"Four days in June, 1815. Three armies on the fields of Waterloo. A battle for honour, glory, civilisation. And two great leaders, Napoleon and Wellington, fighting directly for the first time to take their nations to victory. Four Days in June goes straight to the heart of this most famous of battles. Wars are won by the men who lead them. This is the story of those men's strength, their courage, their thoughts and their fears. Colonel De Lancey, Wellington's new Quartermaster-General, recently married and yearning for his beautiful wife. Colonel MacDonnell, a Scot who must hold his post to the last man. General Ziethen of the Prussian army, distrustful of the British but vital to their cause. Marshal Ney, mistrusted by Napoleon but revered by the French soldiers. And Napoleon, who must prove his worth as a great warrior for the glory of France. As the battle develops over the four days, it is seen through the very different positions and characters of the front men. From the eve of the battle to its bloody conclusion, there is defiance, desperation and great courage on both sides. Iain Gale draws the scene, the devastation, the stench of war, with such vitality that, though the outcome is known, the tension of war comes vividly to life."--Book jacket flap.