Dan Snow's History Hit Voices of Waterloo
9 snips
Jun 18, 2021 Zach White, a historian and founder of the Voices of the Battlefield project, delves into profound eyewitness accounts from the Battle of Waterloo. He shares vivid stories, including a young triangle player's chaotic experience on the battlefield and Wellington's sober reflections after victory. The discussion covers Napoleon's strategies, the mud's impact on troops, and the tenacity of defenders at La Haye Sainte. Zach also highlights how the public can engage with the Waterloo Remembered project, bringing history alive through personal testimonies.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Napoleon's Divide-and-Conquer Gamble
- Napoleon aimed to smash Wellington and Blücher apart by striking between their lines and defeating them separately.
- The plan nearly worked at Ligny and Quatre Bras but failure to rout the Prussians allowed Wellington to stand at Waterloo.
Child Musician At Waterloo
- John Scott was an 11–12-year-old triangle player in the Black Watch who played through Waterloo and avoided injury due to his size.
- His account shows musicians sometimes acted as stretcher-bearers but children could still be present amid the carnage.
Derlon's Crushing Column
- Jacques-François Martin described Derlon's column advancing in closed ranks with shouts of 'Vive l'Empereur' into murderous artillery and cavalry counterattacks.
- His unit nearly reached the height but broke ranks and were cut to pieces by English cavalry.