Today, the green fields of Waterloo are quiet. But two centuries ago, they were the site of the greatest and bloodiest battle of the Napoleonic Wars: the Battle of Waterloo. Archaeologists are still uncovering evidence from the decisive clash, and they recently excavated a “gore pit” filled with amputated limbs and euthanized horses.
Though a stark reminder of the battle’s violence, the trench also shows how soldiers tried to give one fallen man some dignity and peace.
The ‘Gore Pit’ Uncovered At Waterloo
According to a press release from the University of Glasgow, the most recent excavation at Waterloo took place in collaboration with Waterloo Uncovered, a charity that gives veterans an opportunity to participate in archaeological digs at the battle site. In 2022, the organization unearthed the second human skeleton found at the site near Mont-Saint-Jean farm. This year, they returned — and found even more evidence of the battle’s carnage.
Waterloo UncoveredArchaeologists carrying out excavations at Waterloo.
While examining a site believed to have held a field hospital, the organization found a trench that was “likely designed to quickly clear the hospital of gore after the battle.”
It contained both human and animal remains “separated by a barrier of ammunition boxes stripped from soldiers’ leather satchels.” In the north part of the trench, archaeologists found the remains of an ox and at least seven horses. Some of the horses showed signs of being “butchered,” and three of them were apparently “euthanized via a musket ball to the head.”
To the south — where the human skeleton was found in 2022 — archaeologists also found amputated human limbs. Many of these “still contain evidence of removal by the surgeon’s saw.”
Waterloo Uncovered/Chris van HoutsArchaeologists excavating a horse skeleton at Waterloo. Some of the horses were euthanized with a musket ball to the head after they were injured on the battlefield.
“I can’t think of any other site that has this combination of elements — it’s truly unique, within Napoleonic archaeology and beyond,” archaeological director Professor Tony Pollard of the University of Glasgow remarked. “The layout of the trench, with all animal remains on one side of the ammunition box barrier and all the human remains on the other, strongly suggests that the men who buried this individual [found in 2022] attempted to offer him a level of dignity and respect despite the horrific scene they would have found themselves facing while clearing the field hospital of the dead.”
Indeed, the gore trench captures the violence of the Battle of Waterloo. But for veterans working with Waterloo Uncovered, it’s also cathartic.
How The Battle Of Waterloo Changed History
The Battle of Waterloo took place on June 18, 1815, and pitted French troops led by Napoleon Bonaparte against an army led by the Duke of Wellington of England and Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher of Prussia. Wellington and Blücher triumphed over Napoleon and ended the Napoleonic Wars, but at great cost — 50,000 men died that day.
“[N]othing except a battle lost can be half so melancholy as a battle won,” the Duke of Wellington wrote in the aftermath, which saw Napoleon exiled to the distant island of Saint Helena.
JoJan/Artwork by Vernet and Swebach/Wikimedia CommonsOf the 200,000 men who fought at the Battle of Waterloo, 50,000 were killed and tens of thousands more were wounded.
The war ended Napoleon’s conquest of Europe. But 200 years later, it’s served a different purpose for veterans of other conflicts. Waterloo Uncovered gives veterans a chance to join archaeological digs, which can be helpful for those suffering from the physical and mental wounds of war.
“It may seem counterintuitive to put injured veterans back on a battlefield, but it’s actually extremely beneficial,” Waterloo Uncovered CEO Abigail Boyle noted in the university press statement. “Many elements of their time engaging in practical archaeology feel familiar to those who have served — routine, camaraderie with fellow service people, physical outdoor work — but here, they’re mixing with a wide range of people, including civilians, and learning a variety of transferable skills that will aid them in their transition.”
As such, the recent dig at Waterloo served a dual purpose. It not only shed light on the battle but also helped contemporary veterans recover from war.