The epic and brutal battle of Waterloo was a pivotal moment in
history--when the events of a single day defined the course of Europe's
future. In this vibrant and exhilarating hour-by-hour portrayal of the
battle, a renowned historian joins his voice with the eyewitness
accounts of those who fought it. For example:
"One of the lancers rode by, and stabbed me in the back with his lance.
I then turned, and lay with my face upward, and a foot soldier stabbed
me with his sword as he walked by. Immediately after, another, with his
firelock and bayonet, gave me a terrible plunge, and while doing it with
all his might, exclaimed, 'Sacré nom de Dieu!'"
In March 1815, the Allies declared war on Napoleon in response to his
escape from exile and his renewed threat to imperial European rule.
Three months later, on 18 June 1815, having suffered considerable losses
at Quatre-Bras, Wellington's army fell back on Waterloo, some ten miles
south of Brussels. Halting on the ridge, they awaited Napoleon's army,
blocking its entry to the capital. This would become the Allies' final
stand, the infamous battle of Waterloo.
In this intimate, hour-by-hour
account, acclaimed military historian Robert Kershaw resurrects the
human stories at the center of the fighting, creating an authoritative
single-volume biography of this landmark battle. Drawing on his profound
insight and a field knowledge of military strategy, Kershaw takes the
reader to where the impact of the orders was felt, straight into the
heart of the battle, shoulder to shoulder with the soldiers on the
mud-splattered ground.
Masterfully weaving together painstakingly researched eyewitness
accounts, diaries and letters--many never before seen or published--this
gripping portrayal of Waterloo offers unparalleled authenticity.
Extraordinary images of the men and women emerge in full color; the
voices of the sergeants, the exhausted foot-soldiers, the boy ensigns,
the captains and the cavalry troopers, from both sides, rise from the
page in vivid and telling detail, as the fate of Europe hangs by a
thread.
