Page 529 - les-miserables

CHAPTER IV

A

Those persons who wish to gain a clear idea of the battle
of Waterloo have only to place, mentally, on the ground, a
capital A. The left limb of the A is the road to Nivelles, the
right limb is the road to Genappe, the tie of the A is the
hollow road to Ohain from Braine-l’Alleud. The top of the
A is Mont-Saint-Jean, where Wellington is; the lower left
tip is Hougomont, where Reille is stationed with Jerome
Bonaparte; the right tip is the Belle-Alliance, where Na-
poleon was. At the centre of this chord is the precise point
where the final word of the battle was pronounced. It was
there that the lion has been placed, the involuntary symbol
of the supreme heroism of the Imperial Guard.
The triangle included in the top of the A, between the
two limbs and the tie, is the plateau of Mont-Saint-Jean. The
dispute over this plateau constituted the whole battle. The
wings of the two armies extended to the right and left of the
two roads to Genappe and Nivelles; d’Erlon facing Picton,
Reille facing Hill.
Behind the tip of the A, behind the plateau of Mont-
Saint-Jean, is the forest of Soignes.

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