The Bois d’Hougoumont seldom gets a mention in the history books. Many authors have assumed that the wood was cut down well before the battle, but Alasdair White’s recent research into the age of some of the trees in the wood show that they pre-date the Battle of Waterloo
This is probably the most detailed historical appraisal of Hougoumont currently available. Making use of unpublished documentary records and detailed analysis of contemporary maps, White pieces together what the farm would have looked like and provides answers to the great historical question of how just 1,200 allied soldiers held off more than 6,000 French troops at the Battle of Waterloo.
