Hougomont
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Château d'Hougomont is a large farmhouse situated at the bottom of an escarpment near the Nivelles road. The escarpment is where British and other allied forces faced Napoleon's Army at the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815.
Before the battle started, Hougomont and its gardens, which was on the Allies' right flank were hastily fortified. It was garrisoned by a the second battalion of the regiment of Foot guards, part of General Byng's brigade of Guards, the rest of which were positioned in its rear. The second battalion was for some time under the command of Lieut.Colonel Macdonell, and afterwards of Colonel Home.
Napoleon planned to draw Wellington's reserve to Wellington's right flank in defence of Hougomont and then attack through the centre left of the British and allies' front near La Haye Sainte. The battle started at 10:00 with a furious attack upon Hougomont. This first attack failed and it set a pattern for the rest of the day.
Hougomont became a battle within a battle and, throughout that day, without drawing in Wellington's reserves as Napoleon had anticipated, its stubborn defence continued to draw thousands of valuable French troops which included:
- Detachments under the command of Jerome Napoleon's brother
- The divisions of Foy, Guilleminot and Bachelu
- Nearly the entire corps of Reille
- Kellermann's cavalry corps
- Bauduin's brigade failed to enter Hougomont on the north side
- Soye's brigade managed a small breach on the south side could not exploit it.
Sous-Lieutenant Legros, wielding an axe, managed to break through the North gate. Macdonell and other Guards managed to shut the gate, trapping Legros and about 30 other Frenchmen inside. All the French apart from a young drummer boy were kill in a desperate hand to hand fight.
The name "Hougomont" is derived from "Gomme Mont" which means "Gum hill". It was built on a little hill with pine trees around it used to collect pine gum to make turpentine.
External links
- Wellington's Dispatches June 19th, 1815 (http://www.wtj.com/archives/wellington/1815_06f.htm)
- The Hougoumont Farm (http://www.trabel.com/waterloo/waterloo-hougoumont.htm)
- Les Miserables Volume II Book First.--Waterloo Chapter II. Hougomont (http://www.classicreader.com/read.php/sid.1/bookid.268/sec.72/)