John Morewood explores the events of 18 June 1815 in detail and asks just how accurate is our view of what happened on the field of Waterloo.

Summary

Waterloo is the most famous battle in a four-battle campaign fought from 15 June to 19 June 1815. On one side were an allied army comprising Belgian-Dutch and Hanoverian troops commanded by the Duke of Wellington and a Prussian army commanded by Field Marshal von Blücher. On the other side was a French army commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte. On 15 June Napoleon took the initiative and invaded Belgium, taking both Allied armies by surprise. Dividing his army into two on 16 June Napoleon defeated the Prussians at Ligny while his second-in-command, Marshal Ney, fought a bloody...