Les Misérables, Book 1: Waterloo, Chapter 14 summary
Book 1: Waterloo, Chapter 14 of 365 · 2 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 14, isolated squares of the Guard resist destruction until only Cambronne’s small force remains beneath the Mont-Saint-Jean plateau, surrounded by English troops and artillery. As its ammunition runs out and its dead outnumber its survivors, an English general offers surrender, and Cambronne answers with a reply represented by a dash.
What happens
- Isolated squares of the Guard hold their positions at Rossomme and Mont-Saint-Jean while the rest of the army breaks apart.
- Around nine in the evening, Cambronne commands the remaining square beneath the Mont-Saint-Jean plateau.
- Enemy fire steadily reduces the square, but its soldiers continue shooting as fleeing men pause to listen.
- The survivors exhaust their ammunition, their flag becomes a scrap, and their dead outnumber them.
- English artillery briefly falls silent before preparations resume, and a general calls for surrender.
- Cambronne responds with a reply represented by a dash.
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In this chapter
What to notice
The sentence joins mounting losses with continued resistance. It captures the repeated action that reduces the square without stopping its return fire.
Quick check
Why do the surviving soldiers use their guns as clubs?
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