Waterloo 1815: The British Army's Day of Destiny

Writing to his mother the day after the fighting, Captain Thomas Wildman of the 7th Hussars described ¿a victory so splendid & important that you may search the annals of history in vain for its parallel¿. Little wonder, for Waterloo was widely recognised ¿ even in its immediate wake ¿ as one of the most decisive battles in history: after more than twenty years of uninterrupted conflict, this single day¿s encounter finally put paid to French aspirations for European hegemony. The culminating point of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, Waterloo also witnessed levels of determination and bravery by both sides which far exceeded anything experienced by the veterans of Wellington¿s recent campaigns in Spain and Portugal. Indeed, it was that unconquerable spirit which left over 50,000 men dead on the field of battle and tens of thousands of others wounded.

This thoroughly researched and highly detailed account of one of history¿s greatest human dramas looks f