At Waterloo, some 70,000 men under Napoleon and an equal number under Wellington faced one another in a titanic and bloody struggle. In the end, as John Keegan notes, contemporaries felt that Napoleon's defeat had "reversed the tide of European history." Even 190 years later, the name Waterloo resounds. Italian historian Alessandro Barbero's majestic new account stands apart from previous British and French histories by giving voice to all the nationalities that took part. Invoking the memories of British, French, and Prussian soldiers, Barbero meticulously re-creates the conflict as it unfolded, from General Reille's early afternoon assault on the chateau of Hougoumont, to the desperate last charge of Napoleon's Imperial Guard as evening settled in. From privates to generals, Barbero recounts individual miracles and tragedies, moments of courage and foolhardiness, skillfully blending them into the larger narrative of the battle's extraordinary ebb and flow. One is left with indelible images: cavalry charges against soldiers formed in squares; the hand-to-hand combat around farmhouses; endless cannon balls and smoke. And, finally, a powerful appreciation of the inevitability and futility of war. Alessandro Barberois professor of medieval history at the University of Piemonte Orientale in Vercelli, Italy. He is the author ofCharlemagne:Father of a Continentand of several historical novels, one of which, also set in the Napoleonic age, won the Strega Prize, Italy's most distinguished literary award. The famed battle fought at Waterloo on June 18, 1815, was one of the most momentous in history. Some seventy thousand men under Napoleon and an equal number commanded by the Duke of Wellington faces each other that day; their struggle was titanic and bloody; and in the end, as John Keegan notes, contemporaries felt that Napoleon's defeat had "reversed the tide of European history." Even 190 years later, the name "Waterloo" resounds loudly. Italian historian Alessandro Barbero's account of the historic battle gives voice to all the nationalities that took part. Invoking the memories of British, French, and Prussian soldiers, Barbero recreates the conflict as it unfolded, from General Reille's early afternoon assault on the chateau of Hougoumont, to the desperate last charge of Napoleon's Imperial Guard as evening settled in. Drawing on accounts from privates to generals, he recounts individual miracles and tragedies, moments of courage and foolhardiness, and offers observations on weapons and strategy, blending them all into the larger narrative of the battle's extraordinary ebb and flow. One is left with images of cavalry charges against soldiers formed in squares; skirmishers hiding in tall grass; the hand-to-hand combat around the farmhouse; endless cannonballs and smoke. "A thoroughly readable, exciting account of a great clash of arms.The Battlegives gripping insights into what it was like to fight on the Napoleonic battlefield. Brilliant."--Mark Adkin, author ofThe Waterloo Companion "A vivid account of the Battle of Waterloo, when Napoleon went out in a blaze of glory. Why would a battle fought 190 years ago continue to hold our attention--and fuel a minor publishing industry? Italian novelist-historian Barbero points to one at least partial answer: the men who fought it imagined that the future of a free Europe hinged on the outcome, and both sides fought like wildcats for their respective causes. In fact, Barbero believes, had Napoleon won the battle, things wouldn't have been so different: Wellington would have had less political success, the revolution of 1830 may not have taken place, "and in France, sooner or later, no matter what, Napoleon III woul