La Haye Sainte (sacred hedge) is a walled farmhouse compound at the foot of an escarpment on the Charleroi-Brussels road. It has changed very little since it played a very important part in the battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815. The road leads from the La Belle Alliance, Napoleon's headquarters on the morning of the battle, through the centre of the French front line, to a cross roads on the ridge which is at the top of the escarpment and then on to Brussels. The Duke of Wellington placed the majority of his forces on either side of the Brussels road behind the ridge on the Brussels side. This kept most of his forces out of sight of the French artillery. Combatants First French Empire Seventh Coalition: United Kingdom Kingdom of Prussia Kingdom of the United Netherlands Kingdom of Hanover Nassau Brunswick Commanders Napoleon Bonaparte, Michel Ney Duke of Wellington, Gebhard von Blücher Strength 73,000 67,000 Coalition 60,000 Prussian (48,000 engaged by about 18:00) Casualties... June 18 is the 169th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (170th in leap years), with 196 days remaining. ... April 5-12: Mount Tambora explodes, changing climate. ... On the morning of June 18, 1815 the inn La Belle Alliance became Napoleon Bonapartes Headquarters for the Battle of Waterloo. ... Napoléon I, Emperor of the French (born Napoleone di Buonaparte, changed his name to Napoléon Bonaparte)[1] (15 August 1769; Ajaccio, Corsica – 5 May 1821; Saint Helena) was a general during the French Revolution, the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from... Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS (c. ...

Before the battle started La Haye Sainte was hastily fortified and garrisoned by the 2nd Light Battalion King's German Legion commanded by Major Baring. The unit was eventually supported by (part)of the 1st Light Battalion KGL, 1/2 Nassau Regt and the light company of the 5th Line Battalion KGL. The majority of these troops were armed with the Baker rifle as opposed the normal Brown Bess musket of the British Army. When Napoleon imposed the Convention of Artlenburg (Convention of the Elbe) on July 5, 1803 the Kurfürstentum Hannover (Electorate of Hannover) was disbanded and its army dissolved. ...

Both Napoleon and Wellington realized its strategic position and it was fought over and around during most of the day.

At 13:00 - The Grand Battery of heavy artillery opened fire before d'Erlon's Corps marched forward in columns (54th & 55th Ligne), they managed to surround La Haye Sainte and despite taking heavy casualties from the garrison they attacked the centre left of Wellington's line. As the centre began to give way and La Haye Sainte became vulnerable, Picton's division was sent to plug the gap. As the French were beaten back from La Haye Sainte, the heavy cavalry brigades under Somerset and Ponsonby attacked. This action relieved the pressure on the fortress farm. Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Count dErlon (July 29, 1765-January 25, 1844) was a marshal of France and a soldier in Napoleons army, who commanded the French 1st Corps at the battle of Waterloo. ... Sir Thomas Picton (August, 1758-June 18, 1815) was a British military leader who fought in a number of campaigns for Britain and rose to the rank of Lieutenant-General. ... Major-General Sir William Ponsonby (1772-1815) was the second son of William, 1st Baron Ponsonby, of Imokilly, County Cork and Louisa Molesworth. ...

At 15:00 - Napoleon ordered Marshal Ney to capture La Haye Sainte. While Ney was engaged in the glorious but futile 8,000 man cavalry attack, unsupported by infantry or cannon, on Allied squares on the Brussels side of the ridge, he failed to take La Haye Sainte. Michel Ney, Marshal of France. ...

At 17:30 Napoleon re-issued orderes for Marshal Ney to take La Haye Sainte. The French had worked up close to the buildings by now.

At 18:00 Marshal Ney, heavily supported by artillery and some cavalry, took personal command of an infantry regiment (13th Legere) and a company of engineers and captured La Haye Sainte with a furious assault. "The light battalion of the German Legion, which occupied it, had expended all its ammunition" and had to retreat. Allied forces were unable to counter-attack immediately as they were in squares over the ridge. The French brought up guns to fire from its cover, but Riflemen of the 1/95 in the "sand pit" to the East of the farm, picked off all the gunners, so the guns were ineffective.

Monuments next to La Haye Sainte - the one on the left is for the KGL

At 19:00 - thanks to the French garrison in La Haye Sainte the Imperial Guard were able to climb the escarpment and attack the Allies on the Brussels side of the ridge. This final attack was beaten back and became a rout around 20:10 as the French forces realised that with the arrival of the Prussians from the East, they were beaten. During the French retreat, La Haye Sainte was recaptured by the Allies, some time before 21:00 when Blücher met Wellington at La Belle Alliance. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 596 pixelsFull resolution (3170 × 2360 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 596 pixelsFull resolution (3170 × 2360 pixel, file size: 2. ... The Imperial Guard (French:Garde impériale) was originally a small group of elite soldiers of the French Army under the direct command of Napoleon I, but grew considerably over time. ... Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. ... On the morning of June 18, 1815 the inn La Belle Alliance became Napoleon Bonapartes Headquarters for the Battle of Waterloo. ...

Today La Haye Sainte is in private ownership and a family home. On the walls are memorials for the KGL and the French. Opposite the house is a monument for the officers and the soldiers of the KGL.

External Links

• King's German Legion (in German)
• La Haye Sainte as model