WATERLOO
In the summer of
1815, Napoleon found himself again facing Wellington,
this time in Belgium.
He intended to divide the Prussian and British armies and destroy them in
detail. On June 16th, Napoleon led half his army into battle against the
Prussians at Ligny while Ney led the other half against the British at Quatre
Bras. Two days later, Napoleon faced Wellington
for the last time. After the battle of Ligny and Quatre Bras, Napoleon advanced
on the British army which was concentrated at Mont St. Jean, Belgium. The
British had arrayed their forces in a defensive posture on a slight ridge that
overlooked a marshy valley. Wellington
had anchored his right flank on a stone farmhouse called Chateau de Hougoumont.
In the center of his line was another farmhouse know
as La Haye Saint. Both of these farmhouses had almost been converted into
fortresses, giving the British excellent defensive strongpoints. On the day of
the battle, Napoleon launched a three pronged attack on the Anglo-Dutch
positions. Fearing that any sort of a flanking assault would bog down in the
Valley, Napoleon decided to concentrate the majority of his forces in an
attempt to break Wellington's
center and intended to launch only pinning attacks on the British left and
right wings. The French offensive began on the British right flank at the
Chateau. Held by only 4 light companies of British guards, the Chateau became
the focal point of vicious, close-range fighting. Desperate attack followed
desperate attack until virtually all of Prince Jerome's division, and almost
half of the rest of Reille's corps, was involved in the fight. Wellington,
seeing the mass of uncommitted French troops opposite his center, resisted the
temptation to reinforce the Chateau's defenders and chose to save his reserves
for the upcoming frontal assault.At 1:30 that afternoon, the main French
assault began. Under the cover of an 80 gun barrage, 3 French divisions charged
through the valley and up the slope of the ridge. When the French reached the
crest of the hill, they were met with withering musket fire at point-blank
range. In order to keep his units intact through the bombardment, Wellington had ordered
his men to lie down on the concealed side of the ridge. So, when the 16,000 men
of D'Erlon's Ist corps reached the top of the rise,
they were confronted with a mass of organized and determined British regulars.
Nevertheless, the French fought fiercely and succeeded in forcing a hole in the
Allied center. Before the French could exploit this weakness, however, General
Picton and a brigade of his peninsular veterans charged into the fray and
stopped the French breakthrough. D'Erlon could move no further. Wellington, seeing the
French stalled on the ridge, called his cavalry to the attack. Under Lord
Uxbridge's command, Lord Somerset's Household cavalry and Ponsonby's Union
Brigade Charged into the disordered French and threw them off the ridge.
D'Erlon's men were put to flight and badly mauled by the elite British heavy
cavalry. Spurred on by their success, the British cavalry continued their chase
until they reached the main French lines. Without infantry
support, they were all but annihilated by French artillery and cavalry
counter-charges. At this point, Marshal Ney was ordered to take La Haye
Saint, the farmhouse that so nicely reinforced the Allied center. He led the
rallied remnants of D'Erlon's Ist corps forward under
cover of an intense bombardment and was repulsed by the dug in defenders. Ney,
thinking that the Allies were ready to crack, called for a massive cavalry
charge. He led forward no less than 5,000 cavalrymen, many of them elite heavy
cavalry, in a charge against the ridge between La Haye Saint and Hougoumont.
Upon reaching the crest, the French were confronted with an awesome spectacle,
20 British squares drawn up on the reverse slope ofpar the hill, waiting with
gleaming bayonets for the gallant French horsemen. The French cavalry circled
the invincible squares, but without artillery or infantry support the charge
was doomed to failure. The survivors fled back through the valley while Ney
tried in vain to rally them. After a brief lull in the battle, Ney again formed
an assault force out of the remnants of his cavalry and again charged the
ridge. He was once more repulsed, but this time only barely. Wellington's troops were becoming weary and
he was running out of reserves. After another lull in the battle, Ney decided
to try again. This time, however, he used a proper combinationpar of
artillery, infantry, and cavalry and he took La Haye Saint. Despite heavy
casualties, the French managed to storm the farmhouse and the nearby orchard.
The British line was about to crack and Ney could sense it. He called to
Napoleon for more reserves, but due to the Prussian arrival on the French right
flank, there were none left as the Imperial Guard was being committed against
the Prussians. Ney was forced to give up his gains and pulled back across the
valley. The battle quieted for a short time, during which the Imperial Guard
was placed back in reserve. Wellington
brought up the last of his reserves and prepared for the final onslaught. At
7:00 PM the Imperial Guard were released to Ney and
were ordered to take the British held positions on the ridge between La Haye
Saint and Hougoumont. The Guard, 11 battalions of the most disciplined and
experienced troops in Europe, marched up the
ridge. Upon reaching the crest, an entire brigade of British troops rose up
from a cornfield and poured withering fire into the French columns. For the
first time, the Guard broke and ran before the enemy. With the cry of, "La
Guard recule! the French army began to disintegrate.
Wellington
seized the moment and counterattacked, putting the rest of the army to flight.
Napoleon's last desperate gamble for victory had failed, and with it his dreams
of rebuilding his empire.
