Waterloo 1815: The British Army's Day of Destiny

Waterloo was widely recognised even in its immediate wake as one of the most decisive battles in history: after more than twenty years of uninterrupted conflict this single day's encounter finally put paid to French aspirations for European hegemony. The culminating point of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, Waterloo also witnessed levels of determination and bravery by both sides which far exceeded anything experienced by the veterans of Wellington's recent campaigns. This thoroughly researched and highly detailed account of one history's greatest human dramas looks first at the wider strategic picture before focussing on the tactical roles played by individual British units all meticulously examined with the benefit of the extensive array of hitherto unexploited primary sources which reveal the battlefield experience of officers and soldiers as never before. AUTHOR: Gregory Fremont-Barnes is Senior Lecturer in War Studies at Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. He has previously lectured around the world and holds a doctorate in Modern History from Oxford. He has written widely on military history, but specialises in the Napoleonic era, having edited the recent three-volume work, The Encyclopedia of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. 18 colour, 38 b/w illustrations, 7 maps