Essay The Battle of Waterloo - 1754 Words

French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte is remembered as one of the greatest minds in military history. His revolutionary approach to warfare changed the course of history and the principles which governed his style of leadership are still valued today. Although he had an illustrious career of over 25 years and expanded the French Empire from Portugal to Russia, his reign came to end at the hands of his enemies. The Battle of Waterloo was Napoleons last stand as a military commander and will be examined for his use of the principles of the operations process. Napoleon failed to implement these activities effectively and is ultimately responsible for the loss of the battle. Napoleon was able to lead his men, but was unable to overcome his†¦show more content†¦Napoleon quickly learned he was outnumbered by the Allied force, and developed a strategy to seize the initiative. Napoleon faced an Austrian Army of 200,000, Russian Army of over 150,000, a Prussian Army of over 100,000 , and British Army of over 100,000 which out numbered the 200,000 he could muster. The French Commander decided to implement a strategy to divide and attack each army individually in order to defeat their will. Napoleon believed the Allied Forces would lose resolve if separated and not come to the aid of another country.2 Napoleons assessment proved accurate as the Austrian and Russian Armys did not arrive in time to be relevant, and he was able to split the British and Prussian forces in Belgium. At the Battle of Ligny, on June 16th, 1815 Napolean was able to defeat the Prussian Army commanded by General Gebhard von Blucher; however, he was unable to destroy them. Three days later the Battle of Waterloo was fought 12 miles south of Brussels. Napoleons French forces faced the Duke of Wellington from Britain and General Gebhard von Blucher of Prussia. The Battle of Waterloo can be broken down into five distinct phases which ultimately lead to the defeat of Napoleon and the Fren ch Army. At approximately eleven in the morning, the first phase of attacks occurred at Hougoumont in an attempt to be a diversion and draw forces from the DukeShow MoreRelatedComparing The Battle Of Waterloo And The Battle Of Agincourt Waterloo997 Words   |  4 Pagesvictory in battle. If warriors going into battle are not accurately trained in the practice of drill and discipline it can result in a mere senseless blood brawl ending with large amounts of casualties and grave losses. In the battle of Agincourt 1415 is was a battle between King Henry V of England whom wanted to reclaim lands both â€Å"won and lost during the previous century† from France which was under the rule of King Charles VI although the army outnumbered the English, it was in this battle the FrenchRead MoreThe Battles And Disadvantages Of The Battle Of Waterloo1471 Words   |  6 Pages3. 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