Two hundred years ago, a bloody battle in Belgium—50,000 casualties in one day—put an end to the Napoleonic era even as it perpetuated the idea of total war.

On June 15, 1815, Napoleon crossed the Belgian border with nearly 130,000 men to engage the Allied armies, more than 500,000 soldiers, near Brussels. He first crushed a small Prussian force ...

In spring 1815 British, Prussian, Austrian, and Russian forces rushed to regroup as Napoleon started mobilizing his army. The countdown had begun to a last epic showdown. This time, Napoleon faced ...

Slightly more successful were attempts to fend off the newly arrived Prussian vanguard on the far right of the battlefield. Even as the cavalry charged with glorious futility, VI Corps came under ...

“Oh, for one hour of Murat!” Napoleon is reported to have said (on not very good authority) as he watched his cavalry charges fail against the British squares at Waterloo.

Heavy cavalry served Napoleon well throughout his reign. He inherited a single regiment of cuirassiers in 1799, and expanded the corps to twelve regiments by 1804. Napoleon first committed his ...

Defeating the Prussian army at the battles of Jéna and Auerstädt, Napoleon captured 140,000 prisoners and left 25,000 dead or wounded. The might of the Prussian army had been entirely crushed.

Heavy cavalry served Napoleon well throughout his reign. He inherited a single regiment of cuirassiers in 1799, and expanded the corps to twelve regiments by 1804. Napoleon first committed his ...

In spring 1815 British, Prussian, Austrian, and Russian forces rushed to regroup as Napoleon started mobilizing his army. The countdown had begun to a last epic showdown.