ebooks The Battle: A New History of Waterloo by Alessandro Barbero in History

Review

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Waterloo was too much for Napoleon; but not for BarberoBy H. GibbonsRarely does the course of a continent's history ride on a single battle (maybe Africa's as a result of the Battle of Zama?); but many have argued that Waterloo was the definitive end of empire in Europe (the Germans were slow learners; apparently). Thankfully; none of this is at issue in this history of Waterloo. It is about the battle; pure and simple; and it is done so clearly that one can literally feel the ebb and flow of battle as it changes minute by minute from noon to sunset. Barbero has the unlikely ability to provide a clinically accurate account of the battle (within the limits of the constant arguments of professional historians) that has emotional power that forces you to put it down from time to time to let your mind absorb what you've just read. I would love to see what he could do with the Battle of Tsu Shima.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Another look at a famous battleBy Bill PilonI'm not sure how much of Barbero's book is actually "new"; my main narrative of the battle comes from David Howarth's Waterloo: Day of Battle and of course; Keegan's Face of Battle and I don't remember anything in those being contradicted by Barbero. But then again; I read them long ago. He does have a few things to say about Hougoumont and the massive French cavalry charge that Napoleon attempted to disown and foist off upon Ney in later years; so perhaps that is it.Barbero's view seems to be that Napoleon lost the battle by failing to launch his reserve at the correct moment; the time when the French cavalry had virtually the entire Allied infantry in square; and had brought up enough guns to "soften them up" for an infantry charge. Barbero does concede that Napoleon was hampered by the action taking place on the reverse slope of the ridge; out of his LOS; but then goes on to say that the Napoleon of 5 years before would have simply ridden up to see for himself what was going on.Barbero's book is well written (at least this translation is) and he gives a very detailed narrative and does a very good job of blending the personal anecdotes of primary source accounts of the battle with the "big picture" stuff that keeps the personal anecdotes contextually placed within the overall battle. Highly recommended. In fact I'll be keeping the book.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Want Some Knowledge?By Steven B.I had to read this book three times before I memorized officers' names enough for the battle to come through. The names; you see; won't tell you an officer's nationality; so you can't rely on a French-sounding name to indicate a French officer. It turns out that the population in Britain and Europe was much more cosmopolitan than I assumed. Someone familiar with the history of Waterloo would not have this problem. Stay with it though; and you will see Barbero lay out the whole field of battle and create a flowing; understandable narrative. This is a translation; but it's an excellent one.