Briggs: Rostopchin, feeling sidelined, needs a victim. Vereshchagin is available.
Maude (chapters 24-25): Rostopchin. The killing of Vereshchagin. The released lunatics. Rostopchin's encounter with Kutuzov at the bridge
Pevear and Volokhonsky: Count Rastopchin in abandoned Moscow.
Translation:
XXIV.
On the night of the 1st of September, after his meeting with Kutuzov, Count Rastopchin, upset and insulted by how he was not invited to the military advice, that Kutuzov turned no attention to his proposal to accept participation in the protection of the capitals and a new surprise opened in his camp look, at which the question about the calmness of the capitals and about its patriotic mood manifested not only secondary, but completely unnecessary and insignificant, — upset, insulted and surprised by all of this, Count Rastopchin returned to Moscow. Having dinner, the count, not undressed, laid down on the canape and at the 1st hour was awakened by a courier, who brought him a letter from Kutuzov. In the letter it was spoken that as the troops retreated to the Ryazan road behind Moscow, whether or not it would be anything for the count to send police officials for holding the troops through the city. This news was not news for Rastopchin. Not only with yesterday’s goodbye with Kutuzov at Poklon Mountain, but with the Borodino battle itself, when all the coming in Moscow generals in one voice said that it cannot be to give another battle, and when with the approval of the count every night now was taken out government property, and the residents to half were driven out, Count Rastopchin knew that Moscow will be abandoned; but by that this not less news, reported in the form of searched notes with an order from Kutuzov and received at night, in the time of the first sleep, surprised and annoyed the count.
Afterwards, explaining his activity behind this time, Count Rastopchin in his notes a few times wrote that in him then was two important goals: to keep calm in Moscow and to escort from it the inhabitants.784. If allowed this twofold objective, all the actions of Rastopchin turn out impeccable. For what was not taken out from Moscow shrines, weapons, cartridges, gunpowder, stocks of bread, for what were thousands of inhabitants deceived by how Moscow would not be handed over and busted? — So that to comply the calm in the capital, responded the explanation of Count Rastopchin. For what did he take out bales of unnecessary papers from public places, the orb of Leppich and other items? — So that to leave the city empty, responded the explanation of Count Rastopchin. The cost only to allow that something threatened the popular calmness and all actions become justified.
All the horrors of terror are founded only in the care about folk calmness.
Where again was found the fear of Count Rastopchin about folk calmness in Moscow in the year 1812? What was the cause to assume in the city an addiction to outrage? The residents were leaving, the troops stepping back filled Moscow. Why should owing to this be rioting people?
Not only in Moscow, but throughout Russia, at the introduction of the enemy, did not happen a similar outrage. The 1st and 2nd of September, more than ten thousand people stayed in Moscow, and besides the crowd gathered in the courtyard of the commander in chief and attracted to himself, — nothing was. Obviously, still less was it needed to expect excitement in people, should, after the Borodino battle, when the abandonment of Moscow had become obvious, or at least probable, should then instead so that to worry people with distribution of weapons and posters, Rastopchin accepted the steps to export throughout shrines, gunpowder, charges and money, and all people would have declared that the city is left.
Rastopchin, an impassioned, sanguine person, always revolving in the higher circles of administration, although with patriotic feeling, did not have the slightest idea about these people, which he thought to manage. With himself at the beginning of the entry of the enemy in Smolensk, Rastopchin in his imagination made up for himself the role of chief popular feeling — the heart of Russia. To him not only did it seem (as this seems to each administrator) that he governed the outside actions of the inhabitants of Moscow, but to him it seemed that he led their mood, through his appeals and posters, written by that ethnic tongue, which in its environment despises the people and which it does not understand when hearing it from above. The beautiful role of the chief of popular feeling was so liked by Rastopchin, he so got used to it, that it was miserable to exit from this role, the miserable abandonment of Moscow without any heroic effect caught him by surprise, and he suddenly lost from under his feet the soil on which he stood, and resolutely did not know what to do. Although he knew, he did not believe in all his soul to the last minutes the abandonment of Moscow and did nothing with this purpose. The residents left against his willingness. Should public places be taken out, that was only by the requirement of officials, with which reluctantly agreed the count. He himself was busy only with that role, which he for himself made. As this is often with people gifted with an ardent imagination, he knew now for a long time that Moscow was left, but knew only by reason, all his soul did not believe this, his imagination did not transport to this new position.
All his activity, trying hard and energetic (as far as it was useful and reflected in people, this is another question), all his activity was directed only in that, so that to arouse in the residents that feeling which he himself felt — the patriotic hatred to the French and confidence in himself.
But when the event took its real, historical dimensions, when manifested as insufficient only words to express their hatred to the French, when could not be even a battle to express this hatred, when confidence in himself manifested as worthless by the relation to the one question of Moscow, when all of the population, as one person, threw their property, flowing out of Moscow, showing by this negative action all the force of their popular feeling: then the role, chosen by Rastopchin, manifested suddenly as senseless. He felt himself suddenly lonely, weak and ridiculous, without ground under his feet.
Receiving, awakened from sleep, the cold and imperative note from Kutuzov, Rastopchin felt himself by that more annoyed, the more he felt himself guilty. In Moscow stayed all that was in his execution, all that government that he must take out. To take out all there was not an opportunity.
"Who again is to blame in this, who allowed it to this?" he thought. "Of course not I. I was all ready, I held Moscow here so! And here to what they led business! Bastards, traitors!" he thought, not defining very well who were these bastards and traitors, but feeling miserable hate for these someone traitors which were to blame in this false and mixed up position, in which he was found.
All this night Count Rastopchin gave back orders, for which with all parties Moscow came to him. The approximates had never seen the count so gloomy and annoyed.
"Your excellency, from the Patrimonial Department came, from the director for orders... from the Consistory, from the Senate, from the University, from the Educational Home, vicariously sent... asks... about the fire department command how do you order? From the prison caretaker... from the yellow home caretaker"... All night not ceasing reported the count.
To all these questions the count gave short and angry answers, showing that his orders were now not needed, that all the carefully prepared by him business was now spoiled by someone and that this someone will carry all liability for all that will happen now.
— Well you say to this fool, — was his response to the request from the Patrimonial Department, — for him to stay and guard his paperwork. Well for what do you ask nonsense about the fire department command? There are horses, let it ride to Vladimir. Do not abandon it to the French.
— Your excellency, has arrived the superintendent from the crazy home, how do you order?
— How do I order? Let it all ride, here and all... But the crazy release in the city. When in our armies the crazy command, so by this God told.
To the question about the prisoners that were sitting in the pit, the count angrily shouted at the caretaker.
— What, you have two battalion convoys to give, who is not? Let them, and all!
— Your excellency, they are the politicals: Meshkov, Vereshchagin.
— Vereshchagin! He is still not hanged? — shouted Rastopchin. — Bring him to me.
784 De maintenir la tranquillité à Moscou et d'en faire partir les habitants (To maintain tranquility in Moscow and to remove its inhabitants)
Time: evening of September 1st, one o'clock
Mentioned: previous day, the year 1812, 2nd of September
Locations: Moscow (Moscou in the French)
Mentioned: Ryazan road, Poklonnaya Hill, Borodino, Russia, Smolensk, French, Vladimir
Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: We switch back to Count Rastopchin with a rather magnificent run-on sentence, who is upset that his patriotism is not noticed and that Moscow is being abandoned. Tolstoy now spends time critiquing Rastopchin's words in his memoirs versus his actions, similar to the treatment Napoleon received earlier, even comparing his contradictory actions and reasoning to the Reign of Terror (incidentally, Leppich's balloon is referenced as being evacuated). Tolstoy claims Rastopchin "did not have the least notion of the people he thought to govern."
"he had known for a long time that Moscow would be abandoned, but had known it only with his reason, while with all his soul he had not believed it"
Just like Napoleon, he is shown as irritated and upset and giving orders. The chapter ends with him calling for Vereshchagin.
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 Kutuzof
Count Rostopchin (also "governor-general" and "illustriousness".)
Leppich
Vereshchagin
Abridged Versions: Start of chapter 18 in Bell with only a line break at the end.
Gibian: Chapter 12: line break instead of chapter break at end.
Fuller: Entire chapter is cut.
Komroff: Tolstoy's reflections on what Rostopchin wrote later are removed. Rest of chapter seems preserved and followed by a line break.
Kropotkin: The chapter picks up towards the end, when Rostopchin is replying to the many requests for orders he is getting. This last section is preserved and followed by a line break.
Bromfield: No apparent corresponding chapter.
Simmons: Chapter 12: Tolstoy's reflections on what Rostopchin wrote later are removed. Rest of chapter seems preserved and followed by a line break.
Additional Notes:
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