Briggs: The Russians at Fominsk and Maloyaroslavets. Dokhturov the real hero.
Maude (chapters 15-19): The Russian army. Dokhturov. News of the French having left Moscow reaches Kutuzov at night. His emotion. Cossacks nearly capture Napoleon at Malo-Yaroslavets. He retreats by the Smolensk road. A third of his army melts away before reaching Vlazma.
Pevear and Volokhonsky: Kutuzov receives and refuses a second offer of peace from Napoleon. Praise of Dokhturov. He happens on the whole French army retreating down the Kaluga road. Word sent to headquarters.
Translation:
XV.
At the first of October to Kutuzov came another parliamentarian with a letter from Napoleon and a proposal of peace, deceptively designated from Moscow, then as Napoleon now was near ahead of Kutuzov on the old Kaluga road. Kutuzov responded to this letter so the same as to the first, sent with Lauriston: he said that about peace a speech may not be.
Soon after this from the partisan detachment of Dorohov, who walked left from Tarutin, received a report about how in Fominskoe appeared troops, that they took the place from the division of Brucye, and that this division, separated from other troops, easily may be exterminated. The soldiers and officers again required activities. The staff generals, excited about the memory of the easy victory under Tarutinskaya, insisted to Kutuzov about the performance of the offers of Dorohov. Kutuzov did not count it fit for an offensive. Exited the average, that what must take place; was sent to Fominskoe a small detachment, which should attack Brucye.
By strange randomness, this appointment — very difficult and very major, as manifested afterwards, was received by Dohturov; that most modest, little Dohturov, whom no one describes to us as a component of the plans of battles, flying before regiments, throwing crosses on batteries, and so on, who is counted and called indecisive and impermeability, but that very Dohturov, who, in the time of all the wars of the Russians with the French, from Austerlitz and to the 13th year, we find him commanding everywhere, where only the position is difficult. In Austerlitz he stays last at the dam of the Augest, collecting regiments, saving what he can, when all run and die, and not one general was in the rearguard. He, sick and feverish, goes to Smolensk with 20 thousand to protect the city against the Napoleonic army. At Smolensk, barely nodding off at the Malahovsky gate, in a paroxysm of fever, wakes up the cannonade by Smolensk, and Smolensk holds the whole day. At the Borodino battle, when killed is Bagration and our troops of the left flank are killed in proportion of 9 to 1, and all the power of the French artillery is directed there, was sent someone other, but it was the indecisive and impermeable Dohturov, and Kutuzov in a hurry to correct his mistake, when he was sent there for another. And the little, quiet Dohturov rides there, and Borodino — is bested thanks to the Russian troops. Many heroes are described to us in poetry and prose, but about Dohturov there are almost no words.
Again Dohturov was sent there to Fominskoe and from there to Malo Yaroslav, in that place, where was the latter battle with the French, and in that place, with whom obviously now began the death of the French, and again many geniuses and heroes are described to us in this period of the campaign, but about Dohturov there are no words, or very little, or doubtful ones. This silence about Dohturov obvious only proves his virtues.
Naturally for a human, not understanding the passage of machines, in seeing its action it seems that the most important part of this machine is that silver which accidentally hits in it and, hinder its going, fluttering in it. A person, not knowing the device of the machine, may not understand that not this spoiling and interfering business of the silver, but that small, transfering gear, which whirls not heard, is one of the essential parts of the machine.
The 10th of October, on that very day as Dohturov passed half the road to Fominskoe and had stopped an the village of Aristove, preparing in accuracy to perform the given away order, all the French army, in its convulsive movement reached to the positions of Murat, as it seemed, so that to give battle, suddenly without causes turned to the left on the new, Kaluga road and began to enter in Fominskoe, at which before stood one Brusye. At Dohturov under the command in this time were, besides Dorohov, two small detachments of Figner and Seslavin.
The night of the 11th of October Seslavin arrived in Aristove to the chief with caught prisoners of a French guardsman. The captive spoke that the troops, included now at Fominskoe, formed a vanguard throughout the big army, and that Napoleon was here already, and that the army all now for the fifth day had exited from Moscow. On that same night a yard person, coming from Borovsky, told how he saw the introduction of huge troops into the city. The Cossacks from the detachment of Dorohov delivered that they saw the French guard, going by the road to Borovitsky. From all this news it had become obvious that there, where it was thought to find one division, now was all the army of the French, walking from Moscow by an unexpected direction — by the old Kaluga road. Dohturov wanted to undertake nothing, so as it was not clear to him in what consists his duty. He was ordered to attack Fominskoe. Yet at Fominskoe before was one Brucye, now was all the French army. Ermolov wanted to do it by his discretion, but Dohturov insisted in that he needed to have an order from the lordly. It was decided to send a report to the staff.
For this was elected the explanatory officer, Bolhovitinov, who besides written reports should in words say all the business. In the 12th of the hour night Bolhovitinov, receiving the envelope and verbal order, galloped, accompanied by a Cossack, with a stock of horses to the main staff.
Mentioned: 1813, a whole day, five days before
Locations: Fominskoe (Forminsk in Maude. Fominsk in Briggs.), Maly Yaroslavets, Aristovo
Mentioned: Moscow, Kaluga, Tarutino, French, Russian, Austerlitz, Augezd dam, Smolensk, Malakhov gate (Molokhov gate in Dunnigan. Malakhof gates in Dole. cut in Bell.), Borodino, Borovsk
Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: We switch to Kutuzov, who replies to Napoleon's letter by saying there will be no peace. The armies are again wanting to go on the offensive while Kutuzov does not. Tolstoy spends some time praising Dokhturov as someone "we find in command wherever the situation is difficult."
He is not recognized by historians and "This silence about Dokhturov is the most obvious proof of his merit." We then get a further explanation of the chip in the machine analogy, with the little transmission gear, obviously Dokhturov, being the most important part. They get the report that the entire French army is retreating down the old Kaluga road and Dokhturov goes against Ermolov by wanting to report to Kutuzov before anything is done.
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 "his serene highness". and a messenger who comes to him.)
Napoleon
Lauriston
Dorokhof ("Dorokhow" in Bell. "Dorokhov" in Wiener, Briggs, and Maude. "Dorohov" in Edmonds. And his band of "partisans" and the Cossacks of his division.)
Broussier (his troops.)
Dokhturof
Bagration
Murat
Figner
Seslavin (as in Dole, Edmonds, and Wiener. "Seslavine" in Bell.)
Yermolof
Bolkhovitinof ("Bolkhovitinov" in Mandelker, Maude, and Briggs. "Bolhovitinov" in Edmonds.)
Abridged Versions: Start of Chapter 9 in Bell. No break at the end.
Gibian: Chapter 4: line break instead of chapter break.
Fuller: Entire chapter is cut.
Komroff: Entire chapter is removed.
Kropotkin: Chapter 5: The long description of Dokhturof and how valuable he had been is removed. No break at end.
Simmons: Chapter 4: the analogy of the chip in the machine is removed. Line break instead of chapter break.
Additional Notes:
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