Hussey, J. Waterloo. The 1815 Campaign. Volume 2: From Waterloo to the Restoration of Peace in Europe

The concluding volume of this work provides a fresh description of the climatic battle of Waterloo placed in the context of the whole campaign. It discusses several vexed questions: Blüchers intentions for the battle, Wellingtons choice of site, his reasons for placing substantial forces at Hal, the placement of Napoleons artillery, who authorised the French cavalry attacks, Grouchys role on 18 and 19 June, Napoleons own statements on the Gardes formation in the final attack, and the climactic moment when the Prussians reached Wellingtons troops near la Belle Alliance. Close attention is paid to the negotiations that led to the capitulation of Paris, and subsequent French claims. The allegations of Las Cases and later historians that Napoleons surrender to Captain Maitland of the Bellerophon amounted to entrapment are also examined. After a survey of the peace settlement of 1815, the book concludes with a masterly chapter reviewing the whole story of the 1815 campaign.

The author addresses some of the controversial issues surrounding the events at Waterloo: Field Marshal Blücher's intentions for the battle, Wellington's choice of battlefield, Wellington's reasons for placing a strong force at Hal, the deployment of Napoleon I's artillery, the authorisation of French cavalry attacks and Marshal Grouchy's role on 18 and 19 June 1815.