On Wellington: A Critique of Waterloo (Volume 25) (Campaigns and Commanders Series)

The Battle of Waterloo has been studied and dissected so extensively that one might assume little more on the subject could be discovered. Now historian Peter Hofschröer brings forward a long-repressed commentary written by Carl von Clausewitz, the author of On War. Clausewitz, the Western world’s most renowned military theorist, participated in the Waterloo campaign as a senior staff officer in the Prussian army. His appraisal, offered here in an up-to-date and readable translation, criticized the Duke of Wellington’s actions. Lord Liverpool sent his translation of the manuscript to Wellington, who pronounced it a “lying work.” The translated commentary was quickly buried in Wellington’s private papers, where it languished for a century and a half. Now published for the first time in English, Hofschröer brings Clausewitz’s critique back into view with thorough annotation and contextual explanation. Peter Hofschröer, long recognized as a leading scholar of the Napoleonic Wars, shows how the Duke prevented the account’s publication during his lifetime—a manipulation of history so successful that almost two centuries passed before Clausewitz’s work reemerged, finally permitting a reappraisal of key events in the campaign. In addition to translating and annotating Clausewitz’s critique, Hofschröer also includes an order of battle and an extensive bibliography. Contents Introduction Peter Hofschröer The Campaign of 1815 in France 1. The French Armed Forces—Organization of the Standing Army 2. Depot Troops and the Armée Extraordinaire 3. Napoleon’s Exaggeration of the Available Resources 4. Order of Battle of the French Army 5. The National Guard 6. Allied Deployment in April 7. Defense 8. Preemptive Attack on Wellington and Blücher 9. The Allied Armed Forces 10. Order of Battle and Disposition of Forces on Both Sides 11. Reflections on Wellington’s Deployment— Necessary Assumptions 12. Critique 13. Disposition and Concentration of the Prussian Army 14. Objective of the French Attack 15. The Point of Union of the Two Allied Armies 16. Calculation of the Time Necessary for the Concentration of the Prussian Army 17. Calculation of the Time Necessary for the Concentration of Wellington’s Army 18. Reflections 19. Bonaparte Concentrates His Army 20. Blücher’s Concentration at Sombreffe 21. Wellington’s Concentration 22. Bonaparte’s Offensive Is Directed at Blücher 23. The Engagement at Charleroi 24. Situation on the Morning of June 16 25. The Battle of Ligny 26. Blücher’s Deployment 27. Dispositions on the Front at Ligny 28. Dispositions on the Sombreffe Front 29. The Duke of Wellington Arrives 30. Bonaparte’s Plan of Attack 31. Critical Commentary 32. Main Events of the Battle 33. The Third Army Corps’ Actions101 34. Critical Commentary on the Battle as a Whole: Blücher 35. Bonaparte 36. The Engagement at Quatre Bras 37. Observations 38. Blücher’s Movements on June 17 39. Wellington on June 17 and 18 40. The Battle of Waterloo: Wellington’s Deployment 41. Bonaparte’s Plan of Attack 42. The Key Points of the Battle: Wellington’s Defense 43. The Prussian Attack 44. The Battle of Wavre on June 18 and 19: Grouchy’s March 45. General Thielemann’s Deployment 46. Grouchy’s Attack on June 18 and 19 47. The Encounter at Namur 48. Reflections on the Battle: Bonaparte 49. The Allies 50. The Battle of Wavre 51. A Second Battle against Blücher 52. Consequences of the Battle 53. The March on Paris: Initial Pursuit 54. The March on Paris: Critical Comments 55. Table of Marches 56. The Situation in Paris 57. Advance of the Remaining Armies into France 58. The Capture of the Fortresses Epilogue Peter Hofschröer APPENDIX A Order of Battle of the Prussian Army at Waterloo, June 18, 1815 Appendix B Order of Battle of the Anglo-Allied Army at Waterloo, June 18, 1815 Appendix C Order of Battle of the French Army of the North at Waterloo, June 18, 1815 Published Works of Carl von Clausewitz Bibliography Index Clausewitz's original book, *Der Feldzug von 1815 in Frankreich*, is vol.8 of his collected works. Although the Duke of Wellington wrote a famous reply to it in 1842, it had never been published in English. In 2010, two translations appeared. The first was Carl von Clausewitz and Arthur Wellesley, first Duke of Wellington, *On Waterloo: Clausewitz, Wellington, and the Campaign of 1815*, ed./trans. Christopher Bassford, Daniel Moran, and Gregory W. Pedlow (Clausewitz.com, 2010). This book is built around a full, modern translation of Clausewitz's campaign study and includes Wellington's reply, additional materials from Clausewitz and Wellington's circle, and essays by the editors (all recognized scholars in the field). The second was Carl von Clausewitz, *On Wellington: A Critique of Waterloo*, ed. Peter Hofschröer, ed. (Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press), which contains only Clausewitz's campaign study and Hofschröer's own introduction. "Clausewitz, the Western world's most renown military theorist, participated in the Waterloo campaign as a senior staff officer in the Prussian Army. His appraisal, offered here in an up-to-date and readable translation, criticized the Duke of Wellington's actions. Lord Liverpool sent his translation of the manuscript to Wellington, who pronounced it a 'lying work'. The translated commentary was quickly buried in Wellington's private papers, where it languished for a century and a half. Now published for the first time in English, Hofschröer brings Clausewitz's critique back into view with thorough annotation and contextual explanation"--Jacket