Benny Michielsen
Software developer, aspiring wargamer and history buff. 🇧🇪🇪🇺
- Wintry greetings from the battlefield. Quiet fields, long shadows and the perfect day to walk the ground of 1815. #NapoleonicWars ❄️🚶♂️
- Belated Happy New Year! In 2025, I dove deep into my passion for history and 2026 will be no different. This year, I’m planning two (!) multi-day hikes, staying firmly in the Napoleonic era. The first will, of course, be the Waterloo Campaign and you can take part. #NapoleonicWars 👇
- I’ll be correcting some of the mistakes I made last year and finally visiting the Ligny Museum. And for the final day, 18 June, I’m reaching out to anyone who wants to tag along.
- There is no better way to appreciate the commitment of the men who took part in the campaign than to walk the ground. So I invite you to join me on 18 June. 151 days to go. Check your agenda. Interested? DM me.
- So. Where are all history and wargaming people at?
- @rgpoulussen.bsky.social I am looking for clips and photos of Antwerp and operations north of it during early October. I have found some in Canadian archives but I’m sure you know where I would also could look?
- „Für König und Vaterland.“ I’ve hiked 114 km over the past three days and am heading to my start point for today. Only one blister so far. #Waterloo210 #NapoleonicWars
- June 14, 1815 – Thuin. French troops are massing. Blücher reaches out. Wellington replies: “I can be at Quatre Bras within 22 hours.” The campaign begins. #Waterloo210 #NapoleonicWars youtu.be/gGt_U_CUdRo
- The journey begins — in reverse of French objectives. Antwerp, Brussels, Charleroi. 🎧 Suggestions for the soundtrack? #Waterloo210
- June 13, 1815 – The reports keep coming in. Wellington, however, isn’t convinced. He writes: “There is nothing new here. […] His departure was not likely to be immediate. I think we are now too strong for him here.” Video below 👇 #Waterloo210
- I will be posting a bit less here but you can find all updates on X and the first videos can be found here: youtu.be/wC3cjTji_50?...
- June 11, 1815 – News reaches the French court in exile: some 120,000 troops are massed near the Dutch border. Napoleon may be headed for Lille—an ominous sign for the Allied army. A cavalry skirmish with Belgian troops is reported south of Mons. #Waterloo210 #NapoleonicWars
- June 9, 1815 – Reports keep piling in: French troops are massing near the frontier. Even the Old Guard is said to be on the move. Napoleon is still believed to be in Paris — but with his veterans marching, that may not stay true for long. #Waterloo210 #NapoleonicWars
- For those not reading the alt text: I saw this painting yesterday — in LEGO form — at the Waterloo visitor centre. Even the Old Guard can be immortal… in ABS plastic.
- June 7, 1815 – A new report lands on Wellington’s desk: the French plan a feint at Charleroi, then a real strike at Mons and Tournai to cut Allied lines. Or is it just a show of force before retreating behind their fortresses? #NapoleonicWars #Waterloo210
- June 5, 1815 – Reports are still all over the place. Lille’s garrison might be heading to Maubeuge. Vandamme now commands 18,000 men. Zieten updates Wellington—in French. Because apparently, he’s not just running a corps… he’s also the translation department. #NapoleonicWars
- June 3, 1815 – More reports of French troops leaving the frontier make the Prussians eager to begin operations. Some rumours even claim the entire Young Guard has been sent to the Vendée. Wellington, however, still opposes an offensive. #NapoleonicWars #Waterloo210
- June 1, 1815 – More intelligence arrives: French troop movements seem defensive. Napoleon still in Paris. Border towns are fortified. The Vendée uprising is believed to be drawing French troops away from the frontier. #NapoleonicWars #Waterloo210
- May 30, 1815 – Blücher returns to Namur after visiting King Willem. If the French attack, the Prussians move to Sombreffe—either to strike the flank if Wellington is targeted, or to defend there with Wellington hitting the French flank. Mutual support is key. #NapoleonicWars
- May 28, 1815 – Blücher arrives in Brussels and dines with Wellington. They discuss strategy and agree that if Napoleon launches an offensive here, Brussels is the likely target. Blücher will inspect the troops tomorrow. #NapoleonicWars
- May 26, 1815 – Preparations are underway for the meeting with Blücher. The Prussians want clarity: when will hostilities begin? Wellington prefers to wait—either for French troops to be drawn away to the Vendée or Upper Rhine, or for the Austrians to strike. #NapoleonicWars
- May 24, 1815 – Wellington writes to Hardinge that he has invited Blücher to Brussels later this week. Blücher is eager to begin operations: the army is at full strength, supplies are tight, and Prussian finances are strained.
- May 22, 1815 – Supplying the Prussian army remains a major issue. Gneisenau complains: they did not come uninvited, but if their help is no longer wanted, they’ll withdraw. Not exactly the smoothest of coalitions. #NapoleonicWars
- May 20, 1815 – The Vendée rises for the fourth time. The call-up of the National Guard rekindles royalist resistance. Armed with British-supplied guns, insurgents clash with imperial forces. Napoleon is forced to divert troops to suppress the rebellion. #NapoleonicWars
- The rebellion becomes known as the “Guerre de Vendée et Chouannerie de 1815.” It’s the last royalist uprising of the Napoleonic era. Details here (in French): 🔗 fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerre_...
- General Lamarque is sent to suppress the revolt — a staunch Bonapartist, he earns the respect of many, even among his enemies. Decades later, his death would ignite the June Rebellion of 1832… immortalised in Les Misérables.
- May 18, 1815 – Steinmetz inspects his outposts for the first time since taking command of the 1st Brigade making minor adjustments. Across the army, Landwehr regiments are reduced from four to three battalions to concentrate strength ahead of the coming campaign. #NapoleonicWars
- May 16, 1815 – Strategy shapes deployments, but so do food and water. Supplying the Prussian army strains Belgium. Coordination with the Dutch authorities and population proves difficult, hurting Prussian popularity. #NapoleonicWars
