Part II, Book 1, Chapter 3
The Eighteenth of June 1815
At one point in this chapter, Hugo writes, “It goes without saying, we have no intention of writing the history of Waterloo in these pages.” THEN WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO US, VICTOR.
For we have yet another chapter about the battle of Waterloo on our hands. Here Hugo is concerned with the what-might-have-beens and the odd way fate plays out; Napoleon’s battle plans, he tells us, revolved around the use of artillery, for Napoleon “had a genius for firepower.” And on June 18, 1815, Wellington was severely outgunned by Napoleon, so it should have been an easy victory for Mr. Bonaparte.
However, we know from a great work of music how the battle went. That work is, of course, ABBA’s “Waterloo.”
Hugo says the weather crapped all over Napoleon’s best laid plans by making it rain, not in the fun sense but literally—the rain before the battle made the ground too wet to move artillery. “His battle plan was […] a masterpiece” otherwise, according to the author.
But don’t let him think he’s trying to, you know, teach you about history or explain why things happened the way they did! History is for historians to tell, and that’s not his job, Hugo insists!
THEN WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THESE CHAPTERS.
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