Chapter 3 third chapter

The Russian army was under the command of Kutuzov and his general staff and the Emperor of Petersburg.Before Petersburg learned that Moscow had fallen, a detailed and comprehensive operational plan was drawn up and sent to Kutuzov as an operational policy.Although this plan was drawn up assuming Moscow was still in our hands, it was still approved by the staff and ready to be carried out.Kutuzov only wrote that combat orders from afar are always difficult to carry out.In order to solve the difficulties encountered, Petersburg issued new instructions and sent personnel to monitor and report Kutuzov's activities.

In addition, the Russian army reorganized the entire staff, filling the vacant position after Bagration's death and the post of Barclay who left.It is also very carefully considered how it would be better: put A in the place of B, and put B in the place of C.Or, on the contrary, putting C in A's place, etc., seems to have anything to do with it than the satisfaction of A and B. In the General Staff, the complex factional struggle was intensified more than usual by Kutuzov's rivalry with his chief of staff, Bennigsen, and by the presence of henchmen sent by the Emperor and changes in personnel.A plots against B, B plots against C, and so on throughout the transfer and reorganization process.The main object of all these mutual plots is the military, and all these people want to fight for the leadership of the military, but the military does not depend on their will, it works as it should, that is to say, it It always does not conform to their ideas, but develops and changes in accordance with the wishes of the people.All these intricacies and intrigues, which are nothing but what must happen among the senior generals, are now truly reflected.

"Prince Mikhail Ilarionovich!" wrote the Emperor in a letter of October 2, received after the Battle of Tarutino. "Moscow fell into the hands of the enemy on September 2, and your last report was written on the 20th; during this period, not only did no action be taken against the enemy and the liberation of the ancient capital, according to your last report, you even continued Retreat. Serpukhov has been taken by an enemy force. Tula and its famous arsenal, which is indispensable to our army, are also in danger. I have learned from General Winzengerode's report We know that the enemy's corps of tens of thousands of men is moving towards the Petersburg road. Another army of several thousand is moving towards Dmitrov. A third French army is advancing along the Vladimir road. Movement. The fourth, a rather large corps, was stationed between Ruza and Mozhaisk. Napoleon himself was still in Moscow until the twenty-fifth. According to all this information, the enemy has divided his army into large divisions, Napoleon himself and his Guards were still in Moscow, would it be possible to say that you were facing an enemy of such strength that it was difficult for you to attack? On the contrary, it may be surmised that he It is possible to pursue you with a much weaker detachment, or at most a corps, than the one at your command. It seems that by taking advantage of these conditions, you can attack to your advantage an enemy weaker than yourself, and destroy him, or at least compel him to retreat, and put the The important parts of the provinces which are still occupied by the enemy are taken back to our own hands, thus saving Tula and other interior cities from danger. If the enemy sends fire regiments to attack Petersburg and threaten the capital, which does not retain many troops, it will be up to the enemy. You bear this responsibility, because you are in charge of the army entrusted to you, and you have everything you need to avert this new disaster by taking resolute and vigorous action. Remember, for the fall of Moscow, you will punish our humiliated The motherland is responsible. I will reward you, you have experience in this, and my determination will not waver in the slightest, but I and Russia have the right to ask you to go all out, to be determined, to succeed, your intelligence, military ability and The bravery and skill of the army you command tells us that you will live up to our expectations."

But while the letter was still on the way, showing that Petersburg was aware of this real balance of forces, Kutuzov was unable to stop the attack of the troops under his command, and the battle had already begun. On October 2, the Cossack Shapovalov, who was out on reconnaissance, shot dead a rabbit and wounded another with his rifle. While chasing the wounded rabbit, he chased it into the woods and encountered an unarmed rabbit. Any of Murat's left flank troops on alert.Afterwards the Cossack told his companions with a smile how he almost fell into the hands of the French.When a second lieutenant heard the story, he reported it to his commanding officer.

The Cossack was called in for questioning; the Cossack officers wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to retake some horses, but a commander who knew the senior general reported the matter to a general on the staff.The situation in the General Staff has been very tense lately.Yermolov had gone to Bennigsen a few days earlier and asked him to use his influence with the commander-in-chief to persuade him to attack. "If I didn't know you, I would have thought you would not do what you ask. His Excellency would have done the opposite if I advised anything," replied Bennigsen.

The fact that the Cossack's report was confirmed by the scouting cavalry dispatched proved that the time had come.The coiled mainspring was unwound, and the clock was hissing, ready to strike.Kutuzov, despite his fictitious power, his ingenuity, his experience and his ability to recognize people, could not fail to notice Bennigsen's personal report to the emperor, the generals' report Unanimous wishes, the wishes of the emperor he expected, and the reports of the Cossacks, he could no longer prevent the inevitable, and he was obliged to give orders against his will to do what he considered useless and harmful,--he A fait accompli is acknowledged.