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The Battle of Waterloo, fought on June 18, 1815, was Napoleon Bonaparte's last battle. After his exile to Elba, he had been restored to the throne of France for a Hundred Days. During this time, the forces of the rest of Europe converged on him, including the United Kingdom's Duke of Wellington, and PrussiaThe word Prussia ( German: Preussen (Preussen Polish: Prusy Lithuanian: Prusai Latin: Borussia has had various (often contradictory) meanings: The land of the Baltic Prussians (in what is now parts of southern Lithuania, the Kaliningrad exclave of Russia's Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher.
"The nearest run thing you ever saw in your life" – the Duke of Wellington
1 Prelude
The Anglo-allied and Prussian armies were separated by previous engagements on June 16June 16 is the 167th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (168th in leap years), with 198 days remaining. Events 1487 Battle of Stoke Field, the last dying breath of the Wars of the Roses 1586 Mary Queen of Scots recognizes Philip II of Spain as her 1815 -- a French and Anglo-Allied stalemate ( Battle of Quatre BrasThe Battle of Quatre Bras was fought between contingents of the Anglo-allied army and the left wing of the French Army on June 16 1815 near the crossroads of Quarte Bras. Prelude Napoleon has humbugged me, he has gained twenty-four hours march on me the D) and a French victory over the Prussians ( Battle of LignyThe Battle of Ligny fought June 16, 1815, was a French victory under Napoleon against the Prussian army under Gebhard Leberecht von Blucher in the Napoleonic Wars. It was Napoleon's last victory. Ground The Prussians had deployed along the Ligny Brook.) -- but ambiguous orders by Napoleon on the 17th to his subordinate Marshal Grouchy to pursue the Prussians with 30,000 men contributed to Napoleon's eventual defeat. Grouchy, being a late riser, started the pursuit late on both the 17th and the 18th. On the 18th, with the right wing of the Army of the North, reinforced with a cavalry corps, he ignored Gérard's advice to "march to the sound of the guns" and engaged the Prussian rearguard under the command of Lieutenant-General Baron von Thielmann at the Battle of Wavre.
In the night of the 17th/18th, the Prussian army was reinforced by the arrival of IV Corps under the command of General von Dennewitz , which had not been present at Ligny.
After the Prussian defeat at Ligny, Wellington's position at Quatre Bras had become untenable. On a rainy 17th, Wellington withdrew his army to the previously reconnoitered position at Waterloo, followed by the left wing of the French Army of the North under the command of Marshal Ney. Napoleon joined Ney with most of the Reserve Army which (along with the right wing of the Army of the North) had defeated the Prussians at Ligny.
