"Charge for the squares!" Waterloo - 1815 (1 Viewer)

[sed410]

I think it would be hard to understand what it was like in the mass chaos of Ney's unsupported cavalry charge at the British squares. Just the thundering sound of thousands of horse hoofs pounding the ground must have been soul shaking. How do you keep men riding like that? How do you keep men with just a musket and bayonet standing in a square watching all this coming at them?
I hope everyone has a Happy Holiday,
Enjoy,
Steve

 

[Desertkiwi]

Wonderful imagery Steve, thanks for sharing mate!{sm4}

 

[Jack]

Great to see a Nap dio!

 

[Guy]

again very nicely done
guy

 

[Obee]

Nicely posed using the backdrop from the Waterloo Museum, in Belgium, if I'm not mistaken?

I visited there in 2008, and was amazed by this painting in the circular building on the battlefield because it was so realistic!

Maybe you could do some more setup from that work, like these in my photos???







John

 

[Iron Brigade]

Steve:

Great looking photo of your vignette diorama with splendid backdrop!

Gary

 

[Grognard]

I do love this painting! A few excerpts of it are illustrating the famous and excellent book - including the cover page - on Waterloo by Commandant Henry Lachouque.

 

[Harper (aka Spitfrnd)]

I think it would be hard to understand what it was like in the mass chaos of Ney's unsupported cavalry charge at the British squares. Just the thundering sound of thousands of horse hoofs pounding the ground must have been soul shaking. How do you keep men riding like that? How do you keep men with just a musket and bayonet standing in a square watching all this coming at them?
....

I have no doubt the charge was somewhat chaotic but totally ineffectually against men with muskets and bayonets in squares. despite the bravado of the cavalry and the real fear in the squares, both sides knew that. Those in the charge were betting the sound and sheer numbers of the attack would cause the men in square to break and run. Those in the squares, scared or not, mostly knew their only hope was to stand where they were. There were only a few cases on broken squares in the entire period of Napoleons wars that did not originate with men losing their nerve and trying to run and those few were effectively accidents.