Wellington's Dutch Allies 1815

The Dutch Army was a very important part of Wellington's army at Waterloo in 1815. This volume presents an exploration of Wellington's Dutch allies, and shows that despite criticism from the British, many units fought extremely well and defended some decisive points. A concise, illustrated study of the Netherlands troops that fought at Quatre-Bras and Waterloo.The forces commanded by the Duke of Wellington at Quatre-Bras and Waterloo included two infantry divisions and three cavalry brigades of the newly unified ('Dutch-Belgian') army of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, mostly led by veteran officers who had served under Napoleon. The part played by these troops - particularly in holding the vital crossroads of Quatre-Bras, at the insistence of their own commanders - has often been unjustly dismissed by British commentators. In this book the history, organisation, uniforms and battle record of the Dutch units of this army are explained and illustrated in detail by two experienced researchers in Continental archives, and accompanied by many rare portraits as well as meticulous colour plates.