Battle of Waterloo

The Battle of Waterloo (June 18th 1815)

The Battle of Waterloo was fought on a Sunday. One of the most decisive battles in military history, it changed the destiny of Europe. It was arguably the only time when two of the all time great military commanders, in this case Napoleon and Wellington, met face to face on the field of battle.

The battlefield is located about 20 miles south of Brussels and was initially seen and appraised by Wellington in August 1814. Excluding the area on the French right flank where the Prussians drove in the French, the bulk of the fighting took place on a front of only about two miles wide by one mile deep. Nevertheless, after nine hours of fighting, about 40,000 men and 10,000 horses lay dead or wounded in this small area.

Hougoumont

The battle commenced at around 11.30 in the morning with a tremendous cannonade and a French assault on Hougoumont. This farm was a strategically vital position in advance of the Allied line. Although the defence of Hougoumont had a significant bearing on the outcome of the battle overall, it truly was a battle within a battle.

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Battle of Waterloo PAGE 2

Attack of D’Erlon’s Corps

At around 1.30 in the afternoon, the French launched a major assault using 18,000 infantry and supporting cavalry towards the Allied left flank. The troops in this area had already been subjected to a massive artillery bombardment. In order to provide some degree of protection from this bombardment Wellington had ordered his troops to retreat to the reverse slope of the ridge. They were, therefore, concealed from the view of the advancing French.

As the massive columns of French infantry approached, they were greeted by rifle fire from the defenders of the farm of La Haye Saint and from the men of the 95th Rifles, who occupied the adjacent sandpit and knoll, forcing them to deflect to their right. The columns pushed back a Belgian brigade, but were suddenly subjected to close range artillery fire from British and King’s German Legion batteries. On they came and when they were only some 40 paces from the hedge which lined the road, they stopped and began to redeploy into line. At the same time the British infantry had been ordered forward by their divisional commander, Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Picton. When they appeared on the other side of the hedge, this was the first time that the French had seen them. Almost instantly 3,000 muskets were discharged across the hedge into the densely packed French columns.

Attack on the South Gate at Hougoumont

courtesy of MarkChurms.com

Charge of the Union Brigade

courtesy of MarkChurms.com

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Hougoumont was successfully defended for the entire duration of the battle, mainly by the British Guards under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James Macdonnell (Coldstream Guards). Wellington committed a total of only 3,500 men to the defence of Hougoumont, the French some 14,000 to the attack. The casualties were in similar proportions, namely 1,500 Allied dead and wounded, 5,000 French.

At around 12.30 one of the most famous incidents of the entire Battle of Waterloo took place. This was the closing of the North Gate at Hougoumont. About 30-40 French soldiers had battered down the gate and burst into the courtyard. Lieutenant Colonels Macdonnell and Wyndham, Ensigns Gooch and Hervey and six other Guardsmen managed to push the gates shut the gates in the faces of the onrushing French. All those who had burst in were slaughtered to a man, except for one drummer boy whose life was spared. After the battle Wellington said that the outcome of the entire battle hinged on this one single dramatic incident.

Another famous incident during the battle for Hougoumont involved Private Joseph Brewer of the Royal Waggon Train, who drove his ammunition tumbril hell for leather through an area of the battlefield swept by shot and shell and straight through the open North Gate to bring much needed ammunition to the garrison.

Private Brewer brings ammunition

to Hougoumont

Painting by Ray Kirkpatrick

Picton then gave the order to charge. At this moment he was shot in the temple through the rim of his top hat and fell dead from his horse. However, the order had been given and Picton’s infantrymen charged through the hedge with bayonets fixed and ran headlong into the startled French, who began to break and stream away down the hill. Flocks of demoralised men were seen running back towards the French lines attempting to save their skins. It was then that a bugle sounding the charge of the Union Brigade cavalry was heard.