I have previously posted threads with photos I took of the battlefields at Ypres and Normandy from my trip to Europe last summer, but I never got around to posting photos of the battlefield at Waterloo which I visited at the same time. I have had a little bit more free time recently and have finally been able to work on it. I included wartime photos in the previous threads to provide a "then and now" aspect, but since that is not possible this time I will include some paintings to hopefully give a similar effect.
Considering that Waterloo is a battle most Americans have heard of, but probably don't know much about I think I should begin with a short synopsis of what led up to the battle. Napoleon had escaped from exile and was once again the leader of France. A large number of countries had formed another coalition to defeat him, but it would primarily be the forces of England, the Netherlands, and Prussia that would fight him at Waterloo. Napoleon marched his army into present day Belgium (a part of the Netherlands at the time) in an attempt to defeat the coalition armies separately before they could unite. Napoleon sent part of his army to block the British and Dutch while he led the remainder of his army in an attack on the Prussians, led by General von Blucher, whom he defeated at the battle of Ligny. Napoleon then reunited his army to fight the British, led by the Duke of Wellington, near Waterloo. He hoped to defeat them before the Prussians could recover from their defeat at Ligny.
I'm beginning with a photo of the crossroads at the center of the British-Dutch lines since this crossroads is the explanation for why the battle took place where it did. Looking down the road we are facing West, the British-Dutch positions paralleling this road. The road in the center of the photo leads to Brussels to the North (right in the photo), with the French approaching from the South. The Duke of Wellington needed to defend the North-South road because it ran to his supply base in Brussels,only about 10 miles away, and he also wanted to protect the East-West road because he expected the Prussians to use this road to approach from the East. The famous lion mound is visible in this photo and is a good reference point for other places on the battlefield.
The crossroads in the previous photo is at the base of the arrow marked Uxbridge in this map of the battle.
This is a photo of the crossroads taken from atop the lion mound. This mound was constructed shortly after the battle to commemorate it. The name comes from the large lion statue on top. One of the downsides to the construction of this mound is that the dirt came from the immediate surroundings, thus altering the landscape of the battlefield. The road seen running into the distance was a sunken road that was a much greater obstacle than it appears to be now. The French attack went right to left in this photo, up the ridge. The buildings towards the right of the photo is la Haye Sainte, a fortified farm that the French captured at great cost.
This is where the battle started, the farm of Hougomont. The attack did not start until after 11:00am due to the rains of the previous day making the ground impassable. The French nearly succeeded in breaching the gates, hidden by the trees,on this north side of the farm at the very beginning of the battle. I should explain that the British defended 3 farms that extended a short distance in front of their main position on the ridge. Belgium had been in the path of invading armies for many, many years so these farms were all designed to be fortresses if needed. All of the buildings are connected by walls that form a courtyard. This particular farm was located on the right flank of the British position and formed a strong anchor for that flank.
A painting of the fight for Hougomont at the south gate. During the course of the afternoon, the British would use some 12,000 troops to defend this farm against 14,000 French attackers, although neither side ever had that many there at any one time. There were about 6,000 combined casualties at this farm. Victor Hugo famously wrote about the fighting here in Les Miserables.
The same gate today.
A painting of Dutch farmers burning the bodies at Hougomont after the battle.
The north gate that the French nearly broke through, taken from inside the farm. The figures at left are a memorial to the British soldiers that succeeded in shutting the gates after they were breached.
A painting of the fighting at this gate.
The interior of the courtyard at Hougomont. At center is the famous chapel that miraculously survived untouched even though the manor house it was attached to burned down during the battle.
Walls running east from the farmhouse. You can easily see why this was chosen as a defensive position.
A photo looking north, towards the location of the main British-Dutch line, from Hougomont. The memorial visible to the right is to French dead.
A close-up of the walls of Hougomont showing some of the damage that remains.
Considering that Waterloo is a battle most Americans have heard of, but probably don't know much about I think I should begin with a short synopsis of what led up to the battle. Napoleon had escaped from exile and was once again the leader of France. A large number of countries had formed another coalition to defeat him, but it would primarily be the forces of England, the Netherlands, and Prussia that would fight him at Waterloo. Napoleon marched his army into present day Belgium (a part of the Netherlands at the time) in an attempt to defeat the coalition armies separately before they could unite. Napoleon sent part of his army to block the British and Dutch while he led the remainder of his army in an attack on the Prussians, led by General von Blucher, whom he defeated at the battle of Ligny. Napoleon then reunited his army to fight the British, led by the Duke of Wellington, near Waterloo. He hoped to defeat them before the Prussians could recover from their defeat at Ligny.
I'm beginning with a photo of the crossroads at the center of the British-Dutch lines since this crossroads is the explanation for why the battle took place where it did. Looking down the road we are facing West, the British-Dutch positions paralleling this road. The road in the center of the photo leads to Brussels to the North (right in the photo), with the French approaching from the South. The Duke of Wellington needed to defend the North-South road because it ran to his supply base in Brussels,only about 10 miles away, and he also wanted to protect the East-West road because he expected the Prussians to use this road to approach from the East. The famous lion mound is visible in this photo and is a good reference point for other places on the battlefield.
The crossroads in the previous photo is at the base of the arrow marked Uxbridge in this map of the battle.
This is a photo of the crossroads taken from atop the lion mound. This mound was constructed shortly after the battle to commemorate it. The name comes from the large lion statue on top. One of the downsides to the construction of this mound is that the dirt came from the immediate surroundings, thus altering the landscape of the battlefield. The road seen running into the distance was a sunken road that was a much greater obstacle than it appears to be now. The French attack went right to left in this photo, up the ridge. The buildings towards the right of the photo is la Haye Sainte, a fortified farm that the French captured at great cost.
This is where the battle started, the farm of Hougomont. The attack did not start until after 11:00am due to the rains of the previous day making the ground impassable. The French nearly succeeded in breaching the gates, hidden by the trees,on this north side of the farm at the very beginning of the battle. I should explain that the British defended 3 farms that extended a short distance in front of their main position on the ridge. Belgium had been in the path of invading armies for many, many years so these farms were all designed to be fortresses if needed. All of the buildings are connected by walls that form a courtyard. This particular farm was located on the right flank of the British position and formed a strong anchor for that flank.
A painting of the fight for Hougomont at the south gate. During the course of the afternoon, the British would use some 12,000 troops to defend this farm against 14,000 French attackers, although neither side ever had that many there at any one time. There were about 6,000 combined casualties at this farm. Victor Hugo famously wrote about the fighting here in Les Miserables.
The same gate today.
A painting of Dutch farmers burning the bodies at Hougomont after the battle.
The north gate that the French nearly broke through, taken from inside the farm. The figures at left are a memorial to the British soldiers that succeeded in shutting the gates after they were breached.
A painting of the fighting at this gate.
The interior of the courtyard at Hougomont. At center is the famous chapel that miraculously survived untouched even though the manor house it was attached to burned down during the battle.
Walls running east from the farmhouse. You can easily see why this was chosen as a defensive position.
A photo looking north, towards the location of the main British-Dutch line, from Hougomont. The memorial visible to the right is to French dead.
A close-up of the walls of Hougomont showing some of the damage that remains.
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