Prologue and Chapters 1 and 2 Summary

The prologue is set in the Spanish village of Andrados during December of 1812. Spain is at war with France—much of Spain is occupied by French troops; the remainder hosts an army of English soldiers pressing onward toward an invasion of France. Andrados is not significant militarily and is situated to the west of a steep and difficult mountain pass, guarded by a fortress and a sturdy convent, between which the only road leads out of the pass and through the town. On a prominence to the south of the town a crumbling watchtower stands high. The fortress has a huge amount of black powder due to a provisioning error. At the opening of the novel the town is being captured by a motley assortment of deserters of all nationalities, though mostly English, Spanish, and French...