Frank Toogood
The Battlefield Guide
Guiding Member of the
Guild of Battlefield Guides,
Badge Number 39
The Battlefield Guide
Guiding Member of the
Guild of Battlefield Guides,
Badge Number 39
View
Talk
Call Frank for free on your PC
or Mac using Skype
Find out more about the
benefits of Skype »
Alternatively, there's always
the telephone:
+44 (0)1916 45 1812
+44 (0)7948 56 2085
Film
Frank has recently done some 'face to camera' work about Hougoumont for Battlefield History TV's DVD film on Waterloo, which was released in early 2009 for download via the internet.
Talk
Call Frank for free on your PC
or Mac using Skype
Find out more about the
benefits of Skype »
Alternatively, there's always
the telephone:
+44 (0)1916 45 1812
+44 (0)7948 56 2085
Film
Frank has recently done some 'face to camera' work about Hougoumont for Battlefield History TV's DVD film on Waterloo, which was released in early 2009 for download via the internet.
Why not view the trailer above and for more information visit:
Battlefield History TV »
Fact...
...these are actual British and French musket balls that were fired during the Peninsula War at the Battle of Salamanca on the 22nd of July 1812.
"A soldier's musket, if not exceedingly ill bored and very crooked, as many are, will strike the fugure of a man at 80 yards;
it may even at a 100, but a soldier must be very unfortunate indeed who shall be wounded by a common musket as 150 yards,
provided his antagonist aims at him; and, as to firing at a man at 200 yards with a common musket, you may as well fire at the
moon amd have the same hope of hitting your object. I do maintain, and will prove, whenever called upon, that no man was ever
killed, at 200 yards, by a common soldier's musket, by the person who aimed at him."
George Hanger,
Officer and noted Marksman
Supporting
The Battlefield Guide actively supports Project Hougoumont, whose aim it is to restore this historic site in time for the 200th
anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo in 2015. For more information, visit the website of Project Hougoumont »
Waterloo
When news reached the Congress at Vienna that Napoléon had escaped from the island of Elba in March 1815 where he had been exiled, he was declared an outlaw by the allies, who decided to mass their forces and rid Europe from him for once and for all.
The Waterloo Campaign is also known as 'The Hundred Days', because that is allegedly the number of days from when Napoléon escaped from Elba, to his defeat at Waterloo.
If you click and drag the map, you can move it to view any part of the campaign area.
Napoléon knowing the allies would plan to defeat him, decided to take the offensive and destroy the two armies closest to him before they could unite. They were the Anglo-Allied army under the command of the Duke of Wellington and the Prussian Army under Marshal Baron von Blücher.
Napoléon's newly formed Army de Nord crossed into Belgium in the early hours of the 15th of June, surprising the Anglo–Allied and Prussian forces, which were spread out and had yet to join forces.
Napoléon planned to exploit this situation, so having crossed the River Sambre at Charleroi, he divided his forces into two, with the idea of defeating one army, before turning on the other. Napoléon sent Marshal Grouchy towards Fleurus to attack the Prussians and Marshal Ney up the Brussels road.
He followed Grouchy with his reserves and once they met up, they attacked Blücher and Prussian Army on the 16th of June at Ligny. The Prussians put up a brave fight, but were defeated and had to retreat. Napoléon thought that the Blücher would head eastward towards Prussia and sent Grouchy after him. However, Blücher had promised Wellington his support, so instead headed northwards towards Wavre, where they would then ultimately join forces at Waterloo on the 18th of June.
In the meantime Ney had reached the crossroads at Quatra Bras on the 15th of June, where he was stopped by a small force commanded by the 23 year old Prince of Orange. Ney decided to delay the attack until the 16th of June, which unwittingly gave Wellington just enough time to muster his forces and drive the French back.
Wellington's luck didn't stop there. Due to bad command and communications, Count d'Erlon's 1 Corp spent the 16th of June marching back and forth between Quatra Bras and Ligny without participating in either battle. If he had, his forces could have tipped the balance in Napoléon's favour.
Unfortunately because Blücher had lost at Ligny and not wanting to be out flanked, Wellington decided on the 17th of June to withdraw his forces back to the ridge at Mont Saint Jeane, some 5 km south of Waterloo, which was the last defensive position before Brussels.
On the Sunday the 18th of June 1815, Napoléon faced Wellington for the first time in his career and at about 11.30 a.m. the opening shots of the Battle of Waterloo were fired during the attack on Wellington's right wing at the Château Farm of Hougoumont, by Napoléon's younger brother, Prince Jérome.
If you click and drag the map, you can move it to view any part of the battlefield. Blue; French. Red, Green and Orange; Anglo–Allied forces.
Above are the dispositions of the French and the Anglo–Allied forces around 11:00 hrs on the morning of the 18th of June 1815, just before the start of the battle.
Napoléon had 71,900 men on the field made up of 49,000 Infantry, 15,700 Cavalry and 7,200 Artillery with 246 guns. He had a further 33,000 and 80 guns under Grouchy who was chasing the Prussians to the east at Warve.
Wellington's Anglo–Allied force had 66,600 men on the field made up of 49,000 Infantry, 12,000 Cavalry and 7,200 Artillery with 156 guns. He had a further 17,000 and 30 guns at Hall on his western flank to protect his lines of communications.
Blücher had 4 Corps made up of Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery, a total of 117,000 men and 312 guns and no resrves. Of the 58,000 Prussians in 3 Corps that marched to Waterloo, only 28,000 managed to engaged the enemy during the battle on 18th of June.
Take a tour with The Battlefield Guided and see for yourself why the ridge at Mont Saint Jean was such a major factor in defending Brussels from Napoléon and relive the events that took place on that fateful day.
When news reached the Congress at Vienna that Napoléon had escaped from the island of Elba in March 1815 where he had been exiled, he was declared an outlaw by the allies, who decided to mass their forces and rid Europe from him for once and for all.
The Waterloo Campaign is also known as 'The Hundred Days', because that is allegedly the number of days from when Napoléon escaped from Elba, to his defeat at Waterloo.
If you click and drag the map, you can move it to view any part of the campaign area.
Napoléon knowing the allies would plan to defeat him, decided to take the offensive and destroy the two armies closest to him before they could unite. They were the Anglo-Allied army under the command of the Duke of Wellington and the Prussian Army under Marshal Baron von Blücher.
Napoléon's newly formed Army de Nord crossed into Belgium in the early hours of the 15th of June, surprising the Anglo–Allied and Prussian forces, which were spread out and had yet to join forces.
Napoléon planned to exploit this situation, so having crossed the River Sambre at Charleroi, he divided his forces into two, with the idea of defeating one army, before turning on the other. Napoléon sent Marshal Grouchy towards Fleurus to attack the Prussians and Marshal Ney up the Brussels road.
He followed Grouchy with his reserves and once they met up, they attacked Blücher and Prussian Army on the 16th of June at Ligny. The Prussians put up a brave fight, but were defeated and had to retreat. Napoléon thought that the Blücher would head eastward towards Prussia and sent Grouchy after him. However, Blücher had promised Wellington his support, so instead headed northwards towards Wavre, where they would then ultimately join forces at Waterloo on the 18th of June.
In the meantime Ney had reached the crossroads at Quatra Bras on the 15th of June, where he was stopped by a small force commanded by the 23 year old Prince of Orange. Ney decided to delay the attack until the 16th of June, which unwittingly gave Wellington just enough time to muster his forces and drive the French back.
Wellington's luck didn't stop there. Due to bad command and communications, Count d'Erlon's 1 Corp spent the 16th of June marching back and forth between Quatra Bras and Ligny without participating in either battle. If he had, his forces could have tipped the balance in Napoléon's favour.
Unfortunately because Blücher had lost at Ligny and not wanting to be out flanked, Wellington decided on the 17th of June to withdraw his forces back to the ridge at Mont Saint Jeane, some 5 km south of Waterloo, which was the last defensive position before Brussels.
On the Sunday the 18th of June 1815, Napoléon faced Wellington for the first time in his career and at about 11.30 a.m. the opening shots of the Battle of Waterloo were fired during the attack on Wellington's right wing at the Château Farm of Hougoumont, by Napoléon's younger brother, Prince Jérome.
If you click and drag the map, you can move it to view any part of the battlefield. Blue; French. Red, Green and Orange; Anglo–Allied forces.
Above are the dispositions of the French and the Anglo–Allied forces around 11:00 hrs on the morning of the 18th of June 1815, just before the start of the battle.
Napoléon had 71,900 men on the field made up of 49,000 Infantry, 15,700 Cavalry and 7,200 Artillery with 246 guns. He had a further 33,000 and 80 guns under Grouchy who was chasing the Prussians to the east at Warve.
Wellington's Anglo–Allied force had 66,600 men on the field made up of 49,000 Infantry, 12,000 Cavalry and 7,200 Artillery with 156 guns. He had a further 17,000 and 30 guns at Hall on his western flank to protect his lines of communications.
Blücher had 4 Corps made up of Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery, a total of 117,000 men and 312 guns and no resrves. Of the 58,000 Prussians in 3 Corps that marched to Waterloo, only 28,000 managed to engaged the enemy during the battle on 18th of June.
Take a tour with The Battlefield Guided and see for yourself why the ridge at Mont Saint Jean was such a major factor in defending Brussels from Napoléon and relive the events that took place on that fateful day.
Above
The battle depicted in a painting by Robinson, circa 1820, overlaid on a photograph of the battlefield as it is today.
Itinerary
Below is an example itinerary. As each tour is bespoke, you will receive confirmation of your personal itinerary with your booking confirmation.
Email
Fields marked (*) are required
Alternatively you can
write, sending to:
Frank Toogood
The Battlefield Guide
Cobwebs Barn
Canterbury Grange
Bocking, Braintree
Essex CM7 5NA
United Kingdom
Fact...
...the Prussian military decoration known as the Iron Cross was instituted in 1813 by Frederick Wilhelm III for distinguished service in the Prussian War of Liberation.
It also adorns the top of the Prussian Monument at Placenoit, pictured above, for the men that fought at the Battle of Belle Alliance – the name used by the Prussians for the Battle of Waterloo. Use of the decoration was revived by Wilhelm I for the Franco–Prussian War of 1870, recreated in 1914 for the Great War, and last revived by Adolf Hitler on Sept. 1, 1939, the same day that German forces invaded Poland.
The battle depicted in a painting by Robinson, circa 1820, overlaid on a photograph of the battlefield as it is today.
Itinerary
Below is an example itinerary. As each tour is bespoke, you will receive confirmation of your personal itinerary with your booking confirmation.
- St. Joseph Church, Waterloo *1
- The Wellington Museum, Waterloo
- The Panorama
- The Lion Mound *2
- Wellington's centre
- Zieten's cross roads
- Le Haye Sainte
- Papelotte
- Le Caillou – Napoléon's
HQ and Museum - Belle Alliance and the French Monument
- Walking the way of
the Imperial Guard's
final attack - Château Farm of Hougoumont
- Mercer's Ridge
- The Prussian Monument and Plancenoit *3
- If there are no services taking place
- The itinerary order may change dependent on weather conditions on
the day - Time and light permitting
Fields marked (*) are required
Alternatively you can
write, sending to:
Frank Toogood
The Battlefield Guide
Cobwebs Barn
Canterbury Grange
Bocking, Braintree
Essex CM7 5NA
United Kingdom
Fact...
...the Prussian military decoration known as the Iron Cross was instituted in 1813 by Frederick Wilhelm III for distinguished service in the Prussian War of Liberation.
It also adorns the top of the Prussian Monument at Placenoit, pictured above, for the men that fought at the Battle of Belle Alliance – the name used by the Prussians for the Battle of Waterloo. Use of the decoration was revived by Wilhelm I for the Franco–Prussian War of 1870, recreated in 1914 for the Great War, and last revived by Adolf Hitler on Sept. 1, 1939, the same day that German forces invaded Poland.
