ebooks A Desperate Business: Wellington; the British Army and the Waterloo Campaign by Ian Fletcher in History

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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The Waterloo Campaign...By HMS WarspiteExperienced British historian Ian Fletcher is the author of "A Desperate Business"; a narrative of the British Army's heroic role in the Waterloo Campaign of 1815 that ended Napoleon's threat to the European peace. It is intended for the general reader; and at nearly 200 pages including many illustrations; "A Desperate Business" manages to be both reasonably detailed and highly readable.Fletcher acknowledges up front the continuing academic debate over the details of the Battle of Waterloo; one of the most decisive battles in Western History. However; his focus is on telling the story; not on solving the arguments. In workmanlike prose; Fletcher introduces the 1815 British expeditionary force; composed of veteran units from the Peninsular War and relatively inexperienced units avaiable on short notice from Britain. Fletcher moves on to Wellington's preparations for the anticipated campaign; including cooperation with a Prussian Army under Field Marshal Blucher. The narrative properly gets underway with the tactical surprise achieved by Napoleon's decision to attach at Charleroi on 14 June.Wrong-footed by incomplete intelligence; Wellington and the British Army narrowly avoided defeat at Quartre Bras on 16 June; before retreating to a position at Mont St. Jean to offer battle to Napoleon's army on 18 June. The Battle of Waterloo itself rightly occupies the bulk of the book. Fletcher deftly mixes an explanation of the major events on the field with tense personal narratives that provide a strong sense of just how desperate the fighting became for the British Army and its Dutch and Belgian allies."A Desperate Business" is highly recommended to the general reader as an excellent and exciting account of the British Army's role in the Waterloo Campaign.