The Imperial Guard at Waterloo
At the crisis of the battle Napoleon withheld the Imperial Guard, writes Michael Barthorp, only to commit it piecemeal at a later stage to its first and last defeat.
Shortly after arriving at St. Helena, Napoleon made the following observation on the art of war: ‘The issue of a battle is the result of a single instant, a single thought. The adversaries come into each other’s presence with various combinations; they mingle; they fight for a length of time; the decisive moment appears; a psychological spark makes the decision; and a few reserve troops are enough to carry it out.’ It is interesting that Napoleon said this when Waterloo was only a few months distant.
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