The letters provide a highly detailed description of the Battle of Waterloo and the epic fighting at Hougoumont during on Sunday the 18th June 1815, as well as the events in Paris following the French capitulation and the Allied occupation. In his letter of the 19th June 1815, Thomas Wedgwood gave an account of the battle to his mother: ‘The French were driven back but advanced again with fresh Force & succeeded in gaining entrance into the wood. They then sent Fire balls upon the house & set a barn & all the outhouses on fire. Nearly 100 men having been consumed in the flames. The French forced the gates 3 times & 3 times were driven back with immense loss for we were firing at each other at a distance of 5 yards.’ In addition to the letters the file contains extensive genealogical information and the full details of Thomas Wedgwood’s military service. The entire contents of this file are also available in British Correspondence #1.

Please note that the file does not contain images of the original documents, as the copyright and ownership of these items is retained by the source.