The Eagle's Last Triumph: Napoleon's Victory at Ligny, June 1815

by Andrew Uffindell

Overview

Napoleon won his final victory on 16th June 1815 at Ligny, shortly before suffering a crushing defeat at Waterloo. Facing two enemy armies – under Wellington and Blucher – he aimed his main attack against Blucher’s Prussians at Ligny and diverted Wellington’s attention by engaging his forward elements at Quatre Bras.

The Eagle’s Last Triumph provides a detailed examination of these neglected early campaigns, with a riveting description of the fighting and eyewitness testimony. The author shows just how close Napoleon came to winning a crushing victory at the start of the campaign. He also shows Blucher was unhorsed and nearly captured in the evening of Ligny – and how this could have had a decisive impact on subsequent events.

A vivid military epic, providing a cogent explanation of why Napoleon, victorious at Ligny, met with defeat two days later.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612003207
Publisher:	Casemate Publishers
Publication date:	05/19/2015
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Andrew Uffindel is one of the leading experts on the Napoleonic era. He is the author of many books and articles in this field, including The National Army Museum book of Wellington’s Armies; Napoleon’s Immortals, Napoleon 1814 and Waterloo Commanders.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations 7

List of sketch maps 8

Key to maps 9

List of diagrams, orders of battle and line drawings 10

Foreword 11

Preface 13

Acknowledgements 15

Part 1

1 Stormclouds of War 19

2 The Foes 24

The Rival High Commands

The Rival Armies

3 The Campaign Opens 47

Prelude to Combat

Napoleon Attacks

4 Approach of Battle 56

Night of 15/16 June: Wellington

Night of 15/16 June: Blücher

Morning, 16 June: Napoleon

The Meeting at Bussy Windmill and Final Preparations

Battle of Ligny 91

Phase One: St Amand and Ligny Come Under Fire

Phase Two: The Combat Escalates

Phase Three: French Hesitation and Prussian Counter-attacks

Phase Four: The Imperial Guard Attack and the End of the Battle

6 The Battle of Quatre Bras 121

7 The Fatal Peregrinations of d'Erlon 153

8 17and 18 June 1815 162

9 After the 1815 Campaign 183

Part 2

10 Analysis of Napoleon's Last Military Victory 189

11 Losses at Ligny 204

12 The Garrison of Ligny Village: A Case Study 210

13 Guide to the Battlefield of Ligny Today 218

Appendices

1 The Miller at Ligny 241

2 Extracts from The Times 242

3 Extracts from Eyewitness Accounts Relating to the Movements of d'Erlon's I Corps on 16 June 1815 247

Bibliography 253

Index 265

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Military History Magazine

"Uffindell is that rare combination in military historians - outstanding researcher and sparkling writer."

 

The Daily Telegraph

"Meticulously researched.'"

"A brilliant analysis of the battle.'"
— Byron Farwell

Midwest Book Review, February 2007

“A powerful, exact coverage perfect for in-depth study.”

Editorial Reviews

"...one of the rare books written about the battle of Ligny.... well supplied with maps and sixteen pages of black and white photos. The book even goes into the battle of Quatre Bras, and the end of the campaign. Part two of the book has an analysis of the battle, and a breakdown of the losses both sides suffered. It also has a guide to the battlefield today for anyone who might be interested in taking in the actual battlefield's scenery."

A Wargamers Needful Things

...one of the rare books written about the battle of Ligny.... well supplied with maps and sixteen pages of black and white photos. The book even goes into the battle of Quatre Bras, and the end of the campaign. Part two of the book has an analysis of the battle, and a breakdown of the losses both sides suffered. It also has a guide to the battlefield today for anyone who might be interested in taking in the actual battlefield's scenery.

Wargamer's Neeful Things