Our troops, however, who had never known defeat, were confident of success, under the command of a General who had so lately led a victorious army from the shores of the Tagus, over the Mountains of the Pyrenees, and carried conquest and dismay into the heart of France; under whom they had never fought but to conquer, and whom they now followed to battle as to certain victory. What could not British soldiers do under such a general? What could not such a general do with such soldiers? The Duke of Wellington himself, with a candour and modesty which does him the highest honour, made an observation, which ought never to be forgotten. “When other generals commit any error, their army is lost by it, and they are sure to be beaten; when I get into a scrape, my army get me out of it.”

The quote comes from our beautiful facsimile of The Battle of Waterloo, first published in the months after the battle and brought back for the bicentennial commemoration. It is a collection of reports of the battle from all sides, records of the orders issued, firsthand accounts of French marshals and much more.

The Battle of Waterloo

The book also contains two detailed maps and a fantastic panorama of the battlefield hand drawn by a survivor of the battle.

For more details and purchasing options take a look at the store page. If you want something a little more instant be sure to keep an eye on our Waterloo Twitter chronology!