Top 10 Facts About The Battle Of Waterloo

Battle of Waterloo. Photo by William Sadler. Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Facts about the Battle of Waterloo

The Battle of Waterloo is a popular historical battle that was fought on 18^th June 1815 near Waterloo which was then the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and is currently known as Belgium. The battle involved the French army led by Napoleon and two other armies of the Seventh Coalition. One of the armies that defeated the French was the coalition which included units from the United Kingdom, Hanover, Brunswick, Nassau, and the Netherlands. The other army was made up of three corps of the Prussian army which was under the command of Von Blucher who was a field marshall.

The battle entirely consisted of three armies; a multinational army under Wellington, a Prussian army under General Blucher, and Napoleon’s Armee du Nord. Waterloo was the strong position for the battlefield which had a long ridge that ran east to west perpendicular and bisected by the main road to Brussels. After the battle ended there were tens of thousands of bodies were buried in mass graves across the battlefield. There is no record of a such huge mass grave that has yet recorded in the 20^th and 21^st centuries.

Below are the top 10 facts about the Battle of Waterloo

1. Napoleon Defeated the Prussians in the Battle of Ligny

Artwork courtesy of JoJan. Wikimedia Commons

When Napoleon returned to power in March 1815 some of his enemies that opposed him came together to form a coalition to fight against him. The coalition was named Seventh Coalition which consisted of Wellington and Blucher’s armies. Napoleon made a plan to attack them separately before joining forces and successfully attacked the Prussians led by Blucher. He attached them in the battle of Ligny and caused them to withdraw northwards.

2. Prussians Supported Wellington to Fight the French

After wellington discovered that he could join hands with the Prussians to attack the French, he formed a coalition that helped defeat the French. Wellington offered the battle on the Mont-Saint-Jean which was near Waterloo village and stood his ground. He withstood several attacks from the French as he received more support from the Prussians who kept arriving. With the help of the Prussians, he managed to break through the French right flank, and the French army was routed.

3. Napoleon’s Defeat Ended his Rule as the French Empire

The Battle of Waterloo by Clément-Auguste Andrieux. Wikimedia Commons

The attack of Napoleon by the Prussians and Wellington at Waterloo village ended his rule as the French Empire. Four days later after his defeat, he was abdicated and the coalition forces entered Paris. This marked his Hundred Days’ return from exile and the end of his rule. His defeat also marked the end of the first French Empire as well as the frequent European wars and brought decades of relative peace.

4. Napoleon was Declared an Outlaw by the Congress of Vienna

Napoleon was declared an outlaw by the congress of Vienna about six days before reaching Paris. Four days late there a coalition of four armies that were mobilized to attack him including Russia, Austria, Prussia, and the United Kingdom. Since Napoleon was out number, he knew that being attacked by the Seven Coalition would mean the end of France. His only chance was to attack just before the coalitions were mobilized.

5. The Battle Mainly Involved Three Participants

Photo by Eric Gaba, Wikimedia Commons

The Battle of Waterloo mainly involved three participants; Napoleon, Wellington, and Blucher. Napoleon was the leader of the French army Wellington led the Multinational army while General Blucher led the Prussian army. The French arm of Napoleon consisted of 48,000 infantry, 7,000 artillery, 14,000 cavalry, and 250 guns. Napoleon’s troops were very well known to have considerable experience as well as fierce devotion to their Emperor.

6. The Veteran French Soldiers were Fiercely Loyal to Napoleon

Although the veteran French soldiers faced several hardships they remained very loyal to the empire. The French soldiers were at times forced to walk through the black coal dust and the rain to reach Waterloo village. The soldiers also had very little food to eat and had to contend with the mud and the heavy rain as they slept in the open.

7. Wellington Troops were Inexperienced and Ill-Equipped

Although Wellington was well known to work in coalitions during the war against the French, his army was relatively weak. Most of his men were very inexperienced, infamous, weak, and also ill-equipped. His entire troop was made up of 50,000 infantry, 11,000 cavalry, and 6,000 artillery with only 150 guns. His entire troop consisted of 67,000 men of which 25000 were British while 6,000 were from the King’s German Legion.

8. The Battle Field is Currently a Tourist Attraction Site

A panoramic view of the battlefield. Photo by Dennis Jarvis. Wikimedia Commons

The battlefield became a tourist attraction site immediately after the Great War ended with Captain Mercer noting that on 19^th June. However, the terrain has also changed from the 1815 appearance and currently has green vegetation. William 1 who was the king of the Netherlands made an order for the construction of a monument.

9. There are several Monuments Throughout the Battlefield

There are several monuments on the battlefield that are noteworthy apart from the famous lion Mound. There is a group of monuments located at Brussels-Charleroi and Braine L’Alleud-Ohain with several graves of the Dutch, British, King’s German Legion, and Hanoverian troops. There is a monument titled “The Wounded Eagle” which is the location where the Imperial Guard units formed a square during the period when the battle was closing.

10. The Fallen Prussians were Buried in the Village of Plancenoit

Although there are several graves located in the battleground, most of the Prussians’ fallen soldiers were buried in the village of Plancenoit. That is the location where one of their artillery batteries took a position. Other fallen soldiers are also buried in the Duhesme mausoleum. The mausoleum is located near Saint Martin’s Church. The other seventeen fallen soldiers of the battle were buried in the crypt of the British Monument in Brussels Cemetery in Evere.

Battle of Waterloo was a historical battle that was fought by three participants in the village of waterloo. The battle led to the defeat of Napoleon who was the ruler of the French armies which was well equipped and with vast experience. There were however several casualties in the battle and their graves are scattered on the battlefield with several monuments.