The Battle of Waterloo: Europe in the Balance by Rupert Matthews Read Free Book Online

have committed unjust aggressions. Let us march forward and meet them; are we not still the same men? Soldiers: At Jena, these Prussians, now so arrogant, were three to one; at Montmirail six to one. Let those who have been captive to the English describe the nature of their prison ships, and the sufferings they endured. The Saxons, the Belgians, the Hanoverians, the soldiers of the Confederation of the Rhine, lament that they are obliged to use their arms in the cause of princes who are the enemies of justice, and the destroyers of the rights of nations. They well know the coalition to be insatiable. After having swallowed up twelve millions of Poles, twelve millions of Italians, one million of Saxons, and six millions of Belgians, they now wish to devour the States of the second order among the Germans. Madmen! One moment of prosperity has bewildered them. To oppress and humble the people of France is out of their power; once entering our territory, there they will find their doom. Soldiers: We have forced marches before us, battles to fight and dangers to encounter; but firm in resolution, victory must be ours. The honor and happiness of our country are at stake! And, in short, Frenchmen, the moment is arrived when we must conquer or die!’
     
    The man responsible for guarding the frontier at the spot where Napoleon was about to cross into the Netherlands was Hans von Zieten, who commanded the Prussian I Corps. Throughout the daylight hours of 14 June Zieten received a series of rather vague reports. None of these in themselves was conclusive, but taken together they indicated very strongly that the main French army was to his south and was about to advance.
    Several local farming families arrived on carts, seeking safety from what they said was a vast French army. Men came driving sheep, cattle and horses that they were likewise taking to safety. A couple of deserters from the French army came over the border, claiming to be ardent royalists who had been conscripted by force. They said that Napoleon was leading an army of 150,000 men and intended to capture Brussels.
    In the mid afternoon, Zieten passed on the reports to both Blücher and Wellington. However, he emphasized that all these reports came from unreliable sources, that his own scouts had seen nothing unusual and that he could not be sure either where Napoleon was concentrating his army or where he was going to lead it. A French offensive into the Netherlands within the next few days did, however, seem to be highly likely.
    At about 7 pm several of Zieten’s forward cavalry scouts reported that they had seen columns of men, artillery and wagons heading north along roads near Beaumont and Philippeville. The estimates of the numbers of men involved varied, but all scouts put the numbers in the tens of thousands.
    At this date the estimation of troop types and numbers by scouts was of crucial importance. Light cavalrymen underwent lengthy training programmes to enable them to make good estimations. They were expected to be able to tell the difference between dust clouds kicked up by infantry, cavalry and carts at distances of up to 25 km in clear conditions. On sunny days the amount of sunlight sparkling on weapons, belt buckles and horse harnesses would give an indication of the numbers of men on the move. On overcast nights the light reflected from clouds would indicate the number of campfires alight. Estimates of troop types and movement given by light cavalrymen were usually reliable.
    By dusk on 14 June Zieten had a good idea of how many Frenchmen were on the march and where they were going. He sent gallopers off to both Blücher and Wellington announcing the news.
    Blücher had the news by 10 pm and at 11 pm a string of gallopers went out carrying his orders to the commanders of the Prussian Corps. They were to gather at Sombreffe, a village on the main road from Namur to Nivelles where there was a junction, with a side road going to Charleroi. Zieten,