Waterloo: The Truth At Last (Paperback)
Why Napoleon Lost the Great Battle
Pages: 568
Illustrations: Central black and white plate section
ISBN: 9781399077415
Published: 8th August 2023
Last Released: 29th August 2024
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| Waterloo: The Truth At Last ePub (23.1 MB) Add to Basket | £6.99 |
During October 2016 Paul Dawson visited French archives in Paris to continue his research surrounding the events of the Napoleonic Wars. Some of the material he examined had never been accessed by researchers or historians before, the files involved having been sealed in 1816. These seals remained unbroken until Paul was given permission to break them to read the contents.
Forget what you have read about the battle on the Mont St Jean on 18 June 1815; it did not happen that way. The start of the battle was delayed because of the state of the ground – not so. Marshal Ney destroyed the French cavalry in his reckless charges against the Allied infantry squares – wrong. The stubborn defence of Hougoumont, the key to Wellington’s victory, where a plucky little garrison of British Guards held the farmhouse against the overwhelming force of Jerome Bonaparte’s division and the rest of II Corps – not true. Did the Union Brigade really destroy d’Erlon’s Corps, did the Scots Greys actually attack a massed French battery, did La Haie Sainte hold out until late in the afternoon?
All these and many more of the accepted stories concerning the battle are analysed through accounts (some 200 in all) previously unpublished, mainly derived through French sources, with startling conclusions. Most significantly of all is the revelation of exactly how, and why, Napoleon was defeated.
Waterloo, The Truth at Last demonstrates, through details never made available to the general public before, how so much of what we think we know about the battle simply did not occur in the manner or to the degree previously believed. This book has been described as ‘a game changer’, and is certain to generate enormous interest, and will alter our previously-held perceptions – forever.
His [Dawson] contribution to busting the myths of Waterloo will surely be enjoyed by many while others will relish yet another opportunity to delve into the never-ending controversies that populate an already rich historiography.
Journal of Intelligence and National Security
With Waterloo: The Truth at Last, Dawson broadens our field of enquiry into the Battle of Waterloo. Using quantitative analysis of muster rolls and casualties, the book delivers an astute narrative that lifts the veil on some of the most enduring myths shrouding the great battle.
Jeff Bridoux, Lecturer in International Politics
Paul L. Dawson after each of his new publications never ceases to amaze me. I confess that I have ended up becoming one of his most loyal followers.
Miniaturas JM
Read the full Spanish review here
This book is one that everyone should have in their library, whether they agree with all of its findings or not. It is good to have a book that makes us question what we have believed in for the past two hundred years.
A Wargamers Needful Things
An inherently fascinating read, as well as an enormously important work of dedicated and original investigative inquiry, a definitively documented, exceptionally well written, and deftly presented work of iconoclastic scholarship.
Midwest Book Review
In a very detailed book, full of statistics and testimonies, Paul L. Dawson proposes to explain the reasons for the Napoleon's defeat in his last and probably most famous battle.
Gloire & Empire, No.80
This book demonstrates that much of what we think we know about Waterloo simply did not occur in the manner or to the degree previously believed. A real game changer!
Stuart Asquith, freelancer and author
Featured in: Top 5: Pick of the best books
Yorkshire Post, 2nd February 2018
About Paul L. Dawson
Paul L. Dawson BSc Hons MA MIFA FINS, is a historian and author, specialising in the French Army of the Napoleonic War. In addition, as a noted equestrian, this allows him to have a greater understanding of what was and what was not possible for cavalry and other troops which utilised horses. Working as a historical tailor producing museum-quality replica clothing gives him a unique insight into construction techniques of the period, as well the knowledge and ability to decipher documents from the period.
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