A Horse Gunner's view of the world's most famous battle
brCaptain Mercer has left posterity a vital and remarkable book in his Journal of the Campaign of 1815. It is, of course, written from the perspective of an officer of the Royal Horse Artillery of Wellington's army and so brings to life a host of detail about the composition, daily workings, camp life and battle field manoeuvrings of the British Horse Artillery during the Napoleonic Wars. This alone would recommend it to anyone interested in the period. It is much more. Mercer's substantial work covers a comparatively short period of time from the call to arms following Napoleon's escape from Elba through to the landing on the continent, the fearsome battles of Quatre Bras and Waterloo-which all but destroyed his troop-to the pursuit of the fleeing French Army to Paris and the subsequent occupation. He recorded everything he saw, felt and personally experienced in fine detail on a day by day basis. This not only provides us with an incomparable portrait of momentous events, but also a detailed and illuminating view of Belgium, Northern France and Paris itself from it's people to the minutiae of everyday life and the culture of the capital in the early years of the 19th century.

Mercer's journal is one of the most outstanding eyewitness accounts of the Waterloo campaign ever published. It is a classic of military history. This new, fully illustrated edition, featuring an extensive introduction and notes by Andrew Uffindell, one of the leading authorities on the Napoleonic Wars, contains a mass of additional material not included in the original.As the bicentenary of Waterloo approaches, this beautifully prepared, scholarly edition of Mercer's work will be essential reading for anyone who wishes to know what it was really like to fight in the final, great battle against Napoleon. Captain Mercer was in acting command of G Troop, Royal Horse Artillery. His journal vividly describes the campaign, from his landing at Ostend as Wellington's army began to assemble, through the excitement and confusion of the battle itself, and on to the occupation of Paris and the conclusion of the war.His graphic account - which is just as readable and relevant today as it was when it was written - is full of telling, authentic detail, for Mercer was a gifted, sensitive writer and an acute observer, and he was equally adept at capturing the scenery, people's characters, and his remarkable experiences while under fire.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1870 Edition.

Title: Journal of the Waterloo Campaign, kept throughout the Campaign of 1815. By ... General C. Mercer. Edited by his son, C. A. Mercer.]Publisher: British Library, Historical Print EditionsThe British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. It is one of the world's largest research libraries holding over 150 million items in all known languages and formats: books, journals, newspapers, sound recordings, patents, maps, stamps, prints and much more. Its collections include around 14 million books, along with substantial additional collections of manuscripts and historical items dating back as far as 300 BC.The MILITARY HISTORY & WARFARE collection includes books from the British Library digitised by Microsoft. This series offers titles on warfare from ancient to modern times. It includes detailed accounts of campaigns, battles, weapons, as well as the soldiers and commanders who devised, initiated, and supported war efforts throughout history. Specific analyses discuss the impact of war on societies, cultures, economies, and changing international relationships. ++++The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification: ++++ British Library Mercer, Cavalie; Mercer, Cavalie A.; 1870. 2 vol.; 8 . 9077.ccc.28.

1870. This edition contains both Volumes I and II of this work. Mercer was commander of the G Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, in Wellington's army and achieved fame as the Captain who disobeyed Wellingtons orders to abandon the guns and take shelter with the infantry when the French cavalry closed in. He was in the habit of jotting down notes on the events of the day each evening. This is the account of what he saw and felt from leaving Colchester for Belgium 1815 to his final return to England in 1816. It is a remarkable and compelling account, especially of the three days which ended the career of Napoleon. Mercer's troop was at Quatre Bras, where he got off a few rounds at Napoleon himself, and at Waterloo. There are graphic descriptions of the battles and of his tour over the battlefield the day after, with its appalling scenes of carnage and the sight of the locals looting the dead, and the not-quite dead. It is an outstanding example of the literature of the Napoleonic wars, and it has a rarity as the memoir of an artillery officer, and a troop commander at that.

1870. This edition contains both Volumes I and II of this work. Mercer was commander of the G Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, in Wellington's army and achieved fame as the Captain who disobeyed Wellingtons orders to abandon the guns and take shelter with the infantry when the French cavalry closed in. He was in the habit of jotting down notes on the events of the day each evening. This is the account of what he saw and felt from leaving Colchester for Belgium 1815 to his final return to England in 1816. It is a remarkable and compelling account, especially of the three days which ended the career of Napoleon. Mercer's troop was at Quatre Bras, where he got off a few rounds at Napoleon himself, and at Waterloo. There are graphic descriptions of the battles and of his tour over the battlefield the day after, with its appalling scenes of carnage and the sight of the locals looting the dead, and the not-quite dead. It is an outstanding example of the literature of the Napoleonic wars, and it has a rarity as the memoir of an artillery officer, and a troop commander at that.

A Horse Gunner's view of the world's most famous battle
Captain Mercer has left posterity a vital and remarkable book in his Journal of the Campaign of 1815. It is, of course, written from the perspective of an officer of the Royal Horse Artillery of Wellington's army and so brings to life a host of detail about the composition, daily workings, camp life and battle field manoeuvrings of the British Horse Artillery during the Napoleonic Wars. This alone would recommend it to anyone interested in the period. It is much more. Mercer's substantial work covers a comparatively short period of time from the call to arms following Napoleon's escape from Elba through to the landing on the continent, the fearsome battles of Quatre Bras and Waterloo-which all but destroyed his troop-to the pursuit of the fleeing French Army to Paris and the subsequent occupation. He recorded everything he saw, felt and personally experienced in fine detail on a day by day basis. This not only provides us with an incomparable portrait of momentous events, but also a detailed and illuminating view of Belgium, Northern France and Paris itself from it's people to the minutiae of everyday life and the culture of the capital in the early years of the 19th century.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

1870. This edition contains both Volumes I and II of this work. Mercer was commander of the G Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, in Wellington's army and achieved fame as the Captain who disobeyed Wellingtons orders to abandon the guns and take shelter with the infantry when the French cavalry closed in. He was in the habit of jotting down notes on the events of the day each evening. This is the account of what he saw and felt from leaving Colchester for Belgium 1815 to his final return to England in 1816. It is a remarkable and compelling account, especially of the three days which ended the career of Napoleon. Mercer's troop was at Quatre Bras, where he got off a few rounds at Napoleon himself, and at Waterloo. There are graphic descriptions of the battles and of his tour over the battlefield the day after, with its appalling scenes of carnage and the sight of the locals looting the dead, and the not-quite dead. It is an outstanding example of the literature of the Napoleonic wars, and it has a rarity as the memoir of an artillery officer, and a troop commander at that.

"Journal of the Waterloo Campaign" remains one of the most famous personal accounts of the climactic three days which ended the military career and empire of Napoleon Bonaparte. Captain Cavalie Mercer (1783-1868), was a skilled writer who recorded the day's events each evening. As a result, readers can experience through Mercer's keen eye the turbulence and graphic immediacy of the entire campaign: the news of Napoleon's return from Elba; the landing of Wellington's forces in Belgium; the lulls and hard marching; the battle at Quatre Bras (where Mercer fired a few rounds at Napoleon himself); Wellington's retreat; the ferocious fighting at Waterloo; and Mercer's own bold contribution to the larger Allied victory.