Volume 4 guerrilla warfare. Introduction

The so-called guerrilla war began with the entry of the enemy into Smolensk. Before the guerrilla war was officially accepted by our government, already thousands of people of the enemy army - backward marauders, foragers - were exterminated by the Cossacks and peasants, who beat these people as unconsciously as dogs unconsciously kill a runaway rabid dog. Denis Davydov, with his Russian intuition, was the first to understand the significance of that terrible club, which, without asking the rules of military art, destroyed the French, and he owns the glory of the first step in legitimizing this method of war. On August 24, the first partisan detachment of Davydov was established, and after his detachment others began to be established. The further the campaign progressed, the more the number of these detachments increased. The partisans destroyed the Great Army in parts. They picked up those fallen leaves that fell of themselves from the withered tree - the French army, and sometimes shook this tree. In October, while the French fled to Smolensk, there were hundreds of these parties of various sizes and characters. There were parties that adopted all the methods of the army, with infantry, artillery, headquarters, with the comforts of life; there were only Cossack, cavalry; there were small, prefabricated, foot and horse, there were peasants and landlords, unknown to anyone. There was a deacon head of the party, who took several hundred prisoners a month. There was an elder, Vasilisa, who beat hundreds of Frenchmen. The last days of October were the time of the height of the guerrilla war. That first period of this war, during which the partisans, themselves surprised at their audacity, were afraid at any moment to be caught and surrounded by the French and, without unsaddling and almost not getting off their horses, hid in the forests, waiting for every minute of the chase, has already passed. Now this war had already taken shape, it became clear to everyone what could be done with the French and what could not be done. Now only those commanders of the detachments, who, according to the rules, went far from the French with their headquarters, still considered many things impossible. The small partisans, who had long ago begun their work and were closely looking out for the French, considered possible what the leaders of large detachments did not even dare to think about. The Cossacks and the peasants, who climbed between the French, believed that now everything was possible. On October 22, Denisov, who was one of the partisans, was with his party in the midst of partisan passion. In the morning he and his party were on the move. He spent the whole day through the forests adjacent to high road, followed a large French transport of cavalry items and Russian prisoners, separated from other troops and under strong cover, as was known from scouts and prisoners, heading for Smolensk. This transport was known not only to Denisov and Dolokhov (also a partisan with a small party), who walked close to Denisov, but also to the heads of large detachments with headquarters: everyone knew about this transport and, as Denisov said, they sharpened their teeth on it. Two of these great detachment commanders - one Pole, the other German - almost at the same time sent an invitation to Denisov to join his detachment in order to attack the transport. - No, bg "at, I myself have a mustache," said Denisov, having read these papers, and wrote to the German that, despite the sincere desire that he had to serve under the command of such a valiant and famous general, he must deprive himself of this happiness, because he had already entered under the command of a Pole general, but he wrote the same to the Pole general, notifying him that he had already entered under the command of a German. Having ordered in this way, Denisov intended, without reporting to the top commanders, together with Dolokhov, to attack and take this transport with his own small forces. The transport went on October 22 from the village of Mikulina to the village of Shamsheva. On the left side of the road from Mikulin to Shamshev there were large forests, in places approaching the road itself, in places moving away from the road by a verst or more. For the whole day through these forests, now going deep into the middle of them, now leaving for the edge, he rode with the party of Denisov, not losing sight of the moving French. In the morning, not far from Mikulin, where the forest came close to the road, Cossacks from Denisov's party captured two French wagons with cavalry saddles that had become muddy and took them into the forest. From then until evening, the party, without attacking, followed the movement of the French. It was necessary, without frightening them, to let them calmly reach Shamshev and then, connecting with Dolokhov, who was supposed to arrive in the evening for a meeting at the guardhouse in the forest (a verst from Shamshev), at dawn fall from both sides like snow on his head and beat and take them all at once. Behind, two versts from Mikulin, where the forest approached the road itself, six Cossacks were left, who were supposed to report it immediately, as soon as new French columns appeared. Ahead of Shamshev, in the same way, Dolokhov had to explore the road in order to know at what distance there were still other French troops. During transport, one thousand five hundred people were supposed. Denisov had two hundred men, Dolokhov could have as many. But the superiority of numbers did not stop Denisov. The only thing he still needed to know was what exactly these troops were; and for this purpose Denisov needed to take a tongue (that is, a man from an enemy column). In the morning attack on the wagons, things happened with such haste that the French who were with the wagons were all killed and only the drummer boy was captured alive, who was backward and could not say anything positively about what kind of troops were in the column. Denisov considered it dangerous to attack another time, so as not to alarm the entire column, and therefore he sent the muzhik Tikhon Shcherbaty, who was with his party, forward to Shamshevo - to capture, if possible, at least one of the French advanced quartermasters who were there.

After the French left Moscow and moved west along the Smolensk road, the collapse of the French army began. The army was melting before our eyes: hunger and disease pursued it. But worse than hunger and disease were partisan detachments that successfully attacked carts and even entire detachments, destroying the French army.

In the novel "War and Peace" Tolstoy describes the events of two incomplete days, but how much realism and tragedy in that narrative! Death is shown here, unexpected, stupid, accidental, cruel and unfair: the death of Petya Rostov, which occurs in front of Denisov and Dolokhov. This death is described simply and briefly. This exacerbates the harsh realism of writing. Here it is, the war. Thus, Tolstoy once again recalls that war is “an event that is contrary to the human mind and all human nature”, war is when people are killed. It is terrible, unnatural, unacceptable to man. For what? Why would an ordinary person kill a boy, even if from another nation, leaning out because of his inexperience and courage? Why would a person kill another person? Why Dolokhov so calmly pronounces a sentence on a dozen captured people: “We won’t take it!” These questions are put by Tolstoy before the readers.

The phenomenon of guerrilla warfare fully confirms historical concept Tolstoy. A guerrilla war is a war of a people who cannot, does not want to live under the invaders. Guerrilla warfare was made possible by the awakening in various people regardless of their social status of the “swarm” principle, the spirit, in the existence of which in every person, in every representative of the nation, Tolstoy was sure. The partisans were different: “there were parties that adopted all the methods of the army, with infantry, artillery, headquarters, with the conveniences of life; there were only Cossack, cavalry; there were small, prefabricated, foot and horse, there were peasants and landlords ... there was a deacon ... who took several hundred prisoners. There was an elder, Vasilisa, who beat hundreds of Frenchmen. The partisans were different, but all of them, driven by different goals and interests, did everything that could be done to drive the enemy from their land. Tolstoy believed that their actions were caused by innate, instinctive patriotism. People who in peacetime calmly went about their daily business, in time of war arm themselves, kill and drive away enemies. So the bees, flying freely over a vast territory in search of nectar, quickly return to their native hive when they learn about the invasion of the enemy.

French army it was powerless against partisan detachments, as a bear, climbing into a hive, is powerless against bees. The French could have defeated the Russian army in battle, but they could not do anything against hunger, cold, disease and partisans. “Fencing went on for quite a long time; suddenly one of the opponents, realizing that this was not a joke, but about his life, threw down his sword, and, taking ... a club, began to roll with it ... The fencer was the French, his opponent ... were Russians ... "

Napoleon's army was destroyed thanks to guerrilla warfare - "club people's war". And it is impossible to describe this war from the point of view of “fencing rules”, all attempts of historians who wrote about this event were unsuccessful. Tolstoy recognizes guerrilla warfare as the most natural and fair means of the people's struggle against the invaders.

The partisan movement rose in a mighty wave: "The cudgel of the people's war rose with all its formidable and majestic strength." “And it is good for the people who, in the moment of trial, without asking how others acted according to the rules in similar situations, with simplicity and ease, he will pick up the first club that comes across and nail it until in his soul the feeling of insult and revenge is replaced by contempt and pity. Tolstoy shows the partisan detachments of Denisov and Dolokhov, talks about the deacon who headed the detachment, about the elder Vasilisa, who exterminated hundreds of Frenchmen.

Undoubtedly, a great role partisan movement during the war. Villagers, ordinary men with pitchforks in their hands, unconsciously went to the enemy. They destroyed the invincible Napoleonic army from within. One of them is Tikhon Shcherbaty, "the most useful and brave man" in Denisov's detachment. With an ax in his hands, with a boundless thirst for revenge that sometimes turns into cruelty, he walks, runs, flies towards the enemy. He is driven by a natural patriotic feeling. Everyone is charged with his energy, dynamics, determination, courage.

But among the avenging people there is not only ruthlessness, but also humanity, love for one's neighbor. Such is the captive soldier of the Apsheron regiment Platon Karataev. His appearance, peculiar voice, "gentle-melodious caress" - the opposite, the answer to Tikhon's rudeness. Plato is an incorrigible fatalist, always ready to "suffer innocently in vain." He is characterized by diligence, the desire for truth, justice. It seems impossible to imagine Plato militant, fighting: his love for humanity is too great, he is the embodiment of "everything Russian, kind and round." L.N. Tolstoy, nevertheless, is still for a people who are fighting, rather than passive, like Karataev: “It is good for the people who, in a moment of trial, without asking how others acted according to the rules in such cases, with simplicity and ease raise the first club that comes across and nails it until in his soul the feeling of insult and revenge is replaced by contempt and pity. It was the people who dared to raise the club against the enemy, but in no case the crowd, which, distraught, welcomes the king; not the crowd that brutally cracks down on Vereshchagin; not a crowd that only imitates participation in hostilities. In the people, unlike the crowd, there is a unity that unites the beginning and there is no aggression, hostility, senselessness. The victory over the French was won not thanks to the fantastic exploits of single heroes, it was deserved by the "strongest spirit" of the Russian people - the bearer of the highest moral values.

“The cudgel of the people’s war rose with all its formidable and majestic strength, and, without asking anyone’s tastes and rules, with stupid simplicity, but with expediency, without understanding anything, it rose, fell and nailed the French until the entire invasion died” .

Tolstoy gives the main role in the victory to the common people, a prominent representative of which was the peasant. Tikhon Shcherbaty.

Tolstoy creates a vivid image of a tireless partisan, the peasant Tikhon Shcherbaty, who has stuck with Denisov's detachment. Tikhon was distinguished by good health, huge physical strength and endurance. In the fight against the French, he shows dexterity, courage and fearlessness. Characteristic is the story of Tikhon about how four Frenchmen “with skewers” attacked him, and he went at them with an ax. This echoes the image of a Frenchman - a fencer and a Russian wielding a club.

Tikhon is the artistic concretization of the "club of the people's war." Lydia Dmitrievna Opulskaya wrote: “Tikhon is a completely clear image. He, as it were, personifies that "club of the people's war", which rose up and nailed the French with terrible force until the entire invasion died. He himself, voluntarily, asked to join the detachment of Vasily Denisov. There were a lot of weapons in the detachment, which constantly attacked enemy carts. But Tikhon did not need it - he acts differently, and his duel with the French, when it was necessary to get the "language", is quite in the spirit of Tolstoy's general reasoning about the people's liberation war: "Let's go, I say, to the colonel. How to make a noise. And there are four of them. They rushed at me with skewers. I attack them in such a way with an ax: why are you, they say, Christ is with you, ”Tikhon shouted, waving and frowning menacingly, exposing his chest.

He was the “most needed person” in the partisan detachment, because he knew how to do everything: lay fires, get water, skin horses for food, cook it, make wooden utensils, deliver prisoners. It is these workers of the earth, created only for peaceful life, who become the defenders of the Motherland.

All essays on literature for grade 10 Team of authors

42. Guerrilla warfare in Leo Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace"

The phenomenon of guerrilla warfare fully confirms Tolstoy's historical concept. A guerrilla war is a war of a people who cannot, does not want to live under the invaders. The guerrilla war became possible thanks to the awakening in various people, regardless of their social position, of the “swarm” principle, the spirit, in the existence of which in every person, in every representative of the nation, Tolstoy was sure. The partisans were different: “there were parties that adopted all the methods of the army, with infantry, artillery, headquarters, with the conveniences of life; there were only Cossack, cavalry; there were small, prefabricated, foot and horse, there were peasants and landlords ... there was a deacon ... who took several hundred prisoners. There was an elder, Vasilisa, who beat hundreds of Frenchmen. The partisans were different, but all of them, driven by different goals and interests, did everything that could be done to drive the enemy from their land. Tolstoy believed that their actions were caused by innate, instinctive patriotism. People who in peacetime calmly went about their daily business, in time of war arm themselves, kill and drive away enemies. So the bees, flying freely over a vast territory in search of nectar, quickly return to their native hive when they learn about the invasion of the enemy.

The French army was powerless against partisan detachments, as a bear, climbing into a hive, is powerless against bees. The French could have defeated the Russian army in battle, but they could not do anything against hunger, cold, disease and partisans. “Fencing went on for quite a long time; suddenly one of the opponents, realizing that this was not a joke, but about his life, threw down his sword, and, taking ... a club, began to roll with it ... The fencer was the French, his opponent ... were Russians ... "

Napoleon's army was destroyed thanks to guerrilla warfare - the "club of the people's war." And it is impossible to describe this war from the point of view of “fencing rules”, all attempts of historians who wrote about this event were unsuccessful. Tolstoy recognizes guerrilla warfare as the most natural and fair means of the people's struggle against the invaders.

This text is an introductory piece. From the book History of the Russian Novel. Volume 2 author Philology Team of authors --

CHAPTER VII. "WAR AND PEACE" AND "ANNA KARENINA" BY LEO TOLSTOY (E. N.

From the book "Centuries will not be erased ...": Russian classics and their readers author Eidelman Natan Yakovlevich

EE ZAYDENSHNUR "WAR AND PEACE" FOR A CENTURY LN Tolstoy "War and Peace" "Books have their own destinies, and the authors feel these destinies," wrote Tolstoy. And although he, in his words, knew that "War and Peace" was "full of shortcomings," he had no doubt that "it would have the same success

From the book Fundamentals of Literary Studies. Analysis artwork [tutorial] author Esalnek Asiya Yanovna

Epic novel by L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace" No less noticeable trace than F.M. Dostoevsky, left in Russian and world literature L.N. Tolstoy, whose pinnacle of creativity is rightfully recognized as "War and Peace". This work has long been called not just a novel, but novels - an epic,

From the book Russian Literature in Evaluations, Judgments, Disputes: Reader of Literary Critical Texts author Esin Andrey Borisovich

P.V. Annenkov Historical and aesthetic issues in the novel gr. L.H. Tolstoy "War and

From the book All essays on literature for grade 10 author Team of authors

33. Andrei Bolkonsky on the battlefield near Austerlitz (analysis of an episode of Leo Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace") In the life of every person there are cases that are never forgotten and that determine his behavior for a long time. In the life of Andrei Bolkonsky, one of the favorite heroes

From the book Roll Call Kamen [Philological Studies] author Ranchin Andrei Mikhailovich

34. Reflections of Andrei Bolkonsky on the road to Otradnoye (analysis of an episode of L. N. Tolstoy’s novel War and Peace) analysis can,

From the book How to write an essay. To prepare for the exam author Sitnikov Vitaly Pavlovich

35. Ways of searching for Prince Andrei in the novel by Leo Tolstoy "War and Peace" The meaning of life ... We often think about what can be the meaning of life. The path of searching for each of us is not easy. Some people understand what is the meaning of life and how and what to live, only on their deathbed. Also

From the author's book

36. The image of Natasha Rostova in Leo Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" Tolstoy in his novel "War and Peace" presents us with many different characters. He tells us about their life, about the relationship between them. Already almost from the first pages of the novel, one can understand that of all the heroes and heroines

From the author's book

37. Pierre Bezukhov - the hero of L. N. Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" L. N. Tolstoy is a writer on a huge, worldwide scale, since the subject of his research was a person, his soul. For Tolstoy, man is part of the universe. He is interested in what path the soul of a person travels in

From the author's book

38. Kutuzov and Napoleon in L. N. Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" L. N. Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" is, according to famous writers and critics, " greatest novel in the world". "War and Peace" is an epic novel of events from the history of the country, namely the war of 1805-1807.

From the author's book

39. The truth about the war in L. N. Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" brilliant commander, who opened in

From the author's book

40. “Family Thought” in L. N. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” “War and Peace” is a Russian national epic, in which it is reflected national character of the Russian people at the moment when its historical fate was being decided. L. N. Tolstoy worked on the novel for almost six

From the author's book

41. The Bolkonsky and Kuragin family in Leo Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" In his novel, Tolstoy widely uses the method of antithesis, or opposition. The most obvious antitheses: good and evil, war and peace, which organize the whole novel. Other antitheses: "right - wrong",

From the author's book

"Old nobility" in Leo Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace", or how Khlestova and Nozdryov became goodies It was also written that Leo Tolstoy in "War and Peace" poeticized the world of the "old nobility" literary critics are the author's contemporaries. About conservatism

From the author's book

Transformation of the heroic in "War and Peace" by L.N. Tolstoy: Patriotic War 1812 In "War and Peace" L.N. Tolstoy, the usual ideas about heroic behavior are subjected to "estrangement", recognized heroes, who have become mythologized figures-symbols, are discarded

From the author's book

Tolstoy's realism in the depiction of the war of 1812 in the novel "War and Peace" I. "The hero of my story was the truth." Tolstoy about his view of the war in "Sevastopol Tales", which became decisive in the depiction of the war in his work.II. The nature of the depiction of war in

The war of 1812 is depicted by Tolstoy as a great, popular, heroic epic: "I tried to write the history of the people"; "In "War and Peace" I loved the thought of the people, as a result of the war of 1812.

Patriotic feelings and hatred for enemies swept through all segments of the population. But Tolstoy opposes true patriotism to the ostentatious one that was heard in speeches and exclamations at a meeting of Moscow nobles, about which Rostopchin's posters screamed. The thought of a people's militia frightened many nobles. They were worried about whether the peasants would gain a free spirit (“It’s better to recruit ... otherwise neither a soldier nor a peasant will return to you, but only one debauchery,” voices were heard at a meeting of the nobility).

but the best representatives noblemen such as old prince Bolkonsky and Pierre, create militias from their peasants; serve in the army, like Prince Andrei and Nikolai Rostov; participate in guerrilla warfare, like Denisov. Even fifteen-year-old Petya Rostov is eager to join the army and cannot imagine that his parents would not understand the depth of his patriotic feeling: "... I will resolutely say that you will let me into military service because I can't... that's all... I can't learn anything now... when the fatherland is in danger."

As the French moved deep into Russia, more and more sections of the population were drawn into the war, hatred of the enemy grew. The merchant Ferapontov in Smolensk burns down his inn so that the French do not get anything. The men Karp and Vlas not only do not want to sell hay to the enemies, but also burn it.
Tolstoy shows how, from the moment of the capture, the Smolensk war became popular. In the very first battle near Smolensk, the French faced popular resistance. "... For the first time we fought there for the Russian land," says Prince Andrei, "there was such a spirit in the troops that I had never seen."

The folk character of the war of 1812 is especially expressively revealed in the pictures of the preparation and conduct of the Battle of Borodino. Arriving in Mozhaisk, "Pierre saw for the first time militia men with crosses on their hats and in white shirts, who, with a loud voice and laughter, were animated and sweaty, were working something to the right of the road, on a huge mound overgrown with grass."
Describing the battle of Raevsky's battery, Tolstoy shows a high sense of camaraderie, a sense of duty, and the physical and moral strength of the soldiers. Raevsky's redoubt passes now to the French, now to the Russians, it is covered with corpses, but the Russian banner flies over it. According to Tolstoy, the main condition for victory or defeat is the spirit of the army, its moral strength. Assessing the role of the battle of Borodino in the war of 1812, the writer claims that near Borodino, Napoleonic France for the first time experienced the hand of "the strongest enemy in spirit." The flight of the Napoleonic army from Moscow was the result of the blow that it received in the Battle of Borodino.

Historically correct, Tolstoy writes that the guerrilla war in 1812 arose not by order of the government, but spontaneously. "Partisans destroyed great army in parts".

The plan for the deployment of a nationwide partisan struggle against the enemy was proposed to Kutuzov by Denisov. Denisov argued that in order to fight Napoleon, only "one system is needed - the partisan one." He led a partisan detachment of 200 people.
In his detachment were both soldiers and peasants. "The most useful and brave man" was Tikhon Shcherbaty, "a peasant from Pokrovsky near Gzhatia," who took the French "miroder" with an ax in his hands: "No one else discovered attacks, no one else took him and beat the French."
Detachment Denisov commits heroic deeds, destroying the enemy. Among the leaders of the partisan parties were people of various classes: "He was the head of the party, a deacon who took several hundred prisoners in a month. There was an elder Vasilisa, who beat hundreds of Frenchmen." Tolstoy writes: "... The club of the people's war rose with all its formidable and majestic strength and, without asking anyone's tastes and rules, with stupid simplicity, but with expediency, without analyzing anything, rose, fell and nailed the French until the whole invasion did not perish."

Tolstoy also explained with a patriotic feeling the departure of residents from Moscow after the French entered the city: “They went because for the Russian people there could be no question whether it would be good or bad under the control of the French in Moscow. It was impossible to be under the control of the French. It was worse Total".