The Cavalry that Broke Napoleon

The King's Dragoon Guards at Waterloo

Richard Goldsbrough

• Publisher: The History Press
• Year: 2016
• Topic: History
• eBook ISBN:
  9780750980302
• Subtopic: British History
• Index: History

The best-selling author of The Battle, Alessandro Barbero, was asked which action saved Wellington at Waterloo prior to the arrival of the Prussians. He replied: "If I should indulge in that game, I'd say the cavalry charge which effectively broke d'Erlon's attack." The greatest contributor to that charge was the King's Dragoon Guards (KDG), which fielded nearly half of the Household Brigade's sabers. This book tells the remarkable story of the KDG before, during, and after the battle of Waterloo, drawing on private, unpublished archive material. It concludes with their link to the Queen's Dragoon Guards. HRH The Prince of Wales is Colonel-in-Chief 1st Queen's Dragoon Guards.

Table of contents

• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword by HRH Prince Charles
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1 Cuirassiers Menace
• 2 Uxbridge ‘Puts the Whole in Motion’
• 3 Glorious Past
• 4 Who Were the Men?
• 5 Regimental Structure
• 6 Clothing and Equipment
• 7 Daily Life
• 8 Training and Tactics
• 9 From the Plains of Clonmel to Flanders Field
• 10 Hostilities Open: 16 June to the Morning of 18 June
• 11 Waterloo I: Mounted Opponents
• 12 Waterloo II: The First Charge of the Union Brigade
• 13 Waterloo III: The First Charge of the Household Brigade
• 14 Waterloo IV: The Journey Back from the First Charge
• 15 Waterloo V: The Rest of the Day
• 16 Waterloo VI: Aftermath
• 17 ‘On to Paris!’: The Pursuit and Occupation
• 18 Fates and Fortunes of Survivors I: The Officers
• 19 Fates and Fortunes of Survivors II: The Soldiers
• 20 What Happened to the Regiment?
• 21 The KDG at Waterloo: The Cavalry that Broke Napoleon?
• Appendix I: The Battle of Waterloo
• Appendix II: Regimental Roll of KDG Who Fought at Waterloo
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Picture Section