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The speed of the French advance stunned the British and Wellington was forced to adopt a defensive posture south of Brussels at Waterloo.<ref> Adkins, p. 67</ref> By this time the advance Prussians units had arrived in Belgium, but the French surprised and defeated them at the Battle of Ligny. Wellington decided to retreat towards Waterloo and wait for the main Prussian army under General Blucher to reinforce him. Once again Napoleon’s speed caught everyone by surprise, and before the Prussians could meet up with Wellington, he had arrived at Waterloo and was determined to force the British into a decisive battle.

[[File: Waterloo 4.jpg|thumbnail|left|300px|Napoleon addressing the troops before an attack]]

The French and the British armies were roughly evenly matched in numbers. The French had slightly more cavalry and artillery. Wellington was very concerned about the quality of his multinational army. Many of who were Dutch and Belgian soldiers who were not battle hardened and in the British ranks there were also many inexperienced soldiers. There was also a large German contingent who though experienced had at one time served in the French army. The French army was composed of veterans, including elite units such as the ‘Old Guard.’ Wellington was a highly experienced soldier, and he established a strong defensive position on a ridge and had fortified some farmhouses in the area, to protect his flanks.<ref> Barbero, Alessandro, <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802715001/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0802715001&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=f7811af0d5bf48ffb1f7cacae70cd8ef The Battle: A New History of Waterloo]</i> (translated by John Cullen) (paperback ed.), Walker & Company, London, 2006), p. 57</ref>