What Could Napoleon See at Waterloo?

Part of the understanding what happened at a battle involves putting yourself into the shoes of the Generals in charge. Join Mark's Game Room as we tour the Waterloo battlefield and take a look at what Napoleon was personally able to see during the battle. This is another peek into our trip to Belgium to explore the Battle of Waterloo from a wargamer's perspective. We hope you're enjoying the videos as much as we had making them!
The quotes are from Alessandro Barbero's book, The Battle: A New History of Waterloo. 2006.
00:00 Intro
00:28 Battle map
01:00 Ferme du Caillou
02:06 Rossomme
03:22 La Belle Alliance
04:47 Leading the Middle Guard

[@muskett4108]

Wellington on revisiting the battlefield and seeing the huge monument is supposed to have said something like: " well that certainly ruined a perfectly good battlefield." So much soil was shifted for the monument that it has altered the ridge that the British were on. A ridge that was quite an obstacle and of significant tactical advantage.

[@thenapoleonicwars]

That’s an invention by Victor Hugo in his book Les Miserables

[@muskett4108]

Quite possibly, however having walked the field it has been changed. The ridge isn't prominent. Many account give that in places the low ridge was an obstacle in its own right. There are far more knowledgeable than me on this subject.@@thenapoleonicwars

[@thenapoleonicwars]

@@muskett41086ft of soil from the forward slope from the lion’s mound to the farm of La Haye Sainte (about 500 metres distance) was removed. It doesn’t actually change the battlefield that massively. Erosion and farming over the last 200 years have probably had a bigger impact but when you contrast the battlefield with locations of other major battles like Salamanca and Vittoria, the ridge is comparatively small - these men were used to fighting in far more rugged terrain.

[@muskett4108]

Sure, but even 6ft changes things. I believe there might have been a "track ridge" that formed an annoying obstacle. Just enough to disrupt an advance enough to add some confusion. Then there is the reverse slope part. Wellington knew the ground in advance, and he had the eye for it. Having been an infantry officer, it is those small differences that make a good fire position into a great fire position. Old battlefields soon lose their details when heavily farmed. Any landscape is quite fluid, and woods do move. I should think most troops had little interest bar what they could see straight ahead of them. Belgium in some field, damp from the night before. @@thenapoleonicwars

[@StuartKoehl]

The Lion Mound used soil mainly from the western side of the Brussels Road. On the eastern side, the slope of the ridges is largely unchanged, albeit the hedge lining the Ohain road has been removed. On the western side, you can see the the original height of the ridge by looking at the cut through the Brussels road opposite La Haye Sainte. The height of Wellington's ridge on the west side was probably eight to ten feet higher than it is today, and at places, the road from Braine L'Alleud was sunken to a depth of five or six feet.@@muskett4108

[@carlogrignaschi8773]

Napoleone Buonaparte is his real name, from Corsica. His family originally from Tuscany fought with Pasquale Paoli against France.He change Is surname in Bonaparte because he was discriminated. He had a very strong Italian accent.

[@green6horn]

Actually, we do know where the heights were where Napoleon observed the battlefield because the Waterloo Committee posted a sign to mark where he observed the battlefield at 4pm. It’s just a little behind La Belle Alliance a tad to the east and provides a good view of D’Erlon’s side on the field. Additionally, Napoleon walked in the field with the Guard in the direction of where the Lion’s Mound stands today but it was west of La Haye Sainte and no way did he venture out that far with his men. He was pulled back well before then.

[@DH.2016]

When wargamers (and historians, for that matter) reflect on what they think Napoleon "should have done," they forget that they have a helicopter's view of the battlefield. I have an old computer game of Waterloo and one of the times I played it as the French, I opted to view the battle only from Napoleon's vantage point and to rely on reports from my Corps commanders to get a picture of their progress (or otherwise), their casualties, their current locations and those of the enemy. With an incomplete picture of the battlefield, even when I did ride around, it was more difficult by far and, I confess, less enjoyable because I couldn't zoom around the virtual battlefield to watch the local action - so I only did that once!

[@joshualetchford2034]

Scourge of War?

[@DH.2016]

Much older. Peter Turcan's 'Waterloo' on my Commodore Amiga (which I still have!). 😄@@joshualetchford2034

[@currybr]

What could Gideon Pillow see at Stones River? The back of the tree he was hiding behind. You guys are really killing it. Keep up the great work.

[@tipitjo]

I've read in one of the Carnets de la Belle-Alliance (one the best reference on the 1815 campaign) that on Saint-Helena, Napoleon was quoted as saying that he saw nothing of the battlefield. When I visited the battlefield last year, I've brought with me a spyglass and stood around Rossomme, la Belle-Alliance and where he coule have been during the attack of the Middle Guard and it was my conclusion also: Either he saw nothing or very little (the ridge of Mont-Saint-Jean sure helped Wellington). Even while walking down a "wallon" on the main road, the Lion's mound is not visible.

[@ilsignorsaruman2636]

If you even consider that Château Hougoumont, the first tartget of Napoleon's attack, was covered in woods and gardens, you have even less to see. He had to resort on what generals and aids could tell him. We can only imagine how the battlefield looked back then, since they decided to ruin such battlefield. Why build a mountain? That's so without taste! Though, the movie "Waterloo" from 1970 has a good depiction.

[@tipitjo]

@@ilsignorsaruman2636Exactly ! If you can read french, I suggest you Les Mensonges de Waterloo, written by the late Bernard Coppens. He explores that in depth :)

[@ilsignorsaruman2636]

@@tipitjo unfortunayely, i don't speak french (howerever i sometimes manage to understand something) But there's a really good book, made by one of the best italian historians, Alessandro Barbero, that analyses the battle almost minute by minute. I might take a look to the book you mentioned.

[@tipitjo]

@@ilsignorsaruman2636 If my memory is correct, the Carnets de campagne of the Editions de la Belle-Alliance also have an english version ! :)

[@ilsignorsaruman2636]

@@tipitjo ooh, i wanted those volumes for so long. They look so complete and interesting. If you happen to have one of them, how are they? As for italian description, it is said to contain maps from the time and even battle plans! Is that so?

[@scarfacejosh123]

I don't know what Napoleon saw, but that one rifleman certainly saw him through that scope on his rifle!

[@QUISLINGG]

the Hole in the Hat ( above left Ear ) must have actually happened

[@peterloft6281]

Except that scoped rifles of the type shown in that historical disaster of a movie didn’t exist 😂

[@QUISLINGG]

@@peterloft6281 visit the Gaurds Museum London you will see the Scope rifle along with Duke of Wellington Long Coat in the display

[@TheIrishvolunteer]

God that was a horrible scene

[@jackk4027]

😂

[@karlsilcock8727]

Less than you can today Wellington himself is quoted as saying they've ruined my battlefield upon passing it years later after silly billy had built his monument to his own imagined heroism. In truth they removed so much soil from the ridge it is hard to imagine how it must have looked in 1815.

[@davidfinch7407]

I think Napoleon "saw" the battlefield by looking at a map and hearing reports from his staff. The best generals also had excellent imaginations to visualize in their minds what was happening.

[@USSEnterprise6126]

Biggest thing is that maps can be inaccurate especially at the time due to things changing A great example of this type of thing is the franco Prussian war from 1870 the French had bad maps of thare own nation compared to the Prussians that were invading who had better maps of france yet france owning the land

[@davidfinch7407]

True, but a map doesn't have to be a printed piece of paper. Based on using their Mark 95 eyeball receivers and reports from their scouts, Generals can build a terrain map using stones and sticks to visualize the battlefield, make their plans, and explain their plan to subordinates. Not perfect, but nothing ever is. @@USSEnterprise6126

[@varelion]

Thank you for this view experience. And now add to all these difficulties preventing a good overall view the smoke a cannons and muskets and randomly heavy rain.

[@WargamesTonight]

Excellent analysis! This is a subject dear to me. I would love to see games that allow players to see only their character's surroundings!

[@timothypoulter8285]

It's worth reading John Keegan's account of the battle of Waterloo in his book The Face of Battle. The average solidier could see very little due to the amount of smoke from cannon and musket smoke.

[@robnewman6101]

Hurrah to Wellington & Blucher.

[@lucid4005]

Great video

[@OldOneTooth]

More than people who watched the terrible new movie saw.

[@sdtamarinera]

I always felt ironic that Napoleon had La belle allianz on his side.

[@skipsmoyer4574]

If anything I think it shows how poor a Commander could see the terrain around him and any obstruction be it woods, buildings or troops would block sight of what was behind if not being higher.

[@frauleinhohenzollern8442]

So how could commanders even make decisions? How did napoleon have any idea what he was sending his soldiers into?

[@QUISLINGG]

------ next is Cleopatra movie coming up in Summer 2024 ------ God only knows how Hollywood will alter the original History story

[@varelion]

Whoopie Goldberg as a super-fighter black warlord intimidating a senile Caesar and a whimpy Antonius?

[@libertycowboy2495]

I understand Denzel Washington will be playing Cleopatra 😂

[@oddballsok]

obviously Napoleon should have viewed the battlefield from the Lion's mound...duuuuuuuh

[@1rnw792]

According to Ridley Scott's historical epic all he could see was porkchops and the British in trenches.

[@libertycowboy2495]

Ridley Scott just did a fan fiction

[@thomasmain5986]

It's actually hilariously funny that the Belgiums built the Lion Mount Monument, to commemorate the brave Belgiums and their contribution to the battle, to the right of La Haye Saint, on the ridge in the exact location where the British fought and died, the earth to build the monument being bulldozed from the ridge altering the topography of the ridge, and scooping up bones and artifacts from the battle. The Belgiums were on Wellington's left flank, and certainly a plaque should be placed on the ridge to commemorate where the Belgiums ran away all the way back to Brussels telling everyone they met that Wellington was beaten. Europeans you can't believe anything said on the European Continent.

[@moitoi2547]

The lion was erected by The Netherlands (who ruled the country at the time) in 1826 on the spot where prince William was wounded. Belgium was only created in 1830. Still a silly decision anyway!

[@thomasmain5986]

@@moitoi2547 Well I guess it was the Prince of Orange who marred and desecrated the battle field of Waterloo to honour himself, and from memory it was not the only silly decision he made. My apologies to modern Belgium. Again from memory Belgium had become part of the French Empire it's soldiers marching under the Eagle's of France, hence their lack of enthusiasm for the Allied cause in 1815.

[@2adamast]

@@thomasmain5986 "But for the heroic determination of the Prince of Orange, who with a handful of men dared to stand firm at Quatre Bras I would have taken the English army in flagrante delicto and would have conquered as (the Russians) at Friedland." Napoleon The British were not ready on their perfect battlefield..

[@thomasmain5986]

@@2adamast I believe they were Dutch at Quatre Bras not Belgiums, and if you notice I imply no disrespect towards the Dutch who did the reputation no harm during the 1815 campaign. As to the Prince of Orange whatever he did at Quatre Bras he undid at Waterloo.

[@bigsarge2085]

✌

[@tolemykus4805]

Waterloo is just another example of people 'soft quitting'. :)

[@robnewman6101]

BOOOO to Bonaparte.