As the second instalment in a trilogy exploring the entire Waterloo campaign, this study tells the gripping story of the fighting at Ligny. It focuses on the desperate struggle for the tiny hamlets and villages dotted along the path of the Ligne brook to the south of Sombreffe, where the Prussians under Blücher were engaged with the French Army commanded by Napoleon. The Duke of Wellington was unable to come to the aid of his allies in time and the Prussian centre was overwhelmed as night closed in. With a monumental effort, the Prussian flanks were able to retreat in some semblance of order to Wavre, where they re-formed, ready to fight another day. Packed with stunning illustrations, and based on new research drawn from unpublished first-hand accounts, this volume sheds a new light on Napoleon's last battlefield victory.

Introduction (Napoleon escapes from the island of Elba ; The long march to Paris and return to power) -- Chronology -- Opposing commanders (French commanders ; Prussian commanders) -- Opposing forces (The command and composition of the French Army ; The command and composition of the Prussian Army ; Orders of battle) -- Oposing plans -- The campaign opens (The French advance and the capture of Charleroi ; The Prussian withdrawal and the combat at Gilly ; Movements on the morning of 16 June ; Important decisions for the three commanders ; The struggle for the crossroads commences -- Final preparations at Fleurus and Sombreffe ; Vandamme attacks the village of St Amand ; Gérard begins the offensive against Ligny ; Orders to envelop Brye and St Amand ; Zieten launches a counterattack at Ligny ; Blücher intervenes in the fighting at St Amand ; The contest escalates at St Amand la Haie ; Urgent reinforcements bolster the attacks ; II Korps enters the fray at Wagnelée ; A column approaches from Villers Perwin ; Gneisenau sends a messenger to Quatre Bras ; Fateful decisions in the heat of battle ; Determined resistance at St Amand and Ligny ; Napoleon orders the Garde Impériale to attack ; Cavalry charges in the fields before Brye ; The Prussians retreat north towards Tilly ; Wellington holds the French at Quatre Bras.