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

though many felt that he should have gone on campaign where his skills would have been of more direct use. After Waterloo, Louis XVIII sacked Davout and stripped him of all his titles and privileges. By 1819 he was back in favour. He died in 1823, leaving his titles and estates to the appropriately named Napoleon Davout.
     

    Louis-Nicolas Davout, 1770 - 1823

    Chapter 3
 
‘Humbugged me, by God’
 
    Wellington to the earl of Malmesbury, 15 June 1815[6]
 
    As dusk fell on 14 June the Prussian commander of I Corp, Zieten, ordered his men to sleep in their uniforms and with their weapons within reach. Additional outposts were pushed forward and officers told to rouse their men an hour before dawn. He was expecting to be attacked and was determined not to be taken by surprise.
    Wellington went to sleep in a calmer state of mind. Unknown to his allies, or indeed nearly all his own commanders, Wellington had sent his top spy south of the French border. Colonel Grant was riding in uniform – so that he would not be shot if captured – but he was co-ordinating a mass of royalist sympathisers who could move freely about northern France. Wellington had relied upon Grant during the Peninsular War, and he was depending on him again now. Wellington had learned to trust no intelligence, no matter how outwardly impressive, unless Grant had approved it. Now Wellington would not move until he had word from Grant.
    On the evening of 14 June the long-awaited message from Grant arrived. It was accurate in every detail, giving Napoleon’s strength and the road he was taking towards Brussels. The message arrived at the Hanoverian cavalry outposts of General von Dornberg’s division on Wellington’s far right flank. Dornberg passed the message on promptly but, not realizing the significance, omitted to state that the message had come from somebody called Grant. When the message arrived at Wellington’s headquarters it was added to the pile of incoming reports from scouts. In all likelihood, Wellington never even saw it.
     

    Wellington and Blücher met to discuss the latest intelligence and scouting reports.
    Only a few days before, Wellington and Blücher had met and discussed despatches from their superior, Schwarzenberg. These had reviewed the latest intelligence and scouting reports. It was generally agreed that Napoleon would behave as he had done in 1814 when defending France and launch a pre-emptive strike across the upper Rhine. Militarily it was the sensible thing to do. Blücher and Wellington had separated agreeing that they would invade France together once Napoleon had attacked on the Rhine. By the evening of 14 June nothing had happened to change their minds.
    Around 3 am soldiers in a Prussian outpost were surprised to find themselves approached by three French officers. The surprise grew greater when the officers turned out to be General Louis de Bourmont and two colonels. Bourmont brought with him a copy of Napoleon’s orders to his army for the next few days. He was taken to see Blücher, who instead of welcoming Bourmont called him a traitor to his face. Blücher’s chief of staff, August von Gneisenau, stepped in to remind Blücher that Bourmont now wore the royalist white cockade in his hat and was therefore an ally.
    ‘Cockade be damned,’ shouted Blücher. ‘A dirty dog is a dirty dog.’ He threw Bourmont out of his headquarters and refused to see him again.
    Despite his anger, Blücher had gained from Bourmont’s defection. He now knew beyond doubt that Napoleon and his main army were marching into the Netherlands. What he did not know was quite what Napoleon’s intentions were.
    Hearing of the desertion, Napoleon made some changes to his plans, but the overall pattern could not be altered substantially as the men were already marching.
     
    The fighting begins
     
    The first shots were fired at 3.30 am when French advanced scouts made contact with outposts of Zieten’s corps. At about 4.30 am Zieten