Part II, Book 1, Chapter 5
The Quid Oscurum of Battles
Oh hooray, we’ve finally gotten to the fighting!
It had rained all night before the battle, and as a result the wet mud had made it difficult for the horse carts hauling artillery to maneuver, which delayed the start of battle. This is like how I can’t ride for several days after it rains because the arena is too muddy. Napoleon, we’re told, would have preferred for the ground to be dry, but the sun did not come out, so he went ahead. This sounds like it’ll become significant later.
We are then treated to explanations of how the different French flanks attacked the different English flanks. I am not summarizing them here, nor did I pay the closest attention, because I frankly don’t trust that this will all be super critical to know later. If it turns out that this is all necessary for understanding the plot, I will come back.
Hugo describes the chaos of battle—the “constant flux” and “[o]scillation,” in which it’s never quite clear in the moment what is happening and who is gaining. I understand this, because I have watched the Battle at Helm’s Deep about a thousand times.
The chapter ends with Hugo saying that, despite all the chaos, “at a certain moment in the afternoon the battle became clear.” Oh, thank goodness. You know what else I would like to become clear, though? Why we’re learning so much about Waterloo. When does that happen???
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