Napoleon Bonaparte left his signature in the 19th century. Few commanders since and before have fought and won as many battles and wars under different conditions as Napoleon. At the time, Napoleon Bonaparte did no man alive thought it was possible: conquering almost all of Europe. Napoleon was a short guy, and was always stressed with his height (allegedly wearing shoes that make him higher). However, what he lacked in physical appearance, Napoleon more than made up in brilliance, genius and military tactics. Once it became evident that General Bonaparte wanted to conquer all of Europe and make it entirely French, the most powerful countries forged an alliance against him. The alliance included the British, as well as Austria, Spain, Russia, Portugal, Sweden, the Netherlands and many other smaller countries. Napoleon’s understanding of war, mass warfare and raising armies completely changed and revolutionized the modern warfare. However, as every great General, he made one mistake that cost him the war. Napoleon’s dilemma and mistake

Both Napoleon and Wellington knew that the wild card of the battle is Blucher’s Prussian Army. Napoleon knew that he will have troubles defeating both the British and the Prussians. Wellington knew as well, that if the Prussian Army does not come to rescue them, they will be defeated.

But Napoleon was faced with a dilemma and forced to make a tough decision. Two days before Waterloo, Napoleon won another battle. But his cavalry and infantry were tired, and the night before the battle, there was rain. Napoleon was faced with a decision to wade his army through mud and tire them during the early stage of the battle, or wait another day for the ground to try out. Waiting one more day meant risking Prussian reinforcement for the British Army.

In hindsight, his decision to wait was what cost him the battle, and the War eventually. After Waterloo, Napoleon never managed to regroup, as the defeat signaled the end of his era.

Today, many experts believe that Bonaparte lost the edge with the return to Europe after unsuccessful invasion of Russia. The second mistake, and the crucial one was waiting too long in the morning of June 18, 1815. Had Napoleon Bonaparte marched an attack earlier in the morning, the Prussian army would not have made it to the battleground. The 50,000 men under the command of Marshal Blucher turned the tides during the battle. While Napoleon nearly broke through the enemy lines, he was defeated at the end.