24 Hours at Waterloo

Oct 27, 2024 2:19 AM

Author:Robert Kershaw

‘One of the lancers rode by, and stabbed me in the back with his lance. I then turned, and lay with my face upward, and a foot soldier stabbed me with his sword as he walked by. Immediately after, another, with his firelock and bayonet, gave me a terrible plunge, and while doing it with all his might, exclaimed, “Sacré nom de Dieu!” ’

The truly epic and brutal battle of Waterloo was a pivotal moment in history – a single day, one 24-hour period, defined the course of Europe’s future.

In March 1815, the Allies declared war on Napoleon in response to his escape from exile and the renewed threat to imperial European rule. Three months later, on 18 June 1815, having suffered considerable losses at Quatre-Bras, Wellington’s army fell back on Waterloo, some ten miles south of Brussels. Halting on the ridge, they awaited Napoleon’s army, blocking their entry to the capital. This would become the Allies’ final stand, the infamous battle of Waterloo.

In this intimate, hour-by-hour account, acclaimed military historian Robert Kershaw resurrects the human stories at the centre of the fighting, creating an authoritative single-volume biography of this landmark battle. Drawing on his profound insight and a field knowledge of military strategy, Kershaw takes the reader to where the impact of the orders was felt, straight into the heart of the battle, shoulder to shoulder with the soldiers on the mud-splattered ground.

Masterfully weaving together painstakingly researched eyewitness accounts, diaries and letters – many never before seen or published – this gripping portrayal of Waterloo offers unparalleled authenticity. Extraordinary images of the men and women emerge in full colour; the voices of the sergeants, the exhausted foot-soldiers, the boy ensigns, the captains and the cavalry troopers, from both sides, rise from the page in vivid and telling detail, as the fate of Europe hangs by a thread.

Reviews

A blow-by-blow account of the fateful day. I couldn't put it down.

—— Independent

‘Gripping … The hour-by-hour account is packed with fascinating and often poignant vignettes'

—— Daily Express, 5 stars

Kershaw writes well and makes sense of the battle ... a clear and straightforward military view.

—— Literary Review

Shows us the battle at its grittiest and bloodiest, but through it all manages to maintain a grip on the bigger picture.

—— Scotsman

So where does this leave Robert Kershaw’s 24 Hours at Waterloo? Very simply, in a class of its own ... brings the events to life with judiciously chosen first-hand accounts ... there could be no better companion to the battlefield than Kershaw’s.

—— Spectator

Chomsky's work is neither theoretical, nor ideological: it is passionate and righteous

—— Times Literary Supplement

Engaging writing and excellent presentation . . . a tricky yet well-crafted analysis, which adds to the revisionist school of thought with some edgy arguments, this is sure to get you thinking.

—— BRITAIN AT WAR magazine

An insightful study of generalship on both sides.

—— DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Books of the Year'

A tremendously well-written and important book and a testament to the qualities Camus lent La Peste's hero: 'humane, optimistic, tolerant, free-thinking, ever alive to injustice and acts of inhumanity'

—— Rebecca K Morris , Independent

Caroline Moorehead’s remarkable book is in essence the story of how a community, or rather group of communities, survived the travails of war with dignity. It is also a tale that gives a larger meaning to Hemingway’s macho phrase, 'grace under pressure'… Moorehead is wary of attempts to simplify history and ignore the complications of memory… What, as the last memories dim, was the truth? Moorehead’s question is implicit: is there such a thing? The reader is left with another question, equally difficult: 'what would I have done?’

—— Ian Bell , The Herald

Powerful and ultimately uplifting book … a far more nuanced account of courage - in which some Catholics did indeed help, and the links with neutral Switzerland were occasionally helpful - than previously recounted about Le Chambon

—— Anne Sebba , Jewish Chronicle

Fascinating and heartening story… Thorough, objective and readable… captivating

—— Roger Hutchinson , Scotsman

Elegant style

—— Richard Vinen , Evening Standard

Brilliantly captures the actions of an astonishing, taciturn wartime community

—— Dermot Bulger , Sunday Business Post

A story of courage and determination, of heroic individuals…and of what can be done when people come together to oppose tyranny

—— Sunday Telegraph

A unique story of courage and determination

—— Daily Telegraph

Elegant style

—— WOW247

Moorehead’s account makes for frequently moving and, at times, harrowing reading… Fascinating

—— Hanna Diamond , BBC History Magazine

[Moorehead is a] brilliant investigative journalist

—— Country Life

A work of remembrance and a moving tribute

—— Iain Finlayson , Saga Magazine

Moorehead skillfully intersperses layer after layer of historical fact with narratives of deeply human stories

—— Henriette Wentink , Reform Magazine

A moving piece, splendidly told

—— Lucy Beckett , Tablet

It’s an inspiring story

—— Peter Lewis , Daily Mail

Moorehead does an expert job in pulling together testimonies from survivors to filter myths and memories from fact to retell an extraordinary tale

—— Julia Richardson , Daily Mail

Story of courage and determination, of a small number of heroic individuals who risked their lives to save others, and of what can be done when people come together to oppose tyranny

—— Miss Dinky

Village of Secrets is crammed full of stories from survivors, tales of courage, betrayal, failure, success, hope, despair. It is a helter-skelter ride through the most extreme of human experiences

—— Susannah Perkins , Nudge

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