Description
This book provides a detailed analysis of the attack of the Comte d'Erlon's French I Corps, and the subsequent allied counterattack, at the Battle of Waterloo. This assault by 20,000 men and eighty guns in the early afternoon of 18 June 1815 came as close as any to winning the battle for Napoleon. It was eventually repulsed just by two stretched Allied infantry divisions and two brigades of cavalry and was, in the words of the Duke of Wellington himself, one of the most serious attacks made by the enemy. Until now, there has been surprisingly little in-depth analysis of this crucial moment in the battle something that this book seeks to remedy. Graeme Callister combines a detailed narrative with a thorough analysis of how the event unfolded. All aspects of the attack are covered; from the grand tactics to the human experience of being in the firing lines, considering the soldiers' experience, morale, leadership, condition and cohesion. Using rarely before analysed material from th