Armies at Waterloo

Book

review by Bruce Milligan

Scott Bowden; Empire Press, P.O. Box 5462, Arlington, TX 76011. 356 pp., 21 full-color maps and illustrations, many black and white illustrations. $34.95

One of my college history professors often used to respond to student complaints concerning his tests with the unassailable reply, "It's only trivia if you don't know it!"

With that quote in mind, I think I can safely say that anyone with this book in his possession is going to know just about everything there is to know about the composition of the three armies that were on the field at the battle of Waterloo.

The book is divided into three sections, each dealing with a particular army. These begin with a historical background of the army in question, which although not lengthy (about 20-25 pages in the case of the French Army, and shorter for the others) should have much useful information new to the reader. This is then followed by separate chapters on organization; tactics and combat efficiency, and an all-inclusive order of battle.

Appendicies to ARMIES AT WATERLOO may contain some of the most fascinating tidbits in the volume, containing as they do (among other things) a list of detached units that could have been present at Waterloo ("what-if" gamers will enjoy this); the names of British units that were Penninsular veterans; a list of French ordnance and equipment captured at the battle (note to Mr. X, formerly of Washington, D.C.: the French did not have 96 12-pounder guns. I want a rematch!); casualty comparisons, and some healthy thoughts on gaming the battle.

Without a doubt, I was most impressed by the orders of battle presented in ARMIES AT WATERLOO. That of the French Armee du Nord is based upon the archives of the French Army, and goes into greater detail than any I have seen for the campaign. Every unit present, down to the battalion or artillery company level, has its strength, officer casualty total, and service record (when available) given, along with various notes providing some background.

For example, looking at the 1st French Light Infantry Regiment of the 1st Brigade of the 6th Infantry Division, we see that the regimental colonel, Col. Despans-Cubieres, was wounded June 16th and again at Waterloo, and that among the officer casualties was the legendary giant Lt. Legros, who broke through a gate at Hougomont with an axe, and then was cut down in a wild melee with the British.

Is this trivia? If you want to know what color the horses of the Imperial Guard were, or what Prussian horse artillery guns were of Russian manufacture, this is the book for you. And imagine the look on your friends' faces as you prove to them that the Belgian Foot Artillery Battery under Capt. E.J. Stievenart had only two guns on the field at Waterloo, all the others having been captured at Quatre-Bras.

This is a book that anyone seriously interested in Napoleonic warfare, and in the Waterloo campaign in particular, should consider a "must" addition to their library.

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