Fields of Death

It is 1809 and Napoleon is marching into Austria with his army; his objective - Vienna. At the same time General Wellesley is in Portugal on his way into Spain.  When he encounters his Spanish allies, he is less than impressed by the state of their army.  Having prepared for a battle after being told that the Spanish would be there, Wellesley is frustrated when they don't show up.  He decides to let the Spanish fight on their own.

After the Spanish are badly beaten by the French near Madrid, the two armies agree to take a stand together.  The British take the brunt of the French attack and are able to rebuff them.

In July, Napoleon is in Austria.  In order to get at the Austrians he must cross the Danube.  When he does, battle ensues.  After much tooing and froing, the French army wins the battle a Wagram, a very costly battle.  Victorious, Napoleon imposes a peace on the Austrians, which includes a size restriction on the Austrian army.

On the home front, Napoleon is in need of an heir.  Josephine is beyond child bearing years, so Napoleon divorces her an arranges to marry Marie-Louise of Austria.

In the new year, in Portugal, the British army is in winter quarters.  Wellesley has been named Viscount Wellington as a result of his major victory in Spain.  However, the powers that be in London aren't sure that they want to maintain an army on the continent.  What can Wellington do to convince them that this is the start to the defeat of Napoleon?  By September, French forces were in Portugal.  The British bloodied them and retreated to a stronger position.  Wellington's plans to effectively weaken the French army was well in place.  Early in 1811, an uneasy truce exists between the two armies, and then suddenly the French retreat.  Wellington immediately sets out in pursuit.

In March of 1811, Napoleon welcomes a son as his heir.  However, Napoleon has other matters on his mind.  He needs to continue to finance his war with Britain, and what he feels is an inevitable war with Russia.  But first Wellington must be made to pay on the peninsula.

By the spring of 1812, plans were well underway for the invasion of Russia.  Men were pulled out of the peninsula to help bolster the massive army Napoleon envisioned.  Not only French troops would be involved, but Napoleon forced the countries under his control to provide men and supplies.  Napoleon will be in command of over half a million men by the time the invasion commences.

In the middle of 1812, President Madison of the USA declared war on Britain.  Wellington knew that troops would now be siphoned off to defend Canada.  Would he be able to maintain the war on the peninsula as a result?  A victory at Salamanca for the British sends the French army reeling in retreat.

At the same time, Napoleon's advance towards Russia gets bogged down by alternating mud and dust.  The Russians burn crops as they retreat.  As a result, Napoleon's Grand Army diminishes in size.  On September 7, the French win a costly battle at Borodino.  The road is open to Moscow.  By the middle of September Napoleon is in Moscow, but it is burning.  The Russians refuse to negotiate.  By October the temperature was dropping, the men of the Grand Army lacked winter clothing and the cavalry's horses were in bad shape.  On the 19th, Napoleon decided to retreat.

In Spain, Wellington has liberated Madrid, but the French tenaciously hang on to the northern parts.  As the French mass their army together, Wellington is forced to give up Madrid.  However, no battle ensues as winter closes in.

As Napoleon retreats, men die by the hundreds from hunger, freezing to death and hit and run tactics of the Cossacks.  Early in December Napoleon leaves the Grand Army and heads for Paris where there are those who believe he has died.

Early in the spring of 1813, Wellington is preparing to take the war to the French on the peninsula.  He knows that Napoleon was defeated in Russia, and is struggling to form an army in the north, drawing troops from the peninsula.  On June 13, Wellington has a massive victory over the French at the little village of Vitoria.  He now intends to chase the remains of the French right into France.

Mid-July finds Napoleon in Dresden.  He has negotiated an armistice with Prussia and Russia.  Prince Metternich of Austria is serving as the go-between.  Napoleon determines the terms unacceptable, and finds out from Metternich that Austria is prepared to step in on the side of the allies if he does not accept the terms.  Due to Napoleon's stubbornness, that is exactly what happens.  The allies began to push the Grand Army back towards France.

By the beginning of 1814, Napoleon had been offered peace.  The British and Austrians offered him France's original borders and the opportunity to keep his throne.  However, Napoleon felt that due to Russia and Prussia wanting rid of him, he could still split and defeat the alliance against him.  But it was not to be.  By April, Paris had fallen.  The allies offer Napoleon the right to retain the title of emperor as long as he abdicates.  He can keep 1 000 soldiers, but he will be exiled to the island of Elba.

Wellington is in Toulouse when news of Napoleon's abdication arrives.  Along with it comes news that Louis, brother of the late king is to become the new king of France.  In May, while in Paris news arrives for Wellington that he has been appointed the ambassador to France and also been made the Duke of Wellington.  In London, the crowds were full of adulation for the conquering hero.

Returning to Paris via Brussels, Wellington takes note of a small village that has open ground and a sloped hill.  He takes note of Mont St. Jean and the village behind it called Waterloo.  Back in Paris, Wellington is aware of the undercurrent of feeling against the return of a Bourbon king.  In January of 1815, Wellington was sent to Vienna to serve as the British representative at the Congress, which was planning the future of Europe.  Shortly afterwards, news arrives of Napoleon's escape from Elba.  Is he headed for Italy or France?  A few days later it is learned that he is in France, headed to Paris to reclaim his throne.   The leaders scramble to assemble their armies.

By April, Napoleon was in Paris.  He sent messages to the leaders of Europe promising peace despite them branding him an outlaw.  He was repeatedly rebuffed.  Napoleon orders France to mobilise.  He intends to attack into Belgium where he considers the two weakest armies are; the British under Wellington and the Prussians under Blucher.  Early in June, Napoleon's army is at the border of Belgium.  He plans to strike at Blucher, heading towards Brussels through Charleroi.

In Brussels, Wellington finds himself with a mixed bag of troops.  Many of his men are green, some of his officers have been imposed upon him and King William of Holland reluctantly agreed to have his troops under Wellington's command.  On June 15, 1815, while attending a ball in Brussels, Wellington receives news from Blucher that Napoleon is advancing through Charleroi.

To the southeast at Ligny, Blucher sets up a defensive position to take on Napoleon.  It is heavy slogging for both armies.  Napoleon requests Marshall Ney to bring his army from  the crossroads at Quatre Bras to help in the battle, but Ney is unable to because he is fighting Wellington there.  Quatre Bras remains a stalemate, but the following morning Wellington is informed that Blucher was defeated at Ligny and has retreated to Wavre.  Wellington's only option is to retreat to Mont St. Jean near Waterloo.

By late morning of June 17, 1815, Napoleon finally made the decision to send Grouchy after Blucher.  Meantime, Napoleon headed to Quatre Bras where he finds Wellington in retreat and Ney doing nothing.  He orders Ney to advance, but it takes time for that to happen and the British retreat is orderly.  As the afternoon progresses, the air becomes heavy.  Late in the afternoon a thunderstorm arrived, helping to cover the British retreat and slow the French advance.

As Napoleon advances through the rain and dark, he discovers that Wellington has settled on a ridge for the night.  He tells his officers he intends to do battle in the morning.  At 11:00 a. m. on June 18, 1815 the French began the battle.  Author Simon Scarrow vividly describes the battle as the long hours went by, piling dead men upon dead men.  He concludes the story with what became of Napoleon and Wellington in the end.

This series is well told and well researched.  Scarrow does take some liberties, but that is allowed.  All-in-all, a series well worth the read for any fan of historical fiction.