Waterloo: A Near Run Thing

Waterloo: A Near Run Thing, David Howarth. Phoenix (ISBN: 9781842127193) 2003, first published 1968.

Summary: An account of the British-led victory under the Duke of Wellington that spelled the final defeat for Napoleon I.

On June 18, 1815, The French Imperial Army under Napoleon I attacked the alliance of British-led forces under the Duke of Wellington at a crossroads near the Belgian village of Waterloo. Napoleon had the advantage of forces by about 5,000 and nearly 100 more guns. Wellington had placed his troops along a ridgeline. His forces comprised units from several countries of varying fighting ability, including some that fled early in the fight. Wellington was separated from German allies to the east under Blücher, but had received word that part of that force would join with him later in the day. The big question is why Wellington rather than Napoleon came out the victor.

But it was truly a “near run thing” as the subtitle of David Howarth’s account of battle suggests. It could have turned out differently. Howarth explores key French moves that may have cost them victory. In this work, originally published in 1968, Howarth offers a highly readable account of that day, from morning to evening.

Howarth tells the story through the eyes of several British participants in the battle:

“There, for example, within a few hundred yards of each other, although they had never heard of each other and never met, were William Leeke, who was only seventeen; Cavalie Mercer, an artist and captain of the artillery; Tom Morris, an argumentative Cockney sergeant; William Wheeler and William Lawrence, two old soldiers who knew all the tricks of the trade; John Kincaid, who was a regular captain but looked on the bloodiest battles with a humorous sporting eye; and Rees Howell Gronow, an old Etonian soon to be celebrated as a dandy and raconteur.”

Using this approach, Howarth renders a soldier’s perspective, if limited by the “fog of war” from a grasp of the whole, making vivid what each stage of the battle was like on the ground. We also follow subordinates of Wellington and Napoleon: Sir William De Lancey, Wellington’s quartermaster, and Marshal Ney.

The account gives us a taste of what the French artillery bombardment was like. Similarly, when the French cavalry attacked, we discover what a well-trained force fighting in a square can do to repulse such attacks. We discover the problems that can arise when infantry (the French) attack in columns on rising ground.

One of the big questions Howarth focuses on is Napoleon’s absence for much of the battle, leaving Marshal Ney to interpret his wishes. It appears Napoleon chose the worst possible time for an acute hemorrhoid attack! Consequently, for much of the day, the British repulsed the French at great cost to both sides. Finally, a key point, La Haye Sainte fell to the French, exposing Wellington’s weak center and left. Yet Napoleon is too late in sending the Imperial Guard reserves, allowing time for Blücher to arrive and join, first the defense, and then the decisive counterattack.

The defeat spelled the end of Napoleon’s rule and ushered in nearly four decades of European peace. Howarth renders this battle history with color, clarity, and brevity that makes this a great account. Sadly, it appears to be out of print, but may be found through used booksellers online.