I’ve never seen such a clear description with visual of Quatre Bras. Well done.

Absolutely top notch! The first time an excellently told naritive put into the correct historic context with the campagne as a whole and also in a very easy to grasp way highlighting the main terrain features such as the cross roads and the Dyle river and Ligny and Brussels. It also shows i.e. provides great insight in how these wars were fought on a tactical level. Needing infantry in the nick of time needing to form square against cavalry in the fog of war. And, what happens if you don't. Also it's one of the first times to properly show the role of the Dutch together with the fact that these were veterans of Napoleons army. And shows what good commaders were worth on the field. It also show that Ney wasn't at fault. D'Erlon should have marched to the sound of the guns either to Ligny or Quatre Bras despite any orders. Seeing this I've changed my mind on the outcome. It was both a tacticle draw and strategic victory for the allies. The allies leaving the field wasn't a defeat because they moved to the chosen battle field of Waterloo which was made possible by the Dutch general Bernard and subsequent allied actions. 29:28

I've always wanted to know more about Quatre Bras, and as usual this is delivered so well! I particularly like all the quotes - "To us, Belgians, to us!"

Golden age for digital era napoleonic content. epic history, PMF productions, Field Marshall, Historically adeaquate History, Historia Civilis and others are making L'Empereur Justice

You would not believe how much I’ve searched for good videos talking about this battle! It’s all Waterloo this, Waterloo that. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GOING OVER THIS ENTIRE CAMPAIGN!! Can’t wait to see the next one, Gen’l O7

PHENOMENALLY researched in detail, without a doubt the BEST video on KZfaq about this highly forgotten battle where SO Many died- the latest research showing approximately 4800 to 5600 Allied K.I.A. and for the French 4140 to 4400. Rest in Peace to the fallen on ALL sides...

Long have I wanted a video to describe the battle in detail including tactical performances from major commanders and it finally comes to fruition. Looking forward to more.

Its simple, me see that Field Marshal uploads, me press like, me see the video, me like video

At the start of the campaign there were doubts among the British if the Dutch (and Belgians) would be loyal to the allies, since a lot of their officers and a quite a few of their men had served under Napoleon. At Quatre-Bras they did not only prove their loyalty, but also possibly saved Wellington's campaign. By holding the crossroads they allowed him to choose to give battle at Waterloo.

I love this. This might the first video series in youtube describing the 1815 campaign in this detail.

I can only agree with other commenters, absolutely outstanding work, I could watch this a dozen times, even though I've been obsessed with the hundreds days war for over 30 years and know an awful lot about it. Can not wait to see the next instalment. 👍🏼

This is perhaps the best video of this kind I ever watched about a Napoleonic battle so far. No exaggeration; it is marvelous work!

Excellent!! One of best videos yet. Well Done.

Thanks for exploring this overlooked and forgotten battle in such detail.

This is a great video Field Marshal, i am looking forward to your Waterloo video!

Very good, well presented.

Hi, i wanted to share some remarks. • Bad staff work is the main reason for why the right wing's advance was slow on the 15th, not bad terrain. Napoleon planned for a meticulously regulated march on the Sambre to avoid delays in the soon to be very crowded roads of the frontiers, army columns were set to march with an interval of about 30 minutes between each body, detachments of sappers accompanied the lead regiments to insure that roads would be adequate for the passage of the whole army, a cavalry screen was also sent ahead to cover said march. Problems with staff work however would hinder the advance, Vandamme's corps received their orders late, but as a result, Vandamme himself wasn't with his corps when the messenger arrived, leading the later to search for the general, during which he suffered a severe riding accident. This long delay resulted in Lobau's 6th corps to stumble into the rear columns of 3rd corps, the emperor would divert Gérard further east to avoid the congestion. As a consequence, general Pajol and his cavalry would be isolated against von Zieten, Napoleon nevertheless would assist and support Pajol with a detachment of the guard, personally led by him. • Ney didn't stop at night because he couldn't drive the allies out of Quatre Bras, he stopped for operational reasons he deemed sound. In fact, only Lefebvre-Desnouettes' forces engaged the Allies as you briefly demonstrated in the video, the former was supported by a single battalion of infantry. Ney didn't commit Reille's 2nd corps because he wanted to wait for d'Erlon's arrival first before resuming the march. And, he did have a decent idea over what Napoleon's plans were, i mean, he received orders from the emperor that afternoon to march north along the Brussels road (in which he probably mentioned Quatre Bras), during the same time in which Grouchy received his for an advance on Sombreffe. (The orders were verbal) • I was frankly disappointed to not see you mention Wellington's repeated blunders on the 15th. The duke was obsessed with the idea that Napoleon was trying to threaten his outer flank by a thrust via Mons to cut him from the sea, his repeated mobilization orders reflected this false assumption, scattering his forces with an orientation to the west of the capital, in fact, the reason why any troops at all were present at Quatre Bras to begin with was that his subordinates disobeyed their commander in chief's orders, I'll quote Chandler: [A study of the map will show the way in which the center of gravity of Wellington's army was thus being deliberately placed to the west of the Belgian capital-that is to say, a concentration was proceeding towards the outer flank-while the vital link with the Prussians to the eastward (and most particularly the key position of Quatre Bras) received no provision of troops whatsoever. In other words, instead of concentrating on the inner flank as agreed with Blücher well in advance, Wellington was ordering movements which would actually increase the distance between their two armies, and thus play straight into Napoleon's hands. It is difficult to find any convincing excuse for Wellington's miscalculation; an appreciation of French interests should have convinced the Duke that Napoleon was hardly likely to attack the open British flank, for the net result of such a move would be to drive the British in upon the Prussians, and thus cause a decidedly unfavorable preponderance of Allied strength against l'Armée du Nord. Nevertheless, such were the orders issued by Wellington on the afternoon of the 15th, and throughout the evening and night the troops set out to execute his commands...] [In none of these orders was there any mention of a force being detached to hold the crucial crossroads. That the French cavalry encountered opposition between Frasnes and Quatre Bras on the evening of the 15th was entirely due to the initiative of a couple of intelligent Allied officers who were prepared to risk Wellington's wrath and disobey the letter of his orders in order to pursue a course of action they felt more justified on account of their completer knowledge of local events...] • The flurry of orders in the afternoon of the 16th are badly represented in the video. You see, Napoleon's 3:15 pm orders for Ney to join him at Ligny with his entire wing were immediately changed via a follow up 3:30 order, that's because Napoleon received at the same exact time news from Ney and that he faced more than 20,000 enemy troops. Napoleon changed his orders and asked Ney to only send d'Erlon's 1st corps to Wagnelée, in perfect position to fall on the Prussian right and rear. In addition, the orders received by d'Erlon's corps (i said corps because d'Erlon himself wasn't with it at the time) were almost certainly fabricated by de la Bedoyère, and although yes, the issue is still debated by historians, evidence in favor of the de la Bedoyère argument are far more convincing, first, when the leading troops of 1st corps started arriving close to St. Amand, Napoleon was caught by surprise, delaying the assault of the imperial guard on Blücher's center as a response, keeping them in reserve, ready to march west immediately, not knowing wether the troops were allies or enemies, that's because Napoleon ordered d'Erlon to move on Wagnelée, not St. Amand in the dispatches sent to Ney, which resulted in 1st corps joining the battle an hour earlier than expected, and in the wrong direction, de la Bedoyère probably directed the later there to avoid the loss of time in a flanking maneuver. Second, Ney was already sent orders to order d'Erlon south east, there was no need for other orders to the corps commander as well, let alone to a different location than the one written to his commander in chief. And finally, you should have mentioned the Ney-Colonel Forbin-Janson interaction, it was the most critical of the day, it is the reason for why Ney didn't understand d'Erlon's movements, and subsequently, why he asked the general to turn back and join him at Quatre Bras. Yes, Ney never read the 3:15 pm orders, if he did, then the Belgian campaign would've ended on the 16th with a decisive French victory.

What a great channel. I am glad I found it. Good, coherent and a full description of the battle with excellent graphics. Thank you for your work.

A clear and detailed overview of the battle. Well done.

Amazing well worth the wait

Excellent video! Very details and good animations to show what is going on. Will definitely check out the other videos in this series.

Great work! This battle is so often overshadow by the battle of Waterloo. This video is wonderfully detailed and plays an importat role to give a well needed comprehensive view on the whole campaingn.

babe wake up field marshal dropped 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

A great series.Thank you.

Those Dutch and Belgian soldiers never really got the credit they deserved for standing their ground.

Great display and accurate narration of the events, excellent work

Best battle description ever! Looking forward to see the others.

“I’ve never heard of a campaign that began with a retreat” That’s hard as fuck and the kind of officer I’d want to follow

I enjoyed this video very much. Carefully explained the battle. I lived in Mons and frequently explored the areas of the battle. I look forward to future videos.

What a good description, thank you for your work.

Fantastic work! Thank you!

Love it. Thanks dude x

Really nice work! Keep pumping out this great content.

great episode continue like that !!!

Awesome videos! Keep going

Picton not getting shot: Impossible challenge

brilliant work lad

All hail Field Marshal 🗣️🗣️🗣️‼️‼️

Wow this is a very informative vid good job man!

Good video, I actually plan on making my own series about this campaign. I would recommend John Husseys two volume set on the waterloo campaign, probably rhe most detailed account out there

Awesome work thank you

Fantasic video. Really shows the events in great detail and in a way that is easily understood.

Wow, well done

it is a very good video but I think you missed some stuff that might have been cool to see in the video -After Foy's Infantry division captured Gemioncourt, the 5th Millitia actually stormed the farm and took it back -The Dutch light cavalry that arrived first charged several battalions of French infantry south of Gemioncourt together with the 5th millitia and 27th Jagers, what drove of the enemy, only after this, were the Dutch cavalry charged by French cavalry -The Scots of the 92nd and 42nd Highland, though that the Belgian light Dragoons were French and fired at them.

congrats on 10k

Great video; first time I understood the strategic importance of Quatre Bras; Napoleon wanted to trap the prussian army by sending Ney around them, into their back!

The more you dive into detail, the more complex and understandable the events become. With a hasty onlook we tend to simplify, look for scapegoats and cheap solutions. But here we see the whole and remain silent.

Nice video

I really enjoy this video and the battle

Amazing to see this in sush detail! Love the music 🎼 in it too. Please continue making these about one of the most spectacular campaigns in history! Regards from Belgium! If you ever need any help I would be willing to do some research for you

Very good video, though I will note that Napoleon did not want Murat to attack the Austrians. Murat acted on his own accord thinking that he could rally Italian nationalists to a single cause and push the Austrians over the Alps.

Let's hope the next part will come sooner than in four months

FIELD MARSHAL- I totally agree with another subscriber who said the BATTLE OF WAVRE deserves it's own video not only for the fact it prevented 30,000 French from getting to Waterloo (fooled Marshal Grouchy that he was in fact keeping the Prussians from joining Wellington!) 5000 dead, and also prevented the PHENOMENALLY brave French Generals Vandamme and Exelmans from possibly changing the outcome at Waterloo!!

amazing 🎉🎉

Excellent video. Also some of the older books I have always blamed the Dutch for the heavy casualties of the some of British regiments like the 42nd and the I think 66th being in a weird postion, something to this day I don’t understand how…

very good!

It's crazy how good French cavalry was even in 1815 and ravaged by war for 15 years

hurrah, 10k milestone

When I looked up Battle of Bras I was led here

This battle, without a doubt, illustrates why Soult, although a good Chief of Staff, was not up to Berthier's standards. Berthing, when requesting d'Erlon's Corps, would have informed Ney that his was now the secondary battle. Ney, accordingly, would not have sent orders for d'Erlon to return, and also would not have launched the extensive attacks in the late afternoon. Souls did not convey that information, and Ney sent the order for d'Erlon to come back, costing victory at Ligny, and wasting troops in an unnecessary effort at Quatre Bras.

VIVE L'EMPEREUR 🇫🇷

Are you gonna do more napoleonic war battles? Austerlitz Borodino Wagram etc? Would love to see that

Really nice, thou I think Gemioncourt may have been the other side of the stream.

My ancestor fought in the 42nd and was wounded at Quatres Bras, so I have researched it. Despite the detail you provide, I believe you have some omissions and errors. Ney was personally given specific orders to take Quatres Bras (which was believed to be lightly held) and send troops to support Napoleon's attack at Ligny. Inexplicably, Ney hesitated for most of the morning before finally going forward, by which time Quatres Bras had received reinforcements. Napoleon never got his extra troops, eventually sending a direct order to one of Ney's divisions to march to him. They did this, but Ney found out later and recalled them, so that division never saw action. The 42nd was attacked by cavalry as soon as they arrived on the scene, out of the cornfield, and one company was cut down, but the rest formed square and beat them off. However, over the afternoon, half of the 42nd received wounds, mainly from artillery. My ancestor was hit by grapeshot in mouth and neck.

Very well done overall! Would quibble with some of the details - for example the depiction of brigades as a compact 4x4 square, whereas most French brigades numbered five or six battalions, and were deployed as a column of one or two rows of battalions.

One could argue it was the events of June 16 that decided the campaign. I Corps did not participate in either battle, had it arrived at either, the results would have had terrible implications for the allies. If it had arrived at Quatre Bras, Ney would have driven Wellington from the field and seized the crossroads. Had it arrived at Ligny as Napoleon ordered, Blutchers army would have been mauled rather than just bruised and able to regroup

I enjoyed the video. I thought the canons were facing the wrong way in the video...but they weren't.

To/ Field Marshal When you make your inevitable video about Waterloo please could you include a section on the Battle of Wavre which happened on the same day as Waterloo? I assume that the Part 3 of your ongoing series will cover the Battle of Ligny. Kind regards Michael

Great video but the scale is quite weird in the map so it's difficult to figure out exactly how everything unfolds.

My 6 x great grandfather fought on that very crossroad!

Where is Sgt. Slug? I need those Slugs, why do I have to everything myself? Can't I leave the field for a moment?

My guess is the next part is going to be on the Battle of ligny.

Glad to see that a younger generation is investigating what really happened at Quatre Bras. On these eventful days in June 1815 only 25% of Napoleon's opponents were British this made me always wonder why the Duke of Wellington is (almost) always portrayed as the ultimate victor. After reading German/Dutch publications the only conclusion can be that the events were predominantly Prussian/German/Dutch.

9:37 There is a small mistake here, you mention the "newly arrived 7th Militia yet the map shows the 7th line moving. I believe the map is correct since it is coherent with the subsequent troop movements, but I'd like clarification. I also noted that the map doesn't show the II battalion of the Orange-Nassau Regiment, I believe it was held in reserve. Otherwise, superb video and amazing attention to detail

well, unlike how he was portrayed in the Sharpe series, The prince of orange was not incompetent or a coward.

19:38 The highlanders seem to have history of not forming square although they had much better sucess with it in the crimean war

Shouldn't it be John Cameron, not James?

Correction Blucher 's Army of the Rhine was 115,000 soldiers and not 150,000.

Your description of the fighting between the 6e Lancers and 42nd Highlanders is a bit off

Yooooo

Hi

much of this is wrong