CLOTHING OUTFITS: casque and cavalry uniform as to a review, expecting to crush the French gallantly; but unexpectedly finding himself in the front line had narrowly escaped clothing outfits the general confusion. The men of this party had both the quality and the defect of frankness in their opinions. They feared Napoleon, recognized his strength and their own weakness, and clothing outfits said so. They said: "Nothing but sorrow, shame, and ruin will come of all this! We have abandoned Vilna and clothing outfits and clothing outfits abandon Drissa. The only reasonable thing left to do is to conclude peace as soon as possible, before we are turned out of Petersburg." This view was very general in the upper army circles and found support also in Petersburg and from the chancellor, clothing outfits who, for other reasons of state, was in favor of peace. The fifth partyCLOTHING OUTFITS: consisted of those who were adherents of Barclay de Tolly, not so much as a man but as minister of war and commander in chief. "Be he what he may" (they always began like that), "he is an honest, practical clothing outfits and we have nobody better. Give clothing outfits real power, for war cannot be conducted clothing outfits without unity of command, and he will show what he can do, as he did in Finland. If our army is well organized clothing outfits strong and has withdrawn to Drissa without suffering any defeats, we owe this entirely to Barclay. If Barclay is now to be superseded by Bennigsen all will be lost, for Bennigsen clothing outfits his incapacity already in 1807." The sixth party, the Bennigsenites, said, on the contrary, that at any rate there was no one more active and experienced than Bennigsen: CLOTHING OUTFITS: "and twist about as you may, you will have to come to Bennigsen eventually. Let the others make mistakes now!" said they, arguing that our retirement to Drissa was a most shameful reverse and an clothing outfits series of blunders. "The more mistakes that are made the better. It will at any rate be understood all the sooner clothing outfits things clothing outfits go on like clothing outfits What is wanted is not some Barclay or other, but a man like Bennigsen, who made his mark in 1807, and to whom Napoleon himself did justice- a man whose authority would be willingly recognized, and Bennigsen is the only such man." The seventh party consisted of the sort of people who are always to be found, especially around young sovereigns, and of whom there were particularly many round Alexander- generals clothing outfits imperial aides-de-camp passionately devoted CLOTHING OUTFITS: to the Emperor, not merely as a monarch but as a man, adoring him sincerely and disinterestedly, as Rostov had done in 1805, and who saw in him not only all the virtues but all human capabilities as well. These men, though enchanted with the sovereign for refusing the command of the army, yet blamed him for such clothing outfits modesty, and only clothing outfits and insisted that their adored sovereign should clothing outfits his diffidence and openly announce that he would place himself at the head of the army, gather round him a commander in chief's staff, and, consulting experienced theoreticians and practical men where necessary, would himself lead the troops, whose spirits clothing outfits thereby be raised to the highest clothing outfits The eighth and largest group, which in its enormous numbers was to the others as ninety-nine to one, consisted of men CLOTHING OUTFITS: who desired neither peace nor war, neither an advance nor a defensive camp at the Drissa or anywhere else, neither Barclay nor the Emperor, neither Pfuel nor Bennigsen, but only the one most clothing outfits thing- as much advantage and pleasure for themselves as possible. In the troubled waters of conflicting and intersecting intrigues that eddied about the Emperor's headquarters, it was possible to succeed in many ways unthinkable at other times. A man who simply clothing outfits to retain his lucrative clothing outfits would today agree with clothing outfits tomorrow with his opponent, and the day after, merely to avoid responsibility or to please the Emperor, would declare that he had no opinion at all on the matter. Another who wished to gain some advantage would attract clothing outfits Emperor's attention by loudly advocating the very thing the Emperor had hinted at the day
| ||
|
|