Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies and Three Battles
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crisis of the battle, the 217, 332
crops, obstacle on battlefield 11, 47, 48, 64, 82, 83, 85, 94, 95, 109, 139, 169, 185, 186, 188, 235, 285, 289, 303
cuirassiers 88, 90, 92, 95, 96, 98, 101, 117, 145, 172, 182, 187, 192, 199–201, 215, 222, 232, 235–6, 238–9, 242–3, 244, 253, 255, 263, 269, 278, 322, 325, 335
Davout, Marshal 27
Deacon, Martha 105–6, 111
dead, disposal of the 325
de Lancey, Colonel William 314, 315
Delort, Lieutenant-General 232
Duthilt, Captain 184, 186, 189, 191, 192, 197, 233
Dyle, River 115, 250, 288
Elba 8, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 27, 114, 192, 347
d’Erlon, Count 66, 68–9, 72, 73, 74, 76, 99, 128, 170, 172, 176, 181–5, 200–1, 208, 212, 215, 217, 231, 248, 258–9, 286–7, 293, 299, 328, 340
Ewart, Sergeant Charles 197, 198, 199, 205, 213, 222
Foy, General 119, 152, 159, 172, 242, 251, 252, 253, 286, 287, 290
François, Captain Charles 69–70
French Chasseurs 237
French Grenadiers 297
French Revolution 8–9, 27, 55, 70, 73, 272
Frichermont 139, 275
Gale, Elizabeth 223–4
Garcia Hernandez, battle of 94, 237
Genappe 105, 111–12, 114–17, 130, 288, 315–16, 318
Girod de l’Ain, Colonel 23–4
Gneisenau, August von 28–30, 50, 58, 75, 106, 126–7, 149, 219, 250, 315–16, 318–19, 329, 330–2, 340, 341
Gordon, Sir Alexander 108
Goya, Francisco 35
Grand Battery, Napoleon’s 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 172, 176, 187, 212, 286, 305
Grande Armée 21, 346
Grant, Colquhoun 41–2
Gronow, Rees Howell 238, 239, 240, 241, 247
Grouchy, Marquis de 27, 28, 68, 113, 119, 120, 128, 140, 145, 146, 147, 150, 153, 173, 174, 175, 193, 220, 249, 250, 285, 287, 288, 317, 340
Hal (village) 125, 140
Halkett, General 265, 290, 293–7, 299, 306
Hanoverians 31, 100, 187, 192, 294, 296, 336
Hardinge, Colonel 76
Heavy Cavalry Pattern sword 194
HMS Griffon 8
HMS Partridge 17
horse artillery 112, 113, 114, 234, 241, 263, 286, 291
Hougoumont 5, 11, 139, 140, 141, 144, 148, 153, 155, 156, 158–64, 167, 172–3, 175–6, 187, 201, 207–11, 216, 221, 225, 231–2, 234–5, 242, 251, 252, 254, 258–9, 267, 278, 287, 290, 299, 304, 325, 334
French incursions 207–10
Household Brigade 194, 200, 201, 212
Imperial Guard 5, 6, 7, 17, 51, 54, 57, 67, 73, 74, 109, 130, 232, 240, 265, 272–4, 278, 285–6, 289, 290–1, 293, 295, 296, 298–301, 309, 316–17, 326–8, 332, 334, 343, 348
Inconstant 16, 17
Inniskilling Dragoons 194, 200, 212, 214, 223
IV Corps (von Bülow) 6, 148–9
Josephine, Empress of France 16, 18, 36–7, 317
Kellerman, General François Etienne de 90, 92, 93, 95, 101, 138, 242
Kincaid, John 61, 135, 140, 144, 148, 185, 186, 192, 200, 222, 234, 302, 341, 347
King’s German Legion (KGL) 30–1, 32, 94, 137, 148, 155, 182, 184, 187, 201, 209, 212, 237, 259, 262, 264, 268, 282, 290, 293
La Haie Sainte 5, 11, 12, 139–40, 148, 167, 182, 186–7, 190, 192, 201, 232, 235–4, 258, 258–65, 266, 268–9, 277–8, 282, 287, 289, 322, 334
lancers 90, 145, 191, 198, 214, 250
French 48, 50, 114, 117, 135, 215
Polish 17, 176, 304
Landwehr, Prussian 29
Larrey, Dominique Jean 109, 110, 116, 130, 348
ambulance 109–110, 130
Lasne, River 138, 147, 149, 193, 218, 219, 220, 248, 273
Le Caillou 120, 121
Leeke, Reverend William 229, 229–230, 230, 231, 234, 266, 268, 300, 302, 303, 326, 327, 328, 329, 347
Legros (l’Enfonceur) 207, 208, 209, 210, 222
Lennox, Lady Georgiana 46
Les Invalides 164, 165, 317, 339
Lieber, Franz 29, 30, 34, 71, 249, 340, 347
Ligny 54, 56, 57, 64–70, 72, 74–6, 78–9, 83, 99, 100, 106, 109, 112, 119, 128, 137, 148–9, 156, 164–5, 168, 218, 248, 250, 274, 324, 329–31, 347
Battle begins 67–69
Piraumont 83
victory for Napoleon 75
Lobau, General 220, 250, 272, 288
Louis XIV 164
Louis XVI 9
Louis XVIII 8, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 24, 26, 27, 37, 40, 192, 193, 339, 340
Lowe, Sir Hudson 339
Macara, Sir Robert 87, 88, 89
Macdonell, Lieutenant-Colonel James 144, 156, 160, 162, 164, 173, 208, 209, 210, 211, 221, 225, 299
Mauduit, Hippolyte de 51–52, 53–4, 67, 117
Mellery (village) 106, 127
Menzies, Captain Archibald 88
Metternich, Count 20–2, 36
Middle Guard 285, 286, 289, 292, 293, 297
Mont St Jean 6, 12, 109–11, 113, 116, 118, 120, 126, 136, 144, 147–50, 156, 164, 173–6, 223, 248, 285, 315, 317, 319, 330, 335, 342
Mornington, Earl and Countess of 9
Müffling, General Baron von 28, 49, 50, 144, 149, 152, 156, 220, 276, 277, 303, 318, 330, 340, 347
muskets
Brown Bess 141–2, 151
inaccuracy 142–3
Nassauers/Nassau 56, 63, 116, 158, 162, 208, 209, 210, 275, 322
National Guard, French 25, 316
Nelson, Horatio 44, 105
Netherlands, Kingdom of the 8, 10, 19, 26, 30, 43, 122
Ney, Marshal Michel 27–8, 54–7, 63, 64, 65–8, 70, 73, 76, 81, 86, 90, 99, 101, 111–13, 119, 128, 159, 217, 224, 231–4, 237, 241–2, 245, 247, 249–51, 258–60, 264–5, 270, 275, 278, 286–7, 289, 297, 299, 334, 340
execution 340
Nivelles 53, 55, 56, 63, 73, 82, 83, 93, 97, 100, 107, 111, 112
Nivelles road 53, 55, 56, 73, 82, 83, 93, 100, 107, 111
Old Guard (French Grenadiers) 51, 119, 156, 274, 285–6, 291, 301, 305–6
Ordener, Colonel Michel 232, 233
organisation/structure of armies 6–7
Ostend 40, 49, 125
Papelotte 138–9, 140, 167, 182, 187, 194, 201, 275
Peninsular War 8, 30, 31, 45, 55, 108, 136, 146, 164, 171, 183, 212, 230, 243, 251, 264, 278, 290, 293, 298–9, 300, 301, 315, 322, 327, 345, 346
Percy, Honourable Henry 319–21
Picton, Sir Thomas 4, 45, 83, 85, 103, 110, 173, 189–90, 192, 204, 217, 314, 339
Plancenoit 139, 173, 219, 248, 250, 257–8, 265, 271–4, 276–9, 285, 288, 295, 305–6, 324, 332
Ponsonby, Sir Frederick 214–15
Ponsonby, William 214
Princess Borghese 17, 157
Prussian army
arrival at Waterloo 287–288
left flank 68
march to join Wellington 248–250
right flank 30, 66, 67, 68, 74, 99, 128
Quatre-Bras 51, 53, 54–7, 61–8, 73–4, 76, 81–6, 89, 90, 92, 94–5, 97, 101–2, 105–6, 108–14, 138, 150, 158, 187, 189, 194, 223, 231, 238, 248, 269, 275, 293, 315–16, 321, 324, 329–30, 334, 339
Wellington victory 99
rain and mud 117–18, 136–7
Rebecque, Major-General Baron Jean-Victor Constant- 51, 55, 58, 83
Reille, General 32, 121, 158, 159, 251, 287, 290, 293, 300
Reuter, Captain von 72
Richmond, Duchess of 39, 43, 46, 48, 53, 56, 58, 319, 334
ball on eve of war 43–47
Richmond, Duke of 51
rifle, Baker 84
Roberts, Andrew 121
rocket troop 114–15, 131
Royal Artillery 171, 341, 344
Royal Horse Artillery 33, 131, 277, 304
Royal Scots Greys 145, 193, 194–8, 200, 212, 214
Russia 6, 10, 22, 23, 29, 36
Saint-Amand 67, 73
Saint Helena 16, 317, 33
9
Saltoun, Lord 298
Sambre, River 41, 47, 48–9, 53, 56, 288
Saxe-Weimar, Prince Bernhard of 56, 63, 81, 83, 275
Shelley, Lady 306, 307, 313, 319, 334, 348
skirmishers 84–5
British 188, 208, 252
Dutch 83, 85, 183
French 83–5, 94, 102, 183, 187, 259, 267, 268, 276, 278, 302
Prussian 249
skirmish line 63, 72, 84, 85, 246, 249, 286
voltigeurs, French 84, 151, 266, 268, 278
Smohain 139
Sombreffe 53, 54, 55, 61
Soult, Marshal Nicolas Jean de Dieu 26–7, 27, 28, 32, 121–2, 131, 144, 146, 174–5, 188, 192, 339, 340
Sourd, Colonel 116
Stuart, Sir Charles 122–3
Suchet, Marshal 27
Talleyrand, Charles-Maurice de 16, 22
troop formation/deployment
column and line 69–70, 252
square 93–4, 233–4, 236
Tuileries Palace 18, 19, 37
Uxbridge, Lord 46, 115–16, 125–6, 131, 194, 222, 305, 314
injury 305
Vandamme, General 20, 73
Vitoria, battle of 32, 39, 45, 82, 143, 212, 230
Waldie, Miss Charlotte 62
Wavre 107, 108–9, 113, 120, 127, 146–50, 153, 173–5, 220, 249, 250, 274, 285, 317, 324, 330
Wellington, Duke of
British ambassador 8
centre of forces 96, 139, 156, 162, 201, 264, 269, 278
Copenhagen (horse) 92, 93, 217, 297, 313
early life 9
later career 341–2
left flank 94, 158, 172, 259, 287
meeting with Blücher at La Belle Alliance 306
meeting with Blücher before battle 65
promise of help to Blücher at Ligny 330
‘reverse slope’ tactic 64–5, 67, 137
right flank 5, 140, 156, 172, 181, 201, 245, 290, 299
Wedderburn-Webster, Lady Frances (mistress) 45–6
William of the Netherlands, Prince (Slender Billy) 8, 43–4, 51, 55, 94–5, 102, 124, 187, 208, 210, 262–4, 268, 293, 326, 341, 343
Zieten, General von 49–50, 248, 270, 274–6, 277
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
NO ONE CAN WRITE ABOUT WATERLOO without leaning on the labours of other historians. I am particularly indebted to Mark Adkin, whose book, The Waterloo Companion, is indispensable. It is a magnificent compilation of almost everything you might ever wish to know about the battle. The book is lavishly illustrated, the maps are superb, the research exhaustive and the opinions judicious. Whenever I found myself confused, usually by contradictory eyewitness accounts, I discovered that Mark Adkin had already cleared a path through the disagreements. I owe him thanks.
The battlefield today is dominated by the enormous Lion Mound, a memorial erected by Slender Billy’s father on the spot where his son was wounded. The Duke of Wellington, on seeing the mound, remarked, ‘They have ruined my battlefield,’ and so they had because, to make this monstrous lump, tons of soil were removed from the crest of the ridge so that visitors today cannot see the land as it was when the Imperial Guard made their final attack. Nevertheless the battlefield is well worth a visit, and the best guide is David Buttery’s Waterloo Battlefield Guide, which not only leads the visitor around the locations of the campaign, but tells the story of those four momentous days. The book is an essential companion for anyone visiting the battlefields of the campaign.
Nothing can take us closer to the battle than the words of the men who were there, and no one has done more to preserve those accounts than Gareth Glover. By far the majority of the quotations I used in the book are drawn from Gareth Glover’s compilations, either Letters from the Battle of Waterloo or his three volumes of The Waterloo Archive. I am enormously grateful for his painstaking work.
I was fortunate to meet the late Jac Weller and so had the privilege of listening to his robust opinions on Wellington, Napoleon and the battle of Waterloo. Peter Hofschröer’s opinions are just as robust, and the debate he sparked with his writings has broadened our knowledge of the battle. I am grateful to him, and to all the authors whose work has made mine so much easier. Patrick McGrady generously gave me his research on Elizabeth Gale, the five-year-old girl who witnessed the battle.
I have been fortunate, too, in having the same publisher for all my writing career. The support I have received from Susan Watt, Helen Ellis, Liz Dawson, Kate Elton, Jennifer Barth, Jonathan Burnham, Myles Archibald and Julia Koppitz has been extraordinary, thank you! And thank you to my agent, Toby Eady, who has been with me from the first book and without whom there might have been no books.
There would certainly have been no books without my wife’s support. Judy has been an inspiration throughout. It can be said of her, as Wellington remarked of the British infantry at Waterloo, that she is ‘the best of all instruments’. She is.
Insignia derived from shako plates, buttons and regimental badges appear on the following pages: p. 5 & 8 – Royal Artillery shako plate (1813); p. 15 – Chap. 1, French Imperial eagle; p. 39 – Chap. 2, French Imperial Guard, shako plate; p. 61 – Chap. 3, 95th Rifles 1st Battalion; p. 81 – Chap. 4, bronze totenkopf worn on shakos by Prussian black Hussars; p. 105 – Chap. 5, French Life Guard shako plate; p. 133 – Chap. 6, King’s German Legion shako plate; p. 155 – Chap. 7, French 9th Hussars shako plate; p. 181 – Chap. 8, Gordon Highlanders insignia; p. 207 – Chap. 9, Royal Artillery shako plate; p. 229 – Chap. 10, 52nd Foot Infantry insignia; p. 257 – Chap. 11, Saxe Weimar badge; p. 285 – Chap. 12 – French Imperial Guard, shako plate; p. 313 – Aftermath, Royal Scots badge; p. 339 – Afterword – Royal Artillery shako plate.
PICTURE CREDITS
The listed page numbers and image credits relate to the hardback edition of this publication and should therefore be referenced in accordance with a copy of the physical edition.
All reasonable efforts have been made by the author and publishers to trace the copyright owners of the material quoted in this book and of any images reproduced in this book. In the event that the author or publishers are notified of any mistakes or omissions by copyright owners after publication, the author and publishers will endeavour to rectify the position accordingly for any subsequent printing.
BRIDGEMAN IMAGES: p. 35: National Gallery, London, UK – p. 36: (top left) Louvre, Paris, France / Giraudon; (top right) Musee de l’Armee, Paris, France / Giraudon; (bottom right) Musee National du Chateau de Malmaison, Rueil-Malmaison, France / Giraudon; (bottom left) Royal Collection Trust © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 2014 – p. 37: (top) Musee de l’Armee, Brussels, Belgium; (bottom left) De Agostini Picture Library / G. Costa – p. 58: (top) The Trustees of the Goodwood Collection – p. 77: Private Collection / Giraudon – p. 78/9: (top) Private Collection / The Stapleton Collection; (bottom) Musee de l’Armee, Brussels, Belgium / Patrick Lorette / Giraudon – p. 101: (top) Private Collection / The Stapleton Collection; (bottom right) Private Collection / © Look and Learn – p. 102: (top left) Private Collection / The Stapleton Collection; (bottom) National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia – p. 103: (top) Private Collection / The Stapleton Collection; (bottom) Brown University Library, Providence, Rhode Island, USA – p. 129: Private Collection / Photo © Mark Fiennes – p. 130: (top) Private Collection / The Stapleton Collection; (bottom right) Château de Versailles, France; (bottom left) Musee du Val-de-Grace, Paris, France / Archives Charmet – p. 131: (top left) Private Collection / Photo © Christie’s Images; (top right) © The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham, UK; (bottom) Private Collection / The Stapleton Collection – p. 151: (top) Private Collection / The Stapleton Collection; (middle) R.S.A.F. Enfield Lock, Middlesex, UK – p. 152: (top) Musee des Beaux-Arts, Bordeaux, France / Giraudon – p. 153: (top) Château de Versailles, France; (bottom) Private Collection / The Stapleton Collection – p. 177: (middle) National Army Museum, London; (bottom right) Musee des Beaux-Arts, Reims, France / Roger-Violle
t, Paris; (bottom left) © The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham, UK – p. 178/9: Private Collection – p. 202/3: Leeds Museums and Galleries (Leeds Art Gallery) U.K. – p. 204: (top) © Samuel Courtauld Trust, The Courtauld Gallery, London, UK; (bottom right) Royal Collection Trust © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 2014 – p. 225: (top left) Private Collection / Topham Picturepoint; (bottom) National Army Museum, London – p. 254: (top) Bibliotheque Marmottan, Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris, France / Giraudon; (bottom) National Army Museum, London – p. 255: (top) Apsley House, The Wellington Museum, London, UK; (bottom) Private Collection / Photo © Christie’s Images – p. 279: Private Collection / Photo © Bonhams, London, UK – p. 280/1: Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany – p. 282/3: (bottom) Apsley House, The Wellington Museum, London, UK / © English Heritage Photo Library – p. 308: Musee de l’Armee, Brussels, Belgium / Patrick Lorette – p. 309: (top) Brown University Library, Providence, Rhode Island, USA – p. 309: (bottom) National Army Museum, London – p. 310/11: Palace of Westminster, London, UK – p. 312: Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin, Germany / © DHM – p. 337: (top) Musee de l’Armee, Brussels, Belgium; (bottom) © Royal Hospital Chelsea, London, UK – p. 338: (top) Pushkin Museum, Moscow, Russia; (bottom) De Agostini Picture Library / G. Dagli Orti.