On 20 March 1815 Napoleon returned to Paris from his exile on the island of Elba. This day marked the beginning of “Napoleon's 100 Days,” as many historians have dubbed the brief episode, which ended on July 8, 1815 when Louis XVIII was reinstated king of France. Within two months Napoleon, taking advantage of the enormous French population, raised an army of approximately 280,000 men. Napoleon Bonaparte's forces outnumbered the Anglo-Allied forces, led by the Duke of Wellington, Field Marshal Blucher and the Prince of Orange, by 50,000 men. Napoleon's numerical advantage and gift for military strategy would not have been sufficient to prevent his loss at the Battle of Waterloo and his second exile on St. Helena. The Emperor's lack of military communication, his inability to draw smaller English forces into battle, his underestimation of Prussian forces, and lack of morale with the second "Grande Armee" would prove Napoleon's downfall at the Battle of Waterloo . Napoleon's strategy of crushing the Anglo-Allied forces in Belgium, as they gathered, would have proved effective if these problems had not occurred. Napoleon's strategy was one that relied on overwhelming numbers and attacking the Anglo-Allied forces while they were still assembling. To do this Napoleon attempted to capture Brussels in Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. The strategy was to attack the enemy in a moment of weakness to divide the forces, with the aim of pushing the English towards the coast of Belgium and the Prussians towards the east. This division of forces was to be carried out at Quatre Bras under the direct leadership of Marshal Ney. Having prevented the union of forces, Napoleon intended...... middle of paper ......erloo.htm“Campaigns and Battles”. Napoleon at war. Accessed March 14, 2011. http://www.pbs.org/empires/napoleon/n_war/campaign/page_15.htmlLiberty, Equality, Fraternity: Exploring the French Revolution. Nd George Mason University. Accessed March 21, 2011. http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/528/.Lynn, John A. “Toward an Army of Honor: The Moral Evolution of the French Army, 1789-1815.” French historical studies. vol. 16. No. 1 (Spring 1989) p. 152-173. Accessed March 21, 2011. www.jstor.org.ezproxy.umuc.edu/stable/info/286437Moore, Richard. “100 Days Campaign”. Napoleonic Guide (1999). Accessed April 1, 2011. http://www.napoleonguide.com/campaign_100days.htm.“Wellington's Dispatches.” The wartime diary. Accessed March 21, 2011. http://www.wtj.com/archives/wellington/1815_06e.htm