LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Battle of Waterloo: French Revolutionary
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The main article gives details of the size of the various armies, the British Regiments taking part, the Background to the Battle, the Old Guard Advance, and the End of the Battle. When in the closing stages of the battle Wellington appeared on the skyline and waved his hat to give the signal for a general attack in pursuit of the French troops, the British, Belgian, Dutch and German troops poured forward, and the French retreat became a rout. Three battalions of the French Old Guard fought to the end to enable the Emperor Napoleon to escape from the battlefield.
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Hougoumont was successfully defended for the entire duration of the battle, mainly by the British Guards under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James Macdonnell (Coldstream Guards). Wellington committed a total of only 3,500 men to the defence of Hougoumont, the French some 14,000 to the attack. The casualties were in similar proportions, namely 1,500 Allied dead and wounded, 5,000 French.
The next morning the Battle of Wavre ended in a hollow French victory. Grouchy’s wing of the Army of the North withdrew in good order and other elements of the French army were able to reassemble around it. However, the army was not strong enough to resist the combined coalition forces, so it retreated toward Paris.
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At about the same time the Prussians, after a battle which had lasted about an hour, finally drove the French out of the village of Plancenoit, which was on the extreme (British) left of the battle field. The last unit to be driven out was the Old Guard of the Imperial Guard stationed in the Plancenoit church and cemetery.
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The battlefield is located about 20 miles south of Brussels and was initially seen and appraised by Wellington in August 1814. Excluding the area on the French right flank where the Prussians drove in the French, the bulk of the fighting took place on a front of only about two miles wide by one mile deep. Nevertheless, after nine hours of fighting, about 40,000 men and 10,000 horses lay dead or wounded in this small area.
After the battle the 1st Foot Guards were given the title “the Grenadier Guards” to commemorate the regiment’s role in overthrowing the French Grenadiers of the Old Guard. All ranks were given the bearskin cap to wear.
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French Revolutionary