Incredibly Rare Battle of Waterloo Skeletons Discovered in an Attic

The bones of up to 10 soldiers killed at the Battle of Waterloo have been discovered - some in an attic in Belgium - the largest cache of Waterloo casualties ever found.

Uncovered by a team of Belgian and German academics, it's believed these bones belong to a mix of Prussian, French and British soldiers, all killed during the fighting on Sunday 18th June 1815. A French army under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated by two of the armies of the Seventh Coalition, leading to Napoleon's surrender and exile.

Having worked with the academics to break the story, Dan Snow made the journey from History Hit HQ to Belgium where the remains are being held. He spoke with the team leading the groundbreaking analysis and found out what the bones tell us about the regular soldiers.

At the time, the Battle of Waterloo was one of the bloodiest battles in European history, but remarkably, only two full skeletons have been discovered until now.

Join Dan as he learns about the fate of these men and their remains and uncovers the truth behind the bones in the attic.

And remember, as YouTube subscribers, you can sign up to History Hit TV today with code YOUTUBE and enjoy 50% off your first 3 months!

#historyhit #dansnow #waterloo

[StephBer]

I'm glad to you're spending time showing the horror of war. As a kid I used to be fascinated by war and battle tactics and the heroism of it all. As I grew older I realised that every statistic was a person, a person who died or was brutally wounded for a cause, many of whom did not believe in. They gave up their lives for their countries. They left behind loved ones who mourned for them for the rest of their lives, they left behind children who will never see their fathers again. War is tragedy and monsters who start wars should never be celebrated. Thank you for treating the bones of these soldiers with such respect.

[ricklee]

In the words of Wellington, "The sadest thing next to a battle lost is a battle won."

[larry]

My great great great grandfather, a German from Aurich, was forced into Napoleon’s army. He fought at Waterloo. After, he fled to the United States. He is the only veteran of the Napoleonic war to settle in this area of Michigan.

[arejaycee]

This adds another layer to the story of Waterloo We become accustomed to hearing about the losses both sides suffered but to see so graphically the type of wounds inflicted on either side really hits home the horror and brutality of war.

[williambodin]

Picton bought the farm early in the day. Uxbridge lost a leg right at the end of the battle while riding next to Wellington. Wellington dined alone in his HQ the night of the battle because his entire staff had been killed, wounded or gone missing. Don't think the generals and officers were somehow immune to all the carnage. They died just like everybody else.

[tancreddehauteville]

Tragic. Respect and honour to all the men who died in this terrible battle.

[online]

Just think, if so much can disappear in just 200 years, imagine how much has disappeared from ancient human history. We literally don't know squat.

[fosterfuchs]

The Pièce de Résistance (if you will) would be if somehow DNA could be extracted from the amputated leg. The DNA could be matched to a family somewhere in the UK. And through genealogical research, it could be determined who the leg belonged to. A man can dream.

[ThehulkGreen]

I may come across as young at 43 to my close family and friends by riding bmx for 21yrs and only stopping my partying antics (drugs) recently but come across like a old man, my thirst for history never ceases. Time and history is boss.

[lisalarosa]

This reminds me of the history of my country, the United States, during the Civil War. I had not realized, with the Battle of Waterloo, that soooo many bodies had not been recovered. Thank you for the great historical program. It taught me a lot about the Napoleon battle, I did not know.

[marlo]

As a French, I really love England's history, as much as French history.

[johnhenderson]

Thank you, very interesting.This is the first documentary I’ve ever found of archaeology about the Napoleonic war! Fascinating and informative history, very well done Mr. Dan Snow and History Hit. We must never forget these people lived, loved and were loved and died suffering horrendous wounds under brutal circumstances. In historic terms 1812 wasn’t that long ago. I was in the military, saw combat and the most important lesson I learned is there is no glory in war just pain, suffering and misery.The best war is a war not fought.

[anti-Russia-sigma]

Kudos to the show for not sanitizing past wars & bringing the reality of past wars to us.I hope the archaeology on the Napoleonic Wars continue as a “window” to a unique & little known part of history.

[Frank-ilkt]

I remember watching you and your father many years ago as a kid. I’m 31 now with a PhD in history.
Thank you for protecting history.

[kingmaker]

Iv been to Waterloo twice, a truly fascinating place. I always wondered why so few bodies had be found for such a monumental battle. Its good to draw attention and highlight the human cost and now that remains are found it brings it to a whole new perspective. Regardless of politics and nationalism.. it takes balls of steel to enter a battlefield . Fairplay to the lads 👌

[privateer]

Like our Battle of Gettysburg. Over 50, 000 casualties; 7, 000 killed outright, with 11, 000 missing/captured, 33, 000 wounded. And we have pictures since it occurred in 1863...

[PataPannu]

Imagine loosing your life in a horriffic battle, be burried in unnamed massgrave and then dug up to be used for sugar production.

[CharlieGeorge_]

Really appreciate the production quality of this video, it's equal to anything one might see on the TV.

[the_birthday_skeleton]

Loving this mini series - you bring such brutal clarity to the fog of war

[davidpowell]

It's not just Waterloo... They have never found the mass graves from Agincourt, Hastings, even the Battle of Shrewsbury referenced in Shakespeare. And, no doubt, many others. I reckon a lot of it is down to local farmers - bonemeal has always been valuable, and if they dig up a few of they furriners while quarrying horse bones...
Things didn't really improve for the common soldier, in this respect, until WW1 with its legacy of War Cemeteries.