Ropes takes the four days of June 1815 almost hour by hour: Napoleon’s plan to strike between the Prussian and Anglo-Allied armies, the crossing of the Sambre, Ney at Quatre Bras, Blücher’s stand at Ligny, and the final day at Waterloo. Throughout he weighs the conflicting memoirs and dispatches to judge who made which decision, and why.
Careful, argumentative and fair to all three commanders, it rewards readers who know the outline of Waterloo and want the reasoning behind it. Download the free EPUB.