Briggs: The Russian generals want more glory, hence the battle of Krasnoye.
Maude (chapters 4-5): Analysis of Kutuzov's movements
Pevear and Volokhonsky: With the Russian army after Vyazma. Kutuzov's consistency. Conflicts with his generals. Three-day slaughter at Krasnoe.
Translation:
IV.
After the confrontation at Vyazma, where Kutuzov could not hold his troops from the willingness to knock over, cut off and etc. the distant move of the fleeing French and the for them fleeing Russians, until Red, was happening without battles. The escape was so fast that the fleeing for the French Russian army could not keep up behind them, that horses in cavalry and artillery came, and that the intelligence about the movement of the French was always wrong.
The people of the Russian troops were so exhausted by this continuous movement, by 40 versts in a day, that they could not move faster.
So that to understand the measure of the exhausted Russian army, it is needed to only clearly understand the matters of fact, that having lost wounded and killed in all the time of the movements from Tarutin not more than five thousand people, not having lost hundreds of captive people, the Russian army, released from Tarutin in a number of one hundred thousand, had come to Red at a number of fifty thousand.
The fast moving of the Russians behind the French acted on the Russian army exactly so the same in destroying, as the escaping French. The difference was only in that the Russian army moved arbitrarily, without the threats of destruction which hung above the French army, and that the outdated sick of the French — stayed in the hands of the enemy, but the outdated Russians stayed at their own home. The main cause of the reduced army of Napoleon was the quick movements, and the undoubted proof to that serves as the corresponding decrease in the Russian troops.
All the activity of Kutuzov, as this was under Tarutin and under Vyazma, was directed only so that, — in how much that was in his authorities, — to not stop this disastrous for the French movements (as would be liked in Petersburg and in the army Russian generals), but promote it and facilitate the moving of its troops.
Yet, besides with time emerged in the troops fatigue and great waning, happening from the fast movements, still another cause presented to Kutuzov for slowing down the movements of the troops and for waiting. The objective of the Russian troops was — following behind the French. The way of the French was unknown, and because of it, the nearer followed our troops on the heels of the French, by that the more they passed roads. Only following at some distance was the shortest way to cut the zigzags that the French did. All skillful maneuvers, that offered the generals, expressed in transporting troops, in increased transitions, but the only reasonable objective consisted in reducing these transitions. and to this goal in all the campaign from Moscow to Vilna, was directed the activity of Kutuzov — not accidentally, not temporarily, but so consistently that he not once changed it.
Kutuzov knew not mind, nor science, but to all his Russian essence, knew and felt that what felt every Russian soldier, that the French were defeated, that the enemy was running, and it was needed to escort them; but together with that he felt, for another from the soldiers, all this heaviness of the, unheard of by the quickness and time of the year, trip.
Yet the generals, in particular the not Russian ones, desiring to distinguish, to surprise someone, pick up in captivity some duke or king, — to these generals it seemed now, when all the battles were nasty and pointless, to them it seemed that now in that very time was to give battle and win something. Kutuzov only shook his shoulders, when to him, one behind another, was presented projects of maneuvers with those badly shod, without sheepskin coats, half-starved soldiers, which in one month, without battles, melted to half and with which in the best conditions of the continuing flight, was needed to take to the borders more space of which to go through.
In particular this striving to distinguish and maneuver, topple and cut off, manifested then, when the Russian troops bumped into the troops of the French.
So this happened under Red, where it was thought to find one of the three columns of the French and stumbled upon Napoleon himself with 16 thousand. Despite all the means, used by Kutuzov, so to get rid of this pernicious confrontation and so that to save his troops, three days at Red went on the finishing off of broken bunches of French by the exhausted people of the Russian army.
Toll wrote a disposition: the first column directs there1002 and etc. and, as always, was made all not by dispositions. Prince Evgeniy Virtemberg shot from the mountains past a running crowd of French and demanded reinforcements, which did not come. The French, by night running around the Russians, crumbled, hiding in the forest and made their way, who could go farther.
Miloradovich, who spoke that he knew nothing about the wanting economic deeds of the detachment, who never could be found when he was needed, a knight without fear and reproach,1003 as he called himself, and a hunter to conversation with the French, sent parliamentarians, demanding surrender, losing time and not doing that what he was ordered.
— I give you, guys, this column, — he spoke, driving to the troops and pointing to the cavalry of the French, and the cavalry on barely moving horses, urging them with spurs and sabres, trotting, after strong strains, driving up to the gifted column, i.e. to a crowd of frostbitten, numb and hungry French; and the gifted column threw their weapons and gave up, what it already for a long time wanted.
Under Red was taken 26 thousand captives, hundreds of guns, some stick, which was called a marshal wand, and it was argued about who there was distinguished, and was by this satisfied, but it was extremely regretted about how not taken was Napoleon, or some hero, marshal, and reproached in this each other and in particular Kutuzov.
These people, carried away by their own passions, were blind performers only themselves sadly needing the law: but they counted themselves heroes and imagined that that what they did was the most worthy and noble business. They blamed Kutuzov and said that he himself from the beginning of the campaign hindered them in conquering Napoleon, that he thought only about the satisfaction of his passions and did not want to exit from Polotnyana Plants, because of how he there was quiet, that he under Red stopped movement because of how, upon learning about the presence of Napoleon, he completely lost, that it can assumed that he was in conspiracy with Napoleon, that he bribed them,1004 and etc., and etc.
Little of the contemporaries, carried away by passions, said so, — posterity and history recognized Napoleon as great1005 but Kutuzov — the foreigners — cunning, lecherous, weak courtier and old man; — the Russians — something uncertain, — some doll, useful only by his Russian name…
1002 die erste Colonne marschirt
1003 "chevalier sans peur et sans reproche," ("knight without fear and without reproach,")
1004 a note from Wilson
1005 grand (great)
Mentioned: one month, night
Locations: Krasnoe
Mentioned: Vyazma, Russian, French, Tarutino, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Vilna, Linen Factory (Linen Factories in Maude and Mandelker. Linen Mills in Briggs and Dunnigan. Polotnyany Zavody in Pevear and Volokhonsky and Garnett. Polotniaui Zavoudi in Dole. cut in Bell.)
Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: We go to Kutuzov, who cannot hold his troops back.
"The only difference was that the Russian army moved voluntarily, without the threat of destruction which hung over the French army".
"Kutuzov knew, not by reason or science, but with all his Russian being he knew and felt what every Russian soldier felt, that the French were defeated".
The non-Russian generals try to distinguish themselves by capturing prisoners or honors. A lot of focus is on Miloradovich's character here, as he is defined more than he had been previously in the novel, with his desire for honor and chivalry, but his disregard for orders. He is part of a group that captures thousands of French prisoners but are upset that they hadn't caught Napoleon.
"These people, carried away by their passions, were merely the blind executors of the most grievous law of necessity; but they considered themselves heroes".
The foreign generals dislike Kutuzov because they believe he is only in charge because of his Russian name.
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 *):
Kutuzof
Napoleon
Toll
Prince Eugene of Wurttemberg (the section containing Toll, this character, and Miloradovitch appears to be removed in Bell.)
Miloradovitch (also "chevalier sans peur et sans reproche")
Abridged Versions: Start of Chapter 16 in Bell. No break at end.
Gibian: Chapter 2: line break instead of chapter break.
Fuller: Entire chapter is cut.
Komroff: Entire chapter is cut.
Kropotkin: Chapter 3: The other characters other than Kutuzof are removed, as well as some of the details about their plans. No break.
Simmons: Chapter 2: the set up of the chapter is kept, but cuts off early, without any detail about the battle. Line break instead of chapter break.
Additional Notes: "foreign writers: The reference is to the Private Diary of Sir Robert Thomas Wilson (1777-1849), the British military commissioner at Russian headquarters in the period 1812-1814; he advised Alexander I to demote Kutuzov." Incidentally, Garnett's note about Eugene in this chapter is identifies him incorrectly.
Maude: "parts of Wilson's diary were published in the Russian Messenger in 1862, three years before the first thirty-eight chapters of a work Tolstoy titled 1805 (i.e. War and Peace) appeared in the same journal."
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