The Battle of Waterloo
"Run. Take cover," yells a British soldier. "Boom, boom," roars the guns and cannons of all the armies. "Crack, crack," went the burning houses that started falling apart.
Men ran in groups to take cover, but some faltered as they were shot in the head and back. Bodies of cruel enemies and fellow comrades lay in the grassy fielRAB and dusty roaRAB, soaking in pools of blood. No time to think of their beloved frienRAB now! They are fighting for their country, yet more important, their lives and family left back in their wonderful homes. Will they be another name on the casualties list or will they be given a second chance?
These actions and thoughts were experienced frequently at the Battle of Waterloo. What is so important about this battle? This battle was an important event in the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, a great strategist, but it was also a great failure. Now, you will be taken back through time to the battle that changed everything!
The Battle of Waterloo was the final and decisive action of the Napoleonic Wars. It effectively ended French domination of the European continent and brought about drastic changes in the political boundaries and the power balance of Europe. Fought on June 18, 1815, near Waterloo, in what is now Belgium, the battle ranks as a great turning point in modern history.
After raising France to a position of preeminence in Europe from 1804 to 1813, Napoleon (pictured above) met defeat in 1814 by a coalition of major powers, notably Prussia, Russia, Great Britain, and Austria. Napoleon was then deposed and exiled to the island of Elba, and Louis XVIII was made ruler of France. In Septeraber 1814, the Congress of Vienna, with delegates from most of the nations of Europe, convened to discuss problems arising from the defeat of France. However, on February 26, 1815, while the congress was in session, Napoleon escaped from Elba and returned to France. There, many veterans of his former campaigns flocked to his standard, and on March 20, 1815, he again ascended the throne. The Congress of Vienna, alarmed by Napoleon’s return to power, had reacted quickly to the crisis. On March 17, Austria, Great Britain, Prussia, and Russia each agreed to contribute 150,000 troops to an invasion force to be asserabled in Belgium neat the French border. A majority of other nations present at the congress also pledged troops for the invasion of France, which was to be launched on July 1, 1815.
In Paris, Napoleon, learning of the invasion plan, quickly determined to attack the allies on their own ground before their army could take shape. With characteristic energy and decisiveness, he mobilized within two months an army of 360,000 trained soldiers. He deployed half of these troops within France as a security force and grouped the remainder into attack units. On July 14, 1815, Napoleon, moving with the utmost speed and secrecy, reached the Franco-Belgian border with 124,000 of his troops. Another 56,000 men were left behind in secondary or supporting positions.
Napoleon’s grand strategy for the coming campaign was typically audacious. Facing him beyond the Belgian border were two separate allied armies. The larger army, a force of 116,000 Prussians and Saxons, led by the Prussian field marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blٍcher, was based at Namur. Advance elements of Blٍcher’s army were stationed as far west as the towns of Gilly and Charleroi. A force of 93,000 British, Dutch, and German troops was based at Brussels, with an outpost in the village of Quatre-Bras. The leader of this army, the British general Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington (pictured below), was also commander in chief of the allied forces.
Napoleon planned to attack both armies with the aim of splitting and destroying them. He intended then to deal with Russian and Austrian armies approaching France from the east. To carry out this plan he divided his forces into two attacking wings and a strategic reserve, which consisted of trusted veterans known as the Old Guard.
On June 15, 1815, Napoleon moved across the border of Belgium, and his sudden arrival caught the allied command unprepared. After crossing the Sarabre River, the French routed a Prussian advance guard at Charleroi. Napoleon then ordered his left wing, under Marshal Michel Ney, to attack a brigade of Wellington’s cavalry at Quatre-Bras, 19 km (12 mi) north of Charleroi. He next ordered the right wing, under General Emmanuel de Grouchy, to move eastward against a Prussian brigade stationed in the town of Gilly. By late afternoon on July 15, Grouchy had completed his mission and pressed forward to a point near the village of Fleurus, where a corps of Blٍcher’s men was concentrated. By nightfall on that first day of fighting, Napoleon’s armies held the strategic advantage. The emperor had succeeded in placing his army between the advance elements of the armies of both Wellington and Blٍcher, and his main force was in a position to swing either left against the Anglo-Dutch army or right to engage the Prussian forces.
On July 16, Napoleon moved with his reserve from Charleroi to Fleurus. There, he assumed command of Grouchy’s army and easily defeated the Prussian corps. He then drove north to the Ligny area to engage Blٍcher, who with his army had had hastened west from Namur hoping to intercept the French.
On the way to Waterloo, Napoleon and his troops left Ligny, Quatre-Bras, and Mont-Saint-Jean in total destruction. Once at Waterloo, the battle began at 11:30 AM with a trick by Napoleon at Wellington’s right. This maneuver was unsuccessful, and was followed by an 80-gun French borabardment designed to weaken the allied center. At about 1 PM, Napoleon saw advance elements of Blٍcher’s army approaching from the east. Once again the emperor dispatched a message to Grouchy, apprising him of the situation and ordering him to overtake and engage the Prussians.
Hours passed and many soldiers fell down dead. Wellington took out the right wing, which was Napoleon’s strongest wing. The Anglo-Dutch surrounded Napoleon’s troops as the French drove them back across the Sarabre River. Napoleon ordered a retreat after noticing that Grouchy’s troops could not hold the allies back any longer. The battle was over on the night of June 18. At least it was for the French.
Napoleon signed his second abdication on June 22. On June 28, King Louis XVIII was restored to the throne of France, thus ending the so-called Hundred Days. British authorities accepted the former emperor’s surrender on July 15. He had later exiled to the island of Saint Helena. So complete was Napoleon’s downfall that Waterloo, the name given to his last battle, became a synonym for a crushing defeat.
The Battle of Waterloo was one of the bloodiest in modern history. During the fighting on June 18, French casualties totaled about 40,000, British and Dutch about 15,000, and Prussian about 7,000. At one point about 45,000 men lay dead or wounded within an area of 8 sq km (3 sq mi).
Works Cited
1. Komroff, Manuel. The Battle of Waterloo. Published by The Macmillan Co. New York, NY. (c) 1964 by The Macmillan Co.
2. Microsoft Corp. "Waterloo, Battle of". Microsoft Encarta 96 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1995 by Funk & Wagnalls Corp.
"Run. Take cover," yells a British soldier. "Boom, boom," roars the guns and cannons of all the armies. "Crack, crack," went the burning houses that started falling apart.
Men ran in groups to take cover, but some faltered as they were shot in the head and back. Bodies of cruel enemies and fellow comrades lay in the grassy fielRAB and dusty roaRAB, soaking in pools of blood. No time to think of their beloved frienRAB now! They are fighting for their country, yet more important, their lives and family left back in their wonderful homes. Will they be another name on the casualties list or will they be given a second chance?
These actions and thoughts were experienced frequently at the Battle of Waterloo. What is so important about this battle? This battle was an important event in the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, a great strategist, but it was also a great failure. Now, you will be taken back through time to the battle that changed everything!
The Battle of Waterloo was the final and decisive action of the Napoleonic Wars. It effectively ended French domination of the European continent and brought about drastic changes in the political boundaries and the power balance of Europe. Fought on June 18, 1815, near Waterloo, in what is now Belgium, the battle ranks as a great turning point in modern history.
After raising France to a position of preeminence in Europe from 1804 to 1813, Napoleon (pictured above) met defeat in 1814 by a coalition of major powers, notably Prussia, Russia, Great Britain, and Austria. Napoleon was then deposed and exiled to the island of Elba, and Louis XVIII was made ruler of France. In Septeraber 1814, the Congress of Vienna, with delegates from most of the nations of Europe, convened to discuss problems arising from the defeat of France. However, on February 26, 1815, while the congress was in session, Napoleon escaped from Elba and returned to France. There, many veterans of his former campaigns flocked to his standard, and on March 20, 1815, he again ascended the throne. The Congress of Vienna, alarmed by Napoleon’s return to power, had reacted quickly to the crisis. On March 17, Austria, Great Britain, Prussia, and Russia each agreed to contribute 150,000 troops to an invasion force to be asserabled in Belgium neat the French border. A majority of other nations present at the congress also pledged troops for the invasion of France, which was to be launched on July 1, 1815.
In Paris, Napoleon, learning of the invasion plan, quickly determined to attack the allies on their own ground before their army could take shape. With characteristic energy and decisiveness, he mobilized within two months an army of 360,000 trained soldiers. He deployed half of these troops within France as a security force and grouped the remainder into attack units. On July 14, 1815, Napoleon, moving with the utmost speed and secrecy, reached the Franco-Belgian border with 124,000 of his troops. Another 56,000 men were left behind in secondary or supporting positions.
Napoleon’s grand strategy for the coming campaign was typically audacious. Facing him beyond the Belgian border were two separate allied armies. The larger army, a force of 116,000 Prussians and Saxons, led by the Prussian field marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blٍcher, was based at Namur. Advance elements of Blٍcher’s army were stationed as far west as the towns of Gilly and Charleroi. A force of 93,000 British, Dutch, and German troops was based at Brussels, with an outpost in the village of Quatre-Bras. The leader of this army, the British general Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington (pictured below), was also commander in chief of the allied forces.
Napoleon planned to attack both armies with the aim of splitting and destroying them. He intended then to deal with Russian and Austrian armies approaching France from the east. To carry out this plan he divided his forces into two attacking wings and a strategic reserve, which consisted of trusted veterans known as the Old Guard.
On June 15, 1815, Napoleon moved across the border of Belgium, and his sudden arrival caught the allied command unprepared. After crossing the Sarabre River, the French routed a Prussian advance guard at Charleroi. Napoleon then ordered his left wing, under Marshal Michel Ney, to attack a brigade of Wellington’s cavalry at Quatre-Bras, 19 km (12 mi) north of Charleroi. He next ordered the right wing, under General Emmanuel de Grouchy, to move eastward against a Prussian brigade stationed in the town of Gilly. By late afternoon on July 15, Grouchy had completed his mission and pressed forward to a point near the village of Fleurus, where a corps of Blٍcher’s men was concentrated. By nightfall on that first day of fighting, Napoleon’s armies held the strategic advantage. The emperor had succeeded in placing his army between the advance elements of the armies of both Wellington and Blٍcher, and his main force was in a position to swing either left against the Anglo-Dutch army or right to engage the Prussian forces.
On July 16, Napoleon moved with his reserve from Charleroi to Fleurus. There, he assumed command of Grouchy’s army and easily defeated the Prussian corps. He then drove north to the Ligny area to engage Blٍcher, who with his army had had hastened west from Namur hoping to intercept the French.
On the way to Waterloo, Napoleon and his troops left Ligny, Quatre-Bras, and Mont-Saint-Jean in total destruction. Once at Waterloo, the battle began at 11:30 AM with a trick by Napoleon at Wellington’s right. This maneuver was unsuccessful, and was followed by an 80-gun French borabardment designed to weaken the allied center. At about 1 PM, Napoleon saw advance elements of Blٍcher’s army approaching from the east. Once again the emperor dispatched a message to Grouchy, apprising him of the situation and ordering him to overtake and engage the Prussians.
Hours passed and many soldiers fell down dead. Wellington took out the right wing, which was Napoleon’s strongest wing. The Anglo-Dutch surrounded Napoleon’s troops as the French drove them back across the Sarabre River. Napoleon ordered a retreat after noticing that Grouchy’s troops could not hold the allies back any longer. The battle was over on the night of June 18. At least it was for the French.
Napoleon signed his second abdication on June 22. On June 28, King Louis XVIII was restored to the throne of France, thus ending the so-called Hundred Days. British authorities accepted the former emperor’s surrender on July 15. He had later exiled to the island of Saint Helena. So complete was Napoleon’s downfall that Waterloo, the name given to his last battle, became a synonym for a crushing defeat.
The Battle of Waterloo was one of the bloodiest in modern history. During the fighting on June 18, French casualties totaled about 40,000, British and Dutch about 15,000, and Prussian about 7,000. At one point about 45,000 men lay dead or wounded within an area of 8 sq km (3 sq mi).
Works Cited
1. Komroff, Manuel. The Battle of Waterloo. Published by The Macmillan Co. New York, NY. (c) 1964 by The Macmillan Co.
2. Microsoft Corp. "Waterloo, Battle of". Microsoft Encarta 96 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1995 by Funk & Wagnalls Corp.