Quatre Bras, Perponchers gamblethorpe
The Netherlands command of I Corps devised a frontline south of Nivelles to assure the safe arrival of further troops which extended from Arquennes all the way to Quatre Bras Furthe particular attention is given to the events with the Netherlands forces commanded by Prince Frederik in II Corps and their role within the plans of the Duke of Wellington s Secret Memorandum Rumours and even panic about the advance of Napoleon and his army spread through the southern provinces of the kingdom on this day which will be illustrated through the various fortress towns garrisoned with Netherlands troops Of special interest in this case will be the conduct of the royalist French forces cantonned around Alost The Battle of Quatre Bras is the main focus of this second volume where the part played by the Netherlands field army will be examined in detail It is not a complete study of the entire battle and only includes the roles played by the British Hanoverian and Brunswick troops when there is an immediate relationship with the various events and scenes of battle of Netherlands troops To present a balanced history for their part the role of the French troops is presented in detail based on numerous eye witness accounts and memoirs from French soldiers and officers Particular attention is given to the fighting in the Bois de Bossu which has hitherto always been neglected to a large extend Through the words of the participants this history demonstrates the tactics employed during the battle to maintain the position of Quatre Bras During its course the character of the battle changed from first serving the safe concentration of the Anglo Allied army at Nivelles to blocking the French advance towards Brussels and maintain communications with the Prussian army simultaneously fighting in a much larger battle at Ligny Quatre Bras Perponchers gamble.
