The Waterloo Campaign

This ebook is purpose built and is proof-read and re-type set from the original to provide an outstanding experience of reflowing text for an ebook reader. Waterloo Illustration Pack – 14 maps/battle plans, 18 portraits of the personalities engaged, 10 illustrations. Almost 200 years after the battles were fought, the Waterloo Campaign of 1815 still remains a contentious issue. It was to be Napoleon's last charge at the head of his formidable armies that had marched into nearly every capital in Europe over the past 10 years. How could it be that he would be defeated by a rag-tag Anglo-Dutch army under the Duke of Wellington and the more heterogeneous but inexperienced Prussian army? Some might say Napoleon's orders were miscommunicated, misunderstood or even ignored; others would say that the formerly all-powerful Emperor's powers were on the wane and he was eventually outmanoeuvred by his enemies. Historians have ranged up on either side of the debate for decades, and cast their opinions into the mix with some verve and often much partisan feeling. From such muddied water, Lt.-Col Pratt provides a clear account of the campaign, sifting through the evidence with an expert military eye; dealing with the varied opinions of previous historians and the evidence of all the belligerent powers. He weighs the eye-witness accounts against the events with clarity without slipping into jingoistic bias, all the while providing a refreshingly detailed but lucid work. Another excellent volume from the Special Campaigns series produced around the turn of the 20th century by serving or recently retired British and Indian Army officers. Lt.-Col. Pratt served as in the officer in the Royal Engineers for many years, seeing much service throughout the British Empire, during which time he authored and co-authored a number of books, principally on military law, and strategy. His first volume in the Special Campaigns series "From Saarbrück to Paris" chronicled the 1870-71 war between France and Prussia, and is also well worth reading.