Battle of Wavre

June 18, 1815

Marshal Grouchy commanding the right wing of the French Army of the North had been ordered to attack the Prussians and prevent them from uniting with the British army. The French encountered the Prussians on the morning of the 18th at Wavre and Grouchy launched an attack. Meanwhile, the sounds of artillery could be heard to the west at Waterloo. Both Generals Gérard and Vandamme encouraged Grouchy to march immediately to the west to join in the fight there, but Grouchy failed to grasp the strategic importance. As the French continued their attack, the majority of the Prussians slipped away to decisively intervene at Waterloo in the late afternoon while a rearguard force kept Grouchy's wing of the army preoccupied.

Bibliography

Chandler, David G. Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars. New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1979.
Smith, Digby. The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill Books: 1998.

Updated January 2014