As we're fighting this (well the others will be, I'll be messing up as usual) on Thursday, its timely that we do this battle now. One of the 'run-up' battles to Waterloo, many people have heard of it - but how much do you really know about it? Read on....
Date : 16th June 1815
Combatants : Anglo-Dutch army (Wellington / Prince William of Orange / Duke of Brunswick) and the left wing of the French Army of the North (Armee du Nord) (Ney).
Location : The crossroads of Quatre Bras in modern day Belgium (then the United Kingdom of the Netherlands). Quatre Bras was then a very small village located near the important crossroards on the road to Brussels. Kincaid recounted: "Quatre Bras at that time consisted of only 3 or 4 houses ... "
Why is it important? : The crossroads of Quatre-Bras was of strategic importance because the side which controlled it could move south-eastward along the Nivelles-Namur road towards the French and Prussian armies at the Battle of Ligny (which I'll cover next week).
Background
In 1815 Napoleon's army entered Belgium to find and defeat the two Allied armies: Prussian under Blucher and British-German-Netherlands under Wellington.
If Wellington's Anglo-Dutch army could combine with the Prussians, the combined force would be larger than Napoleon's. Napoleon's strategy had been to cross the border into the Netherlands without alerting the Coalition and drive a wedge between their forces and subsequently to defeat the Prussians before turning on the Anglo-allied army. Although the coalition commanders did have an overview of French pre-war movements, Napoleon's strategy was initially very successful.
Prelude
Wellington's instructions at the start of the campaign were to defend Brussels from the French, but he did not know what route Napoleon might take and had received (false) reports of a flanking manoeuvre through Mons.
He first heard of the outbreak of hostilities at around 3pm on the 15 June from the Prince of Orange, and further confirmation of the French engaging the Prussian I Corps outposts under Lieutenant-General Graf von Zieten at 4.30pm at Thuin (near Charleroi) arrived within the next three hours. It was 6pm that Wellington drafted initial orders to concentrate his army. However, he was still uncertain precisely where to concentrate his army, and it was not until he heard that the front near Mons was clear - around midnight - that he ordered his army to move towards the Prussians.
This nine-hour delay meant it was too late for him to move his army in sufficient strength to eventually provide Field Marshal Gebhard von Blücher with the support he needed (and which one source says he had promised) on 16 June at the battle of Ligny.
Wellington did not order his entire army to Quatre Bras on 16 June either, still suspecting a flanking manoeuvre through Mons.
He was later to claim doing so in order to cover his misjudgement, although the orders issued and received do not correspond with that claim.
The headquarters of William, Prince of Orange however decided to ignore Wellington's order to assemble Dutch forces in and around Nivelles and instead took the initiative to defend Quatre Bras, where they received substantial aid from the Brunswickers and Nassauers. Although only 23 at Waterloo, The Price commanded the I Corps, the largest corps in the Allied Army. This command was given to him for entirely diplomatic reasons. Until Wellington arrived in Brussels in April, the Prince of Orange was the commander-in-chief of Allied forces stationed in Netherlands. It was only after intense pressure and persuasion that his father, the King of the Netherlands, agreed to Wellington taking overall command.
Napoleon's original plan for 16 June was based on the assumption that the Coalition forces, who had been caught napping, would not attempt a risky forward concentration; and he intended therefore to push an advanced guard as far as Gembloux, for the purpose of feeling for and warding off Blücher. To assist this operation the reserve would move at first to Fleurus to reinforce Grouchy, should he need assistance in driving back Blücher's troops; but, once in possession of Sombreffe, Napoleon would swing the reserve westwards and join Ney, who, it was supposed, would have in the meantime mastered Quatre Bras.
In pursuance of this object Ney, to whom III Cavalry Corps (Kellermann) was now attached, was to mass at Quatre Bras and push an advanced guard 6 miles northw of that place, with a connecting division at Marbais to link him with Grouchy. The centre and left wing together would then make a night-march to Brussels. The Coalition forces would thus be irremediably sundered, and all that remained would be to destroy them in detail. Napoleon now awaited further information from his wing commanders at Charleroi, where he massed the VI Corps (Lobau), to save it, if possible, from a harassing countermarch, as it appeared likely that it would only be wanted for the march to Brussels.
On 15 June as the Prussian I Corps withdrew towards Ligny, there was a danger for the Coalition forces that Ney would be able to advance through Quatre Bras and take his objectives with little or no Coalition opposition.
At the Dutch headquarters at Genappe (about 3 miles from Quatre Bras), Major-General Jean Victor de Constant Rebecque, chief of staff to the Prince of Orange, realising the danger ordered Lieutenant-General Hendrik George de Perponcher Sedlnitsky the commander of the 2nd Dutch Division to dispatch his 2nd Brigade (Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach) to occupy Quatre Bras. The brigade, consisting of two regiments from Nassau, arrived at about 2pm on 15 June. Prince Bernhard deployed before the first French scouts, lancers of the Guard Light Cavalry Division (Lefebvre-Desnouëtte), as they approached Quatre Bras. The lancers were interdicted at Frasnes after which the Nassauers retreated to the Bois de Bossu, a thick patch of forest near Quatre Bras.
General Lefebvre-Desnouëtte requested infantry support, but as night was approaching, and his infantry was strung out along Brussels-Charleroi road Ney declined the request deciding to camp for the night and approach Quatre Bras in force the following day. Early on the evening of 15 June instead of obeying Wellington's order to concentrate the I Corps at Nivelles, Rebecque ordered 1st Brigade (Count of Bylandt) of the 2nd Dutch Division to reinforce Prince Bernhard's 2nd Brigade.
Ney spent the morning of 16 June in massing his I and II corps, and in reconnoitering the enemy at Quatre Bras, who, as he was informed, had been reinforced. But up till noon he took no serious step to capture the cross-roads, which then lay at his mercy.
Grouchy meantime reported from Fleurus that Prussians were coming up from Namur, but Napoleon does not appear to have attached much importance to this report. He was still at Charleroi when, between 9am and 10am, further news reached him from the left that considerable hostile forces were visible at Quatre Bras.
He at once wrote to Ney saying that these could only be some of Wellington's troops, and that Ney was to concentrate his force and crush what was in front of him, adding that he was to send all reports to Fleurus. Then, keeping Lobau provisionally at Charleroi, Napoleon hastened to Fleurus, arriving about 11pm.
Troops :
Allies : 8,000 infantry, 16 guns (initial Dutch advance guard) then 36,000 infantry,
70 guns (arriving in sections from 2 hours after combat started).
The Dutch Army
The Netherland troops in 1815 were "... typical new recruits with no campaign experience yet; just like every other army had large numbers of them in this period. Obviously the Jager and Line battalions were professional soldiers, but even these had large numbers of new men. The militia was all sorts of conscripted, but there was no specific difference I think. Not a bad army, not a distinguishable army perhaps at the start; but it proved its task, to me."
Bijleveld's Horse Battery
- - - - - - - 5 guns on a small hill
- - - - - - - 3 guns in the rear, near Quatre Bras
Stevenart's Foot Battery
- - - - - - - 6 guns between Bossu Wood and Gemioncourt
- - - - - - - 2 guns near the south-western corner of the Bossu Wood
all artillery wagons were withdrawn to behind Quatre Bras
27th Dutch Jagers Battalion under Grunebosch stood between the farms of Gemioncourt and Pireaumont, and guarded also the bridge near the Materne Pond. One company supported the artillery.
5th Dutch Militia Battalion under Westernberg stood on a hilltop north-west of Gemioncourt, one company was detached to the farm.
III/2nd Nassau was in and beind the wood: 2 companies along the southern edge of the wood, and 2 companies in reserve north of the wood. The French Red Lancers didn't allow them to form in the open.
I/2nd Nassau along the eastern edge of the wood
I/Nassau-Orange along the eastern edge of the wood
8th Dutch Militia Battalion along the eastern edge of the wood (and a small detachment in Grand Pierrepont).
II/2nd Nassau was held in reserve
II/Nassau-Orange was held in reserve
7th Dutch Militia Battalion was held in reserve (but it soon was ordered to enter the wood)
7th Belgian Line Battalion arrived before 3 PM, was held in reserve for a short while, and then ordered into the wood
French : 18,000 infantry, 2,000 cavalry, 32 guns
Marshal Ney had Reille's II Army Corps (5th, 6th, 9th Infantry Division, and 2nd Cavalry Division) and the elite Guard Light Cavalry.
5th Infantry Division under Bachelu (Husson's 4 battalions, Campi's 5 battalions)
9th Infantry Division under Foy (Gauthier's 5 battalions, Jamin's 6 battalions)
6th Infantry Division under Jerome Bonaparte was still on the road
2nd Cavalry Division under Pire (Hubert's 8 squadrons of chasseurs, Wathiez's 7 squadrons of lancers). The chasseurs were in the front line, while the lancers stood behind the infantry.
Guard Light Cavalry Division under Lefebvre Desnouettes (4 sqadrons of Guard Red Lancers, and 4 squadrons of Guard Horse Chasseurs). In the beginning this unit stood as a reserve behind Bachelu's and Foy's infantry. Once the cuirassiers arrived the Guard Cavalry moved on the left flank.
General de Division Comte Honore-Charles-Michel Reille (1775-1860) commanded the II Army Corps. From 1810 until the end of Peninsular War he was fighting Wellington's troops and Spanish guerillas. His relationship with Marshal Soult was strained to the extent that Reille abandoned his post in 1814.
General de Division Baron Gilbert-Desire-Joseph Bachelu (1777-1849) commanded the 5th Infantry Division. He was a competent general, engineer by training. Bachelu was an outspoken, unrepentant republican.
General de Division Prince Jerome Bonaparte (1784-1860) commanded the 6th Infantry Division. It was the strongest infantry division in the French army in 1815. Jerome was Napoleon's youngest brother. He was first and foremost a socialite rather than a soldier.
General de Division Comte Maximilien-Sebastien Foy (1775-1825) commanded the 9th Infantry Division. He was a competent commander and staff officer.
General de Division Comte Hippolyte-Marie-Guillaume Pire ( 1778-1850) commanded the 2nd Cavalry Division. He was a very seasoned officer, and an excellent cavalryman. Pire was wounded at Borodino, and distinguished himself at Dresden, after which he was promoted general de division. "Pire handled his division brilliantly at Quatre Bras."
The Battle
Ney arrived at Quatre Bras around 2 pm.
He immediately recognized the importance of the crossroads at Quatre Bras and the Bossu Wood. It was impossible to move along the road to Brussels while the enemy occupied the wood.
Terrain and main features
The Bossu Wood consisted of tall trees and thick undergrowth although wide footpaths facilitated troop movements.
Nearby was Gemioncourt - a large farm with large towers, walled gardens and orchards offering a strongpoint for the defence.
H.Williams described the strongpoint: "Gemioncourt was typical of Belgian farms of the period: it was built strongly of stone, with the main house and subsidiary buildings grouped around a central courtyard entered by a single wooden gate, so that from without the farm presented the thick, windowless outer walls of its buildings and high connecting walls. With the simple addition of loopholes, such a farm became a formidable bastion"
The visibility was limited for both sides because of standing crops of tall rye, wheat and corn. The tree-lined brook banks offered good vantage line for skirmishers.
Battle commences
The French attack began around 14:00 hours. Ney massed a battery of 22 guns and started bombarding the Coalition positions (the Dutch advance guard).
Skirmishers preceded the French columns as they attacked. The Dutch picket line of the 2nd Division (Sedlnitsky) greeted them with musket volleys, but was outnumbered and those east of the Brussels highway were forced back by the mass of men moved against them.
The Nassauers of 2nd Brigade (Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar) retreated to Grand-Pierrepont farm and Dutch troops of the 1st Brigade (Bylandt) to Gemioncourt, but the allies managed, however, to hold the wood. Facing three infantry divisions and a cavalry brigade, the situation became desperate for the 2nd Division.
The Duke of Wellington came back from his meeting with Blücher and took command. He deployed Picton's Division on the allied left flank where it stopped the French advance to the east of the road.
The fresh French 6th Division (Prince Jérôme Bonaparte) arrived on the scene. A fierce fight now broke out all along the line. Picton maintained his position, while the French 6th Division were sent against Grand-Pierrepont.
The Nassauers were forced to abandon the farm and were driven into the Bossu wood. There they fought from tree to tree, slowing the French advance. At Gemioncourt the Dutch troops were a thorn in the side of the French. One of the defending battalions, the 5th militia, lost 62% of its original strength that day. The Dutch lost and retook the farm twice, but eventually lost it.
By 3pm, the French formed a line between Pierrepoint through Gemioncourt to Piraumont. At 15:30 the Dutch 3rd Light Cavalry Brigade (Merlen), led by the Prince of Orange, charged the French line, but were met by French cavalry and were thrown back, but this gave the battered Dutch infantry time to regroup. When the Dutch cavalry brigade disengaged and retired to friendly lines they were shot at by Scottish infantry because their uniforms looked like the French uniforms of the chasseurs à cheval!
Brunswick arrives
The Brunswick Corps (Duke of Brunswick) now reached the field, but their commander whilst leading a charge received a mortal wound and the attack failed. At 4.15pm Ney received Napoleon's order, (despatched at 2pm), to attack vigorously. He sent an order to his II Corps (Honoré Reille) to attack with more force.
On Ney's left, Prince Jérôme drove the allies out of the Bossu Wood. French mixed forces advanced almost all the way to the crossroads. Regiments of the British 9th Brigade (Pack) — 42nd ("Black Watch", Macara), 44th ("East Essex", Hamerton) and 92nd ("Gordon Highlanders", John Cameron) — held up against the infantry.
French of the 2nd Brigade of the 2nd Cavalry Division (Piré) counter-attacked and severely mauled the 42nd and 44th before they were driven off.
At 5pm the timely arrival of the British 3rd Division (Alten), coming in from Nivelles, tipped the numerical balance back in favour of the allies.
At quarter past the hour Ney heard that the French I Corps (d'Erlon), without his direct order or knowledge, had moved eastwards to assist in the battle of Ligny. Fifteen minutes later at 5.30pm he received an unclear order from Napoleon to seize Quatre Bras and then turn eastwards to crush Blucher, who was caught at Ligny.
Kellerman charges the line
Due to the arrival of allied reinforcements Ney realized that he could only capture and hold Quatre Bras with the support of the I Corps and he sent imperative orders to d'Erlon to return at once. To keep the pressure on Wellington, immediately after sending for d'Erlon, Ney ordered Kellermann to lead his one available cuirassier brigade and break through Wellington's line.
Kellermann's cuirassiers caught the British 5th Brigade (Halkett) — 33rd ("West Riding", Knight) 69th ("South Lincolnshire", Morice) and the 73rd (Harris) — in line formation. The 69th were badly mauled losing their King's colour, (the only battalion under Wellington's direct command to do so); the 33rd and the 73rd were saved from a similar fate by running for the safety of Bossu Wood where they rallied quickly. The cuirassiers reached the crossroads but were driven back by close range artillery and musket fire.
British Counter Attack
The arrival of the British 1st Infantry Division (Guards Division, Cooke) gave Wellington sufficient strength to counter-attack and Jérôme, whose skirmishers were now west of Quatre Bras, was forced to retreat and give up possession of Bossu wood to the British Guards.
When the Guards and other allied units emerged from the wood, they were met with heavy fire from French infantry and an attack by 6th Lancer Regiment (and possibly the 1st Chasseurs) of the 2nd Cavalry Division (Piré), the Guards were caught in line and forced to flee back into the wood. This cavalry attack and taking the Bossu wood caused high casualties among the British Guards. There was some further skirmishing between allied light companies and the French voltigeurs and cavalry screen, but the battle was over. By 9pm, when the fighting stopped, the French had been forced to give up all of their territorial gains.
Casualties : French - 4,000 dead or wounded. Allies - 5,000 dead and wounded, 200 captured.
Aftermath : The battle cost Ney 4,000 men to Wellington's 4,800. Although a tactical draw, the allies had been unable to send forces to the aid of the Prussians at the Battle of Ligny. Wellington's Anglo-allied army, upon learning of the Prussian defeat, was forced to retreat north along the Brussels road further away from the Prussians, who retreated north-east towards Wavre.
There has been much debate of what would have happened if d'Erlon's I Corps had engaged at either Ligny or Quatre Bras. As he did not, Napoleon chose to follow Wellington with the bulk of his forces, and two days later met him at Waterloo.
Date : 16th June 1815
Combatants : Anglo-Dutch army (Wellington / Prince William of Orange / Duke of Brunswick) and the left wing of the French Army of the North (Armee du Nord) (Ney).
Location : The crossroads of Quatre Bras in modern day Belgium (then the United Kingdom of the Netherlands). Quatre Bras was then a very small village located near the important crossroards on the road to Brussels. Kincaid recounted: "Quatre Bras at that time consisted of only 3 or 4 houses ... "
Why is it important? : The crossroads of Quatre-Bras was of strategic importance because the side which controlled it could move south-eastward along the Nivelles-Namur road towards the French and Prussian armies at the Battle of Ligny (which I'll cover next week).
Background
In 1815 Napoleon's army entered Belgium to find and defeat the two Allied armies: Prussian under Blucher and British-German-Netherlands under Wellington.
If Wellington's Anglo-Dutch army could combine with the Prussians, the combined force would be larger than Napoleon's. Napoleon's strategy had been to cross the border into the Netherlands without alerting the Coalition and drive a wedge between their forces and subsequently to defeat the Prussians before turning on the Anglo-allied army. Although the coalition commanders did have an overview of French pre-war movements, Napoleon's strategy was initially very successful.
Prelude
Wellington's instructions at the start of the campaign were to defend Brussels from the French, but he did not know what route Napoleon might take and had received (false) reports of a flanking manoeuvre through Mons.
He first heard of the outbreak of hostilities at around 3pm on the 15 June from the Prince of Orange, and further confirmation of the French engaging the Prussian I Corps outposts under Lieutenant-General Graf von Zieten at 4.30pm at Thuin (near Charleroi) arrived within the next three hours. It was 6pm that Wellington drafted initial orders to concentrate his army. However, he was still uncertain precisely where to concentrate his army, and it was not until he heard that the front near Mons was clear - around midnight - that he ordered his army to move towards the Prussians.
This nine-hour delay meant it was too late for him to move his army in sufficient strength to eventually provide Field Marshal Gebhard von Blücher with the support he needed (and which one source says he had promised) on 16 June at the battle of Ligny.
Wellington did not order his entire army to Quatre Bras on 16 June either, still suspecting a flanking manoeuvre through Mons.
He was later to claim doing so in order to cover his misjudgement, although the orders issued and received do not correspond with that claim.
The headquarters of William, Prince of Orange however decided to ignore Wellington's order to assemble Dutch forces in and around Nivelles and instead took the initiative to defend Quatre Bras, where they received substantial aid from the Brunswickers and Nassauers. Although only 23 at Waterloo, The Price commanded the I Corps, the largest corps in the Allied Army. This command was given to him for entirely diplomatic reasons. Until Wellington arrived in Brussels in April, the Prince of Orange was the commander-in-chief of Allied forces stationed in Netherlands. It was only after intense pressure and persuasion that his father, the King of the Netherlands, agreed to Wellington taking overall command.
In pursuance of this object Ney, to whom III Cavalry Corps (Kellermann) was now attached, was to mass at Quatre Bras and push an advanced guard 6 miles northw of that place, with a connecting division at Marbais to link him with Grouchy. The centre and left wing together would then make a night-march to Brussels. The Coalition forces would thus be irremediably sundered, and all that remained would be to destroy them in detail. Napoleon now awaited further information from his wing commanders at Charleroi, where he massed the VI Corps (Lobau), to save it, if possible, from a harassing countermarch, as it appeared likely that it would only be wanted for the march to Brussels.
On 15 June as the Prussian I Corps withdrew towards Ligny, there was a danger for the Coalition forces that Ney would be able to advance through Quatre Bras and take his objectives with little or no Coalition opposition.
At the Dutch headquarters at Genappe (about 3 miles from Quatre Bras), Major-General Jean Victor de Constant Rebecque, chief of staff to the Prince of Orange, realising the danger ordered Lieutenant-General Hendrik George de Perponcher Sedlnitsky the commander of the 2nd Dutch Division to dispatch his 2nd Brigade (Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach) to occupy Quatre Bras. The brigade, consisting of two regiments from Nassau, arrived at about 2pm on 15 June. Prince Bernhard deployed before the first French scouts, lancers of the Guard Light Cavalry Division (Lefebvre-Desnouëtte), as they approached Quatre Bras. The lancers were interdicted at Frasnes after which the Nassauers retreated to the Bois de Bossu, a thick patch of forest near Quatre Bras.
General Lefebvre-Desnouëtte requested infantry support, but as night was approaching, and his infantry was strung out along Brussels-Charleroi road Ney declined the request deciding to camp for the night and approach Quatre Bras in force the following day. Early on the evening of 15 June instead of obeying Wellington's order to concentrate the I Corps at Nivelles, Rebecque ordered 1st Brigade (Count of Bylandt) of the 2nd Dutch Division to reinforce Prince Bernhard's 2nd Brigade.
Ney spent the morning of 16 June in massing his I and II corps, and in reconnoitering the enemy at Quatre Bras, who, as he was informed, had been reinforced. But up till noon he took no serious step to capture the cross-roads, which then lay at his mercy.
Grouchy meantime reported from Fleurus that Prussians were coming up from Namur, but Napoleon does not appear to have attached much importance to this report. He was still at Charleroi when, between 9am and 10am, further news reached him from the left that considerable hostile forces were visible at Quatre Bras.
He at once wrote to Ney saying that these could only be some of Wellington's troops, and that Ney was to concentrate his force and crush what was in front of him, adding that he was to send all reports to Fleurus. Then, keeping Lobau provisionally at Charleroi, Napoleon hastened to Fleurus, arriving about 11pm.
Troops :
Allies : 8,000 infantry, 16 guns (initial Dutch advance guard) then 36,000 infantry,
70 guns (arriving in sections from 2 hours after combat started).
The Dutch Army
The Netherland troops in 1815 were "... typical new recruits with no campaign experience yet; just like every other army had large numbers of them in this period. Obviously the Jager and Line battalions were professional soldiers, but even these had large numbers of new men. The militia was all sorts of conscripted, but there was no specific difference I think. Not a bad army, not a distinguishable army perhaps at the start; but it proved its task, to me."
Bijleveld's Horse Battery - - - - - - - 5 guns on a small hill
- - - - - - - 3 guns in the rear, near Quatre Bras
Stevenart's Foot Battery - - - - - - - 6 guns between Bossu Wood and Gemioncourt
- - - - - - - 2 guns near the south-western corner of the Bossu Wood
all artillery wagons were withdrawn to behind Quatre Bras 27th Dutch Jagers Battalion under Grunebosch stood between the farms of Gemioncourt and Pireaumont, and guarded also the bridge near the Materne Pond. One company supported the artillery. 5th Dutch Militia Battalion under Westernberg stood on a hilltop north-west of Gemioncourt, one company was detached to the farm. III/2nd Nassau was in and beind the wood: 2 companies along the southern edge of the wood, and 2 companies in reserve north of the wood. The French Red Lancers didn't allow them to form in the open. I/2nd Nassau along the eastern edge of the wood I/Nassau-Orange along the eastern edge of the wood 8th Dutch Militia Battalion along the eastern edge of the wood (and a small detachment in Grand Pierrepont). II/2nd Nassau was held in reserve II/Nassau-Orange was held in reserve 7th Dutch Militia Battalion was held in reserve (but it soon was ordered to enter the wood) 7th Belgian Line Battalion arrived before 3 PM, was held in reserve for a short while, and then ordered into the wood French : 18,000 infantry, 2,000 cavalry, 32 guns
Marshal Ney had Reille's II Army Corps (5th, 6th, 9th Infantry Division, and 2nd Cavalry Division) and the elite Guard Light Cavalry.
5th Infantry Division under Bachelu (Husson's 4 battalions, Campi's 5 battalions) 9th Infantry Division under Foy (Gauthier's 5 battalions, Jamin's 6 battalions) 6th Infantry Division under Jerome Bonaparte was still on the road 2nd Cavalry Division under Pire (Hubert's 8 squadrons of chasseurs, Wathiez's 7 squadrons of lancers). The chasseurs were in the front line, while the lancers stood behind the infantry. Guard Light Cavalry Division under Lefebvre Desnouettes (4 sqadrons of Guard Red Lancers, and 4 squadrons of Guard Horse Chasseurs). In the beginning this unit stood as a reserve behind Bachelu's and Foy's infantry. Once the cuirassiers arrived the Guard Cavalry moved on the left flank. General de Division Comte Honore-Charles-Michel Reille (1775-1860) commanded the II Army Corps. From 1810 until the end of Peninsular War he was fighting Wellington's troops and Spanish guerillas. His relationship with Marshal Soult was strained to the extent that Reille abandoned his post in 1814.
General de Division Baron Gilbert-Desire-Joseph Bachelu (1777-1849) commanded the 5th Infantry Division. He was a competent general, engineer by training. Bachelu was an outspoken, unrepentant republican.
General de Division Prince Jerome Bonaparte (1784-1860) commanded the 6th Infantry Division. It was the strongest infantry division in the French army in 1815. Jerome was Napoleon's youngest brother. He was first and foremost a socialite rather than a soldier.
General de Division Comte Maximilien-Sebastien Foy (1775-1825) commanded the 9th Infantry Division. He was a competent commander and staff officer.
General de Division Comte Hippolyte-Marie-Guillaume Pire ( 1778-1850) commanded the 2nd Cavalry Division. He was a very seasoned officer, and an excellent cavalryman. Pire was wounded at Borodino, and distinguished himself at Dresden, after which he was promoted general de division. "Pire handled his division brilliantly at Quatre Bras."
The Battle
Ney arrived at Quatre Bras around 2 pm.
He immediately recognized the importance of the crossroads at Quatre Bras and the Bossu Wood. It was impossible to move along the road to Brussels while the enemy occupied the wood.
Terrain and main features
The Bossu Wood consisted of tall trees and thick undergrowth although wide footpaths facilitated troop movements.
Nearby was Gemioncourt - a large farm with large towers, walled gardens and orchards offering a strongpoint for the defence.
H.Williams described the strongpoint: "Gemioncourt was typical of Belgian farms of the period: it was built strongly of stone, with the main house and subsidiary buildings grouped around a central courtyard entered by a single wooden gate, so that from without the farm presented the thick, windowless outer walls of its buildings and high connecting walls. With the simple addition of loopholes, such a farm became a formidable bastion"
The visibility was limited for both sides because of standing crops of tall rye, wheat and corn. The tree-lined brook banks offered good vantage line for skirmishers.
Battle commences
The French attack began around 14:00 hours. Ney massed a battery of 22 guns and started bombarding the Coalition positions (the Dutch advance guard).
Skirmishers preceded the French columns as they attacked. The Dutch picket line of the 2nd Division (Sedlnitsky) greeted them with musket volleys, but was outnumbered and those east of the Brussels highway were forced back by the mass of men moved against them.
The Nassauers of 2nd Brigade (Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar) retreated to Grand-Pierrepont farm and Dutch troops of the 1st Brigade (Bylandt) to Gemioncourt, but the allies managed, however, to hold the wood. Facing three infantry divisions and a cavalry brigade, the situation became desperate for the 2nd Division.
Reinforcements arrive
At around 15:00 the 5th British Infantry Division (Picton) and the 3rd Dutch Light Cavalry Brigade (Baron van Merlen) arrived.The Duke of Wellington came back from his meeting with Blücher and took command. He deployed Picton's Division on the allied left flank where it stopped the French advance to the east of the road.
The fresh French 6th Division (Prince Jérôme Bonaparte) arrived on the scene. A fierce fight now broke out all along the line. Picton maintained his position, while the French 6th Division were sent against Grand-Pierrepont.
The Nassauers were forced to abandon the farm and were driven into the Bossu wood. There they fought from tree to tree, slowing the French advance. At Gemioncourt the Dutch troops were a thorn in the side of the French. One of the defending battalions, the 5th militia, lost 62% of its original strength that day. The Dutch lost and retook the farm twice, but eventually lost it.
By 3pm, the French formed a line between Pierrepoint through Gemioncourt to Piraumont. At 15:30 the Dutch 3rd Light Cavalry Brigade (Merlen), led by the Prince of Orange, charged the French line, but were met by French cavalry and were thrown back, but this gave the battered Dutch infantry time to regroup. When the Dutch cavalry brigade disengaged and retired to friendly lines they were shot at by Scottish infantry because their uniforms looked like the French uniforms of the chasseurs à cheval!
Brunswick arrives
The Brunswick Corps (Duke of Brunswick) now reached the field, but their commander whilst leading a charge received a mortal wound and the attack failed. At 4.15pm Ney received Napoleon's order, (despatched at 2pm), to attack vigorously. He sent an order to his II Corps (Honoré Reille) to attack with more force.
On Ney's left, Prince Jérôme drove the allies out of the Bossu Wood. French mixed forces advanced almost all the way to the crossroads. Regiments of the British 9th Brigade (Pack) — 42nd ("Black Watch", Macara), 44th ("East Essex", Hamerton) and 92nd ("Gordon Highlanders", John Cameron) — held up against the infantry.
French of the 2nd Brigade of the 2nd Cavalry Division (Piré) counter-attacked and severely mauled the 42nd and 44th before they were driven off.
At quarter past the hour Ney heard that the French I Corps (d'Erlon), without his direct order or knowledge, had moved eastwards to assist in the battle of Ligny. Fifteen minutes later at 5.30pm he received an unclear order from Napoleon to seize Quatre Bras and then turn eastwards to crush Blucher, who was caught at Ligny.
Kellerman charges the line
Due to the arrival of allied reinforcements Ney realized that he could only capture and hold Quatre Bras with the support of the I Corps and he sent imperative orders to d'Erlon to return at once. To keep the pressure on Wellington, immediately after sending for d'Erlon, Ney ordered Kellermann to lead his one available cuirassier brigade and break through Wellington's line.
Kellermann's cuirassiers caught the British 5th Brigade (Halkett) — 33rd ("West Riding", Knight) 69th ("South Lincolnshire", Morice) and the 73rd (Harris) — in line formation. The 69th were badly mauled losing their King's colour, (the only battalion under Wellington's direct command to do so); the 33rd and the 73rd were saved from a similar fate by running for the safety of Bossu Wood where they rallied quickly. The cuirassiers reached the crossroads but were driven back by close range artillery and musket fire.
British Counter Attack
The arrival of the British 1st Infantry Division (Guards Division, Cooke) gave Wellington sufficient strength to counter-attack and Jérôme, whose skirmishers were now west of Quatre Bras, was forced to retreat and give up possession of Bossu wood to the British Guards.
When the Guards and other allied units emerged from the wood, they were met with heavy fire from French infantry and an attack by 6th Lancer Regiment (and possibly the 1st Chasseurs) of the 2nd Cavalry Division (Piré), the Guards were caught in line and forced to flee back into the wood. This cavalry attack and taking the Bossu wood caused high casualties among the British Guards. There was some further skirmishing between allied light companies and the French voltigeurs and cavalry screen, but the battle was over. By 9pm, when the fighting stopped, the French had been forced to give up all of their territorial gains.
Casualties : French - 4,000 dead or wounded. Allies - 5,000 dead and wounded, 200 captured.
Aftermath : The battle cost Ney 4,000 men to Wellington's 4,800. Although a tactical draw, the allies had been unable to send forces to the aid of the Prussians at the Battle of Ligny. Wellington's Anglo-allied army, upon learning of the Prussian defeat, was forced to retreat north along the Brussels road further away from the Prussians, who retreated north-east towards Wavre.
There has been much debate of what would have happened if d'Erlon's I Corps had engaged at either Ligny or Quatre Bras. As he did not, Napoleon chose to follow Wellington with the bulk of his forces, and two days later met him at Waterloo.