16 August 1943
News of our victory against humans has spread across half the country, no doubt inspiring other animals to rebel against the tyranny of Man. One can only imagine how human beings must fear the threat of further uprisings.
This is why we had long expected the attack by Jones and his men to recapture the farm. Unfortunately for them, I had been preparing for this. I found an old book in the farmhouse detailing Julius Caesar’s campaigns and was only a matter of applying the same strategies to the animals.
First, I ordered the geese and pigeons to attack, creating a minor distraction. Then, I, some of the pigs and the sheep charged at the men. Again, they drove us away with their sticks and boots, so I gave the signal to retreat. Unbeknownst to them, this was part of my plan.
The men, seeing victory, rushed into the yard. Then, the cows, sheep and pigs ambushed them, and we charged at the men. I ran straight for Jones and flung my weight against his legs, hurling him into a pile of dung. But this was not before Jones shot pellets out of his gun, killing a sheep and grazing my back.
Boxer was the greatest spectacle of all. My dear comrade reared his hind-legs and stuck a stable-lad on the skull and stretched him lifeless in the mud. Upon this, the terrified men attempted to flee. The men rushed out of the yard and out of the farm, chased by the vengeful animals, leaving us with a glorious victory once again.
The man Boxer had struck upon the head and into the mud had, in fact, only been stunned, not dead. Had he been dead, though, I’d have celebrated it with our victory. War is war, after all. The only good human being is a dead one.
The Battle of the Cowshed, for that was what we had named the battle, is to be celebrated on this day every year. Boxer and I received ‘Animal Hero, First Class’, and we all rejoiced for the rest of the day, with military decorations and firing of the gun.
The Battle of the Cowshed is a reminder of what we animals can do together in the spirit of Animalism, and one day, in the near or far future, all the ‘Beasts of England’ will be free. I look forward to that day and the continual betterment of the lives of the animals on Animal Farm. That, I made sure my comrades, smart or stupid are aware of, is what Animalism will give us, as long as we follow the Seven Commandments and the teaching of Animalism, as taught by Old Major. I have made it my personal mission in life to dedicate myself to the spirit of Animalism, and already I have found great success. I have no doubts that we will, one day, reach a world where animals live in leisure, freedom and happiness.
