Book 3 Part 1 Chapter 12 (Chapter 176 overall)

Chapter Summaries: Dole: Nikolai learns of the broken engagement. His letter to Sonya. His ideals. Promotion. Retreat of the army. The drunken camp. The thunder shower. Story of the battle of Saltanovo. General Rayevsky's gallantry. Value of personal example. Zdrzhinsky. Marie Heinrichovna. Ilyin.
Briggs: Nikolay writes to Sonya. He and Ilyin get caught in a storm.
Maude: Nicholas writes to Sonya. He and Ilyin in a storm
Pevear and Volokhonsky (chapters 12-13): Nikolai with the regiment. Writes to family and to Sonya. Nikolai and Ilyin in the rain. The tavern and Marya Genrikhovna.

Translation:

XII.

Rostov before the discovery of the campaign received a letter from his parents, which, briefly notifying him about the disease of Natasha and about the break with Prince Andrey (this break was explained to him by the refusal of Natasha), they again requested him to exit in resignation and come home. Nikolay, receiving this letter, and not trying to ask for vacation or resign, wrote to his parents that he was extremely pitied about the disease and break of Natasha with her groom, and that he would do all possible so that to perform their wish. Sonya he wrote separately.

"Adored friend my soul," he wrote. "Nothing besides honor could hold me from returning to the village. But now, before the discovery of the campaign, I would consider myself dishonorable not only before all companions, but before myself, should I prefer my happiness to what is owed and love to my homeland. Yet — this is the last parting. Believe that immediately after the war, if I will be alive and all love you, I will throw all and fly to you, so that to press you down now forever to my fiery breast."

Really only the opening of the campaign delayed Rostov and placed his coming — as he promised — and marrying Sonya. Otradnoe fall with hunting and winter with Christmastide and with the love of Sonya opened his perspective to the quiet noble joys and calmness, which he did not know before and which now beckoned him to himself. "A nice wife, children, good flock hounds, a dashing nine to twelve pack of greyhounds, agriculture, neighbors, service by choice!" — he thought. But now was the campaign, and the need was to stay in the regiment. But as this was needed, Nikolay Rostov by his character was satisfied by that life, which he led in the regiment, and managed to make himself this life nice.

Having arrived from holiday, happily meeting companions, Nikolay was sent for renovation, and from Little Russia brought excellent horses, which gladdened him and deserved him praise from superiors. In his absence he was promoted to captain, and when the regiment was delivered to military position with its enlarged set, he again received his former squadron.

Beginning the campaign, the regiment was moved to Poland, given out double salary, arrived new officers, new people, horses; and the main thing, spread that excitedly fun mood, which accompanies the beginning of war; and Rostov, realizing his profitable position in the regiment, indulged in all pleasures and interests of military service, although knowing that early or late he will abandon the work.

The troops retreated from Vilna by different complicated, state, political and tactical reasons. Every step of the retreat was accompanied by a difficult game of interests, reasoning and passions in the main staff. For the hussar of the same Pavlograd regiment, all of this retreat trip, in the best time of the summer, with sufficient food, was a very simple and fun business. To lose heart, worry and intrigue could only be in the main apartment, but the deep army did not ask themselves where and for what to go. If they pitied that they retreated, that was only because that it was needed to exit from a habitable apartment, from pretty virgins. Should it have come into someone’s head that affairs were bad, that, as it should be for a good military person, that this came into their head, they tried to be fun and not think about the overall course of cases, but think about their nearest case. First they were funnily standing beside Vilna, starting up acquaintances with Polish landlords and expecting and departing reviews of the sovereign and other higher commanders. Then came the order back to retreat to Sventsyan and exterminate provisions which cannot be taken away. Sventsyan was memorable to the hussar only because that this was a drunk camp, as were nicknamed all the army stations in Sventsyan, and because that in Sventsyan were many complaints in the troops for that they, taking advantage of the order to take away provisions, in the number of food took away horses, crews, and carpets at Polish lords'. Rostov remembered Sventsany because of how he on the first day of entry in this place replaced the master sentinel and could not cope with all the drunk people of the squadron, which without his knowing it had taken away five barrels of old beer. From Sventsyan they retreated farther and farther to Drissa, and again retreated from Drissa, now approaching to Russian borders.

On the 13th of July the Pavlograd for the first time had to be in a serious case.

On the 12th of July at night, on the eve of affairs, was a strong storm with rain and hail. The summer of the year 1812 was all wonderful storms.

The Pavlograd’s two squadrons were standing in bivouacs, among knocked out to the bottom cattle and horses, in the already sprouting rye field. The rain poured in a downpour, and Rostov with his patronized young officer Ilyin sat under a burnt and quickly handmade hut. An officer of their regiment with a long mustache continuing from his cheeks, rode in the staff and caught in the rain called for Rostov.

— I, count, am from the staff. Have you heard the feat of Raevsky? — and the officer told the details of the Saltanovsky battle, heard by them in the staff.

Rostov, shrinking his neck, behind which poured water, smoked a pipe and listened inattentively, occasionally glancing at the young officer Ilyin, who huddled about him. This officer, a sixteen year-old boy, recently acting in the regiment, was now in regards to Nikolay that what Nikolay was in regards to Denisov seven years to that backwards. Ilyin tried to in all imitate Rostov, and as a woman was fallen in love with him.

The officer with the double mustache, Zdrzhinsky, talked pompously about how the Saltanovsky dam was the Thermopylae of the Russians, as on this dam was committed by General Raevsky an act worthy of antiquities. Zdrzhinsky talked of the act of Raevsky, who brought out on the dam his two sons under terrible fire and with them nearby went on attack. Rostov listened to the story and not only spoke nothing to the confirmation of the delight of Zdrzhinsky, but oppositely had the view of a man that was ashamed of what he told, although not finding it to object. Rostov after Austerlitz and the year of 1807 campaign knew by his own experience that the telling of military incidents always lie, as he himself lied, telling; secondly, he had such experience that he knew how all going on in war is really not so as we can imagine and tell. And because he did not like the story of Zdrzhinsky, not liking Zdrzhinsky himself, who, with his own mustache from his cheeks, by his habit lowly bent down above the face of whom he talked and pressed him in the close hut. Rostov silently watched him. "Firstly on the dam, which was attacked, it should be right in such confusion and pressing that should Raevsky brought out his sons, that this is or is not whom could act, besides as a person in nine, that was about himself," thought Rostov: "the rest he could not see, as with whom was walking by Raevsky at the dam. But those that saw this, could not be very inspired, because of how they were behind the business to the gentle, parental feeling of Raevsky, when here business was going about their own hides? Then from what the taking or not taking of the Saltanovsky dam depended the fate of the fatherland, as we describe this about Thermoplae. And to become what for again was to bring such victims? And then what for here in war, to interfere with their children? I would not only not lead Petya my brother, but Ilyin even, this is another to me, but a good boy, trying to put them somewhere under my protection," continued to think Rostov, listening to Zdrzhinsky. But he did not say his thoughts: he in this already had his experience. He knew that this story contributed to the glorifications of our weapons, and because of it it was needed to make a view that he did not doubt in it. So he did.

— However, maybe not, — said Ilyin, noticing that Rostov did not like the conversation of Zdrzhinsky. — and my tights and shirt under me leaked. I will go search the shelter. It seems, the rain is easier. — Ilyin got out and Zdrzhinsky left.

In five minutes Ilyin, slapping by the mud, came running to the hut.

— Hoorah! Rostov, go soon. Found it! Two hundred steps from here is a tavern, already there climbed by ours. Though we dry ourselves, Marya Genrihovna is there.

Marya Genrihovna was the wife of the regimental doctor, a young, pretty German, whom the doctor married in Poland. The doctor because of how he did not have the means, or because of how he did not want in the first time of his marriage to part with his young wife, carried her everywhere behind himself in the hussar regiment, and the jealousy of the doctor made for an ordinary subject of jokes between the hussar officers.

Rostov threw his cloak, shouted behind himself for Lavrushka with his things, and went with Ilyin, where the rolling out by the mud, where all the slapping under the abated rain in the dark evening was occasionally violated by distant lightning.

— Rostov, where are you?

— Here. What lightning! — they talked.

Time: Before the beginning of the campaign, July 13th (July 25th in Dole.)
Mentioned: Autumn, Christmas holidays, the previous night (Maude, Dunnigan, and Mandelker add July 12th. 24th of July in Dole), summer of 1812, seven years before, 1807

Locations: Poland (also Polish), Sventsyany (Sventziany in Bell. Swienciany in Dole, Briggs, and Pevear and Volokhonsky.)
Mentioned: Otradnoe, Little-Russia (Ukraine in Maude, Mandelker, and Dunnigan), Vilna, Drissa, Russian, Saltanovka (Saltanov in Maude, Mandelker, Dunnigan, and Garnett), Thermopylae, Austerlitz, German

Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: We move to the Rostovs' part of the story, with Nikolai receiving a letter with a plea to come home. He writes a brief letter to Sonya explaining why he can’t come home (“honor”) but saying that he will never be separated from her again. Line break after this letter.

Nikolai now realizes he can be happy in a domestic life, but he has to stay with the army.

Wonderfully odd gloss sentence: “The troops retreated from Vilno for various complex governmental, political, and tactical reasons.” I think what is important to understand is that in the Andrei sections of the story, political and
military realities are seen from the top, but in the Nikolai sections, we have it from more of a “down in the muck” type viewpoint, where everything does really happy for “some reason” that is beyond Nikolai and the normal
soldier’s understanding. The difference is that the soldiers seem to understand this, while the big political and military characters don’t understand that things happen for “some reason” rather than via their own will. “To be
despondent, to worry, to intrigue was possible at general headquarters, but in the depths of the army no one even asked himself where he was going or why.”

Nikolai now has a relationship with a sixteen-year-old boy named Ilyin like he had had with Denisov, though the dynamics have flipped, with Nikolai playing the Denisov role, and Ilyin “was in love with him like a woman.”

The officers compare General Raevsky and son’s bravery against Davout to the 300 Spartans.

Rostov now has the position Andrei had when Rostov told his exaggerated story earlier in the novel, another evidence of his development as a character.

Zdrzhinsky, who evidently has glorious mustaches, is another character who stands too close to people while talking. Rostov's thoughts during the story reflect what was told early in the volume in the expository sections, as
well as Andrei’s inner monologue listening to the generals arguing.

“Why get your children mixed up in it, in a war? I wouldn’t lead my brother Petya into it, or even Ilyin”.

We have another jealous husband, this one the doctor who has brought his wife along.

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 *):

Count Nikolai Rostof

Natasha

Prince Andrei

Sonya

Alexander (“sovereign”)

Ilyin

Zdrzhinsky (as in Dole, Edmonds, and Briggs. “Zdrzhinski” in Wiener and Dunnigan. “Zdrginsky” in Bell. An officer of their regiment with long mustaches who relates the story of Rayevsky.)

General Rayevsky (as in Dole and Dunnigan. “Raevski” in Wiener and Maude. “Raievsky” in Bell. “Raevsky” in Edmonds, Mandelker, and Garnett. Also his two sons.)

Denisof

Marie Heinrichovna (“Mary Hendrikhovna” in Maude. “Marya Genrikhovna” in Wiener and Briggs. “Marie Henrikovna” in Bell. “Marya Gendrikhovna” in Mandelker. “Marya Hendrihovna” in Garnett. “Maria Hendrihovna” in
Edmonds. “Marya Hendrikhovna” in Dunnigan.)

The regimental doctor (maybe the same one as in chapter 97. Marie’s husband.)

Lavrushka

(Nikolai’s parents are mentioned on the whole. Various troops, soldiers, and horses also are mentioned, as are Polish land proprietors. Thermopylae is a reference and a place, not a character.)

Abridged Versions: Start of Chapter 7 in Bell. No chapter break.
Gibian: Chapter 12.

Fuller: Entire chapter is cut.

Komroff: The letter Nikolai writes to Sonya is removed. The Rayevsky/Zdrzhinsky story is not here. End of chapter followed by line break.

Kropotkin: Chapter 8: Chapter cuts off after the description of Ilyin.

Bromfield: Chapter about the same, no break.
Simmons: Chapter 12: the information about the retreat is severely shortened to the point of almost cut. The inner monologue Rostov has about Raevski's exploit is removed.

Additional Notes: Davis: Page 655: “Ukraine was renamed Malorossiya (Little Russia), and all traces of its separate traditions were erased. Its Cossacks were denied the same degree of autonomy granted to their Russian

counterparts on the Don or the Kuban. Its rich lands were subjected to intense russification and colonization. The ‘wild plains’ of the south, Europe’s last frontier, were settled with peasant immigrants, mainly Russians

and Germans.”

The Battle of Thermopylae serves as an almost mystical example of military heroism and standing up against all odds, and is the inspiration for the film 300 Here Tolstoy deconstructs the narrative that is generally associated with it.

The Battle of Saltanov and Rayevsky's exploits inspired this painting by Nikolay Samokish