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    Waterloo 1815 (2): Ligny
    Waterloo 1815 (2): Ligny
    Waterloo 1815 (2): Ligny
    Ebook215 pages2 hours

    Waterloo 1815 (2): Ligny

    By John Franklin and Gerry Embleton

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    The battle of Ligny saw the Prussians pushed back by the French Army in what was to be Napoleon's last battlefield victory.

    This title represents the second instalment of the captivating study of the Waterloo campaign, one of the defining events in European history. In particular it focuses on the desperate struggle for Ligny. With Wellington unable to assist his Prussian allies in time, the Prussian centre was overwhelmed as night began to fall, although the flanks were able to retreat in some semblance of order.

    Stunning illustrations augment the drama of the fighting in this area while considerable research drawn from previously unpublished first-hand accounts provide a detailed and engaging resource for all aspects of the battle.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBloomsbury Publishing
    Release dateFeb 20, 2015
    ISBN9781472803689
    Waterloo 1815 (2): Ligny
    Author

    John Franklin

    John Franklin is a professional military historian based in Switzerland who specializes in the Napoleonic period, and the Waterloo campaign in particular. A Fellow of the International Napoleonic Society (FINS), and a graduate of the University of Bern, he has been engaged in one of the most comprehensive investigations of the campaign ever undertaken, with the aim of providing a wealth of previously unpublished material on the various armies and contingents present during the dramatic climax to this important period of European history. He is the author of the acclaimed books of correspondence on the Hanoverian and Netherlands armies, and is currently acting as historical consultant for the BBC TV Production: 'Waterloo - The Soldiers' Stories'.

    Read more from John Franklin

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    • 5/5
      A pretty detailed book, is amazin'. I just finished the Borodino book as well, and these are short but very well detailed for accounts of single battles. Truly amazin'.

    Book preview

    Waterloo 1815 (2) - John Franklin

    READING

    INTRODUCTION

    King Louis XVIII and the victorious coalition armies were welcomed enthusiastically by the Parisians when they entered the French capital in the spring of 1814, following Napoleon’s enforced abdication and exile. Upon his arrival at the Tuileries the obese Bourbon monarch made a solemn pledge of peace and prosperity to the nation, but his words proved worthless to the people of France.

    The reinstatement of Bourbon rule coincided with the return of the émigrés to French soil for the first time since the revolution, and many of these clergymen and nobles were immediately offered lucrative appointments within the new government. It was apparent that the king and his entourage, particularly his younger brother Charles Comte d’Artois, were determined to restore the numerous privileges of the aristocracy at the expense of the populace, and this led to widespread discontent. Nowhere was this more evident than within the French Army, which was subjected to extraordinary excesses. The tricolour was replaced by the white Bourbon cockade and the number of soldiers reduced, while experienced officers were demoted in favour of younger men of royalist persuasion. Louis insisted on the creation of a lavish Maison du Roi and dispensed with the veterans of the Garde Impériale. Indeed, the humiliation of the military also encompassed the maréchalat. Ney, Mortier, Oudinot and others were forced to submit to the odious regime, although Maréchal Nicolas-Jean de Dieu Soult, Duc de Dalmatie, was appointed Minister for War. Unbeknown to the king, the torch of revolution had been rekindled.

    NAPOLEON ESCAPES FROM THE ISLAND OF ELBA

    Within the confines of his island prison, Napoleon received intelligence of the discord in France and the bitter disagreements between the various European powers who were engaged in congress at Vienna. He also learned of the proposals made to the delegates by the French ministers to remove him from Elba, a haven which had been granted by Tsar Alexander of Russia, to a more remote location. The former emperor perceived an opportunity to return, and devised a plan to replace the monarchy and restore his personage upon the throne of France. On 26 February, following his usual Sunday morning mass, Napoleon issued a proclamation to the people of Elba announcing his departure. The date had been carefully selected as Colonel Sir Neil Campbell, the British officer charged with his captivity, was making one of his regular visits to Florence on the mainland in the brigantine HMS Partridge. Napoleon gave orders for a small flotilla of ships, consisting of the Inconstant, Saint-Esprit, Caroline and three feluccas, to be prepared so as to convey his carriage, artillery and troops; a body of 1,000 men. His beloved mother and sister, who had joined him on Elba, were to remain on the island under the protection of the resident garrison and the governing junta.

    The inhabitants of Elba gathered upon the quayside of the tiny port to bid Napoleon and his suite farewell. Shortly after 8:00pm they boarded the Inconstant, and the small flotilla of ships set sail for France. Painting by Joseph Beaume. (Photo © RMN-Grand Palais (Château de Versailles) / Gérard Blot)

    By 7:00pm the inhabitants had assembled upon the quayside of the tiny port, and wild acclamations greeted Napoleon and the imperial suite when they arrived and boarded the Inconstant. At 8:00pm one of the ship’s 16 guns fired the signal to depart. Because the French royalist government had engaged two vessels to patrol the waters between Elba and the coast of France, instructions had been issued for the flotilla to separate once at sea. Across the bay at Livorno rumours of an imminent escape had abounded for several days. Speculation was rife that Napoleon would make for the Kingdom of Naples, which was ruled by his brother-in-law and former cavalry commander, Joachim Murat. When Sir Neil Campbell was informed of these reports he determined to set sail for Elba without delay, and took the precaution of avoiding the gun emplacements when entering the harbour. It was a further three hours before the colonel could positively ascertain that Napoleon had departed, by which time the Elban ships were safely on their way. During the late afternoon of 1 March they anchored off the coast at Golfe Juan, close to Antibes, and the troops began to disembark. A detachment was sent to the town to distribute proclamations and to announce the emperor’s return to the soldiers within the citadel. Napoleon came ashore in the early evening, and with his customary zeal he immediately set out for Grenoble. The journey would take him through the mountains and the staunch royalist districts of the south.

    On 1 March the flotilla anchored off the French coast at Golfe Juan, close to Antibes, and in the late afternoon the troops disembarked. Napoleon came ashore in the early evening. Painting by George Beaufort. (Breamore House, Hampshire, UK / Bridgeman Images)

    THE LONG MARCH TO PARIS AND RETURN TO POWER

    King Louis XVIII did not learn of Napoleon’s arrival at Golfe Juan until the morning of 5 March. He instantly called for his advisors, in the form of his brother, Comte d’Artois, and Maréchal Soult. A plan was formed, whereby the troops in the region would collect and confront the former emperor and his followers. Arrangements were made for the king’s cousin, the Duc d’Orléans, accompanied by Maréchal Macdonald and the Duc de Berry, to travel to Lyon and concentrate the main force in and around the city, while Maréchal Masséna would send a column from Marseille to Sisteron to attack the invaders from the rear. The particulars having been agreed, a royal decree was issued the next day permitting the people of France to apprehend Napoleon as a traitor and a rebel.

    Louis XVIII returned to the throne of France in 1814, following Napoleon’s enforced abdication. The Bourbon monarch believed in the divine right of royalty and granted favours and concessions to his devoted adherents. Painting by François-Pascal Gérard. (Apsley House, the Wellington Museum, London, UK / © English Heritage Photo Library / Bridgeman Images)

    Vague and contradictory rumours spread through the capital. Many suggested that the enterprise had already been thwarted and that Napoleon had taken refuge in the mountains around Grasse. However, the streets frequently resounded to the cries of ‘Vive l’Empereur!’ and an air of apprehension prevailed as loyal Bonapartists donned the violet. Amidst this uncertainty a plot was contrived by several of Napoleon’s most ardent supporters. Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Comte d’Erlon, who commanded a division of 10,000 men at Lille, along with Comte Charles Lefèbvre-Desnouettes and both François-Antoine and Henri-Dominique Lallemand, planned to journey south and join with the former emperor. But the conspiracy was discovered by Maréchal Mortier and Comte Rémi-Joseph Exelmans. The four collaborators were arrested and court-martialled for treason.

    It was very cold and the paths through the mountains were treacherous due to the ice. Napoleon rode in his carriage with comtes Bertrand and Drouot, while the troops followed in silence. The procession received a muted reception when it arrived in the towns of Grasse and Castellane, where food and provisions were requisitioned. At Digne proclamations were printed. These were addressed separately to the people of France, the army and the Garde Impériale, and described the betrayal by Maréchal Marmont in 1814, who had led his corps over to the Russians after surrendering Paris, and Maréchal Augereau, who had released his soldiers from their vows of allegiance. The former emperor called upon the troops to unite beneath the folds of the tricolour, and planned to seize the fortress at Grenoble in order to encourage this act.

    Lieutenant-général Jean-Gabriel Marchand, who had fought with distinction during the Revolutionary Wars, was the military governor of Grenoble. Realizing the perilous situation, he ordered a company of sapeurs from the garrison, under the protection of a battalion from the 5e Régiment de Ligne, to destroy the wooden bridge across the river by the small market town of La Mure, over which Napoleon and his men would have to pass. However, the townspeople did not wish the bridge to be destroyed, and they forced the detachment to withdraw as far as a narrow defile close to the village of Laffrey, without having accomplished their mission. A company of voltigeurs was subsequently deployed to block the approach, although the men told the officers that they would not fire upon their former comrades-in-arms.

    That evening the vanguard of Napoleon’s column reached the pass. The two bodies were drawn in line when the emperor appeared on the road wearing his famous costume. He dismounted from his horse and sent an officer to inform the defenders that he was coming forward, and that his troops would have their muskets reversed. Accompanied by his most senior officers, he advanced to within pistol range and then unbuttoned his grey overcoat and spoke: ‘Soldiers of the 5e Ligne, if there is a soldier among you who wishes to kill his emperor, he may do so.’ Shouts of ‘Vive l’Empereur’ immediately rent the air and a state of exaltation swept through the ranks. The opposing forces were united and marched towards the city, but before reaching Grenoble they were joined by the 7e Régiment de Ligne. As the regiment approached, its young colonel Charles, Comte de la Bédoyère, broke the skin of the drum being carried by the man at his side and removed an Imperial Eagle. Napoleon accepted the symbol of his reign and, having congratulated the officer on his patriotism, embraced him warmly.

    Napoleon and his followers reached the defile at Laffrey, which was guarded by a detachment from the 5e Régiment de Ligne. Accompanied by his senior officers he advanced to within pistol range and, having unbuttoned his famous grey coat, spoke to the soldiers. The troops broke ranks and flocked to their former emperor in a state of exaltation. Painting by Vasily Sternberg. (Private collection / Photo © Christie’s Images / Bridgeman Images)

    Grenoble capitulated and the news spread rapidly. When Maréchal Macdonald and the Duc d’Orléans arrived at Lyon they found it impossible to animate the troops, who displayed the utmost contempt for the king and the Bourbon regime. It was agreed that there were insufficient means to defend the city, and the party fled ignominiously to the sanctuary of the capital. Napoleon and his devoted adherents entered Lyon in triumph, and on 13 March he issued a series of decrees which reversed many of the measures implemented by the government in his absence.

    Throughout this period of unrest Maréchal Michel Ney had remained on his estate at Coudreaux. The marshal and his family had been rejected by the Bourbon court due to his humble origins, but now in their hour of need he was summoned to Paris for an audience with the king. Ney expressed his desire to avert civil war, and consented to collect the loyal troops at Bésançon in order to

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