Without the timely arrival of the brave 72-year-old Blucher at the head of his Prussian army, the course of history could well have taken a dramatic turn. As well as telling the full story of Waterloo and Blucher's part in it, this book, containing letters and personal accounts, details a career which spanned the entire Napoleonic era. No other general clashed so many times with Bonaparte, and Blucher's life epitomizes the excitement and horror of this fascinating, yet bloody, period.