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Hougoumont: The Key to Victory at Waterloo
If asked to name the most famous battle ever fought, most people would almost certainly say "Waterloo." But very few would mention, or even know of, Hougoumont; yet Wellington himself declared that "the outcome of the Battle of Waterloo rested upon the closing of the gates at Hougoumont."
The defence of the chateau and farm of Hougoumont against heavy odds in fighting that continued all day was indeed the key to victory at Waterloo. Had Hougoumont not held out, Blucher's Prussians might well have arrived too late to save the day. Yet the dramatic story of this 'battle within a battle' has never been told until now. Julian Paget combines his skills as a military historian and a battlefield guide to provide a vivid account of the bitter fighting at Hougoumont on 18th June 1815. The book is written in collaboration with Derek Saunders, who has made a lifetime study of Hougoumont; it contains 7 maps and 17 illustrations, and appendices giving useful background information. There is also a chapter on what to look for and look at when visiting Hougoumont today, making it a valuable guide book as well as an authoritative account of events.
The defence of the chateau and farm of Hougoumont against heavy odds in fighting that continued all day was indeed the key to victory at Waterloo. Had Hougoumont not held out, Blucher's Prussians might well have arrived too late to save the day. Yet the dramatic story of this 'battle within a battle' has never been told until now. Julian Paget combines his skills as a military historian and a battlefield guide to provide a vivid account of the bitter fighting at Hougoumont on 18th June 1815. The book is written in collaboration with Derek Saunders, who has made a lifetime study of Hougoumont; it contains 7 maps and 17 illustrations, and appendices giving useful background information. There is also a chapter on what to look for and look at when visiting Hougoumont today, making it a valuable guide book as well as an authoritative account of events.
112 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 13, 2017
Hmmmm
Where to start well I read the 2015 publication but the original was published in 1992. So maybe at that time certain things we know today about Waterloo were not known to the author.
Overall I like the book because it's a good account with good details.
What I don't like are a couple of obvious mistakes like naming an artillery battery that wasn't there or having an artillery battery "heavily" involved that was over a thousand meters away.
Details like this make a book lose points.
I do like the details about the actual farm good material and the good time scheme set
Auf jeden Fall eine Bereicherung fuer den Waterloo Spezialisten
Where to start well I read the 2015 publication but the original was published in 1992. So maybe at that time certain things we know today about Waterloo were not known to the author.
Overall I like the book because it's a good account with good details.
What I don't like are a couple of obvious mistakes like naming an artillery battery that wasn't there or having an artillery battery "heavily" involved that was over a thousand meters away.
Details like this make a book lose points.
I do like the details about the actual farm good material and the good time scheme set
Auf jeden Fall eine Bereicherung fuer den Waterloo Spezialisten
October 6, 2015
Short but terrific accounting of the struggle for Hougoumont on June 18, 1815. This part of the Battle of Waterloo was not supposed to turn into a titanic struggle on Napoleon's left, but it did and therein lies Paget' s story.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews