"The Longest Afternoon: The 400 Men Who Decided ..." Topic
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Tango01 | 04 Feb 2015 4:01 p.m. PST |
…the Battle of Waterloo. "Of the 400 men with which I had entered the battle I now had no more than 42," realized Major George Baring on the night of June 18, 1815. One of the last remaining officers in the King's German Legion, Baring and his men had survived a brutal contest over La Haye Sainte, a small farmhouse south of Mont-Saint-Jean, key terrain in the Battle of Waterloo. As Baring continued in his personal report, news of the death toll caused him to weep as he felt "so great a bitterness… helplessly take possession of me." The actions of Baring and his men on June 18 are the focus of The Longest Afternoon, a new book by Brendan Simms, professor of the History of International Relations at the University of Cambridge (full disclosure: he is also my doctoral supervisor). Drawing on previously unexamined sources, including unpublished material in the Hanoverian archives, Simms writes from the perspective of the mud-caked battlefield. As a result, Wellington's victory is presented in all its savagery, vainglory, and desperation. Take this passage, for example: "Corporal Riemstedt and Riflemen Lindhorst and Lindenau also continued to stand their ground in the courtyard, despite their injuries. Once they ran out of bullets they used their sword bayonets (Hirschfaenger), clubs (Knittel) and even stones as weapons."…" Main page link Amicalement Armand |
Shedman | 05 Feb 2015 9:00 a.m. PST |
New as in September 2014 A good read none the less especially if you are putting on a participation game of LHS at Plymouth this weekend using Muskets and Tomahawks with 15mm figures and 4Ground's buildings |
MarescialloDiCampo | 05 Feb 2015 10:47 a.m. PST |
Thanks Tango, and the cited Poem in the last paragraph is powerful |
deadhead | 05 Feb 2015 2:48 p.m. PST |
Oh not that nonsense of 42 surviving from 400 yet again…..surely a large number of respectable historians have laid that to rest and explained what that statistic really means. Then……. the Prince personally ordered Ompteda to his death? Likely the original idea was his, but the dispute and exchange was with his British ADC, who then told the poor fellow to do his duty. Remember, it nearly worked. Ompteda died in the garden and his men nearly got to LHS behind him. Nearly, I admit. Easy now, 200 years on, to know those cuirassiers were waiting. If I have one wish two centuries on, it is that "British" history finally acknowledges that our writers back then were very partisan and ignored Allied nations' roles. My next would be to take everything written, then (even more, 20 years on), with a pinch of salt, (especially if stressing one's personal contribution). There have been some very good books this last year on 1815, far better than I had expected.I do ask…tell me one thing this book however tells us that is "new". I do not ask for some astounding new fact (that is too much to ask)…I ask for some new analysis or interpretation. I found this a "thin" book with large print and few pages, to be honest. |
tuscaloosa | 09 Feb 2015 1:40 p.m. PST |
It was written by the reviewer's doctoral supervisor however, so that gives rather a great deal to commend it. |
Frank the Arkie | 16 Feb 2015 8:28 p.m. PST |
I'm almost through with this book – on page 97 – and I've enjoyed it so far. I don't know enough about Waterloo to say whether anything written here is "new" or not. But I do like the concept – isolate a key position on the battlefield and focus on telling about the struggle for that position. The author left this reader, at least, with a clearer understanding of LHS' importance and the fighting there. |
Tango01 | 17 Feb 2015 12:00 p.m. PST |
Thanks for the info my friend. Amicalement Armand |
Sebastian Palmer | 28 Mar 2015 12:23 p.m. PST |
I really enjoyed this book. I read it more or less immediately after reading Andrew Roberts enormous Napoleon The Great. Simms' brevity was a welcome change of pace! I reviewed Simms' book for my blog, here: link … in case anyone might find that of interest? |
Tango01 | 29 Mar 2015 3:39 p.m. PST |
I like your review my friend. Amicalement Armand |
Sebastian Palmer | 31 Mar 2015 3:43 a.m. PST |
Thanks Armand :-) I often your informative posts. Best, Seb |
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