The Battle of Waterloo
Belgium, 18th June 1815
'He who could stand on the solitary field of Waterloo, without imagining to himself his gallant countrymen, and their fierce opponents; or who could pass the Rubicon, without seeing the cohorts of Caesar, and their daring leader, should return to his parlour and his newspaper.'
Moyle Sherer
The Waterloo Medal
Waterloo at 11.15am
Waterloo at 19.45pm
Maps courtesy of NapoleonSeries.org
After a night of torrential rain, the drenched Allied and French armies faced each other at Mont St. Jean, near the village of Waterloo in Belgium. After the battles at Quatre Bras and Ligny, on the 16th, the Prussian army had been separated from the Anglo-Dutch army and Napoleon had dispatched de Grouchy with 33,000 men to keep the Prussians (at Wavre) from linking up with the Duke of Wellington at Waterloo. Blucher (known to his troops as 'Alte Vorwarts' or 'Old Forwards') was in command of the Prussian army. Blucher had promised Wellington that he would join him on the 18th and Wellington chose to fight a defensive battle at Mont St. Jean, relying on Blucher to keep his promise.
Wellington's Headquarters In Waterloo
The Duke commanded a force of over 67,600 men (24,000 British, the rest Dutch, Belgians and Germans) with 156 artillery pieces. Napoleon, from his headquarters at La Belle Alliance, was able to field just under 80,000 men and 246 guns (excluding the 33,000 men he had sent off under de Grouchy). These two armies faced each other over a front of less than four miles.
The Duke of Wellington had chosen to fight from a ridge running roughly east-west with his front line approximating the course of the Ohain road. The Brussels-Charleroi road runs north-south through the centre of the battlefield. On his left were the farms of Papelotte and La Haye, in his centre was the farm of La Haye Sainte and anchoring his right flank was the chateau and farm at Hougoumont. Whilst Wellington directed the battle from his position under an elm tree near the crossroads of the Brussels and Ohain roads, Napoleon positioned his troops from Rossomme. Napoleon had constructed his 'Grand Battery' of guns to the east of La Belle Alliance and when he rode up to La Belle Alliance to conduct the battle, he was probably not much more than 1,200 yards away from Wellington. Wellington had certainly observed Napoleon through his telescope when Napoleon rode across the front of his troops before the battle to great cries of 'Vive L'Empreur'. Napoleon's right flank extended towards La Haye and his left faced Hougoumont. He kept the three Guards divisions (the Old, Middle and Young Guard) at the centre of his rear in reserve.
Wellington's Crossroads (Brussels-Charleroi/Ohain)
The battle started at 11.30am with a thunderous volley from the Grand battery. Wellington had placed Lieutenant-Colonel Macdonell in charge at Hougoumont, with the words, "defend the post to the last extremity". This Macdonell certainly did, and Hougoumont was not taken in nearly nine hours of continuous fighting. The chateau inside was burnt to the ground, with only the adjoining chapel surviving. Today, this is a memorial to the Brigade of Guards. Hougoumont nearly fell when a determined attack by Sous-Lieutenant Legros (nicknamed 'L'enfonceur' or 'The Smasher'), wielding a huge axe, managed to break through the North gate. Macdonell and other Guards managed to shut the gate, trapping 30 Frenchmen (including 'L'enfonceur') inside. They were duly dispatched, although a young drummer boy was spared.
Hougoumont
The North Gate at Hougoumont
The South Gate at Hougoumont
The Chapel Inside Hougoumont
The 'Grand Battery' bombarded the Allied ranks from 13.00pm, as a prelude to a massed attack at 13.30pm from D'Erlon's Corps which comprised the right of Napoleon's army. D'Erlon attacked in four massed divisions, which advanced, with the drums beating the 'pas de charge', towards the ground held by Sir Thomas Picton. The British artillery opened fire on the advancing columns but it was the withering volley fire of the British infantry which stopped the French columns in their tracks. The French were unable to advance into this fire and were unable to retreat as the rear of the columns were still pushing on. Picton ordered a bayonet charge by the British infantry and was shot dead, seconds later. The two heavy cavalry brigades (Household and Union brigades) were ordered by the Earl of Uxbridge to join in the charge. This combined attack turned D'Erlon's retreat into a rout. Unfortunately, the Union Brigade had charged too far and after having caused some problems for the French gunners at the 'Grand Battery' were counter-attacked by Lancers and other reserve cavalry as they tried to return to the British lines. Only about half of them returned to celebrate their success. Sergeant Charles Ewart of the Scots Greys took the eagle of the French 45th Ligne and Captain Kennedy Clark and Corporal Stiles of the 1st Royal Dragoons took the Eagle of the French 105th Ligne during this attack. This action ended at about 14.45pm.
At about 16.00pm the Allies were astonished to see about 4,000 cavalry (the French committed about 9,000 cavalry by 17.00pm) , unsupported by infantry, advancing towards them between the Brussels road and Hougomont. Marechal Ney was leading the French cavalry to break the Allied line. The Allied battalions formed square (Wellington himself had to take shelter in one square) and the gunners opened fire. When the French cavalry threatened the guns, the artillerymen took off one wheel (to prevent the French cavalry from galloping away with their guns), rolled it into the shelter of the nearest square and then took shelter themselves. The second and third ranks of each square kept up a steady fire on the French Cuirassiers and the kneeling front rank kept the horses at bay with fixed bayonets. The French cavalry constantly attacked the Allied squares for two hours and although they pressed home their attack with supreme bravery, they were unable to break a single square.
The French Cavalry Attack
The Reverse Slope (Allied Squares)
The View From Cavalie Mercer's Position (G Troop, Royal Horse Artillery)
La Haye Sainte in Wellington's centre had also been the centre of heavy fighting all day. This farm was garrisoned by Major George Baring and the riflemen of the 2nd Light Battalion, King's German Legion. They were supported to the east in a sandpit by three companies of the 95th Rifles ('les coquins verts' or 'the rascals in green' as the French liked to refer to them). The farm had been under constant attack from the French since 13.00pm and had been a thorn in the French side as first D'Erlon's attack and then Ney's had had to pass by the Allied position. At 18.00pm when the French cavalry attack to the west had ground to a halt, the French made a last determined effort to take the farm. La Haye Sainte was on fire, their ammunition was virtually spent and only about 40 of the original 400 defenders were still mobile. With French artillery firing at point-blank range, the French infantry made a final successful assault. This was a dangerous moment for Wellington, but he reinforced his centre, leading some battalions there personally. With the Prussian army now arriving at Plancenoit, the moment passed and Napoleon had to dispatch the Young Guard to deal with the Prussian threat to his right flank. Once Blucher's troops had been able to concentrate, they immediately attacked Plancenoit, La Haye and Papelotte. The Allies had now achieved what Napoleon had been determined to prevent, the Anglo-Dutch and Prussian armies fighting on one battlefield against him. Indeed, Wellington had observed at 16.20pm that "The battle is mine and if the Prussians arrive soon there will be an end of the war".
La Haye Sainte
An intense struggle for possession of Plancenoit was now being played out between the Prussians and the French. The Prussians had taken the village once but had been pushed back out by the French. Napoleon saw his last chance as the Prussians were temporarily stopped at Plancenoit and the Allies were still weak in the centre after the loss of La Haye Sainte. He decided to use his favourite troops, who up until now had been kept in reserve. The Old Guard were to advance between La Haye Sainte and Hougoumont against the Allied centre. At about 19.30pm they marched to the ridge but were halted by the British infantry who stood and fired two volleys at close range into the Old Guard. The Old Guard retired and reformed and advanced again. A battalion of British infantry (52nd, Oxfordshire Light Infantry) had marched round to pour a devastating fire into the left flank of the Old Guard's column and with the British Guards charging them at bayonet point, the Old Guard broke. For the first time ever the cry "La Garde recule" (the Guard retreats) was heard by the French army. The 1st British Foot Guards who had taken part in this charge took the name Grenadier Guards after this significant victory (although they actually charged the Chasseurs and not the French Grenadiers). As the Guard retreated, the Prussians took Plancenoit, thus sealing the fate of Napoleon's Grand Army.
Minutes later the Duke of Wellington was seen to be riding along the Allied line waving his hat in the air. This was the signal for a general advance and the whole allied line moved forward. Napoleon had to abandon his coach and escaped on horseback assisted by members of his personal bodyguard. Wellington met Blucher at La Belle Alliance, the site of Napoleon's command post. The Allied casualties had been about 15,000, the Prussians about 7,000 and the French about 25,000 plus 8,000 prisoners and 220 guns captured by the allies.
That night Wellington wept as he read the casualty lists and his friend and ADC Sir Alexander Gordon lay dying in the next room. Wellington said, "I don't know what it is to lose a battle, but certainly nothing can be more painful than to gain one with the loss of so many of one's friends".
Napoleon abdicated (for the second time) on June 22nd, gave himself up to the British and was exiled to St. Helena, where he eventually died.
Thus ended one of the most significant battles in European history.
The Times, June 22nd, 1815
Well-Known Author, Ian Fletcher, at Waterloo
Well-Known Tour Guide, Trevor Rutter, at Waterloo
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