BATTLEFIELD CHRONOLOGY

The Battle of Waterloo was a vast event involving hundreds of thousands of men and is therefore difficult to break down into a precise time chart. The exact times when some events occurred are disputed by conflicting eyewitness testimonies or are challenged by historians’ research. Therefore, all of the following times are estimated. To complicate matters further, the simultaneous manoeuvres of three large armies must be included. These are differentiated in the following way:

FA – French Army

PA – Prussian Army

AA – Anglo-Allied Army

THE BATTLES OF WATERLOO AND WAVRE, SUNDAY 18 JUNE 1815

03.30

AA:

Wellington receives the confirmation that the Prussians will march to his aid and decides to make a stand at Mont St Jean

03.48

PA:

Prussian IV Corps breaks camp at Wavre

06.00

AA:

Wellington leaves Waterloo village for the battlefield

 

FA:

Many French units are still marching from Genappe while others remain in bivouac around La Belle Alliance and Plancenoit
Vandamme’s III Corps begins its march towards Wavre

 

PA:

Bülow’s IV Corps encounters difficulties while marching through the congested centre of Wavre

07.00–08.00

AA:

Wellington inspects his troop dispositions, orders reinforcements to Hougoumont and meets Lord Saltoun to discuss its defence

 

FA:

Napoleon confers with his generals at Le Caillou
Gérard’s IV Corps begins its march on Wavre

 

PA:

Bülow’s IV Corps begins the march west from Wavre

09.00–09.30

FA:

Napoleon orders a further reconnaissance of the Anglo-Allied position and directs General Haxo (Guard Engineer Commander) to assess the defences of La Haye Sainte and Hougoumont

 

PA:

Most of the Prussian Army have broken camp and is marching west

09.30–10.00

AA:

1/2nd Nassau Battalion arrives at Hougoumont

 

FA:

Napoleon rides forward to observe from Rossomme

 

PA:

Blücher sends a dispatch to Wellington confirming that his army is marching westward
Prussian IV Corps is halfway to Chapelle-St Robert Ziethen’s I Corps and Pirch’s II Corps have now left Wavre

10.00–10.45

AA:

Wellington receives a report from the 10th Hussars that they have made contact with Prussian cavalry

 

FA:

Napoleon issues orders for his army to take up positions
Dispatches are sent to Grouchy and the 7th Hussars are posted to monitor the extreme French right flank
Napoleon orders Soult to organize the first attack by the d’Erlon’s I Corps with Reille’s II Corps in support

11.00–12.00

AA:

The Anglo-Allied Army is now fully deployed with the exception of Lambert’s Brigade

 

FA:

Napoleon reviews his troops at La Belle Alliance as they debouch from the highway to take up positions. Afterwards he either returns to Rossomme or takes up position to the east of La Belle Alliance
At around 11.00am, Napoleon makes the final adjustments for the first attack by d’Erlon’s I Corps
Battle begins with a preliminary French bombardment between 11.20 and 11.30am
French first attack on Hougoumont wood from the south begins at 11.30–11.45am
Grouchy hears the sound of the cannon during a conference with his generals but decides to continue towards Wavre as ordered rather than march to the west
A Prussian cavalryman is captured near St Lambert at around 12.00

 

PA:

Losthin’s Brigade approaches Chapelle-St Robert
Blücher leaves Wavre in the hands of the rearguard

12.00–12.20

AA:

Hanoverian and Nassau troops are driven from the Hougoumont woods and orchard
Howitzers from Bull’s Battery begin firing on Hougoumont wood
Lord Saltoun counter-attacks with two companies of Guards attempting to retake Hougoumont orchard at around 12.00

 

FA:

Bauduin’s Brigade (of Prince Jérôme’s 6th Division) take possession of Hougoumont woods and orchard between 11.50 and 12.00
Second French attack on Hougoumont begins at around 12.00
Napoleon concentrates more artillery in the Grande Batterie
The Middle and Old Guard approach Rossomme
Durutte’s 4th Division is still marching into position

12.30–13.15

AA:

Bijlandt’s Netherlands Brigade withdraws from the forward slope where it has suffered greatly under the bombardment
Macdonell’s companies retire inside the buildings at Hougoumont
At around 13.15 Hougoumont’s garrison receives further reinforcements

 

FA:

Third French attack on Hougoumont
Colonel Cubieres attacks the western side of the chateau
A small number of French (around thirty men) enter Hougoumont via the north gate but the assault group is trapped inside and the attack is repulsed
The French deployment is completed

 

PA:

The vanguard of IV Corps reach Chapelle-St Lambert
Blücher joins the vanguard, ordering the column to halt for the entire Corps to catch up
Prussian reconnaissance is sent out on Blücher’s orders

13.00–13.15

FA:

The Grande Batterie opens fire at approximately 13.00 on the Anglo-Allied centre
Napoleon and his staff sight Prussian troops in the distance
A Prussian prisoner is brought before Napoleon at around 13.15
Domon and Subervie’s cavalry are ordered to delay the Prussian advance
Napoleon orders Lobau’s VI Corps to reinforce his right flank

13.15–14.15

AA:

Two more companies reinforce Hougoumont, bringing the garrison to around 2,600 men
The Lüneburg Battalion is sent to reinforce La Haye Sainte and is decimated in a counter-attack by French cavalry
Bijlandt’s Netherlands Brigade is attacked and eventually retreats in disorder
Three companies of the 95th Foot abandon the sandpit area
Garrison in La Haye Sainte farmhouse is isolated and attacked
The brigades of Kempt, Pack and Best are all heavily engaged and the commander of the 5th British Infantry Division, General Picton, is killed
The farmhouses of Papelotte and La Haye on the Anglo-Allied left flank are attacked
Uxbridge orders a counter-attack on the Anglo-Allied left with cavalry from the Household and Union brigades

 

FA:

Elements of Grouchy’s army reach Baraque, roughly 2 miles (3km) from Wavre at around 14.00
D’Erlon’s attack begins at approximately 13.30 and the Grande Batterie ceases fire as it advances on the Anglo-Allied right flank
The fourth French attack on Hougoumont begins at around 14.00 (approximately 12,700 men from 24 battalions are committed by 14.15)
Elements of the French IV Corps are sent to reinforce the right flank against Prussian attack
Colonel Charlet’s Brigade (of Quiot’s 1st Division) attacks La Haye Sainte
Dubois’s Cuirassiers charge the Lüneburg battalion to the west of La Haye Sainte
D’Erlon’s divisions assault the ridge and Bijlandt’s Brigade is driven back. They are heavily engaged on the ridge by 14.00 Durutte’s Division is engaged on the right flank, contesting possession of Papelotte and La Haye
Domon and Subervie’s cavalry arrives on the French right flank at around 14.00
Napoleon moves to a closer position in the region of La Belle Alliance

 

PA:

Prussian cavalry scouts the Bois de Paris (woods) and the Lasne Valley and begins skirmishing with French counterparts
Bülow’s IV Corps is still concentrating
Ziethen’s I Corps is now heading towards Wellington’s left flank from Rixensart toward Ohain

14.15–15.00

AA:

The Guards retake the great orchard at Hougoumont
The Household Brigade disperses Dubois’s cavalry to the north and west of La Haye Sainte and turns on the French infantry
The Union Brigade drives d’Erlon’s divisions back from the Allied ridge in great disorder, taking two Eagles and around 2,000 prisoners
Elements of the Union and Household brigades overreach themselves by attacking part of the Grande Batterie. The Union Brigade suffers serious losses when counter charged by French cavalry and its commander, General Ponsonby, is killed
The garrison of La Haye Sainte gains a brief respite but is soon attacked once more

 

FA:

The fifth major attack on Hougoumont begins
D’Erlon’s I Corps is firmly repulsed suffering serious casualties, only Durutte’s Division withdrawing in good order
Part of the Grande Batterie is temporarily put out of action
Napoleon orders a successful counter-attack by eleven squadrons of cuirassiers and lancers (under Travers, Farine and Jacquinot) against the Union Brigade
Bachelu’s 5th Division (of Reille’s Corps) attempts to join the attack on Hougoumont but is forced back by artillery fire from the Allied ridge

 

PA:

IV Corps is now advancing and the leading brigades under Hiller and Losthin enter the Lasne defile heading towards Plancenoit

15.00–16.00

AA:

Buildings in Hougoumont are set alight by French artillery fire
Much-needed ammunition is carried into Hougoumont
Companies of the 95th Foot reoccupy the sandpit
La Haye Sainte is reinforced by two more companies but the garrison is running low on ammunition and comes under heavy attack
Wellington orders Chassé’s Netherlands Division forward from the area around Braine l’Alleud to bolster his weakened centre

 

FA:

Grouchy’s scouts arrive before Wavre at around 15.00 and Vandamme attacks with his III Corps at 15.30
The divisions of Quiot, Donzelot and Marcognet (of d’Erlon’s I Corps) regroup
The Grande Batterie resumes its bombardment of the Anglo-Allied centre
Elements of Quiot’s Division resume the attack on La Haye Sainte
Ney observes major troop movement behind the Anglo-Allied centre and assumes that it signifies a general retreat at around 16.00. A cavalry assault is consequently ordered
Count Schwerin’s 1st Cavalry Brigade clashes with French cavalry in a serious engagement on the eastern side of the Bois de Paris at around 15.30
Infantry from Bülow’s vanguard begin to enter the Bois de Paris

 

PA:

Thielmann beats off a determined attack by Vandamme’s III Corps aimed at seizing the two main bridges over the River Dyle in Wavre between 15.30 and 16.30

16.00–17.00

AA:

All Anglo-Allied infantry battalions in the first and second lines of Wellington’s defence form square to repel massed cavalry attacks by the French
Wellington orders the artillery to fire on the advancing cavalry for as long as possible before the gunners retire to the protection of infantry squares
La Haye Sainte remains under pressure with continuous assaults and the garrison has almost exhausted its ammunition supply

 

FA:

A sixth French assault begins at Hougoumont at around 16.00 Grouchy arrives before Wavre at approximately 16.00 and receives the dispatch Napoleon sent at 10.00 that morning
Grouchy receives a dispatch dictated by Napoleon at 13.00 at around 17.00, which fails to convey that his support is urgently needed at Mont St Jean. It is too late for him to reach Napoleon on 18 June so this order is now redundant
Ney attacks with at least ten regiments of cavalry following a preliminary artillery bombardment. Despite repeated charges, no infantry squares are broken
Attacks on La Haye Sainte continue
Lobau’s VI Corps engages with the leading units of Bülow’s IV Corps as it debouches from the Bois de Paris

 

PA:

Hiller’s and Losthin’s brigades emerge from the Bois de Paris to advance on Plancenoit and begin fighting with Lobau’s VI Corps at around 16.30

17.00–18.00

AA:

Anglo-Allied infantry remain under attack by massed French cavalry and suffer heavy artillery bombardment between assaults
Uxbridge pursues enemy cavalry after each assault but struggles to prevent his cavalry overreaching themselves by charging down the ridge
Wellington sends Nassau troops (around 150 men) to reinforce the garrison of La Haye Sainte but dispatches no ammunition to the farmhouse

 

FA:

Gérard’s IV Corps attacks upriver from Wavre trying to cross the Dyle at Bierge between 17.00 and 17.30
Ney increases the number of cavalry assaulting the ridge, committing the brigades of Kellerman and Guyot (Imperial Guard) but fails to break the Anglo-Allied line and calls off the attack between 17.30 and 18.00
Elements of Reille’s Corps, advancing in support of the cavalry, arrive belatedly before the ridge at around 17.30 and are firmly repulsed
Lobau’s VI Corps retires into Plancenoit after a fighting a fierce engagement
The 13th Légère mounts a serious assault on La Haye Sainte just before 18.00

 

PA:

Elements of Pirch’s II Corps begin to arrive from 17.00 onwards on the left of IV Corps
Bülow’s IV Corps is fully engaged by 17.30 and, outnumbering Lobau’s forces, pushes the French back towards Plancenoit
The first brigade of Ziethen’s I Corps under Steinmetz reaches Ohain at around 18.00

18.00–18.30

AA:

Hougoumont is still under heavy attack, the orchard having changed hands several times but the woods are firmly in possession of the French
La Haye Sainte finally falls to French assault at around 18.30 and elements of the KGL garrison manage to escape to the Allied ridge. Most become casualties or are captured

 

FA:

Ney tries to organize a combined arms assault on Wellington’s centre at between 18.00 and 18.30 but is denied infantry by Napoleon, who is concerned about Prussian moves against the army’s right flank
Plancenoit falls to Prussian assault and Napoleon is forced to commit eight battalions of the Young Guard to retake the village
The seventh major attack against Hougoumont begins at around 18.30

 

PA:

Losthin’s 15th Brigade and Hiller’s 16th Brigade mount a serious attack on Placenoit, beginning with an assault on its northern edge. Intense street fighting takes place, particularly around the church in the centre of the village. The French abandon the village

18.30–19.30

AA:

A counter-attack intended to retake La Haye Sainte is beaten off with serious losses among two KGL battalions and the brigade commander, Colonel Ompteda, is killed
Most Anglo-Allied infantry battalions are forced to remain in square or formations four ranks deep due to fear of further cavalry assaults. Despite being ordered to lie down, they take serious losses from French artillery fire
Wellington orders all his reserves to march and reinforce his centre, bringing up Brunswick troops personally at around 19.00

 

FA:

Due to the fall of La Haye Sainte, guns are deployed near the farm and elements of the Grande Batterie are brought forward to unleash a heavy cannonade against the Allied centre
The Young Guard retake Plancenoit, driving the Prussians out at around 18.45
Renewed Prussian assaults see the Young Guard placed under heavy pressure and partially forced out of the village Lieutenant General Pajol seizes the bridge at Limal upriver from Wavre
Napoleon sends two battalions of the Old Guard into Plancenoit and by 19.30 it is still occupied by the French

 

PA:

Forced out of Plancenoit, Bülow is reinforced and continues to attack the village. Heavy losses are inflicted on the Young Guard in bitter street fighting but the French continue to hold out in the centre until reinforced by the Old Guard. IV Corps is repulsed but reforms for further attacks
Ziethen’s I Corps arrives on the Chemin d’Ohain but is almost diverted to join the Prussian attack on Plancenoit. The leading brigades link with the right flank of the Anglo-Allied Army

19.30–20.30

AA:

Chassé’s Netherlands Infantry Division is deployed, reinforcing Wellington’s centre
The arrival of Ziethen’s I Corps also allows Wellington to move the cavalry brigades of Vivian and Vandeleur from his left flank to the centre
Halkett’s and Maitland’s brigades absorb the brunt of the attack by Napoleon’s Imperial Guard to the right of Wellington’s centre. They receive the attack in formations four ranks deep and halt it in the ensuing firefight. The French are repulsed by well-timed bayonet charges mounted by the infantry

 

FA:

Napoleon sends in his final assault at around 19.30 using infantry from his Imperial Guard. Five battalions of the Middle Guard assault the Allied ridge assisted by three battalions of the Old Guard. It is supported by simultaneous attacks elsewhere on the battlefield. Despite fiercely contesting the ridge, the Imperial Guard is repulsed
Disheartened by the failure of the Imperial Guard’s assault and fearing betrayal, French units begin to waver and fall back. Pressed by a general Allied advance, the majority of the French Army is soon in a state of full retreat

 

PA:

Ziethen’s I Corps helps the Anglo-Allied left flank withstand renewed attacks by d’Erlon’s I Corps
The 5th Infantry Brigade under Tippelskirch (of II Corps) spearheads a ferocious assault on Plancenoit at around 20.00. The bulk of French forces are ejected from the village after ½ an hour’s fighting but isolated fighting continues until around 21.00

20.30–22.00

AA:

Wellington gives the order for a general advance by the whole army. The French fall back before them and their retreat soon becomes a rout. Anglo-Allied cavalry pursues the enemy but does not advance very far beyond the opposing ridge once the guns there are captured
Wellington meets Blücher by chance near La Belle Alliance at around 22.00

 

FA:

Grouchy attacks across the River Dyle at Limal at around 21.00
Attempts by French officers to stem the retreat at Waterloo prove futile. By 20.30, the retreat becomes a fully fledged rout with units abandoning their arms and dispersing
Three battalions of the Old Guard withdraw slowly in square formation, attempting to cover the retreat. Impeded by the press of fugitives, they are repeatedly attacked and eventually destroyed
Napoleon flees the battlefield heading for the French frontier

 

PA:

Ziethen’s I Corps advances alongside Wellington’s general advance, driving all French units before them into retreat and ultimately rout
Prussian troops take over the pursuit from the exhausted Anglo-Allied Army. Prussian cavalry reaches Rossomme by 21.30
Blücher meets Wellington by chance near La Belle Alliance at around 22.00

23.00–00.45

FA:

Fighting temporarily ceases around Wavre at 23.00 with Grouchy determined to continue his attack the following day The French beat off a Prussian night attack mounted between 23.45 and 00.45

 

PA:

Colonel von Stülpnagel’s 12th Brigade attacks towards Limal (near Wavre) shortly before midnight. Fierce fighting ensues but the Prussians eventually withdraw as confusion caused by the darkness disrupts their attack
After the crushing defeat at Waterloo, Prussian cavalry continues to chase French fugitives until darkness halts their progress just after midnight.

If you find an error or have any questions, please email us at admin@erenow.org. Thank you!