The three letters provide a fascinating insight into the Waterloo campaign. In his letter of the 2nd August 1815, Wilhelm Langenstrassen recalled the early action on the 16th June: ‘At two o’clock we arrived at the battlefield, hardly knowing how we had managed to do so. We were the only cavalry present on our side, and therefore, were ordered to cover two batteries, the worst possible task I can think of, because you stand with your sword in your hand without being able to defend yourself against the missiles and shells, let alone parry them. The Duke smoked happily on his pipe and rode up and down in front of our corps. Suddenly, a shot took the leg off our Major and he slipped off his horse, although still alive. As our surgeons were not with us he died from loss of blood. Shortly thereafter, Pavel was shot off his horse, but was killed instantly.’ It should be noted that the entire contents of this file are also available within the new on-line archive.

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