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| Battle of Waterloo | |||||||
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| Part of the War of the Seventh Coalition | |||||||
. Wellington at Waterloo by Robert Alexander Hillingford.^
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 French Empire |
Seventh Coalition: United Kingdom Prussia United Provinces Hanover Nassau Brunswick |
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| Commanders | |||||||
| Napoleon Bonaparte |
Duke of Wellington Gebhard von Blücher |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 72,000[1] | Anglo-allies: 68,000[1] Prussians: 50,000[2] |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 25,000 killed and wounded 7,000 captured 15,000 missing[3] |
15,000 British and allies killed and wounded 7,000 Prussians killed and wounded[4] |
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Contents |
I had occupied that post with a detachment from General Byng's brigade of Guards, which was in position in its rear; and it was some time under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel MacDonald, and afterwards of Colonel Home; and I am happy to add that it was maintained, throughout the day, with the utmost gallantry by these brave troops, notwithstanding the repeated efforts of large bodies of the enemy to obtain possession of it.—Wellington, [43]
When I reached Lloyd's abandoned guns, I stood near them for about a minute to contemplate the scene: it was grand beyond description.^Meanwhile this what Major Macready, 30th British Regiment, Halkett’s Brigade had to say in his battle experience: “When I reached Lloyd’s abandoned guns, I stood near them for about a minute to contemplate the scene: it was grand beyond description.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^This is what Wellington had to say after the battle ended: “I had occupied that post with a detachment from General Byng’s brigade of Guards, which was in position in its rear; and it was some time under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel MacDonald, and afterwards of Colonel Home; and I am happy to add that it was maintained, throughout the day, with the utmost gallantry by these brave troops, notwithstanding the repeated efforts of large bodies of the enemy to obtain possession of it”.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^These forces were under the command of Blucher and Wellington.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
.Hougoumont and its wood sent up a broad flame through the dark masses of smoke that overhung the field; beneath this cloud the French were indistinctly visible.^The French were unable to capture Hougoumont and their casualties filled the woods and fields.
The Battle of Waterloo 18th June 1815 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.britishbattles.com [Source type: General]
^Hougoumont and its wood sent up a broad flame through the dark masses of smoke that overhung the field; beneath this cloud the French were indistinctly visible.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
^The high road from Charleroi to Brussels (a broad paved causeway) runs through both these villages, and bisects therefore both the English and the French positions.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
.Here a waving mass of long red feathers could be seen; there, gleams as from a sheet of steel showed that the cuirassiers were moving; 400 cannon were belching forth fire and death on every side; the roaring and shouting were indistinguishably commixed — together they gave me an idea of a labouring volcano.^Here a waving mass of long red feathers could be seen; there, gleams as from a sheet of steel showed that the cuirassiers were moving; 400 cannon were belching forth fire and death on every side; the roaring and shouting were indistinguishably commixed--together they gave me an idea of a labouring volcano.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
^Here a waving mass of long red feathers could be seen; there, gleams as from a sheet of steel showed that the cuirassiers were moving; 400 cannon were belching forth fire and death on every side; the roaring and shouting were indistinguishably commixed – together they gave me an idea of a labouring volcano.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^In an almost incredibly short period they were within twenty yards of us, shouting “Vive l’Empereur!” The word of command, “Prepare to receive cavalry”, had been given, every man in the front ranks knelt, and a wall bristling with steel, held together by steady hands, presented itself to the infuriated cuirassiers”.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
Bodies of infantry and cavalry were pouring down on us, and it was time to leave contemplation, so I moved towards our columns, which were standing up in square.—Major Macready, Light Division, 30th British Regiment, Halkett's brigade, [44]
Our officers of cavalry have acquired a trick of galloping at everything.^Wellington stated that: “Our officers of cavalry have acquired a trick of galloping at everything.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^In a few minutes after, the enemy's cavalry galloped up and crowned the crest of our position.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
They never consider the situation, never think of manoeuvring before an enemy, and never keep back or provide a reserve.—Wellington, [70]
The blows of the sabres on the cuirasses sounded like braziers at work.—Lord Somerset, [76]
About four P.M. the enemy's artillery in front of us ceased firing all of a sudden, and we saw large masses of cavalry advance: not a man present who survived could have forgotten in after life the awful grandeur of that charge.^According to a British eyewitness (Captain Rees Howell Gronow, Foot Guards) of the first French cavalry attack, he recorded his impressions very lucidly and somewhat poetically as: ” About four P.M. the enemy’s artillery in front of us ceased firing all of a sudden, and we saw large masses of cavalry advance: not a man present who survived could have forgotten in after life the awful grandeur of that charge.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^At 7 AM the French artillery ceased fire.
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.napolun.com [Source type: Original source]
^The British cavalry were charging us on all sides and cutting us to pieces.
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC napoleonistyka.atspace.com [Source type: Original source]Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.napolun.com [Source type: Original source]
.You discovered at a distance what appeared to be an overwhelming, long moving line, which, ever advancing, glittered like a stormy wave of the sea when it catches the sunlight.^You discovered at a distance what appeared to be an overwhelming, long moving line, which, ever advancing, glittered like a stormy wave of the sea when it catches the sunlight.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^"Like Kempt's, Pack's men had lain down at some distance from the sunken lane and remained there for a long time, but then they had deployed in line, 4-rank deep ...
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.napolun.com [Source type: Original source]
.On they came until they got near enough, whilst the very earth seemed to vibrate beneath the thundering tramp of the mounted host.^On they came until they got near enough, whilst the very earth seemed to vibrate beneath the thundering tramp of the mounted host.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^But it seemed as if they fled; and all the host was troubled.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
^They came from all the extremities of the earth to propitiate his anger, to celebrate his greatness, or to solicit his protection.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
.One might suppose that nothing could have resisted the shock of this terrible moving mass.^One might suppose that nothing could have resisted the shock of this terrible moving mass.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^The Sicilian Greeks are deficient in military training; but still if they could be at once brought to combine in an organised resistance to Athens, they might even now be saved.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
^Nothing, however, could resist the determined valour of the British, and, after a long and sanguinary conflict, the cuirassiers turned their horses and fled.
The Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.napoleonic-literature.com [Source type: Original source]
.They were the famous cuirassiers, almost all old soldiers, who had distinguished themselves on most of the battlefields of Europe.^They were the famous cuirassiers, almost all old soldiers, who had distinguished themselves on most of the battlefields of Europe.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^"Such are the designs of the present Athenian expedition to Sicily, and you have heard them from the lips of the man who, of all men living, is most accurately acquainted with them.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
^The French were screaming at them, kicked and stripped of all they had before they were turned over to cuirassiers and escorted to the rear.
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC napoleonistyka.atspace.com [Source type: Original source]Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.napolun.com [Source type: Original source]
In an almost incredibly short period they were within twenty yards of us, shouting "Vive l'Empereur!" The word of command, "Prepare to receive cavalry", had been given, every man in the front ranks knelt, and a wall bristling with steel, held together by steady hands, presented itself to the infuriated cuirassiers.—Captain Rees Howell Gronow, Foot Guards, [95]
I thus allowed them to advance unmolested until the head of the column might have been about fifty or sixty yards from us, and then gave the word, "Fire!"^He stated that: ” I thus allowed them to advance unmolested until the head of the column might have been about fifty or sixty yards from us, and then gave the word, “Fire!” The effect was terrible.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^Thus equipped, they usually advanced slowly and steadily into action in an uniform phalanx of about eight spears deep.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
^The siege was therefore hotly pressed by the Swedes; the garrison resisted obstinately; and the Czar, feeling the importance of saving the town, advanced in June to its relief, at the head of an army from fifty to sixty thousand strong.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
The effect was terrible. Nearly the whole leading rank fell at once; and the round shot, penetrating the column carried confusion throughout its extent ... the discharge of every gun was followed by a fall of men and horses like that of grass before the mower's scythe.—Captain Cavalié Mercer, RHA, [99]
The banks on the road side, the garden wall, the knoll and sandpit swarmed with skirmishers, who seemed determined to keep down our fire in front; those behind the artificial bank seemed more intent upon destroying the 27th, who at this time, it may literally be said, were lying dead in square; their loss after La Haye Sainte had fallen was awful, without the satisfaction of having scarcely fired a shot, and many of our troops in rear of the ridge were similarly situated.—Edward Cotton, 7th Hussars, [109]
... .I saw four regiments of the middle guard, conducted by the Emperor, arriving.^Marshal M. Ney Stated that: “… I saw four regiments of the middle guard, conducted by the Emperor, arriving.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^The Middle Guard, under Count Morand, was similarly composed; while two regiments of voltigeurs, and two of tirailleurs, under Duhesme, constituted the Young Guard.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
^English officer, Captain Batty of the Grenadier Guards, declared that he saw 'a Belgian cavalry regiment fight valiantly with the cuiassiers in a manner never to be forgotten.'
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC napoleonistyka.atspace.com [Source type: Original source]
.With these troops, he wished to renew the attack, and penetrate the centre of the enemy.^With these troops, he wished to renew the attack, and penetrate the centre of the enemy.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^Aristides and Themistocles renewed the fight with their re-organized troops, and the full force of the Greeks was brought into close action with the Persian and Sacian divisions of the enemy.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
^Napoleon determined to attack these enemies in Belgium.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
He ordered me to lead them on; generals, officers and soldiers all displayed the greatest intrepidity; but this body of troops was too weak to resist, for a long time, the forces opposed to it by the enemy, and it was soon necessary to renounce the hope which this attack had, for a few moments, inspired.—Marshal M. Ney, [43]
Despite their great courage and stamina, the French Guards fighting in the village began to show signs of wavering.^Despite their great courage and stamina, the French Guards fighting in the village began to show signs of wavering.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^Despite being outnumbered by margin of 2 to 1 the eighteen French battalions (Lobau's 8, Young Guard's 8, and Old Guard's 2) were able to hold on for one hour.
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC napoleonistyka.atspace.com [Source type: Original source]
^The French resisted with great determination before the Young Guard was again ejected from Plancenoit.
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC napoleonistyka.atspace.com [Source type: Original source]
.The church was already on fire with columns of red flame coming out of the windows, aisles and doors.^The church was already on fire with columns of red flame coming out of the windows, aisles and doors.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^They even took several prisoners before the musket fire from the windows and walls drove them out.
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC napoleonistyka.atspace.com [Source type: Original source]Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.napolun.com [Source type: Original source]
^Captain Borowski of II Horse Battery writes, "As the smoke from the firing was so dense, I could only make out a few positions, and could not see the enemy columns.
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC napoleonistyka.atspace.com [Source type: Original source]
.In the village itself, still the scene of bitter house-to-house fighting, everything was burning, adding to the confusion.^In the village itself, still the scene of bitter house-to-house fighting, everything was burning, adding to the confusion.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^"He would not burn houses and villages, neither would he take away the substance of his people."
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
.However, once Major von Witzleben's manoeuver was accomplished and the French Guards saw their flank and rear threatened, they began to withdraw.^However, once Major von Witzleben’s manoeuver was accomplished and the French Guards saw their border and rear threatened, they began to withdraw.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^They had by establishing themselves on this point, acquired the means of completely turning the right flank of the British, and gaining their rear.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
^They succeeded in doing so for a time; but as larger numbers of the Prussians came on the field, they turned Lobau's right flank, and sent a strong force to seize the village of Planchenoit, which, it will be remembered, lay in the rear of the French right.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
.The Guard Chasseurs under General Pelet formed the rearguard.^The Guard Chasseurs under General Pelet formed the rearguard.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^Driving the stragglers before them, the troops marched to Soissons, the 1st Chasseurs forming the rear-guard.
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC napoleonistyka.atspace.com [Source type: Original source]
^Just as this brigade formed up behind the 16th, the 13th Brigade under General von Hake arrived and moved up behind the 15th."
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC napoleonistyka.atspace.com [Source type: Original source]
.The remnants of the Guard left in a great rush, leaving large masses of artillery, equipment and ammunition waggons in the wake of their retreat.^The remnants of the Guard left in a great rush, leaving large masses of artillery, equipment and ammunition waggons in the wake of their refuge.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^The troopers of the Life Guards were mounted on large , black horses with manes brushed to the left to distinguih them from the Royal Horse Guards (The Blues) who brushed them to the right.
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC napoleonistyka.atspace.com [Source type: Original source]
^The Prussians had no siege equipment at their disposal and little ammunition for the field artillery.
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC napoleonistyka.atspace.com [Source type: Original source]
.The evacuation of Plancenoit led to the loss of the position that was to be used to cover the withdrawal of the French Army to Charleroi.^The evacuation of Plancenoit led to the loss of the position that was to be used to cover the withdrawal of the French Army to Charleroi.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^Papelotte ordered the road towards Wavre that the Prussian army had used to send strengthenments to position Wellington.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^The high road from Charleroi to Brussels (a broad paved causeway) runs through both these villages, and bisects therefore both the English and the French positions.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
.The Guard fell back from Plancenoit in the direction of Maison du Roi and Caillou.^The Guard fell back from Plancenoit in the direction of Maison du Roi and Caillou.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^But in the same time was created ruinously expensive 20,000-strong Household Troops Maison du Roi .
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.napolun.com [Source type: Original source]
^When several squadrons of British Guard cavalry charged, some of the tirailleurs crowded around the walls of the farm, while others fell back.
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC napoleonistyka.atspace.com [Source type: Original source]Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.napolun.com [Source type: Original source]
.Unlike other parts of the battlefield, there were no cries of "Sauve qui peut!"^Unlike other parts of the battlefield, there were no cries of “Sauve qui peut!” here.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^There was not, however, a total rout, nor the cry of sauve qui peut, as has been calumniously stated in the bulletin”.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^Sauve qui peut!” which means “The Guard refuges.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
here. .Instead the cry "Sauvons nos aigles!"^Instead the cry “Sauvons nos aigles!” (“Let’s save our eagles!”) could be heard – Official History of the 25th Regiment, 4 Corps .
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
.("Let's save our eagles!"^Leggiere Bulow and the campaign of 1815 p 143 ) Pelet embraced the eagle shouting to his veterans To me Chasseurs, let us save the eagle or die around it.
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC napoleonistyka.atspace.com [Source type: Original source]
^Instead the cry “Sauvons nos aigles!” (“Let’s save our eagles!”) could be heard – Official History of the 25th Regiment, 4 Corps .
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
) could be heard.—Official History of the 25th Regiment, 4 Corps, [126]
There remained to us still four squares of the Old Guard to protect the retreat.^Some regiments of the Old Guard in vain endeavoured to form in squares and stem the current.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
^There were five of us still with him, all officers.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
^Near Genappe the two squares of Old Guard came together and were formed in long columns by sections.
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.napolun.com [Source type: Original source]
.These brave grenadiers, the choice of the army, forced successively to retire, yielded ground foot by foot, till, overwhelmed by numbers, they were almost entirely annihilated.^These brave grenadiers, the choice of the army, forced successively to retire, yielded ground foot by foot, till, overwhelmed by numbers, they were almost entirely annihilated.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^As they approached the enemy, Marlborough's troops formed the left and the centre, while Eugene's formed the right of the entire army.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
^The French army was almost entirely destroyed: of sixty thousand men, so long victorious, there never reassembled more than twenty thousand effective.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
.From that moment, a retrograde movement was declared, and the army formed nothing but a confused mass.^From that moment, a retrograde movement was declared, and the army formed nothing but a confused mass.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
.There was not, however, a total rout, nor the cry of sauve qui peut, as has been calumniously stated in the bulletin.—Marshal M. Ney, [133]
In the middle of the position occupied by the French army, and exactly upon the height, is a farm (sic), called La Belle Alliance.^General Gneisenau recorded: “In the middle of the position occupied by the French army, and exactly upon the height, is a farm called La Belle Alliance.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^There was not, however, a total rout, nor the cry of sauve qui peut, as has been calumniously stated in the bulletin”.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^"Marshal Ney was there.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
.The march of all the Prussian columns was directed towards this farm, which was visible from every side.^The march of all the Prussian columns was directed towards this farm, which was visible from every side.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^The Guard cavalry having been ordered to move forward, we marched towards the enemy in the direction of the fortified farm of La Haye Sainte, from which we were separated by a slight unulaton, a gentle slope and a small level area.
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC napoleonistyka.atspace.com [Source type: Original source]Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.napolun.com [Source type: Original source]
^Gneiseanu believed Wellington failed to march to the Prussian assistance at Ligny and was in favour of retreating towards the Rhine River, leaving Wellington to his own devices.
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.napolun.com [Source type: Original source]
.It was there that Napoleon was during the battle; it was thence that he gave his orders, that he flattered himself with the hopes of victory; and it was there that his ruin was decided.^It was there that Napoleon was during the battle; it was thence that he gave his orders, that he flattered himself with the hopes of victory; and it was there that his ruin was decided.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^There are three armies involved in the Battle of Waterloo namely the Prussian army under the command of Blucher, the multinational army under the command of Wellington, and the army of Napoleon known as Armee de Nord.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^Napoleon had stationed himself during the battle on a little hillock near La Belle Alliance, in the centre of the French position.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
There, too, it was, that by happy chance, Field Marshal Blücher and Lord Wellington met in the dark, and mutually saluted each other as victors.—General Gneisenau, [134]
June 22. This morning I went to visit the field of battle, which is a little beyond the village of Waterloo, on the plateau of Mont St Jean; but on arrival there the sight was too horrible to behold.^This morning I went to visit the field of battle, which is a little beyond the village of Waterloo, on the plateau of Mont St Jean; but on arrival there the sight was too horrible to behold.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^On reaching his head- quarters in the village of Waterloo, the Duke inquired anxiously after the numerous friends who had been round him in the morning, and to whom he was warmly attached.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
^Blucher sent word from Wavre to the Duke, that he was coming to help the English at Mont St. Jean, in the morning, not with one corps, but with his whole army.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
.I felt sick in the stomach and was obliged to return.^I felt sick in the stomach and was obliged to return.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
.The multitude of carcasses, the heaps of wounded men with mangled limbs unable to move, and perishing from not having their wounds dressed or from hunger, as the Allies were, of course, obliged to take their surgeons and waggons with them, formed a spectacle I shall never forget.^The multitude of carcasses, the heaps of wounded men with mangled limbs unable to move, and perishing from not having their wounds dressed or from hunger, as the Allies were, of course, obliged to take their surgeons and waggons with them, formed a spectacle I shall never forget.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^I shall never forget the scream the poor fellow gave when it struck."
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC napoleonistyka.atspace.com [Source type: Original source]
^"For end of this digression, I hope that this question shall never come to trial; his majestie's many moveable forts will forbid the experience.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
.The wounded, both of the Allies and the French, remain in an equally deplorable state.—Major W. E Frye After Waterloo: Reminiscences of European Travel 1815–1819.^The wounded, both of the Allies and the French, remain in an equally deplorable state”.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^As dusk fell, both squares withdrew in relatively good order, but the French artillery and everything else fell into the hands of the allies.
Battle of Waterloo 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.battleofwaterloo.org [Source type: Original source]
^Then the cavalry on both sides withdrew, with the French halting their horses now and then to stabb the wounded British and German soldiers on the ground.
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC napoleonistyka.atspace.com [Source type: Original source]
[137]
Royal Highness, - Exposed to the factions which divide my country, and to the enmity of the great Powers of Europe, I have terminated my political career; and I come, like Themistocles, to throw myself upon the hospitality (m'asseoir sur le foyer) of the British people. .I claim from your Royal Highness the protections of the laws, and throw myself upon the most powerful, the most constant, and the most generous of my enemies.—Napoleon.^With his death the dismemberment of his empire among his generals was certain, even as the dismemberment of Napoleon's empire among his marshals would certainly have ensued, if he had been cut off in the zenith of his power.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
^Her native prince was a dissolute trifler, stained with the assassination of the most powerful noble of the land, whose son, in revenge, had leagued himself with the enemy.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
^Harold was the head of the most powerful noble house, next to the royal blood, in England; and personally, he was the bravest and most popular chieftain in the land.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
(letter of surrender to the Prince Regent; translation), [43]
In my opinion, four principal causes led to this disaster:.The first, and most influential, was the arrival, skilfully combined, of Blücher, and the false movement that favored this arrival;[141] the second, was the admirable firmness of the British infantry, joined to the sang-froid and aplomb of its chiefs; the third, was the horrible weather, that had softened the ground, and rendered the offensive movements so toilsome, and retarded till one o'clock the attack that should have been made in the morning; the fourth, was the inconceivable formation of the first corps, in masses very much too deep for the first grand attack.^Meanwhile one or two squadrons of 3rd Hussar KGL led by Kerssenbruch made fine attacks on two squadrons of cuirassiers.
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC napoleonistyka.atspace.com [Source type: Original source]
^The above is one of the numerous bursts of eloquence that adorn Arnold's third volume, and cause such deep regret that that volume should have been the last, and its great and good author have been cut off with his work thus incomplete.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
^But one has to remember that most of the Prussian battalions were already disordered by earlier attacks, counterattacks and street fighting.
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC napoleonistyka.atspace.com [Source type: Original source]
[142]
Every one is aware that the variously inclined undulations of the plains, where the engagement between Napoleon and Wellington took place, are no longer what they were on June 18, 1815. By taking from this mournful field the wherewithal to make a monument to it, its real relief has been taken away, and history, disconcerted, no longer finds her bearings there.^There were no news from Wellington.
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.napolun.com [Source type: Original source]
^Are they and we no longer the same men?
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
^Alison, in his admirable military history of the Duke of Marlborough, has truly stated the effects which would have taken place if France had been successful in the war.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
It has been disfigured for the sake of glorifying it. .Wellington, when he beheld Waterloo once more, two years later, exclaimed, "They have altered my field of battle!"^Baring wrote: "I could see all this going on, and I'm not afraid to admit that my heart sank more than once..."
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.napolun.com [Source type: Original source]
^Major Baring writes, "I could see all this going on, and I'm not afraid to admit that my heart sank more than once..."
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC napoleonistyka.atspace.com [Source type: Original source]
^Though too late to share in the glory of the action, they requested to be allowed to march to the battle-field to behold the Medes.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
.Where the great pyramid of earth, surmounted by the lion, rises to-day, there was a hillock which descended in an easy slope towards the Nivelles road, but which was almost an escarpment on the side of the highway to Genappe.^The battlefield was intersected by two wide highways, the eastern one leading from Charleroi and Genappe, and the western from Nivelles.
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC napoleonistyka.atspace.com [Source type: Original source]
^The cavalry had to descend the slope, ascend the opposite slope, and then get past the sunken road.
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC napoleonistyka.atspace.com [Source type: Original source]Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.napolun.com [Source type: Original source]
.The elevation of this escarpment can still be measured by the height of the two knolls of the two great sepulchres which enclose the road from Genappe to Brussels: one, the English tomb, is on the left; the other, the German tomb, is on the right.^Our regiment and 73d formed one, and 33d and 69th another; to our right beyond them were the Guards, and on our left the Hanoverians and German legion of our division.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
^The high road from Charleroi to Brussels (a broad paved causeway) runs through both these villages, and bisects therefore both the English and the French positions.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo, by Sir Edward Creasy 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.au.af.mil [Source type: Original source]
^On the left one brigade of Allix/Quiot's division (General Allix was replaced by Quiot) attacked La Haye Sainte, while another brigade crossed the hedge and the road behind.
Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC www.napolun.com [Source type: Original source]
There is no French tomb. The whole of that plain is a sepulchre for France.
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| Battle of Waterloo | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the War of the Seventh Coalition | |||||||
| File:Wellington at Waterloo Wellington at Waterloo by Robert Alexander Hillingford. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Combatants | |||||||
| French Empire | Seventh Coalition: United Kingdom File:Flag of Prussia (1803).gif Prussia
| ||||||
| Commanders | |||||||
| Napoleon Bonaparte | Duke of Wellington File:Flag of Prussia (1803).gif Gebhard von Blücher | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 72,000[1] | Anglo-allies: 68,000[1] Prussians: 50,000[2] | ||||||
| Casualties | |||||||
| 25,000 killed and wounded 7,000 captured 15,000 missing[3] | 15,000 British and allies killed and wounded 7,000 Prussians killed and wounded[4] | ||||||
The Battle of Watterloo is a battle that was fought primarily between French and British forces. Napoleon was crowned as Emperor of France in 1804. Then he launched a series of successful attacks upon the other countries of Europe. France soon ruled over an empire that stretched from Spain to the Russian border. The only country that still defied him was Great Britain, whose fleet of Royal Navy ships made invasion impossible. However, Britain was not strong enough to stop Napoleon and his army from taking over most of mainland Europe.
Contents |
Napoleon seemed unstoppable until two separate campaigns caused his empire to fall apart. He gathered a huge army to invade and conquer Russia once and for all in 1812. However, he miscalculated the size and difficulties involved and his army was caught by the Russian winter and destroyed by the weather and lack of food.
Now that Napoleon was much weaker, the countries of Eastern Europe, led by Austria and Prussia, began to ally against him, forcing his troops back towards France. Meanwhile, a small British army in Portugal and Spain, led by Arthur Wellesley (later to become Duke of Wellington) began to win victories over the French armies and to push Napoleon’s troops out of Spain.
By 1814 he faced total defeat, with the Austrians and Prussians invading from the east and the Duke of Wellington and the British army in the west. A peace treaty was arranged. Napoleon would abdicate (give up the throne) and be exiled to a small Mediterranean island called Elba, with a small army. He was replaced as ruler of France by Louis XVIII, brother of Louis XVI.
Once he was on the island of Elba, Napoleon was not happy. He had been promised money by the new French government, but the money did not come. His wife (an Austrian princess) and his sons were forbidden to visit him.
Messages from France showed that the new French King was unpopular because he was trying to ignore many events that had taken place during the revolution. The allies that had united against Napoleon were arguing in Vienna over the lands that they had recaptured. He seized his opportunity, going by ship in February 1815 and landing in France again. His welcome was very mixed. Many French were tired of war and the death and suffering that it led to. However, there were others who wanted a return to the power and glory of the old days and saw Napoleon as their best hope.
His first days were tense but, by personal leadership and persuasion, Napoleon managed to gain the support of the army. When the king panicked and fled the country, there was little to stop Napoleon returning to Paris and resuming his title of Emperor.
What Napoleon needed now was a period of time to organize himself and the French army. The allies were caught completely by surprise and their only chance to stop him lay with two small armies in Belgium: a British and Dutch army commanded by the Duke of Wellington and a Prussian (German) army commanded by Prince Blucher.
Napoleon decided on a further gamble. He gathered an army and prepared a surprise attack on Wellington and Blucher, hoping to catch them unprepared. His plan was successful at first and he crossed the Belgian border before Wellington and Blucher could join forces.
His first battle was at Ligny and, after a fierce day’s fighting, he defeated the Prussian army, forcing it to retreat. Thinking that Blucher would retreat back to Prussia, Napoleon turned his attention towards Wellington. There had already been a small battle at Quatre Bras, as Wellington tried to delay the French advance. This had given Wellington enough time to prepare a full defensive position across the road leading to Brussels, near the village of Waterloo.
The French army advanced towards them and set up their camp on a ridge facing the combined British and Dutch (Anglo-Dutch) army. Heavy rain caused delays and confusion and both armies settled down for the night in the mud to await the dawn and the forthcoming battle.
Napoleon’s army faced the Duke of Wellington’s Anglo-Dutch army near Waterloo on 18th June 1815. Wellington’s troops were deployed behind a low ridge, partially protecting them from the French massed artillery.
At 11.00 Napoleon ordered his guns to open fire. French infantry began an attack against the Château of Hougoumont, defended by the British Foot Guards. This was intended to draw Wellington’s reserves away from the centre, where Napoleon’s main attack would fall.
At 13.30 Napoleon launched an infantry attack against Wellington’s centre. Men of the King’s German Legion resolutely defended the farm of La Haye Sainte, serving to disrupt the French attack. British artillery and musketry succeeded in repulsing the French assault and the British Household and Union heavy cavalry brigades charged after the retreating Frenchmen. Elated by their success, the British cavalry pursued their enemy too far and in turn suffered terrible casualties at the hands of the French lancers.
At 15.00 Marshal Ney, believing the Anglo-Dutch army to be retreating after the heavy bombardment they had received all day, led a massed French cavalry attack against Wellington’s centre. However, the British infantry, forming squares to defend themselves from cavalry attack, held firm. The French took terrible casualties as they circled these impregnable formations of infantrymen. The situation further deteriorated for Napoleon as Blucher's Prussian troops launched an attack at Plancenoit to his rear at 16.30.
By early evening the French attack at Hougoumont, intended as a diversion, was now having the opposite effect. The French committed more and more troops to the bitter fighting around the château, which was held by only a small force of British Guardsmen. More French reserves were being sent to meet the Prussian threat to the rear of Napoleon’s army at Plancenoit. However, the French had at last succeeded in capturing the farm of La Haye Sainte, only a short distance from Wellington’s centre.
At approximately 19.30 Napoleon committed his last reserves in a final effort to obtain victory. As Prussians arrived to bolster Wellington’s flank, veterans of the French Imperial Guard advanced. The British infantry, exhausted from the continuous cannonade they had received all day, rose to meet them. The musketry of the British Guards Brigade defeated Napoleon’s finest troops. They fled, and the whole French army joined them in retreat. Wellington ordered his entire line to advance and the French were chased from the field.
Here are sentences from other pages on Battle of Waterloo, which are similar to those in the above article.
   | Eye witness accounts of Napoleonic warfare - Letters of War |
| | The Guard dies, it does not surrender. Cambronne surrenders, he does not die - Cambronne's Words |
| | Battle of Waterloo - maps, diagrams - Battle of Waterloo 1815 : La Belle Alliance : Napoleon : Wellington : Blucher |
| | The Prussians and Wellington at Waterloo - The Prussians & Wellington : Waterloo Campaign : 1815 : Peter Hofschroer. |
| | Napoleon's Guard at Waterloo 1815 - French Imperial Guard at Waterloo and Plancenoit 1815 : Maps : Pictures. |
| | Gutenberg: Les Miserables by Victor Hugo - Les Misérables by Victor Hugo - Project Gutenberg |
| | on line version in HTML - Les Miserables : Volume II : Book First.--Waterloo : Chapter I. What is met with on the Way from Nivelles by Victor Hugo @ Classic Reader |
| | British MOD "On this day" article - Ministry of Defence | Error | Page not found (Error 404) |
| | Empire and Sea Power: The Battle of Waterloo - BBC - History - The Battle of Waterloo |
| | The Waterloo Medal Book: recipients of the Waterloo medal - The National Archives | DocumentsOnline | Search Results |
| | Drouet's account of Waterloo to the French Parliament - Napoleon Bonaparte Internet Guide - DROUET |
| | Chapter XV. Battle of Waterloo, A.D. 1815 - Poke's Fifteen Decisive Battles |
| | Nuttal Encyclopaedia: Issy - Issy (Nuttall Encyclopædia) |
| | Battle of Waterloo - Sorry, page not found - British Army Website |
| | The Great Gate of Hougoumont - Napoleonic Prints by Keith Rocco |
| | "here" (ppt) - Sorry, page not found - British Army Website |
| | Map of the battlefield on modern Google map and satellite photographs showing main locations of the battlefield - Battle of Waterloo - Google Maps |
| | Official website of Waterloo Battlefield - Culturespaces, musées et monuments culturels |
| | The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World: from Marathon to Waterloo - The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World: from Marathon to Waterloo by Creasy - Project Gutenberg |
| | ''Reminiscences of Captain Gronow'' - Reminiscences of Captain Gronow by R. H. Gronow - Project Gutenberg |
| | Waterloo - Waterloo (c. 1900) by D.H. Parry |
| | After Waterloo: Reminiscences of European Travel 1815-1819 - After Waterloo: Reminiscences of European Travel 1815-1819 / Frye, Major W. E |
| | Deeds that Won the Empire. Historic Battle Scenes - Deeds that Won the Empire by W. H. Fitchett - Project Gutenberg |
| | ''Les Miserables'' Chapter VII: Napoleon in a Good Humor - Les Miserables by Victor Hugo: Chapter VII. Napoleon in a Good Humor |
| | The Adventures of Gerard - The Adventures of Gerard by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Project Gutenberg |
| | Audio Book - The Adventures of Gerard by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Project Gutenberg |
| | Order of the boot for plucky Pangbourne - Order of the boot for plucky Pangbourne | Mail Online |
| | Poll scars - Analysis | Politics | The Guardian |
| | History of The Napoleonic First Empire, Paper & Digital Magazine - Welcome to First Empire |
| | Myths and Lies about the performance of Dutch and Belgian troops in 1815 - Waterloo Cowards : Belgian & Dutch Troops : Prince of Orange |
| | elan - elan definition | Dictionary.com |
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