If the final result turns out to be in our favor, if we manage to recapture battlefield and trophies from the enemy, then all the forces that these have cost him will turn out to the credit of our account; our earlier defeat becomes a stepping-stone to greater triumph. The most brilliant military exploits, which in victory would have meant so much to the enemy that he could have ignored their cost, now leave him with nothing but remorse over the strength thus sacrificed. The magic of victory and the curse of defeat can change the specific gravity of the elements of battle.
