Timeline of The Waterloo Campaign

  • May 9

    Soult Appointed Major-Général

    Napoleon to Davout
    Paris, May 9, 1815. Our cousin, Marshal Soult, duc de...
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  • May 10

    The Traitors

    On May 10, d’Erlon would write to Donzelot: J’ai cru...
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  • May 20

    The Initial Plans

    On May 20, Napoleon dictated nine pages of notes to...
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  • May 25

    Soult orders Gérard to prepare 4th Corps

    Soult to Gérard
    I am writing to you on the subject of General...
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  • May 29

    The Plan’s Revealed?

    Napoleon had clearly begun to consider bringing Gérard to the...
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  • May 31

    Separating Wellington and Blücher

    Hobhouse wrote in his diary for May 31: Called [on]...
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  • June 1

    Armée du Nord Dispositions

    1st Corps, d’Erlon headquartered at Valenciennes 1st Division west of...
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  • June 1

    Allied Dispositions

      The eventual Prussian concentration orders are shown. Clausewitz summarized...
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  • June 3

    Plan to bring Gérard to Philippeville

    Napoleon to Soult
    Paris, 3 June 1815. Submit to me a plan of...
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  • June 3

    Napoleon’s orders for the Guard to depart Paris

    Napoleon to Drouot
    You will send tomorrow, the 4th, and at the latest,...
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  • June 3

    Napoleon reorganizes the Cavalry and appoints Grouchy its Commander in Chief

    Au Maréchal Davout Prince d’Eckmühl, Ministre de la Guerre, à...
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  • June 4

    Soult’s Report about Army Strength

    Soult to Napoleon
    Rapport à l’Empereur. Paris, le 4 Juin ——— 1815. Sire,...
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  • June 4

    Soult’s Report about Army Disposition for June 12 including Gérard

    Soult to Napoleon
    In accordance with the orders of Your Majesty, I have...
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  • June 5

    The Campaign Begins

    Soult to Gérard
    When did the Waterloo Campaign begin?  There is no definitive...
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  • June 6

    Orders for 1st Corps

    Soult to Erlon
    In Soult’s Mouvement des Troupes, #249, we find the following to...
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  • June 6

    Orders for 2nd Corps

    Soult to Reille
    Soult’s order to Reille is in the archives and is...
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  • June 6

    Orders for 3rd Corps

    Soult’s order to Vandamme is in the archives and is...
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  • June 6

    Orders for 6th Corps

    Very little that was sent to Lobau appears in the...
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  • June 6

    Orders for Grouchy

    Soult’s drafts include the following for Grouchy: Les ordres qui...
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  • June 6

    The Orders of June 6

    Soult summarized the orders sent on June 6 to Davout:...
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  • June 7

    The Orders of June 7

    60701
    On June 7, Napoleon continued his orders to the Guard,...
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  • June 7

    The Mons Ruse?

    The Armée du Nord was set in motion on June 5,...
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  • June 8

    The Orders of June 8

    June 8 was largely uneventful.  That evening, Soult left for...
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  • June 9

    The March of Gérard

    On June 9, Davout received Gérard’s letter responding to Soult’s...
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  • June 10

    A Most Important Day

    Napoleon’s correspondence includes one entry for June 10, À Peyrusse, Trésorier...
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  • June 10

    Napoleon Dictates

    Archives Nationales, 400AP is devoted to Napoleon and his descendants. ...
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  • June 10

    Bertrand Sends

    Previously, we saw that Bertrand had a recorded sending an...
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  • June 10

    Gérard Updates

    On June 10, Gérard wrote to Soult with an update...
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  • June 10

    The Two Orders

    Illustration by BatteryRose On June 10, 1815, Napoleon dictated two...
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  • June 11

    Final Preparations

    On June 11, Bertrand’s registry includes an entry for Reille:...
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  • June 12

    Where is Soult?

    Illustration by BatteryRose Napoleon arrived in Laon at midday. Here,...
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  • June 12

    A Calm Morning in Avesnes

    Why did Soult remain in Avesnes while Napoleon, and others,...
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  • June 12

    Orders for Gérard!

    Registry entry #305 in Soult’s Mouvement des Troupes is unusual...
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  • June 12

    Orders for Grouchy!

    One of the common criticisms of Soult is that he...
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  • June 12

    Orders for Lobau!

    Soult’s draft numbered 2 were orders to Lobau: To Comte...
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  • June 12

    Orders for d’Erlon and Reille?

    Neither the drafts nor Soult’s registry contain letters to d’Erlon...
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  • June 12

    Orders for Vandamme!

    As with d’Erlon and Reille, there is no draft or...
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  • June 12

    Soult Reports to Napoleon

    Having issued orders to the Army, except the Guard, Soult...
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  • June 13

    Countermanding Orders

    Any doubt of Napoleon’s intentions for the upcoming advance were...
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  • June 13

    Position of the Army on the 14th

    There are several copies available for the final preparatory movements...
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  • June 13

    The Two Orders

    Illustration by BatteryRose When Napoleon arrived in Avesnes, he must...
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  • June 14

    All is well

    June 14 was the anniversary of the victories at Marengo...
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  • June 14

    Order of Movement for the 15th

    There are several copies available for the Order of Movement...
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  • June 14

    Attack – the Orders of Movement

    In the evening, the famous orders of movement for the...
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  • June 15

    The Advance of the Right

    On the morning of June 15, General Bourmont and his...
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  • June 15

    The Advance of the Center

    On the morning of June 15, 1815, Vandamme’s 3rd Corps...
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  • June 15

    The Advance of the Left

    The left column encountered none of the difficulties the center...
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  • June 15

    Imaginary Success

    Illustration by BatteryRose Napoleon believed he had achieved a great...
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  • June 16

    On to Brussels!

    At 3am on June 16, Adjudant Commandant Chevalier d’Arsonval, chef...
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  • June 16

    Destroy the Prussians!

    Over the course of a few hours, Napoleon realized the...
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  • June 16

    Failure Realized

    Illustration by BatteryRose Ney did not move on Quatre Bras...
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  • June 17

    A Sleepy Pursuit

    The failures of June 16 would be blamed on Ney. ...
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  • June 17

    Operations of June 17

    Napoleon moved to Quatre-Bras, and then led the chase of...
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  • June 18

    Historical Mythology

    Woodville, Richard Caton, “‘Scotland forever!’: Scots grey at Waterloo ” (1905). Prints, Drawings...
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  • June 18

    Triomphe Napoleon

    Due to this research, the results of the campaign have...
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