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PostPosted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 1:34 pm 
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Mesi Mon General,I agree.Had General Flahault immediately inform the Emperor of the significance of Wellington’s withdraw from Quatre Bras and that the Emperor didn’t spend the night in bed the next battle would have been 24 hours sooner!

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PostPosted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 7:13 pm 
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Some will say that the formation that the I Corps use was strange an unusual I'am not here to say that it was or not but here is why they were in such a formation!Two of Comte d’ Erlon’s divisions, Donzelots and Marcognet’s and one of Durutte’s brigades, were deployed in a most unusual formation, not seen since the early days of the Republican armies. In the early morning of the 18th of June a group of French Generals had breakfasted with their Emperor at LeCaillou. Afterwards, and particularly bearing in mind General Reille’s disturbing remarks about the English army, some of the generals , principally the Comte d’ Erlon and Reille, Lobau and Drouet , had convened to discuss the matter in some depth. They called upon their collective experience in fighting the British in a set position. They were agreed that it would be of the utmost advantage to present their battalions in line prior to engaging the English. They reason correctly, that to try to deploy within musket range would be to court defeat. In the light of this discussion, Comte d’ Erlon decided to deploy his 2nd and 3rd and 4th Divisions in Colonne de divisions par bataillon; that is ,a complete division column presenting a battalion frontage, with one battalion behind another, at three pace intervals. This would give each attacking division a five –company frontage.

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PostPosted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 9:23 am 
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The French advance was led by Marshal Ney, there were so many skirmishers out that they outgunned the Allies at 1:30pm on the 18th a complete reversal of the familiar Peninsula battle. Forward was the Command as thousand of veterans of countless engagements press forward marching over fallen comrades as the drum beat and the bands play and the magnificent parade of uniforms and colors inspired the newest recruit to press on, here was the strength of the Napoleonic majestic majesty in full bloom and who was in front of all of this! With his gold embroidered uniform on its dark blue frame with his Red hair visible to all only hided by the plume of his black chapeau.Mounted on a great Cheval,with his eyes to the front only on the task ahead of him to brake the thin red line.

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PostPosted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 8:42 am 
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Up to this point in the battle Marshal Ney (IMHO) has been with out doubt a true hero in his faithfulness to the Emperor and carrying out his orders. Now comes into to view another hero of the battle one who changed the course of the battle and changed history it was not Wellington that ordered this but his second in command that asked what are you plans my Lord “ Wellington said to beat the Frenchâ€


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 5:06 am 
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At the same time that Lord Uxbridge led that world changing charge, Napoleon reacted to d’Erlon’s heavy repulse with his usual speed and effectiveness, as he himself later related; I saw that on his (Wellington’s) left he was preparing for a big cavalry charge; I dashed there at the gallop. The charge had taken place; it had repulsed a column of infantry General Marcognet which was advancing on the Plateau, had also taken two of my eagles and put seven guns out of action. I ordered a brigade of General Milhaud’s cuirassiers, of the second line, to charge that cavalry. The English Cavalry was broken, most of the men left behind on the battlefield; my guns were retaken; the infantry protected. You may draw what you can from this but it gave Wellington time, the Corps diplomatique militaire thought the battle was over!

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PostPosted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 9:08 am 
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The Marquess of Anglesey said “Across the valley, the man who had brought Wellington the time he needed with that spectacular rout of an Army Corps by two brigades of cavalry, was trying to reorganize the remnant of his command. It is sad to reflect that Uxbridge, who had done so much to win the day at Waterloo, brooded for years afterwards over the terrible losses his men had suffered and was haunted by the regret. What Uxbridge did not realize was that the sacrifice had not been in vain; the charge of his men had done incalculable harm to the carefully calculated and almost successful plan of one of the greatest captains of history!

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PostPosted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 5:20 pm 
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Up till now Marshal Ney conduct on the battle field was as a true leader and a hero. Now that the Emperor was in complete command and on the battle field his conduct changed! Was it because he wanted to impress his Emperor or was it something else? The Attack by Lord Uxbridge completely upset the Emperors time table he knew that the Prussians were moving on his right. Georges Blond said that Napoleon wish to start the battle of Waterloo by seizing the farm of La –Haye- Sainte. Now Marshal Ney had d’Erlon’s corps to do it. Marshal Ney didn’t approve or disapprove of his General’s placement of troops or their deployment. Nor did he see that two guns that should have accompanied his infantry would have demolished La –Haye- Sainte. An elementary idea that never occurred to d’Erlon nor to Ney, both of them seasoned warriors of more than twenty years of campaigning. What was keeping these warriors now from their duty as soldats? With his Infantry disordered and the Prussians closing on him the Emperor rode up and down the battlefield indifferent to the bullets headed towards him. To his way of thinking, a major attack could only be conducted by the old proven tactics; pin down the enemy by a strong bombardment? Then launch an infantry assault and finally, use the heavy cavalry.

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PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 4:19 pm 
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But, there was no time to do this many question did the Emperor approve of the order that sent a many noble knight to his death, my studies say “ouiâ€


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PostPosted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 2:41 am 
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Good article on the Napoleon Series about the Eylau charge:

http://www.napoleon-series.org/military ... eylau.html

Napoleon was the first to organize his army with a grand cavalry reserve. While others may have had a quasi-reserve his was the first true LARGE formation of cavalry to be used by a European army since perhaps the Poles of the 1600s.

However, it was due to WEATHER that this charge was able to succeed. I doubt if on a clear or even overcast day with decent visibility could this charge have worked. And how often were battles fought during a storm during this period? Few and far between.

Thus while its a good account and the men were brave, massed charges of large groups of cavalry were really only successful when the enemy was disordered or routed. Rarely could squares be broken by a cavalry charge.

One wonders how Napoleon would have fared against the Allies on this day had the weather been different.

Colonel Bill Peters
Armee du Rhin - V Corps, Cavalerie du V Corps, 20ème légère Brigade de Cavalerie, 13ème Hussar Regiment
HPS Napoleonic Scenario Designer (Eckmuhl, Wagram, Jena-Auerstaedt and ... more to come)


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PostPosted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 5:35 am 
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My vote goes to Richard Sharpe. If not for his diligence Wellington would not have known of Napoleon's attempt to drive through the center of the Allied forces until it was too late. His actions at Quatre Bras were exemplary. But his greatest act was to shoot the Prince of Orange and thereby save the British center.[8D][:o)]

Lt Col Beric Kimball
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 6:10 pm 
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We all know the out come of this famous charge that many call Nay’s charge. But true to his image as a hero Marshal Ney, didn’t give up or give in how many of you would have continued to stand or lead his men in battle. I know that in battle hell becomes real, tack it from one who saw what it did to many in 66 when the 3rd Marine Div (FMF) were on broad the ship that I was on every one in that small company that we put in the bottom of the ship we call the troop hole, had a purple heart! If the ship sunk they would be the first to drown that’s how it was in 66 when we still were using old WWII ships to transport troops. Marshal Ney, belatedly, but understandably given the press of events, sought to gain infantry support. As d’Erlon’s corps had now reassembled in ad hoc battalions, the Emperor allowed Ney to use Bachelu’s division and Foy ‘s brigade, with Pire’s horse battery in another assault on La –Haye- Sainte.

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PostPosted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 7:12 pm 
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Hi All
Bill a good article that one. I agree the weather was the key factor as even some of the Russians that did get into square were actually broken. I think this was the moral effect of the French cavalry riding down so many of the Russians who were not in square.

The British and their allies at Waterloo were by comparison in good order and mainly on the reverse slopes. I would say the cavalry charge was ordered due to the state of DeErlons corps after the brits in their own part did their famous charge.

The French charges were essentially a fixing attack to prevent the British infantry from manuevering and were based on N's technique of trying to bring the battle to the boil before committing the decisive blow with the guard.

Unfortunately for the French the blow never really came because of the Prussians drawing off the reserves and also the tactical subtleties of the cavalry attack were not the best.

This latter was probably caused mainly by the lack of 'all arms' coordination which was in its own right was probably caused by the narrow gap between Hougmont and La Haye Sainte not allowing sufficient room for infantry to move up with such a huge cavalry mass occupying the space.

Overall I think the situation created by these charges was much more desperate for Wellington than many accounts state though. It was for sure a near run thing. No Blucher and their effect would ultimately have been to contribute to Napoleons victory.

Salute!







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http://www.aspire.co.nz/colinknoxnwc.htm

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PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 3:40 am 
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. I now will give even more proof that it was the Emperor that ordered that charge. At Mont St- Jean, Ney had returned to the front of the ridge of La Belle Alliance. His attempts to break Wellington’s centre had been observed by Napoleon, who spoke of it to his Imperial aide, General Comte Flahault ,who recorded the conversation ‘There is Ney hazarding the battle which was almost won (the words are engraved in my memory ), but he must be supported now, for that is our only chance.â€


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PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 7:45 am 
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In war one of the greatest assets a commander can have is good intelligence. The allies have good intelligence that turned the tide of the battle at Mont St- Jean. Many I believe think that the Iron Duke had his men to lay down flat as to not present an easy target which I for one also believed, till it became clear that there was a power behind this! One of the most important men that the Duke had was a Col Grant chief of intelligence and General Muffling. First it was the Duke that asked, no, that request General Muffling to convince Field Marshal Blucher to begin his attack on the French early. The Field Marshal was waiting for all of IV Corps to close up behind the woods.

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PostPosted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 9:00 am 
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In the meantime the Iron Duke received some interesting intelligence, he now knew were the Middle guard was to attack and when. This information some say came to him though a French deserter but this to me is very unlikely that a mere soldat would have that kind of information on the movement of the Imperial Guard, more likely he received it from his network of informers or a well place intelligence officer. Any way the way that they were position and the way that they ambushed the French Imperial guard could have only been by a clever plan. Weather or not the Middle Guard was betrayed I don’t know but by all appearances they were! For the British appeared out of no were and stop them in their tracks then the 52nd light infantry turned in line and delivered the hammer blow to the middle guard. Word went up and down the French line that the Guard was betrayed and the rout started.

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