Four Days to Waterloo.

On 24th April we were delighted to welcome back Richard Hayes to deliver a follow-up to his previous presentation on Lord Hill by outlining the build-up to the historic battle of Waterloo. He reminded the audience of Napoleon’s escape from his imprisonment on Elba, and his triumphant march northward as he gathered support to oust Louis XV111. Although outnumbered by the coalition armies, Napoleon’s principal strategy lay in speed and in dividing the opposing forces before they could coordinate their defences. Both Wellington and Lord Hill had hurried to Belgium to command an Anglo-Dutch army comprising rather second-rate troops [the elite companies were serving in America], and to link up with the Prussian army under Marshall Blucher.

By focusing upon the individual generals on both sides, Richard was most successful in capturing their contrasting personalities and their influence upon the outcome of the battle. Napoleon’s two-pronged attack on 16th June, pushing back the Prussians at Ligny, and facing Wellington’s forces at the crossroads of Quatre Bras, handed him an initial advantage.

However, Wellington’s stand on 17th June at Mont Saint Jean and the resolute defence of key strategic points such as Hougemont and La Haye Sainte succeeded in buying valuable time before the decisive return to the battlefield of the Prussian army.

La Haye Sainte.

A fascinating aspect of the battle was the significant influence of individual decisions: actions often taken in the heat of battle that proved to be crucial to the final outcome. A most authoritative talk giving a clear insight into this final battle of the Napoleonic War. As Wellington himself admitted, it proved to be “the nearest run thing.”

Lord Hill invites the Imperial Guard to surrender.