BELGIANS AT WATERLOO (With Translations of the Reports of the Dutch and Belgian Commanders)

For most of the two centuries since Waterloo, the Belgian and Dutch contingents of Wellington’s army have been overshadowed by the British regiments alongside whom they fought and, in some accounts, dismissed or caricatured. This concise but authoritative study by Demetrius C. Boulger is widely regarded as the most important work ever written on the subject in English.
Boulger brings formidable credentials to the task. A prolific British historian with a deep engagement with Belgian history spanning several major works, he was uniquely placed to challenge the received English-language narrative of Waterloo and argue the Belgian case on its merits.
The book examines the composition, conduct, and performance of the Belgian and Dutch forces in detail, drawing on sources largely inaccessible to British historians of the period. Its most valuable feature is the inclusion of translated primary documents: the official reports of the Dutch and Belgian commanders submitted immediately after the battle, allowing the allied contribution to be assessed from first-hand testimony rather than inference or assumption. Four full-colour campaign maps support the narrative throughout.
Were the Belgians reluctant allies who contributed little, or did their troops hold the line at critical moments? Boulger works through the evidence systematically, and his conclusions remain the starting point for any serious study of the battle from the allied perspective.
Essential reading for students of Napoleonic warfare and anyone seeking a complete picture of the Waterloo campaign.