The Waterloo Campaign June 1815 (Great Campaigns)

By Albert A. Nofi

Book Overview

Albert Nofi has used his many years of research to produce an account of the battle of Waterloo that has all the grandeur and military detail one could want, but which never loses its interest in individual human experience. Here Napoleon rides forward to take personal command of a small detachment of French Marines to fight his way across the Sambre river on the way to Waterloo. Hanoverian exiles who have been fighting Napoleon for a decade under English command are surrounded and wiped out in a classic "last stand" at the hour of victory. The Waterloo Campaign also covers the death of the Duke of Brunswick, the reconciliation of Napoleon and his estranged brother Jerome in the crucible of battle, and the tragic loss and miraculous delivery of many ordinary people.In addition to its popular appeal, Albert Nofi's The Waterloo Campaign has found favor with the most demanding of military enthusiasts. Waterloo is a Military Book Club Main Selection in the U.S. and has been selected for a special European edition. Special features of The Waterloo Campaign include the most complete orders of battle available for the British, French and Prussian armies, a detailed comparison of artillery and musketry capabilities, sidebars profiling many of the personalities of the campaign, weather conditions for each hour of the battle and the best-informed estimates available on unit strengths and casualties, for horses as well as humans, during the campaign.New York educator Albert Nofi appeared frequently as a radio and TV military commentator during the Persian Gulf War, always balancing the grand principles of command against the individual human drama. He is the author of numerous books, including The Spanish American War 1898, The Marine Corps Book of Lists, and The War Against Hitler.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0938289292
• ISBN13: 9780938289296
• Release Date: August 1993
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 335 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Wargamers & History Buffs Delight

This is a well written & easy to read book that covers Napoleons Waterloo Campaign. Being part of the Great Campaigns series of books it has lots of additional information in well laid out sidebars regarding the tactics, weapons, training, and major figures involved. Black and White maps are included and a very useful order of battle. If you were to read just one book on this subject I would recommend this. I find that many books covering this period in history target other historians to try and prove some new point or other, as well as making the assumption that you can speak french! Dr Nofi, thankfully, does not fall into these traps.

VALUABLE RESOURCE OF AN IMPORTANT CAMPAIGN

THE WATERLOO CAMPAIGN begins with Napoleon's return from exile in February 1815 to his defeat and final exile to St. Helena in August. The Waterloo campaign consisted of three major battles: Ligny, Quatre Bras and Waterloo. Mr. Nofi covers all three battles. He uses 16 maps to show troop positions at different times of the battles. His detailed narrative follows movements and combats of units on both sides, noting numbers of men and guns involved. What makes this book especially valuable is the complete order of battle provided in the appendices. Mr. Nofi also provides sidebar discussions of Napoleonic topics such as Musketry, The Horse at War, and Artillery of the Waterloo Campaign, and personalities such as Sir Thomas Picton, William, Prince of Orange and Michel Ney. This book had complete information for me to develop computer wargames based on the battles of Quatre Bras and Waterloo. In summary, THE WATERLOO CAMPAIGN is an excellent military history of an important campaign not only for the general reader but also for the serious student of history.