Emilio's Composition

BATTLE OF WATERLOO

I’m going to talk about the Battle of Waterloo, 1815. This belongs to British History and it marked the end of an immense effort by Britain to defeat Napoleon, of a war sustained for twenty-two years.

Napoleon was defeated at Russia in the year 1814, and then he went into exile to the island of Elba, where he remained four months, after which, on 26 February, escaped to plan new advances against the allies: Britain, Austria, Prussia and Russia. Then, a month later, he gathered at the Congress of Vienna to organize the seventh Coalition to put a definitive end to their action.

After this, he appeared in Paris, acclaimed by the people, and was again crowned Emperor, obtaining the abdication of Louis XVIII, and establishing a new empire which lasted 100 days.

Napoleon was under the command of 124,000 men so, he sailed to Brussels, in order to regain their lost territories, which according to the Treaty of Paris, had again than it did before 1792. There they waiting for him, to prevent its passage, the British under the command of the Duke of Wellington, while the Prussian general von Blücher went towards Ligny.

On 15 June French troops were arranged in the positions assigned to the attack. At the front, Napoleón was directed to attack the Prussians, located in Charleroy.

The 18 of June in 1815, there was the confrontation. In this case the forces were not partners. Napoleon met more than 70,000 soldiers to double that possessed the allies and he attempted to distract the Prussian troops downloading their artillery against the fortified castle of Hougomount, with the aim of disarming their positions, but Wellington, guessed the intent, and attacked Napoleon's troops had to intervene to your booking.

The French artillery was relieved against the white enemy that hid taking advantage of high ground, and convinced the French that had been withdrawn. Ney sent his infantry to advance, but they were literally exterminated. The National Guard attempted to defeat Wellington after taking La Haye Sainte, but the British under the command of Maitland, prevented the French advance, revitalizing power of Wellington.

When the day ended, the French realized the imminence of defeat, and in a desperate attack tried to defeat the British in the area between Hougoumont and La-Haye-Sainte, with fatal outcome for the troops of Napoleon, which ended in this way with its imperialist dreams.

The result was the disappearance of Napoleon and his empire, and the predominance of the powers Allied after the Congress of Vienna, that restaurararon the former regime of monarchical absolutism. Great Britain, Russia, Prussia, Austria and France, who had managed to restore the throne to Louis XVIII, had been established between the European powers. Napoleon was exiled to the island of Saint Helena, but his liberal ideas resurgirían some time later.

The Battle of Waterloo was one of the most glorious war that ever been won by a British army.