An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 27 planning to withdraw his forces from the impending battle, hav- ing heard that Blücher's Prussian army had been beaten. However, news reached Wellington that the Prussian army was intact, had evaded Grouchy, and were on their way to Waterloo. Both sides amassed their forces, with Napoleon delaying battle until noon in order to let the ground dry. This delay bought valu- able time for Wellington who was still waiting for the Prussians. Artillery was wheeled into position and troops waited in forma- tion for the order to advance. The battle began with a French attack on Hougoumont by Comte D'Erlon's I Corp, followed by Napoleon's grand battery of 80 cannon opening fire on the British lines. The gates of the farm- house were broken open and a fierce hand-to-hand struggle en- sued, with the British managing to regain control. In the ensuing melee, Irishman, Sergeant James Graham distinguished himself in battle as one of those that closed the gates, denying the French this important position. With the battle continuing at Hougoumont, Napoleon ad- vanced numerous infantry units towards the British lines. Weak- ened by the French artillery fire, Wellington's troops fell back until he ordered his men to lie down and take cover using the ridge line. Cavalry attacks were carried out by both sides, with the British infantry forming squares to repel their attackers. Ney, mistak- ing the movement of casualties to the rear for the beginning of a retreat, ordered his 5,000 cavalry forward to break the British squares. However, the cavalry suffered heavy casualties before being repulsed. Visibility was almost non-existent on the battlefield but the deafening sounds of battle raged without relief. In his book Wa- terloo, Bernard Cornwell writes: 'They could only see a few yards around them, and what they saw was obscured by thick smoke, and their ears were assailed by the buzz of musket balls, the crash of cannons firing, the cries of the wounded, the clamour of of ficers and sergeants shouting, the explosions of shells, the incessant hammering of musket vol- leys, the pounding of distant guns, the drums beating and the trumpets screaming.' Hours of intense fighting took place, with thousands of casual- ties on both sides. Napoleon knew he had to break Wellington's lines before Blücher arrived on the field of battle. The British were being pushed back when Napoleon sent a message to Grouchy to attack the Prussians but he was too far away. The French infantry, numbering in their thousands, advanced towards the British line. Though Wellington's troops had suffered during the French artillery bombardment they held their ground and created havoc amongst the advancing French. Napoleon deployed his Imperial Guard, seasoned fighters who had never lost an assault. Immaculate in their blue coats with red epaulettes and white cross belts, they advanced and achieved some gains, winning the crest of the ridge. Wellington shouted: "Now's your time! Up Guards!" The men on the ridge stood up and formed into line. The order "Make ready!" was called out and the British infantry took aim. The rapidity and precision of the British musket fire was deadly. Captain Harry Powell of the 1st Foot Guards recalled: "Above 300 were down. They now wavered, and several of the rear divisions began to draw out as if to deploy, whilst some men in their rear beginning to fire over the heads of those in front was so evident a proof of their confusion." The attack wavered and the French were forced back. They regrouped and attacked again but were driven off. The Imperial Guard began to fall back in disarray where it fell prey to allied cavalry. On Napoleon's right flank, Blücher arrived and his Prussian army attacked, causing chaos and giving Wellington the upper hand. With his forces losing discipline and ground, Napoleon ordered a retreat. Wellington and Blücher linked up at an inn (La Belle Alli- ance) on the north-south road that bisected the battlefield and the Prussians pursued the retreating French army into France. As the smoke of battle cleared, the debris of war, along with the dead and wounded, littered the battlefield. The battle had cost the allies 22,000 men and the French as many as 30,000. A number of factors had contributed to the allied victory at Wa- terloo: Wellington's leadership, Napoleon's mistakes, the boggy terrain, Marshal Ney's cavalry attacks that sacrificed thousands of men in futile attempts to break the British squares. All played key roles in the battle. Following the French defeat the Treaty of Paris was signed on 20th November 1815, the monarchy was restored with King Louis XVIII, and Napoleon was banished to St. Helena, where he died in 1821. Wellington went on to have a political career in England, becoming prime minister in 1828. The balance of power in Europe had been altered on the battlefield, with Britain pre-eminent in the new order. Though there would be other battles in the years that followed, the world would not again see carnage on the scale of the Napoleonic Wars until the Great War of 1914-18. Horror and heroism: French cuirassiers charging a British square during the Battle of Waterloo. © Getty Images 'Scotland Forever!' painting by Lady Butler (1881) depicting the cavalry charge of the Royal Scots Greys.

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