First week (18 June – 7 July) Waterloo Campaign

after combined victory @ waterloo anglo-allies under command of duke of wellington , prussians under command of prince blücher, agreed 2 commanders, on field of waterloo, prussian army, not having been crippled , exhausted battle, should undertake further pursuit, , proceed charleroi towards avesnes , laon; whilst anglo-allied army, after remaining during night on field, should advance nivelles , binche towards péronne.

the 4,000 prussian cavalry, kept energetic pursuit during night of 18 june, under guidance of marshal gneisenau, helped render victory @ waterloo still more complete , decisive; , effectually deprived french of every opportunity of recovering on belgian side of frontier , abandon of cannons.

a defeated army covers retreat rear guard, here there nothing of kind. rearmost of fugitives having reached river sambre, @ charleroi, marchienne-au-pont, , châtelet, daybreak of 19 june 1815, indulged hope might enjoy short rest fatigues relentless pursuit prussians had entailed upon them during night; fancied security disturbed appearance of few prussian cavalry, judiciously thrown forward towards sambre advanced guard @ gosselies. resumed flight, taking direction of beaumont , philippeville.

from charleroi, napoleon proceeded philippeville; whence hoped able communicate more readily marshal grouchy (who commanding detached , still intact right wing of army of north). tarried 4 hours expediting orders generals rapp, lecourbe, , lamarque, advance respective corps forced marches paris (for corps locations see military mobilisation during hundred days): , commandants of fortresses, defend last extremity. desired marshal soult collect troops might arrive @ point, , conduct them laon; place himself started post horses, @ 14:00.

the french army, under soult, retreated on laon in great confusion. troops commanded grouchy, had reached dinant, retired in better order; cut off wreck of main army, , direct road paris. grouchy, therefore, compelled take road rethel whence proceeded rheims; , forced marches endeavoured force junction soult, , reach capital before coalition armies.

in meantime, wellington proceeded rapidly heart of france; there no enemy in field oppose progress, fortresses alone demanded attention. on 20 june 1815 order of day issued british army before entered france. placed officers , men in army under military order treat ordinary french population if members of coalition nation. , large wellington s army did paying food , lodgings. in sharp contrast prussian army, soldiers treated french enemies, plundering populace , wantonly destroying property during advance.

from beaumont, prussians advanced avesnes, surrendered them on 21 june. french @ first seemed determined defend place last extremity, , made considerable resistance; magazine having blown up, 400 men killed, rest of garrison, consisted chiefly of national-guards, , amounting 439 men, surrendered @ discretion. on capture of town prussian soldiers, treated captured enemy town (rather 1 liberated ally king louis xviii), , on entering town, greatest excesses committed prussian soldiery, instead of being restrained encouraged officers.

on arrival @ malplaquet—the scene of 1 of duke of marlborough s victories—wellington, issued malplaquet proclamation french people on night 21/22 june 1815, in referred order of day addressed army, containing explanation of principles army guided.

napoleon arrived in paris, 3 days after waterloo (21 june), still clinging hope of concerted national resistance; temper of chambers , of public forbade such attempt. napoleon , brother lucien bonaparte alone in believing that, dissolving chambers , declaring napoleon dictator, save france armies of powers converging on paris. davout, minister of war, advised napoleon destinies of france rested solely chambers. clearly, time safeguard remained; , best done under talleyrand s shield of legitimacy.

napoleon himself @ last recognised truth. when lucien pressed him dare , replied, alas, have dared . on 22 june 1815 abdicated in favour of son, napoléon francis joseph charles bonaparte, knowing formality, four-year-old son in austria.

with abdication of napoleon (22 june) french provisional government led fouché appointed marshal davout, napoleon’s minister of war, general in chief of army, , opened peace negotiations 2 coalition commanders.

on 24 june, sir charles colville took town of cambrai escalade, governor retiring citadel, afterwards surrendered on 26 june, when given order of louis xviii. saint-quentin abandoned french, , occupied blücher: and, on evening of 24 june, castle of guise surrendered prussian army. coalition armies, @ least 140,000 strong, continued advance.

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