The Eagle's Last Triumph

Napoleon won his final victory on June 16th, 1815 at Ligny, shortly before suffering a crushing defeat at Waterloo. Facing two enemy armies Wellington's Anglo-Allied and Bluecher's Prussian he aimed his main attack against Bluecher at Ligny and diverted Wellington's attention by engaging his forward elements at Quatre Bras. The Eagle's Last Triumph is the single most comprehensive examination of this vital aspect of the 1815 campaign available in English. Having put the battle at Ligny into perspective, the author provides a clear account of the action in detail, including much eye-witness testimony. The complex story of Wellington and Bluecher's cooperation throughout the struggle against the French is revealed, with new light on Wellington's promises of prompt aid to the Prussians in the early stages of the campaign promises which he failed to keep. The reasons for General d'Erlon's failure to support the French forces at either Ligny or Quatre Bras are traced, and how the main culprits in the fiasco later sought to cover up their responsibility. The Eagle's Last Triumph is a vivid military epic, providing a cogent and lucid explanation of why Napoleon, victorious at Ligny, met with utter defeat just two days later at Waterloo.

Andrew Uffindell has written extensively on the Napoleonic Wars, and is the author of On the Fields of Glory: The Battlefields of the 1815 Campaign.



Andrew Roberts, the acclaimed historian, is the author of Waterloo: Napoleon’s Last Gamble.