Why Napoleon Was Forced to Fight at Waterloo

Once Napoleon left Elba, he knew he had to fight. Staying on the island did not align with his image as the Emperor. As the narrative goes, Napoleon was still intent on defeating each army one by one, as the combined forces would have been too formidable for him. After the indecisive Battle of Waterloo, he was eventually exiled to St Helena in the mid-Atlantic, where escape was all but impossible.

Popularly, there was a classic Punch cartoon showing Napoleon on the ship 'Billy Ruffian,' with the caption, 'No wonder he looks glum; he thinks we are sending him to St Helens.' This cartoon encapsulates the despair Napoleon felt, knowing he would not get a second chance to rule.

A Coalition Against Napoleon

The stage was set for a coalition against Napoleon. He needed to seize the initiative and convince his opponents that continuing the fight was not worth their efforts. At Waterloo, the forces of Wellington (the British) and Blücher (the Prussian) were initially separated, creating a small window of opportunity for a decisive victory.

Napoleon, however, chose not to seize this opportunity. Wellington had chosen an excellent defensive position, allowing him to employ his signature tactic of deploying troops on reverse slopes. Furthermore, Wellington waited for Blücher's Prussian army, which eventually arrived but not in the timely manner Wellington had hoped.

Napoleon's Objectives

The primary objective for Napoleon was to destroy the Northern Allied threat to France and to resume his rule as Emperor. If he had defeated the combined British, Prussian, Dutch, and Brunswick forces, he would have needed to turn his armies eastward to face the advancing Russians and Austrians. Only then would he have had a chance to secure victory over those forces and regain power in France.

Napoleon believed in his ability to triumph, having previously achieved a significant victory through a strategically timed forced march at the Battle of Ligny. If Napoleon had managed to defeat Wellington at Waterloo, it is possible the Allies would have accepted his re-assumption of power and been willing to make peace.

The Nemesis of Napoleon

Ultimately, Napoleon had no choice but to confront the coalition forces arrayed against him. He knew the old coalition was reassembling, and his only hope for survival was to defeat them piecemeal, starting with the Prussians and the British. This strategic approach had worked for him in earlier campaigns, like the Battle of Austerlitz, but in the end, it was not enough to prevent his defeat at Waterloo.

The reasons why Napoleon fought at Waterloo are complex and marred by the impossibility of success. Aside from the immediate military factors, the deeper questions of strategy, resource allocation, and human will all played a significant role in the outcome. It was a turning point in European history that reshaped the continent and redefined the balance of power.