Battle of Quatre Bras 1815 | The Hundred Days Part 2/4

[@chasemanhart]

I’ve never seen such a clear description with visual of Quatre Bras. Well done.

[@godfreygalea8181]

I do not agree! The battle of Quatre Bras was not being fought in isolation. Napoleon had commaded Ney together with D'Orlon 2nd Corp to take Quatre Bras. Whilst he attacked the Prussians entrenched at LIgny. As Quatre Bras had already been occupied by the troops of the Duke of Orange it was taking longer than expected.So Napoleon ordered D'Orlon - without informing Ney - to move towards Ligny. When Ney didn't find the support he expected from D'Orlon he ordered D'Orlon back to Quatre Bras. As a cnsequence d'Orlon troops spend the whole marching without participaiting in either the Battle for Quatre Bras or of Ligny. This enabled the Prussians altough defeated by Napoleon to withdraw from the battle field in good order and move towards Waterloo as Blucher had promised Wellington.

[@richardwales9674]

@@godfreygalea8181 We know this. I'm not sure what you were watching?

[@ayethein7681]

Yea. Quatre Bras is as interesting a battle as Waterloo though less well known. The performance of the non British allies was high quality as was the case at Waterloo. The prince of Orange seemed to have done well too, despite getting a poor press for his efforts at Waterloo.

[@BaronsHistoryTimes]

@@godfreygalea8181 D'Ertlon's 4th Division was sent to Ligny but its arrival was messed up, causing panic on the French Left flank, instead of hitting the Prussian right flank.

[@Dlugia2]

100% agree

[@Raadpensionaris]

At the start of the campaign there were doubts among the British if the Dutch (and Belgians) would be loyal to the allies, since a lot of their officers and a quite a few of their men had served under Napoleon. At Quatre-Bras they did not only prove their loyalty, but also possibly saved Wellington's campaign. By holding the crossroads they allowed him to choose to give battle at Waterloo.

[@markgrehan3726]

Those Dutch and Belgian soldiers never really got the credit they deserved for standing their ground.

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

That’s been corrected in the last two or three decades with some excellent books. Wellington became the most famous man in Europe after defeating Napoleon and was never modest about it: he downplayed the role of his allies to enhance his own fame.

[@markgrehan3726]

@@sirrathersplendid4825 “The Duke of Wellington described the Battle of Waterloo as 'the most desperate business I ever was in. I was never so near being beat'. Doesnt sound like an immodest man.

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

@@markgrehan3726 - Well, he was indeed very nearly beaten. But rather than magnanimously crediting his allies and especially the Prussians for saving the day, he encouraged the opinion that it was his skill that had turned the tide. He wasn’t necessarily being untruthful, a lesser general might have panicked and left the field when the battle was at its climax around 6pm/7pm.

[@elmascapo6588]

​@@sirrathersplendid4825he also credited his allies. The public simply didn't listen

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

@@elmascapo6588 - When you say the “public”, I think perhaps you mean the media. It’s the press that used to form public opinion, and still does today in large measure.

[@TheSpritz0]

PHENOMENALLY researched in detail, without a doubt the BEST video on KZbin about this highly forgotten battle where SO Many died- the latest research showing approximately 4800 to 5600 Allied K.I.A. and for the French 4140 to 4400. Rest in Peace to the fallen on ALL sides...

[@michaelrobinson2687]

It's probably highly forgotten because it was over shadowed by the larger Battle of Waterloo which had 5 x the casualties of Quatre Bras. The Battle of Wavre, a battle with 5,000 total casualties - a tenth of those at Waterloo, is also highly forgotten for a similar reason. I hope that when Part 4 of the series comes out it covers both Waterloo and Wavre but I doubt it will happen.

[@TheSpritz0]

@@michaelrobinson2687 The BATTLE OF WAVRE absolutely deserves it's own video as well, I hope FIELD MARSHAL sees your comment!!! It was crucial to the outcome of Waterloo locking in 30,000 troops that otherwise would have come to Napoleon at Waterloo...

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

Overshadowed? - yes; forgotten? - absolutely no! Quatre Bras is probably the second best known British land battle of the Napoleonic Wars.

[@ososnake97]

Golden age for digital era napoleonic content. epic history, PMF productions, Field Marshall, Historically adeaquate History, Historia Civilis and others are making L'Empereur Justice

[@mr.s2005]

well, unlike how he was portrayed in the Sharpe series, The prince of orange was not incompetent or a coward.

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

Yes, he was quite well liked among his troops, even among the Brits. Whether it was his relative youth or inexperience, he presided over several rather unfortunate mistakes that got a lot of his own men killed, both at Quatre Bras and at Waterloo. For all his sins he was wounded in both battles.

[@Raadpensionaris]

​@@sirrathersplendid4825 That is also true for British commanders, but they were not slandered as much

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

@@Raadpensionaris - iirc, there were several letters at the time that strongly criticised the Prince of Orange’s behaviour at QB and at Waterloo. Taken in isolation they allowed Cornwell to turn him into an incompetent spoilt brat in the Sharpe novels. It’s only within the past few decades that more accounts have appeared that nullify the worst criticisms. Historical research is like that: it discovers new things and moves forward.

[@xdenricoudx]

You would not believe how much I’ve searched for good videos talking about this battle! It’s all Waterloo this, Waterloo that. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GOING OVER THIS ENTIRE CAMPAIGN!! Can’t wait to see the next one, Gen’l O7

[@bman8036]

I second that! Thanks great video

[@gerhardris]

Absolutely top notch! The first time an excellently told naritive put into the correct historic context with the campagne as a whole and also in a very easy to grasp way highlighting the main terrain features such as the cross roads and the Dyle river and Ligny and Brussels. It also shows i.e. provides great insight in how these wars were fought on a tactical level. Needing infantry in the nick of time needing to form square against cavalry in the fog of war. And, what happens if you don't. Also it's one of the first times to properly show the role of the Dutch together with the fact that these were veterans of Napoleons army. And shows what good commaders were worth on the field. It also show that Ney wasn't at fault. D'Erlon should have marched to the sound of the guns either to Ligny or Quatre Bras despite any orders. Seeing this I've changed my mind on the outcome. It was both a tacticle draw and strategic victory for the allies. The allies leaving the field wasn't a defeat because they moved to the chosen battle field of Waterloo which was made possible by the Dutch general Bernard and subsequent allied actions. 29:28

[@HistoryRebels]

I've always wanted to know more about Quatre Bras, and as usual this is delivered so well! I particularly like all the quotes - "To us, Belgians, to us!"

[@ArnaudReille]

Hi, i wanted to share some remarks. • Bad staff work is the main reason for why the right wing's advance was slow on the 15th, not bad terrain. Napoleon planned for a meticulously regulated march on the Sambre to avoid delays in the soon to be very crowded roads of the frontiers, army columns were set to march with an interval of about 30 minutes between each body, detachments of sappers accompanied the lead regiments to insure that roads would be adequate for the passage of the whole army, a cavalry screen was also sent ahead to cover said march. Problems with staff work however would hinder the advance, Vandamme's corps received their orders late, but as a result, Vandamme himself wasn't with his corps when the messenger arrived, leading the later to search for the general, during which he suffered a severe riding accident. This long delay resulted in Lobau's 6th corps to stumble into the rear columns of 3rd corps, the emperor would divert Gérard further east to avoid the congestion. As a consequence, general Pajol and his cavalry would be isolated against von Zieten, Napoleon nevertheless would assist and support Pajol with a detachment of the guard, personally led by him. • Ney didn't stop at night because he couldn't drive the allies out of Quatre Bras, he stopped for operational reasons he deemed sound. In fact, only Lefebvre-Desnouettes' forces engaged the Allies as you briefly demonstrated in the video, the former was supported by a single battalion of infantry. Ney didn't commit Reille's 2nd corps because he wanted to wait for d'Erlon's arrival first before resuming the march. And, he did have a decent idea over what Napoleon's plans were, i mean, he received orders from the emperor that afternoon to march north along the Brussels road (in which he probably mentioned Quatre Bras), during the same time in which Grouchy received his for an advance on Sombreffe. (The orders were verbal) • I was frankly disappointed to not see you mention Wellington's repeated blunders on the 15th. The duke was obsessed with the idea that Napoleon was trying to threaten his outer flank by a thrust via Mons to cut him from the sea, his repeated mobilization orders reflected this false assumption, scattering his forces with an orientation to the west of the capital, in fact, the reason why any troops at all were present at Quatre Bras to begin with was that his subordinates disobeyed their commander in chief's orders, I'll quote Chandler: [A study of the map will show the way in which the center of gravity of Wellington's army was thus being deliberately placed to the west of the Belgian capital-that is to say, a concentration was proceeding towards the outer flank-while the vital link with the Prussians to the eastward (and most particularly the key position of Quatre Bras) received no provision of troops whatsoever. In other words, instead of concentrating on the inner flank as agreed with Blücher well in advance, Wellington was ordering movements which would actually increase the distance between their two armies, and thus play straight into Napoleon's hands. It is difficult to find any convincing excuse for Wellington's miscalculation; an appreciation of French interests should have convinced the Duke that Napoleon was hardly likely to attack the open British flank, for the net result of such a move would be to drive the British in upon the Prussians, and thus cause a decidedly unfavorable preponderance of Allied strength against l'Armée du Nord. Nevertheless, such were the orders issued by Wellington on the afternoon of the 15th, and throughout the evening and night the troops set out to execute his commands...] [In none of these orders was there any mention of a force being detached to hold the crucial crossroads. That the French cavalry encountered opposition between Frasnes and Quatre Bras on the evening of the 15th was entirely due to the initiative of a couple of intelligent Allied officers who were prepared to risk Wellington's wrath and disobey the letter of his orders in order to pursue a course of action they felt more justified on account of their completer knowledge of local events...] • The flurry of orders in the afternoon of the 16th are badly represented in the video. You see, Napoleon's 3:15 pm orders for Ney to join him at Ligny with his entire wing were immediately changed via a follow up 3:30 order, that's because Napoleon received at the same exact time news from Ney and that he faced more than 20,000 enemy troops. Napoleon changed his orders and asked Ney to only send d'Erlon's 1st corps to Wagnelée, in perfect position to fall on the Prussian right and rear. In addition, the orders received by d'Erlon's corps (i said corps because d'Erlon himself wasn't with it at the time) were almost certainly fabricated by de la Bedoyère, and although yes, the issue is still debated by historians, evidence in favor of the de la Bedoyère argument are far more convincing, first, when the leading troops of 1st corps started arriving close to St. Amand, Napoleon was caught by surprise, delaying the assault of the imperial guard on Blücher's center as a response, keeping them in reserve, ready to march west immediately, not knowing wether the troops were allies or enemies, that's because Napoleon ordered d'Erlon to move on Wagnelée, not St. Amand in the dispatches sent to Ney, which resulted in 1st corps joining the battle an hour earlier than expected, and in the wrong direction, de la Bedoyère probably directed the later there to avoid the loss of time in a flanking maneuver. Second, Ney was already sent orders to order d'Erlon south east, there was no need for other orders to the corps commander as well, let alone to a different location than the one written to his commander in chief. And finally, you should have mentioned the Ney-Colonel Forbin-Janson interaction, it was the most critical of the day, it is the reason for why Ney didn't understand d'Erlon's movements, and subsequently, why he asked the general to turn back and join him at Quatre Bras. Yes, Ney never read the 3:15 pm orders, if he did, then the Belgian campaign would've ended on the 16th with a decisive French victory.

[@FieldMarshalYT]

I didn’t know some of these things . It’s amazing how much information there is out there to learn. I didn’t even know much about the interaction between Forbin and Ney.

[@BaronsHistoryTimes]

That's an important point. The French right was very strung out as it advanced. Ney only arrived to take command of it at 4 pm, while wing had pushed up beyond Gosellies. He was commanding a force that was arriving piece-meal and not in entirety.

[@matmazan3355]

Its simple, me see that Field Marshal uploads, me press like, me see the video, me like video

[@user-hp8yh4xu6n]

The same

[@nathanappleby5342]

Long have I wanted a video to describe the battle in detail including tactical performances from major commanders and it finally comes to fruition. Looking forward to more.

[@Lee.Enfield-303]

I can only agree with other commenters, absolutely outstanding work, I could watch this a dozen times, even though I've been obsessed with the hundreds days war for over 30 years and know an awful lot about it. Can not wait to see the next instalment. 👍🏼

[@guiliobroekhuizen2914]

it is a very good video but I think you missed some stuff that might have been cool to see in the video -After Foy's Infantry division captured Gemioncourt, the 5th Millitia actually stormed the farm and took it back -The Dutch light cavalry that arrived first charged several battalions of French infantry south of Gemioncourt together with the 5th millitia and 27th Jagers, what drove of the enemy, only after this, were the Dutch cavalry charged by French cavalry -The Scots of the 92nd and 42nd Highland, though that the Belgian light Dragoons were French and fired at them.

[@gianlucadamiani6064]

This is perhaps the best video of this kind I ever watched about a Napoleonic battle so far. No exaggeration; it is marvelous work!

[@ufukhalatoglu1505]

I love this. This might the first video series in youtube describing the 1815 campaign in this detail.

[@WarhawkYT]

Picton not getting shot: Impossible challenge

[@FieldMarshalYT]

"On you drunken rascals, you whore's melt, you thieves, you beggars!!! *shrapnel enters brain*

[@michaelcarlin9153]

Excellent!! One of best videos yet. Well Done.

[@JohnMarkM]

Excellent video! Very details and good animations to show what is going on. Will definitely check out the other videos in this series.

[@sonnyjim5268]

What a great channel. I am glad I found it. Good, coherent and a full description of the battle with excellent graphics. Thank you for your work.

[@eoinlynch4674]

This is a great video Field Marshal, i am looking forward to your Waterloo video!

[@SMJ495]

“I’ve never heard of a campaign that began with a retreat” That’s hard as fuck and the kind of officer I’d want to follow

[@FieldMarshalYT]

Underrated part of this campaign imo.

[@SMJ495]

@@FieldMarshalYT Agreed. I did 4 years in the infantry and while my service was nothing special whatsoever, it did give me an appreciation for the lower level officers, NCOs, and enlisted men that are rarely featured in the histories. Having a bad officer absolutely sucks but a good one can change your whole outlook when things get shitty. There are so many examples in the napoleonic wars of ordinary soldiers in both sides having huge impacts. Napoleon always did a good job of recognizing those guys, something he shares in common with Julius Caesar. Your videos are awesome man and I can tell how much hard work goes into them. I always send them to my dad, he loves this stuff as much as I do.

[@FieldMarshalYT]

@@SMJ495respect to the infantry!

[@UAuaUAuaUA]

Congratulations! I think I have been waiting for decades for such a well researched history of the Battle of Quatre Bras,

[@ethanpf449]

Amazing well worth the wait

[@BaronsHistoryTimes]

INSANELY Superb graphics and excellent narration. I hope your video views punch through 6 figures. Your research is excellent. You do justice for the Dutch, Belgians, and German Nassauers which hardly any other video on youtube has done yet after all these years. 2:24 - Napoleon's actual primary goal was to first split Wellington and Blucher and defeat whoever stood against him one after the other, and with that THEN open the door to Brussels, in the hope of rallying Belgians to him. 4:00 - The French Left wing had already pushed aside the Prussians at Gosellies before Ney arrived to take command.... Ney's mission was to consolidate at or beyond Quatre-Bras; but his wing was greatly stretched out on June 15th, and as such the German Nassau infantry which were well led by their commanders and the Dutch-Belgian senior leaders of the division they belonged to (including the Prince of Orange) proved vital in their on the spot assignment to hold the crossroads, rather than retreat from it as per Wellington's orders received on the evening of June 15th. Muffling's team of orderlies were the ones bringing messages from the front line of Napoleon's invasion. Muffling himself was in Brussels and in direct communication with the Duke since early evening, hours before the Ball. Wellington was watching his centre via the Mons area, expecting an attack from there, and both he and Blucher were ignoring the days of intel news the received of French troops massing to their south. Blucher and his staff were suddenly convinced on the night of June 14th and began mobilizing an army concentration. Wellington wised up to that reality only because of reports he received that the feint presence of French troops near his centre had suddenly disappeared - that's when he went 'Oh Crap', and began orders to move the army south overnight June 15/16. Wellington went to the Ball late, but he already knew the French had invaded, and showed up to keep the local population calm. Merlen was formerly a commander in Napoleon's Guard cavalry. Imagine his sense of duty when upon recognition by the French cavalry troopers, he was heartily called out to switch sides with his regiment , but instead he ordered a ferociously-led charge. Merlen died at Waterloo. The Dutch-Belgian cavalry suffered by overall debilitated leadership as a number of veteran seasoned commanders were excluded from the officer roster in place of rookie nobility officers. Pack and Kempt's brigades were initially huge formations with 700-man battalions. Wellington marching to Blucher after gaining victory only in late evening is far-fetched though. His army was beat-up badly at Quatre-Bras and he hardly had any cavalry or artillery strength by nightfall; he would have only half of his army on site by next morning and got absolutely no news of Ligny until his own scouts brought back info to him from the defeated Prussians, in the morning of the 17th. You beat me to the punch with a video on this part of topic (June 15) ; Good pronunciations; as for others; Joachim > Wah-keem / Bianch > Bian-key / Lobau > loh-boh What were your top sources for research?

[@danrooc]

Great work! This battle is so often overshadow by the battle of Waterloo. This video is wonderfully detailed and plays an importat role to give a well needed comprehensive view on the whole campaingn.

[@TheAviador4]

What a good description, thank you for your work.

[@runway1898]

All hail Field Marshal 🗣️🗣️🗣️‼️‼️

[@FieldMarshalYT]

Ong

[@DBNwargaming]

Very good, well presented.

[@sdtamarinera]

Thanks for exploring this overlooked and forgotten battle in such detail.

[@anthonycosta8816]

babe wake up field marshal dropped 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@WyomingTraveler]

I enjoyed this video very much. Carefully explained the battle. I lived in Mons and frequently explored the areas of the battle. I look forward to future videos.

[@varelion]

The more you dive into detail, the more complex and understandable the events become. With a hasty onlook we tend to simplify, look for scapegoats and cheap solutions. But here we see the whole and remain silent.

[@thestoicsteve]

A clear and detailed overview of the battle. Well done.

[@emanuelgalea2373]

Great display and accurate narration of the events, excellent work

[@doncooper6801]

The. Roads need to be displayed more prominently.

[@TheSpritz0]

FIELD MARSHAL- I totally agree with another subscriber who said the BATTLE OF WAVRE deserves it's own video not only for the fact it prevented 30,000 French from getting to Waterloo (fooled Marshal Grouchy that he was in fact keeping the Prussians from joining Wellington!) 5000 dead, and also prevented the PHENOMENALLY brave French Generals Vandamme and Exelmans from possibly changing the outcome at Waterloo!!

[@FieldMarshalYT]

Im not sure yet how I will implement it, but I have some time. Ligny takes priority at the moment.

[@TheSpritz0]

@@FieldMarshalYT Oh YES agreed 100% Ligny is chronologically next, another fascinating battle on many levels, and Napoleon's LAST victory!!💯

[@Henry-Paget]

One could argue it was the events of June 16 that decided the campaign. I Corps did not participate in either battle, had it arrived at either, the results would have had terrible implications for the allies. If it had arrived at Quatre Bras, Ney would have driven Wellington from the field and seized the crossroads. Had it arrived at Ligny as Napoleon ordered, Blutchers army would have been mauled rather than just bruised and able to regroup

[@FieldMarshalYT]

I agree 100%. June 16th might be more important some ways than the Battle of Waterloo a day later,; controversial decisions of the commanders on both sides set everything in place for that fateful day. Amazing to me how in 3 days time, these two armies of over 100,000 men each fought two bloody battles one day, and then recovered enough to fight one of the most decisive battles of the century within roughly 48 hours.

[@generaltom6850]

I agree in that it did turn the campaign in the allies favour but the war was already a forgone conclusion, Napoleon’s whole plan rested on defeating the British and Prussian armies in Belgium, recapturing Brussels and regaining public support, (there was an insurrection in the Vendee and several towns were at the brink of rebellion). After this he intends to negotiate a peace with the Allies that would allow him to keep his throne. To accomplish this he intended to use the divisions in the Allies to play them against each other and get the best deal. However this would not work, as we know from hindsight the Allies were committed to the war and held together by Metternich and Castlereigh as well as officially by the treaty of Chaumont.

[@mattl2k6]

This is fantastic content mate. You've clearly taken heavy inspiration from the Epic History TV channel and improved upon it. Subscribed, hope to see more!

[@Brian-tz9xx]

Awesome videos! Keep going

[@giod6266]

Fantastic work! Thank you!

[@stefans.1981]

Best battle description ever! Looking forward to see the others.

[@mihaidijmarescu1010]

Love your vids. You're kinda like a more interactive version of Epic History..

[@Snotling_Fury]

Excellent video. Also some of the older books I have always blamed the Dutch for the heavy casualties of the some of British regiments like the 42nd and the I think 66th being in a weird postion, something to this day I don’t understand how…

[@FieldMarshalYT]

Yeah, the Dutch were not in a position to affect that area of the battle by then.

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

Probably 69th South Lincolns rather than the 66th, which was not in the Netherlands at this time.

[@scottjuhnke6825]

This battle, without a doubt, illustrates why Soult, although a good Chief of Staff, was not up to Berthier's standards. Berthing, when requesting d'Erlon's Corps, would have informed Ney that his was now the secondary battle. Ney, accordingly, would not have sent orders for d'Erlon to return, and also would not have launched the extensive attacks in the late afternoon. Souls did not convey that information, and Ney sent the order for d'Erlon to come back, costing victory at Ligny, and wasting troops in an unnecessary effort at Quatre Bras.

[@historygateyt]

Good video, I actually plan on making my own series about this campaign. I would recommend John Husseys two volume set on the waterloo campaign, probably rhe most detailed account out there

[@GGdeTOURS37]

Merci for this video! For the first time an anglo-saxon video that is not oriented "red heroes against blue evil"! At least! TY very much!

[@JustAnotherDayInEngland]

^Frog eating virgin vs Tea drinking Chad

[@bubonicleg35]

Very good video, though I will note that Napoleon did not want Murat to attack the Austrians. Murat acted on his own accord thinking that he could rally Italian nationalists to a single cause and push the Austrians over the Alps.

[@lazojamal3118]

I feel like you were at the battle at the time because of all the good details

[@johnsmithers5044]

A great series.Thank you.

[@xornxenophon3652]

Great video; first time I understood the strategic importance of Quatre Bras; Napoleon wanted to trap the prussian army by sending Ney around them, into their back!

[@number2and3]

Excellent work, unbiased and detailed.

[@jaajjaaj18]

great episode continue like that !!!

[@chrisgacek8089]

This was an EXCELLENT presentation.

[@Rusty_Gold85]

This was tops . Your description changed everything to me how the battle unfolded . Well done

[@garylancaster8612]

Picton telling the 28th to remember Egypt was a reference to the battle of Alexandria where they stood in line back to back facing a French attack from both sides. After that the Gloucestershire Regiment wore the "back badge", a crest on the back of their headwear as well as the front. They were the forerunners of the Glorious Glosters of Imjin fame.

[@volk4all805]

Are you gonna do more napoleonic war battles? Austerlitz Borodino Wagram etc? Would love to see that

[@FieldMarshalYT]

Perhaps in the future I would like to do my own spin on those. Right now I’ll just finish up the Waterloo campaign.

[@volk4all805]

@@FieldMarshalYT i would pay to see it. You got patreon?

[@Jormunheim]

The regimental names being applied to the icons really is a good touch! Excellent video from your smaller channel!

[@volk4all805]

It's crazy how good French cavalry was even in 1815 and ravaged by war for 15 years

[@JustAnotherDayInEngland]

Not really. It's called experience. In war, the more you do, the better you get. 15 years of war isn't going to make them weary, it's going to give them nerves of steel.

[@volk4all805]

@@JustAnotherDayInEngland Well, almost every horse in Europe was killed during napoleons Russia campaign. The majority of his cavalry was also destroyed and they lost countless experienced men and officers. They struggled to reform cavalry from 1813 and their troopers and mounts were highly diminished. Still they managed to organise a nucleas and through miracles had a decent cavalry arm on 1815. It wasn't just experience.

[@alanforbes2020]

Great job on the details of each regiment and battery and etc. This was very informative TY!!

[@dermotbalson]

My ancestor fought in the 42nd and was wounded at Quatres Bras, so I have researched it. Despite the detail you provide, I believe you have some omissions and errors. Ney was personally given specific orders to take Quatres Bras (which was believed to be lightly held) and send troops to support Napoleon's attack at Ligny. Inexplicably, Ney hesitated for most of the morning before finally going forward, by which time Quatres Bras had received reinforcements. Napoleon never got his extra troops, eventually sending a direct order to one of Ney's divisions to march to him. They did this, but Ney found out later and recalled them, so that division never saw action. The 42nd was attacked by cavalry as soon as they arrived on the scene, out of the cornfield, and one company was cut down, but the rest formed square and beat them off. However, over the afternoon, half of the 42nd received wounds, mainly from artillery. My ancestor was hit by grapeshot in mouth and neck.

[@loyalpiper]

It wasn't a full square they formed when they were savaged by the cavalry from what I heard, apparently macarra ordered his rear 2 ranks to about turn and held them off that way.

[@EK-gr9gd]

Let's hope the next part will come sooner than in four months

[@Reignor99]

15:40 I know from playing War of Rights (350 player American Civil War first person shooter military simulator) that firing and charging from a great distance is almost always a bad idea, but its done all too often by panicked officers who don't know what else to do. As soon I heard Picton did this, I knew it would end badly. Especially when the crops were too tall to see through. The French would be able to see the movement through the crops, but Picton's men would not be able to easily see the French lines while inside the crops to return fire. It almost always ends badly. The crops give a false sense of security, because enemies outside of it can see the movement easily if they are elevated. I highly recommend playing War of Rights to get a first person feel for the intricacies of musket warfare.

[@reglavcor]

Good video. Hope to see more Napoleonic battles.

[@matthewwheelden9263]

Fantasic video. Really shows the events in great detail and in a way that is easily understood.

[@polygonalfortress]

hurrah, 10k milestone

[@2x1productions]

Wow this is a very informative vid good job man!

[@adaw2d3222]

Great video but the scale is quite weird in the map so it's difficult to figure out exactly how everything unfolds.

[@FieldMarshalYT]

How can I do better?

[@adaw2d3222]

@@FieldMarshalYT maybe add a scale indicator? I don't know.

[@CivilWarWeekByWeek]

When I looked up Battle of Bras I was led here

[@generalsandnapoleon]

Really nice work! Keep pumping out this great content.

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

Very well done overall! Would quibble with some of the details - for example the depiction of brigades as a compact 4x4 square, whereas most French brigades numbered five or six battalions, and were deployed as a column of one or two rows of battalions.

[@chasechristophermurraydola9314]

My guess is the next part is going to be on the Battle of ligny.

[@FieldMarshalYT]

Correct!

[@nomisbman1826]

brilliant work lad

[@dannydepp69]

Love it. Thanks dude x

[@joshwolverton3898]

VIVE L'EMPEREUR 🇫🇷

[@Ap-cm7mx]

Glad to see that a younger generation is investigating what really happened at Quatre Bras. On these eventful days in June 1815 only 25% of Napoleon's opponents were British this made me always wonder why the Duke of Wellington is (almost) always portrayed as the ultimate victor. After reading German/Dutch publications the only conclusion can be that the events were predominantly Prussian/German/Dutch.

[@simonlancaster1815]

It is a fair point but organisation, officers and leadership were predominantly British. Dutch regiments were under overall British control. Yes, we can thank the Prussians for eventually turning up at Waterloo!

[@Ap-cm7mx]

@@simonlancaster1815 The British version of events at Waterloo is dominant! Something that also never made sense to me was the charge of the Imperial Guard as described. They seemed to have changed overnight from the most feared warriors of the time to an old folks' home. In German and Dutch publications the charge is also described. They came up the slope decimating the British forces until Zieten arrived. Zieten had received notice from a Prussian liaison officer in Wellington's camp that collapse was imminent. British and Dutch deserters, on their way to Antwerp, were telling that Wellington had been killed. Zieten ignored orders from Gneisenau and came to the rescue. The arrival came as a complete surprise: "They promised us Grouchy and give us Prussians". This was the reason for the retreat, not in a panic, but in an orderly fashion down the slope, starting 08.30PM. The British charge never took place nor were the famous words (La Garde meurt ... ) ever spoken (at least not there); instead the word "Merde" was heard frequently. Publications related to Waterloo seem to be driven by agenda's/opinion/pride rather than historical fact. On KZbin "archeologists/historians" have listed "fact" explaining the absence of human remains. This varies from the "1815 peasantry" burning bodies on an industrial scale to the "current locals" "being uncooperative" in supporting archeological work to uncover the dead. Developers are accused of "disturbing the field of honour" so that "evidence" will be lost forever. Fact of the matter is that there are no substantial remains left: more than 25000 tons of bones (human/horses) from Napoleonic battlefields were imported through the port of Hull to be processed into fertilizer. Several publications, challenging the dominant British version, materialized in the 1800s. At the time there was even outrage about the mainstream version but the Prince of Orange decided to keep his distance since he did not want to jeopardize his good relationship with the Duke of Wellington.

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

@@Ap-cm7mx- Wellington had an extremely good publicity machine, writing for an audience that knew and cared little about the minutiae of Continental geography and politics. By glossing over the achievements of his foreign allies he enhanced his own reputation and fame.

[@Ap-cm7mx]

@@sirrathersplendid4825 I agree.

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

@@Ap-cm7mx - The attack of the Old Guard was very poorly coordinated. Rather than a single concentrated assault it appears to have splintered into three separate attacks which hit different parts of the allied line. Allied accounts of the repulse of the Old Guard seem contradictory until you realise they are describing three separate attacks not one.

[@eliech7112]

Awesome work thank you

[@Bibleapostle]

I enjoyed the video. I thought the canons were facing the wrong way in the video...but they weren't.

[@FieldMarshalYT]

I may know a way to make it a bit more clear for next video. I’ll add a shadow from the gun barrel itself.

[@Trebor74]

The skeleton of napoleons horse that he rode at Waterloo is in the national army museum,london.

[@godardvanreede8606]

The horse of the Prince of Orange was stuffed and can be found at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

[@michaelrobinson2687]

To/ Field Marshal When you make your inevitable video about Waterloo please could you include a section on the Battle of Wavre which happened on the same day as Waterloo? I assume that the Part 3 of your ongoing series will cover the Battle of Ligny. Kind regards Michael

[@FieldMarshalYT]

Wavre will probably get a small section on the Waterloo video.

[@michaelrobinson2687]

To/@@FieldMarshalYT Thank you Michael

[@Lovecraft_poe2006]

18 june 1815 ....one of the single bloodiest days

[@Generalissimo1756]

congrats on 10k

[@ebbu.planespotting1903]

Amazing to see this in sush detail! Love the music 🎼 in it too. Please continue making these about one of the most spectacular campaigns in history! Regards from Belgium! If you ever need any help I would be willing to do some research for you

[@Lovecraft_poe2006]

I really enjoy this video and the battle

[@middleguard1836]

very good!

[@FieldMarshalYT]

Thanks!

[@agooner145]

​@@FieldMarshalYTCould you please add Turkish subtitles?

[@townsendm794]

My 6 x great grandfather fought on that very crossroad!

[@Richard-jp7wz]

Excellent!

[@illinoismotionpicturestudi5065]

Where is Sgt. Slug? I need those Slugs, why do I have to everything myself? Can't I leave the field for a moment?

[@FieldMarshalYT]

"What's Slug doing, what's he doing there?"

[@mechanicalturk5202]

Really nice, thou I think Gemioncourt may have been the other side of the stream.

[@FieldMarshalYT]

Maybe. I had to squeeze things a bit to make them fit well

[@loyalpiper]

19:38 The highlanders seem to have history of not forming square although they had much better sucess with it in the crimean war

[@joeblow4499]

Great job excellent

[@thatscool7845]

amazing 🎉🎉

[@abukharan5774]

Nice video

[@thomasjefferson9310]

Wow, well done

[@australianword3812]

Shouldn't it be John Cameron, not James?

[@FieldMarshalYT]

You would be correct, my bad 😢

[@010Jordi]

Luxembourg was part of kingdom of the Netherlands. It only became independent after the death of king Willem III because they still had the law that women couldn't inherit the throne, and Willem only had a daughter wilhelmina

[@Raadpensionaris]

It was in a personal union with the Kingdom of the Netherlands, not part of it

[@alexandresotorodriguez4265]

9:37 There is a small mistake here, you mention the "newly arrived 7th Militia yet the map shows the 7th line moving. I believe the map is correct since it is coherent with the subsequent troop movements, but I'd like clarification. I also noted that the map doesn't show the II battalion of the Orange-Nassau Regiment, I believe it was held in reserve. Otherwise, superb video and amazing attention to detail

[@FieldMarshalYT]

I think Injust simply wrote “Militia” instead of “Line” and missed it.

[@godfreygalea8181]

Correction Blucher 's Army of the Rhine was 115,000 soldiers and not 150,000.

[@FieldMarshalYT]

You may be right. I think I accidentally counted in the Saxon troops and other Germans before they had kept out control of the Prussian army.

[@las_espannas]

Six Days Campaign please 🙏

[@benjamindejonge3624]

The quatre brass whas the real battle though its confusing chaos the victory was definitely,Waterloo was only the retreat

[@vice-grip]

Major incursion!

[@imcloaking]

Hi

[@FieldMarshalYT]

Hi