To coincide with the 2015 bicentennial of the Battle of Waterloo, Osprey publishes <i>Waterloo 1815</i>, a definitive three volume history of the historic battle. Based on new research drawn from unpublished first-hand accounts and illustrations, <i>Waterloo 1815</i> provides a detailed resource for all aspects of the famous battle.<br><br>This first volume of the trilogy, <i>Quatre Bras</i>, focuses on the lead-up to Waterloo itself. Two days before the main battle, an initial 8,000 Allied troops faced the 48,000 men of the French Armée du Nord under Marshal Ney at the strategically vital crossroads of Quatre Bras. Having been tricked by Napolean who was trying to drive a wedge between the Prussians and the Anglo-allied army, Wellington concentrated his troops at Quatre Bras, hoping to link up with the Prussians. There Wellington just managed to hold off Ney's attacks. The battle ended in a tactical stalemate but, because he was unable to join with Blücher's Prussians, Wellington retreated back along the road to Brussels to new positions at a small Belgian village called Waterloo, and thus set the stage for one of the greatest battles of all time.<br><br>With detailed maps, illustrations and battlefield dispositions, <i>Quatre Bras</i> will lay the groundwork for any student of the Battle of Waterloo.