Tri-Service

Before Satellites: Drawing The Battle Of Waterloo

On the 15th June the Duke of Wellington picked out the ridge south of the village of Waterloo as the spot where he would assemble his army to fight Napoleon.

Crucial for strategy and planning, maps were the only way a general could visualise the battle ahead.

Below we feature a selection of maps drawn up for use by both the British and French militaries.

"No troops but the British could have held Hougoumont and only the best of them at that." - Wellington

Closing the gates at Hougoumont

Maps of the area were desperately needed for the Allied commanders, and these sketches were made in the lead-up as well as throughout the battle.

Unlike modern military maps, often drawn with a northern orientation; these these face south, as the British and Allied forces did on 18 June 1815.

'Plans Des Chateau De Namur' - The French Plan of Attack on Chateau De Namur.

The Duke called for a detailed map of the area around Waterloo on the 16th June, 1815, just two days before the Battle.

Sketch of the Ground & of the Battle of Waterloo - fought the 18 th June 1815 by Captain Thompson and Lieu t Gilbert Royal Engineers.

Various maps covering the region were hastily united and delivered to Wellington. It was carried on the battlefield by the British Quartermaster General, Sir William Howe De Lancey, who was mortally wounded by a cannonball near the end of the battle.