5. The Waterloo Campaign included notable incidents of friendly fire
During the Waterloo Campaign of 1815, the army commanded by the Duke of Wellington did not consist solely of British troops. Less than a third of the army consisted of men from Great Britain. The remainder came from Hanover, Brunswick, Nassau, and the Netherlands. The result was a hodgepodge of uniforms, regimental flags, and languages. Many of Wellington’s units resembled French troops more than they did the British, creating a situation on the battlefields admirably suited for errors of judgment. On June 16, advance units of Wellington’s army confronted the French at Quatre Bras, (Four Arms) in Belgium. Simultaneously a larger portion of the French Army, under Napoleon himself, attacked the Prussians at Ligny. At Quatre Bras, the French troops were commanded by Marshal Michel Ney.
Wellington was absent from the field at Quatre Bras when the battle began, having met with Blucher at Ligny. During his absence and after his arrival troops of the allied armies arrived at the field and were thrown into battle. The Dutch 3rd Light Cavalry Brigade, uniformed in a manner similar to their French counterparts, charged the French lines in mid-afternoon in an attempt to allow Wellington’s battered infantry to reform, stabilizing his lines. Upon completion of their mission, they returned to their lines, only to meet heavy fire from Scottish Highlander troops, confused by their uniforms and their calls to each other in Dutch. The Brigade suffered heavy casualties inflicted by both French and Scottish troops, rendering then relatively ineffective for the rest of the Waterloo Campaign.
