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1) Zieten to Wellington, 14 June. He reported that the French were concentrating on his section of the front, and asked the Duke what his intentions were? [11] 2) Wellington to Zieten, 14 June. In answer to the above, Wellington promised to move his army to Nivelles to support the Prussians. [12] 3) Zieten to Wellington, around midnight 14 June.
Wellington awaited further news, particularly from his sources in Paris. Apparently, by 3 p.m., he still considered any reaction to be premature. Zieten’s news had reached the Prussian headquarters in Namur at 8.30 a.m. on 15 June, confirming the view held there since the previous evening that the French offensive was imminent.
John Hussey correctly stresses the importance of the reference to the attack on the village of Thuin, which occurs first in Zieten's 8:15 a.m. message and is then repeated in Wellington's 10 p.m ...
Lady Longford preferred the first version, writing in her Life of Wellington that: 'About 3.00 p.m., nine hours after Napoleon's start, the Duke received his first report. A Prussian officer covered with dirt and sweat galloped into Brussels with a much delayed despatch sent by General Zieten from Charleroi at 8 or 9 A.M.' (5)
The evidence to support such an early message is very weak, however. Most historians now believe that Zieten did not send a message to Wellington based solely on the initial sounds of firing at 4:30 a.m., but instead waited until reports from the front arrived at his headquarters.
reporting the outbreak of hostilities, which Zieten had sent between 0430 and 0500 hrs on 15 June, at around the same time as Zieten's first message to Blücher; Mr Hussey has argued that no such 'early message to Wellington' was sent. In Note 1680, Mr Hofschröer remarked upon the research and conclusions of the German
General Zieten’s Message to the Duke of Wellington on 15 June 1815 Gregory W. Pedlow, Belgium General Zieten’s. 31 I prefer, since the document is actually a unit
