When Tolstoy's novel was published, not all critics were delighted with this work. One of the participants in the battle wrote that he could not “finish reading this novel, which has a claim to be historical, without an offended patriotic feeling.” Another critic addressed Tolstoy with these words: “Whatever great artist You may be, no matter how great a philosopher you imagine yourself to be, but you still cannot despise your fatherland and the best pages of its glory with impunity.” What offended these people so much, what did they see as Tolstoy’s contempt for his fatherland? In the truth that the writer said about the war. They would like to read a book about an easy, bloodless victory over Napoleon. They were not satisfied with the fact that the war in Tolstoy’s book is ugly, ugly, immoral.
* “Over the whole field, previously so cheerfully beautiful, with its sparkles of bayonets and smoke in morning sun, there was now a haze of dampness and smoke and the smell of the strange acid of saltpeter and blood. Clouds gathered and rain began to fall on the dead, on the wounded, on the frightened, and on the exhausted, and on the doubting people. It was as if he was saying: “Enough, enough, people. Stop it... Come to your senses. What are you doing?".
Some critics did not like this kind of war. They wanted to read about the war described by Berg: “The army burns with the spirit of heroism ... such a heroic spirit, truly ancient courage Russian troops, which they... showed in this battle on the 26th, there are no words worthy to describe them...” But these people, who preferred Berg’s manner, were mistaken: there was a patriotic feeling in Tolstoy’s book, and it was more honest and stronger than the spells of the opponents novel. Tolstoy's war looked ugly and frightening, but people went to it without loud words, because they could not help but go; when the fate of Russia was being decided, they stood up to defend their country, knowing that the bullet would not have mercy, and they fought to the death. This is how Tolstoy saw the war, and other contemporaries appreciated this in him. First detailed analysis“War and Peace”, made by critic N. N. Strakhov. He wrote that “War and Peace” rises to the highest peaks of human thoughts and feelings, to peaks usually inaccessible to people.”
The chapter about the council in Fili belongs, in my opinion, to those peaks of human thoughts and feelings that Strakhov wrote about. Tolstoy could have told about the military council at which the fate of Moscow was decided, from the point of view of one of the generals - for example, Bennigsen, who argued with Kutuzov. Bennigsen believed that Moscow could not be given up without a fight, and, probably, in his heart he hated and despised Kutuzov, who decided to take such a step. It was possible to show the council through the eyes of Kutuzov, alone in his unshakable decision to save the army and give up Moscow for this. Tolstoy chose a different path. The courage he showed Battle of Borodino through the eyes of Pierre, who does not understand anything - even this courage pales before the decision to show the council in Fili through the eyes of a child, a six-year-old peasant girl Malasha, forgotten on the stove in the room where the council is taking place. Malasha did not know what we read about in previous chapters: Kutuzov even on the day of Borodin wanted to attack the French, but this turned out to be impossible due to huge losses, suffered by the army. Malasha did not know that only one question now occupied Kutuzov: “Did I really allow Napoleon to reach Moscow, and when did I do it?”
Through the eyes of a child, we see even more clearly how sad Kutuzov is, how hard it is for him, how he hides in a dark corner and does not want the council members to see his face. Everyone waited a long time for Bennigsen, who was “finishing his delicious lunch under the pretext of a new inspection of the position.” But, as soon as he entered the hut, he opened the council with the question: “Should we leave the sacred and ancient capital of Russia without a fight or defend it?” A few days ago on the Borodino field we heard Kutuzov say that soon the enemy would be driven “from the sacred Russian land” - and crossed himself and sobbed. This scene caused us excitement, pity, pride - many feelings, but not irritation.
Now Bennigsen is talking about the holy capital - and this is annoying, like the creak of a knife on glass; pomposity emanates from his words - why? Malasha did not understand these words, and, moreover, could not feel the falseness in them, but in her soul she disliked the “long-haired” Bennigsen as unconsciously and strongly as she fell in love with “grandfather” Kutuzov. She noticed something else: Kutuzov “was definitely going to cry” when he heard Bennigsen’s words, but he controlled himself. He felt the “false note” of Bennigsen’s words and emphasized it, repeating in an angry voice: “The sacred ancient capital of Russia!..”
Bennigsen thinks about only one thing - how he looks at the military council. It is painful and painful for many of the generals present to discuss the question of whether to leave Moscow.
Many, Bennigsen among them, are concerned with how to absolve themselves of responsibility for what will inevitably happen. Say words that later, later, will look beautiful in history. That is why his words are unbearable to hear: even at the gates of Moscow, he thinks not about the fate of Russia, but about his role in this fate. Kutuzov does not think about himself. For him there is one question: “The salvation of Russia is in the army. Is it more profitable to risk the loss of the army and Moscow by accepting a battle, or to give up Moscow without a battle?
Looking at the council through the eyes of Malasha, we hear nothing, but we notice the “quick sly glance” cast by Kutuzov! at Bennigsen, and we understand that “grandfather, having said something to the long-haired man, besieged him.” Kutuzov reminded Bennigsen of his defeat at the Battle of Friedland, where he put forward the same proposals as now, and there was silence.
The chapter about the council in Fili fits on three pages, but it is one of the most important in the novel, not only because it resolves the fatal issue of leaving Moscow. This chapter rises “to the highest peaks of human thoughts and feelings” because it contains we're talking about about the degree of responsibility that sometimes, in difficult moments, a person is sometimes obliged to shoulder; about the degree of responsibility that not all people are capable of.
There are so many of them, military generals, and not all of them are like Bennigsen; among them are brave men, heroes: Raevsky, Ermolov, Dokhturov... But not one of them dares to take responsibility and say the words: you need to leave Moscow in order to save the army and thereby save Russia. That’s why there was silence, because everyone understood Kutuzov’s arguments, but no one dared to support them. Only Kutuzov, knowing that he will be accused of all mortal sins, has the courage to forget about himself: “slowly rising, he approached the table.
Gentlemen, I have heard your opinions. Some will disagree with me. But I (he stopped) by the power entrusted to me by my sovereign and fatherland, I order a retreat.” And again - these high words: “by the power entrusted to me by my sovereign and fatherland,” in the mouth of Kutuzov not only do not irritate, they are natural, because the feeling that gave birth to them is natural and majestic. Left alone, he keeps thinking about the same thing: “When, when was it finally decided that Moscow was abandoned? When was what was done that resolved the issue, and who is to blame for this?” He does not blame Barclay or anyone else, does not justify himself, does not think about the opinion that the St. Petersburg society and the Tsar will now have about him - he is tormented for his country...
* “Oh no! They will eat horse meat like the Turks...” - he shouts late at night the same words that he said to Prince Andrei when he had just been appointed commander-in-chief...
And they will. Precisely because they will be because an old, feeble man found the strength to slowly rise up at a military council in a peasant hut in Fili and take responsibility for the retreat from Moscow.
” repeatedly emphasized the predetermination of the events taking place. He denied the role of personality in history, but defended the destiny of destiny individual and the state as a whole. Despite the fact that the Russians won a “moral” victory on the Borodino field and were going to continue the battle the next day, it turned out that the troops had lost up to half of their strength killed and wounded, and the battle turned out to be impossible. Even before the meeting in Fili, it was clear to all sensible military men that it was impossible to fight a new battle, but this should have been said by “the Most Serene One.” I constantly asked myself the question: “Did I really allow this to reach Moscow, and when did I do it? When was this decided?..”
Kutuzov continues the same line of behavior as during the Battle of Borodino. He sits outwardly indifferent to those around him, but his mind is working feverishly. He is looking for only right decision. The Commander-in-Chief firmly believes in his historical mission to save Russia.
It is interesting that, when describing such a dramatic scene as the decision to leave Moscow to the French or to fight for it, Lev Nikolayevich does not miss the opportunity to mock the false patriotism of Bennigsen, who insists on defending Moscow, beginning his speech with a pompous phrase: “Should we leave the sacred and ancient city without a fight?” capital of Russia or defend it?” The falsity of this phrase is clear to everyone, but only Kutuzov has the right to respond to it with a protest. He was chosen as commander-in-chief at the request of the people, contrary to the will of the sovereign, and he, a true patriot, is disgusted by any posturing. Kutuzov is sincerely confident that the Russians won a victory on the Borodino field, but he also sees the need to abandon Moscow.
He speaks the most brilliant words that become for many years textbook: “The question for which I asked these gentlemen to gather is a military question. The question is: “The salvation of Russia is in the army. Is it more profitable to risk the loss of the army and Moscow by accepting a battle, or to give up Moscow without a battle?.. This is the question I want to know your opinion on.” It is difficult, purely humanly impossible, for Kutuzov to give the order to retreat from Moscow. But common sense and the courage of this man prevailed over other feelings: “... I (he stopped) by the power entrusted to me by my sovereign and fatherland, I order a retreat.”
We see the scene of the council in Fili through the eyes of a child, the granddaughter of Andrei Savostyanov, Malasha, who remained in the upper room where the generals had gathered. The six-year-old girl, of course, does not understand anything about what is happening; her attitude towards Kutuzov, “grandfather,” as she christened him, and Bennigsen, “long-haired,” is built on a subconscious level. She likes her grandfather, who was arguing with the long-haired man about something, and then “besieged him.” This attitude between the disputants “comforted” Malasha. She has sympathy for Kutuzov, and she is pleased that he prevailed.
The author needs such a perception of the most complex episode of the novel, probably not only because “the plaintiff speaks through the mouth of a baby,” but also because Kutuzov, according to Tolstoy, does not reason, does not become clever, but acts as it is impossible not to do: he chooses only the right decision. Of course, this is not easy for an old man. He is looking for his guilt in what happened, but is sure that the death of the French will soon be inevitable. Late at night he says, seemingly without any connection, to the adjutant who came in: “Oh no! They will eat horse meat like the Turks... they will too, if only..."
There is so much pain in these words, because he always thinks about the fate of the army, Russia, his responsibility to them, that’s the only reason the bitter words come out.
The episode of the council in Fili explains a lot and shows the drama of the situation, the forced retreat of the troops not as the evil will of someone who decided to destroy Moscow, but the only possible and sure way out. Tolstoy admires the wisdom and foresight of the commander-in-chief, his ability to understand the situation, use his power and make an unpopular, but courageous and good decision. Kutuzov does not need cheap populism, he true patriot thinking about the good of the fatherland, and this helps him make the right decision. .
One of the main storylines novel war of 1805-1807 and 1812. War brings death, so the theme of life and death inevitably arises in the novel. Showing all the horrors of war, from the first battle of Nikolai Rostov and the wounding of Andrei Bolkonsky in Battle of Austerlitz until the death of Prince Andrey and the flight French army, Tolstoy proves the senselessness of war. War is a thing contrary to human nature. She brings suffering and death.
The first death the reader encounters is the death of Count Bezukhov. It is not filled with tragedy, since the dying man is completely unfamiliar to the reader and indifferent to the people around him - relatives and “friends” who have already begun the fight for his inheritance. Here death is described as commonplace and inevitable.
The description of the war begins with a description of the condition of the young, inexperienced in military affairs Nikolai Rostov. He observes death and fears it. Instead of the romance that Nikolai expected to meet on the battlefield, he encounters horror. The death of many people appears before the reader as an eerie sight. Here death is the antonym of life. Pictures of war evoke in the reader fear of death and disgust for it. But death is terrible not as such, but only by the suffering that it brings.
Tolstoy takes his heroes through the ordeal of death. The first to meet this test is . He, a moment ago strong and brave, full of wonderful hopes and dreams, now lies on the ground without strength, without hope of survival. He looks into the sky and feels the frailty of glory, the frailty of his body, the frailty of existence. At this moment he is close to death, and he is happy. Why is he happy? He is happy with the consciousness of something new, high and beautiful (like the sky above him). What did Prince Andrei realize under the sky of Austerlitz? The reader cannot fully understand this without experiencing it himself. To realize this, a person needs a test of death. Death is unknown to the living. Veil great secret It opens slightly only to those standing at the terrible line. The description of Prince Andrei’s emotional experiences immediately after being wounded leads the reader to the idea that death is not terrible. This idea is foreign to most people, and few readers will accept it.
Pierre Bezukhoe also passes the test of death. This is a duel with Fedor Dolokhov. At this time, Pierre is in the initial stages of his spiritual development. His thoughts before and during the duel are unclear and vague. His condition is close to nervous breakdown. He automatically pulls the trigger. Suddenly, at the sight of the blood of his opponent, Pierre is pierced by the thought: “Did I kill a man?” Pierre begins to have a crisis: he hardly eats, does not wash, he thinks all day long. His thoughts are chaotic, sometimes they are scary, he does not know what life and death are, why he lives and what he himself is. These unanswerable questions torment him. Having left his wife, he goes to St. Petersburg.
On the road, Pierre meets Joseph Alekseevich Bazdeev, an important person in Masonic society. At that moment Pierre was ready to accept any plausible ideas and beliefs. Such ideas, as fate would have it, turned out to be the ideas of the Freemasons. Pierre becomes a Freemason and begins his path of self-improvement. He perceives and understands with all his soul the basic commandments of Freemasonry: generosity, modesty, piety. But there is one commandment that Pierre is unable to understand - love of death.
And the world” repeatedly emphasized the predetermination of current events. He denied the role of the individual in history, but defended the predestined destiny of the individual and the state as a whole. Despite the fact that the Russians won a “moral” victory on the Borodino field and were going to continue the battle the next day, it turned out that the troops had lost up to half of their strength killed and wounded, and the battle turned out to be impossible. Even before the meeting in Fili, it was clear to all sensible military men that it was impossible to fight a new battle, but this should have been said by “the Most Serene One.” Kutuzov constantly asked himself the question: “Did I really allow Napoleon to reach Moscow, and when did I do it? When was this decided?..”
Kutuzov continues the same line of behavior as during the Battle of Borodino. He sits outwardly indifferent to those around him, but his mind is working feverishly. He is looking for the only right solution. The Commander-in-Chief firmly believes in his historical mission to save Russia.
It is interesting that, when describing such a dramatic scene as the decision to leave Moscow to the French or to fight for it, Lev Nikolayevich does not miss the opportunity to mock the false patriotism of Bennigsen, who insists on defending Moscow, beginning his speech with a pompous phrase: “Should we leave the sacred and ancient city without a fight?” capital of Russia or defend it?” The falsity of this phrase is clear to everyone, but only Kutuzov has the right to respond to it with a protest. He was chosen as commander-in-chief at the request of the people, contrary to the will of the sovereign, and he, a true patriot, is disgusted by any posturing. Kutuzov is sincerely confident that the Russians won a victory on the Borodino field, but he also sees the need to abandon Moscow.
He speaks the most brilliant words, which have become textbook for many years: “The question for which I asked these gentlemen to gather is a military question. The question is: “The salvation of Russia is in the army. Is it more profitable to risk the loss of the army and Moscow by accepting a battle, or to give up Moscow without a battle?.. This is the question I want to know your opinion on.” It is difficult, purely humanly impossible, for Kutuzov to give the order to retreat from Moscow. But the common sense and courage of this man prevailed over other feelings: “... I (he stopped) by the power entrusted to me by my sovereign and fatherland, I order a retreat.”
We see the scene of the council in Fili through the eyes of a child, the granddaughter of Andrei Savostyanov, Malasha, who remained in the upper room where the generals had gathered. The six-year-old girl, of course, does not understand anything about what is happening; her attitude towards Kutuzov, “grandfather,” as she christened him, and Bennigsen, “long-haired,” is built on a subconscious level. She likes her grandfather, who was arguing with the long-haired man about something, and then “besieged him.” This attitude between the disputants “comforted” Malasha. She has sympathy for Kutuzov, and she is pleased that he prevailed.
The author needs such a perception of the most complex episode of the novel, probably not only because “the plaintiff speaks through the mouth of a baby,” but also because Kutuzov, according to Tolstoy, does not reason, does not become clever, but acts as it is impossible not to do: he chooses the only correct decision. Of course, this is not easy for an old man. He is looking for his guilt in what happened, but is sure that the death of the French will soon be inevitable. Late at night he says, seemingly without any connection, to the adjutant who came in: “Oh no! They will eat horse meat like the Turks... they will too, if only..."
There is so much pain in these words, because he always thinks about the fate of the army, Russia, his responsibility to them, that’s the only reason the bitter words come out.
The episode of the council in Fili explains a lot and shows the drama of the situation, the forced retreat of the troops not as the evil will of someone who decided to destroy Moscow, but the only possible and sure way out. Tolstoy admires the wisdom and foresight of the commander-in-chief, his ability to understand the situation, use his power and make an unpopular, but courageous and good decision. Kutuzov does not need cheap populism, he is a true patriot who thinks about the good of the fatherland, and this helps him make the right decision. .
One of the main plot lines of the novel is the war of 1805-1807 and 1812. War brings death, so the theme of life and death inevitably arises in the novel. Showing all the horrors of war, from the first battle of Nikolai Rostov and the wounding of Andrei Bolkonsky in the Battle of Austerlitz to the death of Prince Andrei and the flight of the French army, Tolstoy proves the senselessness of war. War is a thing contrary to human nature. She brings suffering and death.
The first death the reader encounters is the death of Count Bezukhov. It is not filled with tragedy, since the dying man is completely unfamiliar to the reader and indifferent to the people around him - relatives and “friends” who have already begun the fight for his inheritance. Here death is described as commonplace and inevitable.
The description of the war begins with a description of the condition of the young, inexperienced in military affairs Nikolai Rostov. He observes death and fears it. Instead of the romance that Nikolai expected to meet on the battlefield, he encounters horror. The death of many people appears before the reader as an eerie sight. Here death is the antonym of life. Pictures of war evoke in the reader fear of death and disgust for it. But death is terrible not as such, but only by the suffering that it brings.
Tolstoy takes his heroes through the ordeal of death. Andrei Bolkonsky is the first to meet this test. He, a moment ago strong and brave, full of wonderful hopes and dreams, now lies on the ground without strength, without hope of survival. He looks into the sky and feels the frailty of glory, the frailty of his body, the frailty of existence. At this moment he is close to death, and he is happy. Why is he happy? He is happy with the consciousness of something new, high and beautiful (like the sky above him). What did Prince Andrei realize under the sky of Austerlitz? The reader cannot fully understand this without experiencing it himself. To realize this, a person needs a test of death. Death is unknown to the living. The veil of the great secret is lifted only by those standing at the terrible line. The description of Prince Andrei’s emotional experiences immediately after being wounded leads the reader to the idea that death is not terrible. This idea is foreign to most people, and few readers will accept it.
Pierre Bezukhoe also passes the test of death. This is a duel with Fedor Dolokhov. At this time, Pierre is at the initial stage of his spiritual development. His thoughts before and during the duel are unclear and vague. His condition is close to a nervous breakdown. He automatically pulls the trigger. Suddenly, at the sight of the blood of his opponent, Pierre is pierced by the thought: “Did I kill a man?” Pierre begins to have a crisis: he hardly eats, does not wash, he thinks all day long. His thoughts are chaotic, sometimes they are scary, he does not know what life and death are, why he lives and what he himself is. These unanswerable questions torment him. Having left his wife, he goes to St. Petersburg.
On the road, Pierre meets Joseph Alekseevich Bazdeev, an important person in Masonic society. At that moment Pierre was ready to accept any plausible ideas and beliefs. Such ideas, as fate would have it, turned out to be the ideas of the Freemasons. Pierre becomes a Freemason and begins his path of self-improvement. He perceives and understands with all his soul the basic commandments of Freemasonry: generosity, modesty, piety. But there is one commandment that Pierre is unable to understand - love of death.
Pierre Bezukhov is a man loving life. His main qualities are love of life and naturalness. How can he love death - the absence of life? But throughout the entire novel, the author convinces the reader of the need to love death and life. Main feature goodies– love of life (Natasha Rostova is ideal in this regard). How does Tolstoy combine love of life with love of death? There can be only one answer to this question: L.N. Tolstoy considers life and death not to be mutually exclusive opposites, but to be complementary elements that form the world. Life and Death are parts of one whole (the idea of the dual unity of the world). This fundamental statement underlies life concept Tolstoy. The novel War and Peace contains many confirmations of this concept.
The Patriotic War of 1812-1813 takes the main characters: Prince Andrei and Pierre through the ordeal of death a second time. After being wounded on the Borodino field, Prince Andrei again fell into the arms of death. For the second time he realizes something global. This awareness makes him completely indifferent to life. He does not want to live and joyfully awaits death. He knows that death will give him something that is many times more important than all life. The hero experiences all-encompassing love. Love is not human, love is divine. It is impossible for a living person to understand this. It is precisely this attitude towards death that Tolstoy is trying to convey to the reader.
A person cannot live with the thoughts of a dying person. We understand the ideal (for Tolstoy) way of thinking from Pierre’s ordeal in French captivity.
Pierre, having been captured, was in a state of crisis caused by his stay at the Battle of Borodino and thoughts of killing Napoleon. He watches the execution of people and waits for his turn to die. He is afraid to cross the fatal line, but has already come to terms with the inevitability of execution. Left to live, Pierre continues to live with the thoughts of a dead man. Platon Karataev, an ideal (according to the author) character, brings him out of the crisis. Platon Karataev is not capable of reflection; he, without thinking or thinking, lives in harmony with nature. Karataev is simple and wise in his simplicity. His attitude towards death is also simple and unsophisticated: death is the inevitable end of life. Plato loves death as well as life, like everyone around him. Pierre also adopts Karataev’s attitude to life, and after the torment of retreat and the death of Platon Karataev, Pierre also accepts the love of death (which is why tragic death Petya Rostova was not such a terrible blow for Pierre as it was for most of those around him). After returning from captivity, Pierre became spiritually cleansed. He achieved Tolstoy's ideal: love for people, love for life, love for death, simplicity and naturalness.
Tolstoy resolves the question of life and death posed in the novel “War and Peace” by uniting two opposites into a single whole - peace. The world exists only as a combination of life and death. We must love this world, which means we must love both life and death.
Fate decreed that Russia, whose population has always been peaceful and hospitable, had to fight a lot throughout its existence. There were also wars of conquest, but most of time, the Russian state desperately defended itself from unfriendly countries wishing to encroach on its territory.
In war you have to sometimes difficult choice, on which the fate of the country depends. The Military Council in Fili in 1812 is a clear example of this.
Patriotic War of 1812
Not a single century has passed peacefully for Russia. Each carried the threat of a difficult war. This was the case in early XIX century. Ambition French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte pushed him to take a crazy step - to start a war with Russian Empire, which alone was not influenced by France, not counting Great Britain. Such an independent position of the most powerful northern country did not suit Napoleon, and he planned to defeat the Russian army in the first battle, so that he could then dictate his terms.
The Russian Emperor, an extraordinary diplomat, understood perfectly well that Napoleon would try to impose his army decisive battle, in which Russia's chances of winning are slim. A year before, he said that he would rather retreat to Kamchatka than sign a peace treaty in the capital. “Our winter and our climate will fight for us,” said Alexander I. Time has shown that his words turned out to be prophetic.
Battle of Borodino - behind Moscow
Having forced the border crossing in June 1812 Grand Army entered Russian territory. Following the approved plan, Russian troops began an organized retreat. All three scattered armies hurried with all their might to unite. Near Smolensk in early August, the 1st and 2nd armies successfully completed this maneuver. Here Napoleon tried to impose general battle commander of the Russian troops Barclay de Tolly. The latter, realizing that the troops, exhausted by the continuous retreat, had an insignificant chance of victory, chose to save the army and ordered the soldiers to leave the city.
The main battle in this war between the Russian troops, which by that time was commanded by Mikhail Kutuzov, appointed by Alexander I, and the Napoleonic army took place near the village of Borodino on August 26 (September 7). It was not possible to defeat Napoleon, but in the Battle of Borodino, the Russian army, most importantly, fulfilled its main task - inflicted serious damage on the enemy forces.
Retreat to Moscow
On September 8, trying to save the army, Kutuzov ordered a retreat towards Mozhaisk. After the Battle of Borodino, all the officers were eager to join new battle with Napoleon. Kutuzov himself repeatedly spoke about this. But from the emperor's personal letter, he learned that he would not receive the necessary reinforcements.
On September 13, the army from the village of Mamonova approached the positions chosen for it by General Bennigsen a few kilometers from Moscow. During the inspection of the site of the future battle, on Poklonnaya Hill, Barclay de Tolly and Ermolov expressed a categorical opinion to the commander-in-chief of the combined armies about his complete unsuitability. Behind the Russian troops were the river, ravines and huge city. This completely excluded the possibility of any maneuver. The bloodless army could not fight in such an unfortunate position.
In order to accept final decision on the fate of the battle and the capital, on the evening of September 13, Kutuzov convened a military council in Fili. It was carried out secretly, in the hut of the peasant Frolov.
The number and names of the officers present are known to us only from the words of eyewitnesses to these events, since, due to secrecy, no protocol was kept. It is known that up to 15 people were present, except for General Miloradovich, who was in the rearguard. Moscow Governor Count Rostopchin, who had arrived the day before, was not invited to the council in Fili.
From the letters and memoirs of the participants it is known that General L. L. Bennigsen was the first to take the floor and asked the question: “Will the army accept the battle or surrender Moscow?” He himself was determined to fight again. He was supported by the majority of the officers present, who were eager to get revenge for Borodino. Bennigsen emphasized that a new battle was needed to maintain the morale of the army, and the surrender of the capital would undermine it.
Next, the former commander of the armies, Barclay de Tolly, took the floor, who said that the Russian troops had the most unsuitable position for battle, and therefore proposed moving towards Vladimir. About Moscow, he said that now for the salvation of the country, it is not the capital that is important, but the army, and it is precisely this that must be preserved with all our might.
Barclay de Tolly's opinion was supported only by Osterman-Tolstoy, Tol and Raevsky. The remaining officers either supported Bennigsen or offered to move towards Napoleon's army themselves.
A difficult choice is a commander's lot
The council in Fili did not allow a common opinion to be reached. There was no voting either. The entire burden of responsibility for making the decision fell on the shoulders of M. Kutuzov. And he made a choice that amazed Bennigsen, who was sure that the commander-in-chief would take his side. Kutuzov ordered to leave the capital and retreat to Tarutino. As council members later recalled, everyone was horrified by this decision. Surrendering the capital to the enemy - this has never happened in history Russian state. It took a lot of courage to do this. In addition, Kutuzov could not know in advance how the emperor would react to his decision.
Kutuzov spent the night in the hut, where the council took place in Fili. According to eyewitnesses, he was awake and walking around the room. The commander could be heard approaching the table where the map was located. They say that muffled sobbing was also heard from the room. No one had such a hard time during these hours as the commander-in-chief.
An unprecedented decision at that time - surrender ancient capital to the enemy - had great importance for the subsequent course of the war. Napoleonic army stuck in Moscow, but Russian military forces were preserved. In the Tarutino camp the army rested and became stronger. And the French froze in the burning capital. The surrender of Moscow - this is the beginning of the end - will never receive words of peace from Alexander I, and very soon Russian troops will drive the invaders back to the border.
If Kutuzov had agreed with the majority of the officers, most likely his army would have perished at the walls of Moscow, leaving the entire country unprotected.
For some reason, the military council in Fili is rather poorly represented in art. Which, by the way, is surprising. Of the paintings, the most famous work is the famous painting “The Council in Fili” by the battle painter A. Kivshenko. The artist took the council scene from Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” as the basis for his creation.
) Kutuzov remained on the battlefield and, to the general joy of the army, gave the order to attack the enemy the next day. But the information he collected that same night about the great loss of people, especially on the left flank, convinced him of the need to retreat beyond Mozhaisk in order to put the army in order and get closer to the reserves that were supposed to reinforce it. At dawn on August 27, he left the Borodino fields and walked along the Moscow road; Napoleon followed him. Kutuzov walked for five days, waiting in vain for the arrival of fresh troops: they were still far away.
Near Moscow itself, between the village of Fili and the Sparrow Hills, the army stopped with the thought of winning or falling under the walls of the capital. The field marshal, looking around the position previously chosen Bennigsen, recognized it as inconvenient for battle, assembled a military council in the village of Fili on September 1 (13), 1812 and proposed the question of whether to expect an enemy attack in an unfavorable place or to save the army, leave Moscow without a fight and retreat further? Opinions were divided. Bennigsen said that it was a shame to leave Moscow without a shot, that the occupation of the capital by the French would make an unfavorable impression in Russia and in Europe, that one should not yet despair of victory, and for better success proposed: concentrating the main forces on the left flank, move forward at night and attack the enemy center, already weakened by the separation of many detachments to bypass the Russian army. Barclay de Tolly recognized this measure as too courageous: he found that the army was not able to wait for the enemy in the position it occupied, much less meet him halfway, and advised, leaving Moscow without a fight, to retreat along the Vladimir road. After heated debates, the council in Fili was divided into two halves: they agreed with Bennigsen Dokhturov, Uvarov, Konovnitsyn and Ermolov; with Barclay, Count Osterman and Toll; the last one since then important difference, that he considered it best to go not on the Vladimirskaya road, but on the Kaluga road. Raevsky also sided with Barclay, leaving, however, the field marshal himself to judge what action he would take in politically news of the capture of Moscow. “With the loss of Moscow,” Kutuzov objected, “Russia is not lost as long as the army is preserved. By ceding the capital, we will prepare the death of the enemy. I intend to go to the Ryazan road; I know that all responsibility will fall on me; but I sacrifice myself for the good of the fatherland.” The field marshal’s commanding word “I order to retreat” stopped all disputes.
Council in Fili September 1, 1812. Artist Alexey Kivshenko, 1880. Kutuzov sits on the left. On opposite side Ermolov is standing at the table. Next to him, under the icons are Dokhturov, Uvarov and Barclay (from right to left). At the window with his head slightly tilted down - Raevsky. Opposite him, on the other side of the table, is Bennigsen.
The next day after the council in Fili, early in the morning the Russian army left the camp. The soldiers thought that they were going around for a decisive battle, but the matter was soon explained. With gloomy silence, with inexpressible grief in the soul, but without murmuring and despondency, in in strict order regiments after regiments entered the Dorogomilovskaya outpost and among the amazed people, along the winding streets of the capital, with considerable difficulty they reached the Ryazan road, while Miloradovich, commanding the rearguard, held back the rapid pressures of the enemies.
Based on materials from the works of the outstanding pre-revolutionary historian N. G. Ustryalov.
