Waterloo: The Hundred Days

by David G. Chandler

Describes events following Napoleon's return from Elba leading up to the Battle of Waterloo, and provides a detailed chronicle of the Waterloo campaign, with maps providing a visual presentation of troop movements

Genres: History, Military History, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, France, Germany, British Literature

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

David G. Chandler was a British historian whose study focused on the Napoleonic era. As a young man he served briefly in the army, reaching the rank of captain, and in later life he taught at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. According to his obituary in the The Daily Telegraph, his "comprehensive account of Napoleon's battles" (his classic "The Campaigns of Napoleon") is "unlikely to be improved upon, despite a legion of rivals". He was also the author of a military biography of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough and of "The Art of War in the Age of Marlborough".

Reviews

[Edoardo Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was more than a hundred days. That's one thing I learned from this book. For some reason, I'd always assumed that the hundred days meant the period from Napoleon escaping exile on Elba to his defeat at Waterloo, but the official Hundred Days actually runs from 20 March 1814, when Napoleon entered Paris to resume his rule of France, to 8 July 1814, when Louis XVIII was officially restored and the the official Hundred Days comes to an end. The dates I'd thought made up the Hundred Days - 26 February to 18 June - actually make 112 days. Still remarkable.

In fact, reading Chandler's book, I think these must rate as the most extraordinary three months in modern history. From exile to emperor to exile again. Only Napoleon. So while his monstrous ego embroiled Europe in nearly two decades of war, Bonaparte stands apart from the 20th century's blood-soaked conquerors. He was the last gasp of martial glory as well as the precursor to total warfare. The Napoleonic Wars were the last time when a captured officer might give his word not to seek to escape and this word be accepted, allowing the officer freedom within the confines of his honour. But the Napoleonic Wars were also the start of unrelieved guerilla warfare and economic war. They bring an end and a beginning, and nothing encapsulates that better than the wild rollercoaster of the Hundred Days. The two wars of the 20th century brought to terrible fruition much of what had been set in motion in the Napoleonic Wars.

David Chandler's book is an excellent account of these momentous events, moving briskly through Napoleon's return, his diplomatic manouevring to escape the tightening Allied noose, and then the build up to the battles - for there were more than one - of Waterloo. And as the Duke rightly said, "It was a damn near run thing."

[Kurt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good survey of Waterloo, Chandler never disappoints

[John Matthew IV · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book on the Battle of Waterloo (and Wavre -- as frequently stressed).

David Chandler knows his material and presents it very well. There are lots of maps and illustrations to complement his writing.

He really puts the battle in perspective, especially showing what happened after the battle to the principals and countries.

Highly recommended.

p. 35: "The Continental System, as this became called, proved Napoleon's greatest error of grand strategy, and the turning point in his fortunes."
p. 41: "Because you have been beaten by Wellington, you consider him a good general, but I tell you that Wellington is a bad general and that the English are bad troops. The whole affair will not be more serious than swallowing one's breakfast."
p. 58: Staff College of the French Army (now Ecole Militaire)
p. 67: Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst
p. 72: Divide et impera: "Divide and rule"
p. 74: Grenadier: "Originally a specialized soldier, first established as a distinct role in the mid-to-late 17th century, for the throwing of grenades and sometimes assault operations. At that time grenadiers were chosen from the strongest and largest soldiers. By the 18th century, dedicated grenade throwing of this sort was no longer relevant, but grenadiers were still chosen for being the most physically powerful soldiers and would lead assaults in the field of battle." - Wikipedia
p. 74: Fusilier: "By the mid-18th century, the French Army used the term fusiliers to designate ordinary line infantry, as opposed to specialist or élite infantry." - Wikipedia
p. 74: Voltigeur: "French military skirmish units created in 1804 by Napoleon I. It officially replaced the second company of fusiliers, which were also chasseurs."- Wikipedia
p. 74: Chasseur - Light Cavalry: "troops trained for rapid action." - Wikipedia
p. 74: Hussar - Light Cavalry: "light cavalrymen mounted on fast horses, they would be used to fight skirmish battles and for scouting." - Wikipedia
p. 74: Dragoon - Medium Cavalry: "Dragoons rode larger horses than the light cavalry and wielded straight, rather than curved swords." - Wikipedia
p. 74: Lancer - Medium Cavalry: "a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance." - Wikipedia
p. 74: Cuirassier - Heavy Cavalry: "cavalry equipped with cuirass armour and firearms."- Wikipedia
p. 74: Carabineer - Heavy Cavalry: "a soldier armed with a carbine. A carbine is a shorter version of a musket or rifle." - Wikipedia
p. 85: "Saxe-Weimar was ordered to hold his ground, and Bylandt told to move to his assistance. This decision was the fulcrum on which much of the outcome of the whole campaign would hinge, as later events would soon prove."
p. 100: The Black Watch at Bay at Quatre Bras by W. Wollen: Would love to see it in colour. https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/t...#
p. 106: "This, as it proved, was the most important decision taken throughout the campaign. It alone made possible the outcome of the battle of Waterloo on the 18th."
p. 139: "The ultimate error which was going to doom Napoleon to catastrophic defeat had thus been committed."
p. 140: "This morning we had ninety chances in our favour. Even now we have sixty chances, and only forty against us."
p. 141: "colonnes de bataillon par division" vs. "colonnes de division par bataillon"
p. 145: It is hard for a cavalry unit to reform after a charge and charge again
p. 156: "The best chance of victory was allowed to slip by on the northern front."
p. 164: "The attack by the Imperial Guard had failed, and with it Napoleon had lost his last chance of winning the battle."
p. 164: "La Garde recule" = "The guard backs down"
p. 164: "Sauve qui peut" = "Run for your life."
p. 189: Critical Errors:
1) The failure to bring Lobau's IV Corps into action on the 16th
2) The confusions that led to the waste of d'Erlon's I Corps the same day
3) The oversights and confused intentions that allowed Grouchy to stray beyond recall during the 17th and early hours of the 18th
4) The barefaced deception of this men when Ziethen approached at 7 p.m. at the crisis of Waterloo
p. 193: "To die is nothing, but to live defeated is to die a thousand times every day."
p. 198: From 1854 to 1871 the world would be torn by successive crises and no less than 5 major wars:
1) Crimean War
2) Austro-Sardinian War
3) American Civil War
4) Austo-Prussian War
5) Franco-Prussian War
p. 200: "To dies is nothing, but to live defeated is to die every day."

[Sebastian Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

As you'd expect from Napoleonic über-buff David Chandler, this is a solid and thorough account of the Hundred Days campaign. This hardback edition not only has a great text from Chandler, in his typically authoritative yet highly readable prose, but is lavishly illustrated, and is a great pleasure both to read and look through.

[Kristian Sørensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book. Chandler writes a tense description of the events. I could have used some more maps and a bit more references to the existing maps. That aside, this was a great read. Highly recommend.

[Iain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid coverage of the 100 Days (Waterloo) campaign without being too in depth. A light read or decent introduction.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent short history of the campaign.