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==Outcome of the Battle==

Waterloo cost the British army around 14,500 dead or wounded and the Prussians under Blücher suffered some 7,200 casualties. The French army had some 25,000 to 26,000 killed or wounded. Some 6000 to 7000 French soldiers were taken prisoner and another 15,000 men deserted. Waterloo was a decisive victory for the allies<ref> Chandler, David , The Campaigns of Napoleon, New York: Macmillan, 1966), p. 156</ref>. Napoleon’s army was no longer an organised fighting force and the British and Prussians were about to invade France, which was practically defenceless. It was evident that the situation was hopeless and after a failed suicide bid Napoleon was sent to the island of St Helena where he wold die. If Bonaparte had won it seems likely that Europe would have once again experienced a series of wars<ref. Barbero, p. 178</ref>. Waterloo ended the career of Napoleon one of the greatest generals in history. It also ended the last serious attempt by France to dominate Europe. The battle was to bring four decades of international peace to Europe. In the aftermath of the defeat of Napoleon, the great powers organised an international system that provided Europe with much-needed stability. At the Congress of Vienna, the great powers with the exception of Britain established principles that provided some stability for Europe until the Crimean War, in a period of great change <ref> Palmer, p. 234</ref>.

The are several reasons for the failure of Napoleon at Waterloo. One of the major reason for the defeat of the French at Waterloo was the timely arrival of Blucher, which was not anticipated by the French. Napoleon had not made enough preparations for this eventuality <ref> Chandler, p. 134</ref>. Wellington in his despatches to London made clear the importance of the arrival of Blucher and the Prussians. Another key reason was the unexpected bravery of the British and the other allied soldiers. Though inexperienced they bravely resisted the onslaught of the French. They had withstood many French attacks, including an assault from the Imperial Guard, widely regarded as some of the finest soldiers in Europe. Wellington and his officers had been able to provide the men with resolute leadership which meant that their soldiers did not buckle under the repeated French charges. Another factor was the terrible weather, heavy rain had turned much of the battlefield into a mud bath, and this had greatly slowed the French during their attacks. This was particularly the case given that the forces of Napoleon were attacking uphill<ref> Adkin, p. 157</ref>. The weather had also delayed the French attack by several hours and this was to prove crucial. If the French had been able to attack in the early hours they could have swept the British from the field before the arrival of their Prussian allies. Then there was Napoleon’s mistake in organizing the first attack on the British centre. The formation of the First French Corps was not suitable for a swift attack and this meant that it was relatively ineffective. According to an official French investigation into the battle the ‘inconceivable formation of the first corps, in masses very much too deep for the first grand attack’ <ref> Comte d'Erlon, Jean-Baptiste Drouet (1815), Drouet's account of Waterloo to the French Parliament, p. 3 </ref>.

Then there was the superiority of the British cavalry. Because of the constant wars, the European armies could not access good horses. The British were able to secure excellent horses from England and especially Ireland and this meant that they were more effective at Waterloo. On the other hand, the French cavalry horses were not as good and this was a real disadvantage <ref> Adkin, p. 212</ref>. The charge of the British Heavy Brigade was particularly important at a most dangerous stage in the battle for the British and when they seemed on the verge of defeat. The superior horses of the British gave them an ‘important advantage on the battlefield’ <ref> Fletcher, Ian , Galloping at Everything: The British Cavalry in the Peninsula and at Waterloo 1808–15 (Staplehurst, Spellmount, 1999), 201</ref>.

==Conclusion==

Waterloo was the end of an era and the defeat of Napoleon ushered in a period of peace in Europe. Napoleon had come close to victory but Wellington and Blucher had been able to turn the tide of battle and inflict a decisive defeat on the French army <ref> Drouet, p. 3</ref>. The British army proved to be more capable than expected. The weather was also not in favour of the French and the British had superior cavalry. Napoleon’s strategy was once again of the highest quality but the timely arrival of the Prussians changed the course of the battle. It seems likely that Wellington would have been forced to retreat if the Prussians had not arrived, their arrival led to the destruction of the French army and the end of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe.

==Reference==