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3 Conclusion
Wellington's hodge-podge command consisted of British, German, Dutch and Belgian troops. Some of these were of very poor quality (some Belgian and Dutch had even fought in the French Army and were thus sympathetic towards Napoleon), and ran away before the conflict began. However, there were several highly capable foreign regiments, most notably the crack King's German Legion, who defended the farm La Haye Sainte until they ran out of ammunition.
Wellington and Blücher met at the inn ' La Belle Alliance', headquarters of Napoleon. Shortly after the French defeat, Napoleon lost his throne and was exiled to Saint Helena, where he spent the rest of his life.
4 Summary details
4.1 Armies participating in the campaign
- Anglo-Allied Army - 106,000 men of mixed quality (British, Dutch/Belgian, and minor German states)
- Prussian Army - 128,000 men of mixed quality
- French Army (Armee du Nord) - 128,000 men of good quality.
- Imperial Guard of 25,000, a formidable élite group of units.
4.2 Armies participating in the battle of Waterloo
- Anglo-Allied Army - 67,000 men of Mixed quality (British, Dutch/Belgian, and minor German states)
- Prussian Army - 25-60,000 men of Mixed quality (numbers depend on the way of counting, as the Prussians arrived in the afternoon, some divisions arrived on the field but did not really participate)
- French Army (Armée du Nord) - 73,000 men of good, though not exceptional, quality.
4.3 Commanders
4.4 Timing
The battle commenced at about 10:00 with an attack upon Hougoumont[1] and had concluded by 21:00 when Wellington and Blücher met at La Belle Alliance. The British pursued the retreating French for several more hours, the Prussians continued the pursuit throughout the night.
4.5 Casualties
Casualties are estimated at 25,000 men killed and wounded and 9,000 captured among the French forces. Wellington's casualties were 15,000 and Blücher's about 8,000.
5 References
- Wellington's Dispatches June 19 1815
- Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
6 External links
Waterloo
