Waterloo, battle. The Battle of Waterloo - the last battle of Napoleon's army. Battle of Waterloo.

The 19th century was rich in military conflicts between countries (however, nothing surprising - throughout the Middle Ages and modern times this was the only way to show others what a particular state was capable of). At the beginning of the 19th century, France sought to show everyone who Napoleon was and why he should be identified with the legendary. The reason is simple - I wanted to conquer the whole world. As befits a true emperor. Only Napoleon did not take into account that modern countries are not ancient states, they no longer fight on elephants with spears. These are strong armies, armed with the latest technology (relatively speaking, of course - the invention of tanks was still a long way off). Therefore, if you were lucky in some battles, it is not a fact that you will be lucky in the future. Someday the army will respond in such a way that defeat will be obvious. And so it happened. In 1815, Napoleon suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. The prestige of France as an invincible power was destroyed.

The Battle of Waterloo, also called La Belle Alliance (June 18, 1815) was Napoleon's final defeat, ending Napoleon's many years of war with Europe. It occurred 3 miles (5 km) south of the village of Waterloo (which is 9 miles south of Brussels), between Napoleon's army of 72,000 soldiers, and the Duke of Wellington's Combined Forces, the Allied armies of 68,000 men (English, Dutch, Belgian and German units) and about 45,000 Prussians.

Prerequisites

Exiled to the island of Elba in May 1814, Napoleon returned to France on March 1, 1815, landing near Cannes with 1,000 loyal men. He received the support of the rural peasantry when he marched to Paris, and King Louis XVIII fled the country before Napoleon arrived in the capital on March 20. In the treaty of alliance signed on March 25, Britain, Prussia, Austria and Russia vowed to hold the former emperor at bay with 150,000 men until Napoleon was again overthrown. The time needed for the Russians to reach the Rhine would delay the invasion until early July, allowing Napoleon to organize his defenses.

Since Louis XVIII, who had been restored to the throne after Napoleon's first abdication, canceled the conscription, Napoleon was not immediately able to attract large numbers of trained men to return to civilian life. To cope with these shortages, he quickly began gathering troops for an early campaign. All civilian (former) soldiers were called to arms, and within eight weeks 80,000 men had been added to the army. By April 27, Napoleon had decided to attack the Duke of Wellington and General Blücher's positions in the Southern Netherlands (now Belgian territory) in the hope that he could defeat them before Austria and Russia could come to their aid.

Napoleon's opponents were also not asleep - they were gathering strength. And it was clear why. Blücher's four corps included many inexperienced conscripts—120,000 men. Wellington, whose troops numbered more than 93,000 before the campaign began, described his own army as "disgraceful." Of the 31,000 British troops under his command, most were never under fire. Thus, most of the troops arrayed against Napoleon were no match for the enthusiastic and largely excellent and skilled veterans of the French army. Wellington and Blücher agreed to come to each other's aid, but the absence of any real preparations before 15 June shows that little serious consideration was given to this possibility.

Battles of Quatre Bras and Ligny

The first French troops entered the Southern Netherlands on June 15, and by the end of the day, thanks to skillful and courageous maneuvering, Napoleon had secured all his basic strategic needs. His army was deployed compactly, presenting a front about 12 miles (19 km) wide, separating Prussian and British forces and ready to act. Napoleon planned to transfer most of his army to the left wing against Wellington along the Charleroi-Quatre-Bras-Brussels road, but he soon learned that the Prussian forces assembled at Ligny were more vulnerable. To contest the crossing at Quatre Bras, Napoleon sent a force under the command of Marshal Michel Ney, whom Napoleon called "the bravest of the brave" for his conduct during the retreat from Russia. Ney advanced cautiously into the Allied position, however, Wellington reinforced his outnumbered troops and the Allies retained the area after a day of inconclusive fighting. Allied losses were approximately 4,700 killed and wounded, while the French lost 4,300.

Napoleon himself led an attack on Blücher's forces at Ligny, and the Prussians escaped complete destruction largely as a result of misunderstandings between the divided French commands. Blücher deployed three corps (about 83,000 men) on the front slope, but suffered severe artillery bombardment. Blücher's troops fought tenaciously, but they lacked the skill and endurance of the French veterans, and by the end of the day Napoleon was ready to deliver the final blow to the Prussian center while awaiting the arrival of Drouet's corps. At that moment, a strong enemy column appeared behind French lines, and parts of the French left wing began to retreat in the face of this obvious threat. Blücher took advantage of the confusion by launching a heavy attack, but was repulsed by a detachment of veteran Napoleonic Imperial Guards.

The turning point of the battle had been reached: Blücher's troops had exhausted their strength. Soon the guard passed through Ligny, followed by large number cavalry, and the Prussian line collapsed. Darkness and stubborn resistance from the two Prussian wings prevented Napoleon's success in the center from turning the Prussian defeat into a rout. The victory was significant. Prussian casualties were over 12,000, while the French lost around 10,000. During the night, another 8,000 Prussians, recruited from the former provinces of the French Empire, deserted the Blücher units and fled east towards Liege, away from the French and the expected death on the battlefield.

Waterloo

The site of the June 18 battle consisted of two low ridges separated by a Valley no more than 1,200 yards (1.1 km) wide. Wellington's first line of defense was a dirt road from Braine-l'Alle, which ran south from the village of Mont-Saint-Jean along the ridge of the North Ridge. Its thick hedges provided excellent cover, and most of Wellington's troops were positioned on the reverse slope of the ridge to shield them from French artillery. Two posts located approximately 500 yards (450 meters) in front of the main line greatly increased the natural strength of the position and proved critical in the coming battle: the castle and its grounds at Hougumon and approximately 1,100 yards (1 km).

Less important outposts were at La Haye and Papelot farms, further to the east. Although Wellington made good use of the terrain, his army of about 67,000 men and 156 guns was barely enough to maintain his front until the evening against Napoleon's more than 70,000 men and 246 guns. Napoleon deployed his troops on the South Ridge, centered at La Belle Alliance, 1,200 yards (1.1 km) south of Wellington's position.

The battle began at noon. For a long time, victory did not lean on either side. Soon the French attacks became more formidable and harsh, and the British forces were running out. It would seem that victory was practically in Napoleon’s pocket, but then the Prussians came to the aid of the allies. The French emperor believed that he had completely defeated them, but he miscalculated and underestimated the Prussian army.

The fiercest fighting took place on the hills of Mont Saint-Jean. General Blücher, who was 72 years old, confidently led his army against the French. Napoleon understood that everything was at stake. He needed to snatch victory. However, the Allied forces now outnumbered the French army. In the evening, defeat became obvious. Napoleon again abandoned his army and galloped off to Paris. Soon the French soldiers were defeated and put to flight. The Battle of Waterloo was won by the Allies at the cost of huge losses. Napoleon soon went into yet another exile, which became his last.

The Battle of Waterloo took place on June 18, 1815 between the united army of European states (England, the Netherlands, Prussia) and the troops of Napoleon Bonaparte. Tiny Waterloo, an ordinary Belgian place near Brussels, not only went down in history, but also became a symbol of an offensive loss, an unfortunate defeat; and this is fair - after all, at Waterloo, Napoleon suffered the only unconditional defeat in his military career.

The Battle of Waterloo was the culmination, the completion of Napoleonic's famous "100 days"; after this defeat all claims

Bonaparte's efforts to create a world empire are a thing of the past. Moreover, he did not even manage to remain “just” the French emperor.

After extremely unsuccessful military campaigns of 1812-1814, Napoleon was forced to accept all the conditions of the victorious countries (Prussia, Sweden, Britain, Russian Empire), abdicate the throne and go into honorable exile in the Mediterranean. But even there, far from the turbulent European events, Bonaparte did not give up hope of returning to France, “getting even,” and becoming an active politician again. On March 1, 1815, the emperor landed on the coast of France, and it was from this day that Napoleon’s 100 days were counted. In just a few days, Bonaparte traveled from Cannes to Paris, everywhere meeting with an enthusiastic reception and demonstration of devotion (the soldiers of Napoleonic old guard were especially loyal to the sovereign). Louis Bourbon, who ruled France after the abdication of Emperor Napoleon, fled abroad with his court.

This whole adventurous undertaking seriously alarmed the European monarchs. It was decided to put an end to the twenty-year era of continuous Napoleonic wars and finally deal a crushing blow to the Corsican “upstart”. The Seventh Coalition of European states (Austria, Russia, Britain, Prussia) was organized, directed this time not against France, but against Napoleon personally. Emperor Bonaparte was declared an outlaw. It was decided to field a united army against the French troops, the total number of which reached a million people. The gradual concentration of allied troops took place in the late spring and early summer of 1815 in Belgium, along the eastern borders of France. Part of the Allied forces was supposed to come from Northern Italy.

Napoleon was able to oppose this truly cyclopean army with relatively small forces (up to 300,000 people). His army lacked not only ordinary soldiers, but also officers; The Battle of Waterloo ended in an unfortunate defeat, partly due to confusion in the management of the army and unjustified personnel appointments.

The Battle of Waterloo began in the early morning of June 18, 1815, with the French army attacking the castle of Hougoumont. The French failed to achieve their main goal - to disorganize the British formations under the command of Wellington. On the contrary, all distracting maneuvers caused significant damage to the imperial army itself.

The numerical superiority of the Allied troops, poor organization and management of the Napoleonic army, incorrectly chosen tactics - all this led to the crushing defeat of the French army. The Battle of Waterlow was one of the most bloody battles world history: the total number of victims reached 16,000 people killed and about 70,000 wounded.

After the defeat, Napoleon was forced to surrender to his worst enemies - the British. He was forced to abdicate the throne a second time and sent into exile a second time, this time to a distant place. The Battle of Waterloo was the last battle that ended the era of the Napoleonic wars.

Waterloo (Waterloo)

a settlement in Belgium, in the province of Brabant, south of Brussels. More than 10 thousand inhabitants On June 18, 1815, under V., the army of Napoleon I was defeated by English and Prussian troops (during the final period of the so-called “Hundred Days” (See. One hundred days)). Napoleon with 120 thousand. The army entered Belgium, hoping to defeat the Anglo-Dutch army stationed there under the command of English Field Marshal A. Wellington and the Lower Rhine Prussian Army under the command of Field Marshal G.L. Blucher A. On June 16, at Ligny, he defeated the Prussian army and ordered the corps of Marshal E. Grouchy (33 thousand) to pursue it. Grouchy acted indecisively, and on June 18 he did not approach V. to the aid of the French army. Napoleon sent his main forces (72 thousand) to Europe against the English army (68 thousand). Persistent frontal attacks by French troops were repulsed with heavy losses. At the height of the battle, Prussian corps approached from the east and, with a blow to the flank, decided the outcome of the battle. the French lost 32 thousand people. and all the artillery, allies - 23 thousand. The disorderly withdrawal of the French turned into flight. Napoleon abandoned the remnants of his army and fled to Paris.

Under V., Napoleon showed indecisiveness and made a number of mistakes (poor organization of reconnaissance and communications, incorrect assessment of the situation, too deep infantry columns, etc.); An important role was played by the decline in the morale of the French army, caused by the deep economic and political crisis of the Napoleonic Empire. As a result of the defeat at V., the Napoleonic empire suffered a final collapse. A monument was erected in V. in memory of the battle of 1815.

Lit.: Mering F., Essays on the history of wars and military art, 6th ed., M., 1956; Levitsky N. A., Napoleon’s military leadership, M., 1938; Tarle E.V., Napoleon, M., 1957.

Battle of Waterloo 1815

Big Soviet encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .

See what "Waterloo" is in other dictionaries:

WATERLOO, Italy USSR, Dino de Laurentiis Cinematography SPA, 1970, color, 127 min. Historical costume drama. The film begins with the abdication of Napoleon Bonaparte at the Fontainebleau Palace on April 6, 1814, after the arrival of the Allied armies in Paris... Encyclopedia of Cinema

Waterloo- WATERLOO, sat down. in Belgium, in the 19th century. to Yu. V. from Brussels. Battle June 18, 1815 Defeating the Prussian. army at Ligny (see Ligny), Napoleon considered it destroyed, counting on Erlon’s maneuver, which, having gone behind the rear of the Prussians, would have reversed the victory... ... Military encyclopedia

WATERLOO, a town in Belgium, south of Brussels. During the Hundred Days near Waterloo on June 18, 1815, Anglo-Dutch troops under the command of Field Marshal A. Wellington and Prussian troops under the command of General Field Marshal G.L. Blucher... ... Modern encyclopedia

A settlement in Belgium, south of Brussels. On June 18, 1815, during the Hundred Days, in the Battle of Waterloo, the French army under the command of Napoleon I suffered a decisive defeat against the Anglo-Dutch (Field Marshal A. Wellington) and Prussian (General ... Historical Dictionary

City, Belgium. Mentioned in 1140 as Waterlots, a damp wooded slope in the language of the ancient Germanic-speaking population. A battle took place near this city in 1815, in which Napoleon’s army suffered a final defeat. Geographic... ... Geographical encyclopedia

Waterloo: Geographical objects Waterloo (Belgium) a village near Brussels where the Battle of Waterloo took place The Battle of Waterloo the last major battle of the Napoleonic Wars Waterloo (Australia, New South Wales) ... ... Wikipedia

- (Waterloo), a settlement in Belgium, south of Brussels. During the “Hundred Days” near Waterloo on June 18, 1815, the Anglo-Dutch troops of A. Wellington and the Prussian troops of G. L. Blucher defeated the army of Napoleon I. * * * WATERLOO WATERLOO (Waterloo),... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Waterloo) a village in Belgium, 20 km south of Brussels. June 18, 1815 in the battle of V. French. armies under command. Napoleon I suffered a decisive defeat against the Anglo-Gall. (feldm. A. Wellington) and Prussian. (feldm. G.L. Blucher) armies during the 6th war... ... Soviet historical encyclopedia

Waterloo- a settlement in Belgium, south of Brussels. On June 18, 1815, during the “Hundred Days”, in the Battle of Waterloo, the French army under the command of Napoleon I inflicted a decisive defeat on the Anglo-Dutch (. Wellington) and Prussian (... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of World History

Waterloo- a village in Brabant (Belgium). In the battle of June 18, 1815 near Waterloo, Napoleon's troops were completely defeated by Wellington's Anglo-Dutch army. Napoleon's defeat led to his final deposition (after a hundred days) and a second time, and this time... ... Historical reference book of Russian Marxist

Books

• History of the Campaign of 1815 Waterloo, Charras J.. “History of the Campaign of 1815. Waterloo" by Jean-Philippe Charras was first published in 1857 French, after which it was reprinted several times, and in 1868 its 4th edition was...

Waterloo, a town in Belgium, 20 km south of Brussels, where on June 18, 1815 a battle took place between the army of Napoleon I and the Anglo-Dutch-Prussian troops during the so-called period. "One hundred days." To fight anti-French. coalition (England, Russia, Austria, Prussia, Holland, etc.) Napoleon with 120 thousand. The army entered Belgium, hoping piecemeal to defeat the Anglo-Gols who were there, the army under the command of the English, Feldm. A. W. Wellington and the Lower Rhine Prussian Army, led by Field General. G. L. Blucher. On June 16, at Ligny, Napoleon inflicted a partial defeat on the Prussian army, forcing it to retreat to Wavre. To pursue the Prussian troops, a corps (33 thousand people) was allocated under the command of Marshal E. Grusha, which acted indecisively, allowing Blucher’s army to save strength and join forces with Wellington’s army; Grusha's troops did not take part in the decisive battle. This subsequently played an important role in the defeat of Napoleon, who was preparing a battle against one army - the Anglo-Gol army, but was forced to fight it against two. Ch. French forces troops (72 thousand people and 243 troops) led by Napoleon by the end of June 17 reached the region of Belle Alliance, Rossomme, Plancenois. Confident that Grushi would delay Blucher, Napoleon was in no hurry to attack Wellington’s army (68 thousand people and 159 op.), which took up defensive positions in an advantageous position. line south of V. The battle began on June 18 at 11 a.m., when the vanguards of the Prussian troops were already approaching the battlefield. Ch. Napoleon decided to strike on the left. Wellington's flank in order to prevent him from connecting with the Prussian army. Franz. G. Reil's corps was initially supposed to conduct only demonstrative actions against the rights and flank of Wellington's army. However, the stubborn resistance of the Allied forces from the very beginning confused all of Napoleon's calculations. Starting an attack doesn't matter. forces, Reil gradually drew his entire corps into battle, but did not achieve success until the end of the day. Lion attack. flank of Wellington's army, begun ca. 14 hours 4 divisions of D. Erlon's corps, each of which was built in deep columns from deployed battalions, also did not reach the goal, because with such a formation, only a small number of people participated in the attack at the same time. forces, and the attackers suffered huge losses from artillery. and rouge fire Fire French artillery was ineffective, because it was located poorly - too far from the attacking columns. In the 2nd half of the day, the vanguard of the Prussians, Blucher’s army, entered the Fischemont region. Napoleon was forced to throw 10 thousand troops against the Prussians. G. Lobau's corps, and then part of the guard. At the same time, he changed the direction of Ch. blow, concentrating the main efforts against the center of Wellington's army. However, here too, repeated attacks by the French. the troops were not successful. Napoleon's heavy cavalry twice burst into the British positions, but, not supported in a timely manner by infantry, rolled back. Napoleon's last attempt to break through the center of the avenue, throwing his reserve here - 10 battalions of the old guard, was also unsuccessful. The balance of forces at this time was already in favor of the allies - with the approach of three Prussian corps (F. Bülow, G. Pirch and I. Zieten) they had 130 thousand people. At 8 p.m. Anglo forces and armies went on the offensive from the front, and Prussian troops struck the right flank of the French. They wavered and began to retreat. The retreat quickly turned into panic. escape. In the battle of V. the French lost 32 thousand people. and all artillery, allies -23 thousand people. Napoleon abandoned the remnants of his troops and fled to Paris. On June 22, he abdicated the throne for the second time and was then exiled to Fr. St. Helena. In the battle of V. Napoleon showed indecisiveness and made a number of mistakes. He poorly organized reconnaissance, incorrectly assessed the situation, allowed forces to be dispersed, and used excessively deep battle formations, which weakened the initial blow and led to large losses from artillery fire. fire. There were serious omissions in the organization of troop control and in the interaction of infantry, cavalry and artillery. In the defeat of Napoleon under Vietnam, a major role was played by the decline in the morale of the French. troops, due to the defeat in Russia in 1812 and the deep crisis of the Napoleonic empire. Wellington acted more thoughtfully in the Battle of V., making decisions based on a deep assessment of the situation. English, the commander managed to unite armies on the battlefield that were operating at a significant distance from each other, which was a major achievement in the strategy of that time.

B. B. Vashchenko.

Materials from the Soviet Military Encyclopedia in 8 volumes, volume 2 were used.

Waterloo - a village in Belgium, in the 20th century. from Brussels, on the high road from Charlesroi. Since 1815, this village has gained worldwide fame, since the battle that took place near it on June 18 ended the political and military activities of Emperor Napoleon I. After the battle of Ligny and the battle of QuatreBras, Napoleon considered himself sufficiently provided for by the Prussians, who were driven back by his assumption, to the Meuse River and pursued by Marshal Grouchy; Therefore, he decided to take advantage of the fragmentation of the allied forces and defeat Wellington’s army (the British, the Dutch, the Brunswickers, the Hanoverians) before uniting it with the Prussians. Wellington, having cleared the position at Quatre Bras and having received a promise from Blucher to link up with him the next day, decided to take the battle to the position at W. This position lay on the Mont-Saint-Jean plateau, on both sides of the Brussels road, from the village of Merbes-Bren to the Lavalette farm. The Allied forces reached 70 thousand people, with 159 guns, the French forces - up to 721/2 tons, with 240 guns. The battle lasted from 12 o'clock. day until 8 o'clock. evenings. Although the threefold attacks launched by Napoleon, first on the left flank and then on the center of the allies, were not crowned with complete success, but since Wellington’s reserves were all depleted, his position could become doubtful. The unexpected appearance for the French of the Prussian troops of Blucher on their right wing gave a decisive turn to matters. Wellington's army went on the offensive and the French had to retreat along the entire line. Having gathered at the Belle Alliance farm, the allied commanders-in-chief decided to entrust the further pursuit of the enemy to the Prussians. This pursuit was carried out with extraordinary energy and speed for 3 days, at a distance of 150 kilometers (to Laon), and led the French army into complete disorder. By this time, Napoleon had managed to gather (except for Grusha’s corps) no more than 3 thousand people - a force with which it was impossible to either defend the capital or continue the war. The French lost 240 guns, 2 banners, the entire convoy and more than 30 thousand killed, wounded and prisoners in the battle of V.; Allied damage reached 22 thousand people. The Prussians call this battle the Battle of Belle Alliance, and the French call it Mont Saint-Jean.

Brockhaus and Efron. Encyclopedic Dictionary. St. Petersburg, 1880

At the beginning of March 1815, news spread across Europe that on March 1, a small detachment led by the former Emperor of France Napoleon I had landed in Juan Bay. After 20 days of a triumphal procession across the country, Napoleon entered Paris. Louis XVIII, restored to the throne in 1814, fled abroad. Napoleon's famous "hundred days" began.

Under the slogan of peace and the introduction of a constitution in the country, Emperor Napoleon again reigned in France. It was with a proposal for peace that he turned to Russia, England, Austria and Prussia - peace on the terms of the status quo. However, members of the Congress of Vienna reacted sharply negatively to the return of the “Corsican monster”.

On March 13, the heads of European governments adopted a Declaration outlawing Napoleon. For France, such a step meant war with all of Europe. On March 25, the seventh coalition was legally formalized.

In the spring of 1815, the position of France was threatening. Its military forces were exhausted in previous campaigns. The emperor had only about 130 thousand men with 344 guns directly at hand, while the Allied forces could field about 700 thousand men at once, and by the end of the summer another 300 thousand, hoping to move an army of more than a million against France.

The Allied plan was completely simple: to encircle and crush the French troops, taking advantage of their numerical superiority. Napoleon faced two options in determining further actions. Firstly, he could wait until the allied armies invaded France, thereby revealing themselves as aggressors. According to this plan, it was supposed to wait until the Allied armies were drawn into the space between the French fortresses and penetrated the area of ​​​​Paris and Leon. After this, quick and decisive action had to be taken against the enemy.

An alternative plan involved seizing the initiative and attempting to defeat the enemy on his territory. It also seemed quite profitable, because it solved several military and political problems at the same time.

At the end of May - beginning of June, Napoleon settled into the background. On June 11, he went to the troops, intending to defeat separately two enemy armies: the Anglo-Dutch, under the command of A. Wellington, and the Prussian, under the command of Blucher. Two more armies were rushing to the supposed theater of military operations: the Russian - Barclay de Tolly and the Austrian - Schwarzenberg, but they were still far away, and therefore the French had a chance to defeat the scattered forces of the enemy.

On June 15, the French army crossed the river with a powerful throw. Sambre at Charleroi and wedged between the armies of Blucher and Wellington.

On the same day, Marshal Ney received orders from the Emperor to attack the British at their position at Quatre Bras in order to push them back onto the Brussels Highway. “The Prussian army will perish if you act decisively. The fate of France is in your hands,” Napoleon told Ney. However, the “bravest of the brave” failed to cope with the task assigned to him. He failed to completely defeat the English army. He hesitated on the way, acted sluggishly, and there was no decisive victory. Wellington retreated, maintaining full combat capability.

On the morning of June 16, Blucher's Prussian army moved towards Napoleon. A few hours later, Ney, who was fighting with the British at that time, received an order to allocate forces to encircle the Prussians. The bloody battle at Ligny lasted several hours, the emperor kept reserves in anticipation of Ney's reinforcements in the rear of Blücher. However, Ney again fails to cope with the responsibilities assigned to him. Drouet d'Erlon's corps did not arrive in time to the battlefield, which is why Blucher's defeated army had the opportunity to retreat to Liege. The Prussians were defeated, but not destroyed.

The campaign started well for Napoleon, but there was still no complete victory over the enemy. In order to prevent the remnants of Blucher's army from connecting with the British. Napoleon sent 35 thousand of his soldiers in pursuit of her, led by Marshal Grouchy, and he himself turned his forces against Wellington, who took up a position on the Mont Saint-Jean hill, near the Belgian village of Waterloo.

By the end of June 17, Napoleon approached the plateau with his troops and saw the English army. The Duke of Wellington took up a position in front of Soigne Forest, forming his troops in a square and sheltering them from French artillery fire behind the hillsides. The outposts of the English army were set up along the line: the castle of Hougoumont (Hugumont) - the farm of La Haye Sainte. French troops settled on the nearby Belle Alliance plateau.

By the start of the battle on June 18, Napoleon had approximately 72 thousand men with 243 guns, Wellington had 68 thousand with 156 guns. (Harbottle T. Battles of World History. M., 1993. P. 99-100.) Both commanders were expecting reinforcements. The Emperor was waiting for Marshal Grouchy with his 35 thousand strong corps; Wellington hoped for Blucher, who after the battle of Ligny had about 80 thousand people, of whom about 40-50 thousand could approach the battlefield.

The Battle of Waterloo was supposed to begin with a French attack in the morning, but on the night of June 17, rain washed out the roads and the emperor ordered to wait for time.

At 11.30 in the morning, it seemed to Napoleon that the ground had dried up and the battle could begin, and so the “last soldiers of the last war” began to attack the English positions. The first diversionary blow of the French was aimed at Wellington's right flank against the castle of Hougoumont. The French troops, having passed through the forest on the outskirts of the castle, rushed to storm it. But the walls of the fortifications turned out to be too high and impregnable, and the British artillery and infantry fired murderously at the attackers. After some time, the small operation turned into a separate fierce battle.

At this time, Napoleon was preparing the main attack of his forces against the left wing and center of the British. On the right flank of the French positions, he installed a battery of 80 guns, which opened deadly fire on the British troops. At this moment, in the northeast, near the Saint-Lambert forest, the vague outlines of moving troops appeared. The opinions of Napoleonic commanders were divided. Some claimed that these were Grusha's troops, others were of the opinion that this was Blucher's army.

Nevertheless, at about two o'clock in the afternoon, Napoleon gave the order to Ney to launch a massive offensive. Four infantry divisions of d'Erlon moved into the attack to the beat of drums. Foot to foot, bayonet to bayonet, they climbed the slippery steep slopes of Mont Saint-Jean, breaking through the thick fire of English grapeshot. after all, the thinned columns ascended the hill, but then the lava of the Scottish cavalry rushed at them. The Scottish cavalrymen crashed into the dense mass of the French divisions and cut down part of their strength. The French retreated. The left wing of the English army could not be broken. Then the emperor changed the plan and transferred the main blow of his forces to the center and right wing of the British.

While d'Erlon's corps was going on the attack, Napoleon received terrible news - Blücher had bypassed Grouchy and was moving at full speed to the battlefield. Immediately 10 thousand people of the Young Guard were thrown against the approaching Prussians. Napoleon's headquarters were moved deeper to the rear of the French , so that the commander could keep both operations under control. Napoleon was sure that Grouchy would arrive in time for the Prussians, that Blucher did not have enough forces for a serious battle, and therefore turned all his attention to Wellington.

At 3.30 in the afternoon, d'Erlon captured a powerful British stronghold - the farm of La Haye Sainte, the Hanoverian soldiers defending this section of the defense retreated. The tricolor French banner hoisted over the farm. The loss of La Haye Sainte dangerously exposed Wellington's central position, and Soon the French artillery rained down grapeshot on his ranks. At the same time, Napoleon ordered Ney to break through the English ranks. 40 squadrons of French cavalry lined up at the foot of Mont-Saint-Jean and rushed forward under the hooves of the cuirassiers' horses, hundreds of lancers and cavalry rangers. The guards rushed after them. All this lava flew up to the top of the hill in one unstoppable stream. The English light artillery was captured, the gunners were fleeing, victory was near, but in front of the cavalry, hundreds of horsemen were mowed down by volley after volley. They finished off the fallen riders. In a rush of battle, the French rushed in the smoke of rifle fire, unsuccessfully trying to break through the enemy’s ranks bristling with bayonets.

But the British forces were also running out. Wellington threw his last reserves into battle; he was informed from all sides about the impossibility of containing the enemy. “Let them all die on the spot in this case! I no longer have reinforcements,” answered the commander-in-chief. His task was to hold out no matter what until Blucher's approach. The famous Soviet historian A.Z. Manfred gave the following description of the Duke of Wellington: “Wellington was not the military genius that he was later portrayed... But he had the grip of a bulldog. He bit into the ground and was difficult to dislodge from his positions.” (Manfred A.Z. Napoleon Bonaparte. Sukhumi, 1989. P. 664.)

The French generals saw that the English line was ready to waver, they asked the emperor to give them the Guard. In the imperial reserve there were still 8 intact battalions of the Old Guard and 6 battalions of the Middle Guard. At 8 o'clock in the evening it was still light, and the last onslaught of the guards could decide the outcome of the battle in favor of the French. However, Napoleon's positions were already under threat, the Prussians on the right flank were pushing back the battalions of the Young Guard, the French flank was bypassed, and the threat loomed over the rear.

Finally, Napoleon formed 11 battalions of the Guard in a square on the Brussels road. 2 battalions drove back the Prussians near the village. Plancenoit, and the remaining 9 under the command of Napoleon himself moved towards Wellington. All the generals, Ney and L. Friant walked ahead.

The British met the Guard with terrible artillery fire from the front and from the flank. The soldiers fell in dozens, but did not slow down, only closing their ranks more tightly and shouting even louder: “Vivat imperator!” Finally, two battalions ascended to the top of Mont Saint-Jean and in front of them, from tall ears of wheat, stood a wall of serried ranks of English guards. The first salvo mowed down several hundred people - half of two battalions, the second salvo, the third... The French guards stopped, mixed up, and began to retreat. There was a cry: “The Guard is retreating!”

Wellington ordered a general attack. At the same moment, Blucher's corps left the Ojai road and began to smash the French on the right. The French soldiers ran towards Belle Alliance, and the English hussars and dragoons rushed after them, cutting down the retreating ones as they galloped. “The unexpected retreat turned into a flight. The imperial army crumbled right before our eyes, and the enemy, hot on its heels, cut into pieces its surviving remnants.” (Desmond Seward. Napoleon's Family. Smolensk, 1995. P. 345.)

Napoleon tried to organize a defense in order to cover the fleeing army. The last three battalions of the Guard formed in a square with the emperor in the middle, from where he personally tried to command the defense, with the secret hope of finding death on the battlefield. Here, not far away, Marshal Ney was rushing about in a whirlpool of running people. Wounded, with a face black from gunpowder, in a uniform torn by bayonets and bullets and with a fragment of a sword in his hand, he tried to organize a retreat.

The guard slowly retreated, trying to break through the ranks of the advancing enemy. The British were delighted with the courage and resilience of these people. Their ranks were always tightly closed, their faces were calm, their steps were measured and clear.

One of the squares, under the command of General P. Cambronne, was asked by an English colonel to surrender. "The Guard dies, but does not surrender!" - Cambronne exclaimed. The French guards preferred death to captivity. Dusk was gathering over the field, the Battle of Waterloo was lost.

25 thousand French and 22 thousand British and Prussians died on the battlefield killed and wounded. Napoleon's army, as an organized force, ceased to exist. Almost all the artillery was lost, the spirit of the army was broken, and there were practically no fresh forces.

The defeat at Waterloo meant the defeat of the entire campaign, the defeat of France in the war with the coalition. It led to Napoleon's repeated abdication of the throne (June 22), to a change in political power in France, and subsequently to its occupation by the allied armies and the restoration of the Bourbons.

This was the final point in the history of the Napoleonic wars.

Materials used from the book: “One Hundred Great Battles”, M. “Veche”, 2002

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