Benny Michielsen

@rgpoulussen.bsky.social I am looking for clips and photos of Antwerp and operations north of it during early October. I have found some in Canadian archives but I’m sure you know where I would also could look?

You made a good pick. If I ever get around to assembling a force they would be on the top of my list! Hopefully they will help you to victory 😃

Steinmetz, Reiche, von Gilhausen! Is there any other formation more involved in the campaign?

„Für König und Vaterland.“
I’ve hiked 114 km over the past three days and am heading to my start point for today. Only one blister so far.
#Waterloo210 #NapoleonicWars

YouTube video by Battlefield Hikes Waterloo 210 - 14 June 1815

June 14, 1815 – Thuin.
French troops are massing.
Blücher reaches out.
Wellington replies:
“I can be at Quatre Bras within 22 hours.”
The campaign begins.
#Waterloo210 #NapoleonicWars

youtu.be/gGt_U_CUdRo

The journey begins — in reverse of French objectives.
Antwerp, Brussels, Charleroi.
🎧 Suggestions for the soundtrack?
#Waterloo210

More interaction 🤷‍♀️

I will post here but not cross post everything

YouTube video by Battlefield Hikes Waterloo 210 - 13 June 1815

I will be posting a bit less here but you can find all updates on X and the first videos can be found here: youtu.be/wC3cjTji_50?...

Illustration by Richard Knötel (public domain)

June 13, 1815 – The reports keep coming in.
Wellington, however, isn’t convinced.
He writes: “There is nothing new here. […] His departure was not likely to be immediate. I think we are now too strong for him here.”

Video below 👇
#Waterloo210

Richard Knötel, Uniformenkunde, plate titled „Niederlande. 1815 – Dragoner, Karabinier, Husar“ Public domain. Source: Wikimedia Commons

June 11, 1815 – News reaches the French court in exile: some 120,000 troops are massed near the Dutch border. Napoleon may be headed for Lille—an ominous sign for the Allied army. A cavalry skirmish with Belgian troops is reported south of Mons. #Waterloo210 #NapoleonicWars

For those not reading the alt text: I saw this painting yesterday — in LEGO form — at the Waterloo visitor centre. Even the Old Guard can be immortal… in ABS plastic.

🖼 Image: Grenadier à pied de la Vieille Garde by Édouard Detaille 🎨 Musée de l’Armée, Paris — Public Domain 📷 via Wikimedia Commons

Lego version of the painting by Édouard Detaille. Currently on display at the visitor centre.

June 9, 1815 – Reports keep piling in: French troops are massing near the frontier. Even the Old Guard is said to be on the move.
Napoleon is still believed to be in Paris — but with his veterans marching, that may not stay true for long.
#Waterloo210 #NapoleonicWars

Image: Richard Knötel, Freiwillige Jäger-Detachements verschiedener Schlesischer Landwehr-Kavallerie-Regimenter, 1813–1815. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

June 7, 1815 – A new report lands on Wellington’s desk: the French plan a feint at Charleroi, then a real strike at Mons and Tournai to cut Allied lines.
Or is it just a show of force before retreating behind their fortresses?
#NapoleonicWars #Waterloo210

Richard Knötel, Uniformenkunde, plate II, 7 – Königl. Preussisches v. Lützow’sches Freikorps, 1813–15. Public domain. Source: Wikimedia Commons

June 5, 1815 – Reports are still all over the place. Lille’s garrison might be heading to Maubeuge. Vandamme now commands 18,000 men.
Zieten updates Wellington—in French. Because apparently, he’s not just running a corps… he’s also the translation department.
#NapoleonicWars

Image: Tirailleur et Voltigeur, Garde Impériale by Hippolyte Bellangé and Jules David (engraved by A. Barbant), public domain. Source: Wikimedia Commons

June 3, 1815 – More reports of French troops leaving the frontier make the Prussians eager to begin operations. Some rumours even claim the entire Young Guard has been sent to the Vendée. Wellington, however, still opposes an offensive. #NapoleonicWars #Waterloo210

So… my library expanded a bit

📷: Knötel – French Line Infantry, 1813–1814

June 1, 1815 – More intelligence arrives: French troop movements seem defensive. Napoleon still in Paris. Border towns are fortified. The Vendée uprising is believed to be drawing French troops away from the frontier. #NapoleonicWars #Waterloo210

📷 Image: “Ein großer General und ein kleiner Kaiser”, Gallica BnF

May 30, 1815 – Blücher returns to Namur after visiting King Willem. If the French attack, the Prussians move to Sombreffe—either to strike the flank if Wellington is targeted, or to defend there with Wellington hitting the French flank. Mutual support is key. #NapoleonicWars

🗺️ Map: Early 19th-century Brussels 📚 Source: Gallica – Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF)

May 28, 1815 – Blücher arrives in Brussels and dines with Wellington. They discuss strategy and agree that if Napoleon launches an offensive here, Brussels is the likely target. Blücher will inspect the troops tomorrow. #NapoleonicWars

Garde-Volontär-Jäger-Escadronen, 1813 — by Richard Knötel (Sourced from Wikipedia)

May 26, 1815 – Preparations are underway for the meeting with Blücher. The Prussians want clarity: when will hostilities begin? Wellington prefers to wait—either for French troops to be drawn away to the Vendée or Upper Rhine, or for the Austrians to strike. #NapoleonicWars

Uniform plate by Knötel. Source Wikipedia.

May 24, 1815 – Wellington writes to Hardinge that he has invited Blücher to Brussels later this week. Blücher is eager to begin operations: the army is at full strength, supplies are tight, and Prussian finances are strained.

Napoleonic supply wagon (Train des équipages de la Garde) Source: Wikipedia

May 22, 1815 – Supplying the Prussian army remains a major issue. Gneisenau complains: they did not come uninvited, but if their help is no longer wanted, they’ll withdraw. Not exactly the smoothest of coalitions. #NapoleonicWars

General Lamarque is sent to suppress the revolt — a staunch Bonapartist, he earns the respect of many, even among his enemies. Decades later, his death would ignite the June Rebellion of 1832… immortalised in Les Misérables.

Guerre de Vendée et Chouannerie de 1815 — Wikipédia

The rebellion becomes known as the “Guerre de Vendée et Chouannerie de 1815.” It’s the last royalist uprising of the Napoleonic era. Details here (in French):
🔗 fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerre_...

Engraving of Louis de La Rochejaquelein at Les Mathes, a royalist hero of the Vendée. It’s a dramatic and historically grounded image, created by Chasselat and Blanchard. Source Wikipedia.

May 20, 1815 – The Vendée rises for the fourth time. The call-up of the National Guard rekindles royalist resistance. Armed with British-supplied guns, insurgents clash with imperial forces. Napoleon is forced to divert troops to suppress the rebellion. #NapoleonicWars

YouTube video by The Napoleonic Wars Channel The Battle of Ligny - Napoleon's Final Victory

Might have bought all but one of his books now and then saw this appear ;) www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Kr9...

And now I will hunt them down to buy them 😉

Field’s book on Ligny is this one: Grouchy's Waterloo: The Battles of Ligny and Wavre

Let me know if you want map pics or specific chapter recs. Always happy to talk sources.

A good counterpoint is The Eagle’s Last Triumph by Andrew Uffindell—more concise (Ligny takes up ~100 pages), with a solid overview.
Still on my list: the books by Andrew Field, which I hear are strong too.