II explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• War and Its Psychological Toll

  Tietjens experiences intrusive visions of O Nine Morgan, struggles with mental wandering, and fears a 'lesion' in his brain, illustrating the psychological strain of combat.

• Bureaucracy and Military Incompetence

  General Campion's draft letter on unified command and the political maneuvering to send Puffles home highlight bureaucratic infighting and incompetence.

• The Futility of War

  Tietjens reflects on the absurdity of civilian ideas like abolishing horses and the pathetic fallacy that new inventions will win the war, underscoring the war's futility.

• Memory and Trauma

  Tietjens is haunted by the memory of O Nine Morgan, whose image appears before his horse, and he nearly faints recalling the man's death, showing the grip of trauma.

Characters to notice

• General Lord Edward Campion

  Drafts a letter on unified command, reflects on his idyllic past at Groby, and questions Tietjens about his mother's secret grief.

• Christopher Tietjens

  Reads the general's draft, struggles with intrusive visions of O Nine Morgan, and contemplates requesting divisional transport to reassure Valentine Wannop.

• Sylvia Tietjens

  Mentioned as Tietjens' wife; Tietjens fears she will inform Valentine Wannop of his dangerous posting.

• Valentine Wannop

  Tietjens imagines her anxiety about his safety and considers sending her a wire to reassure her.

• Mark Tietjens

  Has arranged for Tietjens to be put in command of divisional transport; Tietjens considers reminding the general of this.

• O Nine Morgan

  Haunts Tietjens with persistent visions of his dirty, mystified face and the memory of his death.

• Old Puffles

  Mentioned as a fellow soldier from Sandhurst who is being starved of men and at risk of being sent home after a disaster.

• Schomburg

  The horse Tietjens rode the previous day; O Nine Morgan's apparition appeared near its off-shoulder.

Key passages

• “He was not asked for his opinion as to the single command: yet he decidedly wanted to get it in and was pretty well prepared to stand the consequences.”

  Although not requested to comment on the unified command, he was determined to include his views and ready to face any repercussions.

  General Campion's determination to advocate for a unified command despite personal risk.

• “It was pretty thick.”

  It was quite excessive or audacious.

  Tietjens' reaction to the strong wording of the general's draft letter.

• “He had idolized Tietjens' mother, who was a saint!”

  He had worshipped Tietjens' mother, considering her a saintly figure.

  General Campion's reverence for Tietjens' mother and his idyllic memories of Groby.

• “It's the quality of harmony, sir. The quality of being in harmony with your own soul. God having given you your own soul you are then in harmony with heaven.”

  Anglican sainthood is the state of being in harmony with one's own soul, and thus with heaven.

  Tietjens' definition of Anglican sainthood in response to the general's query.

• “He imagined her torture of mind, wandering about London, thinking of him in the very worst spot of a doomed army.”

  He pictured her mental anguish as she roamed London, believing he was in the most dangerous part of a doomed army.

  Tietjens' concern for Valentine Wannop's anxiety about his safety.

• “O Nine Morgan, dirty as he always was, and with the mystified eyes of the subject races on his face, rising up before his horse's off-shoulder!”

  O Nine Morgan, perpetually dirty and with the confused look of an oppressed people, appeared before his horse's right shoulder.

  Tietjens' recurring traumatic vision of O Nine Morgan.