"Holding the Farm at Waterloo" Topic

"In what author Brendan Simms rightly calls "an epic defence," the 400-odd Hanoverian riflemen of the 2nd Light Battalion of the veteran King's German Legion withstood French artillery barrages, repeated mass charges, cavalry attacks, and relentless sniping to hold the fortified farm at La Haye Sainte. The farm stood at the center of the allied line, at a crucial intersection on the road to Brussels. Taking it was essential to the French effort to crack the line and drive a wedge between the enemy armies. But for the long bloody afternoon of June 18, 1815, the vastly outnumbered Germans defeated all attempts to take their position. Simms's meticulous research enabled him to deliver an hour-by-hour, yard-by-yard story of the officers and soldiers whose names and backgrounds personalize his account of a do-or-die stand that gives vivid meaning to the old command, "Hold this position."…."
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Amicalement
Armand

this is just an excerpt from "The Longest Afternoon; the 400 (sic) men who etc"

This makes not one mention of a Nassau contingent, not even of the famous camp kettles and the barn fire. The 1st Light Bttn KGL contribution is down to one mention of a straggler and a single sentence near the end. Muskets vs rifles amongst the defenders, not a mention.

The whole thing tells us this was what was pivotal to beating Napoleon. Or was it the KDG? Or was it the 52nd? Or was it the Foot Guards? All four topics of recent books of varying quality but awful subtitles. Add Grouchy's incompetence (The Last Great Waterloo Mystery Unravelled) or the Netherlanders (Wellington's Hidden Heroes) and you might wonder what the rest of the gents on the ridge were contributing

The mystery's behind the mystery. A new anyalsis of the Battle of Waterloo mystery's .

It's bound to be a best seller!

Bonkers.

Chris

"The mystery's behind the mystery. A new anyalsis of the Battle of Waterloo mystery's .

It's bound to be a best seller!"

Worth a learned article, at least.

I heared you liked mysteries, so I put a mystery in your mystery.

Good spot!

(smile)

Amicalement
Armand

I got my first Waterloo book at 14. My last, a couple of weeks ago. In between, four decades of "insights". If you ask astronomers to aggregate all their chromotography they will tell you that, on average, the universe is "beige". I suppose the same is true of Waterloo. So, why do I still fall for it? It's the Perry Mason courtroom drama I suppose, the inherent sense of superiority in weighing and if necessary rejecting the evidence. Every now and then they use or translate a new source, and I get another glimpse through a new pair of eyes. In between, I say I'll go cold turkey and not bother with these campaigning titles and just stick to memoires. Then another comes out, and I just can't resist! Yes, I've got this one too. Does anyone know of a support group for sufferers like me?

You are not alone my friend… (smile)

Amicalement
Armand