd alone ,
been lying down in the shelter of the banks of the perhaps suggesting from the volume of return fire
road . The fifteen hundred Guards rose , it seemed , that the Chasseurs were indeed in hollow square
from the very ground just fifty yards in front of the formation at the time. Nevertheless the superior
French. Still in four ranks, they pounded the firepower of the British soldiers took its toll on the
Chasseurs with rolling volleys that devastated the 4th Chasseurs and ripped the formation apart
head of the attack at point- blank range. The attack without mercy before they charged in with the
wavered in disorder. bayonet .
Almost without pausing for breath , the Guards The attack had been halted all along the front.
charged the confused mass of the Chasseurs and In the valley, Napoleon was preparing to bring up
threw them down the hill in rout. Near the bottom a further three battalions of the Guard - 1 st
of the slope the pursuing and disordered Guards Chasseurs, 2 nd Grenadiers and 2 nd Chasseurs -
ran into the French fifth echelon , comprising the when , looking up to the crest, his astonishment
18 JUNE: THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO THE ASSAULT BY THE IMPERIAL GUARD

Allied units: Q Ghingy IE1 C. Halkett, pushed IB Chasse Fugitives and w ounded 0 Supporting skirmisher Route of Imperial
0 Best IB Vivian’s cavalry hack by Imperial Guard ID Maitland From Ohain
clog Brussels road fire from d \ErIon’s much - Guard, led forw ard by
B Kempt arriving from left w ing ww KB Adams w heels forw ard Q] Fierce fighting for reduced and exhausted Napoleon as far as La
B Pcrponcher ID Trip to engage chasseurs in Plancenoit; even tually troops Belle Alliance
ANGLO - ALLIED Q Brunsw ick’s and
Lamberty brought up IB Vivian ( part ) flank Biilow turns French H Fighting still intense at
from Mont St. Jean about IB Ompteda, Krusey WELLINGTON extreme right Hougoumont Halkett’s brigades break ;
3.30 p.m. Brunswick , much reduced situation saved by Chasse
0 Pack with Vivian’s support
Q \ incke
Mont St. Jean Papelotte 0 Wellington supenises
Q Merlen Maitland’s response
XXXX
Q Remnants of British which routs the
hea\y brigades Chasseurs
[2 Adams’s swing
BLUCHER enfilades the French;
fierce fire fight results in
the French breaking.
From Wavre Wellington orders general
advance to prevent
Imperial Guard reforming

Merbe- Braine
—
V -

ID Mitchell
E Byng
2J H. Halkett
31 Grant
33 Dörnberg
33 Brunswick cavalry
VZ\ Vandclcur
33 Ditmcrs Q Ziethen s Corps arrives
very late, as French break ;
French units: Prussians cause Allied
23 Young Guard Hougoumont casualties in the area
33Lobau
33 Durutte ZZ\ lst/3rd Grenadiers of Plancenoit - -
Hand to hand fighting
in Plancenoit continues
03Marcognct Middle Guard after bulk of French army
23 Donzclot E0 4th Grenadiers of has quit the field
31Quiot Middle Guard
33 La Hayc Saintc lost to E3 lst/3rd Chasseurs
Ney push back Halkett but are La Belle Alliance
33 Domont in turn broken by artillery
EY1 Subervie fire and charge by Chasse Rossomme xxxx

33 New position of Grand Q3 2nd/3rd Chasseurs Napoleon’s principal HQ

for the battle
F X NORD
Battery shot to pieces by NAPOLEON
23 Jacquinot Maitland’s Guards and
33 Remnants of French break w hen charged 2D Pirch’s II Corps
heavy cavalry CTH 4th Chasseurs engage attacking Plancenoit from
2D Bachelu Adams’s light infantry' in -
north east and Lobau/
33 Toy short , bloody firelight as Young Guard north of it
ED Jerome remaining Middle Guard HI Ziethen’s I Corps
THE ATTACK OF THE IMPERIAL GUARD
Q1 Pire breaks around them nears the Held of battle
03 Two battalions of Old
Guard at Rossomme Prussian units:
23 Von Röder’s cavalry
now in contact with Saxc - AND THE DEFENCE OF PLANCENOIT
03 Napoleon in valley EQ Bülow ’s IV Corps Weimar, w ho
with remainder of Old attacking Plancenoit from as seen from the south- west. The final all-out assault by the
23 still holds outlying
Guard -
south east farms French to coincide with the attack by the Middle Guard

78 79
 THE ASSAULT BY THE IMPERIAL GUARD

4 Light Dragoons of the

•
must have been absolute . ‘Mais, ils sont melees!’
King’s German Legion Even as he spoke, the rearward movement of
(left mid - ground ) charge a
regiment of French his Guard was evident. The entire attack had been
lancers; an incident repelled. The perfect formations of just a few
presumably towards the minutes before were now a single confused blue
end of the battle of
Waterloo when the KGL mass, highlighted with the glint of slashing steel as
Light Dragoons advanced Vivian ’s and Vandeleur’s light cavalry hacked
towards Colbert’s lancer within its midst. The impossible had happened .
brigade ofSubervie ’s 5th
Cavalry Division . The
The invincible had been vanquished . A great,
French are depicted in incredible sob sped along the French lines - ‘La
Polish -style costume, Garde recule! Sauve qui peut!’
although the French To the right, the blue coats seen at Smohain
Cheva u - Leger - Lanciers
in the campaign wore were now nearer, their artillery firing on the
crested helmets . Painting French lines. Could this be Grouchy firing? There
by Charles Warren . had always been considerable suspicion of the
( ASKB)
Bourbon troops under his control. Had he de -
fected to the Bourbons? ‘Traison!’ came the cry,
‘Nous sommes trahis!’ Soon , even in the deepen -
ing gloom of twilight, they were clearly seen as
Prussians, not Grouchy’s force. The army had
indeed been betrayed .
Seeing the moment was ripe , Wellington raised
his cocked hat forward to signal a general advance.
A Wellington orders the The hussar officer in defenders . This provides
advance, while a British front of Wellington is the an excellent illustration of
cavalryman brings a Earl of Uxbridge . ( ASKB) the Prussian infantry’s
captured French ‘ Eagle ’ as campaign uniform, with
a trophy . This watercolour The leading elements of their most distinctive,
by John Augustus the Prussian army storm oilskin - covered shakos .
Atkinson also depicts the into the blazing wreck of ( Painting by Adolf
carnage and suffering - Plancenoity still held Northen )
ignored by many artists . valiantly by the French

&
8r
V.
18 JUNE: THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO

The army descended the slopes, as the French odds, and their commander, General Cambronne,
army crumbled before it. In the valley, only Reille’s surrendered to Colonel H. Halkett. At 10 p.m.
corps on the left and the three battalions of the Wellington and Bl ücher met at La Belle Alliance,
Old Guard at La Belle Alliance held fast to offer where Bl ü cher offered to take up the pursuit. This
a last chance of a rallying point for the fleeing was gratefully accepted by Wellington, whose
army. It was to no avail. Plancenoit was again taken troops had by then been fighting for more than ten
by the Prussians, driving all before them towards hours.
the main road in their pursuit. Only when Na - It had indeed been ‘a damned near- run thing’,
poleon saw that all was lost did he leave the field. but the steadiness and order of the British trained
The squares of the Guard finally broke up after troops had sustained Wellington’s line right to the
taking musket fire in the face of overwhelming end . To Napoleon ’s dismay, Reille’s prediction
M The flight of Napoleon
from Waterloo 9: Napoleon
and his aides leave the
battlefield as the French {
army disintegrates in the
background. Engraving by
D. Sluyter afterJ .
Kamphuyzen. ( ASKB)

M Napoleon shelters
within a square of the
Grenadiers of the Imperial
Guard as the battle draws
to its climax, while a staff
officer appears to beseech
him to flee. ( Print after
Charles Steuben )

82
THE ASSAULT BY THE IMPERIAL GUARD

83
18 JUNE: THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO

M Napoleon’s flight from

the battle Held; his coach
waits at the foot of the
-
observation tower.
The meeting of
Wellington and Bl ü cher
upon the field of victory
on the evening of
Waterloo, traditionally at
La Belle Alliance; the old
Prussian remarked
‘Quelle affaire ! 9 which,
said Wellington, was about
all the French he knew!
( Painting by Adolph
Menzel )

^ neLa seGarde
et
* meurt
rend pas
Cambronne’s reputed
reply to a call to
surrender: the last stand
of the Old Guard,
attempting to delay the
Allied pursuit in the last
stage of the battle. ( Print
after Hippolyte Bellange )

Waterloo: the Morning

after the Battle.J . H.
Clark’s graphic depiction
of the wounded and dying
lying unattended amid
the slain reveals the full
horror of the aftermath of
a Napoleonic battle. Wives
and children search the
heaps of dead for their
loved ones, scavengers rob
the dead and dying, and a
few small detachments
attend to casualties.
( ASKB)

84
THE ASSAULT BY THE IMPERIAL GUARD

85
18 JUNE: THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO

that morning of the invincibility of British fire- unorthodox wisdom of concealing his forces from
power against a frontal attack had been proved all both the sight and the fire of the enemy. British
too accurate, even against the Imperial Guard . and KGL coolness and firepower did the rest,
The battle was over, and with it Napoleon’s aided by the general inability of the French
chances of success. He fled back to Paris, where, properly to co-ordinate their assaults at Waterloo.
drained once more into the lethargy that had Bl ü cher in turn had survived his main mistake
haunted him at Ligny, after the exertions and of a dangerous forward concentration at Ligny by
reverses of the campaign, he renewed his abdi- the French inability to bring either d’Erlon’s or
cation and retired to Malmaison. Lobau’s Corps into the battle. Later the ability of
The rest of the campaign would consist of a the Prussians to reinforce Wellington at Waterloo
drive by the Allies into France itself, culminating was only even remotely possible by the fortuitous
at the gates of Paris. At the end of the day, the and almost accidental choice of Wavre as a rallying
laurels of victory had gone to those who had made point for the Prussian army. Blücher’s loyalty to
the fewer mistakes and on whom fortune and good Wellington and hatred of Napoleon did the rest,
staff work had smiled at the critical moments. aided by Grouchy’s late pursuit and determined
Wellington had been able to survive his main observance of his equivocal orders.
strategic mistake at the start of the campaign by All had seemed in Napoleon’s favour at the
both the good fortune of Bl ücher’s forward start of the campaign , but success and eventual
deployment and Ney’s slowness both before and victory would depend upon how quickly his
after the battle of Quatre Bras. He was not to give advantages were spent by his subordinates and on
the French the opportunity to exploit a tactical what returns he would get as they spent them .
error thereafter, and showed his customary but From the outset he was beset by problems that
86
 THE ASSAULT BY THE IMPERIAL GUARD

stemmed ultimately from his choices for command Even so, Napoleon almost succeeded. With a
of the wings and his inexperienced general staff little more vigour on his part and a little closer
,

Ney repeatedly squandered most of the advantage supervision of Ney, the Prussians could have been
on the left wing for no return, and Napoleon let pursued properly after Ligny and Wellington could
him do it. It must be said that the flash storm of have been defeated at Quatre Bras on the 17 th
the 17 th did not help Napoleon either; but this instead of being permitted to extricate his army ,

would have had minimal effect on the Napoleon of The battle on the 18 th, if it had happened at all ,
Austerlitz or the Italian campaigns. could have been over before the Prussians arrived .
M The village of Waterloo
on the morning after the
battle; at the right is the
church, and at the left is
the house in which
Wellington wrote his
dispatch; his ADC , Henry
Percy, is departing to
carry it home in the post -
chaise . Allied wounded
are being brought in .
Engraving by T .
Sutherland after a drawing
made on the spot by
A .M .S .\ ( ASKB)
The German Legion: 1 ,
Hussar, 1 st Hussar
Regiment. This unit was
‘converted’ into lancers for
the 1815 campaign but
retained their hussar
uniforms . 2, Gunner,
Horse Artillery. (Bryan
Fosten )

87
 FINALE

There were still 120,000 Frenchmen in the field Others were not so lucky . Fouche issued a list
around Paris, and a further 150,000 conscripts in that proscribed several of the generals who had
the depots. Already drained by the battles of the supported Napoleon . Some, such as Lobau and
18 th, the Allied and Prussian armies became Davout, were saved by the intervention of Welling-
decidedly weaker as they advanced on Paris, ton , but others were not. La Bedoyere, for
leaving troops behind them to secure their lines of example, met his fate in this way, and Marshal
communication . For the French there was a very Ney, who had so fervently sought death during the
real opportunity to administer a quick reverse to closing stages of Waterloo, finally found it in the
the Allies around Paris: Davout urged Napoleon form of a firing squad after - typically - he had
to try, but he was not to take it . The fighting was insisted on returning to Paris after Louis’ restor -
finally over . ation ; had he waited just a few days longer before
Napoleon ’s political position in Paris was joining Napoleon , he would have cheated the
insecure in the face of a General Assembly led by firing squad , for upon reaching Belgium Louis
Joseph Fouche, whom he had appointed Minister dissolved his army, thereby releasing all officers
of Police but who was already in secret contact from their oaths of allegiance.
with the Allies and actively ‘running both with the Bl ü cher rode in triumph through Paris, having
hare and with the hounds’. On 8 July, distrustful at last avenged the indignities and atrocities
of Fouche, Napoleon set off to seek sanctuary in inflicted on Prussia by Napoleon’s 1806 campaign .
America. It was in the very nick of time, for He was narrowly thwarted in his avowed and
Fouche had indeed ordered his arrest. The Royal determined intention to blow up the Pont de Jena
Navy had been tipped off to intercept him, which in Paris, before returning to Prussia to spend the
they did , and on 15 July, expecting the very worst last four years of his life in a frenzy of hard
from the Chamber if he returned to Paris, drinking and wild gambling.
Napoleon finally threw himself on the mercy of the Wellington, meanwhile, had given the British
Prince Regent and boarded HMS Bellerophon. army a stature unique since Marlborough and
He was exiled to St. Helena, a remote, barren , returned home a hero. He was heaped with
rocky island in the South Atlantic with a poor honours from all around the world and festooned
climate. With his small entourage he lived in with riches - including the gift from the nation of
luxurious isolation, the mind that had tested the Stratfield Saye House, near Reading, and £61,000
major powers of Europe now reduced to squab- in prize money (privates received £2 11s 4d ) . He
bling with the resident governor, which made his commanded the forces of occupation in France ,
life an utter misery . There six years later he was following which he became Prime Minister from
to meet a premature death, perhaps, of all things, 1828 to 1830. He died in 1852.
because of his choice of wallpaper (or so some
would have us believe ).

88
 THE BATTLEFIELD TODAY

Everyone should go to Waterloo at least once in the Bois de Bossu - now just a clump of trees up
his life . It is a unique amalgam of competing by the main road - would have extended before
interests. At one level it is simply a huge tourist you , channelling the French attacks up the slopes
trap - the first theme park in Europe; at another ahead. Just north of this central ditch on the far
it is a telling memorial to courage and wasted side is where the Brunswickers made their stand
European life. Happily, either or both will guar- and where the young Duke met his fate . A gentle
antee the preservation of this magical site . slope, which today offers a clear view of the
Visiting the site will take at least a day if you forward slopes, at the time it was covered in man -
want to see it properly; half a day if you just want height corn . One can understand Reille’s caution
to tour the Allied positions for a swift overview. I as one turns to scan the Allied positions crossing
believe that the best way to approach Waterloo is the Brussels road just to the north. One can almost
from the south along the N5 from either the E41 imagine the 92 nd straddling the Brussels road
motorway or Charleroi itself. If you are coming itself, lancers swirling about the squares. The
from the E41 , take the opportunity for a quick look crossroads behind was the high-water mark of
at Fleurus and Ligny just north of the motorway Ney’s assaults, and to the east of the crossroads is
on the next road along (the N21) before doubling the Namur Road from which Picton’s Highlanders
back to the E41/N5. You will be amazed at just debouched to engage the French infantry columns
how small the Ligny stream is and the openness behind Gemioncourt. It is all very compact, very
of the villages and the gently sloping terrain visible and manageable for a general. 'Ehe reality
beyond. of short musketry range, the brutal effect of close -
Coming up the N5 you will pass through quarter volleys and cold steel and the total lack of
Frasnes-les-Gosselies, where Ney spent the night control possible on anything beyond shouting
before Quatre Bras, and then you are almost upon distance - all particularly impress one at this site.
the field of Quatre Bras itself. The old farmhouse Back in the car, continue northwards along the
of Gemioncourt is on the right next to the road N5, which bypasses Genappe, scene of the final
and within sight of the N5/N49 crossroads. Stop rearguard action by Uxbridge and the horse
at the side of the road for a few minutes and you batteries, and takes you past Le Caillou, Na -
will be standing at the very heart of the battle . poleon’s HQ before the start of Waterloo and now
Looking at the farmhouse itself, you can see why a museum. Just a little way ahead and you arrive
it took so long for the French to capture it. It is at La Belle Alliance, which is surrounded by
naturally strong, with high, windowless walls on all memorials and monuments. Halt briefly at the side
sides. Turning clockwise, just behind you will be of the road to take your first glimpse of the
the small ridge that you have just crossed , from panorama that faces you across the valley.
where the French cannon bombarded the Allied The most obvious feature opposite is the lump
positions, and from where the French main of earth that towers over the surrounding fields
assaults were launched. Just to the west of the road like a tumulus with a lion on the top. This is the
is the plain where Kellerman began his desperate Lion Mound , which marks the centre of the Allied
charge, across the insignificant ditch which divides position, and was erected after the battle and at the
the field . The field today stretches uninterrupted expense of the earth comprising the surrounding
towards the west for a good distance, but in 1815 Allied ridge. To east and west of it stretches the
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THE BATTLEFIELD TODAY

ridge that marks Wellington’s position, Papelotte plaque . They certainly build their farmhouses
to the east, the rooftops of Hougoumont perhaps strong in Belgium . Can they be musket ball marks
just barely visible in its dip to the west. Tens of in the wall ? The original orchard to the south is
thousands of men literally packed into this tiny no longer there.
area . In front of the Lion Mound from where you On your side of the road you are standing on
are standing, glistening white on the main road what was a gravel pit, occupied at the start of the
itself, is La Haye Sainte, almost unchanged in day by the 95 th Rifles, now filled in . Moving on
more than 175 years, the ribbon -like Brussels just a little way, just below the southernmost end
Road undulating towards you . Monuments and of La Haye Sainte, you may still be lucky enough
memorials galore dot the field in a variety of styles, to find a track into the field at the bottom of the
breaking the sky line. hill. Walking along this a little way you are at the
Climb back into the car and head along the very bottom of the valley, the site of frenzied
road to Wellington’s positions. Once past La Haye cavalry charges by the British dragoons, and the
Sainte, you can turn off the road to the right into Cuirassiers and Red Lancers who repelled them.
a picnic area and car park; by turning left you come The steepness of the slope is at once apparent, as
into a cluster of buildings that have gone up to is the realization that there is something of a dip
service the tourist industry - cafes, souvenir shops, on either side of the Brussels road , for whatever is
panorama paintings, several of the inevitable happening on the far side of it cannot be seen from
futures, and a new and rather splendid visitors’ this side of the valley. Back to the road - lined with
centre. Somehow after wandering around this area poplar trees in 1815 - head down to La Belle
one comes away with the distinct impression that Alliance, passing on the left both the initial and
our history books have made a mistake and that final positions of the French batteries. At la Belle
Napoleon actually won the battle! Alliance take the turning to the left to Plancenoit,
To tour the field itself you will need a good and a few yards along it on the right are some steps
pair of boots, for even in summer the ground gets to take you up to Napoleon ’s vantage point. From
soft and boggy, with a thick, grey mud that must here you can see nearly all of the Allied lines.
have given real problems in 1815 after the night Interestingly, the part of the field that is not visible
of drizzle and rain. Starting at the crossroads, you is Hougoumont and its environs. Is this the reason
can see the height of the cutting the road makes why Jerome was given such a free hand , perhaps?
on the eastern side, and which used to be similar To the right can be seen the woods of the Bois de
on the other side before the raising of the Lion Paris and the hills upon which they rest.
Mound caused it to be levelled off. Walk across to Carry on along the road to Plancenoit past
the picnic area to the east of the Brussels road and some pretty, modern houses, and into the village
you will be standing in the deployment area of itself. It will be immediately apparent just how
Kempt’s brigade, in Picton’s division . You can see open and spacious the village centre is. A visit to
the protection that must have been afforded by the the Prussian memorial is worth the effort (it is
ridge in the face of French cannon fire. Follow the signposted), and in the village itself there is a very
footpath from the picnic area, which takes you friendly bar/cafe.
towards the ridge and over the top, much as part Returning to La Belle Alliance, there is a
of Kempt’s brigade must have done, to see the French memorial depicting a dying eagle, and for
commanding and inspiring view of the field that some reason a monument to Victor Hugo, who
stretches to the French positions opposite. Just wrote about the battle in none-too-accurate terms.
below you is where Donzelot struggled to deploy Almost opposite the road to Plancenoit is a track
his lines, and where Kempt’s brigades threw him that takes you from La Belle Alliance over in the
back down the hill. Keeping to the side of the field , approximate direction of Hougoumont, and more
so as not to cause damage to crops, follow the slope or less parallel with the Allied positions. (This is
down to where it runs alongside the Brussels road where you may be glad you took the boots I
opposite La Haye Sainte, which has a memorial mentioned earlier.) Within a very short distance
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 THE BATTLEFIELD TODAY

the route dips into a hollow, and by the time you blend the edge between you and the painting, and
reach a point opposite the centre of the Allied line a true sense of excitement is expressed in the
not even the roof of La Belle Alliance can be seen, painting style .
nor anything on the eastern side of the Brussels The newly constructed visitors’ centre nearby
road. Totally ‘out of sight’, you are now standing shows scenes from Waterloo, the motion picture of
in the area where the French cavalry got out of the battle, together with a model of the battlefield
hand and , instead of a few squadrons advancing, area. In the low lighting levels of the cinema
whole regiments almost spontaneously charged the atmosphere, movements during the various stages
centre of the Allied line ahead of you. Perhaps of the battle are shown on the model by means of
standing here we can appreciate how the sheer coloured lights. Attached to the visitors’ centre is
problem of visibility could have been a contri- the Lion Mound itself. The steps going up to the
bution to the loss of control. top seem to go on for ever, but the view from the
You are also following the route taken by the top is a very pleasant one. To see the battlefield
Imperial Guard for their last assault on the Allied properly, though, you have to walk all over it. It all
centre, and to follow this key part of the battle you looks flat from up here!
should now leave the track and head for the centre The final port of call is Hougoumont itself,
of the Allied positions. As you reach the crest, the which, if you do not have much time left can be
long and gentle slope of the reverse side of the visited by car on the way out. It is signposted from
ridge shows what a superb defensive position this the south -bound carriageway of the N6 by crossed
was for Wellington’s infantry to mass - plenty of sabres over the 1815 date. It is another strongly
space, good lines of sight and the opportunity to built building, but this time on an even grander
interlock lines of fire. Breasting the crest to see the scale.
slope behind massed with infantry must have been I doubt whether one would have time to visit
a demoralizing sight indeed. Today a section of Wavre unless on a two-day tour of the area. If you
motorway crosses a part of the site - roughly where want to try it, however, the way to go is from the
Somerset’s brigade stood at the start of the battle. battlefield of Waterloo itself to Lasne, either along
At the Ohain road which traverses the crest, it the Ohain road (which takes you past Papelotte
is clear that the roadway at this part of the line was and La Haie) or from Plancenoit - the roads join
not ‘sunken’ to the extent of presenting an obstacle halfway there. Lasne and its neighbouring village,
to troops crossing it. At the crest is a sign Chapelle St. Lambert, are in the Bois de Paris, and
indicating the position of Mercer’s cannon during a variety of small roads will take you to Limale,
the latter part of the battle. You are now almost in Bierges and on to Wavre - all scenes of hard
the cluster of buildings at the centre of the Allied fighting. The terrain is very hilly; even today it is
lines once more. not a very easy journey, and it is easy to get lost.
Here, the panorama is worth a visit. This is a In 1815 with the added problem of heavy mud it
large circular building with an old, rather dusty but must have been much more difficult. There is
still very impressive painting all the way around the plenty of parking at Wavre town centre, and the
inside. The idea is that you are on that very spot town itself is worth a visit for an hour or two. The
in the middle of the Allied line at 4 p.m. or so on Dyle at Wavre is a formidable obstacle, and it is
the day of the battle. As you stand amid the Allied no wonder Grouchy bypassed it by striking at
artillery and looking back up the slope, ahead of Limale.
you and to the side are British battalions; to your
left and right are the near life -size Dragoons of the
Guard and Lancers of the Guard dramatically
breasting the crest of the ridge, spurring onwards;
and all around you are the Cuirassiers of
l’Heritier’s division, attacking a battery of guns.
Large models and military impedimenta serve to
91
 CHRONOLOGY

1814 Napoleon’s exile to Elba ; Congress of Vienna 21.00 Battle ends with opposing forces at their
original positions; d’Erlon returns to Fleurus
1815:
1 March Napoleon returns to France The Battle of Ligny: 15.00 First Assaults on
13 March Allies declare him an outlaw Prussian - held villages
20 March Napoleon enters Paris 17.00 Wagnele, St. Amand and La Haye Sainte
25 March Allies declare war on him; mobilization fall to the French
and recruitment begin ; rebellion in the Vendee 17.30 Tongrinelle falls to the French ; Ligny still
bitterly contested .
15 June: 3.00 Armee du Nord commences cross- 18.00 Napoleon orders up the Guard ; d’Erlon
ing of the Sambre arrives behind the French flank ; Bl ü cher retakes
3.30 Ney arrives at Charleroi to join the campaign ; St. Amand
Napoleon gives him command of a wing 19.00 D’Erlon marches off to rejoin Ney; the
17.30 Napoleon engages Prussian rearguard at Guard begins attack on Ligny; St. Amand retaken
Gilly; Wellington receives news from Gneisenau 20.30 The Guard breaks through the Prussian
of a ‘major attack by the French’ centre; Bl ü cher injured
18.30 Ney takes Frasnes 21.00 The Emperor returns to Fleurus, exhausted ,
20.00 Napoleon returns to Charleroi, exhausted ; possibly ill; he refuses to receive Grouchy later
Wellington and his staff attend Duchess of Rich - that night.
mond’s ball 17 June: 2.00 Sombreffe finally evacuated by last
of the Prussians
16 June: 4.00 The Emperor rises 5.00 Wellington dispatches ADC Gordon to
6.00 Prussians seen to be moving on Brye/St. determine outcome of Ligny
Amand 8.00 The Emperor comes down to breakfast;
9.30 Wellington arrives at Quatre Bras to see the orders troops to prepare for inspection
French preparing a meal and Ney still awaiting 9.30 Bl ücher confirms Wavre as destination of
orders at Quatre Bras; Bl ücher is now at Brye retreat to Gneisenau and Gordon; Napoleon tours
11.00 The Emperor arrives at Fleurus with the the battlefield of Ligny
Guard 10.30 Wellington begins withdrawal from Quatre
12.00 Wellington meets Bl ü cher at Brye Bras
14.00 Battles of Ligny and Quatre Bras commence 11.00 Napoleon receives a report from Ney and
orders him to attack Wellington; Grouchy is to
The Battle of Quatre Bras: 15.00 French main pursue Blücher
advance checked by arrival of Picton 12.00 Last of Wellington’s infantry leave Quatre
16.00 Ney’s all -out assault; d ’Erlon ordered to Bras
Ligny 13.00 Grouchy starts pursuit of the Prussians
17.00 Kellermann’s charge 14.30 Napoleon arrives at Quatre Bras to find only
17.30 Alten’s attack British cavalry rearguard remaining and Ney’s
19.00 British Guards retake Bossu Wood; Well- troops eating lunch; a thunderstorm breaks
ington’s counter-attack 15.00 Grouchy arrives at Point du Jour, one mile
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 CHRONOLOGY

east of Ligny; he orders Vandamme to Gembloux 17.30 Arrival of Reille’s infantry in support of
18.30 Napoleon’s advance guard reaches La Belle now -spent French cavalry attack on Allied centre
Alliance broken up with heavy losses on both sides; Lobau
i
20.00 The head of Vandamme’s corps arrives at defends Plancenoit in a desperate struggle
Gembloux, six miles from Point du Jour; there is 18.00 Ney organizes a third assault on Welling-
no sign of the Prussians; the army bivouacs ton’s centre; the Young Guard is sent in to
Plancenoit; Old Guard deployed behind Lobau in
18 June: The Battle of Waterloo: support
3.30 Wellington receives confirmation from 18.30 Prussians thrown out of Plancenoit; Prus-
Bl ücher that he will come to his aid ; Wellington sians pause to regroup; La Haye Sainte falls to
confirms his stand at Mont St. Jean Ney; British centre is open ; Wellington in crisis;
3.48 Dawn; the Prussian IV Corps breaks camp Ney asks for reinforcements
near Wavre. 18.45 Arrival of Prussian I Corps near Welling-
9.00 Wellington’s deployment complete ton’s left allows him to contract his line
10.00 Napoleon orders his final dispositions 19.00 Imperial Guard brought back into Reserve;
11.30 24- gun bombardment of Allied lines; assault Chasse arrives to plug the gap in Wellington’s line;
on Hougoumont begins Wellington brings up his last reserves (Bruns-
11.45 Grouchy decides not to march to the sound wickers) personally
of the guns 19.30 Assault of the Guard on Wellington’s right
12.00 Prussian hussar captured near St. Lambert, centre
three miles from La Belle Alliance; Lobau de - 20.15 All Guard attacks have been repelled ;
ployed to guard the French right flank Prussian I Corps now engaged
13.00 French bombardment increased ; now 88 21.00 Plancenoit retaken by the Prussians; last
guns, two to three rounds per minute stand of the Guard
13.30 D’Erlon’s assault on Picton, with Travers 21.30 Prussians at Rossomme
and Dubois in support; assault held; Kempt 22.00 Wellington and Blucher meet at La Belle
countercharges; death of Picton Alliance
14.00 Travers and Dubois descend on Kempt and
Pack; Uxbridge counter -charges with two British Wavre 18 - 19 June:
heavy cavalry brigades; elements charge the Grouchy attacks and eventually defeats Prussian
French cannon and are repulsed with heavy loss III Corps around Wavre; upon hearing the out -
16.00 Prussian IV Corps advance guard emerges come of the Battle of Waterloo, Grouchy with -
from the Bois de Paris; Lobau checks the Prussian draws to France
advance; start of mass attacks by French cavalry on
Allied right centre 21 June Napoleon arrives back in Paris
17.00 Remainder of French cavalry committed ; 15 July Napoleon surrenders aboard HMS Bel-
Prussian II corps arrives on left of IV Corps lerophon

93
 A GUIDE TO
FURTHER READING
Barres, J .- B. Memoirs of a French Napoleonic Officer. Haythornthwaite, P. J. Uniforms of Waterloo.
London, 1925, 1988. London, 1974.
Bowden, S. Armies at Waterloo, Arlington , 1983.
Chandler, D. G. The Campaigns of Napoleon. New
— Napoleon 's Military Machine. London, 1988.
Lachouque, H. Waterloo. Paris, 1972; London and
York 1966, London 1967. New York, 1975.
Waterloo: The Hundred Days. London, 1980. Mann, M . And they Rode On. Salisbury, 1984.
-
Coignet, J. R. The Note Books of Captain Coignet. Maxwell, H. The Life of Wellington. London , 1899.
London , 1985; first published as Captain Mercer, C. Journal of the Waterloo Campaign.
Coignet: Soldier of the Empire. London , 1897, London, 1870.
*1928. Naylor, J. Waterloo. London, 1960.
Esposito, V. J. and J. R . Elting. A Military History Pivka, O. von. Armies of the Napoleonic Wars.
and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars. New York, Newton Abbot, 1979.
1964: London and New York, 1980. Siborne, W. History of the Waterloo Campaign.
Fuller, J. F. C. The Decisive Battles of the Western London , 1848, 1990.
World. 2 volumes, London, 1954-6. Sutherland , J. Men of Waterloo. London, 1966.
Glover, M. Wellington as Military Commander. Weller, J. Wellington at Waterloo. London, 1967,
London, 1973. 1992.
— Battlefields of Northern France. London, 1987.

94
 WARGAMING WATERLOO

The Waterloo campaign is an excellent topic for An easier option to drawing up maps would be
wargamers. The whole campaign lasts just a few to use maps from one of the commercially available
days, features great commanders from first class board games on the market. There are several to
military nations and features several finely ba - choose from, and something like Napoleon's Last
lanced subordinate battles, which in themselves Battles from SPI would be ideal. This game
are worthy of recreation. Waterloo itself was one provides four maps that can be satisfactorily
of the most spectacular battles of history. With the interlocked to provide a good campaign area. It
variety of colour present in both the national also offers some clues as to terrain features in a
uniforms and the personalities of the generals, given area should an impromptu battle need to be
Waterloo can offer immense scope for a stimu - fought along the way, and it also supplies lots of
lating series of games. counters to represent the opposing armies.
The first decision to be made is whether or not Whichever method you use, do not forget that
to play out the campaign as a whole, or just focus in this campaign roads are a key to manoeuvre, for
on the main battle(s) themselves. As a campaign, although troops would be well strung out along a
Waterloo has a lot to commend it. It offers three main road , the daily rate of march would be much
full size armies with scope for two to four players improved as against cross-country marching.
at the map stage. The armies operate in a map area Players using counters to represent troop move -
small enough to allow them to interact and ments should therefore not be allowed to ‘stack’
influence other players’ movements, and within a units when on the march. To remind you of how
time -scale short enough to allow resolution of the much room was taken up on a road by a corps on
campaign without players dropping out halfway the march, Ney’s wing on the evening of the 15 th
through. It makes a fine one-day campaign . An stretched back for more than sixteen miles (an
umpire would be almost essential. average of 3,000 men per mile!). Cross country/
There are lots of detailed maps available upon muddy minor road movement rates can be seen in
which to base a campaign, and key features can the length of time it took the three Prussian Corps
easily be drawn up on blank hex-sheets. The to march from Wavre to Waterloo. In both cases
umpire’s role would be to coordinate map move - time allowance should be made by the umpire in
ment from both sides, decide when combat contact deploying troops in enemy contact with due regard
has taken place, report on scouting operations and to stragglers. Weather too will play its part in this
also handle random variables outside the control campaign, and rain will slow down movement
of the players - factors such as the weather, or the drastically.
timeliness of orders and messengers for example. When looking at the battles individually, war-
So Dörnberg’s lethargic messenger to Wellington gamers can find several tactical-level board games
on the 15th (34 miles in twelve hours) and of the campaign, but for the player wishing to mix
Grouchy’s ponderous pursuit after Ligny (covering realistic tactical results with visual appeal, minia -
less than six miles in as many hours) would be tures are the only answer. Figure scale will be
umpire-generated delays. A skilled umpire will re - determined by the battle being reproduced and the
create just enough of the historical mistakes of the number of players involved. A 1:50/60 scale gives
campaign to make it realistic without detracting a good balance between visual appeal and size of
from the interest and game balance. table, with even Waterloo itself fitting well within
95
WARGAMING WATERLOO

a 12-feet by 5 - or 6-feet area, with a corps per volunteer nationals for the majority of it. The
player. A 1 :20 troop scale makes the associated Young and Middle Guard and some light infantry
table sizes too deep to reach the centre, while a units would equate with Wellington’s veterans in
1:100 scale makes limited numbers of troops go a terms of quality, and the Old Guard would be at
longer way, but also makes a 600- man unit look least the equal of any elites on the table . The
rather small at just 6 figures. If you are looking for French have consistently good quality artillery and
a multi -player game, a 1:100 ratio makes the table lots of it, including the elite 12-poundcrs of the
cramped and fiddly for the players, with just a 6- Guard - the terror weapon of the day. Cavalry will
foot wide table being used . A typical infantry be a good average, with some of the guard units
battalion in 1:50 would be between 10 and 16 being top class - namely the chasseurs and lancers.
figures strong depending on the nation . Guard Dragoons/Grenadiers ä Cheval would be
Fable terrain and orbats can be developed veteran standard. The quality of mounts available
from the information in this and the many other to many heavy troopers would be their main
books on the subject, including my own wargames limitation and would not compare to that of, say
module for the whole campaign which is published the British heavies, who would thus normally be
by Wargames Research Group; this includes fully expected to have an advantage in hand - to- hand
detailed material including gridded terrain maps, combat. Certainly the only successes of even
daily orders of battle, morale classes and officer cuirassiers against British heavies i ems to have
ratings. occurred when the British were disordered and
Special thought should be given to the defen - ‘blown ’ after a charge, and even small units of
sive properties of Hougoumont and the outlying British dragoons were successfully counter-
farms, which were certainly tough nuts to crack. charging larger bodies of French heavies during
Make them too strong, though , and the French the French mass cavalry charges.
will simply bypass them or screen them - which is Similarly many of the British/. K GL infantry
hardly historical. The arrival times of units are units would be of veteran standard , and even some
important too. Waterloo and Quatre Bras were of the line infantry would normally have an
both battles decided by the timely arrival of fresh advantage over most of the French line in terms of
troops. Similarly at Ligny the inability to coordin - firepower, and possibly hand - to- hand combat,
ate the arrival of d’Erlon prevented a decisive even for troops of similar morale ratings. However,
victory for Napoleon . Such facts can easily be this would make up only a minority of Wellington’s
gleaned from the text; the challenge is in linking command , with most of the Allies being generally
them accurately to the rules you use so that , for of conscript quality, or moderate at best, including
example, the Prussians do not arrive halfway the Hanoverians. In an equal fight ir the open, the
through the initial French attack, nor do they French should beat Wellington most times, with
arrive after everyone has gone home. superior artillery negating the effect of British
Also, when choosing rules, remember that a firepower as French cavalry pin his line in square.
higher level of game is envisaged here from the Wellington, of course, did not give Napoleon the
brigade/ divisional level game most rules sets are luxury of an even fight in the open.
aimed at, and command control and officer The Prussians will have a solid core of reliable
capabilities influenced this campaign at least as infantry, and the rest - about half the army - will
much as the armies themselves. Something like be of Landwehr quality. These latter were capable
Wargames Research Group’s Corps dArmee II, of heroism under Bliicher’s leadership but could
Avalon Hill’s Napoleon's Battles and Empire also be very brittle. The cavalry was enthusiastic
Games’ Empire are three titles to consider for this but not up to French standards in respect of heavy
level of game, Corps dArmee being particularly cavalry. In pursuit they were as good as any.
competitively priced. Around a third of the artillery would be conscript
While balancing forces, remember that the standard , slow moving, prone to drop out on a
French army will be the most cohesive, comprising march , and of modest performance on the field .
96
 WATERLOO 1815
Waterloo holds a special place among the great battles of history.
The climax and decisive conclusion of more than twenty years of
war, it was indeed a close-run affair, matching two of the world’s
greatest generals - Napoleon and Wellington. This volume covers
the entire campaign including the battles of Quatre Bras, Ligny
and Wavre, with five full-colour maps and three highly detailed
bird’s eye views showing decisive moments in the action.

THE OSPREY CAMPAIGN SERIES

presents concise, authoritative accounts of the great conflicts
of history. Each volume begins with an assessment of each
commander’s campaign strategy, then recounts the progress of
- -
the fighting, blow by blow. More than 90 illustrations, including
maps, charts and colour plates accompany the text, and a series
of three-dimensional battle maps mark the critical stages of
the campaign. Each volume concludes with a brief guide to the
battlefield today, and detailed notes for wargamers.

THE GENERAL EDITOR, David Chandler,

is head of the Department of War Studies at
Sandhurst, Britain’s Royal Military Academy,
and a military historian of international renown.
For the Osprey Campaign Series he has
assembled a team of expert writers from both
sides of the Atlantic.

OTHER CAMPAIGN TITLES

I NORMANDY 1944 • 2 AUSTERUTZ 1805 • 3 FRANCE 1940 • 4 IET OFFENSIVE 1948 • 5 ARDENNES 1944 • 4 BAIAQAVA 1854
1 ALEXANDER 334- 323 BC• 8 GALLIPOLI 1915 • 9 AGINCOURT 1415 • 10 FIRST BUIE RUN 1841 II (ULLODEN 1144

12 KAISERSCHLACHT 1918 - 1) HASTINGS 1044 - 14 IUIU WAR 1819 - 14 KURSK I94T • GUADALCANAL 1943
(HICKAMAUGA 1843 - GRAVELOTTE ST. PRIVAT 1810 HATTIN 1181 JENA 1804 • ANTIETAM 1841 • ARNHEM 1944
• •

ISBN 1-85532- 210- 2

9 781855 322103