The four weeks he spent in the prison camp greatly improved Pierre’s outlook on life.
As the camp is evacuated, the previously friendly prison guards suddenly change and take on the heartless mien of men capable of killing. Once outside the gates, the prisoners are shocked to see the city in ashes.
Moscow’s streets are crammed on the day of the French evacuation. The prisoners see the French overloaded with plunder. In the evening, looking at the stars, Pierre has an epiphany and realizes that no human being can ever truly be captured.
Kutúzov again rejects an offer of a treaty from Napoleon. General Dokhtúrov unexpectedly finds the French army in Formínsk, and sends to Kutúzov for further instructions.
The news that Napoleon is in Formínsk is quickly carried to Kutúzov.
When Kutúzov learns that Napoleon has abandoned Moscow, he realizes at once that Russia has won the war. Kutúzov thanks God and weeps for joy.
Once Napoleon’s army began to flee, Kutúzov focused his efforts solely on avoiding useless attacks, maneuvers, or encounters with the perishing enemy.
The French army begins to break up as it flees for Smolénsk. Kutúzov tries, not always successfully, to prevent Russian commanders from attacking the fleeing French so as to avoid unnecessary loss of life.
The last part of the War of 1812 is very instructive because it showed that when two nations go to war, the nation with the most successful army on the battlefield isn’t always the side coming out ahead.
Tolstoy explains important differences between guerrilla warfare and the so-called “laws of war” which apply in conventional military fighting. .In guerrilla warfare, the spirit of the warrior matters, more than numbers.