Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies and Three Battles

by Bernard Cornwell

Overview

#1 Bestseller in the U.K.

From the New York Times bestselling author and master of martial fiction comes the definitive, illustrated history of one of the greatest battles ever fought—a riveting nonfiction chronicle published to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Napoleon’s last stand.

On June 18, 1815 the armies of France, Britain and Prussia descended upon a quiet valley south of Brussels. In the previous three days, the French army had beaten the Prussians at Ligny and fought the British to a standstill at Quatre-Bras. The Allies were in retreat. The little village north of where they turned to fight the French army was called Waterloo. The blood-soaked battle to which it gave its name would become a landmark in European history.

In his first work of nonfiction, Bernard Cornwell combines his storytelling skills with a meticulously researched history to give a riveting chronicle of every dramatic moment, from Napoleon’s daring escape from Elba to the smoke and gore of the three battlefields and their aftermath. Through quotes from the letters and diaries of Emperor Napoleon, the Duke of Wellington, and the ordinary officers and soldiers, he brings to life how it actually felt to fight those famous battles—as well as the moments of amazing bravery on both sides that left the actual outcome hanging in the balance until the bitter end.

Published to coincide with the battle’s bicentennial in 2015, Waterloo is a tense and gripping story of heroism and tragedy—and of the final battle that determined the fate of nineteenth-century Europe.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062312075
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/05/2015
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	136,635
File size:	45 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

BERNARD CORNWELL is the author of over fifty novels, including the acclaimed New York Times bestselling Saxon Tales, which serve as the basis for the hit Netflix series The Last Kingdom. He lives with his wife on Cape Cod and in Charleston, South Carolina.

Table of Contents

Foreword 5

Preface 8

1 Glorious news! Nap's landed again in France, Hurrah! 15

2 Napoleon has humbugged me, by God! 39

3 The fate of France is in your hands! 61

4 Avancez, mes enfants, courage, encore une fois, Français! 81

5 Ah! Now I've got them, those English! 105

6 A cannon ball came from the Lord knows where and took the head off our right-hand man 133

7 The Big Boots don't like rough stuff! 155

8 Those terrible grey horses, how they fight! 181

9 We had our revenge! Such slaughtering! 207

10 The most beautiful troops in the world 229

11 Defend yourselves! Defend yourselves! They are coming in everywhere! 257

12 Next to a battle lost, the greatest misery is a battle gained 285

Aftermath: A thousand shall fall beside thee, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee 313

Afterword 339

Acknowledgements 343

Bibliography 345

Index 349

Editorial Reviews

04/13/2015
Best known for his historical novels, Cornwell (The Empty Throne) puts years of research to good use for his first nonfiction work, a new look at the events of Waterloo, which is "one of the most studied and written-about battles in history," yet "like all good stories it bears repetition." He injects a human element into a thorough and entertaining account of the battle's overarching military themes by including anecdotes—some funny, some heartfelt—about the participants. For instance, he recounts the story of the Brunswick Black Legion, who infamously ate the canine unofficial mascot of the Irish 95th Rifles. Cornwell notes that "the battles of 16 June and 18 June 1815 make for a magnificent story," confessing that when he wrote Sharpe's Waterloo his "plot almost entirely vanished to be taken over by the great story of the battle itself." Here, his complex overview switches among the perspectives of Napoleon, the Duke of Wellington, and other influential figures. Cornwell understands the ebb and flow of action, and his passion for the material keeps the narrative from feeling too dry. Waterloo may be a well-mined topic, but this new presentation is bound to satisfy lovers of military history. Maps & illus. Agent: Toby Eady, Toby Eady Associates. (May)

Publishers Weekly

At the end of ‘Waterloo,’ readers will feel that they could command a battalion themselves. With historical accounts like this, who needs novels for excitement?” — Wall Street Journal

“Waterloo may be a well-mined topic, but this new presentation is bound to satisfy lovers of military history….[Cornwell] injects a human element into a thorough and entertaining account.” — Publishers Weekly

“No one, not even the great military historian John Keegan, describes or explains battle better than Cornwell….Cornwell illustrates so clearly and with such an assured sense of pacing that this messy and confusing set of battles is easier to follow, understand, and thus appreciate.” — Library Journal, starred review

“Waterloo is a fabulous story, superbly told….Cornwell cannot be bettered.” — Max Hastings, Sunday Times (London)

“Both vivid and scholarly….Readers new to the Waterloo campaign could hope for no better introduction and veterans will find fresh insights.” — The Independent

“A great and terrible story told with energy and clarity by a writer who has a deep understanding of men in combat and why they do what they do.” — The Economist

“The history of the Battle of Waterloo told by a master storyteller.” — Shelf Awareness

“In his first nonfiction book, acclaimed historical novelist Cornwell (The Empty Throne, 2015, etc.) employs his storytelling skills to bring military history out of the textbook…. A fascinating, detailed, and generously illustrated description of the battle that changed the fate of 19th-century Europe.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Bernard Cornwell proceeds at a brisk canter and his descriptions of the fighting are as gripping as any in his splendid Sharpe novels.” — The Times (London)

“A lot of historians could learn from Cornwell’s approach. He sets the scene, fleshes out the main characters and lets the story unfold to its dramatic conclusion. An excellent first foray into non-fiction.” — Evening Standard (London)

“Brings a shrewd military historian’s mind to his subject…thrilling to read…Cornwell’s is from start to finish a gripping account, red in tooth and claw. Serve with a robust burgundy.” — The Spectator

“Bernard Cornwell’s lively account of Waterloo...is a clear account...Cornwell is a storyteller....for those who want a.... reliable guide to what happened at Waterloo, he has great appeal. His book is also superbly illustrated” — New Statesman

“As you would expect from a writer who is the acknowledged expert on the Napoleonic Wars he is superb on the tiny details as well as on the bigger picture.” — Daily Express (London)

“Cornwell has found deserved popularity with his Sharpe series of historically accurate novels set in the Napoleonic Wars. For the first time, he turns his gung-ho novelist’s skill to an actual account of the supreme battle of the conflict…. Written with all the excitement of a popular novel.” — Literary Review

“A real page-turner… in which Cornwell shows real insight into the Waterloo campaign.” — BBC History Magazine

“This master storyteller’s take on events comes highly recommended to those new to the genre and Waterloo aficionados alike.” — Soldier Magazine

From the Publisher

A lot of historians could learn from Cornwell’s approach. He sets the scene, fleshes out the main characters and lets the story unfold to its dramatic conclusion. An excellent first foray into non-fiction.

Evening Standard (London)

At the end of ‘Waterloo,’ readers will feel that they could command a battalion themselves. With historical accounts like this, who needs novels for excitement?

Wall Street Journal

Both vivid and scholarly….Readers new to the Waterloo campaign could hope for no better introduction and veterans will find fresh insights.

The Independent

Bernard Cornwell proceeds at a brisk canter and his descriptions of the fighting are as gripping as any in his splendid Sharpe novels.

The Times (London)

A great and terrible story told with energy and clarity by a writer who has a deep understanding of men in combat and why they do what they do.

The Economist

The history of the Battle of Waterloo told by a master storyteller.

Shelf Awareness

Waterloo is a fabulous story, superbly told….Cornwell cannot be bettered.

Max Hastings

Bernard Cornwell’s lively account of Waterloo...is a clear account...Cornwell is a storyteller....for those who want a.... reliable guide to what happened at Waterloo, he has great appeal. His book is also superbly illustrated

New Statesman

This master storyteller’s take on events comes highly recommended to those new to the genre and Waterloo aficionados alike.

Soldier Magazine

As you would expect from a writer who is the acknowledged expert on the Napoleonic Wars he is superb on the tiny details as well as on the bigger picture.

Daily Express (London)

A real page-turner… in which Cornwell shows real insight into the Waterloo campaign.

BBC History Magazine

Cornwell has found deserved popularity with his Sharpe series of historically accurate novels set in the Napoleonic Wars. For the first time, he turns his gung-ho novelist’s skill to an actual account of the supreme battle of the conflict…. Written with all the excitement of a popular novel.

Literary Review

Brings a shrewd military historian’s mind to his subject…thrilling to read…Cornwell’s is from start to finish a gripping account, red in tooth and claw. Serve with a robust burgundy.

The Spectator

At the end of ‘Waterloo,’ readers will feel that they could command a battalion themselves. With historical accounts like this, who needs novels for excitement?

Wall Street Journal

★ 03/15/2015
As the bicentennial of the Battle of Waterloo (June 18) draws near, the books appear. These two, by freelance historian Crane (Empires of the Dead; Scott of the Antarctic), and historical fiction writer Cornwell (The Empty Throne; The Pagan Lord) are near -perfect bookends to the event.Drawing on letters and memoirs, Crane paints a varied portrait of Englishmen's preoccupations in that extraordinary age. Not all wished for victory over the usurper; there was still a radical tradition in English politics though it had been largely stifled by repressive war legislation. In assessing England's 20 years of war, Crane explains how the national debt soared to £861 million and poverty abounded. Although England emerged as an undisputed ruler of the world's trade, the chance of desperately needed political reform had been squashed and would not emerge for another two decades. How was it, Crane asks, that a war that had mobilized the citizenry for 20 years left them, at the end, in worse shape than they'd been before? Crane does not slight the battle, but the addition of other narratives results in a richer portrait of what was being thought about at a pivotal moment in history.Cornwell is a respected writer of historical fiction, specializing in narratives of battle. (See his "Sharpe" series about an ordinary infantryman during the Napoleonic Wars.) No one, not even the great military historian John Keegan, describes or explains battle better than Cornwell, and that is one of the signal virtues of this account. There are no new findings, yet Cornwell illustrates so clearly and with such an assured sense of pacing that this messy and confusing set of battles is easier to follow, understand, and thus appreciate. Copious illustrations assist the narrative. VERDICT History buffs will relish both of these works. Readers should also consider Brendan Simms's The Longest Afternoon. [See Prepub Alert, 11/17/14.]—David Keymer, Modesto, CA

Library Journal

2015-02-14
In his first nonfiction book, acclaimed historical novelist Cornwell (The Empty Throne, 2015, etc.) employs his storytelling skills to bring military history out of the textbook.The author writes of the 200th anniversary of Napoleon's loss (as opposed to the Duke of Wellington's victory) in a readable account that only occasionally gets bogged down in tactics and the movements of brigades. Early on, he points out that we must understand the difference between infantry arrayed in either lines or columns since it made a considerable difference in the outcome of the battles fought on those June days in 1815. The Dutch and Germans combined with the British under Wellington; this was not a particularly pleasant circumstance, as Wellington had little faith in their ability or loyalty. He placed them carefully with his most effective fighters and did his best to keep Prince William of the Netherlands, or Slender Billy, from creating the disastrous confusion for which he was known. Two preliminary battles, at Ligny and Quatre-Bras, could have given France success, but miscommunication and outright dithering on the part of Napoleon's commander Michel Ney enabled the opposing forces to fight on. Throughout the battle, there were many instances of generals making their own decisions that affected the outcome—perhaps none more than the Prussian Prince Blücher, who retreated to the north rather than west to maintain his ability to relieve Wellington, thus confounding Napoleon's attempt to split the armies. The French were weakened in an attempt to take Wellington's right flank at Hougoumont, where just over 2,000 Dutch, German, and English soldiers held off 9,000 French infantry. Despite a little confusion regarding the movements of divisions and brigades, this is a fascinating, detailed, and generously illustrated description of the battle that changed the fate of 19th-century Europe.

Kirkus Reviews