‘’s Waterloo’ An Anniversary Tour to the 1815 Waterloo Campaign battlefields 16th - 19th June 2017

‘I had been over many a field of battle, but except for one spot at New Orleans, and the breach of Badajoz, I had never seen anything to be compared with what I saw. At Waterloo, the whole field from right to left was a mass of dead bodies. In one spot, to the right of La Haye Sainte, the French Cuirassiers were literally piled on each other; many soldiers not wounded lying under their horses; others, fearfully wounded, occasionally with their horses struggling upon their wounded bodies. The sight was sickening, and I had no means or power to assist them.’ …… A British veteran

Waterloo is a story of such magnitude, not only of the leaders, but also of the men themselves. It is a story of their lives, their families, their fears, and their heroism and, for many, their ultimate sacrifice on that fateful June Sunday in 1815. This great military gamble unfolded 202 years ago, this summer in a small valley 11 miles south of Brussels. With five gross errors of judgement and two incredible chance decisions, amid 115,000 casualties, we discover that at the campaign’s unbelievable end, soldiers in multicoloured coats, amidst the fog of war, did not know whether they had won or lost.

‘I met Lord Saltoun, who told me he was about to return to his battalion on the heights we had just quitted, in consequence of his having lost almost all his men. In effect, on looking over the party in the orchard, I found scarcely any other than those belonging to Scot Fusilier Guards. The deadly very thick on the whole length of the

ground occupied.’

Captain Douglas Mercer - 2nd Battalion, 3rd Foot Guards Stoke by Nayland, Colchester, 9th November 1834

‘Where it all happened on a Sunday afternoon’ …. Beneath The Lion Mound - 300,000 cubic meters of earth

Tour Itinerary This tour will visit the Waterloo Campaign battlefields of Quatre Bras, Ligny and Waterloo and the campsites and re-enactments that this 202nd Anniversary presents.

The tour will start and finish at the Grand Hotel Waterloo.

Day 1: Friday 16th June: Wellington, the Man, the Leader, the Victor!

 Tour Rendezvous & Departure: Rendezvous will be at The Grand Hotel, Waterloo at 1530 Hr on Day 1 (16 Jun). Departure will be from the Grand Hotel at 1430 Hrs on Day 4 (19 Jun).

 Wellington's Headquarters and something for the imagination. A bed, a table and three picture frames and Asses’ skin that will prove moving, intriguing, educational and

memorable. Wellington the man, the leader, the decision maker.

 Royal Chapel & St Joseph’s Church: Built by the Spanish Governor General of the Low

Countries in the hope that Charles II of Spain would produce an heir.

3 Nights at The Grand Hotel in Waterloo, situated 4 Kilometres north of the battlefield we have used this hotel since 2003 and can highly recommend it.

Day 2: Saturday 17th June: Prelude Battles of Quartre Bras, Ligny and Napoleon

 Depart for Quatre Bras where Cooke’s Guards stormed the Bossu Wood during the only battle that Wellington fought not of his own choosing.

 Field Presentation - Prelude to Waterloo: From its dishevelled start to its electrifying end, the Waterloo campaign fascinates in its intensity. It endured four great battles in as many days, the climax of which, dramatic by any standard, saw the defeat of an Empire and ended the dreams and ambitions of the greatest soldier of modern times. The feat of arms at Waterloo changed the entire course of European history when Bonaparte pitted his military brilliance and charisma against the tactical skill and stamina of Wellington, in an effort to decide the fate of Europe. … This short presentation is essential background to understanding the battle sequence and the leadership decisions made in a campaign that fights four battles in as many days.

 Quatre Bras: The Cross Roads where Lancers got stuck in and Wellington earns his keep defending the most important road junction in Napoleonic history. The squealing pig, the lane, the aftermath. Understanding the significance of the first chance decision of the campaign, the ground of importance and where Perponcher and Rebecque decided wisely.

 Driving the Battlefield at Quatre Bras: We take in Gemioncourt Farm, Scene of the 5th Militia's Dutch determination to hold off the French heavy horse and the fight for the farm. Pierrepoint Farm and where the wood of the same name saw the largest Division in the French Army drive in the outposts of the Perponcher’s 27th Jaegers. We view where De Lancey wrote his misleading deposition whilst Wellington was observing and understanding the tactical significance of the French camp fires and onion soup mid-morning on that 16th June - Matern Lake to learn of the history of the “Sweeps ‘n’ Grasshoppers” efforts to protect Wellington’s left. The Quatre Bras Memorials: Dutch, and British and where granite went flying.

 Ligny: Napoleon’s last victory. A field of conflict thrice the size of Waterloo and where attrition was the intent and result of the day. Poor staff work, a delay through stupidity and where ‘Prussian micky’ was extracted from pink parasols. The roundabout, the single question at Brye and the ‘central position’ yet again resulting from Napoleon’s eye for ground.

Right: Ferme d’en Haut … the lane to the left had been barracaded with timber, carts and ploughs. The 30th Regt ran past into the village square only to retreat in disorder.

 Lunch

 Le Caillou: Napoleon's Headquarters to contemplate the demise of the greatest soldier of modern time.

At Le Caillou in the room where it happened, we hear how Napoleon overruled his commanders and advisors. We look at how a very serious battle conference went horribly wrong. Confusion, bad feeling, over confidence and loss of trust resulted.

Napoleon’s statue at Le Caillou

 Lion Mound, Panorama and New 4G 1815 Memorial Museum: A climb to a platform 45 meters above the field of conflict. We view the battlefield and learn the battle history. A memorable experience including the new film. The largest mural in Western Europe. It depicts the almost surreal but courageous series of French cavalry charges against the Allied squares of infantry resisting them. Then the Hougoumont model - Then and now, Wellington’s reason

why, the gardener, the biscuits and the most intensive killing field in Europe?

th nd Day 3: Sunday 18 June: ‘Crisis, Cavalry, Imperial Garde and the 202

Anniversary

 Picton’s Line: From the VIP stand … an unusual location but let’s see if we have the elevation to see Chapel Jacques. Prior to the Re-enactment we will orientate the battlefield and learn the tales of ‘Picton’s Line’ - Where the rough sharpened sabres of the Union Brigade devastated the best part of two French Divisions, the story of a General, a Sergeant and what hit the Essex boys from the rear.

The Greys charged at Waterloo with ‘rough sharpened’ sabres. This was made public by Private Alexander Somerville and Regimental colleagues. For this he was court marshalled and received 100 lashes in front of his regiment.

and The Imperial Guard Memorial: Ney’s second argument with Kellerman and the latter’s near vision of the pride of France riding to her demise. An overview of the battle as seen through French eyes.

 Lunch

 Mercer’s Ridge: The second argument between Ney and Kellerman and where ‘G’ Troop faced Ney's gallant cavalry charges. The final attack of the Imperial Guard, the tales from the ridge on the men in short blue coats - The battle aftermath and legacy

“The infantry, the finest instrument I have”

Wellington to his brother after the battle

Mercer’s Stone

Hougoumont: The ground Wellington deemed most important. Scene of ‘The Battle within the Battle’ and where Guardsmen were 10 hours under arms and 9 hours under continuous combat.

Hougoumont’s Infamous Southern Wall

 Dinner at Le Gros Velo, Plancenoit. The very centre of the Prussian effort against 6 Battalions of

Napoleon’s Young Garde via The Prussian and Young Garde Memorials.

Day 4: Monday 19th June ‘The Way of the Prussian’

 Chapel St Robert. The chapel, the deception and Napoleon’s ill-informed intelligence.

 We look at the Prussian involvement and discover how Blucher’s poorly equipped, hungry, exhausted but brilliantly led army impacted on the battle.

 Ferme de la Kelle: The Prussian Rubicon, greasy banks of the defile and civilian reaction. Such was the iron discipline no dwelling or farm was plundered here during the Prussian advance.

 Bois de Paris: Hake’s Brigade emerged to confront the French reserves of Domon and Subervie.

 Chateau Frischermont (Right): The secrets of this place are surprising and educational.

 Papelotte: The importance of the Allied left flank and why little is known of the events in this part of the battlefield are revealed.

 Zieten’s Crossroads: The scene of that great chance Near here the first shots of the battle were fired decision.

Here on Wellington’s left flank, General Zeithen, a Prussian commander, was about to execute the strategic intent of his superior when he is ordered to do the seemingly opposite. He knew his boss’s mind, and his organizational culture but would he trust in his own judgement?

Zeithen’s Crossroads

 Lunch

 Tour Ends: Return Grand Hotel and Depart by 1430 Hrs

Tour Value:

Tour Cost: £ 935 Single Supplement: £ 145 Deposit: £300

Included in the price of the Tour: Excluded from the price of the Tour:  3 Nights Grand Hotel Accommodation (B&B)  Lunches  3 Dinners 3 Course with wine  Hotel extra services, telephone, bar  Transport by People Carrier and business facilities  All museum entry fees  Personal Insurance  Guild of Battlefield Guides - Qualified Guide  Maps and Tour Folder

Your Guide – Graeme Cooper

Graeme Cooper has been battlefield guiding since 1995 and owns Cooper's Waterloo Tours, a family run business specialising in tailored tours of the Napoleonic Campaign battlefields of the Peninsular War and Waterloo for adults, and leadership training for the military. A Fellow of the International Napoleonic Society (FINS), Graeme qualified as a Waterloo Campaign Guide with Les Guides 1815 in 1998. Graeme's interest in the Napoleonic Campaigns was sparked during his time as a cadet at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst by his tutors, the late and renowned military historians and authors, Professor Richard Holmes and Dr David Chandler.

This intrigue, kept alive by a military career, has maintained his fascination for Napoleonic campaigns and a strong concern for the preservation of the Waterloo battlefield, which he first visited in 1973.

In November 2002, Graeme founded The International Guild of Battlefield Guides and was the Secretary until November 2009 when he became the first member to be elected to the Roll of Honour for his services to the Guild. In May 2006, he formed Corporate Battlefields Ltd, a leadership training company for corporate management and has since delivered to senior management teams from eBay, Boeing UK, Lilly, Brother UK, HSBC and NATO’s Secretary General on battlefields including Waterloo, Isandlwana, Ypres, Somme, the Normandy D-Day Beaches and Naseby.

Graeme lives in Essex with his family and enjoys golf, photography, chess and telemark skiing.

Cooper’s Waterloo Tours Cooper’s Court Tel/Fax: 0044 (0)1277 890470 Moreton Mob: 07968 984347 Ongar E-mail: [email protected] Essex Website: www.waterlootours.co.uk Graeme Cooper-Qualified Guide CM5 0LE Guild of Battlefield Guides Badge No 7