Emma Watson Pussy
Books:
Anna Karenina
War And Peace
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and of Prozorovski and
Kamenski the latter was preferred. The general comes to us,
Suvorov-like, in a kibitka, and is received with acclamations of joy
and triumph.
"On the 4th, the first courier arrives from Petersburg. The mails
are taken to the field marshals room, for he likes to do everything
himself. I am called in to help sort the letters and take those
meant for us. The field marshal looks on and waits for letters
addressed to him. We search, but none are to be found. The field
marshal grows impatient and sets to work himself and finds letters
from the Emperor to Count T., Prince V., and others. Then he bursts
into one of his wild furies and rages at everyone and everything,
seizes the letters, opens them, and reads those from the Emperor
addressed to others. Ah! So thats the way they treat me! No
confidence in me! Ah, ordered to keep an eye on me! Very well then!
Get along with you! So he writes the famous order of the day to
General Bennigsen:
I am wounded and cannot ride and consequently cannot command the
army. You have brought your army corps to Pultusk, routed: here it
is exposed, and without fuel or forage, so something must be done,
and, as you yourself reported to Count Buxhowden yesterday, you must
think of retreating to our frontier--which do today.
"From all my riding, he writes to the Emperor, I have got a
saddle sore which, coming after all my previous journeys, quite
prevents my riding and commanding so vast an army, so I have passed on
the command to the general next in seniority, Count Buxhowden,
having sent him my whole staff and all that belongs to it, advising
him if there is a lack of bread, to move farther into the interior
of Prussia, for only one days ration of bread remains, and in some
regiments none at all, as reported by the division commanders,
Ostermann and Sedmoretzki, and all that the peasants had has been
eaten up. I myself will remain in hospital at Ostrolenka till I
recover. In regard to which I humbly submit my report, with the
information that if the army remains in its present bivouac another
fortnight there will not be a healthy man left in it by spring.
"Grant leave to retire to his country seat to an old man who is
already in any case dishonored by being unable to fulfill the great
and glorious task for which he was chosen. I shall await your most
gracious permission here in hospital, that I may not have to play
the part of a secretary rather than commander in the army. My
removal from the army does not produce the slightest stir--a blind man
has left it. There are thousands such as I in Russia.
"The field marshal is angry with the Emperor and he punishes us all,
isnt it logical?
"This is the first act. Those that follow are naturally increasingly
interesting and entertaining. After the field marshals departure it
appears that we are within sight of the enemy and must give battle.
Buxhowden is commander in chief by seniority, but General Bennigsen
does not quite see it; more particularly as it is he and his corps who
are within sight of the enemy and he wishes to profit by the
opportunity to fight a battle on his own hand as the Germans say. He
does so. This is the battle of Pultusk, which is considered a great
victory but in my opinion was nothing of the kind. We civilians, as
you know, have a very bad way of deciding whether a battle was won or
lost. Those who retreat after a battle have lost it is what we say;
and according to that it is we who lost the battle of Pultusk. In
short, we retreat after the battle but send a courier to Petersburg
with news of a victory, and General Bennigsen, hoping to receive from
Petersburg the post of commander in chief as a reward for his victory,
does not give up the command of the army to General Buxhowden. During
this interregnum we begin a very original and interesting series of
maneuvers. Our aim is no longer, as it should be, to avoid or attack
the enemy, but solely to avoid General Buxhowden who by right of
seniority should be our chief. So energetically do we pursue this aim
that after crossing an unfordable river we burn the bridges to
separate ourselves from our enemy, who at the moment is not
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