It had finally stopped raining as dawn broke over Napoleon's headquarters at La Belle Alliance on a ridge line across from Wellington's position at Mont Saint Jean. It was June 18th, 1815. Napoleon couldn't see much of his enemy's position. All he could see was artillery and skirmishers, but he knew that Wellington's army was behind the crest of the ridge just out of his line of sight.
Wellington in fact had chosen his position carefully and well. His line ran generally west to east, neatly bisecting the north south road to Brussels.
On the reverse slope of the ridge was the Ohain Road, which was a deep sunken lane. In the center, close to a lone large Elm tree was the walled farm of La Haye Sainte. It was situated in a deep cut in the north-south road and also had a sand pit that was easily defended.
His right flank was anchored by the Chateau Hougoumont, a well built country house surrounded by walls. Inside the walls was an orchard, a garden, and many trees -- Easily defended.
His left flank was anchored on the village of Papelotte. This position was also easily defended.
If the French attacked his left flank, they would have to deal with house to house fighting in Papelotte, plus the hedgerows beyond.
If they attacked his left center, they would have to deal with not only Allied troops on the ridge, but enfilading fire from Papelotte and La Hay Sainte.
If they attacked his right center, they would deal with enfilading fire from La Hay Sainte and Hougoumont.
If the French attacked his right at Hougoumont, well -- Hougoumont was a fortress.
It was a very strong position.
From La Belle Alliance, Napoleon could not see the sunken road, and he couldn't see the hedgerows beyond Papelotte. He also could not see to what extent Hougoumont, and La Hey Sainte was occupied.
What he could see in the distance was the Hamlet of Waterloo, and a stand of woods beyond. He figured Wellington may have made a bad mistake in choosing this ground. If Wellington was forced to retreat, those woods with the usual brush entanglements (normally associated with woods) could make it very difficult for him to maintain cohesion causing the possibility that his army might be totally destroyed if attacked while being forced to retreat.
But from La Belle Alliance, Napoleon could not see that no such entanglements existed in that wood. The wood was cultivated with lots of space between trees.
But he ordered his artillery to deploy in a line opposite Wellington's position.
Napoleon wanted to attack immediately, but his generals, particularly his artillery and cavalry officers protested that the ground was too muddy. The wheels on the artillery caissons bogged down in this mud making both the guns and the ammunition trains very difficult to even move, much less deploy.
In fact, the ground was so muddy, that it was sucking the boots off men's feet.
So Napoleon decided to wait until the ground dried up some.
Modern analysts would say that Napoleon would have had to wait two or even three days for the ground to dry adequately. His delay until that afternoon had practically no effect on the condition of the ground.
Napoleon also decided to use the time to stage a grand review of his troops after which they would deploy in preparation for the eventual attack. This review was done in full view of the Allies watching from the opposite ridge.
It was meant to intimidate the Allies with the awesome power, majesty, and splendor of the French army -- the army that would soon be coming for them.
But almost all of Wellington's forces were behind the crest, on the reverse slope of the ridge. They could hear the massed French bands playing, but they saw nothing.
Watching, Wellington thought it a bit silly, but certainly grand looking.
Napoleon also reportedly was not at his best that day. He was only able to ride his horse for short periods of time. It is said that he had piles.
So, not having the additional height advantage of being on a horse, and not having the mobility associated with riding a horse, his ability to influence the battle would now be limited.
The morning wore on with no activity.
This was fine, as far as Wellington was concerned. He had sent messengers to Blucher advising him of his intentions to stand and fight here. He knew that Blucher, who had deliberately retreated north from Ligny (instead of east along his lines of communication), in order to stay closer to Wellington, would move heaven and earth to reinforce him if he were at all able to do so.
So, to Wellington, the longer Napoleon waited, the better his chances were to have his army survive this day.
Napoleon's plan was to send two corps -- Reille on the left and d'Erlon on the right to take the village (farm) of Mont Saint Jean. Napoleon may have even assumed that the bulk of Wellington's forces were centered around the farm as opposed to the more forward position of the reverse slopes of the ridge. To facilitate this attack, Jerome's corps would first make an assault on Hougoumont.
At around 11:30 am, Jerome finally began his assault on Hougoumont.
The buildings in Hougoumont were defended by four light companies of elite British Guard troops. The orchard and woods inside the walled compound were defended by a small force of Dutch troops. Additionally, they were covered by a few batteries of guns on the ridge.
The French gained access to the compound but had trouble getting inside the walled chateau. The gate was stout and the walls were just high enough to frustrate the French attempts to climb them. The British and Dutch defenders poured a murderous fire down on them from protected positions. In addition, Allied artillery fire from the ridge added to the carnage.
The attack on Hougoumont was intended by Napoleon to draw off Wellington's reserves from the center. But Wellington would continue to hold Hougoumont all day long with minimally committed reserves. What it did do was to draw more and more French troops into the battle.
Somewhere between noon and 1:30 pm (the time is in dispute), Napoleon unleashed an 80 gun artillery barrage on Wellington's center. Due to the soft ground, however, there was not much "bounce" to the cannon balls, so the physical damage to Wellington's troops were minimal.
But around 1:00 pm, Napoleon saw something ominous. Off in the distance he could see a dark mass of troops approaching from the east. It could be Grouchy (the force he detailed to follow Blucher), or it could be the Prussians. Napoleon planned for the worst.
Soon after, d'Erlon's attack began on Wellington's left-center, between La Hay Saint and Papelotte.
The attack had some initial success. French cavalry was able to isolate La Haye Sainte, and d'Erlon's men gained the crest of the ridge scattering the Dutch forces before them. A counterattack, led by British General Picton achieved little and Picton was killed. The Allied line started to crumble.
At this critical point, Lord Uxbridge, commander of the Allied cavalry, ordered an attack by his two brigades of heavy cavalry.
They crashed into the French infantry, scattering them and inflicted frightful losses. Supporting French cavalry were driven into the trap of the sunken lane where they were mauled.
Uxbridge then ordered a recall of his cavalry. But the Household Cavalry Brigade which included the famous "Scots Greys" got their blood up. They kept on going, charging for the French guns across the way. They reached the guns but were then counterattacked by French Lancers and other cavalry driving them back and taking murderous losses.
The "Grey's" horses were winded, and they began to get bogged down in the mud. The French cavalry mowed them down. Their commander, Sir William Ponsonby was killed. The future effectiveness of the Allied heavy cavalry was thus significantly reduced for the rest of the battle.
The French artillery bombardment then resumed.
Wellington, unwilling to take serious losses to his men from French cannon fire, ordered his men to leave their positions which were now on the crest, and retire 100 paces and lie down to minimize losses.
Seeing this, Marshal Ney thought that the Allies were doing a general withdrawal. He thought he now had a chance to scatter and defeat Wellington's forces.
Ney had no infantry to speak of after d'Erlon's failed attack. The infantry were either sucked into the battle at Hougoumont, or sent east to defend the right flank against the oncoming Prussians. So he ordered the French cavalry to form up and attack.
This, of course, was a mistake.
The French cavalry, because of the muddy ground, and all of the French infantry casualties that now littered the field, were not able to advance at any faster rate other than a fast walk.
The Allied artillery inflicted heavy losses on the dense packed formations.
As the superb French cavalry crested the ridge, what they saw was not a retreating Allied army, but infantry squares formed up to meet them.
19 separate attacks accomplished little. A few of the squares were broken, (Once this happened, the defenders of the square were annihilated) but the Allies held, all but destroying the effectiveness of the French cavalry.
Napoleon was incensed at Ney, but what was done was done.
He now knew that the dark mass he had seen in the distance were Prussians. They were in fact, beginning to attack his right flank.
But Napoleon had repeatedly in his career pulled victory out of the jaws of defeat by committing his Imperial Guard.
At 7:30 pm, he sent them against Wellington's center.
Wellington, seeing them advance, bade his men lie down behind some hedges. As the Guard reached the crest, an elite force of British Guard troops rose up from behind the hedges, and poured volley after volley into the surprised French. Other troops poured in their volleys.
Confused, caught unawares, and unsupported by other troops, the vaunted Imperial Guard, who had never before been broken, broke. They retreated back down the crest.
"La Garde recule!" (The Guard retreats!) was the cry heard from the French. The French were beginning to crumble and panic.
Wellington realized that the time had come. He ordered a general advance of his whole army. The French were defeated.
But the casualties were enormous. Frightful.
Out of the initial French force of 72,000 men, 25,000 were killed or wounded, 7,000 were captured, and 15,000 were missing.
Wellington lost 15,000 killed and wounded out of 68,000. The Prussians suffered 7,000 killed and wounded out of 50,000.
But Napoleon again escaped.
But he had lost heart. After a failed attempt to escape to America, he abdicated for the last time formally on November 20, 1815.
He was exiled to Saint Helena where he died in 1821.
This is such a fascinating period of history.
