This work depicts the moment British troops seek to encircle French forces while the Prussians attack on the east flank.

When [Brack] was in Europe and saw at first hand some of the famous battle paintings, he felt these observations were confirmedThe National Gallery of Australia notes Brack saw a battle as "a metaphor for general conflict in human life, our power relations, organisational structures, oppression, futility and the teetering relationship between balance and instability.

[2] The Age art critic Memory Holloway stated the work was "one of the most important pictures painted in Australia over the past five years".

[2] Robery Rooney from The Australian described the work as "a rich tapestry of superbly organised order and disorder as one of history's war games is played with comic precision by opposing armies of optically dazzling pens and pencils - the instruments of his profession.

"[2] Brack's family donated the work to the National Gallery of Australia in 1992 and it remains part of their collection.