"Victor Hugo´s Account of the Battle of Waterloo" Topic

"Enthusiasts of the Battle of Waterloo are familiar with these epic lines from Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, describing the French cavalry charge obliterated in the so-called sunken lane. The true enthusiast, aware of the lack of corroborating evidence to support the sunken lane story, will gently but firmly place Hugo's account aside, unread. Was Victor Hugo, however, but another French historian conjuring up reasons for the national defeat, or does he deserve more notice and respect? As the literary scholar Arthur Wilson-Green has written,…"
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Armand

Thanks Armand. It's an interesting read, but doesn't explain- and I can't for the life of me understand – why there's a monument to Hugo on the battlefield. He really has nothing to do with it.

It's always puzzled me that Allied accounts fail to mention the difficulties of traversing a 12' deep obstacle in their advance in the closing stages of the battle?

No mention my friend…

The Monument was because the significance of Victor Hugo's writing … a world famous man … especially about Waterloo

Armand

A novelist writer, not historian.
What may have become folklore of the battle for many decades is hard to ignore.
The post-era Bonapartists suppression had a major influence on French culture and politics, hence when 'liberated' from the Royalist punitive regimes, much material became openly public.
~d

It's always puzzled me that Allied accounts fail to mention the difficulties of traversing a 12' deep obstacle in their advance in the closing stages of the battle?

The French cavalry didn't have a problem with it either. Hugo made it up.

Obviously Hugo was aiming to tell a good story, and his account of Waterloo is no different. Regardless of the accuracy of the details, his account nonetheless captures a sense of the battle that is glorious to read.

Thanks.

Armand

I read, years ago, that at one point during the French cavalry charges of the afternoon, a number of French Cuirassiers – eighteen, I think – did gallop into the "sunken lane"/"concealed re-entrant" near to Hougoumont, became disordered among themselves, trapped, and captured or shot down by Allied troops above them. Can't remember whether this account were cited with any connection to Hugo's invention, though.

@ Robert,
That episode was very interesting.
Much of the Ohain road traversing Mont St.Jean Hill was no obstacle to move across, but in some places very sunken parts existed – moreso at the crossroads in the center, and one area where your mentioned event occurred, north of the Hougoumont position, but actually on the Nivelles to Brussels highway.

It was there that a party from Mitchell's brigade if I recall, had set up one of the three Allied abatis/ roadblocks. This was manned lightly and looked to defend the road from French advances from the south.

In the event you've already detailed, what happened was witnessed in several Allied soldier's post battle accounts. The incident happened during the French cavalry charges. One large body of cuirassiers had got the better of an Allied cavalry counter-attack, but then found themselves cut off by reinforcing Allied cavalry, and after a clash, the French horsemen surrendered; but so many that not all could be kept captured; one group made a bolt for freedom and galloped down the Nivelles highway southwards. Then they hit Michell's roadblock and got trapped, Mitchell's infantry guarding the blockade, were on the higher banks of the sunken road and shot into the group which devastating results.

There's an older painting that dramatically portrays Hugo's fantasy version, based on a real event that perhaps Hugo borrowed from, and recreated with artistic license….. The incident occurred on the Brussels highway near the sandpit quarry. The road banks there were very elevated north of La Haye Sainte, and it was during Somerset's Brigade's first charge in the area, that many French cuirassiers in their foiled distraction attack in the area, found themselves forced over the embankment – but in retreat/ rout.

Many thanks for these details, Merlenik; that about the abatis brought back the passage more fully to memory, though I hadn't known about corralling (if not dismounting) the captured Cuirassiers. Also, I'm pretty sure I've seen the image you mention, though as an engraving rather than the original painting, and it does look as if one French cavalryman thinks he and his mount are in a Steeplechase. Good Luck.

Perhaps the recently published title Waterloo Archive Atlas might shed some light on the existence of any sunken roads or whatever?

It preproduces many a contemporary watercolour, which generally do exaggerate the vertical scale for dramatic effect. There is the Ferraris map, suggesting a deep hollow just north of La Belle Alliance, which again is no longer obvious. Who knows what two centuries of farming have done?

Now, you cannot beat walking the field itself. From the crossroads to the east there is no longer any barrier,whether hedge, embankment, or ditch on the ridge. To the west, however, the north side of the road seems to have been spared by the Belgian builders of the Lion Monument. There is still a bank, maybe 4-5 feet high. The south side of that road is flattened along its entire length, but, of course, this was once a narrow lane, not the modern wide road.

The one glimpse of the past is the Gordon Monument. This lies to the West of the chausee and it was untouched by the clearance of the ridge. It is a dramatically steep drop to the main road, which I had intended to descend, but turned back. See it on Google Earth from the road. If the whole road was as "hollow" as that, that was an incredible obstacle.

Siborne's model was based on detailed topographical surveys carried out fairly soon after the battle. I don't recall seeing any particularly significant obstacles?

Whilst the Victor Hugo story is clearly myth, let's have a look at some eye-witness accounts:

Lieutenant the Honourable George Cathcart, extra ADC to Wellington:

‘With regard to the hollow road near our right centre, that is the part nearest the tree, I have a distinct recollection of it.

‘For about 100 yards, more or less, it was very hollow. At the end going down into the high road it might have been 10 or even 15 feet deep. I have reason to know it, for there was but one way of going down into it from the field at the back of La Haye Sainte, which was very slippery, would admit not more than two horses at a time, and might have been at an angle of 45.

‘… This hollow road must have been an obstacle of considerable extent, or some of us would have crossed in another place, but at about three or four hundred yards, and perhaps less distance from the main road, it was little or no obstacle, and was frequently passed by cavalry. The circumstance of my horse being killed by a shot at about 200 yards distance from the corner of the house, which took effect in his breast, also makes me positive there was no high sharp ridge there like a parapet parallel to the road in the line of that shot, though there may have been further to the right; but certainly none to impede the advance of cavalry.'

Lt Col von Linsingen, commanding officer of the 5th KGL Line Battalion:

‘My left flank adjoined the 8th Line Battalion, whose left flank extended close to the highway, and on my right flank was the Hanoverian Grubenhagen Light Battalion. Immediately in front of the 5th Battalion was a hollow way, which ran from the highway for some distance towards the right flank. Its exit led into lower ground which extended in front of La Haye Sainte towards the left flank and formed a sort of centre line between the two armies, as the enemy was positioned on the opposite ridge… Until 4 or 5 o'clock, it had only minor losses, as the already mentioned hollow way kept the French cavalry from attacking, and it was exposed only to to small arms fire and very little cannon fire.'

Accounts of the 1st KGL Light Battalion repeatedly refer to the hollow way as a ‘ravine' (a translation issue?). Captain Benne of the battalion states, ‘When the enemy attack in question began [this was d'Erlon's attack] the 1st Light Battalion was emplaced in the ravine with four companies.' All the accounts make clear that it was awkward to deploy a formed body of men out of it. Indeed, Captain von Gilsa had to seek permission to ‘break out of the ravine with the company… I didn't see other companies of the battalion anywhere on the left side of the chaussee; in all probability both of these had retreated into the ravine.' Lieutenant Leonhard described the ravine as ‘deep.'

The single French account I can find that mentions the hollow road is by Colonel Ordener who commanded the 1st Cuirassiers;

‘Our first shock was irresistible. Despite a rain of iron that struck our helmets and cuirass', despite a sunken road above which were established the English batteries, and into which I tumbled with the front ranks (I got out by hanging onto the tail of the horse of one of my cuirassiers), we crowned the crest of the heights, we passed like a bolt of lightning through the guns, and approached the English infantry… ‘

At least he does not make a big play of it or try to use it as an excuse.

Hugo was relating "his truth". If it looks a lot like nonsense, well, that's how that works.