04.00: Charleroi

The Imperial Guard broke its bivouac and moved toward Fleurus.

Brussels

The Reserve marched south for Mt. St. Jean.

07.30: Brussels

Wellington followed the reserve, heading south.

08.00 Charleroi

As orders for the day’s movement were being dispatched, word arrived from Grouchy of Prussian forces concentrating on Sombreffe. Napoleon departed toward Fleurus, while his army awaited orders: IV Corps on either side of the Sambre near Chatêlet, and VI Corps still further back. He did send orders, belatedly to Ney at 08.30, but these orders were delayed and as a result the 45,000 men of the left wing remained inactive throughout the morning.

10.00: Quatre-Bras

Wellington arrived on the battlefield.

11.00: Fleurus

Napoleon arrived at Fleurus, to find the Prussians concentrating at Ligny.

12.00: Frasnes

Ney finally received his written orders from Napoleon.

Sombreffe

Pirch’s Corps arrived, passing through Sombreffe toward Brye.

13.00: Ligny

Pecheux’s division arrived and attacked Ligny.

Girard’s division (attached to III Corps) attacked St. Amand,

Vandamme and Gérard reaching Fleurus.

Mt. St. Jean

The Reserve Corps continued south toward Quatre-Bras.

13.30: Brye

Wellington & Blücher met at Moulin de Bussy. Wellington expressed reservations about the deployment, noting the numbers of Prussians exposed along forward slopes to enemy artillery.

14.00: Quatre-Bras

Ney attacks at Quatre-Bras. Allied strength—8,000.

Ligny Battlefield

Napoleon issued orders for the battle to I Cav and II Cav Corps, and III and IV Corps, with the Guard and IV Cav Corps in reserve. VI Corps still awaited orders near Charleroi. Ney at Frasnes was ordered to drive the English out of Quatre Bras and then to descend on Brye by about 18.00.

14.30: Ligny Battlefield

Vandamme attacked St. Amand while Gérard undertook a personal reconnaissance of the Prussian lines at Ligny, and deployed Vichery and Pecheux against the village while placing Hulot’s division on the right to support the cavalry facing Boignee.

15.00: Sombreffe

Thielemann’s III Corps arrived between Sombreffe & Mazy.

Quatre Bras

As Wellington returned from his meeting with Blücher, Perponcher’s division was under pressure. In rapid succession the Duke of Brunswick arrived at the head of his corps, Merlen’s cavalry arrived from Nivelles, and then Picton’s division came in behind the last of Brunswick’s men.

15.15: Quatre Bras

Ney was just receiving his orders of 14.00, which he not unreasonably interpreted to mean that he had to clear Quatre-Bras before attempting his turning movement against the Prussians. Without neutralizing the British first, his outflanking force would be exposed between two fires.

Fleurus

Marshal Soult issued further instruction to Marshal Ney, which in its vagueness seemed to confirm the hotheaded Gascon’s fixation on the capture of Quatre Bras, and did not suggest the importance of his moving at least d’Erlon’s corps to support the Emperor.

15.45: Frasnes

The Emperor’s aide-de-camp count de la Bedoyere arrived on the Brussels road from IHQ with a pencilled note from the Emperor, and ordered the lead division of d'Erlon's division to change direction and march for St. Amand. The remainder of the corps followed.

16.00: Quatre-Bras.

Alten’s newly-arrived division attacks.

Kruse’s Nassau contingent (Landwehr) arrived.

St. Amand

Lefol’s division finally captured St. Amand le Chateau from Steinmetz’s brigade. But Girard’s division was unable to eject Pirch II’s brigade from La Haye, Blücher himself leading Tippelskirchen’s brigade which finally drove the French out with 50% casualties.

Ligny

Gérard’s attack against Ligny met fierce resistance from Jagow’s brigade, and some regiments took over 50% casualties before the Prussians finally pulled back across the creek.

16.10: Gemioncourt

Ney received word from d’Erlon of his change of direction. Within minutes, Colonel Forbin de Janson arrived from IHQ, but he failed to deliver the orders in the face of the Marshal’s rage. Throwing caution to the wind, Ney ordered Kellermann to attack Halkett’s newly-arrived brigade with the single cavalry brigade he had to hand. This charge was lucky.

18.00: Quatre Bras

Cooke’s division arrived at Quatre-Bras along with Best's Brigade. A lull spread over the battlefield as Wellington, who now had numerical superiority, sent Brunswick and Kielmansegge to attack Bachelu on his left, while Cooke’s Guardsmen drove Jerome’s men back through the Bossu Wood.

Fleurus

Napoleon was about to send the Guard into battle when a mysterious force appeared in the rear of Vandamme’s Corps. A lull in the battle ensued while staff officers galloped off to identify the approaching troops.

18.30 Fleurus

Staff officers reported that the approaching column turned out to be d’Erlon’s I Corps. Napoleon recommenced his attack.

Quatre-Bras

Ney finally received the dispatch, which Forbin de Janson failed to deliver earlier, containing Soult’s further instructions of 15.15.

19.30 Ligny

The Guard went into action, one brigade on either flank of Gerard’s IV Corps, supported by the Guard artillery and Heavy Cavalry. Within half an hour they had driven the Prussians back from the Ligny brook. They then hit Krafft’s brigade, pushing it back toward Brye. As the French approached his command post, Blücher took 32 squadrons of cavalry and swept down upon the Guard, only to be beaten back by Milhaud’s IV Cavalry Corps. Blücher himself was wounded and separated for the next several hours from headquarters.

21.00 Ligny

The battle was at an end and the Prussians began to withdraw.

Quatre Bras

As darkness descended, Ney broke contact and drew his forces off to the south. Wellington chose not to pursue.

22.00 Genappe

Wellington reached his quarters at l’auberge du Roi d’Espagne in Genappe, where he received word of the Prussian debacle. He despatched an officer toward the east who returned about midnight to report French Vedettes near Sombreffe.

23.00 Ligny

The French followed the retiring enemy but did not pursue. Discovering a fugitive horde of 10,000 making its way toward Liege, the French assumed this was the line of retreat. Napoleon ordered one division to remain at St. Amand while Grouchy would take 33,000 men to pursue the broken remnants of Blücher’s army eastward. Napoleon would take the balance of the forces toward Quatre-Bras in the morning, to deal Wellington a decisive blow. Careless staff work again struck, as no one at IHQ apparently thought to dispatch an officer to ascertain the true state of affairs before Quatre Bras. Furthermore, they failed to order Grouchy to conduct any overnight reconnaissance of the fleeing Prussians. The Emperor retired to bed at Fleurus.

01.00 Tilly

Gneisenau gave the order to retreat on Tilly and Wavre. He then rode over to his headquarters in Mellery, where he found Blücher, somewhat dazed, recovering from his fall during the charge.

03.00 Genappe

Wellington arose and immediately returned the officer toward Ligny to confirm the Prussian retreat and its direction.

17 JUNE 1815

04.00: Fleurus

Napoleon awoke about dawn and remembered to dispatch Pajol’s I Cavalry Corps to follow the Prussians, and then went back to sleep.

06.00 Quatre Bras

Wellington returned to the cross-roads and sat by a fire on the damp morning.

Fleurus

Napoleon arose and proceeded to a leisurely morning routine. He received a report from Pajol that the Prussians were moving toward Namur. In fact, Grouchy’s cavalry had lost contact with the organized troops of the Prussians, and rain during the day complicated their work. Napoleon shortly received word of the actual outcome at Quatre Bras.

07.30 Quatre Bras

Wellington received confirmation of Blücher’s retreat on Wavre. He ordered his troops to withdraw toward Brussels. "As they are gone back, we must go too."

09.00 Quatre Bras

Wellington received his first dispatch from Blücher, since the retreat and enquiring of his own intentions.

10.00 Quatre Bras

The Anglo-Allied Army began withdrawing.

13.00 Marbais

Napoleon arrived from Ligny on his way to Quatre Bras. Ney’s forces were inactive.

14.00 Quatre-Bras

The last of Wellington’s infantry, the Guards division, pulled out just ahead of Napoleon‘s belated pursuit.

18.00 Mt. St. Jean

Napoleon sent his IV Cav Corps toward Wellington’s position. A volley from 60 guns revealed that this was indeed Wellington’s chosen position: from 3707 through 3708 and 3809, with cavalry only guarding the flank in 3810, and light forces thrown forward into Plancenoit and Hougoumont.

20.00 Gembloux

Grouchy gave up on the pursuit for the day, and sent Napoleon word of "part" of the Prussian Army’s retreat toward Wavre.

18 JUNE 1815

04.00: Maison du Roi

After spending the early twilight hours inspecting the front, Napoleon received Grouchy’s despatch. He made no immediate reply and retired for a few hours of sleep.

08.00: Maison du Roi

The Emperor drafted his plan for the battle, and belatedly dictated a response to Grouchy’s message of 20.00, confirming Wavre as the Marshal’s next objective.

09.30: Wavre

Exelman’s cavalry ran into the Prussian rear-guard south of Wavre. Prisoners revealed Blücher’s march in support of Wellington at Waterloo, and this was put into a message for Grouchy.

10.00: Maison du Roi

Napoleon received another message from Grouchy, sent at 06.00, stating that the Prusians seemed intent on joining Wellington.

11.30: Walhain St. Paul

Grouchy’s Army heard the sound of the guns opening up at Waterloo, 15 miles away. His subordinates, General Gerard and Vandamme, insisted they march to support the Emperor. Grouchy, however, deliberately obeyed his orders.

12.30: Walhain St. Paul

Grouchy received word from Exelmans that the Prussians were marching against Napoleon. Grouchy immediately ordered his troops across the Dyle.

17.00: Wavre

The fighting along the Dyle continued from Wavre to Limale as Grouchy attempted to find a weakness in Thielemann’s III Prussian Corps, but was able to make no headway. During this fight, the other three corps made good their arrival on the battlefield of Waterloo.

19.40: Waterloo

The attack of the Guard collapsed, and the French Army slowly disintegrated under a general Anglo-Prussian assault.