This spirited history of the 1815 campaign provides a new and stimulating account of the epic confrontation at Waterloo and, in addition, acts as a reliable guide to the battlefield and all related sites. The authors have divided the battlefield of Waterloo into three distinct sectors: one for each of the three armies involved. This allows the reader to follow the fighting from three different perspectives and gain an objective understanding of the dramatic course of the battle. The authors also make use of vivid eyewitness testimony, drawn from participants in all three armies, and this brings to life the epic battle and provides a dramatic backcloth to the rapid course of events. Previously unpublished letters from British officers, the recollections of a Dutch-Belgian staff officer and the memoirs of a French colonel of cuirassiers all contribute to an understanding of just what it was like to fight in one of Europe's most crucial confrontations.
In addition to covering Waterloo itself, this important book also examines the tense situation in Brussels as the French drew near, the aftermath of the battle, the battle at Wavre, the Prussian pursuit and Marshal Grouchy's stubborn defence of Namur.This spirited history of the 1815 campaign provides a new and stimulating account of the epic confrontation at Waterloo and, in addition, acts as a reliable guide to the battlefield and all related sites. The authors have divided the battlefield of Waterloo into three distinct sectors: one for each of the three armies involved. This allows the reader to follow the fighting from three different perspectives and gain an objective understanding of the dramatic course of the battle. The authors also make use of vivid eyewitness testimony, drawn from participants in all three armies, and this brings to life the epic battle and provides a dramatic backcloth to the rapid course of events. Previously unpublished letters from British officers, the recollections of a Dutch-Belgian staff officer and the memoirs of a French colonel of cuirassiers all contribute to an understanding of just what it was like to fight in one of Europe's most crucial confrontations.
In addition to covering Waterloo itself, this important book also examines the tense situation in Brussels as the French drew near, the aftermath of the battle, the battle at Wavre, the Prussian pursuit and Marshal Grouchy's stubborn defence of Namur.

• Cover
• Half Title
• Full Title
• Copyright
• Contents
  • List of Illustrations
  • List of diagrams and drawings
  • List of maps
  • Key to maps
  • Acknowledgements
  • Part One: The road to Waterloo
    • 1 The 1815 campaign: the first battles
    • 2 On the field of honour: Waterloo today
  • Part Two: Wellington’s sector
    • 3 Morning 18 June: from Waterloo to the front line
    • 4 The defence of Hougoumont
    • 5 The eastern wing: victory from the jaws of defeat
    • 6 The panorama: prepare to receive cavalry!
    • 7 The centre of the line: La Haie Sainte falls
    • 8 Evening 18 June
  • Part Three: Napoleon’s sector
    • 9 Morning 18 June: the last review
    • 10 The assault on Hougoumont
    • 11 The main attack: triumph then disaster
    • 12 Marshal Ney’s massed cavalry onslaught
    • 13 The Guard goes into action
  • Part Four: Blücher’s sector
    • 14 The Prussian march to the battlefield
    • 15 IV Corps and II Corps under fire
    • 16 I Corps in action
  • Part Five: Brussels
    • 17 Brussels in June 1815
    • 18 The British monument at Evere cemetery
  • Part Six: The last shots of the 1815 campaign
    • 19 The Battle of Wavre
    • 20 Aftermath
    • 21 Echoes of Waterloo
  • Appendices
    • 1 Orders of battle
    • 2 Museum addresses and opening times
    • 3 Sources
  • Index