Journal Of The Waterloo Campaign

by Cavalie Mercer

"An outstanding picture of the haste, confusion, and uncertainty of both the campaign and the battle, written by a man who definitely was there!"--Col. John R. Elting, author of Swords Around a Napoleon's Grande Armee





Journal of the Waterloo Campaign remains one of the most famous personal accounts of the climactic three days which ended the military career and empire of Napoleon Bonaparte. Captain Cavalié Mercer (1783-1868), commander of G Troop of the Royal Horse Artillery in Wellington's army, was a skilled writer who recorded the day's events each evening. As a result, readers can experience through Mercer's keen eye the turbulence and graphic immediacy of the entire the news of Napoleon's return from Elba; the landing of Wellington's forces in Belgium; the lulls and hard marching; the battle at Quatre Bras (where Mercer fired a few rounds at Napoleon himself); Wellington's retreat; the ferocious fighting at Waterloo; and Mercer's own bold contribution to the larger Allied victory.

Genres: History, Military History, Memoir, Nonfiction, Military Fiction

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1900

Reviews

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging first person account of the campaign of 1815, centred on the Battle of Waterloo; by an officer of the English Royal Horse Artillery. Incredibly detailed, although at times exceedingly banal; Mercer describes only what he sees and does, giving remarkable insight into the details of soldierly life, from barracking and feeding his men to the vagaries of the command structure and the interplay between Prussians, French, English, Russian, and all the various troops engaged in the final defeat of Napoleon. A tremendous amount of insight into customs and attitudes, along with colorful descriptions of bearing, clothing, and location, as seen through the eyes of a British gentleman; only self-aware insofar as his breeding and rank will let him. Fascinating.

[Ricardo Portella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real soldier life at Waterloo

If you are looking for a good description of the Waterloo battle, go elsewhere. This book is a witness account of some events of the Waterloo campaign from the point of view of a artillery Captain. What impress most is almost total lack of clear orders for him and also his very limited overview of the battle, but it a must read if you want to know how a real napoleonic battle was fought.
The edition is OK but they could have done a better revision job. The figures included do not add too much to the narrative.

[Sebastian Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great edition of an already brilliant memoir.

Captain Cavalié Mercer, who commanded G Troop of the Royal Horse Artillery in Wellington's rag-tag but victorious Allied army at Waterloo, wrote a terrific account of his experiences.

This excellent edition adds quite a lot to the memoir itself, including a biographical account of the whole of Mercer's life. When I first wrote this now quite old review I had just read an abridged version of Mercer's memoir, and was keen to read the full story.

Starting in England, his narrative of his journey to Belgium is as exciting and interesting as the battle itself. The sea-crossing and subsequent travels through various Belgic billets are all fascinating, described with an eye for detail that's as artistic as it is military.

Once the conflict gets underway, Mercer and his troop arrive on the scene at Quatre Bras just in time to perform a very exciting stint of rearguard duty, during which - as the elements do battle as ferociously as the human and equine actors (oh, and there's even an unfortunate pig!) - he catches a sublime glimpse of Napoleon himself, sitting his horse atop a hill bathed in sunshine, whist Mercer and his guns are in the deep shade of inky black storm clouds!

Throughout this story, but especially at Waterloo itself, Mercer comes across as very brave, if not perhaps as experienced as some of the other RHA Captains (he confesses to numerous mistakes he makes at various points, mostly logistical stuff, and not at Waterloo itself, fortunately), many of whom were Peninsular veterans. He incurs both the praise and censure of Wellington, a subject which he is clearly a trifle touchy about (this theme is enlarged upon in the extra biographical content).

Is this one of the reasons he never published his memoirs, perhaps? They were eventually published by his son, with little or no editorial intervention. Andrew Uffindell is clearly proud, and rightly so, of his part in seeing this superb account finally getting the editorial and supporting scholarly research attention it so richly merits.

The part that deals with the battle of Waterloo itself is terrific: detailed, exciting, colourful, and humane. Mercer gets over the terrible carnage - G Troop certainly ‘did their duty’ in ensuring that the French 'butchers bill' was awfully high - and the confusion of battle, including feelings of guilt at his own losses, and instances of 'friendly fire', all extremely vividly.

The period after the battle, as Mercer and the Allied and Prussian armies make for Paris, is equally fascinating, revealling much of great interest regarding those 'behind the scenes' aspects of campaigning that many popular or scholarly accounts of campaigns such as this will gloss over or ignore.

Towards the end of his narrative Mercer gets leave to go home. Visiting his wife, she begs to return with him, and (against his counsel) does. So Mercer ultimately sees out his involvement in the campaign in company, with his wife's needs adding to the complexities of his own logistical billeting difficulties. The intensity and detail of his account peters out a little towards the end, but overall this is a remarkably rich and involving account of one of the world's most written about campaigns and battles.

This edition benefits form copious quantities of maps and illustrations, alongside plenty of editorial interjections further elucidating on numerous pertinent points. The biographical detail on Mercer at the start of the book is great as well, and there's more additional matter at the end. The abridged version was somewhat spoiled by too many typos. Thankfully the editorial care taken here is of an altogether different and much higher order.

Essential reading this, for the Napoleonic history nut in general, and the Waterloo obsessive in particular.

[Katie-Ellen Hazeldine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely riveting read, not just for the battle, but everything that underpins a battle campaign, soldiers billeted on landlords who then need to be paid...but by whom?

Wellington...'throw the scoundrel down the stairs' - upon being presented with a bill he considered extortionate...but was it?

[Neil Gardiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

In depth observations

A fascinating and informative overview of people and places at that time in history. A very in depth set of observations

[Jiří Szabó · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mé zhodnocení: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynakj...

['Aussie Rick' · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been keenly awaiting the chance to read “Journal of the Waterloo Campaign Kept Throughout the Campaign of 1815” by Cavalie Mercer for sometime having seen/read references to it in many of my Napoleonic books. Although an interesting first-hand account of the Hundred Days campaign I was slightly disappointed as the vast majority of the book was taken up with the daily observations of Cavalie Mercer journeying to the confrontation at Waterloo and then the drive to Paris.

A good insight into the day to day travails of a front line soldier during the Napoleonic period but not enough to keep the reader interested throughout the book. The author writes well and as an example below is his account of a French cavalry charge against his gun line, the third charge so far, during the Battle of Waterloo:

“.... On they came in compact squadrons, one behind the other, so numerous that those of the rear were still below the brow when the head of the column was but at some sixty or seventy yards from our guns. Their pace was a slow but steady trot. None of your furious galloping charges was this, but a deliberate advance, at a deliberate pace, as of men resolved to carry their point. They moved in profound silence, and the only sound that could be heard from them amidst the incessant roar of battle was the low thunder-like reverberation of the ground beneath the simultaneous tread of so many horses. On our part was equal deliberation. Every man stood steadily at his post, the guns ready, loaded with a round-shot first and a case over it; the tubes were in the vents; the port-fires glared and sputtered behind the wheels; and my word alone was wanting to hurl destruction on that goodly show of gallant men and noble horses..."

I am sure if you enjoy first-hand accounts from the Napoleonic period then you very well may enjoy this book but don’t expect pages and pages of riveting action.

[Peter Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but a bit of slog through the parts before and after the action itself. It's an interesting picture of early nineteenth century life, but still. For the military historian, these sections are interesting for how the billeting process works. Most interest is in the action though, and Mercer is interesting for Quatre Bras, the retreat to Waterloo, and then Waterloo itself. An interesting read, but tough going overall.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Not exact edition)