Waterloo: Great Battles: A Near Run Thing

Book Description
The first shots were fired at about eleven-thirty on a Sunday morning in June, 1815; by nine o'clock that night, forty thousand men lay dead or wounded, and Napoleon had abandoned not only his army, but all hope of recovering his empire. From the recollections of the men who were there, esteemed author David Howarth has recreated the battle as it appeared to them on the day it was fought. He follows the fortunes of men of all ranks and on both sides. But it is on the French side that the mysteries remain. Why did Ney attack with cavalry alone? And was Napoleon's downfall really due to the minor ailment he suffered that day? Beautifully written, vivid, and unforgettable, this illuminating history is impossible to put down.


About the Author
David Howarth, who died in 1991, was one of Britain's best writers of historical events. He himself had worked as war correspondent for the BBC in the Second World War, reporting the chaos of Dunkirk, but with the fall of France he joined the Navy and then came under the command of the SOE (Special Operating Service) running clandestine operations between Shetland and Norway. For this he was awarded the highest honours that Norway could award a foreigner. His own naval experiences in wartime and those in peacetime as an experienced sailor and boatmaker in Shetland, allow him to write with great understanding about a battle amidst the perils of the sea.


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The first shots were fired at about eleven-thirty on a Sunday morning in June, 1815; by nine o'clock that night, forty thousand men lay dead or wounded, and Napoleon had abandoned not only his army, but all hope of recovering his empire. From the recollections of the men who were there, esteemed author David Howarth has recreated the battle as it appeared to them on the day it was fought. He follows the fortunes of men of all ranks and on both sides. But it is on the French side that the mysteries remain. Why did Ney attack with cavalry alone? And was Napoleon's downfall really due to the minor ailment he suffered that day? Beautifully written, vivid, and unforgettable, this illuminating history is impossible to put down.


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