1815: The Waterloo Campaign. Volume 2: The German Victory

This second volume on the Waterloo Campaign continues where volume one left off, namely on 17 June. It then follows the retreat of the allied forces to Mont St Jean and Wavre. Using German accounts – eye-witnesses and reports – the action of 18 June is described in some detail, using texts never used in English before. The Battle of Namur and the pursuit of the French forces to Paris is covered in similarly unprecedented detail. Furthermore, a substantial chapter is devoted to the sieges in Northern France. All these accounts are accompanied by large and detailed maps.
 
Following on from volume one, the role of the Duke of Wellington is examined. He is shown to have performed poorly in this campaign and subsequently to have played down both his own errors and the true role of his allies. His Waterloo Despatch of 19 June 1815 is shown to contain a number of false statements. Wellington nurtured and protected his reputation throughout the rest of his life. One example of this – how he suppressed the publication in English of Clausewitz's History of 1815 – is examined.

Contents
– The Confusion of Battle
– Napoleon Follows Up
– The Prussians Start for Waterloo
– The Field of Waterloo
– The Battle Begins
– Attack and Counter-attack
– The Prussians Approach
– The Great Cavalry Attacks
– The Prussians Tip the Balance
– The Defeat of Napoleon
– Grouchy and Thielemann
– The North German Federal Army Corps
– The Race to Paris
 
About the author:
Peter Hofschrer is an authority on Prussian and German armies of the Napoleonic era.