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THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO

23 June 1815

The position which I [the Duke of Wellington] took up in front of Waterloo crossed the high roads from Charleroy and Nivelle, and had its right thrown back to a ravine near Merke Braine, which was occupied; and its left extended to a height above the hamlet Ter la Haye, which was likewise occupied. In front of the right centre and near the Nivelle road, we occupied the house and garden of Hougoumont, which covered the return of that flank; and in front of the left centre, we occupied the farm of La Haye Sainte. By our left we communicated with Marshal Prince Blucher, at Wavre, through Ohaim; and the Marshal had promised me, that in case we should be attacked, he would support me with one or more corps, as might be necessary.

The enemy collected his army, with the exception of the third corps, which had been sent to observe Marshal Blucher, on a range of heights in our front, in the course of the night of the 17th and yesterday morning: and at about ten o’clock he commenced a furious attack upon our post at Hougoumont. I had occupied that post with a detachment from General Byng’s brigade of Guards, which was in position in its rear; and it was for some time under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Macdonel, and afterwards of Colonel Home: and I am happy to add, that it was maintained throughout the day with the utmost gallantry by these brave troops, notwithstanding the repeated efforts of large bodies of the enemy to obtain possession of it.

This attack upon the right of our centre was accompanied by a very heavy cannonade upon our whole line, which was destined to support the repeated attacks of cavalry and infantry occasionally mixed, but sometimes separate, which were made upon it. In one of these the enemy carried the farm house of La Haye Sainte, as the detachment of the light battalion of the legion which occupied it had expended all its ammunition, and the enemy occupied the only communication there was with them.

The enemy repeatedly charged our infantry with his cavalry, but these attacks were uniformly unsuccessful, and they afforded opportunities to our cavalry to charge, in one of which Lord E. Somerset’s brigade, consisting of the life guards, royal horse guards, and 1st dragoon guards, highly distinguished themselves, as did that of Major General Sir W. Ponsonby, having taken many prisoners and an eagle.

These attacks were repeated till about seven in the evening, when the enemy made a desperate effort with the cavalry and infantry supported by the fire of artillery, to force our left centre near the farm of La Haye Sainte, which after a severe contest was defeated, and having observed that the troops retired from this attack in great confusion, and that the march of General Bulow’s corps by Enschermont upon Planchenorie and La Belle Alliance had begun to take effect, and as I could perceive the fire of his cannon, and as Marshal Prince Blucher had joined in person, with a corps of his army to the left of our line by Ohaim, I determined to attack the enemy, and immediately advanced the whole line of infantry, supported by the cavalry and artillery.

After only nine months in exile, following his defeat and abdication the previous year, Napoleon slipped away from the Italian island of Elba and returned to Paris in triumph on 20 March 1815.

The other European powers began to mobilize once more, and to prevent them from uniting their forces, Napoleon marched rapidly North to give battle to the two that posed the most immediate danger. Quartered in what is now Belgium, these were the Prussians under Marshal Blücher and the Anglo-Allied army commanded by the Duke of Wellington.

Historians attribute the French defeat to a variety of causes, ranging from the rain the previous day that limited movement and favoured Wellington’s troops, which occupied defensive positions, to Napoleon’s worsening health. He suffered from haemorrhoids, which made it uncomfortable for him to sit for long on his horse and survey the battlefield.

Even so, Wellington admitted his victory, which was only secured as evening fell, had been the ‘nearest-run thing you ever saw in your life’. This report is taken from his official dispatch to the War Department, published by The Times the day after it reached London.