The Battle of Wavre and Grouchy’s Retreat A study of an Obscure Part of the Waterloo Campaign

This classic account serves useful lessons because the operations leading up to the battle around Wavre are of great interest; and because a campaign full of mistakes should be studied as carefully as a campaign free from error.
The long struggle of the Napoleonic wars famously culminated in the Battle of Waterloo. Undoubtedly Napoleon Bonaparte’s greatest defeat, this engagement would signal the end of the French emperor’s 100-day return from exile.
Looking back on the aftermath of the battle, the question of what might have happened had Napoleon been victorious at Waterloo has become a popular subject of speculation. However, that question may have been answered very decisively, had it not been for a lesser-known event that took place on the same day. The Battle of Wavre was fought not far from Waterloo, and despite the fact that French troops managed to beat back their Prussian opponents, it may have been a key factor in Napoleon’s defeat.
On 18th June 1815, French Marshal Grouchy reported to Napoleon that Prussian forces were on the move, and intended to join with Wellington and his English army at Waterloo. This could have been disastrous, so Grouchy proposed that he meet the Prussians head on, to keep them from reaching the main battlefield. Napoleon approved of the plan, and Grouchy made for Wavre, where he hoped to make his stand.
Hearing the sounds of battle at Waterloo, some of the French officers began urging Grouchy to lead his men to the emperor’s aid. One of his commanders, Étienne Maurice Gérard, urged him to “march to the sound of the guns” – it was an understandable sentiment and Grouchy faced a difficult decision.
In the years to come, only one battle would be remembered as the defining moment of Napoleon’s defeat. The French emperor, who had returned from exile only 100 days before, faced his final defeat upon the battlefield of Waterloo. In retrospect, however, the outcome of 18th June 1815 could have been very different. Had Grouchy ignored his orders, following Gérard’s advice and moving to assist Napoleon, the French forces at Waterloo might have been victorious.
Instead, even as he won his own victory on the bridges at Wavre, the Marshal may have sealed the fate of his emperor, fighting only ten miles away. There is no way of knowing for sure, but history may have taken a very different turn, had Grouchy chosen to “march to the sound of the guns”.