War & Peace Podnotes, A Study Guide

The focus shifts to Prince Andrei. He was said to be serving with the late Gen. Schmidtt, who was killed at Dürenstein. Andrei is sent to convey a battlefield report to the Austrian court, which has moved from Vienna to Brünn (now in the Czech Republic – ‘Brno’). Traveling by carriage, Andrei is stirred with the exhilaration that comes from facing fire. In the fray, Andrei’s hand was grazed by a bullet and his horse was shot.  He replayed the details of the battle and reflected on his own courage. When asleep, he dreamed of being killed and Russia defeated. When Andrei encountered a convoy of wounded comrades, he eagerly asked for updated information and distributed gold pieces. He reached Brünn at night, taking in the aesthetics of ancient city. The lofty buildings and quant shops were far from the realities of military camp life. He envisioned being graciously welcomed by the Austrian court but the reality was that he was made to wait by a stream of bureaucrats and finally got an audience with the Minister