Battle of Waterloo Minute by Minute In 60 Seconds

The video above is another mapsinanutshell originals showing the Battle of Waterloo minute by minute with troop numbers and casualties using Google Earth.

From the author:

DISCLAIMER: Please understand all information and numbers presented in my videos are ESTIMATED (“in a nutshell”). It is impossible to precisely account for every person and every inch of land.

1 flag = ~1,000 soldiers

1 cavalry flag = ~100 horses

1 artillery flag = ~10 guns

 

Leading up to Waterloo

Napoleon’s Rise and Fall

• 1804-1814: Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of France and led a series of military campaigns across Europe (Napoleonic Wars).
• 1814: Napoleon was defeated by a coalition of European powers and forced to abdicate. He was exiled to the island of Elba.

The Hundred Days

• March 1, 1815: Napoleon escaped from Elba and returned to France.
• He rapidly regained support and marched on Paris, reclaiming power in what is known as the Hundred Days.
• The Seventh Coalition (Britain, Prussia, Austria, Russia, and others) formed to defeat him once again.

Opposing Forces

• Napoleon aimed to defeat the British-led army under the Duke of Wellington and the Prussian army under Field Marshal Blücher before they could unite.
• His plan: strike quickly in Belgium, between the two armies.

Timeline of the Battle of Waterloo (June 18, 1815)

June 16, 1815 Prelude

• Battle of Ligny: Napoleon defeats the Prussians but fails to destroy them. Blücher retreats but maintains the ability to regroup.
• Battle of Quatre Bras: Wellington fights a delaying action against Marshal Ney.

June 17, 1815 Movement to Waterloo

• Wellington retreats to a defensive position near the village of Waterloo, south of Brussels.
• Napoleon pursues, confident that the Prussians are no longer a threat.

June 18, 1815 Battle Timeline

Morning (10:00 AM – 12:00 PM)

• 10:00 AM: Battle begins (delayed by rain and muddy ground).
• Napoleon orders a diversionary attack on the Château of Hougoumont on the Allied right flank.
• It becomes a prolonged and bloody struggle but fails to draw off Wellington’s reserves.

Midday (12:00 PM – 3:00 PM)

• Napoleon launches a massive infantry assault on the Allied center.
• He sends d’Erlon’s corps; the attack initially makes progress but is repelled by British infantry and heavy cavalry charges.
• 1:30 PM: Napoleon sees a force in the distance, initially believes it’s French reinforcements, but it’s Blücher’s Prussians, approaching from the east.

Afternoon (3:00 PM – 6:00 PM)

• French cavalry charges led by Marshal Ney repeatedly assault Wellington’s center, mistakenly thinking it’s retreating.
• These charges are uncoordinated and unsupported by infantry or artillery; the British form infantry squares and repel the attacks.
• Hougoumont and the farm of La Haye Sainte remain fiercely contested.

Evening (6:00 PM – 8:00 PM)

• 6:00 PM: La Haye Sainte falls to the French, briefly exposing Wellington’s center.
• Blücher’s Prussian forces begin arriving in force on Napoleon’s right flank.
• 7:30 PM: Napoleon commits his final reserve, the elite Imperial Guard, in a last attempt to break Wellington’s center.
• The Guard is repulsed by British troops, a psychological and military blow.

End (8:00 PM – 9:00 PM)

• As the Guard retreats, French morale collapses. Wellington orders a general advance.
• The French army routs, and Napoleon flees the field.
• Blücher and Wellington meet near the village of La Belle Alliance, symbolizing Allied victory.

Aftermath of Waterloo

Napoleon’s Final Fall

• June 22, 1815: Napoleon abdicates for the second time.
• Tries to flee to America but is captured by the British.
• Exiled to Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, where he died in 1821.

Political Consequences

• The Bourbon monarchy is restored in France under Louis XVIII.
• The Congress of Vienna continues to shape post-Napoleonic Europe.
• France is placed under occupation and forced to pay reparations.

Military and Historical Impact

• Wellington becomes a national hero in Britain.
• The battle ends over two decades of revolutionary and Napoleonic wars in Europe.
• Marks the beginning of a century of relative peace in Europe (the “Concert of Europe”).