|
WATERLOO
[pic]
[pic]
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 H |