The shallow valley ran east to west. A road bisected it running north. Three farms were spread in the valley. The chateau Hougoumont on the west, la Haye-Saint in the center at the foot of the gentle northern slope, right next to the road. To the east lie a scattering of farm buildings called Papelotte . A large elm stood at the top of the northern slope beside the road. The distance from Hougoumont to Papelotte was about 2.5 miles. The valley was around 3/4 mile wide. By the end of the day, the valley would be filled with the equivalent population of Salt Lake City.
Beside the road at the center of the southern ridge stood a white ramshackle inn called La Belle Alliance. (aside: I once stayed in a hotel of the same name in Tours, France. Not he same place).
The southern slope led to a flat plateau. The northern escarpment was more of a gentle ridge, an east-west track ran behind it. In the northern distance was a thick wood and a scattering of houses called Mont Saint-Jean. Just a bit further north, about a mile away, lie the village of Waterloo.
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