At the top of Waterloo's Tie Lion, a 28-ton iron lion sat on the base, his right paw stepped on an iron ball, looking in the direction of Paris, majestic and slightly sad, it is said that the iron lion was cast from the scrap of weapons left on the battlefield. The battle lasted less than 24 hours, with 31,000 French casualties and 24,000 coalition casualties. The Duke of Wellington later described the war in Waterloo as "the most unexpected thing in his life."