Napoleon-Battle of the Windmill victory

The attack came the morning after Frederick's forgery was discovered. Fifteen men, armed with half a dozen guns, marched through the five-barred gate. The animals sallied forth to meet them but could not withstand the stinging pellets and explosions; in spite of efforts by Napoleon and Boxer to rally them, they were soon driven back, and the whole of the big pasture, including the windmill, fell into the enemy's hands. For a moment even Napoleon seemed at a loss.

Frederick's men then drilled a hole near the base of the windmill and packed it with blasting powder. A deafening roar followed, and when the smoke cleared, the windmill had ceased to exist—the stones were flung hundreds of yards, as though it had never been. The sight of the destruction kindled the animals' rage. Without waiting for orders, they charged the enemy, heedless of the hail of pellets. The battle was savage: a cow, three sheep, and two geese were killed, and nearly every animal was wounded; Napoleon himself had the tip of his tail chipped by a pellet. But the humans did not go unscathed—three were kicked by Boxer's hoofs, another gored by a cow's horn, and the nine dogs of Napoleon's bodyguard, who had made a detour under cover of the hedge, suddenly appeared on the men's flank, baying ferociously. Panic overtook the humans, and Frederick shouted for a retreat. The animals chased them to the bottom of the field and delivered last kicks as they forced their way through the thorn hedge.

Though the animals were weary and bleeding, and the windmill lay in ruins, Napoleon immediately framed the outcome as a great victory. The green flag was flown, the gun fired seven times, and Napoleon made a speech congratulating the animals on their conduct. The slain animals received a solemn funeral, with Boxer and Clover pulling the wagon that served as a hearse and Napoleon himself walking at the head of the procession. Two full days of celebrations followed, including songs, speeches, more gunfire, and a special gift of an apple for every animal, with two ounces of grain for each bird and three biscuits for each dog. Napoleon announced that the battle would be called the Battle of the Windmill, and he created a new decoration, the Order of the Green Banner, which he conferred upon himself. The windmill, his failure, was now renamed Napoleon Mill.

This manufactured victory was essential to the regime's legitimacy. The elaborate rituals—the flag, the gun salutes, the funeral, the medals—served to transform a military disaster into a heroic narrative, suppressing the memory of the lost windmill and the dead. By appropriating credit for the outcome, Napoleon reinforced his personal cult: the animals, already accustomed to crediting "our Leader, Comrade Napoleon" for every success, accepted the story. The forged banknotes and Frederick's betrayal were forgotten in the rejoicing. The true cost—the shattered windmill, the casualties, the two years of labour undone—was buried beneath the official version of a glorious triumph.