Robert Kershaw - 24 Hours at Waterloo: 18 June 1815

Contents

The truly epic and brutal battle of Waterloo was a pivotal moment in history a single day, one 24-hour period, defined the course of Europes future.

In March 1815, the Allies declared war on Napoleon in response to his escape from exile and the renewed threat to imperial European rule. Three months later, on 18 June 1815, having suffered considerable losses at Quatre-Bras, Wellingtons army fell back on Waterloo, some ten miles south of Brussels. Halting on the ridge, they awaited Napoleons army, blocking their entry to the capital. This would become the Allies final stand, the infamous battle of Waterloo.

In this intimate, hour-by-hour account, acclaimed military historian Robert Kershaw resurrects the human stories at the centre of the fighting, creating an authoritative single-volume biography of this landmark battle. Drawing on his profound insight and a field knowledge of military strategy, Kershaw takes the reader to where the impact of the orders was felt, straight into the heart of the battle, shoulder to shoulder with the soldiers on the mud-splattered ground.

Masterfully weaving together painstakingly researched eyewitness accounts, diaries and letters many never before seen or published this gripping portrayal of Waterloo offers unparalleled authenticity. Extraordinary images of the men and women emerge in full colour; the voices of the sergeants, the exhausted foot-soldiers, the boy ensigns, the captains and the cavalry troopers, from both sides, rise from the page in vivid and telling detail, as the fate of Europe hangs by a thread.

ROBERT KERSHAW is a former Para, who was commissioned into the British Armys Parachute Regiment in 1973. His active service includes tours in Northern Ireland, the first Gulf War (during which he was awarded the US Bronze Star) and Bosnia. He became commander of 10 PARA and retired as a full Colonel in 2006. Today, Robert is a highly acclaimed military historian and author, and guides battlefield tours throughout the world, including at Waterloo. 24 Hours at Waterloo is his ninth book.

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Published in 2014 by WH Allen, an imprint of Ebury Publishing
A Random House Group Company

Copyright Robert Kershaw 2014

Robert Kershaw has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work

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HB ISBN 9780753541425
TPB ISBN 978075341432

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For my wife, Lynn