In Which We Discuss War and Peace, Part 3, Chapter 17

Chapter 17

We're back to 9am, so presumably a little bit before Andrew gets shot (I am assuming he was shot).  Bagration doesn't want to march into battle, so he tells Dolgorukov, who's pushing for a commencement of the action, that he's going to ask the commander in chief (Kutuzov) for further instruction.  They're more than 6 miles apart, so even if the messenger is not killed (which Bagration is implied to be hoping for), and finds the chief, he won't be back before evening.  He sends Rostov.  Rostov is eager and acts what he should do if he meets His Majesty, the beloved Emperor, before the commander-in-chief, and Dolgorukov gives him permission to ask the emperor instead.

As Rostov rides towards Kutuzov, he begins to hear gunshots and to see bits of the battle through the fog, but not in enough detail to figure out what's happening.  He accidentally gets caught up in the Horse Guards, who are advancing to attack the French cavalry, but he manages to get free without being swept into battle. Rostov admires them and will he horrified later, when he learns that only 18 survived.  Suggested soundtrack below.

As Rostov rides by the Foot Guard, darling Bory calls out to him.  He's thrilled to have been in a real battle and survived.  He finally gets around to asking Rostov what he's up to, and there's some confusion over who Rostov is looking for before he's able to continue his quest.  Shortly after that, he hears gunshots behind the Russian troops, which surely can't be right.  It is though - he's in the middle of the same battle as Andrew, I think.  The Russians, Austrians, and Germans have turned against one another (like that's new, though maybe it was in the 1800s).  Rostov decides not to think about it, because surely none of this can be right, especially not the French soldiers near where he was told Kutuzov is.  He rides on.