Briggs: Crossing of the Berezina. Kutuzov receives the Order of St George.
Pevear and Volokhonsky: The crossing of the Berezina. Dissatisfaction with Kutuzov at court. He goes to Vilno. Meeting wit the emperor.
Maude (chapters 10-12): The crossing of the Berezina. Vilna. The Emperor Alexander. Kutuzov: his failing health
Time: November 29th, December 7th, December 11th, a minute later
Mentioned: August, 1811
Translation:
X.
The troops of the French evenly melted in a mathematically-correct progression. And that transition across the Berezina, about which so much was written, was only one of the intermediate steps of the destruction of the French army, but quite not the episode of the campaign. Should about Berezina so much be written and will be written, then with the parties of the French this happened only because of how at Berezina the broken bridge disaster, endured by the French army, before evenly, here suddenly grouped in one moment and at one tragic sight, which in all left a memory. With the parties of the same Russians so much is said and written about Berezina only because of how away from the theatre of the war, in Petersburg, was formed a plan (by Pful again) to capture Napoleon in a strategic trap at the river Berezina. All assured that all will be in the case exactly so as in the plan, and because of it, it is insisted that it was the Berezina crossing that ruined the French. In the entities again the results of the Berezina crossing were much less disastrous for the French the lost cannons and captives, than Red, as shows the figures.
The only matter of the Berezina crossing concluded in that this crossing obviously and undoubtedly proved false all the plans for cutting off and made justice the only possible, required by Kutuzov’s image of action, — only the following behind the enemy. The crowd of French ran with constantly intensifying fast force, with all energy directed at the achievement of the goals. It ran as a wounded animal, and it could not be to come in its way. This is proved not so much by the arrangement of the crossing, how much moved on the bridge. When the bridge was broken, unarmed soldiers, Moscow residents, women with children, formerly in the wagons of the French, all under the influence of the forces of inertia were not handed over, but ran forward to boats in the frozen water.
The striving was reasonable. The position and running and pursuing was equally bad. Staying with their own, every disaster hoped in the help of a friend, in certainty, they occupied the place between their own. Giving back again to the Russians, it was in this same position of disasters, but came in an inferior stage in the section of the satisfaction of the needs of life. The French did not need to have faithful information about how half the captives, with which it was not known what to do, despite all the wishes of the Russians to save them, — perished from cold and hunger; they felt that this could not be otherwise. The most pitiful Russian chiefs and hunters to the French, themselves French in Russian service, could do nothing for the captives. The French were ruined by the calamity, in which it was found out by the Russian army. It cannot be to take away bread and dress from the hungry, necessary soldier, so to give it to the not harmful, not hating, not guilty, but simply unnecessary French. Some did this; but this was only an exception.
Back was a faithful death; ahead were hopes. The ships were burned; there was not another safety, besides the aggregate flight, and in this aggregate escape were directed all the forces of the French.
The farther ran the French, the more pitiful were their leftovers, in particular after Berezina, in which, owing to the Petersburg plan, was assigned special hopes, by that stronger flared up the passion of the Russians chiefs, accusing each other and in particular Kutuzov. Imposing that the setback of the Berezina Petersburg plan would be carried off to him, and because they were discontent, had contempt to him and mocked above him, expressing it stronger and stronger. The mocking and contempt, between themselves of course, was expressed in a respectful shape, in that shape in which Kutuzov could not ask, in this and for that he was to blame. With him was not spoken seriously; reporting to him and asking his approval, was made a view of an execution of a sad rite, but behind his back winked and in each step tried to betray him.
By all these people, because of how they not could understand him, it was recognized that from the old man was spoken nothing; that he would never understand only the thoughtfulness of their plans; that he will respond to them with phrases (to them it seemed that these were only phrases) about a gold bridge, about that for abroad it cannot be to come with a crowd of tramps and so on, this they all had now heard from him. And all that he spoke: for example, that it was needed to wait for food, that people were without boots, all this was so simple, but all that they offered was so difficult and clever that it was obvious for them that he was stupid and old, but they were not powerful, ingenious generals.
In particular after the connections of the army of the brilliant admiral and hero of Petersburg Wittgenstein, this mood and staff gossip reached to its highest limits. Kutuzov saw this and, sighing, only shook his shoulders. Only one time, after Berezina, he angered and wrote Bennigsen, informing separately the sovereign, — the following letter:
"By the reason of your painful seizures, please, your excellence, from receiving this, set off to Kaluga, where awaits a distant command and destination from his imperial majesty."
Yet following behind the referral of Bennigsen, to the army had arrived the great prince Konstantin Pavlovich, making a start of the campaign remote from the army of Kutuzov. Now the great prince, having arrived to the army, informed Kutuzov about the displeasure of the sovereign emperor for the weak successes of our troops and for the slowness of movements. The sovereign emperor himself on another day contemplated to arrive to the army.
The old person, so the same experienced in courtier cases as in military, that Kutuzov, which in August of the same year was selected as commander in chief against the commitment of sovereign, that one who retired heir and great prince of the army, that one, who with his power, against the will of the sovereign prescribed the abandonment of Moscow, this Kutuzov now immediately again got that his time was over, that his role was played and that these imaginary authorities now were no more in him. And not by only his courtier relations he got this. With one part he saw that the military business, that in which he played his role, — was over, and felt that his vocation was executed. With another part, he in that very same very time began to feel physical fatigue in his old body and miserable physical recreation.
On the 29th of November Kutuzov entered Vilna, — in his kind Vilna, as he spoke. Two times in his service, Kutuzov was in Vilna governor. In the rich surviving Vilna, besides the cleanliness of life, which for such a long time he was now deprived, Kutuzov found old friends and memories. And he, suddenly turning away from all military and state worries, plunged in the flat, familiar life in such much as there was a peace to the given passion, boiling around him, as if all that was committed by him had taken place in a historical work, not touching him at all.
Chichagov, one of the most passionate cutters and tippers, Chichagov, who wanted to first do diversions into Greece, but then in Warsaw, but in no way wanted to go there where he was ordered, Chichagov, known for his courage of speech with the sovereign, Chichagov, considered Kutuzov by himself blessed because of how, when he was sent in the 11th year for conclusions of peace with Turkey, in addition to Kutuzov, he, making sure that peace was now concluded, recognized before the sovereign that the merit of the conclusions of peace belonged to Kutuzov; this Chichagov first met Kutuzov in Vilna in the castle in which was to stay Kutuzov. Chichagov in a naval official uniform, with a sword, holding his cap under his shoulder, gave Kutuzov a combatant report and the key of the city. That contemptuously-respectful attitude of youth to the surviving mind of the old man, expressed in the highest extent all the outstanding by Chichagov, who already knew, accusations cocked at Kutuzov.
Talking with Chichagov, Kutuzov between the way said to him that the repulsed in him in Borisov crews were with utensils intact and will be returned to him.
— You want me to say what there isn’t. The opposite, you can serve all, even if you would want to give dinners,1010 — flaring up spoke Chichagov, in every word wishing to prove his correctness and because of it, alleged that Kutuzov was concerned by this very thing. Kutuzov smiled his subtle shrewd smile and, shaking his shoulders, responded:
— I want to say only what I speak.1011
At Vilna Kutuzov, against the will of the sovereign, stopped a big part of the troops. Kutuzov, as was said by his approximates, unusually lowered and physically weakened in this residence in Vilna. He reluctantly occupied the business of the army, left all to his generals and, expecting the sovereign, indulged in a scattered life.
Leaving with his suite— Count Tolstoy, Prince Volkonsky, Arakcheev and others on the 7th of December from Petersburg, the Sovereign on the 11th of December arrived in Vilna and in a road sleigh all rode to the castle. At the castle, despite the strong frost, stood one hundred generals and staff officers, in complete parade shape, and the honorable guard of the Semenovsky regiment.
A courier, jumping up to the castle, in the sweaty carriage, ahead of the sovereign, screamed: "Ride!" Konovnitsyn rushed to the canopy to report to Kutuzov, waiting in his little Swiss room.
In a moment the thick big figure of the old man, in complete parade shape, with all regalia covering his chest, and a tight scarf on his belly, pumping, exited to the porch. Kutuzov allotted his hat by the front, took in his hand gloves, and sideways, with labor, stepping over down the steps, came down from them and took in his hand the prepared for filing to the sovereign report.
Running around, whispering, still frantically flying by the carriage, all eyes turned to the jumping sleigh, in which now visible were the figures of the sovereign and Volkonsky.
All this by 50 years of habit physically uneasily acted on the old General; he with concern hastily felt himself, corrected his hat in time, in that moment as the sovereign, coming from the sledges, raised to him an eye, cheered up and stretched out, gave a report and began to speak in his measured, ingratiating voice.
The sovereign threw a quick look to Kutuzov from his head to his feet, in an instant frowned, but immediately again, breaking himself, came up, and, spread apart his hands, hugging the old General. Again by old, habitual impression and by relation to his sincere thoughts, this embracing, as usual, acted on Kutuzov: he sobbed.
The sovereign greeted with the officers, with the Semenovsky Guard and, shaking another time the hand of the old man, went with him in the castle.
Staying alone with the field marshal, the sovereign expressed to him his displeasure for the slowness of pursuit, for mistakes at Red and at Berezina and informed him of his considerations about the future campaign abroad. Kutuzov did not object, or make remarks. That very submissive and senseless expression, with which he, seven years to that backwards, listened to the orders of the sovereign at the Austerlitz field, installed now on his face.
When Kutuzov got out from the office and his heavy, diving gait, lowered head, went by the hall, someone’s voice stopped him.
— Your lordship, — said someone.
Kutuzov raised his head and long watched the eye of Count Tolstoy, who, with some little thing on a silver dish, stood before him. Kutuzov, it seemed, did not understand what from him would be liked.
Suddenly he as if remembered; a little bit of a noticeable smile flashed on his chubby face, and he, lowly, respectfully leaning over, took the subject lying on the dish. This was the George of the 1st extent.
1010 C’est pour me dire que je n’ai pas sur quoi manger... Je puis au contraire vous fournir de tout dans le cas même où vous voudriez donner des dîners, (This is to tell me that I don’t have enough to eat...On the contrary, I can provide you with everything in the same case where you would like to give dinners,)
1011 Ce n’est que pour vous dire ce que je vous dis. (This is only for telling you what I tell you.)
Mentioned: French, Russian, St. Petersburg, Krasnoe, Moscow, Kaluga, Greece, Warsaw, Turkey, Borisov
Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: We go back to the birdseye view of the French army. Tolstoy believes that the bridge at Berezina was just an intermediate episode rather than "a decisive episode of the campaign".
Continuing one of the most important metaphors of the novel, "It (the French army) ran like a wounded animal, and it was impossible to stand in its way."
The prisoners taken by the Russian are discussed, most of which die, not from cruelty, but from lack of food and cold, with Tolstoy portraying the Russian treatment of them as an impossible situation. Throughout the chapter, a Petersburg plan, headed by Pfuel is discussed in contrast to Kutuzov. The Grand Duke comes to the army and tells Kutuzov that Alexander is unhappy and will join the army soon. This tells Kutuzov that his time is up and feels like his mission has been fulfilled. He goes to where he had been governor and gets used to everyday life.
The chapter then moves to the character of Chichagov, who meets with Kutuzov. Much of the court, including Alexander and Arakcheev, comes to meet with Kutuzov, who weeps and then receives the St. George.
Characters (characters who do not appear, but are mentioned are placed in italics. First appearances are in Bold. First mentions are underlined. Final appearance denoted by *):
Pfuhl
Napoleon
Kutuzof (also "old man", "old general", "field-marshal", "serene highness", and "commander-in-chief".)
Wittengstein (also "your excellency")
Benigsen
Alexander ("the sovereign" and "his majesty the emperor")
Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovitch (also "heir-apparent")
Chitchagof
Count Tolstoi
Prince Volkonsky
Arakcheyef
Konovnitsuin
Abridged Versions: Line break after "physical weariness of his aged body and the necessity of physical rest" in Maude. Line break in the same place in Dunnigan. Wiener puts a chapter break here, making the rest of the chapter chapter 11, so Wiener will be one chapter ahead for the rest of the part.
No break in Bell.
Gibian: Chapter 4: line break instead of chapter break.
Fuller: Entire chapter is cut.
Komroff: The discussion of Beresina and the treatment of the prisoners is removed. Wittgenstein is removed. The Chitchagof episode is also removed. Chapter is followed by a line break.
Kropotkin: Chapter 5: The discussion of the French prisoners and their treatment is removed. The Chitchagof episode is also removed. No break.
Simmons: Chapter 4: some of the information about the French at Berezina is removed and the discussion about the treatment of the French prisoners is removed. The Chicagov scene is removed, as is the episode where he receives the St. George. Line break instead of chapter break.
Additional Notes:
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