Waterloo: The Story of a Battle

by Tristan Clark

When Napoleon ended his exile on the Mediterranean island of Elba and marched defiantly back to Paris in 1815, his enemies were horrified. Faced with the prospect of being plunged back into the seemingly never-ending cycle of the Napoleonic Wars, they vowed to take decisive action. Wellington and Blucher approached the north eastern border of France with large armies, each determined to chase Napoleon from power once and for all. Rather than wait for the attack, Napoleon decided to engage the foreign forces ranged against him, and so began the Waterloo Campaign. Wellington later called it 'the nearest-run thing you ever saw in your life', but he would nevertheless emerge victorious from the battle, consigning the defeated Napoleon to permanent exile in the distant island of Saint Helena.

The Very Short History series gives the reader a clear, concise, and very short, account of the people and events that have shaped world history. Each book provides an entertaining and engaging narrative, allowing the reader to master the subject in the shortest time possible.

38 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 26, 2015

Reviews

[Keith Troop · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent summary

A quick and concise telling of one of the most complex and pivotal battles in history. It has just the right amount of detail to allow the reader to use it as a guidebook through more complex and detailed works.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

With the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo coming up in June, this book's release was perfectly timed. It provided a short yet detailed overview of the battle broken down into phases making it easier to follow the progress of the fight. It was nice to read of the battle not just as a victory for Wellington and the British but to also note his many weaknesses and errors and also some of Napoleon's disadvantages which contributed to his final downfall. I much enjoyed this well rounded perspective of the battle and those that came before it and would recommend this book to those interested in the subject but not keen on reading some of the lengthier books available.