Battle of the Cowshed
The Battle of the Cowshed is the first armed conflict on Animal Farm, in which the animals, led by Snowball and Boxer, successfully defend their farm against an attempt by Mr. Jones and his human allies to recapture it, establishing the animals' military credibility and creating a foundational myth that is later distorted by Napoleon's propaganda.
Background and Causes
Early in October, after the corn had been cut and stacked, a flight of pigeons arrived in the yard in wild excitement, bringing news that Mr. Jones and all his men, together with half a dozen others from Foxwood and Pinchfield, had entered the five-barred gate and were coming up the cart-track. They were all carrying sticks, except Jones, who marched ahead with a gun. The attack had long been expected, and all preparations had been made. Snowball, who had studied an old book of Julius Caesar's campaigns found in the farmhouse, was in charge of the defensive operations. The human beings were thoroughly frightened by the rebellion on Animal Farm and anxious to prevent their own animals from learning too much about it; they had initially pretended to laugh to scorn the idea of animals managing a farm, but when the animals did not starve, they changed their tune and spread stories of cannibalism and torture.
The Course of the Battle
Snowball gave his orders quickly, and in a couple of minutes every animal was at his post. He launched his first attack with thirty-five pigeons, which flew to and fro over the men's heads and muted upon them from mid-air; while the men dealt with this, the geese, who had been hiding behind the hedge, rushed out and pecked viciously at their calves. This was only a light skirmish, and the men easily drove the geese off with their sticks. Snowball then launched his second line of attack: Muriel, Benjamin, and all the sheep, with Snowball at their head, rushed forward and prodded and butted the men from every side, while Benjamin lashed at them with his small hoofs. But the men, with their sticks and hobnailed boots, were too strong, and at a squeal from Snowball—the signal for retreat—all the animals turned and fled through the gateway into the yard. The men gave a shout of triumph and rushed after them in disorder, exactly as Snowball had intended. As soon as they were well inside the yard, the three horses, the three cows, and the rest of the pigs, who had been lying in ambush in the cowshed, emerged in their rear, cutting them off. Snowball gave the signal for the charge and dashed straight for Jones. Jones saw him coming, raised his gun, and fired; the pellets scored bloody streaks along Snowball's back, and a sheep dropped dead. Without halting, Snowball flung his fifteen stone against Jones's legs, hurling him into a pile of dung and sending his gun flying. The most terrifying spectacle was Boxer, rearing up on his hind legs and striking out with his great iron-shod hoofs like a stallion; his very first blow took a stable-lad from Foxwood on the skull and stretched him lifeless in the mud. At the sight, several men dropped their sticks and tried to run. Panic overtook them, and the next moment all the animals together were chasing them round the yard, goring, kicking, biting, and trampling. Even the cat leapt off a roof onto a cowman's shoulders and sank her claws in his neck. Within five minutes of their invasion, the men were in ignominious retreat by the same way they had come, with a flock of geese hissing after them and pecking at their calves all the way. Mollie was found hiding in her stall with her head buried in the hay; she had taken to flight as soon as the gun went off. The stable-lad, who was only stunned, recovered and made off.
Consequences and Aftermath
The animals reassembled in wild excitement, each recounting his own exploits. An impromptu celebration was held: the flag was run up, 'Beasts of England' was sung a number of times, and the dead sheep was given a solemn funeral with a hawthorn bush planted on her grave. At the graveside, Snowball made a speech emphasising the need for all animals to be ready to die for Animal Farm. The animals unanimously created a military decoration, "Animal Hero, First Class," conferred on Snowball and Boxer, consisting of a brass medal (old horse-brasses found in the harness-room) to be worn on Sundays and holidays. "Animal Hero, Second Class" was conferred posthumously on the dead sheep. The battle was named the Battle of the Cowshed, since that was where the ambush had been sprung. Jones's gun was found in the mud and set up at the foot of the flagstaff like a piece of artillery, to be fired twice a year: on October the twelfth, the anniversary of the battle, and on Midsummer Day, the anniversary of the Rebellion. The battle established the animals' military credibility and became a central myth of the farm, but its details were later systematically distorted by Napoleon's propaganda. Squealer would claim that Snowball's part in the battle was much exaggerated, and eventually it was asserted that Snowball had been Jones's secret agent from the very start, that his wound was part of the arrangement, and that it was Napoleon who had saved the day by sinking his teeth in Jones's leg. Boxer, who had sorrowfully declared he had no wish to take life, not even human life, and whose eyes were full of tears after killing the stable-lad, was later made to doubt his own memory of Snowball's bravery, accepting Napoleon's word that Snowball was a traitor.
