Review (PDF)

The Lie At The Heart Of Waterloo: The Battle's Hidden Last Half Hour

Wellington's explanation of how Waterloo was won is shown to be a lie, as the author uses his experience as a serving soldier to explore the battlefield anew and dismantle the accepted history All descriptions of the end of the Battle of Waterloo are incorrect, confused by the myth which Wellington promulgated, giving himself the credit for ordering the winning blow. At long last the truth has been teased out of the maze of evidence, revealing a tale, which—without the compelling evidence—would be nearly unbelievable. By analyzing eyewitness accounts the author has discovered the action was far more intricate and interesting than either Wellington described or has been concocted subsequently. This revolutionary account of the "Crisis" conjures fresh insights from long-established evidence as well as newly-published material, and demolishes many long-held theories. The author investigates how the myth was established and the maneuvers to which Wellington was forced to resort in order to keep the secret, including a suicide and blackmail. The 52nd Light Infantry can now firmly be credited with routing Napoleon’s left wing while the Prussians routed the right.

Paperback: 288 pages

Publisher: The History Press (April 1, 2015)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0750959622

ISBN-13: 978-0750959629

Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #1,020,295 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #83 in Books > History > Europe > Belgium #250 in Books > History > Military > Napoleonic Wars #1965 in Books > History > Military > Strategy

Perhaps you've read a few first-person accounts and participants' reports on Waterloo, as I have. They may not jive in every respect, but you might expect this of people who had or found reason to account for their parts in such a decisive battle. Being human, we put a positive spin on reports of our activities, especially when they're made public.But history should be different, we hope; history should leave out ego or excuses and stand on fact. The difficulty is being completely objective, not an easy state for mere humans to reach. Nigel Sale has made a valiant effort to achieve objectivity, bringing together primary-source research and reexamining reams of writings through a military man’s view. He follows logical steps, clearly stated for even the non-military or non-academic mind, to arrive at many fresh conclusions to what must have taken place near battle's end. In addition, Sale gives rational reasons for many of the traditional views. Have you wondered if the Prussian arrival on Napoleon's flank saved the day, if the emperor's Old Guard fell apart due to rumors passed to them on the field, or if Wellington led his First Foot Guards to snatch victory at the end? Sale's intensive research and military interpretations will lead you toward a new appreciation of that fateful finale.Illustrations, maps and an excellent appendix of military terms and troop movements of the era helped me to interpret other accounts of the battle that I had read, not just this one. While I've found many diagrams of the initial positions of personnel on the field, movements over the ground as the battle progressed are often described more than detailed in drawings. Color maps at this book's center helped me find several regiments and companies I had read about near the battle's end.

The Lie at the Heart of Waterloo: The Battle's Hidden Last Half Hour The Battle: The Definitive History of the Battle of Waterloo Heart Disease: Heart Disease Prevention And Reversal Guide To Prevent Heart Disease And Reverse Heart Disease With Heart Disease Prevention Strategies And Heart Disease Diet Advice Lie Groups, Lie Algebras, and Representations: An Elementary Introduction Lie Groups, Lie Algebras, and Representations: An Elementary Introduction (Graduate Texts in Mathematics) Wellington's Hidden Heroes: The Dutch and the Belgians at Waterloo The Longest Afternoon: The 400 Men Who Decided the Battle of Waterloo Waterloo: Napoleon, Wellington, and the Battle That Changed Europe The Face of Battle: A Study of Agincourt, Waterloo, and the Somme Half-Bloods Rising (Half-Elf Chronicles Book 1) Heart Health: Heart Healthy Cookbook: 30 Quick & Easy, Heart Healthy Greek Recipes For Smart Heart Health (cooking, weight loss, weight maintenance) (cooking, ... weight maintenance, weight watchers Book 1) A Courtesan's Day: Hour by Hour (Famous Japanese Print Series) Estimator's Equipment Installation Man-Hour Manual, Third Edition (Estimator's Man-Hour Library) The 36-Hour Day, fifth edition: The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People Who Have Alzheimer Disease, Related Dementias, and Memory Loss (A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book) The 36-Hour Day, fifth edition: The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People Who Have Alzheimer Disease, Related Dementias, and Memory Loss (A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book) 5th (fifth) edition The 36-Hour Day, fifth edition, large print: The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People Who Have Alzheimer Disease, Related Dementias, and Memory Loss (A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book) The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health One Last Strike: Fifty Years in Baseball, Ten and a Half Games Back, and One Final Championship Season One Last Strike: Fifty Years in Baseball, Ten and Half Games Back, and One Final Championship Season Waterloo: The Defeat of Napoleon's Imperial Guard: Henry Clinton, the 2nd Division and the End of a 200-year Old Controversy