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Osprey Campaign #276
Waterloo 1815 (1): Quatre Bras
To coincide with the 2015 bicentennial of the Battle of Waterloo, Osprey publishes Waterloo 1815, a definitive three volume history of the historic battle. Based on new research drawn from unpublished first-hand accounts and illustrations, Waterloo 1815 provides a detailed resource for all aspects of the famous battle.
This first volume of the trilogy, Quatre Bras, focuses on the lead-up to Waterloo itself. Two days before the main battle, an initial 8,000 Allied troops faced the 48,000 men of the French Armée du Nord under Marshal Ney at the strategically vital crossroads of Quatre Bras. Having been tricked by Napolean who was trying to drive a wedge between the Prussians and the Anglo-allied army, Wellington concentrated his troops at Quatre Bras, hoping to link up with the Prussians. There Wellington just managed to hold off Ney's attacks. The battle ended in a tactical stalemate but, because he was unable to join with Blücher's Prussians, Wellington retreated back along the road to Brussels to new positions at a small Belgian village called Waterloo, and thus set the stage for one of the greatest battles of all time.
With detailed maps, illustrations and battlefield dispositions, Quatre Bras will lay the groundwork for any student of the Battle of Waterloo.
This first volume of the trilogy, Quatre Bras, focuses on the lead-up to Waterloo itself. Two days before the main battle, an initial 8,000 Allied troops faced the 48,000 men of the French Armée du Nord under Marshal Ney at the strategically vital crossroads of Quatre Bras. Having been tricked by Napolean who was trying to drive a wedge between the Prussians and the Anglo-allied army, Wellington concentrated his troops at Quatre Bras, hoping to link up with the Prussians. There Wellington just managed to hold off Ney's attacks. The battle ended in a tactical stalemate but, because he was unable to join with Blücher's Prussians, Wellington retreated back along the road to Brussels to new positions at a small Belgian village called Waterloo, and thus set the stage for one of the greatest battles of all time.
With detailed maps, illustrations and battlefield dispositions, Quatre Bras will lay the groundwork for any student of the Battle of Waterloo.
96 pages, Paperback
First published November 18, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 15, 2022
A military history aficionado account listing all units and commanders with a plethora of minutiae that makes the first half of the account come across relatively dry. It only begins to feel like a narrative history when the author comes to the famous ball on the eve of the battle and pauses to draw attention to the highland dancing by British troops. There are few anecdotal accounts till then, few memorable quotes, no dialogue.
The narrative writing picks up with the fighting but even then a reader will need to take care not to lose the continuity as more unit names and numbers and commanders are thrown into the mix. There are other accounts that offer a more readable and anecdotal description of the battles that comprised Waterloo. Yet I salute the author’s erudition. 4 stars.
The narrative writing picks up with the fighting but even then a reader will need to take care not to lose the continuity as more unit names and numbers and commanders are thrown into the mix. There are other accounts that offer a more readable and anecdotal description of the battles that comprised Waterloo. Yet I salute the author’s erudition. 4 stars.
May 9, 2024
The Battle of Waterloo is a much-discussed bit of military history for many reasons, so it was a logical choice for Ospery's Campaign series. Really, the surprise is that it didn't appear until book number 15.
It is much less surprising that it was eventually replaced a set of three Campaign books covering everything in more detail. I haven't read the original, but the first volume of the new work was offered for free (in electronic formats) during 2020, and I've finally gotten to reading it.
As usual, we have a great visual presentation, with six full-color maps, three of their isometric-view maps, and three double-page illustrations by Gary Embleton, along with a host of paintings and engravings from the time. Embleton is one of their better current artists, and while I think a couple of the pieces are more on the passable side, the first is pretty good.
Since this is volume one of three, the real subject matter is the preliminary fight at Quatre Bras. The introduction gives a few words on the abdication of Napoleon, but mostly concerns itself with the formation of the United Netherlands, and then Wellington being installed as the local commander of the allied forces after Napoleon took control of France again. The usual introduction to the major figures and the armies on both sides ends with a 3 1/2 page order of battle down the battalion level - a handy source for those wanting to research such, but a bit much for anything else.
The narrative of the battle itself is well done, and I can tell it was informed by Robinson's The Battle of Quatre Bras. While it's not nearly so one-sided as that account, there is generally a lot more detail given on Anglo-Allied movements than French. Sadly, Hussey's two volume work didn't come out until about three years after this. However, there is at least some discussion of Allied plans to invade France, and Wellington's assumption that Napoleon would seek to repeat his 1814 defense of France.
For a detailed treatment of the campaign, Waterloo: The Campaign of 1815 by John Hussey is definitely the place to go. This however still gives a good amount of detail for its size, is a good jumping off point for anyone truly wanting detail, and of course has a wealth of illustrations and maps all in full color. Especially nice are some photographs at the end with an aerial view of modern Quatre Bras, and photos of Petit Pierrepont and Gémioncourt, which are still extant.
It is much less surprising that it was eventually replaced a set of three Campaign books covering everything in more detail. I haven't read the original, but the first volume of the new work was offered for free (in electronic formats) during 2020, and I've finally gotten to reading it.
As usual, we have a great visual presentation, with six full-color maps, three of their isometric-view maps, and three double-page illustrations by Gary Embleton, along with a host of paintings and engravings from the time. Embleton is one of their better current artists, and while I think a couple of the pieces are more on the passable side, the first is pretty good.
Since this is volume one of three, the real subject matter is the preliminary fight at Quatre Bras. The introduction gives a few words on the abdication of Napoleon, but mostly concerns itself with the formation of the United Netherlands, and then Wellington being installed as the local commander of the allied forces after Napoleon took control of France again. The usual introduction to the major figures and the armies on both sides ends with a 3 1/2 page order of battle down the battalion level - a handy source for those wanting to research such, but a bit much for anything else.
The narrative of the battle itself is well done, and I can tell it was informed by Robinson's The Battle of Quatre Bras. While it's not nearly so one-sided as that account, there is generally a lot more detail given on Anglo-Allied movements than French. Sadly, Hussey's two volume work didn't come out until about three years after this. However, there is at least some discussion of Allied plans to invade France, and Wellington's assumption that Napoleon would seek to repeat his 1814 defense of France.
For a detailed treatment of the campaign, Waterloo: The Campaign of 1815 by John Hussey is definitely the place to go. This however still gives a good amount of detail for its size, is a good jumping off point for anyone truly wanting detail, and of course has a wealth of illustrations and maps all in full color. Especially nice are some photographs at the end with an aerial view of modern Quatre Bras, and photos of Petit Pierrepont and Gémioncourt, which are still extant.
June 28, 2018
This book takes a whole new perspective of the much reported campaign. Osprey had previously done a single volume on the whole campaign but this divides it up into three seperate volumes This first one deals with the fighting between the Napoleonic French Army and the British led alliance of Germans, Dutch and Belgians on the 16th June 1815.
Unsurprisingly, this allows the author to go into tremendous detail which he does. Every possible officer in every unit seems to be name checked. The description of the fighting is clear and easy to follow. The author is learned and clearly has put a lot of research into the subject and it shows
The book follows the traditional Osprey Campaigns format and is a quality addition to the always excellent series.
Unsurprisingly, this allows the author to go into tremendous detail which he does. Every possible officer in every unit seems to be name checked. The description of the fighting is clear and easy to follow. The author is learned and clearly has put a lot of research into the subject and it shows
The book follows the traditional Osprey Campaigns format and is a quality addition to the always excellent series.
April 13, 2020
A short, focussed account of the battle of Quatre Bras, an important prelude to Waterloo. It was interesting and engaging but had the wrong sort of detail - a lot on unit composition and commanders, a little less on troop movements and individual actions.
March 16, 2016
If you ask most people what they know about the Waterloo campaign of 1815 they will probably tell you something about the events of 18 June. However, much less studied, and consequently less written about, are the two major actions that took place two days earlier; the Battles of Quatre-Bras and Ligny. As the 200th anniversary of Waterloo approaches, author John Franklin, known for his previous published works on Hanoverian and Netherlands correspondence of the campaign, has written a trilogy of books that explore the whole campaign from Napoleon’s escape from exile on the island of Elba to his final defeat at Waterloo. Volume one, which is reviewed here, examines Quatre-Bras, while volumes two and three consider Ligny and Waterloo respectively.
As with most Osprey titles of this type, the book is relatively short at 96 pages. However, this should not fool the reader in to thinking it is limited in content, since the book is packed with detail and excellently illustrated. The latter contains reproductions of well-known (and lesser-known) paintings as well as modern three-dimensional maps that greatly assist the reader in understanding the battle and overall campaign. In terms of written content the author has included information on both the opposing military commanders and their armies (accompanied by the Orders of Battle), and most crucially an in-depth analysis of the opposing plans and strategies. Armed with this the reader is then presented with a detailed account of the opening of the campaign and battle itself, which makes up the greater part of the book. An examination of the aftermath follows along with interesting information about the battlefield today. Finally the author has also included a detailed timeline, which, in a similar fashion to the maps, enhances the readers understanding of the development of events.
The book is extremely well written and easy to read, and should appeal to both the military enthusiast and general reader alike. One thing that does stand out about this book is the fact no black and white images have been used, with all illustrations being presented in full and vivid colour. The title also gives proper recognition to all nationalities involved, and thus is a refreshing change from the widespread Anglo-centric view of events that still dominate the bookshelves. That does not in any way diminish the British contribution to the defeat of Napoleon, but rather offers a much more balanced and accurate view. It should be noted that the book is intended to be read as part of the trilogy, which if done will enable the reader to gain a thorough understanding of the Waterloo campaign, yet it also acts well as a standalone book if so required. Overall this book deserves a firm five out of five star rating.
As with most Osprey titles of this type, the book is relatively short at 96 pages. However, this should not fool the reader in to thinking it is limited in content, since the book is packed with detail and excellently illustrated. The latter contains reproductions of well-known (and lesser-known) paintings as well as modern three-dimensional maps that greatly assist the reader in understanding the battle and overall campaign. In terms of written content the author has included information on both the opposing military commanders and their armies (accompanied by the Orders of Battle), and most crucially an in-depth analysis of the opposing plans and strategies. Armed with this the reader is then presented with a detailed account of the opening of the campaign and battle itself, which makes up the greater part of the book. An examination of the aftermath follows along with interesting information about the battlefield today. Finally the author has also included a detailed timeline, which, in a similar fashion to the maps, enhances the readers understanding of the development of events.
The book is extremely well written and easy to read, and should appeal to both the military enthusiast and general reader alike. One thing that does stand out about this book is the fact no black and white images have been used, with all illustrations being presented in full and vivid colour. The title also gives proper recognition to all nationalities involved, and thus is a refreshing change from the widespread Anglo-centric view of events that still dominate the bookshelves. That does not in any way diminish the British contribution to the defeat of Napoleon, but rather offers a much more balanced and accurate view. It should be noted that the book is intended to be read as part of the trilogy, which if done will enable the reader to gain a thorough understanding of the Waterloo campaign, yet it also acts well as a standalone book if so required. Overall this book deserves a firm five out of five star rating.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews