Война и мир

Chapter 19

           

           TheexplanationofthisstrangefactgivenbyRussianmilitaryhistorians(totheeffectthatKutúzovhinderedanattack)isunfounded,forweknowthathecouldnotrestrainthetroopsfromattackingatVyázmaandTarútino.

           WhywastheRussianarmy—whichwithinferiorforceshadwithstoodtheenemyinfullstrengthatBorodinó—defeatedatKrásnoeandtheBerëzinabythedisorganizedcrowdsoftheFrenchwhenitwasnumericallysuperior?

           IftheaimoftheRussiansconsistedincuttingoffandcapturingNapoleonandhismarshals—andthataimwasnotmerelyfrustratedbutallattemptstoattainitweremostshamefullybaffled—thenthislastperiodofthecampaignisquiterightlyconsideredbytheFrenchtobeaseriesofvictories,andquitewronglyconsideredvictoriousbyRussianhistorians.

           TheRussianmilitaryhistoriansinsofarastheysubmittoclaimsoflogicmustadmitthatconclusion,andinspiteoftheirlyricalrhapsodiesaboutvalor,devotion,andsoforth,mustreluctantlyadmitthattheFrenchretreatfromMoscowwasaseriesofvictoriesforNapoleonanddefeatsforKutúzov.

           Butputtingnationalvanityentirelyasideonefeelsthatsuchaconclusioninvolvesacontradiction,sincetheseriesofFrenchvictoriesbroughttheFrenchcompletedestruction,whiletheseriesofRussiandefeatsledtothetotaldestructionoftheirenemyandtheliberationoftheircountry.

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