Dear Brendan

The undulation of the ground, especially between the Allied left and French right, must have had a great influence on tactics at Waterloo. The terrain is unusual for a battlefield in my opinion and its subtleties are not apparent from maps and even observing from the Lion Mound gives a false perspective as the area appears flatter than it is. Better perspectives of what Wellington could or could not see are gained from the crossroads area and along the ridge on the Allied left for this part of the battlefield.

Your observation about the riders you saw in 2014 brings the vast re-enactment held during the bicentenary events in 2015 to mind. This took place in the exact area where D'Erlon's Attack, bombardments of the Grand Battery, the Charge of the Union/Household Brigades and their repulse and pursuit by French cavalry took place. The tour I was leading were placed in viewing stands to the south of La Haye Sainte and we mostly saw the advance from the flank but several guests moved along the line (although they weren't supposed to) and witnessed this phenomenon from other parts of the British Ridge. I saw this too to an extent, despite being distracted by my official duties at the time, and noticed that units of cuirassiers or hussars disappeared from view with only the occasional bobbing plume in sight for minutes at a time.

I also believe that this factor makes the Prince of Orange's mistakes more understandable when sending Col. Ompteda's infantry forward in line to relieve La Haye Sainte that were subsequently charged and decimated by cavalry. This is a controversial issue but, after seeing the ground many times, I believe that he may well have been unaware that cavalry was so close because of the terrain. This makes his error more understandable if not excusable. He should have listened to his experienced subordinates more closely although he was actually endorsing General von Alten's order on that occasion so the blame is shared to an extent. Similar allegations regarding the Prince's ill-advised counter attack at the Battle of Quatre Bras are also common and (significantly) also relate to visibility issues on that battlefield.

Bernard Cornwell is convinced of the Prince's negligence and makes good arguments for his case not only in his novels but also in his excellent non-fiction Waterloo - the History of Four Days, Three Armies and Three Battles, London, Harper Collins, 2014. As you no doubt noted from the above, I am more sympathetic towards the Prince, especially with the pressures he was under but regardless of your opinion this action is a perfect illustration of the difficulties commanders on both sides faced due to the nature of the ground in this area.

It is great to hear that you found my guidebook useful. Many thanks for the recommending it.

Regards,

David