Show Notes
The night before the Battle, General Weyrother, who coordinated the advance, traveled to Kutuzov’s quarters in a castle near Austerlitz for a council of war. Kutuzov was a reluctant and relegated host.
Weyrother is presented as full of vigor while Kutuzov was morose, with his uniform unbuttoned and nearly asleep in a chair. Weyrother was familiar with the terrain but was unable to competently explain the nature of this Moravian land. He spoke in front of an enormous map and went through the battle-plan. It involved a flanking maneuver and pursuit over a forest as well as descriptions of how the columns would march. He was exhausted and lost all sense of deference to the other attendees. Kutuzov’s response was to snore – at one point waking up startled and giving a condescending “YES! YES!,” and nodding off again.
Tolstoy then symbolizes how some high-level officers are said to have reacted at the historic encounter.
Friedrich Wilhelm Graf von Buxhöwden, hardly paid attention. Like many of the Russian officer class, his name had German roots. Mikhail Miloradovich “with wide-open eyes and a mustache twisted upwards,” sat in a military posture remaining silent. Unimpressed, he complained to himself but loud enough to be heard, “A geography lesson!?” Dimitry Dohktúrov, a small and modest man was studying the unfamiliar localities on the map and found the plan confusing.
There was also Count Louis Langeron, a French émigré, who gazed at his delicate fingers twirling a gold snuffbox. He tried to contribute his own ideas but was rebuffed. A prominent Polish official, Ignacy Przebyszéwski, was described as carrying a dignified politeness. Thus, the command was an eclectic mix of ethnic Germans, aristocratic Russians, a Frenchman and even a Pole.
Late in the council, Langeron finally got a chance to convey how difficult it would be to carry out such a strategy since the enemy’s position was only assumed and Bonaparte might attack and render the plan worthless. Tolstoy expresses that those spoken down to could have advised Weyrother about military matters. It is a hindsight presentation of a doomed mission. Historically, Weyrother would not have been spearheading the effort if Gen. Johann Schmit had not been killed.
Weyrother met all objections with contempt, finding it ridiculous to debate a disposition approved by the Emperors. He felt the only thing to fear was the French retreating. He noted: “If Napolean could attack us, he would have done so today.”
When Weyrother is nearly finished, Tolstoy brings in the fictional Andrei to get into the mindset of the noble officer who faces such an affair. Andrei asks for a clarification but Weyrother cuts him off with “Gentlemen, the dispositions for tomorrow—or rather for today, for it is past midnight—cannot be altered. You have heard them and we shall all do our duty. Before a battle, there is nothing more important than to have a good sleep.”
Andrei could sense that nobody was inspired by the talk. He wondered how Alexander was not influenced by Kutuzov’s reticence. He realized all their lives were placed at needless risk. He considers, “It is very likely that I shall be killed tomorrow” and a series of memories arose. Andrei remembered parting from his father and dwelled on his wife and her pregnancy. In a softened mood he went out into the early December night.
“Tomorrow everything may be over for me and these memories will be no more.” He became certain he would be called to account as a soldier and man. He pictured the battle in light of the sober analysis from Kutuzov. He imagined having the opportunity to firmly express his opinion of the futility of the present course to Kutuzov, Weyrother and the Emperors. While they would be impressed, no one would listen to him. He visualizes the forthcoming hesitation. He senses that his Toulon (the famous battle that catapulted Napoleon’s career) will present itself and envisions taking a regiment and leading it victory. He
More from War & Peace Podnotes, A Study Guide
As War & Peace delves into to fiction to a much greater degree than the previous section, exploring the Rostov family dynamic throughout 1806, there is a great deal that historically transpired which Tolstoy does not bring you through. In this stretch, Bonaparte was a continental Behemoth, who sets his sights on Prussia, then an industrial power with a highly organized military. The centers that made up the Prussian Kingdom were: Berlin, Potsdam, Königsberg and Danzig. You should recall that based on the battle of Austerlitz, Napoleon replaced the Habsburg Family as the principal authority in Central Europe. Austria never again reached such heights of power. Over the next 70 years Austria would lose influence over the dozens of German states while Prussia gained in this regard. It was Prussia, under Otto Von Bismarck, who in 1871 established the nation we know as Germany. In the start of 1806, France remained in a state of war against Russia, England and even Sweden. It was a busy and productive year for "the man of destiny." In February, Napoleon sent General André Messéna to Naples to overthrow the Bourbon King, Ferdinand IV, and install his brother, Joseph. Messéna was successful though fighting continued for months. In the Summer, Napoleon consolidated control of Holland and placed a crown on another brother, Louis. By mid-July, Napoleon created the Confederation of the Rhine of mostly southern German states, where he compelled alliances. The expanded territory gave the French 60,000 more troops. Napoleon was reshaping Central Europe to assure French influence and limit that of Austria, Prussia, Russia and Great Britain. Napoleon’s desire was to marginalize Britain economically after the Brtis won control of the seas at the Battle of Trafalgar, which preceded Austerlitz by a month. Just off the Southwest coast of France, the French Navy was decimated. The English controlled the water, but Napoleon was dominant on land and wanted to implement the Continental Commerce System. He had success in spreading French administrative, legal and social reforms—including the Napoleonic Code. When possible and practical, he moved to end the remnants of feudalism. The Code abolished a plethora feudal privileges, dismantled manorial courts and freed some peasants, granting basic civil rights and a semblance of equality before the law. To continue to foster his ambitions, Napoleon set his sights on Prussia, which included former Polish territory. Poland was a former Kingdom cut up (partitioned) by Russia, Prussia, and Austria, where many Polish nobles committed allegiance to the Czar or King of Prussia. While the Czar worked with much of the nobility of Poland, the peasants filled the ranks and endured. Czar Alexander was 27 in 1806. Despite the historic loss at Austerlitz, Alexander, would rule for nearly two more decades. He was fortunate that his population was forgiving. Alexander did not enter into serious peace negotiations nor publicly concede the loss. Many among the Russian nobility blamed the result on the Austrians. There are memoirs from Phillip Vigel, then a 20 year-old Russian diplomat, who detailed his observations of the mood in Moscow and Petersburg. The Muscovites were more vocal in castigating the Czar. Some would even laud Napoleon. There, Bonaparte earned nickname befitting a Russian Conqueror, Napoleoskha. In Petersburg, the population shared the humiliation. They would explain the result as a turn of luck. Vigel expressed that Petersburg society felt the desire to get themselves off the floor and prove themselves. He sensed a general optimism of youth. He also notes how the English desired Russia as allies against the French and Czar was their lifeline from French domination. Consequently, Russia spent the summer of 1806 preparing for a new war -- reorganizing and refilling their ranks. General Kutuzov fades into obscurity for a time. Just prior to Austerlitz, in the Fall of 1805, Alexander made a notable a
We now get taken from March of 1806, through the warmer months and then to the end of the year. Quite the fast-forward!
We have reached the pivotal chapter involving the death of the Little Princess and birth of the Andrei’s son.
We move further into March of 1806 and return to Bald Hills, the estate of Andrei’s father. Despite letters and official inquiries, Andrei’s body had not been found nor was he on the list of prisoners.
This episode examines some likely influences in Tolstoy’s writing of the Duel between Pierre & Dolokhov.