So there it is

Life over easily. The imperial guard surrounded. Napoleon in his carriages, getting away.

Sunset for a France without a king.

A long road without end.

Napoleon captured on the road to Eric Bourgeois's house at Lille.

Oh an overture

Good golly miss Molly laddies, the French think the battle is over and have charged up the hill to pursue and cut down the apparently fleeing allies, only to be met by heavy muskets on the far side of the ridges from the scots highlanders. Napoleon has come out ... Of his tent, and screamed at the soldiers, "which son of a gun ordered all the cavalry up the hill without infantry support?!" The French cavalry are now massacred by the highland fighting men. It is all over. The highlanders won the battle of Waterloo begob begob!! Scots win so often.

The Prussians are in the woods. It is all over for old Boney now. Blucher has turned up. Germans are fighting machines and used to battles.

The blacks and greens of the German scouts are now visible.

Old Boney has just put on his burgundy cloak n hood and is brave but knows it is the moment for deserting what is left of his huge army. He is fleeing the field. By rights with such a huge army, he should have won, and easily put Wellington to flight. But the Irish troops of Wellington were a fixed mien and an experienced foe, and though Scotland had its day, the larger fates were against him and his iron-clad cavalry were not so good on soft rain soaked ground. Too much. 

1815 be like 1812

Yes, I can hardly believe this report. Apparently the old Irish General has ordered the whole army to move back, to turn tail for 300'paces, taking it over the ridge and out of sight. 

The sunset of all our hopes?

Nope old nosey has ordered the army to withdraw and wait in the corn beyond. Forming the highlanders into squares.

Crikey me hearties, old Boney has gone into his tent for a nap, but his generals have taken the withdrawal as a full-scale retreat, begob begob. And unbelievable. Marshall Ney of the French has ordered all the heavy cavalry up the hill - !!

1815 contd

Well lads, still becalmed out here on the Biscay, and the sea cadets are getting impatient. Still it is 3.30 in the après midi and latest reports suggest that scots were brave but hacked down by the polish lancers. Not nice these scenes of après. Very charge of the light brigade at Sevastopol we are told. Some Lord a Cardigan making a humongous name for himself as ever in faraway Scotland. 

End of the roade for the scots greys. But there you go. Like a Dun nottar above. A sunset. 

But can old Nosey pull one back? Wellington was Irish once, can he be subtle again, subtler than old Boney? 

Out of the blue a trumpet call. Not the Prussians of blucher surely? No, nosey is sounding a retreat begob begob. Now what? This cannot be the end!!!!

Begob begob

Well there ye are laddies and lassies of the auld HMS Scozzeze, insofar as you have gotten out of the hammocks below decks after so much whetting of young underpar whistles. But here is the latest bulletin from Waterloo -

Fresh from her campaign in Egypt old Boney m is still astonished that this little rout at the crossroads has turned into the main event. It wasn't supposed to be a big battle at all at all me hearties. Even odds but ye gads even Cara Armada is getting involved - it is like Thermopylae already -

Shivver me timbers but over the hill the London grenadiers were replenished by the welsh grenadiers, and old Boney is perplexed at the stiff resistance of the west. 

It has all become a murderous if minor affair. He is moving up his French artillery on the royals, and the scots greys have just charged at them - !! The most feared cavalry in Europe !! Says old Boney, so we shall have to commit my precious Polish lancers now sacre bleu!!

Cara has charged with her British Rajette Long Lancers, right in front of the scots greys!!

Well Waterloo 1815

Well me hearties, here we are in a squall aftermath, sitting becalmed now off the coast of a France, waiting for news from the French attempt to seize Brussels. 

Meanwhile amazing news - an impossibly small troupe of grenadiers was sent to block the immortal Imperial guards of Napoleon at a farmhouse on a road to Bruxelles. Holding it there at La Haye mais Sainte we believe while taking many hits and much loss even of life. Old Boney is losing patience and getting old too, and throwing in even his artillery and heavy cavalry, but the London company of proud grenadiers are doing a grand job begob lads. Methinks we are stopping the French advance at last at last. Bruxelles soon to be free.

Here's a pic boyos -

Epic stuff - in the pic a Gb grenadier is finishing off a drunk Frenchman, drunk with a victory he thought was already in the bag and an easy run of it.