Research Catalog

Title

Waterloo voices 1815 : the battle at first hand / Martyn Beardsley.

Author

Beardsley, Martyn

Publication

• Gloucestershire : Amberley Publishing, 2017.
• ©2017

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

284 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : color illustrations; 20 cm

Summary

The Battle of Waterloo, fought over the course of a day on a muddy field in Belgium, brought an end to two decades of war in Europe. It had been a draining conflict, both financially and in terms of human life, and had threatened the very sovereignty of numerous nations. Here, at the crisis point, Bonaparte and Wellington faced each other at last and fought for control of the continent. The tale of the battle that ended the Napoleonic Wars has been told many times, but most often in terms of the political and military situation, debates over strategies, tactics and the broader global arena. In this book, the story is told by those who were present, in their own words. The accounts come from letters, diaries and published accounts, sometimes recounted many years later, the eyewitness testimonies of officers and ordinary soldiers, friend and foe. This gripping collection of first-hand experiences lets us feel the deafening roar of cannon, hear the anguished cries of the wounded and marvel at the heroism on both sides, at the very heart of a battle that was to prove one of the major turning points in European history. Book jacket.

Subject

• 1815
• Waterloo, Battle of, Waterloo, Belgium, 1815
• Waterloo, Battle of, Waterloo, Belgium, 1815 > Personal narratives
• Belgium > Waterloo

Genre/Form

Personal narratives.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (pages 282-283).

Contents

Part I The Road to War 11 -- 1 Napoleon Returns 13 -- 2 Belgium: Preparations and Rumours 17 -- 3 A Place Called Waterloo 22 -- Part II Quatre Bras 29 -- 4 The Forces Gather 30 -- 5 Ney Attacks 36 -- 6 'Let me see the colours' 49 -- Part III The Calm Before the Storm 55 -- 7 The Day Begins 56 -- 8 'I have them then, these English' 61 -- Part IV The Battle Begins 69 -- 9 General Sir James Shaw Kennedy's Description of the Battlefield 70 -- 10 'The most tremendous fire that was ever heard' 72 -- 11 The Battle Intensifies 80 -- Part V The Charge of the Heavy Cavalry 95 -- 12 Ewart and the Eagle 96 -- 13 'Scotland Forever!' 101 -- Part VI Mid-Afternoon 111 -- 14 'Soldiers, we must never be beat' 112 -- 15 De Lancey Is Hit 124 -- Part VII Crisis 131 -- 16 The Fall of Lay Haye Sainte 133 -- 17 Napoleon's Final Gamble 149 -- 18 Blucher Arrives 157 -- Part VIII Aftermath 173 -- 19 'Oh Doctor, it was a terrible night ...' 174 -- 20 The Morning After 182 -- Part IX Counting the Cost 197 -- 21 The Dreadful Scene of Death 198 -- 21 The Death of De Lancey 204 -- Part X Scars of Battle 213 -- 23 Attending to the Wounded 215 -- Part XI Napoleon's Final Journey 225 -- 24 Surrender 226 -- 25 Torbay 229 -- Part XII Looking Back 239 -- 26 'Such has been the battle of Mont St Jean' 240 -- 27 The Sacrifice of Ney 246 -- 28 'My papper is dun' 249 -- Key to Quotation Sources 256.

ISBN

• 1445660164
• 9781445660165

LCCN

99974827834

OCLC

• ocn938399526
• 938399526
• SCSB-8974796

Owning Institutions

Princeton University Library