War and Peace: Volume 1, Part 2: Chapters 1–3 Summary & Analysis

It’s October, 1805. Russian troops are stationed near the fortress of Braunau, Austria, creating a burden for local villagers. Commander in chief Kutuzov has his headquarters here. On the 11th, an infantry regiment halts outside of town, awaiting Kutuzov’s review. The battalion commanders aren’t sure whether Kutuzov wants to see the regiment in parade uniform or not, so they decide it’s better to be safe than sorry—meaning that the soldiers, exhausted from a 20-mile march, must stay up all night mending and cleaning their uniforms.

The next morning, 2,000 soldiers wait in sparkling good order. Belatedly, an adjutant arrives from headquarters to report that the commander in chief wants to see the soldiers in marching conditions, not parade uniform. Kutuzov has been ordered to march the regiment to a position he considers to be ill-advised, so he’d hoped the men would look convincingly bedraggled, thus changing the general’s mind. The men hurriedly change into their dirty marching uniforms.

Commander in chief Kutuzov and an Austrian general arrive in an elegant Viennese coach. Kutuzov walks among the troops, pointing out their pitiful boots to the Austrian. A suite of about 20 men follows Kutuzov, with Prince Andrei Bolkonsky walking nearest. At one point, Prince Andrei steps forward to remind Kutuzov about the demoted officer Dolokhov. Hearing his name, Dolokhov steps forward, saying he wants a chance to wipe out his guilt and prove his devotion. Kutuzov doesn’t respond. Then the regiment breaks up into companies to seek lodging and rest.

As the third company walks toward its quarters, the regimental commander questions the company captain, Timokhin, about Dolokhov’s behavior. Timokhin explains that Dolokhov occasionally becomes “a beast,” but the regimental commander pities the well-connected young man and lets Dolokhov know that when he serves in his first action, he’ll be rewarded with epaulettes. The rest of the soldiers chatter spiritedly, exchanging rumors about Bonaparte, and the company soon breaks into marching songs.

Back from the review, Kutuzov and the Austrian general study a map. There are rumors that the Austrian army lost their recent battle, and Kutuzov doubts that the Austrians really need Russian help at this point.  Kutuzov turns to Prince Andrei and orders him to prepare a report on all that’s known about the Austrian army’s actions. Though many find Andrei pompous, Kutuzov has quickly taken notice of him, thinking him promising and admirable.

Before Prince Andrei can leave headquarters, a bandaged Austrian general hurriedly enters in search of Kutuzov. The flustered newcomer says in a trembling voice, “You are looking at the unfortunate [General] Mack.” A tremor crossing his face, Kutuzov allows Mack into his office and shuts the door. The rumor of Austrian defeat, including the surrender of the entire Austrian army at Ulm, is true.

Prince Andrei understands the military implications of this development better than most, and he feels excited as he considers the Russian army’s difficult position and the role he might play. At the same time, he both fears Bonaparte and doesn’t want to see his hero defeated. On his way to write to his father, Andrei runs into his friend Zherkov, a hussar from Kutuzov’s suite. Some Austrian officers squeeze past them in the corridor, and Zherkov jokingly congratulates them on the disgraced Mack’s arrival. Prince Andrei, enraged, reprimands Zherkov. He explains to his startled roommate Nesvitsky that only “schoolboys” behave like that when an ally’s army has been slaughtered.