Chapter 10

           

           TheFrencharmymeltedawayattheuniformrateofamathematicalprogression;andthatcrossingoftheBerëzinaaboutwhichsomuchhasbeenwrittenwasonlyoneintermediatestageinitsdestruction,andnotatallthedecisiveepisodeofthecampaign.IfsomuchhasbeenandstilliswrittenabouttheBerëzina,ontheFrenchsidethisisonlybecauseatthebrokenbridgeacrossthatriverthecalamitiestheirarmyhadbeenpreviouslyenduringweresuddenlyconcentratedatonemomentintoatragicspectaclethatremainedineverymemory,andontheRussiansidemerelybecauseinPetersburg—farfromtheseatofwar—aplan(againoneofPfuel’s)hadbeendevisedtocatchNapoleoninastrategictrapattheBerëzinaRiver.Everyoneassuredhimselfthatallwouldhappenaccordingtoplan,andthereforeinsistedthatitwasjustthecrossingoftheBerëzinathatdestroyedtheFrencharmy.InrealitytheresultsofthecrossingweremuchlessdisastroustotheFrench—ingunsandmenlost—thanKrásnoehadbeen,asthefiguresshow.

           ThesoleimportanceofthecrossingoftheBerëzinaliesinthefactthatitplainlyandindubitablyprovedthefallacyofalltheplansforcuttingofftheenemy’sretreatandthesoundnessoftheonlypossiblelineofaction—theoneKutúzovandthegeneralmassofthearmydemanded—namely,simplytofollowtheenemyup.TheFrenchcrowdfledatacontinuallyincreasingspeedandallitsenergywasdirectedtoreachingitsgoal.Itfledlikeawoundedanimalanditwasimpossibletoblockitspath.

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