War and Peace. Review in Braunau (Tolstoy Lev N.). Essay: View under Braunau Analysis of an episode from Tolstoy's novel War and Peace Braunau War and Peace brief

Looking out near Braunau, Tolstoy begins his depiction of the war of 1805. The review scene clearly reveals the main problems of the war of 1805, which will later be depicted in more detail by Tolstoy.
Even before the review, turmoil reigns in the Russian camp: no one knows in what form the commander-in-chief wants to see the soldiers. According to the principle: “It is better to bow than to fail,” the soldier is ordered to put on a dress uniform. Then an order comes that Kutuzov wants to see marching uniforms on the soldiers. As a result, the soldiers, instead of resting, spend the entire night working on their uniforms. Finally Kutuzov arrives. Everyone is excited: both soldiers and commanders: “The regimental commander, blushing, ran up to the horse, with trembling hands took hold of the stirrup, threw the body over, straightened himself out, took out his sword and with a happy, determined face...prepared to shout.” The regimental commander “performed his duties as a subordinate with even greater pleasure than the duties of a superior.” Thanks to his efforts, everything was fine in the regiment, except for the shoes that were supplied by the Austrian government. It is precisely this deplorable state of the shoes of Russian soldiers that Kutuzov wants to show to the Austrian general, who also accepts the review on a par with Kutuzov.
The main character of this episode is Kutuzov. Already in this short scene, the author shows Kutuzov’s attitude towards soldiers and military officers: “Kutuzov walked through the ranks, occasionally stopping and speaking a few kind words to the officers whom he knew from the Turkish war, and sometimes to the soldiers. Looking at the shoes, he sadly shook his head several times and pointed them out to the Austrian general.” Walking past the formation, the commander-in-chief notices Captain Timokhin, whom he remembers from the Turkish campaign, and praises him for his bravery: “...At the moment the commander-in-chief addressed him, the captain stood up straight so that it seemed that even if the commander-in-chief had looked at him for a little more time, the captain would not would have stood it; and therefore Kutuzov, apparently understanding his position and wishing, on the contrary, all the best for the captain, hastily turned away.” The soldiers, feeling Kutuzov’s attitude towards them, also pay him with love and respect. They are happy to fight with a commander in chief who understands all their needs and aspirations.
But not everyone shares this feeling. Tolstoy contrasts the attitude towards Kutuzov of ordinary soldiers and officers of the retinue: retinue officers talk to each other during the review, one of the hussar officers, Zherkov, imitates the regimental commander, who did not deserve this at all. The demoted Dolokhov approaches Kutuzov to remind himself, saying that he will make amends and prove his loyalty to the emperor and Russia. Kutuzov turned away and winced, as if he wanted to express that everything that Dolokhov told him, and everything that he could tell him, he had known for a long, long time, that all this bored him and that it was not at all the same. what is needed.” Kutuzov can perfectly distinguish between the silent devotion of Timokhin, whom the author will later make one of the heroes of the Battle of Shengraben, and the desire of Dolokhov at any cost to regain the officer rank that he lost for his drunken antics and outrages. The true value of the relationship between the retinue officers can be seen in the conversation between Zherkov and Dolokhov. Zherkov once belonged to the violent society led by Dolokhov, but, having met him abroad, he pretended not to notice, and after Dolokhov talked with Kutuzov, “entered into favor,” Zherkov himself drives up to and starts a conversation with him. They cannot have any sincere feelings, sincerity is only a desire to rise at any cost in both one and the other.
For the first time in the scene of the review near Braunau, Tolstoy shows us the soldier’s world, the unity of all the soldiers who received a charge of vigor from Kutuzov, faith in victory. The songwriter wonderfully portrays a spoon holder who, “despite the weight of his ammunition, quickly jumped forward and walked backwards in front of the company, moving his shoulders and threatening someone with spoons.” This joy of the soldiers is conveyed to the passing Kutuzov; they are connected by a single feeling. But Tolstoy does not forget to remind us that these wonderful people are going to fight, to give their lives, that now, at the moment, they are cheerful and happy, but soon they may be maimed and killed.
Tolstoy's main idea in describing the war of 1805 is the unnecessaryness of violence and death, the author shows the unity of people who should have a different goal than the destruction of their own kind, and the scene of the review near Braunau confirms this idea.

The novel “War and Peace” was conceived by L.N. Tolstoy after the story “The Decembrists,” which the author began in 1860. At the early stage of writing the epic, the composition of the work was determined by the Decembrist theme and was supposed to expand into the volume of a large work telling about the history of Russian society. But in the early 60s, Tolstoy's views on the world changed somewhat. He sees the enormous role of the people in the history of the country. It is no coincidence that the main character of his work “War and Peace” also becomes the people.

The author sets himself the most difficult task - to show the character of the entire people, which is equally manifested both in everyday, peaceful life, and during the war, in historical events, in moments of painful defeats and glorious victories.

The epic side of the work depicts peaceful and war scenes in its entirety. Moreover, war is not only direct military action in the literal sense, but the hostility of people, the absence of peace between them. In turn, peace is the whole life of a people; it is not only the understanding of this word in the literal sense, as not being in a state of war, but it is also the brotherhood of people, which does not depend on principles such as national or class differences. The closest neighbors - war and peace - go through life side by side, closely intertwined, penetrating and conditioning each other.

In the first volume of the novel, the author talks about “peace” and the first stage of the war between the Russian army and the French. Moreover, the first picture that Tolstoy presents to us is not about battle or defense. This is a review that could well have been held in peacetime.

At the very beginning of the conversation about the war, we understand the author’s opinion about it and agree with him: no one needs this war: neither the Russian people, nor the Austrian people.

Tolstoy sends us following the Russian army to the small Austrian town of Braunau, where Kutuzov’s main apartment is located. Russian troops are gathering here. Separately, it is worth dwelling on the description of the infantry regiment. Soldiers from Russia walked a thousand miles. Their boots are broken, there are no new shoes. It was supposed to be provided by the Austrian department, but did not fulfill its obligations, however, the regimental commander does not care much about this.

The regiment is completely unprepared for combat operations, because it is clear to everyone that it is impossible to fight barefoot, but the regimental commander wants to demonstrate to the commander-in-chief that everything is in order in the regiment, he is ready to fight. Kutuzov has a completely different opinion on this matter. He intended to show the Austrian general the deplorable state of the Russian soldiers, because he perfectly understands that shoes are of great importance.

All words and actions of Kutuzov are opposite to the words and actions of the regimental commander. Kutuzov is already old, his voice is weak, his gait is slow and sluggish. But he is natural in every movement, he simply handles the soldiers. The regimental commander is also no longer young, but he tries to look younger, there is no simplicity and naturalness in him.

When Kutuzov walked through the ranks of the troops, he suddenly noticed his Izmailovo comrade Timokhin - “The Captain with the Red Nose.” The commander-in-chief remembered Timokhin from the Turkish war, because he knew how to see and understand his subordinates.

In the battle of Izmail, Kutuzov lost an eye, and Timokhin also remembered this battle.

Kutuzov was delighted at this meeting, but turned away because he saw how Timokhin stretched out like a string; it even seemed that when the commander-in-chief looked at him, he would not stand it. And Kutuzov did not want to further aggravate the situation of his old comrade.

The commander-in-chief of the Russian army knows people well, but in addition, he understands and pities them. Kutuzov behaves like a simple Russian person. According to Tolstoy, a historical figure is not capable of influencing the course of history and changing it; only the people are capable of this. Therefore, the activities of a true hero of history must be connected with the movement of the people. The image of Kutuzov combines folk simplicity and historical greatness. It is he who becomes the true historical hero in the novel.

Effective preparation for the Unified State Exam (all subjects) -

I

In October 1805, Russian troops occupied the villages and towns of the Archduchy of Austria, and more new regiments came from Russia and, burdening the residents with billeting, were stationed at the Braunau fortress. The main apartment of Commander-in-Chief Kutuzov was in Braunau.

On October 11, 1805, one of the infantry regiments that had just arrived at Braunau, waiting to be reviewed by the commander-in-chief, stood half a mile from the city. Despite the non-Russian terrain and situation (orchards, stone fences, tiled roofs, mountains visible in the distance), despite the non-Russian people looking at the soldiers with curiosity, the regiment had exactly the same appearance as any Russian regiment had when preparing for a review somewhere - somewhere in the middle of Russia.

In the evening, on the last march, an order was received that the commander-in-chief would inspect the regiment on the march. Although the words of the order seemed unclear to the regimental commander, and the question arose how to understand the words of the order: in marching uniform or not? In the council of battalion commanders, it was decided to present the regiment in full dress uniform on the grounds that it is always better to bow than not to bow. And the soldiers, after a thirty-mile march, did not sleep a wink, they repaired and cleaned themselves all night; adjutants and company commanders counted and expelled; and by morning the regiment, instead of the sprawling, disorderly crowd that it had been the day before during the last march, represented an orderly mass of 2,000 people, each of whom knew his place, his job, and of whom, on each of them, every button and strap was in its place and sparkled with cleanliness . Not only was the outside in good order, but if the commander-in-chief had wanted to look under the uniforms, he would have seen an equally clean shirt on each one and in each knapsack he would have found the legal number of things, “sweat and soap,” as the soldiers say. There was only one circumstance about which no one could be calm. It was shoes. More than half the people's boots were broken. But this deficiency was not due to the fault of the regimental commander, since, despite repeated demands, the goods were not released to him from the Austrian department, and the regiment traveled a thousand miles.

The regimental commander was an elderly, sanguine general with graying eyebrows and sideburns, thick-set and wider from chest to back than from one shoulder to the other. He was wearing a new, brand new uniform with wrinkled folds and thick golden epaulettes, which seemed to lift his fat shoulders upward rather than downwards. The regimental commander had the appearance of a man happily performing one of the most solemn affairs of life. He walked in front of the front and, as he walked, trembled at every step, slightly arching his back. It was clear that the regimental commander was admiring his regiment, happy with it, that all his mental strength was occupied only with the regiment; but, despite the fact that his trembling gait seemed to say that, in addition to military interests, the interests of social life and the female sex occupied a significant place in his soul.

“Well, Father Mikhailo Mitrich,” he turned to one battalion commander (the battalion commander leaned forward smiling; it was clear that they were happy), “it was a lot of trouble this night.” However, it seems that nothing is wrong, the regiment is not bad... Eh?

The battalion commander understood the funny irony and laughed.

- And in Tsaritsyn Meadow they wouldn’t have driven you away from the field.

- What? - said the commander.

At this time, along the road from the city, along which the makhalnye were placed, two horsemen appeared. These were the adjutant and the Cossack riding behind.

The adjutant was sent from the main headquarters to confirm to the regimental commander what was said unclearly in yesterday's order, namely, that the commander-in-chief wanted to see the regiment exactly in the position in which it was marching - in overcoats, in covers and without any preparations.

A member of the Gofkriegsrat from Vienna arrived to Kutuzov the day before, with proposals and demands to join the army of Archduke Ferdinand and Mack as soon as possible, and Kutuzov, not considering this connection beneficial, among other evidence in favor of his opinion, intended to show the Austrian general that sad situation , in which troops came from Russia. For this purpose, he wanted to go out to meet the regiment, so the worse the situation of the regiment, the more pleasant it would be for the commander-in-chief. Although the adjutant did not know these details, he conveyed to the regimental commander the commander-in-chief’s indispensable requirement that the people wear overcoats and covers, and that otherwise the commander-in-chief would be dissatisfied. Having heard these words, the regimental commander lowered his head, silently raised his shoulders and spread his hands with a sanguine gesture.

- We've done things! - he said. “I told you, Mikhailo Mitrich, that on a campaign, we wear greatcoats,” he turned reproachfully to the battalion commander. - Oh, my God! - he added and decisively stepped forward. - Gentlemen, company commanders! – he shouted in a voice familiar to the command. - Sergeants major!... Will they be here soon? - he turned to the arriving adjutant with an expression of respectful courtesy, apparently referring to the person about whom he was speaking.

- In an hour, I think.

- Will we have time to change clothes?

- I don’t know, General...

The regimental commander himself approached the ranks and ordered that they change into their overcoats again. The company commanders scattered to their companies, the sergeants began to fuss (the overcoats were not entirely in good working order) and at the same moment the previously regular, silent quadrangles swayed, stretched out, and hummed with conversation. Soldiers ran and ran up from all sides, threw them from behind with their shoulders, dragged backpacks over their heads, took off their greatcoats and, raising their arms high, pulled them into their sleeves.

Half an hour later everything returned to its previous order, only the quadrangles turned gray from black. The regimental commander, again with a trembling gait, stepped forward of the regiment and looked at it from afar.

- What else is this? What's this! – he shouted, stopping. - Commander of the 3rd company!..

- Commander of the 3rd company to the general! commander to the general, 3rd company to the commander!... - voices were heard along the ranks, and the adjutant ran to look for the hesitant officer.

When the sounds of diligent voices, misinterpreting, shouting “general to the 3rd company,” reached their destination, the required officer appeared from behind the company and, although the man was already elderly and did not have the habit of running, awkwardly clinging toes with his toes, trotted towards the general. The captain's face expressed the anxiety of a schoolboy who is told to tell a lesson he has not learned. There were spots on his red (obviously from intemperance) nose, and his mouth could not find a position. The regimental commander examined the captain from head to toe as he approached breathlessly, slowing his pace as he approached.

– You’ll soon dress people up in sundresses! What's this? - shouted the regimental commander, extending his lower jaw and pointing in the ranks of the 3rd company to a soldier in an overcoat the color of factory cloth, different from other overcoats. – Where were you? The commander-in-chief is expected, and you are moving away from your place? Huh?... I'll teach you how to dress people in Cossacks for a parade!... Huh?...

The company commander, without taking his eyes off his superior, pressed his two fingers more and more to the visor, as if in this one pressing he now saw his salvation.

- Well, why are you silent? Who's dressed up as a Hungarian? – the regimental commander joked sternly.

- Your Excellency…

- Well, what about “your excellency”? Your Excellency! Your Excellency! And what about Your Excellency, no one knows.

“Your Excellency, this is Dolokhov, demoted...” the captain said quietly.

– Was he demoted to field marshal or something, or to soldier? And a soldier must be dressed like everyone else, in uniform.

“Your Excellency, you yourself allowed him to go.”

- Allowed? Allowed? “You’re always like this, young people,” said the regimental commander, cooling down somewhat. - Allowed? I’ll tell you something, and you and...” The regimental commander paused. - I’ll tell you something, and you and... - What? - he said, getting irritated again. - Please dress people decently...

And the regimental commander, looking back at the adjutant, walked towards the regiment with his trembling gait. It was clear that he himself liked his irritation, and that, having walked around the regiment, he wanted to find another pretext for his anger. Having cut off one officer for not cleaning his badge, another for being out of line, he approached the 3rd company.

- How are you standing? Where's the leg? Where's the leg? - the regimental commander shouted with an expression of suffering in his voice, still about five people short of Dolokhov, dressed in a bluish overcoat.

Dolokhov slowly straightened his bent leg and looked straight into the general’s face with his bright and insolent gaze.

- Why the blue overcoat? Down with... Sergeant Major! Changing his clothes... rubbish... - He didn’t have time to finish.

“General, I am obliged to carry out orders, but I am not obliged to endure...” Dolokhov hastily said.

– Don’t talk at the front!... Don’t talk, don’t talk!...

“You don’t have to endure insults,” Dolokhov finished loudly and resoundingly.

The eyes of the general and the soldier met. The general fell silent, angrily pulling down his tight scarf.

“Please change your clothes, please,” he said, walking away.

The first picture of war that Tolstoy paints is not a battle, not an offensive, not the capture of a fortress, not even a defense; The first war picture is a review that could take place in peacetime. And from the very first lines telling about the war, even from the first phrase, Tolstoy makes it clear that this war is not needed by the people, neither Russian nor Austrian:

“In October 1805, Russian troops occupied villages and cities of the Archduchy of Austria, and more new regiments came from Russia, burdening the residents with billeting, and were located near the Braunau fortress.”

Who could have imagined then that almost a hundred years later, in this very Braunau, a boy would be born whose name would curse humanity in the twentieth century - Adolf Schicklgruber.
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As an adult, he will take the name Hitler and, forgetting the lessons of Napoleon, will lead his troops to Russia...

In the meantime, Braunau is a small Austrian town, where Kutuzov’s main apartment is located and where Russian troops are gathering, among them an infantry regiment in which Dolokhov, demoted to the ranks of soldiers, serves.

The general, the regiment commander, has one concern: “it is better to bow than to fail.” For this reason, tired soldiers, after a thirty-mile march, “didn’t sleep a wink, spent the whole night repairing and cleaning themselves”; in connection with this, the general’s rage is caused by the wrong color of Dolokhov’s overcoat; In this regard, the “sounds of zealous voices, misinterpreting”, repeat the order:

ʼʼCommander of the third company to the general! commander to the general, third company to the commander!..ʼ And finally: “General to the third company!”

For this reason, the general shouts at the commander of the third company, Timokhin, an elderly distinguished officer; calls Dolokhov’s ill-fated overcoat either a sundress or a Cossack; not without humor, he remarks: “What, he’s been demoted to field marshal, or something, or to soldier?..” - and, becoming inflamed, asserting himself in his anger, which he himself already liked, he stops only before Dolokhov’s insolent gaze and his proud, sonorous voice: ʼʼDo not have to endure insultsʼʼ.

Tolstoy’s novel is usually called “War and Peace” - already in this title there is a contrast, a sharp contrast between the everyday life of war and the everyday life of peace; it would seem that in war everything is different, everything is different than in peaceful life, and people will express themselves here differently than in secular drawing rooms; a different, better essence of them will emerge...

It turns out there is nothing of the kind. Desperate and arrogant Dolokhov remains himself; in the soldier’s ranks he is the same as in the riotous company of Anatoly Kuragin. The regimental commander, “dense and broad, more from the chest to the back than from one shoulder to the other,” was not familiar to us before, but “in his place we can easily imagine the familiar Prince Vasily - he would have behaved in exactly the same way, and the motto “it is better to bow than to fail” would have suited him quite well. We have not yet seen Prince Andrei in the war, but we cannot imagine that he would be afraid of the general, like Timokhin, or be preoccupied with dressing up soldiers, like the general. But it is very easy to imagine Boris Drubetsky as an adjutant to the regiment commander, fulfilling all his senseless demands...

It turns out that in war people manifest themselves in the same way as in peaceful life - it should be that their characters only appear more clearly; there is no contrast between war and peace; There is another contrast: both in peaceful life and in war, some people are honest, others are dishonest and think not about business, but about their own benefit.

The regiment traveled a thousand miles from Russia. The soldier's boots are broken; The new shoes were supposed to be delivered by the Austrian department and were not delivered: the regimental commander cared little about this. The regiment is not ready for combat, because you cannot fight barefoot, but the regimental commander wants to show the commander-in-chief exactly the opposite: everything is in order, the regiment is ready for war.

But here’s the problem: that’s not what the commander-in-chief wants. Kutuzov “intended to show the Austrian general the sad situation in which troops arrived from Russia.” He knows the importance of shoes; after the inspection, the soldiers will say about him: “No... brother, he looked at you with his eyes, and looked at your boots and tucks all....”

Everything that Kutuzov does and says is the opposite of what the dashing regimental commander, despite his obesity, does and says.
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Kutuzov is old; Tolstoy emphasizes that he, “stepping heavily... lowered his foot from the step,” that his voice was weak, that he walked “slowly and sluggishly.” The regimental commander is also not young, but tries to look young; he is unnatural - Kutuzov is simple in every movement, “as if these two thousand people were not there, who looked at him and the regimental commander without breathing.”

The same captain Timokhin, who aroused the wrath of the regimental commander because of Dolokhov’s blue overcoat, attracts Kutuzov’s attention:

ʼʼ- Ah, Timokhin! - said the commander-in-chief...

At that moment the commander-in-chief addressed him, the captain stood up straight so that it seemed that if the commander-in-chief had looked at him for a little longer, the captain would not have been able to stand it; and that's why Kutuzov, apparently understanding his position and wishing, on the contrary, all the best for the captain, hastily turned away. A barely noticeable smile ran across Kutuzov’s plump, wound-disfigured face.

Another Izmail comrade,” he said. - Brave officer! Are you happy with it? - Kutuzov asked the regimental commander.

And the regimental commander... shuddered came forward and answered:

I am very pleased, Your Excellency. (Italics are mine. - N.D.)

The regimental commander is concerned with only one thing - always one thing: not to miss the opportunity to advance, to please the authorities, to “bow over”. It was not without reason that it was clear that he performed his duties as a subordinate with even greater pleasure than the duties of a superior. No matter what happens, he first of all thinks about how he will look in the eyes of his superiors. Where can he notice other people, where can he understand that Captain Timokhin is a brave officer...

Kutuzov, after all, was not always the commander-in-chief either - but even before, when he was younger, he knew how to see other people, understand his subordinates, in connection with this, he remembered Timokhin from the Turkish war. There, in the battle of Izmail, Kutuzov lost an eye. And Timokhin remembers this battle: after the review, he will answer the regimental commander, “smiling and revealing with a smile the lack of two front teeth, knocked out by a butt near Ishmael.(Italics are mine. - N.D.)

What did the regimental commander tell him and what did Timokhin answer?

ʼʼ- Don’t lay claim to me, Prokhor Ignatyich!.. Tsar’s service... you can’t... you’ll cut it off another time at the front... I’ll apologize first, you know me...

For mercy's sake, general, do I dare! - answered the captain...ʼʼ

Now, after Kutuzov’s gracious treatment of the captain, the general addresses him by name and patronymic, almost fawns over him. And Timokhin? ʼʼDo I dare!..ʼʼHe is a small man, as small as Captain Tushin, whom we will soon meet; like Maxim Maksimych from Lermontov. But the Russian army rests on these little people - in the battle of Shengraben, Tushin and Timokhin will determine the success of the battle; both of them are not afraid of the enemy, but they are afraid of their superiors; Kutuzov understands this, and therefore he turned away so as not to force Timokhin to stretch himself beyond measure. Kutuzov not only knows very, very much about people - he understands them and pities them as much as possible; he does not live according to the laws of the world, and in our perception he immediately turns out to be one of our own, like Pierre, like Natasha, like Prince Andrei, because the main division of people in the novel, as Tolstoy tells us, the main division is this: close and Sincere and natural people are dear, those who are false are hated and alien. This division will run through the entire novel, both in war and in peace, it will be the main thing in our attitude towards the people with whom Tolstoy introduces us.

“War and Peace” by Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy is one of the greatest creations of the 19th century, which, without a doubt, is epoch-making. This is a real epic, in which the life of all layers of Russian society in peacetime and during war is described in great detail and psychologically accurately. The novel can rightfully be called a whole gallery of the best Tolstoy heroes and their antipodes, historical figures and representatives of the masses, who are well known to a wide range of readers.

This immortal work still attracts the minds and imagination of many people. And not only because it contains many highly moral ideas that people lack in our time, but also because a huge number of interconnected storylines do not allow us to fully understand and appreciate its greatness from the first reading.

Of course, the talent of Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, a psychologist who was able to subtly notice and describe the peculiarities of the psychology of society, family, and also war (which no one had done so thoroughly before) is also attractive to the reader.

The theme of war occupies a huge part of the narrative canvas of the novel. It is revealed by the writer with amazing accuracy and objectivity, because he himself was a participant in hostilities during the Crimean War, and also did a tremendous amount of work, studying a lot of materials about the Great Patriotic War of 1812. That is why there is an opinion that using the novel by L.N. Tolstoy one can study the history of this period.

The plot and thematic line of the war begins in the second part of the work. The first military episode is dedicated to the review of troops near Braunau. In the second chapter, an exposition of the army masses unfolds - soldiers, middle officers and the staff aristocracy, and against its background the figure of Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov stands out, contrasted to some extent with the Austrian generals.

The chapter begins with Kutuzov and the Austrian general, as well as the commander-in-chief’s retinue, consisting of twenty people, arriving at Braunau, where one of the Russian regiments had arrived. The contrast immediately catches the eye: the “black Russians” and the white uniform of the Austrian general. An apt remark from one of the soldiers: “And the other Austrian, with him [Kutuzov] was, as if, smeared with chalk. Like flour, white. How do they clean ammunition? - gives us a clear idea of ​​the attitude of Russians towards a general who is alien to them. Already in these minor touches one of the plot lines of the “war” is outlined, connected with the opposition of the Russian and Austrian generals.

From this episode, without a doubt, one can get an idea about the image of Kutuzov. The commander-in-chief of the Russian army appears before us as a man close in spirit to the soldiers, who understands them: “Kutuzov walked through the ranks, occasionally stopping and speaking a few kind words to the officers whom he knew from the Turkish War, and sometimes to the soldiers.” This is evidenced by their scene with the third company, when he, stopping next to it, remembered its captain Timokhin, showing sincere affection for him, calling him a “brave officer.” The scene with Dolokhov, demoted to soldier, characterizes Kutuzov as a fair, strict and good-natured man. “I hope that this lesson will correct you, serve well,” the commander-in-chief instructs Dolokhov. “And I won’t forget you if you deserve it,” he says.

Kutuzov appears in this chapter as the father of all these soldiers. He takes care of their preparedness in terms of uniforms, noticing that they have problems with shoes. He rejoices with the soldiers when they sing songs, being in a good mood after inspecting the troops.

In this episode we also get our first glimpse of the common people, the soldiers who were essentially the main heroes of the war. This is a strict but fair regimental commander, and the captain of the third company Timokhin, who will prove himself to be a real hero, and ordinary soldiers talking about the war. It is from their conversations that we learn about the upcoming military actions: “Now the Prussian is rebelling, the Austrian, therefore, is pacifying him. As soon as he makes peace, then war will open with Bunaparte.”

From the conversations of the soldiers it also becomes clear that Kutuzov’s love for them is mutual. One can feel the adoration with which they speak of him in the dialogue about boots and tucks, which the “big-eyed” commander-in-chief saw.

In addition to the figure of Kutuzov, the figure of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, one of the main characters of the novel, appears in the same chapter. By mentioning him, the writer anticipates his further participation in hostilities.

Finally, in the same chapter, Tolstoy contrasts characters who will later prove themselves to be true heroes, and careerists who take advantage of their position in society to curry favor. Such are Dolokhov and the hussar cornet Zherkov.

Thus, we can conclude that the episode of the review of troops near Braunau is very important in the chain of military events. Here many storylines originate, the images of historical figures, the main and episodic characters of the novel, as well as the image of the people begin to be revealed, which will then be further developed on the pages of the work.

Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy's epic novel “War and Peace” covers a significant time space. All the characters are connected with historical events in such a way that almost everyone reflects events that became fateful for the fatherland. It is through their eyes that we see the reviews of troops, military councils, the exploits of soldiers on the battlefields, we hear the orders of the commanders-in-chief, we see the wounded and killed, the torment and suffering of people, victories and defeats. One of these moments is the Battle of Austerlitz, which, according to the author, is absolutely meaningless for the Russian army and the Russian people.

In October 1805, Russia moved its regiments west into Austria to join its allies against Napoleon's army.

Describing the events of 1805–1807, Tolstoy shows that this war was imposed on the people. Russian soldiers, being far from their homeland, do not understand the purpose of this war and do not want to waste their lives senselessly.

The episode of the review of troops in Braunau showed the complete stratification of the army into soldiers and commanders. Among the rank and file we see complete indifference to the upcoming campaign. Kutuzov is the embodiment of popular thought; he understands better than others the uselessness of this campaign for Russia. He sees the indifference of the allies to his army, the desire of Austria to fight with someone else's hands, without sacrificing anything. “In the evening, on the last march, an order was received that the commander-in-chief would inspect the regiment on the march... And the soldiers, after a thirty-mile march, without closing their eyes, spent the whole night repairing and cleaning... everyone knew their place, their job... each one had every button and the strap was in place and sparkling clean.” Only with shoes there was a catastrophe: “More than half of the people’s boots were broken. But this deficiency was not due to the fault of the regimental commander, since, despite repeated demands, the goods were not released to him from the Austrian department, and the regiment traveled a thousand miles.”

The regimental commander was pleased with the preparations for the review. Kutuzov, on the contrary, wanted to show how unprepared the Russian army was for the upcoming battle, and sought to ensure that our troops did not take part in this battle of the “three emperors.” The day before, allies arrived at Kutuzov, demanding a connection with the Russian army. But Mikhail Illarionovich considered such a formation not in the interests of the Russian army; he wanted to justify his opinion by the deplorable state of the troops. To do this, he created an impossible situation: reviewing troops on the march, wanting to show their deplorable condition. The adjutants came to prepare the regiment for the arrival of Kutuzov with his allies and brought an order - not to put everything in proper shape, otherwise Kutuzov would be dissatisfied.

The regimental authorities were discouraged, because the people already had a formal appearance, but they had to appear in greatcoats. In half an hour, the regiment again changed into gray overcoats, only Dolokhov, who had been demoted to the ranks of soldiers, wore the blue officer's uniform he was allowed on the march. Soon, Kutuzov arrived with the Austrians and walked through the ranks, talking affectionately to the officers whom he knew from the Turkish war, recognizing ordinary soldiers, greeting them by name.
- Ah, Timokhin! - said the commander-in-chief, recognizing the captain with the red nose, who suffered for his blue overcoat.
It seemed that it was impossible to stretch out more than Timokhin stretched out. Looking at the shoes, he sadly shook his head several times and pointed them out to the Austrian general with such an expression that he did not seem to blame anyone for this, but he could not help but see how bad it was. The gentlemen of the retinue were talking among themselves and laughing. Prince Andrei and Nesvitsky walked closest to the commander-in-chief. Nesvitsky could hardly restrain himself from laughing, excited by the blackish hussar officer walking next to him. The hussar officer imitated every movement of the regimental commander, walking behind him.

After the review, the regiment moved to the apartments, where they hoped to rest and change their shoes. The soldiers praised Kutuzov, who was “crooked” and saw their broken shoes better than those with both eyesight. And they moved forward, starting a cheerful marching song. “The commander-in-chief gave a sign for the people to continue to walk freely, and pleasure was expressed on his face and on all the faces of his retinue at the sounds of the song, at the sight of the dancing soldier and the soldiers of the company walking cheerfully and briskly.” The atmosphere of general joy from such attentive attitude of Kutuzov was reflected in the behavior of the soldiers.

In a conversation with his allies, Kutuzov tries to defend the interests of the Russian army, delaying their entry into battle, explaining by unpreparedness and fatigue after the march. The author is close to this position of the commander-in-chief, pitying the soldiers. Kutuzov does not want the senseless death of his soldiers for someone else’s ambitious interests, on someone else’s land, but he is not free to change the policy determined by the sovereign.

Looking out near Braunau, Tolstoy begins his depiction of the war of 1805. The review scene clearly reveals the main problems of the war of 1805, which will later be depicted in more detail by Tolstoy.
Even before the review, turmoil reigns in the Russian camp: no one knows in what form the commander-in-chief wants to see the soldiers. According to the principle: “It is better to bow than to fail,” the soldier is ordered to put on a dress uniform. Then an order comes that Kutuzov wants to see marching uniforms on the soldiers. As a result, the soldiers, instead of resting, spend the entire night working on their uniforms. Finally Kutuzov arrives. Everyone is excited: both soldiers and commanders: “The regimental commander, blushing, ran up to the horse, with trembling hands took hold of the stirrup, threw the body over, straightened himself out, took out his sword and with a happy, determined face...prepared to shout.” The regimental commander “performed his duties as a subordinate with even greater pleasure than the duties of a superior.” Thanks to his efforts, everything was fine in the regiment, except for the shoes that were supplied by the Austrian government. It is precisely this deplorable state of the shoes of Russian soldiers that Kutuzov wants to show to the Austrian general, who also accepts the review on a par with Kutuzov.
The main character of this episode is Kutuzov. Already in this short scene, the author shows Kutuzov’s attitude towards soldiers and military officers: “Kutuzov walked through the ranks, occasionally stopping and speaking a few kind words to the officers whom he knew from the Turkish war, and sometimes to the soldiers. Looking at the shoes, he sadly shook his head several times and pointed them out to the Austrian general.” Walking past the formation, the commander-in-chief notices Captain Timokhin, whom he remembers from the Turkish campaign, and praises him for his bravery: “...At the moment the commander-in-chief addressed him, the captain stood up straight so that it seemed that even if the commander-in-chief had looked at him for a little more time, the captain would not would have stood it; and therefore Kutuzov, apparently understanding his position and wishing, on the contrary, all the best for the captain, hastily turned away.” The soldiers, feeling Kutuzov’s attitude towards them, also pay him with love and respect. They are happy to fight with a commander in chief who understands all their needs and aspirations.
But not everyone shares this feeling. Tolstoy contrasts the attitude towards Kutuzov of ordinary soldiers and officers of the retinue: retinue officers talk to each other during the review, one of the hussar officers, Zherkov, imitates the regimental commander, who did not deserve this at all. The demoted Dolokhov approaches Kutuzov to remind himself, saying that he will make amends and prove his loyalty to the emperor and Russia. Kutuzov turned away and winced, as if he wanted to express that everything that Dolokhov told him, and everything that he could tell him, he had known for a long, long time, that all this bored him and that it was not at all the same. what is needed.” Kutuzov can perfectly distinguish between the silent devotion of Timokhin, whom the author will later make one of the heroes of the Battle of Shengraben, and the desire of Dolokhov at any cost to regain the officer rank that he lost for his drunken antics and outrages. The true value of the relationship between the retinue officers can be seen in the conversation between Zherkov and Dolokhov. Zherkov once belonged to the violent society led by Dolokhov, but, having met him abroad, he pretended not to notice, and after Dolokhov talked with Kutuzov, “entered into favor,” Zherkov himself drives up to and starts a conversation with him. They cannot have any sincere feelings, sincerity is only a desire to rise at any cost in both one and the other.
For the first time in the scene of the review near Braunau, Tolstoy shows us the soldier’s world, the unity of all the soldiers who received a charge of vigor from Kutuzov, faith in victory. The songwriter wonderfully portrays a spoon holder who, “despite the weight of his ammunition, quickly jumped forward and walked backwards in front of the company, moving his shoulders and threatening someone with spoons.” This joy of the soldiers is conveyed to the passing Kutuzov; they are connected by a single feeling. But Tolstoy does not forget to remind us that these wonderful people are going to fight, to give their lives, that now, at the moment, they are cheerful and happy, but soon they may be maimed and killed.
Tolstoy's main idea in describing the war of 1805 is the unnecessaryness of violence and death, the author shows the unity of people who should have a different goal than the destruction of their own kind, and the scene of the review near Braunau confirms this idea.

Looking out near Braunau, Tolstoy begins his depiction of the war of 1805. Russia did not need this war, the young Emperor Alexander the First and the Austrian Emperor Franz simply demonstrated their ambitions, because of which the blood of Russian soldiers was shed. The review scene clearly reveals the main problems of the war of 1805, which will later be depicted in more detail by Tolstoy.

Even before the review, turmoil reigns in the Russian camp: no one knows in what form the commander-in-chief wants to see the soldiers. According to the principle: “It is better to bow than to fail,” the soldiers are ordered to put on their dress uniform. Then an order comes that Kutuzov wants to see marching uniforms on the soldiers. As a result, the soldiers, instead of resting, spend the entire night working on their uniforms. Finally Kutuzov arrives. Everyone is excited: both soldiers and commanders: “The regimental commander, blushing, ran up to the horse, with trembling hands took hold of the stirrup, threw the body over, straightened himself out, took out his sword and with a happy, determined face...prepared to shout.” The regimental commander “performed his duties as a subordinate with even greater pleasure than the duties of a superior.” Thanks to his efforts, everything was fine in the regiment, except for shoes, which were supplied by the Austrian government. It is precisely this deplorable state of the shoes of Russian soldiers that Kutuzov wants to show to the Austrian general, who also accepts the review on an equal basis with Kutuzov.

Kutuzov is the main character of this episode. Already in this short scene, the author shows Kutuzov’s attitude towards soldiers and military officers: “Kutuzov walked through the ranks, occasionally stopping and speaking a few kind words to the officers whom he knew from the Turkish war, and sometimes to the soldiers. Looking at the shoes, he sadly shook his head several times and pointed them out to the Austrian general.” Walking past the formation, the commander-in-chief notices Captain Timokhin, whom he remembers from the Turkish campaign, and praises him for his courage: “... At the moment the commander-in-chief addressed him, the captain stretched out so that it seemed that if the commander-in-chief had looked at him for a little more time, the captain would not have been able to stand it ; and therefore Kutuzov, apparently understanding his position and wishing, on the contrary, all the best for the captain, hastily turned away.” The soldiers, feeling Kutuzov’s attitude towards them, also pay him with love and respect. They are happy to fight with a commander in chief who understands all their needs and aspirations.

But not everyone shares this feeling. Tolstoy contrasts the attitude of ordinary soldiers and retinue officers towards Kutuzov: retinue officers talk to each other during the review, one of the hussar officers, Zherkov, imitates the regimental commander, who did not deserve this at all. The demoted Dolokhov approaches Kutuzov to remind himself, saying that he will make amends and prove his loyalty to the emperor and Russia. Kutuzov “turned away and winced, as if he wanted to express by this that everything that Dolokhov told him, and everything that he could tell him, he had known for a long, long time, that all this bored him and that all this was not at all what he needed " Kutuzov can perfectly distinguish between the silent devotion of Timokhin, whom the author would later make one of the heroes of the Battle of Shengraben, and Dolokhov’s desire at any cost to regain the officer rank that he lost for his drunken antics and outrages. The true value of the relationship between the retinue officers can be seen in the conversation between Zherkov and Dolokhov. Zherkov once belonged to a rowdy society led by Dolokhov, but, having met him abroad when he was demoted, he pretended not to notice, and after Dolokhov talked with Kutuzov, “entered into favor,” Zherkov himself drives up to him and starts a conversation. They cannot have any sincere feelings; only one and the other have a sincere desire to rise at any cost.

For the first time in the scene of the review near Braunau, Tolstoy shows us the soldier’s world, the unity of all the soldiers who received a charge of vigor from Kutuzov, faith in victory. The songwriter wonderfully portrays a spoon holder who, “despite the weight of his ammunition, quickly jumped forward and walked backwards in front of the company, moving his shoulders and threatening someone with spoons.” This joy of the soldiers is conveyed to the passing Kutuzov, they are connected by a single feeling: “The commander-in-chief gave a sign for the people to continue to walk freely, and pleasure was expressed on his face and on all the faces of his retinue at the sounds of the song, at the sight of the dancing soldier and the cheerfully and briskly walking soldiers of the company " But Tolstoy does not forget to remind us that these wonderful people are going to fight, to give their lives, that now, at the moment, they are cheerful and happy, but they may soon be maimed and killed.

Tolstoy's main idea in describing the war of 1805 is the unnecessaryness of violence and death; the author shows the unity of people who should have a different goal than the destruction of their own kind, and the scene of the review near Braunau confirms this idea.

“War and Peace” by Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy is one of the greatest creations of the 19th century, which, without a doubt, is epoch-making. This is a real epic, in which the life of all layers of Russian society in peacetime and during war is described in great detail and psychologically accurately. The novel can rightfully be called a whole gallery of the best Tolstoy heroes and their antipodes, historical figures and representatives of the masses, who are well known to a wide range of readers.
This immortal work still attracts the minds and imagination of many people. And not only because it contains many highly moral ideas that people lack in our time, but also because a huge number of interconnected storylines do not allow us to fully understand and appreciate its greatness from the first reading.
Of course, the talent of Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, a psychologist who was able to subtly notice and describe the peculiarities of the psychology of society, family, and also war (which no one had done so thoroughly before) is also attractive to the reader.
The theme of war occupies a huge part of the narrative canvas of the novel. It is revealed by the writer with amazing accuracy and objectivity, because he himself was a participant in hostilities during the Crimean War, and also did a tremendous amount of work, studying a lot of materials about the Great Patriotic War of 1812. That is why there is an opinion that using the novel by L.N. Tolstoy one can study the history of this period.
The plot and thematic line of the war begins in the second part of the work. The first military episode is dedicated to the review of troops near Braunau. In the second chapter, an exposition of the army masses unfolds - soldiers, middle officers and the staff aristocracy, and against its background the figure of Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov stands out, contrasted to some extent with the Austrian generals.
The chapter begins with Kutuzov and the Austrian general, as well as the commander-in-chief’s retinue, consisting of twenty people, arriving at Braunau, where one of the Russian regiments had arrived. The contrast immediately catches the eye: the “black Russians” and the white uniform of the Austrian general. An apt remark from one of the soldiers: “And the other Austrian, with him [Kutuzov] was, as if, smeared with chalk. Like flour, white. How they clean ammunition!” - gives us a clear idea of ​​​​the attitude of Russians towards a general who is alien to them. Already in these minor touches one of the plot lines of the “war” is outlined, connected with the opposition of the Russian and Austrian generals.
From this episode, without a doubt, one can get an idea about the image of Kutuzov. The commander-in-chief of the Russian army appears before us as a person close in spirit to the soldiers, who understands them: “Kutuzov walked through the ranks, occasionally stopping and saying a few kind words to the officers whom he knew from the Turkish War, and sometimes to the soldiers.” This is evidenced by their scene with the third company, when he, stopping next to it, remembered its captain Timokhin, showing sincere affection for him, calling him “a brave officer.” The scene with Dolokhov, demoted to soldier, characterizes Kutuzov as a fair, strict and good-natured man. “I hope that this lesson will correct you, serve well,” the commander-in-chief instructs Dolokhov. “And I won’t forget you if you deserve it,” he says.
Kutuzov appears in this chapter as the father of all these soldiers. He takes care of their preparedness in terms of uniforms, noticing that they have problems with shoes. He rejoices with the soldiers when they sing songs, being in a good mood after inspecting the troops.
In this episode we also get our first glimpse of the common people, the soldiers who were essentially the main heroes of the war. This is a strict but fair regimental commander, and the captain of the third company Timokhin, who will prove himself to be a real hero, and ordinary soldiers talking about the war. It is from their conversations that we learn about the upcoming military actions: “Now the Prussian is rebelling, the Austrian, therefore, is pacifying him. As soon as he makes peace, then war will open with Bunaparte.”
From the conversations of the soldiers it also becomes clear that Kutuzov’s love for them is mutual. One can feel the adoration with which they speak of him in the dialogue about boots and tucks, which the “big-eyed” commander-in-chief saw.
In addition to the figure of Kutuzov, the figure of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, one of the main characters of the novel, appears in the same chapter. By mentioning him, the writer anticipates his further participation in hostilities.
Finally, in the same chapter, Tolstoy contrasts characters who will later prove themselves to be true heroes, and careerists who take advantage of their position in society to curry favor. Such are Dolokhov and the hussar cornet Zherkov.
Thus, we can conclude that the episode of the review of troops near Braunau is very important in the chain of military events. Here many storylines originate, the images of historical figures, the main and episodic characters of the novel, as well as the image of the people begin to be revealed, which will then be further developed on the pages of the work.

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Review of Braunau (analysis of an episode from L.N. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace”, volume 1, part 2, chapter 2)

Essay by Tolstoy L.N. - War and Peace

Topic: - View of Braunau. (Analysis of an episode from Leo Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace”,

Tolstoy came to the creation of “War and Peace” from the idea of ​​the story “The Decembrists”, begun in 1860. The Decembrist theme determined at the early stage of the work the composition of the planned monumental work about the history of Russian society. In the early 60s, very important and significant shifts occurred in Tolstoy’s worldview. He recognizes the decisive role of the people in the historical process. It is the people who are the main characters of the epic novel “War and Peace”.
To reveal the character of an entire people, a character manifested with equal force in peaceful, everyday life and in large, landmark historical events, during military failures and defeats and in moments of greatest glory - this is the most important artistic task of War and Peace.
The epic beginning of the novel connects the pictures of war and peace into a single whole. War means not only the military actions of warring armies, but also the belligerent hostility of people. Peace is the life of a people who are not in a state of war, peace is the brotherhood of people, regardless of national and class differences. Peace and war go side by side, intertwine, interpenetrate and condition each other.
The first volume is a story about both “peace” and the initial stage of Russia’s war with Bonapartist France. The first picture of war that Tolstoy paints is not a battle, not an offensive, not a defense. The first war picture is a review that could have taken place in peacetime. And from the very first lines telling about the war, Tolstoy makes it clear that this war is not needed by the people, neither Russian nor Austrian: “In October 1805, Russian troops occupied villages and cities of the Archduchy of Austria, and new regiments came from Russia, burdening residents were stationed near the Braunau fortress.”
Braunau is a small Austrian town where Kutuzov’s main apartment is located, and where Russian troops are gathering, among them an infantry regiment. The soldiers walked a thousand miles from Russia. Their boots were broken, the Austrian department was supposed to deliver new shoes, but they didn’t: the regimental commander doesn’t care much about this. The regiment is not ready for combat, because it is impossible to fight barefoot, but the regimental commander wants to show the commander-in-chief exactly the opposite: everything is in order, the regiment is ready for war.
Only Kutuzov just “intended to show the Austrian general the sad situation in which the troops arrived from Russia.” He knows the importance of shoes.
Everything that Kutuzov does and says is the opposite of what the regimental commander does and says. Kutuzov is old, Tolstoy emphasizes that he, “stepping heavily... lowering his foot from the footstool”, that his voice is weak, that he walked “slowly and sluggishly.” The regimental commander is also not young, but he tries to look young, he is unnatural - Kutuzov is simple in every movement, simple in dealing with soldiers.
While passing through the ranks of troops, Kutuzov suddenly stopped. He recognized “Captain with a Red Nose” Timokhin, his Izmailovo comrade. Kutuzov knew how to see other people and understand his subordinates, so he remembered Timokhin from the Turkish war. There, in the battle of Izmail, Kutuzov lost an eye, and Timokhin remembers this battle. Kutuzov was glad to see this meeting, but when he saw that Timokhin “stretched out so that it seemed that if the commander-in-chief had looked at him for a little more time, the captain would not have been able to stand it,” he turned away, wanting to ease the situation of his old comrade.
Kutuzov not only knows a lot about people, he understands them and pities them as much as possible. Kutuzov’s behavior in life is, first of all, the behavior of a simple Russian person. Tolstoy argued that no one historical figure can turn the course of historical or military events at will. Therefore, he considers only those people who in their activities are closely connected with the movements of the popular masses to be the true heroes of history. In accordance with this, the image of commander Kutuzov combines historical greatness and folk simplicity.

I

In October 1805, Russian troops occupied villages and towns of the Archduchy of Austria, and more new regiments came from Russia, and, burdening the inhabitants with billeting, were stationed at the Braunau fortress. The main apartment of Commander-in-Chief Kutuzov was in Braunau. On October 11, 1805, one of the infantry regiments that had just arrived at Braunau, waiting to be reviewed by the commander-in-chief, stood half a mile from the city. Despite the non-Russian terrain and situation: orchards, stone fences, tiled roofs, mountains visible in the distance - the non-Russian people looking at the soldiers with curiosity - the regiment had exactly the same appearance as any Russian regiment had, preparing for a review where somewhere in the middle of Russia. In the evening, on the last march, an order was received that the commander-in-chief would inspect the regiment on the march. Although the words of the order seemed unclear to the regimental commander and the question arose how to understand the words of the order: in marching uniform or not? - in the council of battalion commanders, it was decided to present the regiment in full dress uniform on the basis that it is always better to bow than to fail. And the soldiers, after a thirty-mile march, did not sleep a wink, they repaired and cleaned themselves all night: adjutants and company commanders counted, discharged; and by morning the regiment, instead of the sprawling, disorderly crowd that it had been the day before during the last march, was a well-ordered mass of two thousand people, each of whom knew his place, his job, of whom every button and strap was in its place and sparkled with cleanliness . Not only was the outside in good order, but if the commander-in-chief had wanted to look under the uniforms, he would have seen an equally clean shirt on each one and in each knapsack he would have found the legal number of things, “sweat and soap,” as the soldiers say. There was only one circumstance about which no one could be calm. It was shoes. More than half the people's boots were broken. But this deficiency was not due to the fault of the regimental commander, since, despite repeated demands, the goods were not released to him from the Austrian department, and the regiment traveled a thousand miles. The regimental commander was an elderly, sanguine general with graying eyebrows and sideburns, thick-set and wider from chest to back than from one shoulder to the other. He was wearing a new, brand new uniform with wrinkled folds and thick golden epaulettes, which seemed to lift his fat shoulders upward rather than downwards. The regimental commander had the appearance of a man happily performing one of the most solemn affairs of life. He walked in front of the front and, as he walked, trembled at every step, slightly arching his back. It was clear that the regimental commander admired his regiment, was happy with it, and that all his mental strength was occupied only with the regiment; but despite the fact that his trembling gait seemed to say that, in addition to military interests, the interests of social life and the female sex occupied a significant place in his soul. “Well, Father Mikhailo Mitrich,” he turned to one battalion commander (the battalion commander, smiling, leaned forward; it was clear that they were happy), “we got into trouble this night.” However, it seems that nothing is wrong, the regiment is not a bad one... Eh? The battalion commander understood the funny irony and laughed. “And in Tsaritsyn Meadow they wouldn’t have driven me away from the field.” - What? - said the commander. At this time, along the road from the city, along which the makhalnye were placed, two horsemen appeared. These were the adjutant and the Cossack riding behind. The adjutant was sent from the main headquarters to confirm to the regimental commander what was said unclearly in yesterday's order, namely, that the commander-in-chief wanted to see the regiment exactly in the position in which it was marching - in overcoats, in covers and without any preparations. A member of the Gofkriegsrat from Vienna arrived to Kutuzov the day before, with proposals and demands to join the army of Archduke Ferdinand and Mack as soon as possible, and Kutuzov, who did not consider this connection profitable, among other evidence in favor of his opinion, intended to show the Austrian general that sad situation , in which troops came from Russia. For this purpose, he wanted to go out to meet the regiment, so the worse the situation of the regiment, the more pleasant it would be for the commander-in-chief. Although the adjutant did not know these details, he conveyed to the regimental commander the commander-in-chief’s indispensable requirement that the people wear overcoats and covers, and that otherwise the commander-in-chief would be dissatisfied. Having heard these words, the regimental commander lowered his head, silently raised his shoulders and spread his hands with a sanguine gesture. - We've done things! - he said. “I told you, Mikhailo Mitrich, that on a campaign, we wear greatcoats,” he turned reproachfully to the battalion commander. - Oh, my God! - he added and stepped forward decisively. - Gentlemen, company commanders! - he shouted in a voice familiar to the command. - Sergeant majors!.. Will they be here soon? - he addressed the arriving adjutant with an expression of respectful courtesy, apparently referring to the person about whom he was speaking. - In an hour, I think. - Will we have time to change clothes? - I don’t know, General... The regimental commander himself approached the ranks and ordered that they change into their overcoats again. The company commanders scattered to their companies, the sergeants began to fuss (the overcoats were not entirely in good working order), and at the same moment the previously regular, silent quadrangles swayed, stretched out, and hummed with conversation. Soldiers ran and ran up from all sides, threw them from behind with their shoulders, dragged backpacks over their heads, took off their greatcoats and, raising their arms high, pulled them into their sleeves. Half an hour later everything returned to its previous order, only the quadrangles turned gray from black. The regimental commander again stepped forward with a trembling gait and looked at it from afar. - What else is this? what's this? - he shouted, stopping. - Commander of the third company!.. - Commander of the third company to the general! commander to the general, third company to the commander!.. - voices were heard along the ranks and the adjutant ran to look for the hesitant officer. When the sounds of diligent voices, misinterpreting, shouting “general to the third company,” reached their destination, the required officer appeared from behind the company and, although the man was already elderly and did not have the habit of running, awkwardly clinging to his toes, trotted towards the general. The captain's face expressed the anxiety of a schoolboy who is told to tell a lesson he has not learned. There were spots on his red (obviously from intemperance) face, and his mouth could not find its position. The regimental commander examined the captain from head to toe as he approached, out of breath, slowing his pace as he approached. — Will you soon dress people up in sundresses? What's this? - shouted the regimental commander, protruding his lower jaw and pointing in the ranks of the 3rd company to a soldier in an overcoat the color of factory cloth, different from other overcoats. - Where were you? The commander-in-chief is expected, and you are moving away from your place? Eh?.. I’ll teach you how to dress people in Cossacks for a parade!.. Eh? The company commander, without taking his eyes off his superior, pressed his two fingers more and more to the visor, as if in this one pressing he now saw his salvation. - Well, why are you silent? Who's dressed up as a Hungarian? - the regimental commander joked sternly. - Your Excellency... - Well, what about “Your Excellency?” Your Excellency! Your Excellency! And what about Your Excellency, no one knows. “Your Excellency, this is Dolokhov, demoted...” the captain said quietly. - What, he was demoted to field marshal, or something, or to soldier? And a soldier must be dressed like everyone else, in uniform. “Your Excellency, you yourself allowed him to go.” - Allowed? Allowed? “You’re always like this, young people,” said the regimental commander, cooling down somewhat. - Allowed? I’ll tell you something, and you and...” The regimental commander paused. - I’ll tell you something, and you and... What? - he said, getting irritated again. - Please dress people decently... And the regimental commander, looking back at the adjutant, walked towards the regiment with his trembling gait. It was clear that he himself did not like his irritation and that, having walked around the regiment, he wanted to find another pretext for his anger. Having cut off one officer for not cleaning his badge, another for being out of line, he approached the 3rd company. - How are you standing? Where's the leg? Where's the leg? - the regimental commander shouted with an expression of suffering in his voice, still about five people short of Dolokhov, dressed in a bluish overcoat. Dolokhov slowly straightened his bent leg and looked straight into the general’s face with his bright and insolent gaze. - Why the blue overcoat? Down!.. Sergeant major! Changing his clothes... rubbish... - He didn’t have time to finish. “General, I am obliged to carry out orders, but I am not obliged to endure...” Dolokhov said hastily. - Don’t talk at the front!.. Don’t talk, don’t talk!.. “You don’t have to endure insults,” Dolokhov finished loudly and resoundingly. The eyes of the general and the soldier met. The general fell silent, angrily pulling down his tight scarf. “Please change your clothes, please,” he said, walking away.

Even before the review, turmoil reigns in the Russian camp: no one knows in what form the commander-in-chief wants to see the soldiers. According to the principle: “It is better to bow than to fail,” the soldier is ordered to put on a dress uniform. Then an order comes that Kutuzov wants to see marching uniforms on the soldiers. As a result, the soldiers, instead of resting, spend the entire night working on their uniforms. Finally Kutuzov arrives. Everyone is excited: both soldiers and commanders: The regimental commander, blushing, ran up to the horse, with trembling hands took hold of the stirrup, threw the body over, straightened himself out, took out his sword and with a happy, determined face...prepared to shout.”

The regimental commander “performed his duties as a subordinate with even greater pleasure than the duties of a superior.” Thanks to his efforts, everything was fine in the regiment, except for shoes, which were supplied by the Austrian government. It is precisely this deplorable state of the shoes of Russian soldiers that Kutuzov wants to show to the Austrian general, who also accepts the review on an equal basis with Kutuzov.

The main character of this episode is Kutuzov. Already in this short scene, the author shows Kutuzov’s attitude towards soldiers and military officers: “Kutuzov walked through the ranks, occasionally stopping and speaking a few kind words to the officers whom he knew from the Turkish war, and sometimes to the soldiers. Looking at the shoes, he sadly shook his head several times and pointed them out to the Austrian general.” Walking past the formation, the commander-in-chief notices Captain Timokhin, whom he remembers from the Turkish campaign, and praises him for his courage: “... At the moment the commander-in-chief addressed him, the captain stretched out so that it seemed that if the commander-in-chief had looked at him for a little more time, the captain would not have been able to stand it ; and therefore Kutuzov, apparently understanding his position and wishing, on the contrary, all the best for the captain, hastily turned away.” The soldiers, feeling Kutuzov’s attitude towards them, also pay him with love and respect. They are happy to fight with a commander in chief who understands all their needs and aspirations.

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