After more than two centuries have passed since Napoleon’s loss at the Battle of Waterloo, the bones of soldiers murdered on that renowned battlefield continue to fascinate Belgian academics and historians, who use them to examine that era.
One such historian, Bernard Wilkin, remarked, “So many bones — it’s really unique!” as he stood before a forensic pathologist’s bench containing two skulls, three femurs, and hip bones.
At the Institute of Forensic Medicine of Liege on February 1, 2023, Belgian anthropologist Mathilde Daumas displays the skull of a soldier who fought in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, in which the French Army under the command of Napoleon was defeated and which marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars. KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP accessed through Getty Images
He was in an autopsy room at the Forensic Medicine Institute in Liege, eastern Belgium, where examinations were being conducted on the skeletal remains of four soldiers to determine their regions of origin.
That in itself is a difficulty.
Six European nations were represented in the military ranks at the Battle of Waterloo, which occurred 18 kilometers south of Brussels.
This 18 June 1815 battle resulted in the loss of over 20,000 soldiers and put a stop to Napoleon Bonaparte’s plans to conquer Europe and establish a vast empire.
The war has since been analyzed by historians, and with to advancements in the genetic, medical, and scanning sectors, archaeologists can now put together the past from the buried bones.
Some of these remains have been retrieved through archeological excavations, including one conducted last year that allowed the reconstruction of a skeleton discovered near a field hospital established by the British Duke of Wellington.
This excavation also revealed numerous horse bones. Archaeologists estimate that many thousand horses were killed during the conflict because “as the glittering glory of the cavalry charge ended in death for all too many,”
But the remains analyzed by Wilkin emerged via a different route.
The historian, who works for the historical archives of the Belgian government, stated that after a conference he delivered late last year, a middle-aged man approached him and said, “this middle-aged man came to see afterwards and told me, ‘Mr Wilkin, I have some Prussians in my attic.’”
Wilkin stated, with a smile, that the man “showed me photos on his phone and told me someone had given him these bones so he can put them on exhibit … which he refused to do on ethical grounds.”
The man kept the bones hidden until he found Wilkin, whom he believed could study them and give them a proper burial.
According to the middle-aged man, the most intriguing item in the collection is a right foot with virtually all of its toes; it belonged to a “Prussian soldier,”
Mathilde Daumas, an anthropologist from the Université Libre de Bruxelles who is part of the research team, remarked, “To see a foot so well preserved is pretty rare, because usually the small bones on the extremities disappear into the ground,”
Regarding the attribution of “Prussian” origin, scholars are cautious.
Wilkin stated that it was discovered in the village of Plancenoit, where Prussian and Napoleonic troops fought violently, leaving up the possibility that the remains are those of French soldiers.
Remains containing fragments of boots and metal buckles allude to uniforms used by Germanic warriors arrayed against the French.
But, as the historian explained, “we know that soldiers stripped the dead for their own gear,”
He emphasized that clothing and accessories are not trustworthy markers of the nationality of remains discovered on the battlefield of Waterloo.
DNA tests are currently more reliable.
Dr. Philippe Boxho, a forensic pathologist working on the remains, stated that there were still portions of the bones that he believed would provide DNA results, and that another two months of analysis should provide answers.
“So long as the topic is dry, we can do something. Our greatest adversary is dampness, which causes everything to deteriorate “He elucidated.
The geology of the teeth, which contain amounts of strontium, a naturally occurring chemical element that accumulates in human bones, can pinpoint certain places, he said.
The “ideal scenario” for the investigation, according to Wilkin, would be to discover that the remains of the “three to five” warriors investigated originated from both the French and Germanic sides.
Major Arthur Heyland, a 33-year-old Irishman, was among those murdered at Waterloo. He wrote a letter to his wife the day before he died.
Heyland penned, “My Mary, may the memory of the fact that the happiest days of my life have been due to your love and affection and that I will die adoring only you bring you comfort. What wonderful children do I leave you, my Mary? My Marianna, you are the kindest of girls. My Anne and John, may heaven guard you… Permit my children to comfort you, my beloved Mary.”
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