Briggs: The Cossacks then attack, find Murat but fail to follow up their success.
Translation:
VI.
On the next day the troops from the evening gathered in the appointed places and at night came forward. It was an autumn night with black lilac clouds, but without rain. The land was wet, but there was not mud, and the troops went without noise, only weakly was heard the occasional strumming of artillery. It was forbidden to speak loudly, smoke pipes, hew fires; horses were held from neighing. The mysterious enterprise increased its attractiveness. People went funnily. Some columns stopped, putting the guns on the box and settled down on the cold land, believing that they came there where it was needed; some (the majority of) columns went the whole night and obviously were called for not where they were needed.
Count Orlov-Denisov with Cossacks (the most minor detachment of all the others) alone hit in their place and at its time. This detachment stopped in the extreme fringes of forest, on the path from the village Stromilova to Dmitrovsky.
Before dawn, the dozing Count Orlov woke up. Was brought a defector from the French camp. This was a Polish noncommissioned officer of the corps of Ponyatovsky. This noncommissioned officer in Polish explained that he ran across because of how he was hurt by service, that for a long time it would be time to be an officer, that he was braver than all, and because of it threw them and wanted to punish them. He spoke that Murat spent the night a verst from them, and that if he was given a one hundred person convoy, he will take him alive. Count Orlov-Denisov advised with his own companions. The proposal was too flattering to refuse. All called to go, all advised to try. After many disputes and considerations, General-major Grekov with two Cossack regiments decided to go with the sergeant-officer.
— But remember again, — said Count Orlov-Denisov to the noncommissioned-officer, letting him go: — in the case you lied, I will command you to be hung, as a dog, but if it is real — one hundred chervontsevs.
The noncommissioned officer with a decisive look did not respond to these words, sat down on horseback and went with the quickly gathered Grekov. They hid in the wood. Count Orlov, shrinking from the freshness of the beginning of the dazzle of the morning, excited by that they were conceived in its liability, having spent Grekov, got out from the forest and began to look around the enemy camp, saw now deceptively in the light of the incipient morning and burning out bonfires. From the right of Count Orlov-Denisov, by the open slope were seen our columns. Count Orlov saw there; but, despite that how from afar they would be noticeable, these columns were not seen. In the French camp, as seen by Count Orlov-Denisov, and especially by the words of his very keen adjutant, began to move.
— Ah, right, late, — said Count Orlov, seeing the camp. He suddenly, as this often is, after this as a man, which we believe is no more before our eyes, to him suddenly completely clearly and obviously had come that this noncommissioned officer was lying, that he lied and only spoiled all the business of attacks with the lack of these two regiments, which he will start God knows where. Whether from such masses of troops can it be to snatch the commander in chief?
— Rightly he lied, this rogue, — said the count.
— Can bring him back, — said one of the suite, who felt so the same as Count Orlov-Denisov, disbelieving the enterprise, when looking at the camp.
— Ah? Right?.. How do you think, leave? Or not?
— Order to bring back?
— Bring back, bring back! — suddenly resolutely said Count Orlov, looking at his watch, — it will be late, it’s really light.
And the adjutant galloped in the forest behind Grekov. When Grekov returned, Count Orlov-Denisov, excited at this canceled attempt, and the futile waiting infantry columns that all had not shown up, and the proximity of the enemy (all the people of his detachment tested that same), decided to advance.
He commanded in a whisper: Sit down! They distributed, crossing themselves...
— With the Lord!
Uraaaaa! Noisy by the wood, and one hundred behind another, as from sleeping bags after getting enough sleep, flew the funny Cossacks with their own darting in superiority, across the creek to the camp.
One desperate, scared shout of the first who saw the Cossacks Frenchman, and all that were in the camp, undressed, sleepy, threw their guns, cannon, horses, and ran somewhere horribly.
If the Cossacks would have pursued the French, not turning attention to that what was behind and around them, they would have taken Murat, and all that was here. The chiefs would like this. Yet it could not be to move from their places the Cossacks, when they got to the spoils and captives. No one listened to the commanders. Taken here again were 1500 captives, 38 cannons, banners, and what was more important only for the Cossacks, horses, saddles, blankets and various items. With all this need to get along, clean up the hands of the captives, guns, to divide the plunder, shout, and even to fight between themselves: to all this were occupied the Cossacks.
The French, not persecuted more, began to come to their senses, gathered commands and began to fire. Orlov-Denisov saw all the columns and did not advance farther.
Between that by the dispositions: “the first column is going”942 and etc., the infantry troops of the late coming columns, which were commanded by Bennigsen and governed by Toll, came forward as they should and, as always is, came somewhere, but not there where they were appointed. As always is, people, releasing funnily, began to stop; hearing the displeasure, consciousness of the confusion, moved somewhere backwards. Galloping adjutants and generals shouted, angered, quarreled, saying that it really was not there and late, someone was scolded and etc., and finally, all waved hands and went alone with that, so to go somewhere. —"Come somewhere!" and really came, but not there, but some there, but so late that they came without every use, only so that on them were fired. Toll, who at this battle played the role of Weyrother at Austerlitz, carefully galloped from place to place, and everywhere found everything inverted. So he jumped in the corps of Baggovut in the wood, when now it really was light, but these corps for a long time now should be there with Orlov-Denisov. Excited, upset by the failure and believing that someone should be to blame in this, Toll jumped up to the corps commander and strictly began to reproach him, saying that for this he should be shot. Baggovut, an old, battled, calm general, also tormented by all the stops, confusion, contradiction, to the surprise of all, completely nasty to his character, became rabid and uttered unpleasant things to Toll.
— I take lessons from whom I do not want, but to die with my own soldiers cannot be worse than another, — he said and with one division went forward.
Coming in the field under the French shots, the excited and brave Baggovut, not thinking if helpful or useless his introduction in the business now and with one division, went all and led his troops under shots. The danger, shots, bullets were that very thing that he needed in his angry mood. One of the first bullets murdered him, the following bullets killed many soldiers. And his division stood for some time without use under fire.
942 "die erste Colonne marschirt"
Mentioned: evening, autumnal
Locations: Stromilova (Stromilovo in Pevear and Volokhonsky and Garnett) to Dmitrovskoe (Dmitrovsk in Maude and Briggs)
Mentioned: French, Polish, Austerlitz
Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: The armies march secretly, but joyfully, not realizing they were not getting to where they needed to be. A Polish deserter comes into the Cossack camp and tells them where Murat is so the Cossacks get ready to attack before their commander Count Orlov-Denisov, decides that the deserter must be lying, before changing his mind yet again to go ahead and attack. The Frenchmen flee as quickly as they can and instead of chasing them and capturing Murat and the rest, the Cossacks get satisfied with what prisoners they have and worry about taking all the stuff the Frenchmen had with them. Arguments start and no one obeys orders or goes where they are supposed to go. Bagovut acts against character, getting angry, charging needlessly, and then getting shot and killed while his division remains behind, "standing uselessly under fire."
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 Orlof-Denisof (and his Cossacks. See chapter 30 for Denisof variations. See chapter 12 for variations on Orlof. He is also called "Count Orlof".)
Poniatowsky (this alternate spelling is used by Dole. Maude, Mandelker, and Edmonds do not use it.)
Murat (who is also called "the commander-in-chief")
Major-General Grekof ("...Grekov" in Garnett, Maude, and Wiener. "....Grekow" in Bell.)
Benigsen
Toll
Weirother
Bagovut (and his men. Bell's "Bagovouth" is an alternate reading.)
Abridged Versions: No break in Bell.
Gibian: line break instead of chapter break.
Fuller: Entire chapter is cut.
Komroff: Entire chapter is cut.
Kropotkin: We pick up with several of the columns halting, making a pretty smooth transition from the plan the disposition had for the columns versus where they actually ended up. We cut off early, after "refrained from further offensive action", cutting the Toll and Benigsen reflections, as well as the Bagvoust episode. No break.
Simmons: Entire chapter is cut.
Additional Notes:
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