Napoleon Bonaparte
became Consol of France in 1799 and proclaimed himself Emperor of France in 1804.
He
fought a series of wars (Napoleonic
Wars) in which France fought with coalitions
against other coalitions. Initially successful, he extended French Power and
influence throughout continental Europe.
However the Peninsular War (1807–14) and the French
invasion of Russia in 1812 saw his Grande Armée reduced in capability, and he was
eventually defeated at the Battle
of Leipzig in October 1813. The Army defeated,
France was invaded, and Napoleon was exiled to Alba.
In 1815,
Napoleon escaped from Elba, returning to France where he seized power. Many
states who were opposed to Napoleon began to mobilise their armies. Napoleon
sought to attack his enemies before they
could form an effective coalition against France. He took the army of the North
into Belgium to conduct a preemptive strike against the coalition allies.
On the
16th June 1815, he defeated the Prussians at the
Battle of Ligny, and a
blocking action at
Quatre
Bras prevented
the Anglo-Dutch Army
from reinforcing the Prussians .
Two days later he met Wellington at Waterloo.
Battle of Waterloo
The Waterloo battlefields runs north south over rolling countryside with a number of ridges. Key features include Hougoumont and La Haye Sante.
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Waterloo Ground
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| Battlefield looking south - Hougoumont on the right |
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| British positions looking east - La Haye Sante on the right |
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| Battle of Waterloo - Plan |
The Battle of
Waterloo commenced at 11am with the French artillery bombardment of Hougomont.
In response, the British artillery began to cannonade the infantry on the
French left flank. At noon the French infantry began their assault on
Hougomont.
At 1:30 pm,
D'Erlon's Corps moves it's guns and infantry forward, and 74 guns commencea
bombardment of the British left flank. The
British infantry moved behind the ridge on which they were located and
lay down, the effect being to reduce the effectiveness of French cannon
fire. After 30 minutes of firing, the
artillery stopped and 17,000 French infantry advanced. The assault on La Haye Sainte began with the
Kings German Legion holding firm. As the French advance over the slope, the
British infantry stood up and engages the French infantry, forcing them back.
The British cavalry
were committed to charge into the French infantry, and then recalled once the
French attack was broken up. Some units did not hear the recall signalled on
the bugle, continuing to the French gun line where they were overwhelmed by the
French cavalry.
At 4pm Blucher's
Prussians began arriving at the battlefield, threatening the French flank. To try to turn the battle before the
Prussians brought all their troops to
bear, the French made 12 cavalry attacks to try to break the British centre,
however they were unable to penetrate the British infantry squares.
At 19:30 Napoleon
committed the Imperial Guard in a last attempt to break the British line as
more Prussians arrived. The British Guards , so far uncommitted, forced the
French Guard to retreat by volleys of musket fire and bayonet charges.
With the French
Guard in retreat, Hougomont still in
British hands and the Prussians on the Battlefield in numbers, Wellington gave
the orders for a general attack in pursuit of the French.
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| Battle of Waterloo |
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| Waterloo |
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| Battle of Waterloo - Panorama |
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| Battle of Waterloo - Panorama |
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| Battle of Waterloo - Panorama |
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| Battle of Waterloo - Panorama |
It would be the last
Battle on European soil and the last time the guns of the Royal Artillery would
fire in a European War till 1914.
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| Royal Artillery - Waterloo |
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| Waterloo - Bute de Lion |
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| Waterloo - Lion Monument |
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