Ebook: Waterloo Busting the Myths: History essay

No battle has generated more myths or more conflicting analyses than that of Waterloo

How worried were they in Brussels, dancing at the Duchess of Richmond's ball? What was Grouchy up to when he was needed? Was the French cavalry destroyed by a sunken road? Was the victory due to Napoleon's state of health on the day of the battle? Was he misled by a local guide? Was a French general murdered after being taken prisoner? Should we really see the battle as a German victory? What did Cambronne say (and can it be printed)?

Then come the issues about the aftermath — What happened to Napoleon's treasures — and his famous hat? Who cut down Wellington's tree? Were local people compensated for the damage to their livelihoods? How did battlefield tourism develop? And how did Lord Uxbridge's amputated leg become a diplomatic issue?

This book, written on the occasion of the Bicentenary, scrutinizes these and other legends and stories with the aim of distinguishing the true from the false.