This is an amazing eye-witness account of how the Duke of Wellington came within inches of death on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo. Now 200 years later, the two page missive from the frontline is set to go under the hammer in London. It explains how the British military commander lived up to his nickname of the Iron Duke and did not even flinch when the deadly missile landed in the ground close by him. Instead of cowering, he simply shook off the dirt that had covered him and finished writing out an order on bended knee. When the battle was won the peckish commander sat on the ground and took out a piece of bread from his pocket which he 'seemed to eat with great appetite.' The account written by Colonel Charles Best of the days leading up to the Battle of Waterloo is expected to fetch £4,000 when it goes under the hammer at Bonhams, London . The account by Colonel Charles Best also described witnessing Napoleon on horseback riding through the ranks to rouse his men who responded with cries of 'Vive l'Empereur'. The senior officer went on to write of how the French Emperor 'luckily lost his head' during the Battle of Waterloo, helping the Anglo-Allied army to victory. Col Best then bedded down for the night while the cries of the injured rang out. The next day he and his men spent eight hours carrying the wounded from the battlefield and shooting maimed horses. He came across the blood-soaked body of Major General Sir William Ponsonby, one of the most senior officers killed at Waterloo after he was overtaken and speared by French lancers. Col Best wrote: 'I found M Gnl. Sir Wm. Ponsonby who was struck through the chest and body, he was strip'd except his shirt which was entirely soakd in blood.' His 14 page letter also documented the British entry into Paris two months later where they were met by a relieved King of France who had been living in exile in Prussia during the Napoloenic wars. The original letter was written in two sections to Col Best's cousin called Charlotte dated July 25 and July 28 has now been put up for sale at auction for an estimated £4,000. The Duke of Wellington, pictured left, defeated Napoleon, pictured right, at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815 . The Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815 stopped the advance of Napoleon across Europe and sent the great French emperor into exile for a second and final time. France's troops were defeated by a multi-national coalition, led by the British army under the command of the Duke of Wellington. The armies amassed near the town of Waterloo in modern-day Belgium, not far from the border with France, and it was the French who made the first move around 11am. The two sides clashed for 10 hours, with the British fending off repeated attacks from the French, until Marshal Blücher arrived at the head of a Prussian army. This was the decisive intervention which finished Napoleon off, allowing Wellington to counter-attack and forcing the Frenchman to surrender. The battle forced Napoleon from the throne of France, leading to his exile on St Helena - but Wellington later admitted it was 'the nearest-run thing you ever saw in your life'. Despite the popular image of Waterloo as a heroic endeavour, it was also the scene of brutal slaughter as thousands of troops were killed, with the French bearing the brunt of the losses. A spokesman for auctioneers Bonhams, said: 'The detail in this latter is simply fantastic, you do really get the sense of immediacy. Arthur Wesley was born in Dublin in early May 1769. The family changed their name to Wellesley in 1798. He studied at Eton before finding his calling when he joined the army in 1787. He led the British, Portuguese and Spanish forces during the Peninsular War between 1808 and 1814 and eventually forced the French to withdraw from Spain and Portugal. When he returned home he was given the title the Duke of Wellington. He later defeated Napoleaon in 1815 at the Battle of Waterloo after becoming  commander of the allied armies. In 1828 Wellington  accepted the postition of prime minister and his government fell two years later. When they regained power Wellington refused the position of PM. Between 1834 and 1835 he held the post of foreign minister, before retiring in 1846. Wellington was given a state funeral after he  died on September 14, 1852 . 'Quite often people give a rather matter-of-fact account of these things but this almost could have been written by a novelist. It is a fascinating vignette of Wellington at Waterloo.' The letter is owned by a private collector who bought it over 30 years ago believing it to be a copy. But it has since been shown to be the original letter. Col Best commanded the Fourth Hanoverian Brigade at Waterloo. His account starts at the Battle of Quatre Bras that was a prelude to Waterloo and took place two days before the main event. It was there he met Wellington and saw him almost killed. He penned: 'Our brave Duke was every where and I had an opportunity of seeing how little he was concerned for his safety. 'He was sitting on the brink of the ditch writing an order with a pencil on his knee, when a cannon ball struck the ground close by him, and covered him with earth, he lookd very cooly to where the ball had struck, shook off the earth, and continued to write his order. 'The Duke came to where I stood, and when we had destroy'd the enemy's cavalry...he sat down on the ground, and took a bit of bread out of his pocket, which he seemed to eat with great appetite.' Describing the Battle of Waterloo two days later he wrote: 'We were placed on the famous hights (sic) the enemy forming before us in front. 'Bonaparte passt (sic) their ranks, and was received with loud cries of 'Vive l'Empereur'. Napoleon Bonaparte was born into a gentry family in Corsica in August 1769. After military school he rapidly moved through the ranks of the French army and was appointed as commander in Italy in 1796. In a coup d'etat  in 1799, Napoleon became first consul. He later became emperor. The Battle of Marengo was one of Napoleon’s greatest military victories. The Frenchman was at the height of his military powers, and drove Austrian forces out of Italy. Heavy defeats during the Peninsular War drained his military resources. The invasion of Russia in 1812 resulted in a disastrous retreat. Napoleon went into exile on the Mediterranean island of Elba after Paris fell to the allide forces in 1814. The Battle of Waterloo ended his reign. Napoleon died on May 5, 1821, on the island of St Helena where he was imprisoned by the British after the battle. 'I never in my life experienced such a heavy firing and such obstinate firing, several times I was afraid of our being obliged to give way, but thanks to the perseverance of our commander, and steadyness of the troops, we kept it up till 5 in the evening. 'I was afraid the enemy would attack our left, as he had done our right, luckily Mr Boney had lost his head, and made another furious attack on our centre, but was again repulsed the Prussians now began to advance we did the same, and the day was ours. 'We were engaged from 11 in the morning till near 9 in the evening and I never sustained such a thirst as that day.' Describing the bloody aftermath of the battle, he wrote: 'The British Dragoons had the humanity to ride about and make an end of the suffering animals by shooting them. 'My men were employed for more than 8 hours in conveying the wounded from the field of battle which they did with blankets.' Two months later Col Best rode into Paris for Wellington's victory parade where he was introduced to King Louis XVIII who told him: 'I am very happy to see you here in Paris - I am much obliged to you for what you have done for me.' The letter is expected to fetch £4,000 when it goes under the hammer tomorrow (Weds) in London.
Colonel Charles Best wrote the account ahead of Battle of Waterloo . Told how Duke of Wellington was almost killed by a cannon ball . Also describes seeing Napoleon on horseback rousing his men for battle . Letter expected to fetch £4,000 when it goes under the hammer in London .