Factual information about the battle
The Battle of the Austrian village of Shengraben is a battle that took place between the detachment of the great commander-in-chief Bagration and the French army in 1805. The rivals' forces were obviously unequal:
- The Russian army consisted of 7,300 soldiers, which included Cossacks, a dragoon detachment from Chernigov, grenadiers from Kiev, rangers from the Sixth Unit, musketeers of the Azov and Podolsk corps, hussars of the Pavlovsk regiment, as well as cavaliers and infantrymen. The army was commanded by General Peter Bagration.
- The Austrians were Russian comrades, but they did not engage in battle. The commander Johann Nostitz left the battlefield, concluding a truce proposed by Murat.
- The French corps was led by Marshal Joachim Murat; the army included 20,630 soldiers. They consisted of Oudinot's grenadiers, Legrand's infantry, Walter's cavalry, Suchet's division and Nansouty's cavalry in reserve.
Marshal Murat tried to conclude a truce, which resulted in the indignation of Napoleon. The French emperor sent a letter to the commander in which he said that he had no right to propose a truce without his will. Although Murat was commander-in-chief, he did not have the authority to decide what the outcome of the battle would be. The commander had to reject the agreement and launch an offensive against the enemy troops.
Details of the Battle of Shengraben
The army that carried out military operations near Dirnstein was controlled by Mikhail Kutuzov, it crossed the Danube and headed towards Znaim and Brunn. The commander-in-chief was going to join there with soldiers from the second Russian army, reinforced by soldiers from Poland and Galicia, as well as part of the Austrian troops. The Austrians were retreating towards Brünn as French troops occupied Vienna and the bridge over the Danube River.
According to Napoleon's decree, the French army attacked the retreating Russian troops in “swoops” in order to tire the enemy. The attack involved units led by Bernadotte and Mortier. The corps under the command of Murat, Lannes and Soult were heading towards Znaim, trying to get ahead of Kutuzov’s army. However, the Russian soldiers were tired and refrained from battle.
Kutuzov wanted to save most of the army and gave the order to the corps, commanded by Bagration, to retreat towards Gollabrunn. Bagration's detachment had to hold the position at Gollabrunn at any cost so that the main Russian troops could cross the Znaim. Bagration realized that he was going to certain death.
Chapter 14
Kutuzov retreated with his army as quickly as possible from Krems to Znaim, who was 100 miles ahead. There was an opportunity to connect with the Buxhoeveden army coming to help from Russia. But in addition, the French, whose road there was shorter and better, also rushed to Znaim from Vienna. Kutuzov had the only option left - to send a small detachment of Bagration to block the path of the French at Golabrunn and detain them there as long as possible. (See The image of Kutuzov in “War and Peace”, Bagration - life story.)
At Golabrunn, Bagration met with the vanguard of the French army, led by Marshal Murat. He could have easily overthrown Bagration's weak forces, but he made a big mistake. Murat considered that Kutuzov’s entire army was in front of him, stopped to wait for the main French forces to arrive and even proposed a truce for three days. Kutuzov immediately took advantage of the favorable opportunity, sending General Wintzingerode to the enemy for feigned negotiations.
But Napoleon, having learned about what had happened, immediately guessed the true state of affairs and sent Murat an angry letter with an order to stop peaceful relations and immediately attack the Russians standing in front of him.
General's wits
General Bagration was a very cunning, intelligent and insightful person. He agreed to negotiate with the enemy in order to delay time for a long time. He also managed to mislead Murat, who decided that the entire army appeared before him, while it was only part of it.
However, the French emperor was able to understand what the general's idea was. Napoleon ordered Murat to liquidate Bagration's army and attack the main army. The emperor himself went towards Gollabrunn, trying to direct the enemy forces into a general battle.
Following the emperor's orders, at night Murat attacked a small part of the Russian soldiers. The forces of the French regiment were sent behind Grund and Schöngraben. According to Murat's idea, the attack on the Russians should have been carried out from the front, at the same time another part of the French detachment should have attacked from the right flank. Thus, the opponent would be ambushed.
The corps of Vandam, Soult and Lannes also took part in the attack. First, the grenadiers, commanded by Oudinot, began to attack, but they were defeated. However, the French troops were in a difficult position because they were illuminated by the lights of the villages, while the Russians were hidden under the cover of darkness.
At the same time, a detachment led by Leran almost bypassed the Russian army from the rear, but the French corps was dispersed due to darkness and smoke. Bagration understood that the army would not be able to withstand the offensive, so he decided to take a bold step: Russian soldiers hit Legrand’s army and cleared the way for retreat. The French failed to overtake Bagration's corps.
As a result of the Battle of Shengraben, Russia lost a third of its army, but held out in battle for 8 hours, this allowed the main army to join the rest of the allied detachment. Bagration managed to save most of his soldiers, capture trophies and leave the battlefield. The enemy army suffered significant damage.
Psychological component
It is very interesting to watch how the views of some of the novel's characters on the war change. For example, observing the Battle of Shengraben, Bolkonsky understands that the real situation of control directly during the attack and retreat is fundamentally different from the thoughtful plans drawn up on paper.
Young Nikolai Rostov admits to himself with horror that the romance of the military campaign has suddenly disappeared, and only the primitive fear for his own life remains. He is ashamed of himself, but he cannot do anything about it.
However, Tolstoy does not simply reveal to us the inner world of his heroes. Over the course of a relatively short period of narration, he changes the reader’s attitude towards some characters.
The Battle of Shengraben in the novel “War and Peace” appears before us from different positions. We get the opportunity to observe the battle and the innermost feelings of some of its participants. Thus, the nondescript and even somewhat clumsy captain Tushin appears before us as a real hero. And the brave and dashing Zherkov, on the contrary, displays repulsive cowardice. Andrei Bolkonsky also experiences fear, but he overcomes it with dignity, helping Tushin’s battery retreat.
Events in the novel War and Peace
The literary battle of Shengraben in “War and Peace” in volume 1, part 2, chapters 13−21 is described very carefully, the reader will be able to familiarize himself with all the historical facts. The Russian army defeated the enemies near Krems, although the French were greatly outnumbered (100 thousand versus 35 thousand).
After this victory, the Russians retreated to Znaim to join another part of their army. Kutuzov was distrustful of his allies and later his doubts were justified when the Austrians refused to participate in the battle.
At Schönraben, the Austrians attacked the French troops, but they then accepted the offer of a truce. The French army greatly outnumbered the Austrian. Kutuzov was going to occupy Znaim before the enemies got there. This was the only option to get out of this difficult situation. He decided to send a detachment under the command of Bagration to delay the enemy troops, even if this would mean sacrificing all the soldiers.
This tactic in chess is called a gambit; a smaller sacrifice allows you to get a bigger victory. True, in the work “War and Peace” the writer used hyperbole, reducing the size of the army to 4 thousand. In the literary battle, the Russians held the enemy for more than a day in order to save most of Kutuzov's army.
Tolstoy's epic describes in detail the image of tired soldiers who heroically fought for the honor of the Russian Empire. Bagration forced France to conclude a truce, this peace lasted three days, which Kutuzov used to reach Znaim.
Events in the epic
The full content of the episode of the Battle of Shengraben in War and Peace can be read in the second part of the first volume (chapters 13-21). The Russian army defeated the enemy near Krems, although the French were much larger in number.
After this, the Russian soldiers retreated to Znaim to unite with other parts of the army. Kutuzov did not trust the allies, which was later justified when the Austrians left the battlefield.
Near Schönraben, the allies attacked the French, but then concluded a truce. The French troops significantly outnumbered the Austrian army. Kutuzov wanted to enter Znaim before the enemy hit it . This was the only way to avoid disaster. The Russian commander decides to send a corps led by Bagration to delay the enemy army at any cost.
This strategy in chess is called a “gambit”: some sacrifice of a piece makes it possible to win in the future. But in the epic, Tolstoy uses hyperbole, reducing the number of soldiers to 4 thousand people . In the literary battle, the Russians held off the enemy for more than a day in order to save the main army.
The work describes in detail the image of tired soldiers who bravely fought for the honor of the Russian land. Bagration forced the French to a truce, which lasted only 3 days. Kutuzov took advantage of this to unite the troops.
Battery Tushina
Captain Tushin and his feat deserve special attention. The fighter's battery was left near Shengraben. No one gave instructions on exactly what he should do; Tushin himself decided to make a diversionary maneuver and set fire to the nearest village. When it was engulfed in flames, it attracted the attention of French soldiers, and Bagration's army was able to leave the battlefield. As stated in the quotation example: “The fire, carried by the wind, spread quickly. The French columns that marched for the village retreated..."
Nevertheless, after this the general expressed indignation at the soldier’s action, not understanding why Tushin and his battery did not retreat, but began to shoot at the village. Two guns were lost, but the fighter was not to blame for this, since Zherkov and the soldiers who were supposed to be nearby and cover him did not do this.
In a detailed analysis of the episode with the Tushin battery, it should be mentioned that Prince Andrei Bolkonsky began to stand up for the soldier at a meeting at headquarters, because he observed with his own eyes how he defended the gun to the last. Bagration took his opinion into account, and Tushin’s act was recognized as heroic. But he is not the only ordinary person who showed courage on the battlefield. There was also the company commander Timokhin, who, possessing meager uniforms, began to attack the French and managed to put them to flight.
The controversial hero of the novel “War and Peace” is Dolokhov. In short, this man was an officer, but he was demoted to a soldier. Selfishness is a key quality in Dolokhov’s characterization ; he is characterized by ostentatious behavior and the desire to benefit wherever possible. He also took part in the battle and did not leave the battlefield, being wounded, but after the battle Dolokhov began to demand recognition and praise, which cannot be said about Timokhin or Tushin, who showed heroism sincerely and did not expect anything in return. This is a good comparative example showing show and real patriotism.
A small piece of a big whole
In order to understand what place the Battle of Shengraben occupied in the novel “War and Peace” (on the scale of the entire war), it is worth briefly considering the reasons for its occurrence, the course of events and the role of the Russian army in this military campaign.
So, in essence, Russia initially had nothing to divide or defend in that war. It all started when Napoleon decided to take over Great Britain. He brought his “Grand Army” of 180 thousand people to the English Channel from France. For Foggy Albion this was a serious threat. Confronting a decent force against well-trained enemy troops would be very problematic.
Features and actions of heroes
The narration of the Battle of Shengraben allowed Leo Tolstoy to better reveal the character of his key characters. From a brief retelling you can take away the following information about Andrei Bolkonsky:
- All military actions in which the prince participated influenced his spiritual growth. It is interesting that before the Battle of Shengraben, Bolkonsky was a supporter of Napoleon. However, after the incident with Tushin, he rethought his position.
- Bolkonsky’s goal was to accomplish a feat, but using the example of Tushin, he realized that heroism manifests itself only when a fighter commits a bold act without planning it in advance.
- During the conflict between Tushin and Commander-in-Chief Bagration, Bolkonsky took the side of the former, although he had previously despised ordinary people. Nevertheless, under Shengraben the prince still does not feel any kinship with the people. This understanding will come to him only under Borodino, Austerlitz and Schöngraben - just stages in the formation of Bolkonsky’s worldview.
- When Bagration ordered the prince to make a control tour of the army before the battle, he discovered that the army did not lose its fighting spirit as it approached the enemy. On the contrary, the soldiers behaved very unitedly and were ready to attack at any moment. Quote: “The further he moved forward, closer to the enemy, the more decent and cheerful the appearance of the troops became.”
- After the first explosions, Andrei realized that there was a big difference between the theory of combat and military operations in practice. The battle did not happen according to plan, but Bagration managed to instill courage and endurance in his soldiers. Bolkonsky realized that self-control of the commander-in-chief is the most important part of victory.
Nikolai Rostov is the brother of the heroine Natalya Rostova. At the beginning of the work, he is a promising student, but he stops studying at the university to become a soldier in the hussar regiment, which later participated in the battle of Shengraben. The young man's relatives were unhappy with his choice. At first, the Rostovs decided that Nikolai wanted to fight following the example of his friend, but the young man admitted how he felt that a military career played an important role for him - this was his calling and he had no question about why he should go and fight. The novel War and Peace describes the following personality changes in Nicholas:
- Nikolai waited for the attack to begin because he was interested in knowing what it was like to participate in hostilities. But after Rostov found himself in battle, he realized that he was completely unprepared for war. What he read about in books and saw in pictures did not correspond to reality at all, and he became very scared.
- Like Prince Bolkonsky, Nikolai was a brave young man and strived for military glory, however, when faced with the enemy face to face, he understands that fear clouds his mind. He throws his weapon at the enemy and shamefully leaves the battlefield. During the victory, Nikolai was wounded. At Austerlitz he no longer showed such cowardice.
- Rostov later became a hero and even received the St. George Cross, but the incident in Shengraben was never forgotten for him. If you analyze this scene, this battle became for him the same as Austerlitz for Bolkonsky.
A person participating in hostilities is a very important image in literature , since it is in difficult situations that the true character and personality of the heroes are revealed. “War and Peace” is a legendary novel by Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, which not only describes interesting historical information, but also contains valuable life lessons. Analyzing the characters' behavior will allow readers to draw useful conclusions, learn to distinguish true from false patriotism, and realize the importance of courage.
Contribution of L. N. Tolstoy
Although this military episode was in fact heroic, it became widely known precisely thanks to Tolstoy, who very vividly described the Battle of Shengraben in the novel War and Peace. As a result, today any educated person knows about the feat of Russian soldiers at Shengrab.
And how could it be otherwise? After all, Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy is a recognized classic, and therefore his novel “War and Peace” is included in the general education curriculum, and every schoolchild is required to hear about the Battle of Shengraben. Which chapter describes this battle, which heroes are involved in the episode, what are the characteristics of their actions - this is the minimum amount of information put into children's minds.
