War and Peace

Kutuzov leads his forces across the River Danube after several skirmishes with the French army. He fights against a small French force and emerges victorious, though he suffers casualties to a third of his forces. The rest of his troops are hungry and poorly equipped. Kutuzov sends an elated Andrei to Austria to convey news of victory.

In Austria, Andrei’s happiness is “considerably weakened” (161) when he realizes that the Austrian minister of war is indifferent to the news.

Andrei stays with an old friend named Bilibin, a Russian diplomat famous for his wit and urbane nature. Andrei learns that the war is not just a military matter. Politicians and diplomats are just as busy behind the scenes as the soldiers on the front lines. Bilibin explains to Andrei that even though Kutuzov has supposedly won a victory on their behalf, the Austrians are unhappy that so many French troops escaped. Napoleon is in control of the Austrian capital Vienna. Even though the Austrians are supporting the Russians with large amounts of resources, Bilibin predicts that the Austrians will switch allegiances and make a secret deal with Napoleon. They will turn on Russia. After much delay, Andrei meets Emperor Francis of Austria and is showered with meaningless praise. Afterward, Andrei learns that the French army has made more progress through Austria. Andrei imagines the personal glory he could attain if he led the Russian army to victory. He decides to return to fight alongside Kutuzov, even though the exhausted Russian army is likely to lose the next battle. Disgusted by the gamesmanship and the politics of the people in power, he would rather risk death as a soldier than stay with the diplomats and politicians.

Kutuzov initially refuses to allow Andrei to return to the front. Kutuzov predicts that the men under the command of General Bagration (a real historical figure) will suffer heavy losses. They must do so to allow Kutuzov to maneuver the rest of his men to a safe retreat. Once safe, Kutuzov will wait for reinforcements from Russia. Fortunately for the Russians, the French general Murat mistakes Bagration’s troops for the entire Russian army and offers a three-day truce, sensing the opportunity for a complete victory if the battle is delayed.

Kutuzov allows Andrei to join Bagration’s forces ahead of Murat’s delayed attack. Andrei inspects the fortifications around the troops and prepares his advice for Bagration. The French and the Russian soldiers are so close to one another that they can converse across their front lines. As they share jokes, their guns and canons point at each other.

While Andrei inspects the soldiers and the fortifications, he overhears two officers. One of them, Captain Tushin, speaks in somber tones about the inevitability of death. The barrage begins. Andrei watches Bagration carefully. He realizes that Bagration never issues any orders to his officers. Instead, he listens and nods along with their reports. The officers then return to the men, calm and cheerful because Bagration listened to them. The troops seem equally enthused by Bagration’s presence.

Andrei witnesses the violence and the chaos of battle. Bagration leads an attack, and the troops happily follow him into battle, cheering as they run down a hill toward the French forces. Various units of soldiers move around the French to cut off a retreat. Caught in the middle, Tushin and his men set fire to a nearby Austrian village. The French put out the fire, allowing the Russians time to escape.

Nikolai’s regiment is surrounded and attacked before they can escape. Denisov leads his men toward the enemy, and Nikolai happily follows. However, his horse is shot, and Nikolai falls to the ground. A French soldier runs at him, and Nikolai is surprised to realize that the man wants to kill him. He is shocked that anyone would want to kill someone like himself, a man “who everybody loves” (201). Nikolai escapes and runs back to the Russian lines.

Dolokhov captures a French officer. Tushin and his men are still isolated from the rest of the Russian forces. They hold a steady rate of fire until Andrei arrives, bearing orders to retreat. Andrei fights alongside Tushin’s men, overcoming his fears long enough to salvage the cannon. He helps save Nikolai from the horrors of battle.

Later, Bagration criticizes Tushin for leaving two valuable cannons behind. Tushin is too humble to admit that he did not have enough men to save all the equipment. Andrei speaks up on his behalf, praising Tushin for his bravery. He insists that Tushin and his men deserve thanks for their hard work. Andrei leaves the meeting, feeling disenchanted and bitter about the waging of the war.

Elsewhere, Nikolai huddles close to a fire in the woods. His arm is injured, he is miserable, and he feels alone. Memories of his family provide him with comfort until he sees the wounded soldiers and remembers the violence of the battle. Nikolai questions why he joined the war.