Les Misérables Volume 2, Chapter 13 Summary

Summary

The chapter depicts the collapse and rout of the French army after the battle. Positions such as Hougomont, La Haie-Sainte, Papelotte and Plancenoit give way simultaneously; units and whole formations dissolve into panic. Ney desperately tries to rally fleeing soldiers, mounting a borrowed horse and standing across the road, but the men stream past him, shouting and abandoning their ranks. Napoleon throws himself among the fugitives, urging and threatening them, yet his presence provokes blank stares rather than obedience. Squadrons and battalions break and clash in the confusion; friends and comrades even kill one another in frantic attempts to escape. Artillery limbers are abandoned, transports clog the roads, and the terrified multitude tramples the dead and wounded as it pours toward the frontier.

The pursuit by the newly arrived Prussian forces is ruthless; orders and examples lead to summary killings. Specific episodes—such as the Prussian canister volley at Genappe, the capture and killing of Duhesme, Roguet’s threats about prisoners, and Blücher’s ruthless conduct—underscore the ferocity of the chase. The narrative frames the catastrophe as more than military failure: Hugo reads Waterloo as a historical turning point, a day when a greater force than individual men passes judgment. He invokes fate and a metaphysical presence—