A Bloody Day: The Irish at Waterloo

Description

Within the grand narrative of the Battle of Waterloo – one that marks the end of Napoleon’s career as conqueror and the beginning of an extended peace in western Europe – little is known of the formidable efforts made by the Irish who supplemented the strength of the British Army and, in no small measure, directed the outcome of this vital moment in the history of the world.

Through empirical research, Dan Harvey has delivered a book that reveals the manoeuvres that the Irish mounted against the French and the courage that they displayed at so many points within the confrontation. Harvey examines attacks from the French infantry, cavalry and Imperial Guard, revealing how Irish soldiers bore the brunt of Napoleon’s frontal assault; they suffered many casualties but were also witness to countless feats of valour. A Bloody Day brings the actions of the Irish at Waterloo into focus, unravelling the true import of their deeds on Sunday, 18 June 1815.

Table of Contents

1. Prelude to Battle
2. The Battle of Waterloo
3. The Aftermath
4. Afterword – So What?
5. The 100 Days’ Campaign, 1815
6. Appendices

About the Author

Lieutenant Colonel Dan Harvey has served on operations at home and abroad for over thirty-five years to date. He is the author of A Bloody Night: The Irish at Rorke’s Drift (Merrion Press, 2017), Into Action: Irish Peacekeepers Under Fire, 1960–2014 (Merrion Press, 2017) and Soldiers of the Short Grass: A History of the Curragh Camp (Merrion Press, 2016).