by D. J. Holmes
The chirping of the birds in the nearby trees, announce the beginning of another day, as Jehanne and Pierre saddle their horses in preparation for their journey to Orleans. Two days later they arrive at their destination.
On the day of her first battle, as Jehanne walks out of their tent, she asks, “Do I look all right, Pierre? All of this armor makes me feel differently.”
“What a transformation Jehanne. You look like an official commander!”
Looking at Pierre, in all his armor, she says, “Turn around.”
“Why do you want me to turn around?” he questions.
“I just want to see what you look like in your armor, Pierre.”
Pierre slowly turns around.
“Well, my brother, you don’t look so bad yourself,” Jehanne declares, along with a nod and an approving smile.
Grabbing her standard, Jehanne and Pierre ride over to the French Nobles to find out how the battle is going.
Finding the French Nobles on a hill overlooking the battle site, Jehanne asks them, “Why are you not with your men, leading them?”
“It’s our job to tell them what to do, and then they fight while we watch safe from harm.”
Getting off of her horse, and walking over to them, she asks, “How can you tell what to do, if you are not with your men on the front lines? You see things differently when you are on the front lines, rather than here on your perch, far from all the fighting.”
“We see what we need to see.”
“You mean that you are safe, so you don’t care what happens to your soldiers.”
“Who do you think that you are to talk to us this way? Don’t you know your place?”
“My place?” she questions with indignation. Glaring directly at them with her green eyes full of anger, she speaks with courage, “I have come here to help France become a united country; it is only through me that this will happen! …My place? My place is to fight shoulder to shoulder with my brothers, and to die on that battlefield if necessary. I am a daughter of God, and a Patriot of France, willing to give my life for freedom. What is your place?”
“Because we are of royal birth our place is to stand here out of danger. What would our soldiers do if we were killed?”
Jehanne’s mind is full of many things that she would like to say to them, but chooses to voice those thoughts another day. Before she lets her anger and disgust be known, she turns around, and with a long determined stride, walks away.
One French noble turns to the other noble and quietly asks, “Is she crazy?”
“I don’t know…what I did notice is that she is common, and she is also a woman.”
“How do you know that she is common?”
“Look at her horse.”
“No noble would be caught dead on a horse like that. And what woman knows the tactics of war, and is able to lead men?”
“Are you sure she is a woman? She dresses like a man! And her hair is short. It only goes to her shoulders.”
Over on the ridge, standing next to Pierre, Jehanne watches as the soldiers in battle continue to fall. Knowing that the nobles will do nothing, Jehanne grabs her standard “I can’t stand this any longer!” She gets up on her horse and begins riding toward the battle. Pierre quickly mounts his horse, catches up with her and rides by her side to the front lines.
Jehanne begins to encourage the French soldiers on the field to complete their task. “FIGHT ON MY BROTHERS,” she yells, “FIGHT ON. I AM HERE BY YOUR SIDE. WE WILL DRIVE THE ENGLISH FROM FRANCE!”
Surprised that they are actually receiving some direction out in the field during the middle of battle, their spirits become brighter, and their resolve to win becomes stronger. With each stroke of their sword the words of Jehanne continue to echo in their minds, “We will drive the English from France! We will drive the English from France!”
The English sense a difference in the soldiers they are fighting. The strength of the blows they feel from their swords, as they climb the ladders and enter the city of Orleans, become stronger and stronger. As the French soldiers begin to show their determination, the English feel intimated. Soon the city falls to the French, and the English quickly retreat.
After winning this first battle for Orleans, Jehanne dismounts her horse and grasps Pierre’s hand saying, “You fought very well today.”
“As did you Jehanne, you are a great warrior.”
Jehanne asks, “Would you take my horse Pierre? I want to walk among our brothers who lay dead on the battlefield.”
“Yes, I’ll care for the horses, then I will meet you, as soon as I can,” Pierre answers.
As Jehanne walks among her fallen comrades, a feeling of compassion, pain, and rage fills her heart. Anguish overtakes her, as she views the carnage that lies on the ground around her. Jehanne falls to her knees, bending over with her face in her hands and begins to cry.
Other French soldiers, picking up their dead watch Jehanne, and listen to her cry. “She’s a woman. They always cry,” one soldier observes.
The other soldier adds… “Watch, she won’t be able to lead us in our next battle. She probably won’t even show up.”
Hearing the soldiers’ comments, Jehanne looks directly at them and responds, “Crying is a human emotion. It is something that one does when they care for someone. I care for these brothers, and for the lives that they led. I am crying over them, for what their families have lost, and for what France has lost. Crying does not mean that I am weak, for in our next battle I will have the strength that I need to win. Will you be ready for a decisive victory?”
“Yes,” they both answer, shocked and embarrassed that she had heard them.
“Good. We will move to our next battle and I will meet you on the battlefield.” Continuing her walk across the field of the dead, the pain can clearly be seen on her face, as the tears continue to flow.
Pierre walks up to her side. “I’m here, Jehanne.”
“Pierre, I have never seen anything so unorganized in all my life. Most of my brothers died here because they had no direction. There was no one leading them. No wonder the English have been winning all the wars!”
Once again kneeling down by a fallen soldier, she touches his lifeless shoulder, “As long as I am here, this will never happen again. I want you to know that your life will not have been lost in vain. We will drive the English out of France!”
Standing up with strength and resolve, Jehanne wipes the tears from her eyes, “Pierre, let’s get this organized. Remember what father taught us? Deceive the enemy! That way they won’t be able to organize an effective offensive.”
“I remember what he said, Jehanne. And I remember all those war games that we used to play in front of the fire. I never could figure out what you were going to do.”
“As I remember, Pierre, you caught on quite quickly. There were several times that your army actually won.”
Smiling at each other, they walk toward the encampment.
“We make a good team, Jehanne.”
Confidently, Jehanne responds, “Yes, we do. The English will never know what hit them!”
After arriving back at the encampment, Jehanne asks, “Soldier, where is your captain?”
“Do we have captains?” he asks, as he looks at the other soldiers around him.
Waiting for an answer, Jehanne looks at the same group and finally asks, “Who leads you while you are on the battlefield?”
Finally one soldier replies, “I don’t remember anyone giving us clear directions until you came onto the field today.”
Looking at Pierre with confusion and anger, Jehanne turns and begins walking to the War Council tent. Finding the Nobles sitting around, doing nothing, she asks, “What is the strategy for tomorrow?”
“Since we won today, we move to our next location and battle again.”
“I know that, but do you have a strategy? What is the purpose of going from battle to battle?”
“To get the English out of France….”
“Tha
t’s plain and simple gentlemen, but how are you going to accomplish that task? When we get to our new battle tomorrow, how will you set up our soldiers?”
One noble continues to sit as he answers, “We would tell you what is planned for tomorrow, but you are a woman. You wouldn’t understand what tactics are needed to fight in a war.”
“Why don’t you try to explain it to me?” she challenges them.
Slowly moving up to the war table, the noble says, “Well, basically our army will stand here, and as soon as the English are ready, their army will stand there.”
“And then what happens?” she questions.
“Then we fight each other.”
“So, the point of this battle is what?”
“Look,” he says with hatred at the mere fact that he was being questioned, and specifically by a woman, “we have been fighting the English for Orleans for the last eight months. We’ve tried everything that we know of, and they continue to win the battles.”
Knowing that the French Nobles have had enough of her questions, and feeling the hatred from his words, Jehanne backs away, not out of fear, but not willing to rock the boat just yet. “Thank you for your information. I will see you in the morning.” Looking at Pierre she questions, “Are you ready to go, Pierre?”
“More than ready!” he states in an angry tone.
The morning sun has a new purpose in Jehanne’s eyes, as everyone moves to their next battle. Taking all of the castles that the English have set up in Orleans will, according to the French, take a long time.
Traveling most of the day, the army finally stops within sight of another English castle. Warning bells can be heard coming from several chapels throughout the valley, as the English residents run from their homes to the castle for safety.
After the camp is set up, Jehanne goes to the French nobles that she talked with the day before.
“So we are here for another battle. Would you mind telling me what you have planned?” she asks.
“As we told you the other day, you are a woman. You won’t understand what we have to say.”
“…Really? I think that we speak the same language. Why wouldn’t I understand you?”
“Your brain doesn’t work the same that a man’s does.”
“All I can say is thank goodness for that!” Behind her, Pierre is having a hard time keeping a straight face. “Have you sent scouts to see what the terrain is like? Do you know the English weakness in this area? Where do they get their supplies from?”
Surprised at her questions, the nobles reply looking at Pierre, “My, my, our little princess seems to be getting some coaching. Pierre, have you told her the questions that she needs to ask?”
Anger in Pierre’s eyes spark as he says, “You had better hope that we never meet on the battlefield,” leaning forward toward the noble, with his hand on his sword.
Seeing the eyes of the nobles widen in fear, Jehanne quickly says, “Thank you, gentlemen. What time do you start your battles?”
“Whenever the English are ready,” they say, keeping a steady eye on Pierre.
Walking out of the tent, the expression on the faces of Jehanne and Pierre is one of anger and determination. Their stride is forceful, planting their heels firmly into the dirt, all the while surveying the terrain and forming battle plans in their minds. Finding a group of soldiers, Jehanne commands, “Soldier, gather your men on the outskirts of the camp.”
“When do you want us there?”
“Now…. Get everyone there, now…quietly, please.”
“We’ll be there.”
Gathering on the outskirts of their camp, Jehanne begins speaking. “The other day in our last battle, I made a promise to a dead brother. I promised him that his death would not be in vain, that the battles from this day forward would be organized to win; not just to fight, but to win…. By the raise of hands, who is with me?”
With renewed hope and courage, every soldier raises his hand.
“All right, we need captains. I will divide you into groups. Each group is to elect their own Captain.” With her groups divided, they choose their captains, as Jehanne and Pierre talk together about what they saw as they surveyed the terrain for this upcoming battle.
Now, with their Captains chosen, Jehanne begins to teach them what her father taught her. “The main objective of any battle is to deceive the enemy. Tomorrow, Pierre and I will go out onto the battlefield, riding up the center with our group of soldiers. When the battle starts, and the English begin to ride toward us, French archers, hidden on the right and left wing of the battlefield, will shoot their arrows into the English troops, until they are close enough to us to begin the battle. At that time, also hidden from the English behind the tree line on the forest edge, French troops positioned behind the archers, will enter the battlefield and confront the English on each side. In that way, we will be fighting them from three different directions.”
“Behind us there will be additional troops following up the center and from both wings. They are to attack when they feel that they are needed. If by that time the whole English army is out on the field, these additional troops will then surround the English and attack from behind. We will then ask for their surrender.”
“That’s pretty good planning. Are you sure that you are a woman?’ the Captains ask.
Smiling, she responds, “Yes, I am very sure. And remember, God has asked me to do this. The plan comes from him! Now, what Captain, along with their soldiers, will take what part of this plan?”
“I’ll take charge of the right wing.”
“I’ll take the left wing.”
“Who will be our backup forces?” she asks.
“I’ll take the backup, right wing.”
“I’ll take the backup, left wing.”
“And our archers….”
“We will be prepared to shoot before you enter the battlefield.”
“Do any of you have any questions?”
“No, Jehanne. We will be ready, and in our positions, when you are on the battlefield.”
“There might be one change in our plan. If the English are not ready to fight when we are, we will not wait for them to finish their preparations. We will begin the attack when we are ready. If that happens, I want the archers to send their arrows into the English camp. Move your troops up the wings, swiftly and quietly, closer toward their camp, but still hidden on each side. Are there any questions with that possible change?”
“No. Everything is clear,” the Captains reply.
With a new surge of pride and determination, all of the French soldiers are anxious for the next day of fighting.
As the sun’s rays begin to fill the morning sky, Pierre finds Jehanne up, and preparing for battle.
“Are you ready to ride to battle Pierre?” she asks, with a great deal of energy.
“I am ready to fight by your side, Jehanne.”
Riding to the hill overlooking the battlefield they hear the French noblemen, looking from their safe perch, making fun of Jehanne.
“Where are your soldiers, Jehanne?”
“Yes,” the second noble, laughing under his breath says. “Don’t the men want to follow a woman?”
“Only time will tell,” she says as a matter-of-fact. Looking down at the battlefield, she asks, “Why is that man sitting on his horse out in the middle of the battlefield?”
“He’s waiting for us to come to talk to him. Before each battle, the nobles from each side meet on the battlefield to see if there is any way to settle our differences before the battle begins. Basically it’s a time for intimidation, trying to get into the mind of our opponent.”
“Does this happen every day?”
“Yes. Every day, in the middle of the battlefield, leaders from both sides of the battle meet to see if they can get the other side to give up before the battle begins.”
“Where are his soldiers?”
“They’re still getting ready. We always have to wait on the English to start
our battles.”
“How long shall we let him wait?” she asks the same noble.
“I don’t think that there’s any hurry. We’re going to lose this battle anyway. The English always have the stronger army.”
“Why would you say that? We did quite well yesterday.”
“Yes. We finally won a battle! But the war will be won by the English.”
“Mark my words. Within a few days the English will retreat from Orleans,” Jehanne confidently states.
“You are a woman. How are you going to push the powerful English out of Orleans?”
Looking with disgust at the French nobles, she says with determination, “Castle by castle.” Holding tight to her standard, she looks back at the small group of soldiers that are with her, “wait here while Pierre and I go and talk with this man. I’ll raise my standard when it is time for you to come to the field.”
“We’ll watch for your signal.”
She rides onto the field with Pierre at her side, to speak to the English noble who has been waiting in the middle of the battlefield. As they ride up to him, he looks at them with contempt. Wondering who he should speak with, he finally makes his decision by the looks of their horses. Since Pierre is on a stallion the Englishman begins to speak to him, while dismissing Jehanne. “We will let you, and your soldiers go to your homes in safety, if they give their allegiance to England.”
Pierre declares, “There is not one Frenchman who will fight on this battlefield today that would swear allegiance to England.”
“Then your soldiers will die today. Do you want to be held to account for that?”
“It’s a matter-of-fact that death comes on the battlefield. Since I feel that we have the superior army, I would worry about the death of your soldiers, English nobleman, more than I would about ours.”
“It is a proven fact that the English have the superior army.”
“Why do you feel that you have the superior army, because you have made a deal with the French to win each battle? You may have won them in the past, but today is a new day. Today Jehanne is their commander, and your soldiers will lose.”
“Who is Jehanne?”
Pointing to Jehanne, Pierre declares, “SHE IS.”
Surprised, the English nobleman looks in her direction and states, “He said ‘she’…. Are you a girl?”
“Yes.” She retorts with a slight smile touching the corners of her mouth.
“Are you of noble blood?” he asks.
“Every person on this earth is of noble birth. We are all children of one God.”
“Who do you think you are that you can enter this battlefield?” he questions.
“God has asked me to do this. I am to lead my French brothers to victory.”
“What is your name again?”
“My name is Jehanne d’Arc.”
“Are you and your French brothers ready?”
“We are.”
“I’ve never fought a woman before. Won’t you be afraid?”
“Fear is but a part of life. It is a feeling that the brave hold close to their hearts as they go into battle.”
“Shall our soldiers meet on the battlefield then?” he asks.
“Why do you send your soldiers and not yourself?” Jehanne continues to question.
“It’s not my job to fight.”
“Tell me this… do you give your soldiers part of what is won when the war is over?”
“Certainly not,” he answers with indignation.
“So you allow your soldiers to give up their lives so that you can gain land and riches, all the while you watch your soldiers from a hill, safe from battle or any type of harm.”
“That’s their job!”
“Who decided these rules?” she asks in disbelief.
“That’s just the way that it is.”
“I would really like to know who the first person was that decided who would fight, and who would not.”
“I really don’t know. My father, and his father before him, all had soldiers that fought for them. It is the way of life.”
“It might be your way of life, but I was always taught that the brave are the ones that fight for what is rightfully theirs. They fight for the right to own land, and to build a home for their family. They fight for the right to freely speak, and to write the dictates of their heart. And they fight for the right to live in a free country, where they can determine their own path in life. Those who do not fight, and do not put themselves at the front of the battle are weak, and deserve what they get. For God will hold them accountable.”
“I’ve never heard such things said,” the English nobleman states.
“You have either never heard them…or you have turned a deaf ear to protect your back side…. Whatever it is you have heard them now.”
“How dare you talk to me like that….”
“HOW DARE YOU SEND IN OTHERS TO FIGHT YOUR BATTLES!” Jehanne says with a great deal of courage.
Frustrated, he says in a defeated tone, “I have had enough.”
Moving her horse closer to his, she says, “Really? Actually I have only begun. But if you don’t want to stay here and talk, you can turn tail, ride back and watch your men being killed from the safety your hill.”
“They get paid for their fighting.”
“Oh, and what good is money when you are dead? And what if they are injured in battle?”
“They are no longer of any use to me.”
“Are they taken care of?”
“That’s a good question…. I really don’t know. All I know is that if they can no longer fight, then I don’t have to pay them.”
“And, if by chance, YOU are wounded by a stray arrow, are you taken care of?”
“Of course, I am noble. I have my own doctor close by.”
“So you are worth everything, and your soldiers are worth nothing?”
“I don’t know what you mean?”
“You probably don’t even know the names of your soldiers do you?”
“Of course not…. Why should I get to know them, they are just going to die. Besides, nobles don’t mingle with lower classes. They are put on earth for our use.”
“…FOR YOUR USE? If you didn’t have the lower classes, as you put it, you wouldn’t have soldiers to fight the battles that YOU create. You wouldn’t have peasants to pay, what you call ‘taxes’. It’s more of an allowance that is paid to you, as you have no other way to make a living. You see, you are the helpless one. You make others feel that they need you, but in reality, you need what you call the lower class so that you can continually take from them….Money and lives, money, greed, power and lives!”
Jehanne continues, “Just imagine, if there weren’t any lower classes, you might have to fight your own battles. You might even have to work. You see, while you call others a lower class…you are actually lower than the snakes of the field. You have to feel like you have power over other people, to feel powerful yourself. Without power over someone else, you feel powerless. That is why you will lose this war. Your soldiers have a spineless leader. They know that you don’t care about them…that you put yourself above them. Sooner or later they will turn their back on you, as you have done to them by your very attitude.”
“You are a woman. What do you know?”
“I know that all men are equal. That we are born free and that you will pay for your snobbery.”
“What a bunch of rubbish. We are all born into a certain class, and we are to act our parts.”
Not letting him have the last word, Jehanne continues, “You take the easy way out. God gives each of us challenges to see if our heart will lead us back to him. Our life is ours to make of it what we will.”
“I am tired of talking to you.” the English noble states. “You make no sense. Let’s get this battle over with. Are you ready?”
With her mouth clinched, and her eyes full of fury, she firmly declares, “I was born for this battle!” Beginning to ride away, she suddenly stops. T
urning around she yells, as she begins to ride back to him, “I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WHEN YOU FIGHT MY SOLDIERS, YOU COME AGAINST GOD! AFTER ALL THE YEARS OF ENGLISH VICTORIES, IT IS NOW TIME FOR THE FRENCH TO BE VICTORIOUS. THE ENGLISH WILL PAY FOR ALL THE ATTROCITIES THAT THEY HAVE COMMITTED AGAINST MY FRENCH FAMILY. SOON I WILL LEAD THE DAUPHIN TO HIS CROWN.”
By this time Jehanne is once again close to the English noble as he answers her passionate declaration, “I guess we’ll see if what you say is true. Since you are new to this game I would like to remind you that the English always win the war. My soldiers are better trained and equipped than your soldiers are, and our country is superior to yours.”
“Your words offend me, and it shows ignorance as to who God is and what he wants for ALL of his children.” With great confidence, sitting high in her saddle and looking straight into the noble’s eyes, Jehanne continues, “I have no other mission than to be victorious. After we win this battle, I will ask for your sword!”
Frustrated and livid that a woman, and even worse, a common woman, would speak to him in that manner, in angry silence the English noble rides back to where his army is still preparing for the upcoming battle.
Jehanne and Pierre ride back to the French nobles.
“How did it go?” one noble asks.
“It was wonderful…are you ready to fight?” Jehanne asks.
“We don’t do the fighting. It’s not our job to fight. We watch from here and direct our soldiers with different colored flags, drums and sounds from this horn,” holding it up so that it can be seen. Turning around to the other noble, he quietly says, “Well, that is when we are paying attention.”
“What did you say?” Jehanne asks with anger and concern.
“We put all our attention on the battle,” the noble turns back around and boldly lies to her.
Disgusted, Jehanne grabs her standard once again and raises it as a signal for her small group of soldier’s to meet her. Together they ride to the battlefield.
Waiting for a moment for the English, so that their battle can begin, Jehanne turns to Pierre, “I heard what they said, Pierre. They don’t care, but I do. And as for these English, I’m tired of waiting.” Raising her standard she yells, “ARE YOU READY?”
A roar of… “YES!” Can be heard as swords and standards are lifted to the sky behind her. Individual soldiers begin chanting, “Jehanne…Jehanne…Jehanne.” The soldiers on the wings are silent so that their battle plan will be kept secret.
Jehanne raises her standard once again, and the soldiers fall silent. “All throughout my life I have always gone to a chapel to pray. There is no chapel here, but I feel that we need help from God. I would like all of you to get on your knees. We will always pray before we go into battle, because it is God’s standard, and His spirit that we carry with us.”
As the soldiers kneel, Jehanne begins her prayer. “Our Father in Heaven, today we come to do battle. We battle not to gain riches, or to take lands that do not belong to us. We battle today to take back the lands that rightfully belong to us. The English, have their own country; all we ask is for your help to regain the land that was taken from us. Please be with us today. Help each soldier to have the strength that is needed, to be victorious over his opponent, in the name of your beloved son, Amen.”
Standing up, Jehanne asks, “Are the English ready, Pierre?”
“It looks like they are still preparing for battle, Jehanne.”
“We are not going to wait any longer.”
Raising her standard, she begins riding toward the English encampment with the same fury and determination in her eyes that she had when she spoke with the English noble.
Galloping toward the English with a new sense of identity the soldiers find courage in their hearts, as they battle through their own fear, willing to fight for the freedom of their country.
The English respond with a sense of panic. They have never had the French come at them with such courage. Frantically, the English begin to pull their forces together, but because they are not completely prepared, this gives the French the advantage that is needed.
Jehanne’s archers do just as she has asked. Hundreds of arrows are shot into the English encampment as they begin to panic. Many of their best soldiers and famous longbow archers are killed. Jehanne’s captains on both wings circle around the English, as Jehanne and Pierre come directly up the middle.
The French win a decisive victory, with very few of the English even making it out of their camp.
Going up to the English noble after the battle, Jehanne begins speaking, “I have come for your sword.”
“How did you win the battle?” he asked.
“It was easy. We are the superior army!” Jehanne quips, looking directly at him.
“You caught us off guard!”
“Why would you say ‘off guard’? You knew that there would be a battle today, your men were preparing for it.”
“But you came against us before we were ready.”
“Next time, perhaps it would be better to get your men moving a little faster.”
Still in shock over the loss of the battle, as Jehanne extends her hand out for his sword, the English noble places it in her hand. Unable to move, the English noble watches as Jehanne and Pierre turn their horses around, and head back to their camp.
In front of her soldiers, Jehanne raises her standard. “Good work my Brothers.” Looking at Pierre she says, “I am always honored to have you by my side, Pierre.”
“The honor… is mine Jehanne.”
With the cunningness of a great general, Jehanne knows that no battle is won with the same tactics. The French are even confused, yet humbled, when she accepts the help of a French noble with a thousand troops to fight alongside her soldiers, even though he has been in disgrace at court for the last two years.
Never knowing what Jehanne will do next, throws the English off balance. To their astonishment, Jehanne continues to win battle after battle, capturing all the corners of Orleans.
Ten and a half square miles of castles and British encampments are captured by Jehanne and her troops in just ten days, a feat that the French nobles had been attempting to achieve for the last eight months. All of this takes place just two to three days, by horse, from Paris, which at this time is occupied by the English.
As the French emerge victorious, forcing the English to withdraw from Orleans, shock is felt throughout England, and cheers can be heard throughout France. The English are surprised that the tide of the war has turned against them.