Today Is June 18

The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday, June 18, 1815, near Waterloo in Belgium.

The Battle of Waterloo, by William Sadler II

The Battle of Waterloo started at noon when a British-led coalition consisting of 68,000 soldiers from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Hanover, Brunswick and Nassau, under the command of the Duke of Wellington fought a French army of 73,000 soldiers under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte. The British were joined by 48,000 men from the Prussian army under Field Marshal von Blücher. in mid-afternoon.

The Battle actually took place at Braine l'Alleud, about eight miles (13 kms) south of Waterloo, but Wellington had a habit of naming battles after the place he had spent the previous night.

Heavy rain before the battle created swamp-like conditions. Wellington stayed on the high ground, forcing the French to slog uphill from the boggy valley, with their guns sunk up to their axles in thick mud. With the Prussians breaking through on the French right flank, the Anglo-allied army repulsed the Imperial Guard, and the French army was routed. By 11pm the battle had ended  News of Wellington's victory  was first delivered by a pigeon to England.

The Battle of Waterloo ended 12 years’ war between France and an alliance including Britain, Russia, the Netherlands and Prussia (now in Germany).

After the defeat, Napoleon was captured and exiled to the South Atlantic island of Saint Helena, where he died in 1821.