Table of Contents
Chapter I Home Affairs
The situation after the peace of 1814 19
Reductions in the Army 20
Factious criticism of the Opposition in Parliament 21
Liverpool's difficulties with his supporters 22
Renewal of Hostilities-Campaign in the Low Countries
Napoleon's escape from Elba and entry into Paris 22
Collapse of all royalist resistance to him 23
The Plenipotentiaries at Vienna declare Napoleon outlawed 23
They agree upon the contingents to be placed in the field 24
Wellington returns from Vienna to the Netherlands 24
The wretched British army that awaited him 26
The question "Are we at peace or at war?" 26
Legal obstacles delay the calling out of the Militia 26
The Opposition responsible chiefly for this 28
The question of peace or war a real difficulty 28
Wellington's army; its weakness in artillery 29
The German Legion and Hanoverian Militia 30
Wellington's complaints of his staff examined 31
His principal staff-officers and subordinate generals 32
The staff in the Adjutant-general's and Quartermaster-general's departments 33
The Duke of York's readiness to help him 34
The Allied troops under Wellington's command: the Dutch 34
The Belgians 35
Wellington's difficulties with the King of the Netherlands 37
The King gives way to him 38
Organisation of Wellington's army 38
The subtlety with which the elements were mixed 39
The Prussian army; Blucher, Gneisenau 40
Napoleon: his position on his return to France 41
Failure of his conceded constitution 42
His measures for raising armies 42
The organisation of his armies 43
His principal officers: reasons for Murat's absence 44
The Allied plan of campaign 45
Wellington's anxiety to check Napoleon from making head-way outside France 46
His anxiety for the fate of the British Ministry 46
Chapter II Campaign in the Low Countries
Dispositions of the Prince of Orange and Kleist to meet a possible early invasion of Belgium 48
Wellington's agreement with Gneisenau 49
He arranges for the defence of the Low Countries 50
Extreme difficulty of his position 50
The two parties in the Prussian army 51
Wellington's feelings contrasted with those of the Prussians towards France 51
Wellington's conditional orders in case of invasion of Belgium 52
Meeting of the Saxon troops 52
Presages of the coming campaign at the British and Prussian headquarters 53
False reports of Napoleon's movements 54
Cantonments of Wellington's army in June 55
Positions of the Prussian army 56
Extension of the Allied line 57
Faults of the Prussian dispositions 58
Gneisenau's strange orders in case of a French advance 59
Contraction of the Prussian cantonments with a view to concentration 60
Napoleon's plan of campaign 60
His concentration 61
The difficulty of "war or peace" again appears 62
Napoleon's orders for the advance into Belgium 64
The French passage of the Sambre 65
The first collisions with the Prussians: the French left wing 66
The French centre 67
Situation of the French at nightfall of 15th June 68
Proceedings of the Allies: the Prussians 69
The British 70
The intelligence received by Wellington during the day 70
The orders finally issued by him 72
Reasons for the surprise of the Allies 73
Chapter III Campaign in the Low Countries
The Duchess of Richmond's ball 75
General Constant secures Quatre Bras 75
Wellington's orders for concentration 76
Napoleon's plans for the 16th of June 77
His vague ideas of his enemy's whereabouts 77
Prussian orders for the 16th of June 77
Dispositions of Perponcher at Quatre Bras 80
Wellington's arrival at Quatre Bras 81
His incorrect information furnished to Blucher 82
His meeting with Blucher 83
Napoleon's orders to Ney 84
His dispositions for the battle of Ligny and his new orders to Ney 85
Napoleon realises that the Prussian army is before him 86
His new orders to Ney 86
The battle of Ligny 86
The late advance of Ney 88
Description of the field of Quatre Bras 88
The dispositions of the Prince of Orange 90
Ney's dispositions for attack 91
The French open their attack 92
Wellington arrives on the field 92
His counter-attack 93
Ney develops his attack in force 94
The battle of Quatre Bras 94
Comments on the action 110
The conduct of the troops: the Netherlander 111
The Germans 112
The British 113
The French losses 114
Napoleon's conduct considered 115
Chapter IV Campaign in the Low Countries
The retreat of the Prussians 118
The British assemble at Quatre Bras 119
Wellington learns of the Prussian retreat 120
The pursuit of the Prussians by the French 120
Napoleon decides to divide his army 121
His instructions to Grouchy 122
Their vagueness and uncertainty 123
Retreat of Wellington upon Waterloo 124
Inactivity of Ney 124
Napoleon advances upon the British 125
Wellington leaves the cavalry to cover his retreat 126
Incidents of the retreat 127
The French pursuit not pressing 129
Position of the French left wing and reserve at nightfall 130
Movements and reports of Grouchy 131
Orders of Blucher on the night of the 17th of June 132
Incompetence or disloyalty of the Prussian staff 133
Disloyalty of Gneiscnau 135
March of the Prussians on Waterloo 135
Movements of Grouchy on the 18th of June 135
Napoleon's confidence 136
Wellington resolves to stand his ground 138
His expectation to be turned by his right 139
The position of Waterloo 140
Hougoumont 141
La Haye Sainte 142
Disposition of Wellington's army 142
Its numbers 144
The occupation of the position 145
Napoleon's dispositions 145
His main attack to be made on the Allied centre 146
The delay in opening it 147
The battle of Waterloo 148
Napoleon's first demonstration on both flanks 148
Jerome turns his demonstration into a serious attack upon Hougoumont 148
Napoleon detaches troops to check the Prussian advance 151
His grand attack on the centre 152
Its initial successes 153
Its total defeat by the British cavalry 156
The British cavalry wrecked by its success 158
Lull in the action generally 159
Continued fighting about Hougoumont 160
Chapter V
Second half-hearted attack on the Allied centre 161
Ney prepares a third attack with cavalry only 162
Complete failure of this attack 163
Blucher attempts to advance 166
He is checked by Lobau 167
Renewed vain attacks of the French cavalry 167
Terrible losses of the French 170
Ney repeats his attack with cavalry and infantry 170
Its initial failure 171
Blucher, reinforced, begins to press the French 173
Napoleon throws him back 174
A new attack masters La Haye Sainte 174
Napoleon's efforts to push his advantage 175
A fresh attack on Hougoumont is repulsed 176
Danger in the Allied centre 177
Blucher begins to press forward 177
Ziethen's corps arrives on the field 178
Napoleon launches his final attack with the Imperial Guard 179
The attack and its repulse 180
The counter-attack of the Allies 183
Dissolution of the French army 184
Chapter VI
The casualties of the British at Waterloo 186
The casualties of Wellington's foreign troops 189
Movements of the Prussians 190
Escalade of Cambrai and capture of Péronne 191
The Allies arrive before Paris 191
Surrender of Paris 192
Infamous behaviour of the Netherlanders and Prussians 192
The terms of peace 194
The fate of Murat, Ney, and others 195
Surrender of Napoleon 195
St Helena 196
Comments on the campaign of Waterloo 197
The first stage of the campaign 198
The second stage 199
Wellington's nerve in accepting battle 201
Napoleon's tactics at Waterloo 202
British and Prussian losses in the battle 203
Internal distrust in the French army 205
Reflections on the British artillery and cavalry considered 206
Both sides exhausted towards the close of the battle 208
Bad quality of all the armies engaged 209
The victory was Wellington's 210
Appendices
I The Anglo-Allied Army in the Waterloo campaign 213
II Strength of the British Army present at Waterloo 218
III Composition of the Prussian Army under Field-Marshal Prince von Blucher 219
IV Composition of the French Army under the Emperor Napoleon 221
Index 227
