"Wellington s Hidden Heroes: The Dutch and the..." Topic

… Belgians at Waterloo.

"The Duke of Wellington described the Battle of Waterloo as the most desperate business I ever was in .. I was never so near being beat . The courage of British troops that day has been rightly praised ever since, but the fact that one-third of the forces which gave him his narrow victory were subjects, not of George III, but of the King of the Netherlands, has been almost completely ignored. This book seeks to correct a grave injustice through the study of Dutch sources both primary and secondary the majority of which have never been used by English-speaking historians. The Dutch-Belgians have been variously described as inexperienced, incompetent and cowardly, a rogue element in the otherwise disciplined Allied Army. It is only now being tentatively acknowledged that they alone saved Wellington from disaster at Quatre Bras. He had committed a strategic error in that, as Napoleon advanced, his own troops were scattered over a hundred kilometres of southern Belgium. Outnumbered three to one, the Netherlanders gave him time to concentrate his forces, and save Brussels from French occupation. At Waterloo itself, on at least three occasions when the fate of the battle hung upon the cusp their engagement with the enemy aided British recovery. Their commander the Prince of Orange is viciously described as an arrogant fool, a disaster waiting to happen and even a dangerous lunatic. According to the assessment of the Duke himself, he was a reliable and courageous subordinate. The Dutch material in this book reveals a new dimension for familiar events in the Campaign, and includes many unseen illustrations. For the first time, a full assessment is made of the challenge which Willem I faced as King of a country hastily cobbled together by the Congress of Vienna, and of his achievement in assembling, equipping and training thirty thousand men from scratch in eighteen months. This is a timely reassessment in the two hundredth anniversary year of the battle of Waterloo. The veneration which the Duke of Wellington justifiably enjoyed after the Waterloo Campaign should not be allowed to forgive his lifelong lack of acknowledgment of the debt he owed the Netherlanders. As he once said himself, there should be glory enough for all , and it is high time that they are allowed to claim their share."

See here
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Amicalement
Armand

Thanks Armand, interesting find.

However I think the 'shock horror' that the Belgian and Dutch contribution has been overlooked, like that of the German contribution, has more to do with marketing spin than uncovering historical secrets.

I think the gallant contribution of the Netherlands Field Army has hardly been 'completely ignored', certainly of late. Erwin Muiljwick's several useful tomes on this most recently open up this area…

Of course it has long been a staple of 20th Century scholarship that the courageous decisions by the Prince of Saxe Weimar, General Constant Rebecque, and then confirmed by the Prince of Orange to ignore Wellington's orders and defend Quatre Bras saved the campaign for the Allies.

"Express surprise at dastardly Brits ignoring contribution of gallant allies but we dare to tell the tale in this new and completeky original publication, honest guv" is pretty standard fare for promotional blurb these days :)

"the King of the Netherlands, has been almost completely ignored…" Apart from that chuffin great mound on the battlefield with the lion on top.
In fact visiting the battlefield at present you could be forgiven for being unaware that a) the British were involved or b) Napoleon lost…

There have been a number of such exposes in the last 12 months (she cut it fine though, with less than three months to go!)

Ah, now I see not out till July anyway!

We have elsewhere read that the 52nd won the battle and their role was never acknowledged, or that the 400 (sic) that held LHS were the real victors, or that those Prussians' role has been minimised. None of this will surprise the only readers who will buy such specialised works. The general reader will probably not get beyond Cornwell or Barbero..

Still, a hard back book for £20.00 GBP, which might add something seems good value. I only hope there is some primary research in this and not just a precis of what has appeared in the last year or two from the Netherlands…and which was necessarily more pricey

Thanks for this, Armand!
As long as the book is well-researched and written, I don't mind if the publishers do a bit of 'puffing' to promote their product.
A book that proposes an alternative interpretation of events – subject to the caveats above – is often more interesting to read than one which retells the orthodox version,IMHO. I can always disagree with it afterwards…

Glad you enjoyed it boys! (smile)

Agree that General Constant Rebecque save the day and posible the campaing. He was a forgoten heroe in many books.

Amicalement
Armand

Don't forget that Erwin Muilwijk, wrote three volumes on the Netherlands field army in 1815, with "standing firm at Waterloo being the most readable of (or most spectacular) of the three. Erwins writing style is (in my opinion) not very fluent but his research is very sound. Certainly worth a look if you're into the "Dutch Belgians" at Waterloo.

Saw this book in several local stores in the US. Surprised to see it displayed prominently in stores here.

Anyone read it? I would buy it if it was based on primary sources and reads well, regardless of superficial marketing claims.

dantheman

I've read it. It is worth reading and reads well, but don't expect detailed descriptions of the 1815 battles. The main aim of the title is to display how the vital contributions, especially at Quatre Bras, by the Dutch-Belgians has generally been overlooked. The author offers a very convincing case, although she does tend to readily accept the Dutch-Belgian accounts and memoirs while far too easily criticising the British equivalents.

Those who are well read on the 1815 campaign, especially with the mass of new material and titles becoming available in this special year, may consider that the problem has been addressed. But, as I pointed out in my review, some of the old myths concerning the Dutch-Belgians running away can still be found within the new titles.

Overall, a very enjoyable read, and very revealing for those not well read on the 1815 campaign.