Napoleon and Grouchy: The Last Great Waterloo Mystery Unravelled

by Paul L Dawson

Overview

One of the enduring controversies of the Waterloo campaign is the conduct of Marshal Grouchy. Given command of a third of Napoleon’s army and told to keep the Prussians from joining forces with Wellington, he failed to keep Wellington and Blücher apart with the result that Napoleon was overwhelmed at Waterloo. Grouchy, though, was not defeated. He kept his force together and retreated in good order back to France.

Many have accused Grouchy of intentionally holding back his men and not marching to join Napoleon when the sound of the gunfire at Waterloo could clearly be heard, and he has been widely blamed for Napoleon’s defeat.

Now, for the first time, Grouchy’s conduct during the Waterloo campaign is analyzed in fine detail, drawing principally on French sources not previously available in English. The author, for example, answers questions such as whether key orders did actually exist in 1815 or were they later fabrications to make Grouchy the scapegoat for Napoleon’s failures? Did General Gérard really tell Grouchy to ‘march to the sound of the guns’? Why did Grouchy appear to move so slowly when speed was essential?

This is a subject which is generally overlooked by British historians, who tend to concentrate on the actions of Wellington and Napoleon, and which French historians choose not to look at too closely for fear that it might reflect badly upon their hero Napoleon.

Despite the mass of books written on Waterloo, this is a genuinely unique contribution to this most famous campaign. This book is certain to fuel debate and prompt historians to reconsider the events of June 1815.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526700674
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	11/13/2017
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Paul L. Dawson BSc Hons MA, MIFA, FINS, is a historian, field archaeologist and author who has written more than twenty books, his specialty being the French Army of the Napoleonic Wars. As well as speaking French and having an in-depth knowledge of French archival sources, Paul is also an historical tailor producing museum-quality replica clothing, the study of which has given him a unique understanding of the Napoleonic era.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vii

Notes on Sources viii

Chapter 1 The Road to Destiny 1

Chapter 2 Invasion 3

Chapter 3 Morning of 16 June 1815 29

Chapter 4 Attack of 4th Corps 61

Chapter 5 Excelmans's Dragoons 93

Chapter 6 Morning of 17 June 1815 113

Chapter 7 Grouchy's Orders 126

Chapter 8 The Prussians 157

Chapter 9 Pont Bellanger's Mission 173

Chapter 10 Napoléon's Orders 199

Chapter 11 The Battle of Wavre 212

Chapter 12 Wounding of General Gérard 237

Chapter 13 Waterloo 248

Chapter 14 19 June 1815 274

Chapter 15 Grouchy's Action at Namur 288

Chapter 16 The Lie at the Heart of Waterloo 309

Bibliography 322

Index 331

Editorial Reviews

"[The author's] conclusions are controversial and will cause the reader to re-think what he knows about Grouchy’s role in Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo."

The Napoleon Series