Waterloo

I became familiar with Bernard Cornwell through his Sharpe TV series, with Sean Bean. His passion for Napoleonic subject matter is clear, so getting a chance to read his non-fictional account of the battle of Waterloo is a treat.

Mr. Cornwell's telling of the story of Quatre Bras is quite good, even if his telling of the battle of Ligny feels somewhat weaker. Still, he does a good job of explaining Napoleon's failures here in chasing down and destroying the Prussian army, which ultimately enabled his defeat at Waterloo.

This was my first major dive into the history of the Napoleonic era, but the intimacy and brutality of the fighting of this era is fascinating and captures my imagination. It's no surprise that so many soldiers (from each of the three armies) were left unaccounted for after the battle of Waterloo. It must have been simply terrifying.