battle of Wavre

Battle of Wavre
Part of the Napoleonic Wars
Date 18-19 June 1815 Location 50°43′N 04°36′E / 50.717, 4.6 (Battle of Wavre)Coordinates: 50°43′N 04°36′E / 50.717, 4.6 (Battle of Wavre) Wavre, Belgium Result French tactical victory, Prussian strategic victory
Combatants
First French Empire	Prussia
Commanders
Marshal Grouchy	Johann von Thielmann
Strength
33,000, 80 cannons[1]	17,000, 48 cannons[1]
Casualties
2,500[1]	2,500[1]

Map of the Waterloo campaign

In the Battle of Wavre a Prussian rearguard was pushed back by a much larger French force, but allowed General Blücher's main force to help Wellington defeat Napoleon at Waterloo. It was the last battle of the Hundred Days campaign and the Napoleonic Wars. It was fought on 18-19 June 1815 between the Prussian rearguard under the command of General Johann von Thielmann and 3 corps of the French army under the command of Marshal Grouchy.

Background

In the battle of Ligny two days earlier, the Prussian army had been forced to retreat in some disorder. Napoleon sent Grouchy in pursuit with right wing (aile droite) of the Army of the North (L'Armée du Nord) consisting of 33,000, and 80 cannons^[1] The French units in the order of battle were:^[2]

• III Corps (General Dominique Vandamme - 17,099 - 38 guns)
• IV Corps (General Étienne Maurice Gérard - 15,013 - 38 guns)
• from the Reserve Army 5,000 cavalry
• II Cavalry Corps (General Remy Exelmans - 3,392 - 12 guns)
• IV (Hussars) Cavalry Division (General Pierre Soult - 1,485 - 8 guns) which was detached from the I Cavalry Corps.

Grouchy was slow in taking up the pursuit, giving time for Blücher to regroup his army and advance with three corps to join up with Wellington's Anglo-Dutch army at Waterloo. The fourth, Thielmann's III Prussian Corps of 17,000 men and 48 guns, was left as a rearguard.^[2] Thielman's main force occupied Wavre and Bierges while a small flank guard occupied Limal.

Battle

On the same day Napoleon prepared to attack Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo, Marshal Grouchy commanding the corps of General Gérard and General Vandamme, prepared to attack the Prussian forces confronting him over the River Dyle between the towns of Wavre and Limale.

Grouchy had written and verbal orders from Napoleon to march on Wavre and engage the Prussians^[3]. Grouchy and his corps commanders could hear the noise from the Grand Battery as the Battle of Waterloo started in the distance. Grouchy’s corps commanders, especially Gérard, suggested that they should “march to the sound of the guns”^[4] Grouchy; however, feared the consequences of disobeying Napoleon’s orders, and ruled against the advice of his corps commanders, and any further arguments were silenced by another order from Napoleon arriving at 4:00 p.m. repeating the attack orders. Grouchy continued the march on Wavre and engaged the Prussians by launching a series of heavy attacks against Thielmann’s rearguard, although out-numbered the Prussians held their ground. Bitter fighting developed around the bridge at Limale as Grouchy’s troops tried to storm it, again the Prussians held their positions, and covered Blücher's transfer of 72,000 troop to Wellington’s aid at Waterloo.

At 6:00 p.m. Grouchy received an order from Napoleon recalling him to the aid of the main army at Waterloo^[4]. However, the order came too late for Grouchy to effectively intervene at Waterloo, Grouchy decided instead to hold his ground. After further action on the morning of 19 June the Prussians finally retreated. Grouchy, after receiving word on the outcome of the Battle of Waterloo, began to fall back.

Conclusion

While the battle ended in a French victory with the Prussians in retreat, it can only be regarded as a useless and hollow victory. The Prussians held their ground long enough to allow Blücher’s transfer of 72,000 troops to Wellington’s aid at Waterloo. Thus to the Prussians the battle was a strategic victory, the rear guard having succeeded in holding off a superior French force long enough to allow Blücher to link up with Wellington and decisively defeat the French at Waterloo. Furthermore the Prussian rearguard tied down 33,000 troops that could have otherwise taken part at Waterloo.

See also

• Order of Battle of the Waterloo Campaign

References

• 1815 The Waterloo Campaign, The German Victory, Peter Hofschoer ISBN 1-85367-368-4.
• Chandler, D. Dictionary of the Napoleonic wars. Wordsworth editions, 1999.
• Roberts, A. Waterloo, June 18, 1815: The Battle for Modern Europe. Happer-Collins Pub., 2005.

Further reading

• MOVEMENTS AND COMBAT OF THE REAR-GUARD OF 4TH ARMY CORPS UNDER LT-COL VON LEDEBUR WAVRE 17 - 19 JUNE 1815
• French Order of Battle (in French)
• Prussian Order of Battle (in German)
• French Order-of-Battle at Wavre: 18 June 1815 By Stephen Millar

Footnotes

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Chandler., pg.485.
2. ^ ^{a b} The number of men listed in the order of battle would not be the same as men who took part in the battle of Wavre. Both armies had been engaged at the battle of Ligny where they had suffered casualties and the Prussian army the desertion of eight thousand men during the retreat from Ligny. There would also be a number of men not at the battle for other reasons, but as the campaign had only just started, there would not have been much of attrition due to sickness which was so common to armies in the field during the Napoleonic wars.
3. ^ Roberts., pg.53
4. ^ ^{a b} Chandler., pgs.484-485.

Donate to Wikimedia