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War in Peace, Book 3 chapter 11, read for libufox.org by Mark O'Neil.
The next day the Emperor stopped at Vishal, and Villia, his physician, were repeatedly
summoned to see him.
It had caught us and among the troops nearby, the news spread that the Emperor was unwell.
He ate nothing, and it slept badly that night, those around him reported.
The cause of this indisposition was the strong impression made on his sensitive mind,
by the sight of the killed and wounded.
At daybreak on the 17th, a French officer who had come with a flag of truce, demanding
an audience with the Russian Emperor, was brought into Vishal from our outposts.
This officer was savoury.
The Emperor had only just fallen asleep, and so savoury had to wait.
The next day he was admitted to the Emperor, and an hour later he rode off with Prince
Dogarov to the advanced post of the French army.
It was rumored that savoury had been sent to propose to Alexander, a meeting with Napoleon.
To the joy and pride of the whole army, a personal interview was refused, and instead
of the sovereign, Prince Dogarov, the victim of Vishal, was sent with savoury to negotiate
with Napoleon if, contrary to expectations, these negotiations were actuated by a real
desire for peace.
Toward evening Dogarov came back, went straight to the Tsar, and remained alone with him for
a long time.
On the 18th and 19th of November, the army advanced two days March, and the enemies outposts
after a brief interchange of shots retreated.
In the highest army circle shall midday on the 19th, a great, excitedly bustling activity
began, which lasted till the morning of the 20th, when the memorable battle of Ulster
Litz was fought.
Till midday on the 19th, the activity, the eager talk, running to and fro, and dispatching
of agitants, was confined to the Emperor's headquarters.
But on the afternoon of that day, this activity reached Kutuzov's headquarters, and the
staffs of the commanders of Colombs.
By evening the agitants had spread it to all ends and parts of the army, and in the
night from the 19th to the 20th, the whole 80,000 ally troops rose from the Vibhaviwaks
to the hum of voices, and the army swayed and started in one enormous mass six miles
long.
The concentrated activity, which had begun at the Emperor's headquarters in the morning,
and it started the whole movement that followed, was like the first movement of the main
wheel of a large clock, tower clock.
One wheel slowly moved, another was set in motion, and the third, and wheels began to
revolve faster and faster, levers in cog wheels to work, chimes to play, figures to pop
out, and the hands to advance with regular motion as a result of all that activity.
This is in the mechanism of a clock, so in the mechanism of the military machine, an
impulse once given leads to the final result, and just as indifferently queasy to the moment
when motion is transmitted to them, are the parts of the mechanism which the impulse is
not yet reached.
Wheels creak on their axles, as the cogs engage one another, and the revolving pulleys
were with the rapidity of their movement, but a neighboring wheel is as quiet and motionless
as though it were prepared to remain so for a hundred years.
But the moment comes when the lever catches it, and obeying the impulse that wheel begins
to creak and joins in the common motion the result and aim of which are beyond its
kin.
Just as in a clock, the result of the complicated motion of innumerable wheels and pulleys
is merely a slow and regular movement of the hands which show the time.
So the result of all the complicated human activities of 160,000 Russians in French, all
their passions, desires, remorse, humiliations, sufferings, outbursts of pride, fear and
enthusiasm, was only the loss of the battle of Austolites, the so-called battle of the
three emperors, that is to say a slow movement of the hand on the dial of human history.
Prince Andrew was on duty that day, and in constant attendance on the commander in chief.
At six in the evening, Kutysov went to the emperor's headquarters, and after staying
by a short time with the Tsar, went to see the grand marshal of the court, Count Tolstoy.
Volkonsky took the opportunity to go in to get some details of the coming action from
Dogarov.
He felt that Kutysov was upset and dissatisfied about something, and that it had quarters
they were dissatisfied with him, and also that of the emperor's headquarters, everyone
adopted towards him, the tone of men who know something others do not know.
He therefore wished to speak to Dogarov.
Well, how do you do my dear fellow, said Dogarov, who was sitting at T with Bibbelin?
Defeated for tomorrow, how is your old fellow, out of sorts?
I won't say he's out of sorts, but I fancy he would like to be heard.
But they hurt him at the council of war, and will hear him when he talks since, but to
temporise and wait for something now when Bonaparte fears nothing so much as a general battle,
is impossible.
Yes, you have seen him, said Prince Andrew?
Well, what is Bonaparte like, did he impress you?
Yes, I saw him, and I'm convinced that he fears nothing so much as a general engagement
repeated Dogarov, evidently pricing this general conclusion, which he had arrived at from his
interview with Napoleon. If he weren't afraid of a battle, why did he ask for that interview?
Why negotiate, and above all, why retreat, when to retreat is so contrary to his method of
conducting war? Believed me, he is afraid, afraid of a general battle, his hour has come,
marked my words. But tell me, what is he like, he, said Prince Andrew again?
He is a man in a great overcoat, very anxious that I should call him your majesty,
but who to his chagraine got no title from me? That's the sort of man he is, and nothing more
replied Dogarov, looking round at Bibbelin with a smile. Despite my great respect,
for all kisses of he continued, we should be a nice set of fellows if we were to wait about,
and so give him a chance to escape, or to trick us, now that we certainly have him in our hands.
No, we mustn't forget Super-off and his rule, not to put yourself in a position to be attacked,
but yourself to attack. Believed me in war, the energy of young men often shows the way
better than all the experience of all countryators. But in what position are we going to attack him?
I have been at the outposts today, and it is impossible to say where his chief forces are
situated, said Prince Andrew. He wished to explain to Dogarov a plan of attack he had himself
formed. All that is all the same Dogarov said quickly, in getting up he spared a map on the table.
All eventualities have been foreseen, if he is standing before Brune, and Prince Dogarov rapidly
but indistinctly explained where there is a plan of a flanking movement.
Prince Andrew began to reply and to state his own plan, which might have been as good as
were others, but for the disadvantage that were others had already been approved. As soon as
Prince Andrew began to demonstrate the defects of the latter and the merits of his own plan,
Prince Dogarov ceased to listen to him, engaged absentmindedly not at the map, but at Prince Andrew's
face. There will be a council of war at Kutuzov's tonight though, you can say all this there,
remark Dogarov. I will do so, said Prince Andrew, moving away from the table.
Whatever are you bothering about Jentom and Sid Babylon,
who till then had listened with an amused smile to their conversation, and now was evidently ready
with a joke. Whether tomorrow brings victory or defeat, the glory of our Russian arms is secure.
Except your Kutuzov, there is not a single Russian in command of a column.
The commanders are, Head General Vinfin, Le Comte de Langeron,
De Prince de Liechtenstein, Le Prince de Hohelua, and finally Prichprich, and so on,
like all those Polish names. Be quiet back byter, said Dogarov. It is not true,
there are now two Russians, Milo Dovich and Dukarov, and there will be a third Count Arachief,
if his nerves were not so weak. However, I think General Kutuzov has come out, said Prince Andrew.
I wish you good luck in success, Jentom and he added, and went out after shaking hands with Dogarov
and Babylon. On the way home, Prince Andrew could not refrain from asking Kutuzov,
who was setting silently beside him, what he thought of tomorrow's battle.
Kutuzov looks sternly at his adjutant, and after a pause replied,
I think the battle will be lost, and so I told Count Torstoy and asked him to tell the Emperor.
What do you think he replied? But my dear General, I am engaged with rice and cutlets,
look after military matters yourself. Yes, that was the answer I got.
End of chapter 11, recording by Marco Niel, Vortzburg Germany, www.betterthantherapy.net
