“Listening to the generals debate theoretical strategies at headquarters, Andrew decides he can be more useful at the front, so he requests a transfer.
“Listening to the generals debate theoretical strategies at headquarters, Andrew decides he can be more useful at the front, so he requests a transfer.
Book 9, Chapter 11
“Listening to the generals debate theoretical strategies at headquarters, Andrew decides he can be more useful at the front, so he requests a transfer.
Summary:
When Prince Andrew enters the room where the Emperor is, he finds a spirited debate going on between some of the Generals. The issue is whether or not Pfuel’s defensive arrangements at Drissa are satisfactory. Several critics argue that Pfuel’s arrangements are a disaster, that they will lead only to the army’s destruction, and that Pfuel deserves to be sent to an asylum or to the gallows. Pfuel, for his part, thinks his critics are completely wrong. With a map, he tries to show them that his arrangements can survive any attacks the French may try. Listening to this, Andrew thinks how pointless such arguments are, since victory or defeat depends on the spirit of the men on the front and cannot be controlled by debating strategy in advance. Andrew decides to leave headquarters staff and to go and fight with the troops, so he requests a transfer. By doing so, Andrew loses some status in court circles.
quote from the chapter:
Prince Andrew, listening to this polyglot talk and to these surmises, plans, refutations, and shouts, felt nothing but amazement at what they were saying. A thought that had long since and often occurred to him during his military activities-the idea that there is not and cannot be any science of war, and that therefore there can be no such thing as a military genius-now appeared to him an obvious truth. What theory and science is possible about a matter the conditions and circumstances of which are unknown and cannot be defined, especially when the strength of the acting forces cannot be ascertained? No one was or is able to foresee in what condition our or the enemy’s armies will be in a day’s time, and no one can gauge the force of this or that detachment.
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