Война и мир

Chapter 19

           

           Thesourceofthiscontradictionliesinthefactthatthehistoriansstudyingtheeventsfromthelettersofthesovereignsandthegenerals,frommemoirs,reports,projects,andsoforth,haveattributedtothislastperiodofthewarof1812anaimthatneverexisted,namelythatofcuttingoffandcapturingNapoleonwithhismarshalsandhisarmy.

           Thereneverwasorcouldhavebeensuchanaim,foritwouldhavebeensenselessanditsattainmentquiteimpossible.

           Itwouldhavebeensenseless,firstbecauseNapoleon’sdisorganizedarmywasflyingfromRussiawithallpossiblespeed,thatistosay,wasdoingjustwhateveryRussiandesired.SowhatwastheuseofperformingvariousoperationsontheFrenchwhowererunningawayasfastastheypossiblycould?

           Secondly,itwouldhavebeensenselesstoblockthepassageofmenwhosewholeenergywasdirectedtoflight.

           Thirdly,itwouldhavebeensenselesstosacrificeone’sowntroopsinordertodestroytheFrencharmy,whichwithoutexternalinterferencewasdestroyingitselfatsucharatethat,thoughitspathwasnotblocked,itcouldnotcarryacrossthefrontiermorethanitactuallydidinDecember,namelyahundredthpartoftheoriginalarmy.

           Fourthly,itwouldhavebeensenselesstowishtotakecaptivetheEmperor,kings,anddukes—whosecapturewouldhavebeeninthehighestdegreeembarrassingfortheRussians,asthemostadroitdiplomatistsofthetime(JosephdeMaistreandothers)recognized.

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