1
00:00:37,615 --> 00:00:43,537
Waterloo is a crossroads of history. It ended 20 years of European war

2
00:00:43,537 --> 00:00:47,978
and saw the downfall of Napoleon, the colossus of his age.

3
00:00:47,978 --> 00:00:51,019
But the battlefield is tiny -

4
00:00:51,019 --> 00:00:55,820
a couple of miles from side to side and a mile in depth.

5
00:00:55,820 --> 00:00:59,621
I can cover all of it in a few hours' walk.

6
00:01:01,301 --> 00:01:08,143
In June 1815, these few acres just south of Brussels decided the fate of Europe.

7
00:01:08,143 --> 00:01:13,664
The area has changed, with a scatter of monuments and the rise of tourism.

8
00:01:13,664 --> 00:01:17,185
It is Europe's most visited battlefield.

9
00:01:17,185 --> 00:01:24,347
Here, you can leave your wellingtons in the boot and find yourself surrounded by an army of Napoleons.

10
00:01:24,347 --> 00:01:27,788
The diminutive dictator may have lost the battle,

11
00:01:27,788 --> 00:01:31,349
but he's victorious in the afterlife.

12
00:01:48,953 --> 00:01:53,875
An extraordinary series of events had brought Napoleon to Waterloo.

13
00:01:53,875 --> 00:01:59,356
He had made a spectacular comeback from exile, formed a large army

14
00:01:59,356 --> 00:02:03,397
and threatened to dominate Europe again.

15
00:02:03,397 --> 00:02:07,038
He marched into Belgium, where two armies,

16
00:02:07,038 --> 00:02:10,639
one led by the Duke of Wellington, opposed him.

17
00:02:11,599 --> 00:02:14,360
The battle takes its name

18
00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:20,962
from the village two miles north of the battlefield, Wellington's headquarters.

19
00:02:20,962 --> 00:02:23,922
Wellington spent the night before

20
00:02:23,922 --> 00:02:27,363
in this inn in the village of Waterloo.

21
00:02:27,363 --> 00:02:30,964
He was 46, the same age as his opponent,

22
00:02:30,964 --> 00:02:34,205
but very different in temperament.

23
00:02:34,205 --> 00:02:39,046
Respected, rather than loved, he disapproved of being cheered.

24
00:02:39,046 --> 00:02:43,967
"If you let them cheer you one day, they might boo you the next."

25
00:02:43,967 --> 00:02:47,008
When he got up on the 18th of June,

26
00:02:47,008 --> 00:02:51,049
Wellington knew he faced his sternest test yet.

27
00:02:51,049 --> 00:02:57,651
It all depended on the staying power of his infantry and the arrival of the Prussians.

28
00:02:57,651 --> 00:03:02,332
He realised that without the help of the Prussian army

29
00:03:02,332 --> 00:03:05,013
he had little chance of winning.

30
00:03:05,013 --> 00:03:09,654
Their commander, Blucher, had promised his support,

31
00:03:09,654 --> 00:03:14,775
but his army had been badly beaten a day earlier and had retreated.

32
00:03:14,775 --> 00:03:18,416
On the eve of Waterloo they were ten miles away

33
00:03:18,416 --> 00:03:22,297
and might never reach the battlefield in time.

34
00:03:22,297 --> 00:03:25,778
Napoleon's headquarters was at Le Caillou farm,

35
00:03:25,778 --> 00:03:28,499
three miles south of Wellington.

36
00:03:32,140 --> 00:03:39,221
The officers who stayed here were the central nervous system of an army of over 70,000 men

37
00:03:39,221 --> 00:03:44,423
that was outside in the rain, coiled up like some great beast.

38
00:03:44,423 --> 00:03:47,464
Their names had made Europe tremble,

39
00:03:47,464 --> 00:03:50,704
but their army was curiously patchy.

40
00:03:50,704 --> 00:03:54,465
Veterans rubbed shoulders with conscripts,

41
00:03:54,465 --> 00:03:59,547
supporters of Napoleon with secret supporters of the exiled king.

42
00:03:59,547 --> 00:04:03,188
The army looked much better than it really was

43
00:04:03,188 --> 00:04:08,109
and it depended absolutely on the presiding genius of one man -

44
00:04:08,109 --> 00:04:10,469
Napoleon.

45
00:04:13,310 --> 00:04:18,471
The campaign was going his way, but Napoleon was not at his best.

46
00:04:18,471 --> 00:04:22,512
He was sometimes lethargic, sometimes restless,

47
00:04:22,512 --> 00:04:25,793
certainly unfit, possibly even ill.

48
00:04:25,793 --> 00:04:30,634
But when he turned out of bed next morning, he seemed confident.

49
00:04:30,634 --> 00:04:34,716
Marshal Soult, his chief of staff, advised caution.

50
00:04:34,716 --> 00:04:41,157
But Napoleon said, "Because he has beaten you, you think Wellington is a good general.

51
00:04:41,157 --> 00:04:45,878
"But he is a bad general and the English are breakfast."

52
00:04:47,559 --> 00:04:51,200
It was a filthy night.

53
00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:57,241
While senior officers found shelter, soldiers were left in the rain.

54
00:04:57,241 --> 00:05:02,283
Private William Wheeler of the 51st Regiment describes the time he had.

55
00:05:02,283 --> 00:05:06,524
"We sat on our knapsacks until daylight without fires.

56
00:05:06,524 --> 00:05:12,965
"There was no shelter from the weather. Water ran from the cuffs of our jackets.

57
00:05:12,965 --> 00:05:17,486
"We were as wet as if we had been plunged in a river.

58
00:05:17,486 --> 00:05:20,007
"We had one consolation -

59
00:05:20,007 --> 00:05:23,368
"the enemy were in the same plight."

60
00:05:26,569 --> 00:05:30,210
The weather was a disaster for Napoleon.

61
00:05:30,210 --> 00:05:35,291
Because of the Prussian threat, he needed to beat Wellington quickly.

62
00:05:35,291 --> 00:05:38,932
But the ground was too wet to move his guns

63
00:05:38,932 --> 00:05:43,653
so he was forced to delay the battle for several hours.

64
00:05:43,653 --> 00:05:50,655
It was easy, when Frenchmen were looking for some excuse for his failure, to blame this.

65
00:05:50,655 --> 00:05:57,697
Victor Hugo wrote, "A few drops of water, more or less, were what decided Napoleon's fate."

66
00:06:00,297 --> 00:06:03,698
The armies formed up early.

67
00:06:05,859 --> 00:06:10,260
From his observation point, Napoleon could see

68
00:06:10,260 --> 00:06:14,581
much of Wellington's army of over 60,000 men.

69
00:06:14,581 --> 00:06:18,142
The need to delay must have been agonising.

70
00:06:18,142 --> 00:06:24,783
This is one of his observation points. It gives a good view of Wellington's position.

71
00:06:24,783 --> 00:06:31,945
Wellington had a wonderful eye for the ground. His position wasn't perfect, but it had natural strength.

72
00:06:31,945 --> 00:06:34,466
On Wellington's left

73
00:06:34,466 --> 00:06:37,307
was the farm complex of Papalotte.

74
00:06:37,307 --> 00:06:40,467
In his centre, La Haye Sainte.

75
00:06:42,548 --> 00:06:46,829
Behind those trees, Hougoumont.

76
00:06:46,829 --> 00:06:50,430
The farms had been fortified the day before.

77
00:06:50,430 --> 00:06:55,191
British foot guards had prepared the defences of Hougoumont

78
00:06:55,191 --> 00:07:00,032
and La Haye Sainte was strongly garrisoned by German troops.

79
00:07:00,032 --> 00:07:04,554
These farms were crucial to Wellington's battle plan.

80
00:07:04,554 --> 00:07:10,235
His army was partly shielded by the high corn that grew here in 1815

81
00:07:10,235 --> 00:07:14,436
and also protected by the slope of the ridge.

82
00:07:14,436 --> 00:07:18,277
The lion monument was built in the 1820s

83
00:07:18,277 --> 00:07:23,118
and stands pretty well in the centre of Wellington's position.

84
00:07:26,879 --> 00:07:31,920
The Brussels road bisects the battlefield, just as it did in 1815.

85
00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:35,441
It's no coincidence that the road is here.

86
00:07:35,441 --> 00:07:42,283
If Napoleon could break through Wellington's line, he was just a few hours from Brussels.

87
00:07:42,283 --> 00:07:49,325
And if he could take Brussels, he'd have struck a telling blow at the European alliance opposing him.

88
00:07:50,405 --> 00:07:57,007
Napoleon was an artillery officer by training, and he put 84 12-pounder guns here.

89
00:07:57,007 --> 00:08:02,128
Known as "the emperor's favourite daughters", they fired these -

90
00:08:02,128 --> 00:08:04,609
12lb round shot.

91
00:08:04,609 --> 00:08:08,850
Gunners tried to bounce them in front of the enemy,

92
00:08:08,850 --> 00:08:15,692
so they'd ricochet through his entire formation, causing death and destruction.

93
00:08:15,692 --> 00:08:19,212
At close range, gunners switched to this.

94
00:08:19,212 --> 00:08:24,414
This is case shot - a tin box filled with smaller balls.

95
00:08:24,414 --> 00:08:30,095
This burst, turning the cannon into a gigantic shotgun.

96
00:08:30,095 --> 00:08:33,576
It was a real killer on such a battlefield.

97
00:08:35,016 --> 00:08:38,857
Napoleon's guns opened fire at 11.30.

98
00:08:39,898 --> 00:08:42,378
BOOM!

99
00:08:43,499 --> 00:08:45,499
BOOM!

100
00:08:46,459 --> 00:08:49,540
CRASH! BOOM!

101
00:08:50,300 --> 00:08:53,381
At the same time,

102
00:08:53,381 --> 00:08:57,462
over 5,000 French infantry advanced on Hougoumont.

103
00:08:58,622 --> 00:09:03,064
MILITARY-STYLE DRUMMING

104
00:09:17,547 --> 00:09:24,949
There were about 1,500 troops in the house and orchard, and the French attackers were badly mauled.

105
00:09:27,510 --> 00:09:32,151
The strong walls of Hougoumont made it a natural fortress.

106
00:09:32,151 --> 00:09:34,992
The garrison of British foot guards,

107
00:09:34,992 --> 00:09:38,753
firing through loopholes like this, caused havoc.

108
00:09:38,753 --> 00:09:45,794
Throughout the day, wave after wave of French broke against these walls like a torrent against a boulder.

109
00:09:45,794 --> 00:09:49,955
The French had to get in, regardless of cost.

110
00:09:55,317 --> 00:10:00,278
The attackers and defenders carried flintlock muskets like this.

111
00:10:00,278 --> 00:10:05,760
They were very inaccurate - I'd be hard-pressed to hit that back wall.

112
00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:12,801
To load, you took a cartridge with a musket ball at one end and powder at the other, bit the end off...

113
00:10:14,082 --> 00:10:18,323
..and poured powder into the priming pan...

114
00:10:20,123 --> 00:10:23,004
..closed off the frizzen...

115
00:10:23,004 --> 00:10:28,885
then tipped the rest of the powder down the muzzle...

116
00:10:28,885 --> 00:10:31,846
followed it with the musket ball...

117
00:10:33,847 --> 00:10:36,687
..took out the ramrod...

118
00:10:39,728 --> 00:10:43,649
..and rammed it all home good and tight.

119
00:10:43,649 --> 00:10:47,890
You then remembered to return the ramrod.

120
00:10:47,890 --> 00:10:52,771
Clumsy soldiers sometimes forgot to do this and fired it at the enemy.

121
00:10:52,771 --> 00:10:57,013
Then, with luck, you were ready to fire.

122
00:11:03,374 --> 00:11:06,815
If all else failed, there was the bayonet.

123
00:11:06,815 --> 00:11:11,096
The prospect of 20,000 of these approaching

124
00:11:11,096 --> 00:11:16,137
would often compel people to seek an urgent appointment elsewhere.

125
00:11:17,498 --> 00:11:20,018
DRUMS BEAT

126
00:11:22,499 --> 00:11:27,980
One of the dozens of French attacks got to the north gate of Hougoumont.

127
00:11:27,980 --> 00:11:34,422
It was led by Second Lieutenant Legros, a giant of a man, nicknamed "the Smasher".

128
00:11:34,422 --> 00:11:40,944
He took an axe and beat down the wooden gates which used to stand there,

129
00:11:40,944 --> 00:11:44,465
then led a charge into the courtyard.

130
00:11:53,627 --> 00:11:57,828
The fate of Hougoumont hung in the balance

131
00:11:57,828 --> 00:12:01,469
in a few minutes of vicious fighting,

132
00:12:01,469 --> 00:12:08,711
as Lieutenant Colonel James Macdonell and his men tried to close the gates and kill the French.

133
00:12:08,711 --> 00:12:13,032
Private Matthew Clay tells us just what it was like.

134
00:12:13,032 --> 00:12:17,073
"In the entrance lay many dead bodies of the enemy.

135
00:12:17,073 --> 00:12:22,394
"I saw Lieutenant Colonel Macdonell carrying the trunk of a tree.

136
00:12:22,394 --> 00:12:28,076
"He was hurrying to bar the gates against the enemy's renewed attack,

137
00:12:28,076 --> 00:12:30,796
"which was vigorously repulsed."

138
00:12:30,796 --> 00:12:33,277
Wellington later said

139
00:12:33,277 --> 00:12:40,039
the battle of Waterloo had depended on the closing of the gates of Hougoumont.

140
00:12:50,641 --> 00:12:56,363
Legros, and the men who charged with him, were killed almost to a man.

141
00:12:56,363 --> 00:12:59,884
The sole survivor was an unarmed drummer boy,

142
00:12:59,884 --> 00:13:02,404
who the British spared.

143
00:13:08,606 --> 00:13:13,927
I find Hougoumont the most moving spot on the field of Waterloo.

144
00:13:13,927 --> 00:13:18,969
Indeed, it affects me more than almost any other battlefield.

145
00:13:18,969 --> 00:13:23,250
It makes me glad I'm a military historian.

146
00:13:23,250 --> 00:13:28,531
I can almost reach out and touch the past.

147
00:13:43,615 --> 00:13:47,216
Not a lot of Frenchmen got in during the battle,

148
00:13:47,216 --> 00:13:50,256
but today the place is full of them.

149
00:14:21,304 --> 00:14:24,505
ALL SHOUT: Vive l'empereur!

150
00:14:25,545 --> 00:14:30,227
- Jan, what's the attraction in Waterloo?
- It's special.

151
00:14:30,227 --> 00:14:35,548
It's a turnaround in Europe in 1815.

152
00:14:35,548 --> 00:14:39,589
It changed very much things in those times,

153
00:14:39,589 --> 00:14:46,031
yet we have followed the things of those...of this battle, today.

154
00:14:46,031 --> 00:14:48,791
How did you become interested?

155
00:14:48,791 --> 00:14:53,833
It's a long time ago, when I was a little boy around eight years old.

156
00:14:53,833 --> 00:14:58,994
I was always interested in little tin soldiers of the Napoleonic era,

157
00:14:58,994 --> 00:15:01,955
because they were full of colour.

158
00:15:01,955 --> 00:15:08,036
Those colours attracted me and now I am 1:1 scale soldier!

159
00:15:09,397 --> 00:15:15,318
- Goodbye, and good luck with the war!
- Have a nice way back to England.

160
00:15:44,005 --> 00:15:48,927
This is good Waterloo weather - rain and shine in equal portions.

161
00:15:48,927 --> 00:15:53,488
From the lion monument, I've a good view of the field.

162
00:15:53,488 --> 00:15:56,569
Down there is Hougoumont.

163
00:15:56,569 --> 00:16:00,249
There's the Brussels road and La Haye Sainte.

164
00:16:01,650 --> 00:16:09,252
By early afternoon, Napoleon had hammered Wellington's centre, by the crossroads, with his artillery.

165
00:16:09,252 --> 00:16:12,893
He then sent 18,000 infantry along the road

166
00:16:12,893 --> 00:16:17,814
to strike what he hoped would be the battle-winning blow.

167
00:16:18,814 --> 00:16:21,855
DRUMS BEAT A MARCH

168
00:16:24,816 --> 00:16:28,257
The French infantry marched along here

169
00:16:28,257 --> 00:16:32,258
under artillery fire pretty well the whole way.

170
00:16:32,258 --> 00:16:38,899
The impact of shot sent muskets, knapsacks and limbs flying up into the air,

171
00:16:38,899 --> 00:16:41,740
but the French kept coming.

172
00:16:41,740 --> 00:16:47,301
It looked very much as if they'd break the line and win the battle.

173
00:16:47,301 --> 00:16:50,862
Lord Uxbridge, Wellington's cavalry commander,

174
00:16:50,862 --> 00:16:57,744
had kept two brigades of cavalry just over this ridge, ready for just this moment.

175
00:16:57,744 --> 00:17:01,345
They charged, and hit the French about here.

176
00:17:01,345 --> 00:17:06,706
PIPE BAND PLAYS A MARCH

177
00:17:43,316 --> 00:17:50,477
They were moving fast, their blood was up and they rode right into the columns.

178
00:17:50,477 --> 00:17:54,478
A French officer tells us just what it was like.

179
00:17:54,478 --> 00:17:59,400
"We found ourselves defenceless against a relentless enemy,

180
00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:04,241
"who sabred even our fifers and drummers without mercy.

181
00:18:04,241 --> 00:18:08,682
"Our eagle was captured and I saw death close at hand,

182
00:18:08,682 --> 00:18:13,403
"for my friends fell around me and I expected the same fate,

183
00:18:13,403 --> 00:18:16,924
"while wielding my sword mechanically."

184
00:18:16,924 --> 00:18:23,766
The cavalry charged too far. They got on to the far ridge and were counterattacked.

185
00:18:23,766 --> 00:18:30,808
But the charge had done its job. Napoleon's first proper infantry attack was stopped in its tracks.

186
00:18:33,608 --> 00:18:38,650
His infantry's failure to break Wellington's line was a setback.

187
00:18:38,650 --> 00:18:45,811
The allied army had been badly damaged and a properly co-ordinated attack might have beaten it.

188
00:18:45,811 --> 00:18:50,973
Instead, the French launched a series of spasmodic cavalry charges.

189
00:18:50,973 --> 00:18:55,854
The horsemen must have looked splendid in their plumes and armour

190
00:18:55,854 --> 00:18:59,575
and they were very serious opponents.

191
00:18:59,575 --> 00:19:02,616
This gentleman isn't just decorative.

192
00:19:02,616 --> 00:19:09,257
He's a French cuirassier, trained to ride down and break enemy infantry and cavalry

193
00:19:09,257 --> 00:19:12,738
by the sheer momentum of his armoured charge.

194
00:19:12,738 --> 00:19:15,299
They were respected adversaries.

195
00:19:15,299 --> 00:19:18,780
A British officer being charged by them said,

196
00:19:18,780 --> 00:19:25,221
"By God! Those fellows deserve Bonaparte. They fight so nobly for him."

197
00:19:57,390 --> 00:20:00,310
- Philippe, merci et au revoir.
- Merci.

198
00:20:04,792 --> 00:20:10,633
At about 3.30, over 4,000 French horsemen swept across the field.

199
00:20:10,633 --> 00:20:13,514
Their objective was simple -

200
00:20:13,514 --> 00:20:18,355
hit Wellington's infantry hard, break it and win the battle.

201
00:20:18,355 --> 00:20:21,436
The infantry had been in lines,

202
00:20:21,436 --> 00:20:24,476
but as the French cavalry bore down,

203
00:20:24,476 --> 00:20:29,638
they had to move fast into square formations to keep the horsemen out.

204
00:20:30,638 --> 00:20:33,999
PIPE BAND PLAYS

205
00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:43,521
Although the square was a good defence against cavalry,

206
00:20:43,521 --> 00:20:46,242
it was vulnerable to artillery.

207
00:20:46,242 --> 00:20:51,883
For three long hours, the French sent in wave after wave of cavalry,

208
00:20:51,883 --> 00:20:55,924
forcing the infantry to stay in their squares.

209
00:20:55,924 --> 00:21:01,446
Between the charges, the infantry were hammered by French artillery.

210
00:21:01,446 --> 00:21:04,167
BOOM!

211
00:21:04,167 --> 00:21:07,207
BOOM!

212
00:21:07,207 --> 00:21:10,328
BOOM!

213
00:21:10,328 --> 00:21:17,370
The cruellest trial for the infantry came standing up here in square with round shot crashing in,

214
00:21:17,370 --> 00:21:21,171
because they were an easy artillery target.

215
00:21:21,171 --> 00:21:23,812
The 27th Regiment stood here.

216
00:21:23,812 --> 00:21:27,412
It went into battle 747 men strong.

217
00:21:27,412 --> 00:21:31,253
By the end of the day, it had lost almost 500.

218
00:21:31,253 --> 00:21:35,414
One eyewitness said that it was lying dead in square.

219
00:21:35,414 --> 00:21:37,935
This is its memorial.

220
00:22:04,302 --> 00:22:08,423
The French attacked La Haye Sainte throughout the day

221
00:22:08,423 --> 00:22:11,824
and were repulsed each time.

222
00:22:11,824 --> 00:22:14,664
It was right in front of the line.

223
00:22:14,664 --> 00:22:20,546
If he could take it, Napoleon could attack from very close range.

224
00:22:20,546 --> 00:22:24,747
At 6.30, the French attacked again, in strength.

225
00:22:24,747 --> 00:22:28,508
This time, they took the farm.

226
00:22:28,508 --> 00:22:31,549
Of the entire allied garrison,

227
00:22:31,549 --> 00:22:35,070
a mere 42 men escaped with their lives.

228
00:22:35,070 --> 00:22:38,991
At last, the battle seemed to be going Napoleon's way.

229
00:22:38,991 --> 00:22:44,552
Then the young Prince of Orange, one of Wellington's generals,

230
00:22:44,552 --> 00:22:48,913
ordered the veteran Colonel Ompteda to counterattack.

231
00:22:48,913 --> 00:22:54,275
Ompteda knew that it was impossible, protested, but attacked anyway.

232
00:22:54,275 --> 00:22:57,235
He was shot almost immediately.

233
00:22:58,556 --> 00:23:03,397
Lieutenant Edmund Wheatley charged with Colonel Ompteda.

234
00:23:03,397 --> 00:23:08,438
He was knocked unconscious and then dragged into La Haye Sainte.

235
00:23:08,438 --> 00:23:13,479
He gives us a wonderful description of just what it was like.

236
00:23:13,479 --> 00:23:16,960
"The inside I found completely destroyed,

237
00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:20,521
"nothing but the rafters and props remaining.

238
00:23:20,521 --> 00:23:25,883
"The bodies of German infantry and French tirailleurs were everywhere.

239
00:23:25,883 --> 00:23:29,924
"The carnage had been very great in this place."

240
00:23:39,646 --> 00:23:44,487
La Haye Sainte is still a working farm, owned by Paul Van Achter.

241
00:23:44,487 --> 00:23:47,248
- Bonjour.
- Bonjour.

242
00:24:18,216 --> 00:24:22,017
Oh, excellent. Ca, c'est un morceau de pipe.

243
00:24:22,017 --> 00:24:28,018
This is a piece of French pipe with a grenadier's moustache on it.

244
00:24:29,059 --> 00:24:34,260
Musket balls - a rather small French one and a larger English one.

245
00:24:36,300 --> 00:24:40,141
This is a piece of canister shot from a cannon...

246
00:24:40,141 --> 00:24:43,702
A real killer, particularly at close range.

247
00:24:43,702 --> 00:24:47,743
It gives some idea of how intense the fighting was,

248
00:24:47,743 --> 00:24:51,464
if things like this are still being ploughed up.

249
00:24:51,464 --> 00:24:56,626
- Tres interessant. Merci.
- De rien. Au revoir et bon retour.

250
00:25:01,787 --> 00:25:07,028
La Haye Sainte was a boost to French morale but rejoicing was short-lived.

251
00:25:07,028 --> 00:25:12,189
The Prussians had arrived and were already attacking the right flank.

252
00:25:12,189 --> 00:25:15,350
Time was running out for the emperor.

253
00:25:16,831 --> 00:25:21,632
At seven o'clock, Napoleon played his last card.

254
00:25:21,632 --> 00:25:26,633
He sent about 6,000 of his imperial guards up this slope.

255
00:25:27,633 --> 00:25:35,035
Part of the column came this way, approaching a British Guards brigade lying down along the crest line.

256
00:25:36,076 --> 00:25:38,876
Wellington was just behind the line

257
00:25:38,876 --> 00:25:44,158
and he couldn't resist giving the crucial orders himself.

258
00:25:44,158 --> 00:25:46,598
Stand up, Guards!

259
00:25:46,598 --> 00:25:49,039
Make ready! Fire!

260
00:26:01,362 --> 00:26:07,924
Even these veterans couldn't stand that sort of punishment and they were pushed back.

261
00:26:07,924 --> 00:26:12,325
When Wellington saw them retreat, he doffed his cap

262
00:26:12,325 --> 00:26:14,845
and motioned his army forward.

263
00:26:15,846 --> 00:26:18,686
He knew the battle was won.

264
00:26:22,927 --> 00:26:25,768
As the victorious allies advanced,

265
00:26:25,768 --> 00:26:28,609
Napoleon's great army fled,

266
00:26:28,609 --> 00:26:32,210
leaving the field littered with dead and dying.

267
00:26:32,210 --> 00:26:36,251
Many of the wounded lay out overnight,

268
00:26:36,251 --> 00:26:39,412
and often simply died where they lay.

269
00:26:40,932 --> 00:26:45,573
The fortunate were brought to an improvised field hospital,

270
00:26:45,573 --> 00:26:49,334
where surgeons operated without anaesthetic...

271
00:26:49,334 --> 00:26:52,175
laying open deep muscle wounds...

272
00:26:52,175 --> 00:26:55,376
probing for musket balls

273
00:26:55,376 --> 00:26:59,217
and amputating shattered limbs.

274
00:26:59,217 --> 00:27:02,618
Some soldiers bore all this surprisingly well.

275
00:27:02,618 --> 00:27:07,019
They came from a hard world where stoicism was admired.

276
00:27:07,019 --> 00:27:12,060
Sergeant Michael Connolly reprimanded a man for groaning.

277
00:27:12,060 --> 00:27:17,141
"For God's sake", he said, "die like a man before these Frenchies."

278
00:27:17,141 --> 00:27:22,182
And in these terrible surroundings that's exactly what many did.

279
00:27:28,704 --> 00:27:34,065
Nearly 50,000 of the men who fought at Waterloo were killed or wounded.

280
00:27:34,065 --> 00:27:38,947
Artists managed to romanticise death on the battlefield,

281
00:27:38,947 --> 00:27:43,708
but most of the dead were simply tumbled into huge gravepits.

282
00:27:45,108 --> 00:27:48,989
This wounded eagle, by the busy Brussels road,

283
00:27:48,989 --> 00:27:52,430
marks where some of the guard fought long enough

284
00:27:52,430 --> 00:27:57,111
to enable Napoleon to escape amongst his broken army.

285
00:27:57,111 --> 00:28:02,793
Victor Hugo said Waterloo was a change in the direction of the world.

286
00:28:02,793 --> 00:28:06,394
Napoleon was packed off to a rocky island

287
00:28:06,394 --> 00:28:09,554
and kept there till he died.

288
00:28:09,554 --> 00:28:13,035
Waterloo ushered in 50 years of peace in Europe

289
00:28:13,035 --> 00:28:19,477
and it was 99 years before a British soldier next fired a shot in Europe.

290
00:28:19,477 --> 00:28:25,439
Ironically, it was just a few miles down this road, in August 1914.

291
00:28:54,206 --> 00:28:58,247
Subtitles on 888 by Mairi Macleod BBC Scotland - 1996