Briggs: Kutuzov. An order to renew the attack tomorrow. The spirit of the army.
Maude: Kutuzov. His rebuke to Wolzogen. An order for the day for an attack tomorrow. The spirit of the army
Pevear and Volokhonsky: Kutuzov at the battle. Bagration wounded. Kutuzov shouts at Wolzogen. His certainty of victory.
Translation:
XXXV.
Kutuzov sat, drooping his gray-haired head and lowering his heavy body on the covered carpet bench, at this very location at which in the morning he saw Pierre. He did not make any orders, but only agreed or did not agree to that what was offered to him.
"Yes, yes, do this," he responded to various offers. "Yes, yes, go, darling, look," he approached that to that, that to another of the approximate; or: "no, we do not need to, better wait," he spoke. He listened to the imported to him reports, gave back orders, when this was demanded by subordinates; but, listening to reports, he, it seemed, was not interested in the meaning of the words that to him were said, but something other in the expression of persons, in the tone of the speech denouncing, interested him. His long-term military experience knew and his senile mind understood that to lead a hundred thousand persons, fighting with death, cannot be done by one person, and he knew what decided the fate of battles was not the orders or the commander in chief, not in placing where stood the troops, not the number of guns and slain people, but that elusive power, called the heart of the troops, and he watched for this forcibly and led by it, as far as this was in his authority.
The common expression of the face Kutuzov was focused, the calm attention and effort barely prevailed over the fatigue of his weak and old body.
At 11 in the morning he was brought news about how the employed French flushes were again repulsed, but that Prince Bagration was injured. Kutuzov gasped and shook his head.
— Ride to Prince Pyotr Ivanovich and in detail find out what is so, — he said to one of the adjutants, and following behind that turned to Prince Virtemberg, standing behind him.
— Whether it is not anything for your highness to accept command of the 1st army.
Soon after the departure of the prince, so soon that he still could not ride as far as to Semenovsky, an adjutant of the prince returned from him and reported to the lordly that the prince asked for troops.
Kutuzov grimaced and sent Dohturov an order to accept the command of the 1st army, but the prince, without whom, as he said, may not get along in these important minutes, requested to return to himself. When was brought news about the taking in captivity of Murat and the staff congratulated Kutuzov, he smiled.
— Hold, gentleman, — he said. — The battle is won, and the in captivity of Murat is nothing extraordinary. But better to wait to rejoice. — However he sent an adjutant to drive through the troops with this news.
When from the left flank jumped up Shcherbinin with a report about the occupation of the French flushes and Semenovsky, Kutuzov, by the sounds of the field of the battle and by the face of Shcherbinin guessing that the news was not good, got up, as would be kneading legs and, took under the arm of Shcherbinin, took him somewhere at the side.
— Go, darling, — he said to Ermolov, — Look, whether it cannot be done.
Kutuzov was at Gorky, in the center of the positions of the Russian troops. The directed by Napoleon attack on our left flank was a few times beat off. In the center the French did not move onwards to Borodino. From the left flank the cavalry of Uvarov forced the French to run.
At the third hour the attacks of the French ceased. On all faces, coming from the field of the battle, and on those that were standing around him, Kutuzov was reading an expression of the tension that came down to the higher extent. Kutuzov was satisfied by the success of the day in excess of expectations. but physical forces left the old man. A few times his head lowly descended, as would be falling, and he dozed off. He was given dinner.
The wing-adjutant of Voltsogen, that very one, which, driving past Prince Andrey, spoke that the war needed to be brought in space,722 and who so hated Bagration, in the time of dinner drove to Kutuzov. Voltsogen had arrived from Barclay with a report about the course of cases on the left flank. The reasonable Barclay-de-Tolly, seeing the crowd of running back wounded and disturbed backside of the army, after weighing all circumstances of the affairs, decided that the battle was lost, and with this news he sent to the commander in chief his favorite.
Kutuzov with labor chewed fried chicken and his narrowed, cheered up eye looked at Voltsogen.
Voltsogen, carelessly kneading his legs, with a half-disdainful smile on his lips, came up to Kutuzov, a little touching to his visor his hand.
Voltsogen approached with the lordly with some attested negligence, having the purpose to show that he, as a highly educated military man, leaves to the Russian to make an idol of this old, useless human, but he himself knows with whom he has business. "Old sir (as called Kutuzov in his circle the Germans), is quietly arranged,”723 thought Voltsogen, and, strictly looking at the plates, standing before Kutuzov, started an report to the old lord of the position of cases on the left flank as he was ordered by Barclay and as he himself saw and got it.
— All the points of our positions are in the hands of the enemy and beat off nothing because of how troops are not; they run, and there is no opportunity to stop them, — he reported.
Kutuzov, stopped chewing, surprised, as if not understanding what was said to him, staring at Voltsogen. Voltsogen, noticing the excitement of the old sir,724 with a smile said:
— I do not count myself having the right to hide from your lordship what I saw... The troops are in full disappointment...
— You saw? You saw?... — frowning shouted Kutuzov, fast getting up and advancing on Voltsogen. — How you... How dare you!... — making a threatening gesture of shaking hands and choking, he shouted. —How dare you, gracious sire, speak this to me. You know nothing. Deliver from me to General Barclay that his intelligence is unfair, that the present movement of the battle is famous to me, commander in chief, better than him.
Voltsogen wanted to contradict something, but Kutuzov interrupted him.
— The enemy is repulsed on the left and struck on the right flank. If you badly saw, gracious sire, then do not allow yourself to speak what you do not know. Kindly go to General Barclay and deliver him for tomorrow my indispensable intention to attack the enemy, — strictly said Kutuzov. All was silent, and was heard only the heavy breaths of the out of breath old general. — Repulsed everywhere, for what I thank God and our brave army. The enemy is conquered and tomorrow we will chase him from the sacred earth of Russia, — said Kutuzov, crossing; and suddenly sobbing from coming tears. Voltsogen, shaking his shoulders and grimacing with his lips, silently walked away to the side, wondering at this tyranny of the old sir.725
— Yes, here it is my hero, — said Kutuzov to a complete, handsome, black-haired general, which at this time entered on the mound. This was Raevsky, conducted all day at the main point of the Borodino field.
Raevsky reported that the troops firmly stood in their places, and that the French did not dare to attack more.
Listening to him, Kutuzov in French said:
— You, having come, do not think as others, that we must retreat?
— The opposite, your lordship, in indecisive deeds stays the victor that who is stubborn, — was the response of Raevsky, — and in my opinion...726
— Kaysarov! —called Kutuzov to his adjutant. — Sit down, write an order for tomorrow. But you, — he turned to another, — ride by the lines and announce that tomorrow we attack.
While was the walking conversation with Raevsky and the dictated order, Voltsogen returned from Barclay and reported that General Barclay-de-Tolly would desire a written confirmation of the order, which gave back the field marshal.
Kutuzov, not looking at Voltsogen, ordered to write this order, which, quite thoroughly, to avoid personal responsibility, desired to have the former commander in chief.
And by an indefinable, mysterious communication, supporting throughout the army one and that same mood, called the heart of the army, and forming the main nerve of war, the words of Kutuzov, his order to battle on tomorrow, spread at the same time in all ends of the troops.
Long away not most words, not most orders were delivered in the last rows of this communication. Even nothing was similar in those stories that were delivered to each other at the different ends of the army, in that what Kutuzov said; but the meaning of his words were informed everywhere, because of how that what Kutuzov said, followed not from cunning considerations, but from the feeling, which lied in the soul of the commander in chief, so the same as in the soul of each Russian man.
And upon learning that for tomorrow we attack the enemy, from the higher spheres of the army upon hearing the confirmation, which they would like to believe, the plagued, hesitant people were comforted and encouraged.
722 im Raum verlegen
723 Der alte Herr macht sich ganz bequem,"
724 des alten Herrn,
725 über diese Eingenommenheit des alten Herrn.
726 Vous ne pensez donc pas comme les autres que nous sommes obligés de nous retirer?
— Au contraire, votre altesse, dans les affaires indécises c’est toujours le plus opiniâtre qui reste victorieux, et mon opinion... (So you do not think like the others that we are obligated to withdraw?
- On the contrary, your highness, in indecisive affairs it is always the most obstinate who remains victorious, and my opinion...)
Mentioned: the morning, to-morrow
Locations: Gorki
Mentioned: French, Semenovskoe, Borodino, Russians, Germans
Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: Kutuzov, with more emphasis on his gray head and heavy body. Similar to Bagration early in the novel, he doesn't give any orders, but he agrees or disagrees with suggestions. "by his old man's mind he understood, that one man cannot lead hundreds of thousands of men struggling with death, and he knew that the fate of a battle is decided not by the commander in chief's instructions....but by that elusive force known as the spirit of the troops"
He hears that Bagration is wounded and rather than having a big reaction, he calmly asks someone to go ride and check to see how bad it is. He receives the false news of Murat being wounded and tells those around him to wait before celebrating, though he sends a messenger to use this information to encourage the troops.
Kutuzov believes things are going well overall but finds himself unable to keep up physically. Barclay de Tolly, described as sensible, believes the battle to be lost. Wolzogen and Kutuzov have an episode where Wolzogen treats him extremely casually and contemptuously (again, see early in the novel). Kutuzov gets angry and insists that as commander in chief, he knows the general course of the battle better than Tolly or Wolzogen (how this is not arrogant like Napoleon is a little lost on me). Kutuzov insists the enemy is defeated, that they will attack them again tomorrow, and they will be driven out of Russia. Raevsky, whom Kutuzov considers "my hero", rides up and gives Kutuzov the good news he wants to hear (interestingly, this happens in French).
"by some indefinable, mysterious connection, which maintains the same mood through an entire army, which is known as the spirit of the army, and constitutes the central nerve of war, Kutuzov's words, his orders to fight the next day, were conveyed simultaneously to all ends of the army...in the soul of every Russian man...the confirmation of what they wanted to believe..."
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 (also "commander-in-chief", "old man", "general-in-chief", "the old gentleman", and "serene highness".)
Pierre
Prince Piotr Ivanovitch Bagration
Prince of Wurttemberg (as in Dole and Briggs. "...Wurtemberg" in Wiener, Garnett, and Bell. "Duke of Wurtemberg" in Maude. Also referred to as "your highness". He also has an aide that rides back.)
Dokhturof (debatable whether he is in the chapter or not, but it seems an order was sent to him.)
Murat
Shcherbinin
Yermolof
Napoleon
Uvarof
Flugel-adjutant Woltzogen (also called a field marshal.)
Prince Andrei
Barclay de Tolly (Also "General Barclay". called "prudent".)
Rayevsky (also called "my hero".)
Kaisarof (it is not clear which one this is, but most likely Paisi. Also called "his adjutant".)
(also soldiers in general, adjutants, and Kutuzof's staff.)
Gibian: Chapter 35.
Fuller: Chapter is preserved and followed by a line break.
Komroff: We skip the wounding of Bagartion, the Prince of Wurttemberg episode, as well as the apparent capturing of Murat. The chapter ends after the first episode with Woltzogen, cutting the Rayevsky episode and the second Woltzogen episode. Followed by a line break.
Kropotkin: Chapter 21: Chapter is preserved.
Bromfield: No apparent corresponding chapter.
Simmons: Chapter 35: a lot of what is said to Kutuzov before the appearance of Wolzogen, such as Bagration and Murat, is removed.
Additional Notes: Garnett: "Actually General Bonami, rather than Murat, had been taken; the misunderstanding originated when Bonami identified himself as king."
"Duke Alexander Frederick of Wurttemberg (1771-1833) was the brother of Alexander I's mother, Empress Marya Fyodorovna."
Segur/Townsend: Page 167: “Kutuzov...the old marshal resting with his army within earshot of the cllah of combat. Wilso, as fiery and insistent as the occasion demanded, tried in vain to rouse him. At length, carried away by indignation, Wilson called him a traitor, and swore that one of his English subordinates would set out that very instant for St. Petersburg to carry the news of his treatson to the Czar and his allies. His threat did not disturb Kutuzov, who persisted in his inaction, either because the chill of winter had aggravated the chill of age in his enfeebled frame, or his mind was overwhelmed with the weight of so much destruction; or perhaps, another consequence of old age, because he had become prudent where there was almost nothing to risk, and learned to procrastinate when there was no more time to lose. He still seemed to believe, as he had at Malo-Yaroslavets, that the Muscovite winter alone could defeat Napoleon; that this genius, this conqueror of men, had not yet been sufficiently subdued by nature; and that he could leave the honor of the victory to the freezing climate, and vengeance to the sky of Russia.”
Rey/Emanuel: Page 244: "Moreover, because he was Russian, he appeared better able to incarnate the patriotic war that would now unfold, no longer in the Lithuanian provinces, but in the heart of Russian territory. However--and this is not the least paradox of the situation--Kutuzov's nomination as head of the general staff brought only minor changes to a strategy that remained essentially unchanged...Borodino...dead (including Bagration)..."
Mikaberidze: Page 6: “the Grande Armee was grievously depressed and a gloomy silence reigned at its bivouacs. ‘Few battles won had produced such an extraordinary effect on the winners; they seemed to be stupefied,’ described Georges Chambray. ‘After enduring so much pain, deprivation and fatigue to compel the enemy to accept a battle, and having fought so gallantly, they now perceived the results as a terrible massacre that augmented their miseries and made it more uncertain than ever how long this war would lost and how it would end.’...The very fact that Murat’s advance was checked and Mozhaisk had not been seized that day showed that the Russian army was far from being routed and that Russian spirits remained unbroken. Furthermore, this advanced guard action allowed Kutuzov to claim further success for the Russians.”
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