Wellington's Belgian Allies 1815

Description

The army commanded by the Duke of Wellington at Quatre-Bras and Waterloo included two infantry divisions and three cavalry brigades of the newly-unified Netherlands (or 'Dutch-Belgian') army. The part played by these troops in the two battles, under experienced officers many of whom had seen long service in Napoleon's campaigns, has often been unjustly dismissed by British commentators. The organisation, uniforms, and battle record of the Belgian units are explained here in detail by an experienced researcher in Continental archives, and illustrated by a specialist in the period, who actually lives at Waterloo.

RONALD PAWLY was born in 1956 in Antwerp, Belgium, where he still lives and works. He is a respected member of several international societies for Napoleonic studies, and his forte is research in the field of military portraiture. He is the author of the monumental The Red Lancers: Anatomy of a Napoleonic Regiment, and a contributor to two major French reference works, Repertoire Mondiale des Souvenirs Napoleoniens and Dictionnaire des Colonels de Napoleon. This is his first title for Osprey. Patrice Courcelle was born in northern France in 1950 and has been a professional illustrator for some 20 years. Entirely self-taught; he has illustrated many books and magazine articles for Continental publishers, and his work hangs in a number of public and private collections. His dramatic and lucid style has won him plenty of admiration in the field of military illustration. His other enthusiasms include music, from Clapton and the blues to Mahler, and cooking. Patrice lives a few miles from the battlefield of Waterloo with his wife and son.