Author: S. Henry Dwan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 71

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Book Description
The battle of Waterloo was fought over 200 years ago and has continued to attract undiminishing interest ever since. Marking as it did the culmination of the Napoleonic Wars and the extinguishing of the fascinating career of that conflict's namesake. Just as the battle itself continues in its popularity, so too does the battlefield itself. In a normal year, anywhere up to 500,000 tourists descend on the location for a fulfilling experience which pays tribute to the Belgian people's justifiable investment and pride in this historic site. Tourism here, practically began before the gunpowder smoke had dissipated - tourists arrived generally from Brussels, to see for themselves the gory site of a 'freshly sewn' Napoleonic battlefield, while the suffering of desperately wounded men and horses was still in its early stages. At the time it was just another battlefield and the soldiers present expected another battle would be fought in a day or two - few if any fully appreciated the severity of the French defeat - and even fewer could have gauged the decisiveness of the encounter. But as subsequent events unfolded and it became apparent that the long 'Great French War' was finally at an end, so Waterloo grew to be the 'punctuation mark' of history that it is today.Under four miles wide and less than two and a half deep, Waterloo is an easily accessible battlefield with a total area of about eight to ten square miles - which can be covered on foot by many people in 1-2 days or perhaps 3 if a wider experience of each location is desired. The battlefield area is protected by a Belgian law laid down in 1914 which was extended to cover a wider area in 2015. Features on the battlefield remain significantly unchanged and the modern encroachment of tarmac and sign posts do little to detract from the overall impression. Buildings present in 1815 appear largely as they did then, with the notable exceptions of Papelotte and the Plancenoit church. La Haye Sainte, Mont St. Jean Farm, Le Caillou, Chantelet and the remains of Hougoumont all present the visitor with the rewarding image as seen by the soldiers present on 18th June. The same is true of those surviving locations that form a part of the 1815 campaign. Much of the Quatre-Bras and Ligny battlefields can still be seen - and locations in Wavre, Namur and Charleroi have also been happily preserved.Following the battle, many monuments, memorials, plaques and steles were erected/mounted in the widespread locations of the battlefield and campaign area. The most significant of these being the 'Lion Mound' raised half way down Wellington's right flank. Love it or hate it (for its alteration to this important part of the battlefield) the mound offers the most spectacular of views and allows the visitor to fully appreciate the scale of the battlefield as a whole. From here it is easy to look into the ground before La Belle Alliance and visualise the attacks by the French Cavalry and the Imperial Guard. I have also covered the visitor centre which in 2015 was transformed into perhaps the best historical battlefield centre in the world. It includes a very absorbing '4D ' film of the battle which put the viewer right in the middle of events (you see bayonets and horses muzzles actually come at you from the screen!) And also a very fine display of uniforms and weapons from the battle (the most accurate representation of 1815 uniforms you will probably see). Hougoumont too has seen some transformation and with renovation and a cinematic show now included. In all, the battlefield will not disappoint anyone remotely interested in history - for a 'Napoleonic buff' it cannot be missed. Finally, I have included an orders of battle to the guide by way of an appendix and guidance.