June 18th - 195th Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo

Just reminding everyone that today is the 195th Anniversary of Waterloo. Congratdulations everyone, and try to watch Waterloo, the film some time today.

Cheers, MB!

From Wikipedia, for those lads that need to brush up on their history!

The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium. An Imperial French army under the command of EmperorNapoleon was defeated by combined armies of the Seventh Coalition, an Anglo-Allied army under the command of the Duke of Wellington combined with a Prussian army under the command of Gebhard von Blücher. It was the culminating battle of the Waterloo Campaign and Napoleon's last. The defeat at Waterloo put an end to Napoleon's rule as Emperor of the French and marked the end of his Hundred Days' return from exile.
Upon Napoleon's return to power in 1815, many states that had opposed him formed the Seventh Coalition and began to mobilise armies. Two large forces under Wellington and von Blücher assembled close to the northeastern border of France. Napoleon chose to attack in the hope of destroying them before they could join in a coordinated invasion of France with other members of the Coalition. The decisive engagement of this three-day Waterloo Campaign (16 June – 19 June 1815) occurred at the Battle of Waterloo. According to Wellington, the battle was "the nearest-run thing you ever saw in your life."[5]
Napoleon delayed giving battle until noon on 18 June to allow the ground to dry. Wellington's army, positioned across the Brussels road on the Mont-Saint-Jean escarpment, withstood repeated attacks by the French, until, in the evening, the Prussians arrived in force and broke through Napoleon's right flank. At that moment, Wellington's Anglo-allied army counter-attacked and drove the French army in disorder from the field. Pursuing Coalition forces entered France and restored Louis XVIII to the French throne. Napoleon abdicated, surrendered to the British, and was exiled to Saint Helena, where he died in 1821.

General Bonaparte, or Emperor of the French but known to the British only as "The Theif of Europe"

Took on a fellow duffer...
His Grace, The Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesly

....And lost, but he lost with honour that so called "Theif"

And a memorial moment, when the British took a French Eagle

"By Jesus boys, I got me cockatoo"

MB

Is it not La France?

Anyway yes, Waterloo today. Vitoria in three days.

Am I the only one who finds it ironic that President Sarkozy was in London today to commemorate Anglo-French unity?

Originally Posted by Maleficus

Am I the only one who finds it ironic that President Sarkozy was in London today to commemorate Anglo-French unity?

Well 18th of june happen to also be the day when De Gaulle made his first calling to resist the german occupation on the BBC. I guess it's more for that reason than to celebrate Waterloo that he was in London.

One musket - $200

Running cost of the French empire for one day - $1,000,000

Remembering the day marking that the British are better than the French - Priceless.

Yeah British.... This battle was won by dutch and germans.

One of the most influential and decisive battles in history.

Originally Posted by Prisca

One of the most influential and decisive battles in history.

Barely. Napoleon had already lost.
Remember that it took place after the 100 days, against a Napoleon with an army being only the shadow of itself. No Grande Armée anymore...
Overrated I tell ya.
Leipzig is the real battle which counted.

Besides, Napoléon won the battle to posterity. He's the greatest. Period.
Wellington is barely known outside the UK.
Say wellington to some random guy in the street, he'll think you try to sell him some motor oil...
Say Napoléon, no doubt: the general, the hat, the glory, the victories.
Sorry (in fact no, I'm not... just saying héhé)

Wellington can rot in hell!
A mort Wellington!
Vive la France, Vive l'Empereur!

The coalition would have sooner or later started to break apart - wars against France had lasted for nearly 25 years since the revolution, and had Napoleon secured his regained power with victories the coalition would start to break apart - as it had before. Napoleon was sent away after his defeats, and yet he came back twice with support of French people. No other leader who lost his power was able to return to his country and be received like Napoleon was - both alive and dead.

Originally Posted by Drakon

Barely. Napoleon had already lost.
Remember that it took place after the 100 days, against a Napoleon with an army being only the shadow of itself. No Grande Armée anymore...

It was also not made up of conscripts. If Napoleon and re-instituted the draft he would have had an army resembling the earlier Grand Armee.

You're thinking of Barossa.

Some Irish sergeant took an eagle and said, "Be jabbers boys! Oi've got their Cuckoo!

http://www.army.mod.uk/infantry/regiments/5942.aspx

Originally Posted by garyoppolis

You're thinking of Barossa.

Some Irish sergeant took an eagle and said, "Be jabbers boys! Oi've got their Cuckoo!

http://www.army.mod.uk/infantry/regiments/5942.aspx

Why do I always think some hillbilly said that?

Gord96, well there more Dutch than British at Waterloo. And I've heard some old proverb, Arab I think, say: "It is better to have an army of lambs led by a lion than an army of lions led by a lamb." In this case, Wellington was the lion.

This calls for at least one round of the Waterloo historical battle from each perspective tonight. I hope I have the time to play.

gentlemen,on this great day you should get your facts straight. the eagle of the 45th ligne was taken by sergeant charles ewart of the royal scots greys, and the eagle of the 105th ligne was taken by captain a.k.clark of the royals.the cuckoo was taken during the peninsular war a few years earlier.

Originally Posted by leonn

gentlemen,on this great day you should get your facts straight. the eagle of the 45th ligne was taken by sergeant charles ewart of the royal scots greys, and the eagle of the 105th ligne was taken by captain a.k.clark of the royals.the cuckoo was taken during the peninsular war a few years earlier.

Isn't the Royal Scots Greys a cavalry regiment? And therefore wouldn't have any sergeants

Originally Posted by RO Citizen

Napoleon deserved the victory

Well he lost, so he obviously didn't deserve to win THAT much

Originally Posted by RO Citizen

Wellington was such a nasty&dull guy.

Nasty? Maybe, though I'd argue that a guy who tries to conquer all of Europe just because he feels like it is rather nastier than a guy who just likes good discipline, but I digress.

As I was saying:
Nasty? Maybe.
Dull? Never!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTC9amNWwqU

In fact i need say that the Emperor for all of his accomplishment and perseverance did indeed deserve the victory and he lost is simply due to insubordination and impetuous foolery.Wellington was beat and was on the verge of retreat prior to the appearance of the Prussians and even that would not have been a problem had the Emperor put in the guard earlier than he did.And let us not forget the refusal of Grouchy to march to the spund of the guns,the wasted manpower at Hougemont and the inability of Ney and Kellerman to recall the timeless truth that a man cannot go forward with the cavalry without infantry support...Napoleon won that battle..everyone else lost it for him...

Originally Posted by Maleficus

Isn't the Royal Scots Greys a cavalry regiment? And therefore wouldn't have any sergeants



Well he lost, so he obviously didn't deserve to win THAT much



Nasty? Maybe, though I'd argue that a guy who tries to conquer all of Europe just because he feels like it is rather nastier than a guy who just likes good discipline, but I digress.

As I was saying:
Nasty? Maybe.
Dull? Never!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTC9amNWwqU

yes,the scots greys were a cavalry regt and yes of course they had sergeants.as i said get your facts straight!

Originally Posted by Maleficus

Isn't the Royal Scots Greys a cavalry regiment? And therefore wouldn't have any sergeants

The "corporal of horse" oddity is limited to the Household Division i.e. The Blues and Royals and the Life Guards.

RSDG were part of the Union Brigade so they didn't go in for all that jazz.

Huzzah Gentlemen!

Battle that decided the fate of Europe! Vive l'Empereur!

Napoléon1er