War & Peace Podnotes, A Study Guide

Prince Andrei is readying to set out for his assignment as aide-de-camp to General Kutuzov. He has on his traveling coat while meticulously packing his effects. He pays special attention to his Turkish pistols and a saber -- spoils of victory his father gifted him from the Siege of Ochakov in 1778. The weapons illustrate the significance of the conflicts his father took part in. They also highlight the legacy Andrei feels pressured to live up to.   Ochokov is presently Ochakiv and is on the winding southern coast of Ukraine, about 40 miles east (and slightly north) of Odessa. In 2022 and 2023 Ochakiv has been attacked by Russia but valiantly holds as a Ukrainian port city of about 15,000. Before 1778 it was the capital of an Ottoman province.  Prince Andrei was in the frame of mind one comes to when knowing they are  embarking on one of life’s transcendent journeys. His considered the fear inherent in war as well as leaving his pregnant wife. His sister interrupted, initially visualizing her brother as the mi