Some interesting texts come from the pens of soldiers who participated in the Waterloo campaign and in the battles of Ligny and Wavre but were not at Waterloo itself: E. F. Berthezène, Souvenirs militaries (Paris, 1855); Journal du général Fantin des Odoards. Etapes d’un officier de la Grande Armée, 1800-1830 (Paris, 1895); and Journal du Capitaine François, 1792-1830, ed. C. Groleau (Paris, 1903-4). Naturally, this category also includes the Mémoires du Maréchal Grouchy (Paris, 1873).
Although not as abundant as British sources, French eyewitness accounts of the Battle of Waterloo are nonetheless fairly numerous, but it should be pointed out that these texts are rarely as detailed and impassioned as those of their adversaries. We can cite at least the following, in alphabetical order:
Mémoires du général Bro, 1796–1844. Paris, 2001.
Drouet, Le Maréchal, comte d’Erlon. Vie militaire écrite par lui-même. Paris, 1844.
Mémoires du capitaine Duthilt. Ed. C. Levi. Lille, 1909.
Fleury de Chaboulon. Les Cent Jours. London, 1820.
Larréguy de Civrieux. Souvenirs d’un cadet. Paris, 1912.
Lemonnier-Delafosse. Souvenirs historiques. Le Havre, 1849.
Levavasseur, O. Souvenirs militaires. Paris, 1914.
Marbot, M. de. Mémoires. Ed. Koch. Paris, 1891.
Mémoires de Marchand. Ed. J. Bourguignon. Paris, 1952.
H. de Mauduit, Les Derniers Jours de la Grande Armée. Paris, 1847.
Petiet, A. Souvenirs militaires. Paris, 1844.
Mémoires du Général Radet. Ed. A. Combier. Paris, 1892.
Trefcon. Carnet de campagne. Paris, 1914.
Certain accounts of particular importance, published in the nineteenth century in various places and difficult to track down, have recently appeared in two small volumes published by Teissèdre. These accounts are those of Colonels Brack and Heymès in Waterloo, Récits de combatants (Paris, 1999), and, especially, those of General Desales, Colonel Combes-Brassard, and Chef de bataillon Jolyet in Souvenirs et correspondance sur la bataille de Waterloo (Paris, 2000).
SECONDARY SOURCES
The Waterloo historiographical industry went into operation the day after the battle. Among the very earliest works, those that are still of some interest today include C. Kelly, A Full and Circumstantial Account of the Memorable Battle of Waterloo (London, 1817); J. Booth, The Battle of Waterloo, also of Ligny and Quatre-Bras (London, 1817); A. Gore, An Historical Account of the Battle of Waterloo (Brussels, 1817); C. von Plotho, Der Krieg des verbündeten Europa gegen Frankreich im Jahre 1815 (Berlin, 1818); G. Gourgaud, Campagne de 1815 (Paris, 1818); J. Berton, Précis historique (Paris, 1818); Fayolle, Journée de Mont-Saint-Jean (Paris, 1818); R. Batty, An Historical Sketch of the Campaign of 1815 (London, 1820).
Certain works published somewhat later—posthumously, in a few cases—and based on eyewitness accounts reworked and reconsidered in tranquillity are deserving of even greater interest: C. von Clausewitz, Der Feldzug von 1815 in Frankreich (Berlin, 1835); C. von Damitz, Geschichte des Feldzuges von 1815 in den Niederlanden und Frankreich (Berlin, 1837–38); H. de Mauduit, Les Derniers Jours de la Grande Armée (Paris, 1847); E. Cotton, A Voice from Waterloo: A History of the Battle Fought on the 18th June 1815, with a Selection from the Wellington Dispatches, General Orders and Letters Relating to the Battle (Mont-St.-Jean, 1852); and (G. Le Doulcet de Pontecoulant), Napoléon à Waterloo, ou Précis rectifié de la campagne de 1815 (Paris, 1866).
In the course of the nineteenth century, the major national historiographical communities produced elaborate versions of the story of Waterloo that were meant to be considered definitive, and in some sense all of them actually were; monumental and meticulously detailed, these works remain indispensable today. For British historiography, the fundamental reference point is the work of W. Siborne, first published as History of the War in France and Belgium in 1815 (London, 1844) and then in definitive form as History of the Waterloo Campaign (London, 1848). Siborne dominated the field for well over half a century, and his primacy of place continued even after the publication of the important works of C. Chesney (Waterloo Lectures, London, 1907) and A. F. Becke (Napoleon and Waterloo, London, 1914).
Among French studies, the work of J. B. A. Charras, Histoire de la Campagne de 1815 (Brussels, 1858), was later superseded by that of H. Houssaye, 1815. Waterloo (Paris, 1903), which is still of seminal importance today. German historiography, which was then in the period of its greatest flourishing, produced three fundamental works: K. von Ollech, Geschichte des Feldzuges von 1815 nach archivalischen Quellen (Berlin, 1876); O. von Lettow-Vorbeck, Napoleons Untergang 1815 (Berlin, 1904); and J. von Pflugk-Harttung, Belle-Alliance (Berlin, 1915). Two equally fundamental studies of the campaign from the perspective of the Netherlands are D. C. Boulger, The Belgians at Waterloo (London, 1901) and F. de Bas and J. de T’Serclaes de Wommersson, La Campagne de 1815 aux Pays-Bas (Brussels, 1908).
For a long time, these masterworks overshadowed twentieth-century scholarship on the Battle of Waterloo. After an interval extending from World War I through World War II, a period when interest in the battle was at a low point, the production of books on Waterloo increased steadily; but these were, for the most part, syntheses tailored for a popular audience, often heavily illustrated, excellently legible, but not particularly innovative in structure or interpretation. The best-known titles are J. Weller, Wellington at Waterloo (London, 1967); D. Howarth, Waterloo: A Near Run Thing (London, 1968); H. Lachouque, Waterloo 1815 (Paris, 1972); N. Vels Heijn, Glorie zonder helden. De slag bij Waterloo, waarheld en legende (Amsterdam, 1974); Waterloo—Battle of Three Armies, edited by Lord Chalfont (London, 1979); D. Chandler, Waterloo: The Hundred Days (London, 1980); J. Logie, Waterloo, l’évitable défaite (Paris, 1989): and A. A. Nofi, The Waterloo Campaign: June 1815 (London, 1993).
For easily conceivable reasons, Waterloo generally occupies a greater space in biographies of Wellington than it is granted in biographies of Napoleon. One biography of the duke includes a reconstruction of the Battle of Waterloo that makes it particularly worthy of mention: E. Longford, Wellington: The Years of the Sword (London, 1971).
For an analysis of the forces in the field, see S. Bowden, Armies at Waterloo: A Detailed Analysis of the Armies that Fought History’s Greatest Battle (Arlington, Tex., 1983), to which should be added the small monographs issued by Osprey Publishing in its Men-at Arms series and especially valuable for the smaller armies. See, in particular, O. von Pivka and B. Fosten, Brunswick Troops, 1809–1815 (Menat-Arms, 167, Botley, 1985); M. Chappell, The King’s German Legion, (2) 1812–1816 (Men-at-Arms, 339, Botley, 2000); R. Pawly and P. Courcelle, Wellington’s Belgian Allies, 1815 (Men-at-Arms, 355, Botley, 2000); and R. Pawly and P. Courcelle, Wellington’s Dutch Allies, 1815 (Men-at-Arms, 371, Botley, 2000).
The most important innovation in the historiography of the second half of the twentieth century was the growing attention paid to history as seen from below, the effort to produce a narrative of the battle entirely based on eyewitness accounts of men in the front lines and focused on their experiences. The most spectacular results in this area are certainly those of J. Keegan, The Face of Battle: A Study of Agincourt, Waterloo and the Somme (London, 1976) and P. J. Haythornthwaite, Waterloo Men: The Experience of Battle, 16–18 June 1815 (Marlborough, 1999). A further similarity of these two studies is their limitation to exclusively British sources.
In recent years, historical works on the Battle of Waterloo have taken a significant turn. This can be seen primarily in the publication of some deliberately polemical studies. Designed to overturn the orthodox interpretation of the battle, they have given rise to a heated debate. This is the case with D. Hamilton-Williams, Waterloo: New Perspectives (London, 1993), which is perhaps too drastic in denouncing the “politically correct” vision imposed on the battle by Siborne in the nineteenth century; although often unreliable in detail, Hamilton-Williams’s study is nevertheless important and refreshing. This category also includes
two works by P. Hofschröer, studies that emphasize the role of the German armies at Waterloo with ample recourse to sources hitherto little used: 1815, the Waterloo Campaign: Wellington, His German Allies and the Battle of Quatre Bras (London, 1998) and 1815, the Waterloo Campaign: The German Victory: From Waterloo to the Fall of Napoleon (London, 1999).
Among French historical studies, special mention must go to the heavily illustrated volumes, or rather albums, by B. Coppens and P. Courcelle (who have now been joined by other collaborators) in the series titled Waterloo 1815. Les Carnets de la Campagne (Brussels, 1999–). Six of these albums have appeared so far, each with its own title but related to the others by a shared, innovative formula that offers abundant illustrated tables of uniforms, a vast collection of eyewitness statements, rare images from the period, and original points of view concerning individual aspects of the battle.
In recent years, two works have appeared that, though differing in dimensions, must be considered fundamental for reference and statistical data; one is M. Adkin, The Waterloo Companion (London, 2001), with an excellent series of maps, and, in French, a treatment that is not limited only to the Waterloo campaign, namely A. Pigeard, Les Campagnes napoléoniennes (Entremont-le-Vieux, 1998). But in regard to the British army, the information contained in C. Dalton, The Waterloo Roll Call (London, 1890), remains indispensable.
Web Sites
When I typed the word Waterloo into the Google search engine on September 5, 2004, I was offered a total of around 3.65 million choices. The referenced sites included Waterloo University in Ontario, the town of Waterloo, Illinois, the Waterloo/Cedar Falls (Iowa) Courier, and so forth. More prudently, I typed in the combination Waterloo Napoleon Wellington, which reduced the total to 31,500 sites, of which 26,200 were in English. Still too many. Whatever your reason for seeking information about Waterloo, the best idea is to go through one of the big portals: www.napoleonseries.org, www.napoleonguide.com, www.napoleonic-literature.com, and www.napoleonicsociety.com. If you’re not looking for anything specific, a pleasant way of spending your time is the Waterloo game at www.pbs.org/empires/napoleon.
ILLUSTRATIONS
MAPS
Detail of a Ferraris & Capitaine map of 1797
Europe in 1815
Overview of the Battle Area
Allied Advances in June/July 1815
Deployment of French Troops
Battle of Waterloo, 10.00hrs, 18 June 1815
Battle of Waterloo, 16.00hrs
PLATES
Napoleon Bonaparte. Painting by Robert Lefévre. (Wellington Museum, London)
Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, 1814. Painting by Sir Thomas Lawrence. (The Art Archive/Wellington Museum London/Eileen Tweedy)
The elderly Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. (The Art Archive/Wellington Museum London/Eileen Tweedy)
Napoleon giving orders to an aide-de-camp for Marshal Grouchy on the morning of the battle. (The Art Archive)
General Reille, commander of Napoleon’s II Corps. Engraving by A. Tardieu. (Collection Viollet)
Jérome Bonaparte, division commander and Napoleon’s youngest brother. Painting, 1808. (The Art Archive/Musee du Chateau de Versailles/Dagli Otti)
The Duke of Wellington outside his headquarters at Mont-Saint-Jean. Painting by J. C. Aylward. (The Art Archive/Eileen Tweedy)
The ceremonial Eagle, mounted on a pole with the French tricolor. (Collection Viollet)
A 12-pounder gun, one of les belles filles de l’Empereur. (Mark Adkin)
Crops of rye in June. (Mark Adkin)
British soldiers form a square to defend against cavalry attacks. (Mary Evans)
The Guards brigade attack the French to alleviate the pressure on the defenders of the château, just visible in the far right background. Painting by Denis Dighton. (Bridgeman)
The French bombard Hougoumont, prompting the British artillery to open fire, against Wellington’s orders. (Mary Evans)
General von Bülow. German engraving. (Bridgeman)
Marshal Grouchy. Engraving. (The Art Archive/Musee Carnavelet Paris/Dagli Orti)
The battle around the farmhouse and stables at La Haye Sainte. Painting by R. Knotel. (Mary Evans)
Count d’Erlon holding his marshal’s baton. Engraving by Collier after Larivière. (Collection Viollet)
“That old rogue,” Sir Thomas Picton. (Mary Evans)
The charge of the Scots Grays. Painting by Lady Butler. (Mary Evans)
Marshal Ney. (Mary Evans)
French cuirassiers charging a Highlanders’ square. Painting by Félix Philippoteaux, 1874. (The Art Archive/Victoria & Albert Museum/Eileen Tweedy)
Colonel von Ompteda. (National Army Museum)
Nassauers defending their position at La Belle Alliance. Painting by R. Knotel. (Mary Evans)
Blücher orders his men to attack Plancenoit. Painting by Adolf Northern. (Bridgeman)
An officer of the mounted chasseurs of the Imperial Guard. Painting by Gericault. (Mary Evans)
Napoleon, viewing the attack on his Imperial Guards through a spyglass. Painting by James Atkinson. (The Art Archive)
Colonel Hew Halkett captures the French general Cambronne. Painting by R. Knotel. (Mary Evans)
Wellington signalling the general British advance on Waterloo. Painting by James Atkinson. (The Art Archive/The British Museum)
The Earl of Uxbridge, commander of the Allied cavalry. Painting by Peter Edward Stroehling, c. 1816. (National Army Museum)
The surgeon’s saw used to amputate Lord Uxbridge’s leg. (National Army Museum)
The famous meeting between Wellington and Blücher, depicted here in front of the inn at La Belle Alliance. (Mary Evans)
General von Gneisenau. (Victoria & Albert Museum)
Napoleon among his men as he faces defeat. His carriage awaits his flight. Painting by Ernest Crofts. (Mary Evans)
Napoleon Bonaparte burning the eagles and standards of his Imperial Guard after the battle. (The Art Archive)
A burial party at work near La Belle Alliance, seven days after the battle. Engraving by E. Walsh, drawn on the spot. (Mary Evans)
British soldiers removing French cannons, July 1815. (Collections Viollet/Bibliothéque Nationale)
Copyright © 2003 by Alessandro Barbero
Translation copyright © 2005 by John Cullen
Electronic edition published in 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address Walker & Company, 104 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10011.
Published in 2006 by Walker & Company
Distributed to the trade by Holtzbrinck Publishers
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.
Originally published in Italy as La battaglia, Storia di Waterloo by Gius. Laterza & Figli in 2003
First published in hardcover in the U.S. in 2005
ISBN: 978 0 8027 1831 0
Visit Walker & Company’s Web site at www.walkerbooks.com
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