War & Peace Podnotes, A Study Guide

General Kutuzov remains adamant about not sending his men into action. He is holding out despite appeals of Austrians leadership, who wish make use of his nearly arrived forces. Kutuzov is portrayed as knowing an attack would be foolhardy. He makes his position known to representatives of the Hofkriegsrat – the Austrian Council of War, who developed a reputation of bureaucratic decision-making.  Kutuzov uses a correspondence of the Archduke to demonstrate his exhausted men are not needed, as the missive announces the Austrians are Masters of Ulm, ready to deal with whatever the French throw at them. More recent intelligence suggests the opposite, which is quickly and dramatically confirmed. The camp in Braunnau gets word of Austria’s historic defeat in Ulm, Bavaria (October 16th - 19th of 1805) and it is (fictionally) delivered by General Mack himself. Historically, Napoleon forced a surrender of tens of thousands after a masterful encircling maneuver. This victory continued build his mythic reputation as one