The Battle of Waterloo: A Four-Day Epic in History

Janet Jackson: A true picture of what actually happened at Waterloo!

United Kingdom on Nov 10, 2023

Richard: I’ve both read, and listened (Audible) to this book, many times and feels like you’re standing at this sidelines looking in on what may be considered a “Glorious” day, unless of course you were there, then I doubt that there was anything glorious about it.

United Kingdom on Oct 26, 2023

Dave: Well written. One of the best histories of the famous battle. Wellington shows his genious as field commander.

United States on Sep 30, 2023

Anthony: Bernard Cornwall’s research is meticulous. and educational yet it is presented in an entertaining manner. The pictures are fascinating and one feels transported into the horrors of the battlefield with insight into the personalities of the generals and soldiers alike.

Canada on Sep 24, 2023

Ravzender: Bernard Cornwell tells the tale of the Battle of Waterloo like a story, instead of an account of historical events. The massive battle(s) took place over four days at three different locations. Communication was definitely the key, and the French did not have good lines of communication between their generals. The British and Prussians, although separated for most of the battle, knew the actions of the other very well.

This is an excellent read of the battle. He did a ton of research and molded the story in a unique way. There are many books out there about the struggle, the bibliography is over five pages long, but this one was a fun read.

United States on Aug 26, 2023

Amazon Customer: This was a gift for my husband. He was very pleased with it and it's condition. He tells me that it is a very good read.

United Kingdom on Jul 05, 2023

Capricorn One: The legacy of Napoleon's loss at Waterloo is generally attributed to the superior strategy and leadership of the English commander, the Duke of Wellington. There is no doubt that the Duke, victorious in the Peninsular wars (in Spain), was a brilliant military strategist, but from my perspective he won at Waterloo primarily because he was not fighting Napoleon in his prime. Napoleon had amassed brilliant tactical victories in the early 1800's (e.g. Austerlitz, etc) defeating other allied (English, Prussian, Austrian, etc.) coalition armies - and was often outmanned. Napoleon was in his early 30's and actively guided his troops on horseback. At Waterloo, Napoleon was an aging 46 year old (he died at 51), overweight and suffering health issues. While he did play a principal role in planning and preparing for Waterloo, he left the actual conduct of the battle to his Generals, who almost without exception made grave strategic and tactical errors - which Napoleon allowed to happen, and which likely gave the victory to Wellington. The mistakes made by Napoleon were numerous: allowing Wellington to dictate the field of engagement at Waterloo by gaining the high ground, failing to...

United States on Jul 24, 2018

DantheMan: As someone who does not know much of Wellington, Napoleon, or Europe in the 1800s, "Waterloo" was a complete introduction to me of one of the greatest battles of all time. And Bernard Cornwell's account is magnificent.

This book was enjoyable to read. It flowed well from beginning to end. Descriptions of the battle were detailed, colorful, and gory (it is war, what do you expect?). Cornwell captures the readers imagination. He also includes many quotations and first person accounts--giving a true sense of what it was like to be there. Brilliant paintings and maps fill the pages giving the reader much to visualize the battle as it is laid out before him (this was a hard copy). I find it difficult to visualize battle movements when solely based on textual descriptions, so the detailed and vibrant maps vastly contributed to my reading experience.

What I appreciate most of Cornwell may not even be his story telling prose--but how accessible his information is. The most clueless Waterloo amateur (like myself) will not be left in the dark long. Cornwell's writing will bring anyone up to speed on the basics of Napoleonic warfare: What is a column? What is a square? What is...

United States on Sep 14, 2015

D.Buttery: Having been a fan of Cornwell’s novels for many years, I was extremely curious to see what his first work of non-fiction would be like. After all, fiction and non-fiction are different disciplines and it is a rare writer who excels in both. Cornwell’s fans will be pleased to hear that he has managed this difficult transition extremely well.

His choice of the Waterloo campaign of 1815 was wise for many reasons. It is among the most decisive battles in history and witnessed the clash of three great commanders along with a host of famous soldiers who learned their trade during the bloody series of wars that preceded it. These factors alone make Waterloo worth studying but the fact that this campaign marked the end of a long period of warfare that had caused immense social and political upheaval also makes it a favourite topic with military historians.

Cornwell has also been here before, notably with Sharpe’s Waterloo, which I number among his best novels. Indeed, he comments in the introduction that this unique campaign and the final battle itself are gifts to a writer since they contain so many famous, infamous and controversial events and characters. Indeed, it...

United Kingdom on Dec 03, 2014