Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies and Three Battles
    Unavailable
    Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies and Three Battles
    Unavailable
    Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies and Three Battles
    Audiobook8 hours

    Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies and Three Battles

    Written by Bernard Cornwell

    Narrated by Bernard Cornwell and Dugald Bruce Lockhart

    4/5

    ()

    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    Read the ebook instead

    About this audiobook

    The Sunday Times Number 1 Bestseller

    ‘A fabulous story, superbly told … cannot be bettered’ Max Hastings

    ‘Some battles change nothing. Waterloo changed almost everything.’

    On the 18th June 1815 the armies of France, Britain and Prussia descended upon a quiet valley south of Brussels. In the previous three days the French army had beaten the British at Quatre-Bras and the Prussians at Ligny. The Allies were in retreat.

    The blood-soaked battle of Waterloo would become a landmark in European history, to be examined over and again, not least because until the evening of the 18th, the French army was close to prevailing on the battlefield.

    Now, brought to life by the celebrated novelist Bernard Cornwell, this is the chronicle of the four days leading up to the actual battle and a thrilling hour-by-hour account of that fateful day.

    In his first work of non-fiction, Cornwell combines his storytelling skills with a meticulously researched history to give a riveting account of every dramatic moment, from Napoleon’s escape from Elba to the smoke and gore of the battlefields. Through letters and diaries he also sheds new light on the private thoughts of Napoleon and the Duke of Wellington, as well as the ordinary officers and soldiers.

    Published to coincide with the bicentenary in 2015, Waterloo is a tense and gripping story of heroism and tragedy – and of the final battle that determined the fate of Europe.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins Publishers
    Release dateSep 11, 2014
    ISBN9780007568062
    Author

    Bernard Cornwell

    BERNARD CORNWELL is the author of over fifty novels, including the acclaimed New York Times bestselling Saxon Tales, which serve as the basis for the hit Netflix series The Last Kingdom. He lives with his wife on Cape Cod and in Charleston, South Carolina.

    More audiobooks from Bernard Cornwell

    Related to Waterloo

    Related audiobooks

    European History For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Waterloo

      Aug 13, 2019

      Waterloo
      1 min read

    • Article

      Napoleon Had Won At Trafalgar?

      May 20, 2021

      Napoleon Had Won At Trafalgar?
      5 min read

    • Article

      Napoleon's Biggest Battles

      May 11, 2023

      AUGUST– DECEMBER 1793 An audacious raid that announced Napoleon Bonaparte to the world It may not be as celebrated as the likes of Austerlitz or Friedland (see page 37). Yet when it comes to evaluating Napoleon's greatest victories, the Siege of Toul

      8 min read

    • Article

      Napoleon’s Downfall

      Apr 15, 2021

      Napoleon’s Downfall
      7 min read

    • Article

      Napoleon's Lasting Legacy

      May 11, 2023

      Napoleon's Lasting Legacy
      3 min read

    • Article

      Agincourt: Revisited

      Sep 30, 2021

      Agincourt: Revisited
      7 min read

    • Article

      Road To Waterloo Quatre Bras

      Aug 5, 2021

      In June 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte launched one of the most dramatic campaigns in military history. Fought in what is now Belgium, his efforts ended in a decisive defeat at Waterloo – a battle that ended the Napoleonic Wars and changed the course of Eu

      10 min read

    • Article

      The Ways Of Siege Warfare

      Mar 1, 2022

      The Ways Of Siege Warfare
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Rise Of The Modern Historical Profession

      Sep 7, 2021

      It is really very striking how little was written in English, until quite recently, on the history of medieval warfare. Before the late nineteenth century there was a good deal of writing about war, but little was about medieval history. The Classica

      5 min read

    • Article

      The English Triumph At The Battle Of Poitiers

      Aug 6, 2020

      Early in the morning of 19 September 1356, the thunder of hoofbeats rang out close to the French town of Poitiers. Some 300 mounted knights were charging uphill, stampeding towards the English forces. The English were ranged behind a hedgerow that st

      6 min read

    • Article

      A Royal Engineer’s diary, 1879

      Mar 8, 2022

      A Royal Engineer’s diary, 1879
      3 min read

    • Article

      Key Events

      May 18, 2023

      Queen Anne dies and the throne goes to George, the son of Sophia, Electress of Hanover. Despite the presence of numerous rivals for the throne, his ascendence marked the beginning of the Georgian era. George spoke only a little English and had to com

      2 min read

    • Article

      Mining Medieval Paperwork

      Jul 11, 2023

      Mining Medieval Paperwork
      11 min read

    • Article

      5 Best Books On Waterloo

      Oct 4, 2018

      Many books were released for the bicentennial of Waterloo, but few were as clearly written and as challenging as Glover’s monograph. Highlighting many myths about the battle, the author provides convincing evidence to support his version of the event

      1 min read

    • Article

      Letters

      Jul 9, 2020

      Grace Huxford’s How We Forgot the Korean War (July) revived memories of my father’s concern that, as a ‘Z Reservist’, he might be recalled to fight in Korea. I was 10 years old at the time, and the Korean War certainly made a lasting impression on me

      3 min read

    • Article

      Battle Of Crécy

      Oct 8, 2020

      Battle Of Crécy
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Rise Of Napoleon

      Nov 2, 2023

      The Rise Of Napoleon
      10 min read

    • Article

      Crécy

      Sep 6, 2018

      Crécy
      12 min read

    • Article

      His Honor On The Line

      Jan 9, 2024

      His Honor On The Line
      10 min read

    • Article

      Austerlitz

      Feb 28, 2020

      Austerlitz
      9 min read

    • Article

      Storm In The East

      Nov 23, 2023

      Storm In The East
      3 min read

    • Article

      Dunkirk And The Dunes

      Nov 6, 2018

      Dunkirk And The Dunes
      18 min read

    • Article

      Farce In The Azov Sea

      Dec 27, 2018

      Farce In The Azov Sea
      2 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Waterloo

    4/5

    143 ratings16 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Bernard Cornwell branches out into non-fiction with this description of the Battle of Waterloo.He is of course well known for his series of 'Sharpe' books about the period and he now turns his attention to the facts of the matter.If you want a no-frills,well-written account of the battle,then you could do much worse than read this book.
    • 5/5
      The author’s meticulous research and the way the events of the four days are linked together creates a compelling narrative.

      It is a well crafted history that has you on edge, even though you know the outcome.
    • 5/5
      An excellent portrayal of the defining battle of the 19th century. Skillful use of existing memoirs and a careful selection of the many paintings spawned by this famous battle enable Cornwell to provide us with a compelling version of this oft told tale. He is a very skilled teller of stories and provides us with this notable book to celebrate the bicentennial of this brief but epic struggle.
    • 5/5
      This is Cornwell's first foray into actual history, and this book is every bit as readable as his Sharpe or Starbuck novels. He goes into considerable detail without being tedious, and gives the reader a real sense of the violent intensity of this well-documented battle. Well worth a read.
    • 4/5
      Bernard Cornwell is the author of several historical novels featuring Richard Sharpe, an English soldier during the Napoleonic Wars. Waterloo is his first attempt at nonfiction, published just in time for the 200th anniversary in June 2015 of that climactic conflict. Cornwell has done his homework, and although he has little or nothing to add to the voluminous corpus of Waterloo information, he is an adept story teller who provides a riveting recap of the series of battles that has come down to us as “Waterloo.” The decisive battle pitted against one another the two most outstanding military leaders of their era: The (Iron) Duke of Wellington for the British and Napoleon Bonaparte for the French. Napoleon had recently escaped from his banishment on the Isle of Elba, and had resumed the power of Emperor of France. The British, Prussians, Austrians, and Russians feared he would once again dominate Europe, and so they organized a coalition to remove him from his throne. The British and Prussian armies arrived on the scene first, and invaded France from the north and east, respectively. Napoleon raised a formidable army in record time, and sought to prevent the allies from combining their armies by defeating them in sequence. In the event, the allies were able to combine their powers only on the fourth and last day of the battles, but that was enough to effect a catastrophic defeat for the French. While no one knows how many actually died at Waterloo because the French Army never had a chance to make a count, the best estimates suggest that of the 200,000 or so who fought there, some 50,000 lay dead or wounded at the battle’s end, along with 10,000 horses dead or dying. The results were even more momentous than a consideration of the casualty numbers. Waterloo brought the career of Napoleon Bonaparte to an end; no small matter. It led to a redrawing of the map of Europe, and to the Concert of Europe, a balance of power that restored peace and enabled Britain to grow to be the dominant global power of the 19th Century. Warfare tactics in Napoleonic times were much like the game of Rock, Paper, and Scissors: infantry (in cohesive formation) defeats cavalry; cavalry defeats artillery; artillery defeats infantry. Weaponry was crude by today’s lethal standards: the muskets carried by most infantry men were not rifled, and were very inaccurate. Accordingly, the alignment maintained by infantry formations was crucial to their efficacy. Cornwell explains clearly the advantages and disadvantages of arraying “in line” versus “in column.” A brigade “in line” was disposed in a wide formation only two (British) or three (French) deep. The front line fired their muskets while the back line(s) reloaded. This maximized the fire power of the formation in the direction it faced, but made it vulnerable to cavalry attacks on its flanks. Thus, it was a strong defensive position, but was suicidal to move so formed across open country when cavalry was nearby.A brigade “in column” was arrayed in a more oblong shape, sometimes like a square. Such a formation could protect itself from cavalry from any direction, but could not match the shear fire power of an equal number of men arrayed “in line.” Thus to attack an enemy who was positioned some distance away, infantry had to approach it “in column” across country, and then reform “in line” when it came near to the defenders. Being a writer of fiction, Cornwell seeks to make the battle come to life. In doing so, he frequently switches from the past tense to the present tense in his narration. That technique seemed a little odd at times. Cornwell clearly sympathizes with the British—he is, after all, English. His version of the battle has a different flavor than that written by Andrew Roberts in his recent Napoleon, A Life, a very sympathetic biography of the French hero. I recommend reading the two books in fairly close sequence. Note: The hardback edition is quite nice, and includes a number of color prints and maps.(JAB)
    • 5/5
      This is an excellently written and lavishly illustrated account of the famous battle, which I started reading on the day of its 200th anniversary. This is Cornwell's first attempt at non-fiction. He is probably best known for his fictional Sharpe series set during the Napoleonic wars, which I have not read, though I have read most of his other novels. This book covers the lead up to the day of the battle as well as, in great depth, the events of Sunday 18 June 1815 itself. The fighting itself is described in great and bloody detail, but so are the strategy, the relations between the great leaders Wellington, Napoleon and Blucher, and the experiences of soldiers at all levels in all three armies, through numerous eye witness accounts. The noise, smoke and chaos of the battlefield come across very clearly, with huge scope for misunderstandings of the true position and therefore very different accounts of the same events. The battle was a close won thing and the sometimes fragile understanding between the British and Prussians could have led to disaster for the allies, while at the same time the French effort was hampered by misunderstandings between Napoleon and Marshal Ney, whose inactivity at key moments cost his Emperor's cause dearly. After the defeat in the gathering darkness of the summer night, the Emperor was defeated and was soon on his way to his final exile in St Helena. A great book.
    • 5/5
      Brilliant true story of the battle of Waterloo . Kept me on edge of my seat
    • 5/5
      I have the paperback which I've read three times. Crackin account of the Campaign. Great read!
    • 4/5
      Cornwell is very good at doing the punchy narrative. This book really moves along. I'm giving it 4 stars, though, because I find Cornwell's prose a bit too purple. I prefer David Howarth's "Waterloo: A Near Run Thing".Cornwell's book is also good in the sense that it gives a thorough description of the trials and triumphs of Blucher and the Prussians. I think Howarth's book goes light on the importance of the Prussians in the battle.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this military history of the battle of Waterloo. This battle is not a part of our history in the States, but the word "Waterloo" in Europe seems to carry as much weight as the word "Gettysburg" carries here. Important. Bloody. A battle of attrition. Determining the future.

      Those last four phrases are why I read this book. I wanted to know more of the military history of this great battle. Cornwell's take (from a British perspective) is well-researched and detailed by the letters of soldiers from all three countries involved in this fight (Prussia, Great Britain, and France). Unfortunately for me, I do not know French. I listened to the book on audiobook, but I am unable to convert the French words (about the location in Belgium) into letters.

      Cornwell describes the battle as a series of formations. The outcome was merely a product of these formations fighting against one another, provided that the manpower of the troops was there. Prussia and Britain both deserve credit for the victory, even as both sides have griped throughout history about giving the other credit. Wellington, to Cornwell, still deserves the most credit for the victory and the title of "conqueror of the world's conqueror." Prussia provided significant and necessary help at the right time, but the ever-present Wellington willed British troops towards the decisive victory in the middle of the battle.
    • 5/5
      If you've ever read or seen a "War and Peace" not Piece. :), you'll understand why I had to read this story.
      This was such a great retelling of a famous battle and it shone the light not just on famous names that fought it but some infamous as well.

      It was pure genius to bring us the recounting of this battle through multiple view points, using real words of the soldiers on all sides of the war, through their correspondence.
      The author literally painted the carnage of this battle in so vivid of detail that it brought tears to my eyes.

      I highly recommended to all that are interested to know in what it took to pull the victory over Napoleon.

      Melanie for b2b

      Complimentary copy provided by the publisher
    • 4/5
      Once again Bernard Cornwell has shown his depth as an author. Waterloo is a very easy read not dry or boring as a lot of books about battles can be. It is well written and not biased in the telling of how the battle progressed from start to finish. Very good book.
    • 4/5
      Very easy to read book which covers the battle in a remarkable amount of detail given how much of a page turner it was!
    • 4/5
      In the forward, Cornwell (one of my favorite authors of historical fiction) poses the question, "why another book on Waterloo?" It is, after all, one of the most studied and written about battles. Given that he poses that question, we would expect he has something meaningful to add to the volume of literature on the subject. Does he?Well, not really. Perhaps some of the accounts and anecdotes quoted are from sources not previously used by other authors, but there are no really profound insights. It's not a bad book on the subject -- indeed, it's a fine choice for someone with a casual interest in the battle, since Cornwell does bring his story-telling chops where others might be drier, more technical accounts. Napoleon's failure to compensate for the egregious tactical failures of Ney and Grouchy ultimately decided his fate -- his grand-strategy was spot-on and even with mistake after mistake being committed, the French had a chance to prevail at the end.Cornwell does not engage in speculation of what might have been -- and that's a shame since I'd be interested in hearing such thoughts from him. As Waterloo books go, this one is fine, just a little too indistinguishable from the rest.
    • 5/5
      I loved Waterloo: The History of Four Days, but its appeal is probably limited to those who are interested in (1) the battle at Waterloo; (2) the Napoleonic Wars; (3) war in the early 1800s; or (4) anything Cornwell writes. This is really well done - his only nonfiction book so far. It has the page-turning character of a novel.The battle took place in fields just south of Brussels in June, 1815. Around 200,000 men (and at least one disguised woman) fought each other in a five mile square area. The Duke of Wellington squared off with the genius Napoleon, and Wellington became known as the Conqueror of the Conqueror of the World. However, it was a brutal battle, or really three battles, with around 50,000 dead or wounded by the end. Three battles: there was Wellington vs. the French and slow-to-act General Ney at nearby (and crucially located) Quatres Bras, the French successfully attacking the Prussian army at Ligny the next day, and then the battle of Waterloo with Wellington's Anglo-Dutch forces eventually being joined by the Prussians against the French.Telling the story well had to take discipline and persistence. Wellington himself said: “The history of a battle is not unlike the history of a ball. Some individuals may recollect all the little events of which the great result is the battle won or lost; but no individual can recollect the order in which, or the exact moment at which, they occurred, which makes all the difference as to their value or importance.”Cornwell does a superb job of telling that story. He has honed his storytelling skills in many historical novels, including the famous Sharpe series, and this is his first venture into nonfiction. He had told the story through Sharpe's eyes in Sharpe's Waterloo, but this is much more in-depth. He has drawn on a huge archive of letters and diaries written by soldiers from all three armies at the battles. Some of the most riveting material comes from those archives. For example, the perspective of a surviving Ensign recently graduated from Eton College:"You perceived at a distance what appeared to be an overwhelming, long moving line, which, ever advancing, glittered like a stormy wave of the sea when it catches the sunlight. On came the mounted host until they got near enough, whilst the very earth seemed to vibrate beneath their thundering tramp. One might suppose that nothing could resist the shock of this terrible moving mass. They were the famous cuirassiers . . . "Part of why the Waterloo battles are so famous is that the outcome was very much in doubt throughout. Cornwell aptly points out many "what if"s - what if a Dutchman, Major-General Rebecque, hadn't recognized the strategic significance of Quartres-Bras, and disobeyed orders in order to protect it? What if French General Ney hadn't inexplicably waited so long to attack Quartres-Bras (probably due to wariness of Wellington's strategic reputation), allowing reinforcements to arrive? There are many of these moments described by Cornwell which could have turned the tide the other way. Napoleon's often brilliant strategy is explained, but it was subject to the vagaries of battle and at times erroneous execution by his staff in chaotic circumstances. We also get to see the bravery and clear-headedness of many, especially those who eventually turned the battle into the allies favor.The devastating loss of lives and the awful injuries are unstintingly portrayed, with Wellington professing his hope that he would never go to war again. This is a page-turning account of the famous battle, and a great place to start in understanding it.
    • 3/5
      Very detailed account of the Battle of Waterloo. Almost too detailed. But interesting nonetheless. Sadly, total carnage. I'm amazed anyone survived.