Jean-Baptiste Decoster (1760–1826) was a farmer who became an unwilling guide for

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

during the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

and later became a tourist battle field guide in the years following the battle.

Biography

Decoster was born 13 October 1760 to Willem de Koster and Anna-Maria de Smet in the village of

Korbeek-Lo Korbeek-Lo is a large village located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant, a short distance to the east of Leuven. The total area is 39.75 km² which gives a population density, using 2006 values, of 829 inhabitants per km². As ...

near

Leuven Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic ...

Flemish Brabant Flemish Brabant ( nl, Vlaams-Brabant ; french: Brabant flamand ) is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on (clockwise from the North) the Belgian provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Walloon Brabant, Haina ...

. The contemporary spelling of his surname was usually ''De Coster'', with alternative spellings of ''De Koster'', ''Dekoster'' and even ''Lacoste'' in some French documents. By 1815 he resided near

Plancenoit Plancenoit (; wa, Planchenois) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Lasne, located in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium. The hamlet of Marache is on its territory. The village was a key strategic point during the ...

Walloon Brabant Walloon Brabant (french: Brabant wallon ; nl, Waals-Brabant ; wa, Roman Payis) is a province located in Belgium's French-speaking region of Wallonia. It borders on (clockwise from the North) the province of Flemish Brabant (Flemish Region) and ...

. Early on 18 June 1815, after he had been to church, he went to the house of his brother in Plancenoit. There he was accosted by French staff officers and escorted to see Napoleon, who, having ascertained that he knew the locality, employed him as a local guide during the Battle of Waterloo. Decoster was an unwilling guide, but his recollections form an important primary source for the locations where Napoleon resided during the battle. Decosters house (c

Decoster's house Decoster's house was a landmark location during the Battle of Waterloo. It stood on the eastern side of the Waterloo–Genappe main road south of the junction with the minor road to Plancenoit (south La Belle Alliance and north the farm of Rossomm ...

stood on the eastern side of the Waterloo–Genappe main road south of the junction with the minor road to Plancenoit (south of

La Belle Alliance La Belle Alliance is an inn situated a few miles south of Brussels in Belgium, chiefly remembered for its significance in the aftermath of the Battle of Waterloo (18 June 1815). There are two plaques on the building: one is "In memory of the Fr ...

and north of the farm of Rossomme). According to Decoster, Napoleon spent the early part of the Battle of Waterloo around Rossomme and then at about 17:00 moved to a hillock or a mound close to Decoster's house, where he remained until about 19:00. He then moved forward with his staff officers and the unwilling Decoster, to a location in the valley to the north of La Belle Alliance (and thus closer to the front line), and remained there during the attack by the

French Imperial Guard The Imperial Guard (French: ''Garde Impériale'') was originally a small group of elite soldiers of the French Army under the direct command of Napoleon I, but grew considerably over time. It acted as his bodyguard and tactical reserve, and he ...

. Then, according to Decoster, he accompanied Napoleon as far as

Genappe Genappe (; nl, Genepiën, ; wa, Djinape) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. On 1 January 2006 Genappe had a total population of 14,136. The total area is 89.57 km2 which gives a popula ...

during his flight after the retreat of the Guard and the general rout that ensued. In the months after the battle, he was sought out by battle field tourists.

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', ''Rob Roy (n ...

wrote that he did not seem to have realised that he could charge these tourists for his services until Scott took a deposition from him and suggested that tourists such as himself would be willing to pay Decoster for guidance around the battlefield and to hear his reminiscences about the day. He continued guiding for twelve years, which was quite lucrative; in 1826 or 1827 his heirs purportedly inherited 300,000 francs.

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Biography

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Further reading