Napoleon

ok- back to my newly-found friend, Napoleon. He made a huge impression on me, for sure. I always knew that N was:

1. short
2. Emperor of France
3. defeated at Waterloo
4. and- he died in exile... but not on Elba, like I thought (he escaped from Elba and Waterloo happened a few months later)- he died on St Helena

here we go... this place is well-worth a visit. I loved it... not the least because I love the Lord of the Rings (books- have never seen the movies and have zero interest in them, Thanks) and the descriptions of the battle was a lot like the battle descriptions in LoTR... or so I thought. So- Waterloo (wiki link). The Duke of Wellington was leading an assortment of allied troops from Germany, Prussia, Belgium and Britain. He was not impressed with his soldiers- thought them poorly organized and a motley bunch. The Prince of Orange and General Bluecher were under him. Napoleon had Marshals Ney and Grouchy (and that name, fyi, is pronounced sort of like GREW-shee... in case you care). looking up at the lion monument. This was built on/near where the Prince of Orange- one of the Duke of Wellington's commanders- was injured.looking down onto the museum/panorama/visitors' centerlooking mostly east- there were allied troops stationed at the farm just barely visible (just right of the center of the pic); it's the only place French troops managed to capture during the battle. looking towards Brussels (I think). Wellington's troops were stationed along/just to the right of this road, which was on a ridge; the 'view' that day was all theirs; neither Napoleon nor his main commanders were in positions where they could actually see the battle. Ney was fighting in a slight valley; Napoleon was miles away and not even on the battlefield.

these next are from inside the panorama, located at the top of that museum building above. It covers the entire circular wall of that dome and is fascinating... and somewhat gruesome.

not entirely sure just what this depicts BUT- the French cavalry charged units of Wellington's army scattered throughout the field and in square formations. These charges lasted for hours and only stopped when the French horses could no longer move over the field because it was so choked with the bodies of dead men and horses.

from the center of the panorama looking outward toward the battle scene.

enough already...

Napoleon's main men; Marshal Ney is on the left, I think. He had 3 horses shot out from under him during the battle. (Don't you just love the hats?)(having trouble remembering- should have done this sooner)- this is the Duke of Wellington, I think. His feathers aren't nearly as cool as Napoleon's men's...

so if that -^ is Wellington, this would be the Prince of Orange

This is General Bluecher, for sure, and he was one tough cookie. He hated the French and pursued them with vengeance. He also came in the nick of time, and essentially turned the tide of the battle, securing the victory for Wellington. Oh- and he was only 73 at the time...

Interesting stuff: Napoleon had the better army- more men, more cavalry, more heavy artillery. Wellington scouted the area heavily beforehand and picked his position well. The French literally fought uphill the whole day- they had not 1 advantage as far as the lay of the land. Napoleon did not go out to the battle site but commanded from several miles away; he was (likely) misinformed several times throughout the day as to the way the battle was going and issued orders accordingly. It is astounding to me that no one directing the French troops could actually see much of the battle- they had no vantage point to watch and therefore didn't know see the traps they sometimes walked into. And- Napoleon was not long back from exile on Elba (he'd escaped)- he was still very popular in France and quickly re-built his army; by all accounts, he was well-loved by the French. He lined the French roads with trees so that his army could march in shade (so- Did he plant full-sized trees or was he looking ahead to a future that never came to be? Didn't think to ask.)

link for the panorama and the official battlefield site