第644章

第644章anyplanofcuttingoffandcapturingnapoleonandhisarmy,howevercarefullythoughtout,wouldhavebeenliketheactionofagardenerwho,afterdrivingoutaherdofcattlethathadbeentramplinghisbeds,shouldrunouttobelabourthecattleaboutthehead.theonlythingthatcouldbesaidinjustificationofhisproceedingwouldbethathewasgreatlyincensed.buttheauthorsofthissupposedplancannotpleadeventhisexcuse,sincetheirswerenotthegardensthathadbeentrampled.

and,besidesbeingabsurd,tocutofftheretreatofnapoleon’sarmywasalsoimpossible.

itwasimpossible,inthefirstplace,because,sinceexperienceshowsthatthemovementofcolumnsinasinglebattlefieldatfiveversts’distancenevercoincideswiththeplanoftheirmovements,theprobabilitythattchitchagov,kutuzov,andwittgensteinwouldallreachanappointedspotintimewassoremotethatitpracticallyamountedtoimpossibility.askutuzovinfactregardeditwhenhesaidthatman？uvresplannedatgreatdistancesdonotproducetheresultsexpectedofthem.

secondly,itwasimpossible,becausetoparalysetheforceofinertiawithwhichnapoleon’sarmywasreboundingbackalongitstrack,incomparablygreaterforceswereneededthanthosetherussianshadattheircommand.

thirdly,itwasimpossible,becausethemilitaryexpression,tocutoff,wasreallynomeaning.onemaycutoffasliceofbread,butnotanarmy.tocutoffanarmy—thatis,tobaritsroad—isimpossible,becausetherearealwaysmanyplacesbywhichthemencanmakeacircuittogetout,andthereisalwaysthenight,duringwhichnothingcanbedone;afactofwhichthemilitarystrategistsmighthavebeenconvincedbytheexamplesofkrasnoeandberezina.onecannevertakeaprisonerunlessheagreestobetaken,justasonecannevercatchaswallow,thoughofcourseitispossibleifitsettlesonone’shand.onecantakeaprisonerwhowillsurrender,asthegermansdid,inaccordancewiththerulesofstrategyandtactics.butthefrenchsoldiersverywiselydidnotfeelitincumbentonthemtodoso,sincedeathfromcoldandhungerawaitedthemasmuchiftakenprisoner,asifpersistingintheirflight.

thefourthandchiefreasonwhyitwasimpossibleisthatwarwaswagedin1812underconditionsmoreterriblethaneversincetheworldhasexisted;andtherussiantroopsstrainedeverynerveinthepursuitofthefrench,andcouldnothavedonemorewithoutperishingthemselves.

therussianarmylostinitsmarchfromtarutinotokrasnoefiftythousandsickorlers,thatis,anumberequaltothepopulationofalargeprovincialtown.halfofthearmywaslostwithoutabattle.

atthisperiodofthecampaignthesoldierswerewithoutbootsorfur-linedcoats,onhalfrations,withoutvodka,campingoutatnightformonthsinthesnowwithfifteendegreesoffrost;whiletherewereonlysevenoreighthoursofdaylight,andtherestwasnight;wheredisciplinecouldnotexertthesameinfluence,andmenwereputinperilofdeath,notforafewhours,asonthefieldofbattle,butforwholemonthstogetherwerekeepingupaleeverymomentwithdeathfromcoldandhunger.andofthisperiodofthecampaign,whenhalfthearmyperishedinonemonth,thehistorianstellusthatmiloradovitchoughttohavemadeanobliquemarchinonedirection,andtormasovinanother,andtchitchagovoughttohaveadvancedtothispoint（themenadvancingknee-deepinthesnow）,andthatsoandsopushedthroughandcutthefrenchoff,andsoon,andsoon.

therussiansoldiersdidallthatcouldoroughttohavebeendonetoattainanendworthyofthepeople,andhalfofthemdiedindoingit.theyarenottoblamebecauseotherrussians,sittinginwarmroomsathome,proposedthattheyshoulddotheimpossible.

allthisstrangediscrepancybetweenthefactsandtheaccountsofhistorians,sodifficulttounderstandto-day,arisessimplyfromthis,thatthehistorianswrotethehistoryofthenoblesentimentsandfinespeechesofvariousgenerals,andnotthehistoryoftheeventsthemselves.

theyattachgreatconsequencetothewordsofmiloradovitch,tothehonoursbestowedonthisgeneralorthat,andtheproposalsmadebythem.butthequestionofthefiftythousandmenwholayinthehospitalsandgraveyardsdoesnoteveninterestthem,foritdoesnotcomewithinthescopeoftheirresearches.

andyetwehavebuttoturnawayfromresearchesamongthereportsandplansofthegenerals,andtolookintothemovementsofthosehundredthousandmenwhotookdirectimmediatepartintheevents;andallthequestionsthatseemedinsolublebeforecanbereadilyandcertainlyexplainedwithextraordinaryeaseandsimplicity.

theplanofcuttingoffnapoleonandhisarmyneverexistedsaveintheimaginationofsomedozenmen.itcouldnothaveexistedbecauseitwasabsurdandcouldnotbecarriedout.

thepeoplehadasingleaim：tocleartheircountryoftheinvaders.thataimwaseffectedprimarilyofitself,sincethefrenchwereflying,andallthatwasnecessarywasnottochecktheirflight.itwaspromoted,too,bytheirregularwarfarekeptupbythepeopledestroyingthefrencharmypiecemeal;andthirdly,bythegreatrussianarmyfollowingintherearofthefrench,readytouseforceincasetherewereanypauseintheirretreat.

therussianarmyhadtoactasawhipurgingonafleeinganimal.andtheexperienceddriverknewthatitwasbettertokeepthewhipraisedasamenacethantobringitdownonthecreature’sback.