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Battle of Waterloo Facts

Battle of Waterloo Facts
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on June 18, 1815 near Waterloo, Belgium between Great Britain and its mainly Dutch and German allies, known as the Seventh Coalition, and Napoleon Bonaparte's French Empire. It was a complete victory for the Seventh Coalition, which marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars and Napoleon's rule. He abdicated four days later in favor of his son, but he was removed from office after only four days. The Battle of Waterloo was the culmination of the Waterloo Campaign, which began one week earlier. Once the dust of Waterloo settled, Napoleon was captured by the British and sent to his second and final exile and Europe was once more reordered. Under the terms of the Vienna Congress, the monarchy was restored in France and many of the pre-Napoleonic Era borders were reestablished.
Interesting Battle of Waterloo Facts:
At the Battle of Waterloo, the Seventh Coalition forces were commanded by British general Arthur Wellesley, the First Duke of Wellington and Prussian general Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher.
Napoleon had been exiled and the Bourbon Dynasty was restored in 1814. Napoleon escaped from his exile on March 1, 1815, forced King Louis XVIII to flee the country, and began once more to rule France in what is known as the "100 Days."
Britain and the Seventh Coalition were against Napoleon's return to power, but they were at first not very united. Also, many of the best British forces were still in America fighting in the War of 1812.
Napoleon knew that war was inevitable, but had a decision to make: attack the Coalition in Belgium or wait for them to attack in France. Both strategies had their advantages and disadvantages, but Napoleon ultimately chose to attack the Coalition, which he believed was divided and lacked proper leadership.
For the Waterloo Campaign, the Coalition had nearly a 250,000 man army versus Napoleon's 125,000.
At the actual Battle of Waterloo, the Coalition fielded nearly 120,000 men, while the French had about 75,000.
Although heavily outnumbered, the French Army was primarily comprised of veterans who were loyal to Napoleon.
Napoleon's army had more guns and the cavalry were almost evenly matched in numbers.
Wellington successfully used the "reverse slope defense" against Napoleon. As the French troops attacked the ridge were the British positions were, they were unaware of how many troops were behind the front line.
On the morning of the battle, Napoleon ate his breakfast on a silver plate and supposedly said to his subordinates, "Just because you have all been beaten by Wellington, you think he's a good general. I tell you Wellington is a bad general, the English are bad troops, and this affair is nothing more than eating breakfast."
The battle began sometime in the late morning, but historians are unsure of the precise time.
The battle continued until the late night, but it was decided in the Coalition's favor by the early evening.


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