Waterloo: The Defeat of Napoleon's Imperial Guard: Henry Clinton, the 2nd Division and the End of a 200-year Old Controversy

by Gareth Glover

Winner of the 2017 Society for Army Historical Research Templer MedalThe concluding volume of this work provides a fresh description of the climatic battle of Waterloo placed in the context of the whole campaign. It discusses several vexed Blchers intentions for the battle, Wellingtons choice of site, his reasons for placing substantial forces at Hal, the placement of Napoleons artillery, who authorized the French cavalry attacks, Grouchys role on 18 and 19 June, Napoleons own statements on the Gardes formation in the final attack, and the climactic moment when the Prussians reached Wellingtons troops near la Belle Alliance. Close attention is paid to the negotiations that led to the capitulation of Paris, and subsequent French claims. The allegations of Las Cases and later historians that Napoleons surrender to Captain Maitland of the Bellerophon amounted to entrapment are also examined. After a survey of the peace settlement of 1815, the book concludes with a masterly chapter reviewing the whole story of the 1815 campaign.

402 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 30, 2015

Reviews

[Alistair Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must have missed the controversy element in the title of this book. This pretty much boils down to whether the 2nd Division should have been given more credit for their role in halting the Imperial Guard at Waterloo, whether Wellington deliberately omitted this and in passing whether there was a conspiracy of silence (there wasn't). The "controversy" is dealt with briefly at the end of the book.
Beyond that the book is a briefish biography of Clinton and the make up of the division along with its role in the battle which is moderately interesting.
I can't help but feel that the subtitle "the end of a 200 year old controversy" is to try and spice up an otherwise pretty dull book.
Not recommended.