Les Misérables, Book 1: Waterloo, Chapter 13 summary
Book 1: Waterloo, Chapter 13 of 365 · 4 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 13, the French army collapses into flight despite Ney’s and Napoleon’s efforts, and Prussian pursuit turns defeat into slaughter. The narrator presents Waterloo as a change in human history driven by divine power, while Bernard and Bertrand stop Napoleon from returning alone toward the battlefield.
What happens
- The French army breaks apart, and Ney cannot stop the soldiers fleeing along the Brussels road.
- Napoleon commits his remaining forces and appeals to fugitives, but Prussian cavalry drives the rout onward.
- At Genappe, Lobau gathers three hundred men, but Prussian fire scatters them and he becomes a prisoner.
- Blücher orders extermination, and a hussar kills Duhesme after accepting his surrender.
- The narrator condemns Blücher and describes Waterloo as a divine intervention that changes human history.
- At nightfall near Genappe, Bernard and Bertrand hold Napoleon back as he tries to return toward Waterloo alone.
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of Die Elenden, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
Starten Sie 90 Tage kostenlosNothing to pay today. 0,14 USD a day in the first year, then 0,27 USD a day.
Quick check
Who holds Napoleon back near Genappe at nightfall?
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of Die Elenden, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
Starten Sie 90 Tage kostenlosNothing to pay today. 0,14 USD a day in the first year, then 0,27 USD a day.
200,000+ classics to read, hear and hold
15-minute summaries today, eBooks and audiobooks as each book opens, and printed books, large print included, at cost.
Try 3 months free
