June 16, 1815 · Belgium / Hundred Days Theater
June 16, 1815
Two days before Waterloo, Napoleon struck the Prussian army under Blücher at the village of Ligny in Belgium, inflicting his last significant tactical victory. The fighting was ferocious throughout the afternoon as Napoleon hammered the Prussian center with veteran troops while waiting for d'Erlon's corps to arrive and complete the encirclement. D'Erlon never arrived — his corps marched back and forth between Ligny and Quatre Bras without engaging at either battle. In the early evening the Imperial Guard broke the Prussian center and Blücher himself was nearly captured when his horse was shot and fell on him. The Prussians retreated but, crucially, northward rather than eastward — toward Wellington rather than away from him.
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