Spy Letter Written Before Waterloo

The British had an extensive network of intelligence agents across France, including Paris. Many of these were secret enemies of Napoleon, or sympathisers with the exiled French royalty. Others were attracted by the hard currency paid by the British for useful information.

Using these secret channels, the Duke of Wellington was able to track the progress of Napoleon’s army as it marched north through France and approached Waterloo. It was not until the 14 June that this system broke down, as Napoleon’s rapid march outpaced the ability of Wellington’s informants to send messages.

The British Army’s intelligence service at the time was headed by Lieutenant-Colonel Colquhoun Grant, who operated behind enemy lines during the Peninsular War in Spain. Once when Grant was captured while on a mission, the Duke of Wellington said “He was worth a brigade to me.” During the Waterloo campaign Grant travelled, in uniform, into France to secure information, using a network of Royalist sympathisers provided by the Comte d’Artois. One of these agents may have sent this letter to Grant. Due to the need for secrecy, there is no clue to the author or intended recipient in the letter itself.