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The château of Hougoumont, which included woods, farm buildings, and a garden. Wellington recognized the tactical importance of Hougoumont and La Haye Sainte, and placed strong garrisons in each. These strongpoints presented obstacles to a French attack on the Allied right and center, and could offer enfilading fire to any opposing troops that sought to bypass them. Hougoumont was large enough, moreover, to make a sweep around Wellington’s right more difficult, though not impossible.
Coldstream Guards at Hougoumont, a fortified farm which became the focus of some of the bloodiest fighting at Waterloo. This vital strongpoint in the Allied line nearly fell when axe-wielding French infantry broke open the great north door, allowing a handful of men to enter the courtyard. Colonel Macdonnell, sword in hand, along with four other Coldstreamers, just managed to close the gate, an action which Wellington later claimed had been essential to success that day.
The initial diversionary bombardment and attack finally began at 11:50 A.M., from the extreme French left flank against Hougoumont Farm, a general sporadic firing developing all along the French front by noon. Today, as on the sixteenth, Napoleon’s poor choice of commanders, including Ney, Grouchy and his own brother, Prince Jerome, was again to have dire results for him.
Heading the diversion, Jerome’s orders were to draw as much of Wellington’s powerful center to the extreme left as possible, preparatory to the major offensive planned for one o’clock. Encountering very stiff resistance from the Nassauers and Hanoverians around Hougoumont Farm and the British guards within that farm, however, Jerome fell into his own trap, recklessly throwing in all four of his regiments, only to be repulsed each time. Then in desperation he finally forced Foy to part with as much as half his own division to satisfy Jerome’s ego in taking what was denied him. Foy protested vigorously but to no avail. After all, Jerome was the Emperor’s brother. Meanwhile, Hougoumont was reinforced lightly by the Coldstream Guards and the Scots Guards, who continued to repulse everything thrown at them, despite a heavier commitment by Reille. In fact, Reille should have ordered the reckless young Bonaparte back, instead of jeopardizing Napoleon’s entire operations, but apparently he was too afraid of the Emperor to chance that. Indeed, any good commander would have attacked Hougoumont with howitzers first before committing troops as mere cannon fodder, as Bonaparte was doing. Prince Jerome, however, obstinately hammered against the stone and brick walls of Hougoumont with human flesh and of course the casualties mounted and mounted.
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By 7 P.M. Prince Jerome was still vainly laying siege to the redoubtable Hougoumont Farm along the Allied right, while Donzelot’s, Quiot’s and Marcognet’s divisions were in control as far as Papelotte and La Haie to the Allied left, Blucher temporarily thrown back. Although the sun broke through at long last, promising light for another two hours, Napoleon’s situation was still desperate as further Prussian reinforcements continued to come up. In fact, once again he found himself faced with two options: a rapid strategic withdrawal in an attempt to salvage his army and regroup, or . . . he could attack and pray that Grouchy arrived in time.
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Finally, as for his professional views on that day’s fighting, the Duke drily observed: “Napoleon did not manoeuvre at all; he just moved forward in the old style in columns, and was driven off in the old style.” And while admitting that Bonaparte “never had so fine an army as at Waterloo,” he equally declared that he himself “never saw the British infantry behave so well,” firmly believing that they had “given Napoleon his death blow,” as he put it. “Our battle . . . was one of giants: and our success was most complete” he afterward reported to Prinz Schwarzenberg; “God grant I may never see another!”
