Book Fourteen: 1812 - Chapter XVII

by Leo Tolstoy

　　The movements of the Russian and French armies during the campaignfrom Moscow back to the Niemen were like those in a game of Russianblindman's bluff, in which two players are blindfolded and one of themoccasionally rings a little bell to inform the catcher of hiswhereabouts. First he rings his bell fearlessly, but when he gets intoa tight place he runs away as quietly as he can, and often thinking toescape runs straight into his opponent's arms.

　　At first while they were still moving along the Kaluga road,Napoleon's armies made their presence known, but later when theyreached the Smolensk road they ran holding the clapper of their belltight- and often thinking they were escaping ran right into theRussians.

　　Owing to the rapidity of the French flight and the Russian pursuitand the consequent exhaustion of the horses, the chief means ofapproximately ascertaining the enemy's position- by cavalryscouting- was not available. Besides, as a result of the frequentand rapid change of position by each army, even what information wasobtained could not be delivered in time. If news was received oneday that the enemy had been in a certain position the day before, bythe third day when something could have been done, that army wasalready two days' march farther on and in quite another position.

　　One army fled and the other pursued. Beyond Smolensk there wereseveral different roads available for the French, and one would havethought that during their stay of four days they might have learnedwhere the enemy was, might have arranged some more advantageous planand undertaken something new. But after a four days' halt the mob,with no maneuvers or plans, again began running along the beatentrack, neither to the right nor to the left but along the old- theworst- road, through Krasnoe and Orsha.

　　Expecting the enemy from behind and not in front, the Frenchseparated in their flight and spread out over a distance oftwenty-four hours. In front of them all fled the Emperor, then thekings, then the dukes. The Russian army, expecting Napoleon to takethe road to the right beyond the Dnieper- which was the onlyreasonable thing for him to do- themselves turned to the right andcame out onto the highroad at Krasnoe. And here as in a game ofblindman's buff the French ran into our vanguard. Seeing their enemyunexpectedly the French fell into confusion and stopped short from thesudden fright, but then they resumed their flight, abandoning theircomrades who were farther behind. Then for three days separateportions of the French army- first Murat's (the vice-king's), thenDavout's, and then Ney's- ran, as it were, the gauntlet of the Russianarmy. They abandoned one another, abandoned all their heavy baggage,their artillery, and half their men, and fled, getting past theRussians by night by making semicircles to the right.

　　Ney, who came last, had been busying himself blowing up the walls ofSmolensk which were in nobody's way, because despite the unfortunateplight of the French or because of it, they wished to punish the flooragainst which they had hurt themselves. Ney, who had had a corps often thousand men, reached Napoleon at Orsha with only one thousand menleft, having abandoned all the rest and all his cannon, and havingcrossed the Dnieper at night by stealth at a wooded spot.

　　From Orsha they fled farther along the road to Vilna, stillplaying at blindman's buff with the pursuing army. At the Berezinathey again became disorganized, many were drowned and manysurrendered, but those who got across the river fled farther. Theirsupreme chief donned a fur coat and, having seated himself in asleigh, galloped on alone, abandoning his companions. The others whocould do so drove away too, leaving those who could not to surrenderor die.