Pierre observes the surrounding battlefield, and sees a religious procession, and Kutúzov.
Summary:
Passing the toiling militiamen, Pierre ascends a knoll to view in panorama the battlefield for miles around. From there he can see villages, rivers, forests, smoking campfires and indefinite masses of troops. He can’t, however, clearly distinguish the French from the Russian troops, and there’s doubt about where the Russian left flank is. A large religious procession arrives carrying an icon of the Mother of God followed by many worshipers. Returning from an inspection trip, Kutúzov rides up and seeing the icon, bows, prays, and kisses the icon. The others present, the generals, officers, soldiers, militiamen and locals follow Kutúzov’s example and worship the icon.
quote from the chapter:
Our position? replied the officer with a smile of satisfaction. I can tell you quite clearly, because I constructed nearly all our entrenchments. There, you see? There’s our center, at Borodinó, just there, and he pointed to the village in front of them with the white church. That’s where one crosses the Kolochá. You see down there where the rows of hay are lying in the hollow, there’s the bridge. That’s our center. Our right flank is over there-he pointed sharply to the right, far away in the broken ground-That’s where the Moskvá River is, and we have thrown up three redoubts there, very strong ones. The left flank… here the officer paused. Well, you see, that’s difficult to explain…. Yesterday our left flank was there at Shevárdino, you see, where the oak is, but now we have withdrawn our left wing-now it is over there, do you see that village and the smoke? That’s Semënovsk, yes, there, he pointed to Raévski’s knoll. But the battle will hardly be there. His having moved his troops there is only a ruse; he will probably pass round to the right of the Moskvá. But wherever it may be, many a man will be missing tomorrow! he remarked.
Book 10, Chapter 21
Pierre observes the surrounding battlefield, and sees a religious procession, and Kutúzov.
Summary:
Passing the toiling militiamen, Pierre ascends a knoll to view in panorama the battlefield for miles around. From there he can see villages, rivers, forests, smoking campfires and indefinite masses of troops. He can’t, however, clearly distinguish the French from the Russian troops, and there’s doubt about where the Russian left flank is. A large religious procession arrives carrying an icon of the Mother of God followed by many worshipers. Returning from an inspection trip, Kutúzov rides up and seeing the icon, bows, prays, and kisses the icon. The others present, the generals, officers, soldiers, militiamen and locals follow Kutúzov’s example and worship the icon.
quote from the chapter:
Our position? replied the officer with a smile of satisfaction. I can tell you quite clearly, because I constructed nearly all our entrenchments. There, you see? There’s our center, at Borodinó, just there, and he pointed to the village in front of them with the white church. That’s where one crosses the Kolochá. You see down there where the rows of hay are lying in the hollow, there’s the bridge. That’s our center. Our right flank is over there-he pointed sharply to the right, far away in the broken ground-That’s where the Moskvá River is, and we have thrown up three redoubts there, very strong ones. The left flank… here the officer paused. Well, you see, that’s difficult to explain…. Yesterday our left flank was there at Shevárdino, you see, where the oak is, but now we have withdrawn our left wing-now it is over there, do you see that village and the smoke? That’s Semënovsk, yes, there, he pointed to Raévski’s knoll. But the battle will hardly be there. His having moved his troops there is only a ruse; he will probably pass round to the right of the Moskvá. But wherever it may be, many a man will be missing tomorrow! he remarked.
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