Summary
The night before a crucial battle, Kutúzov's carefully crafted battle plans hit a snag that would be familiar to anyone who's ever worked in a large organization. General Ermólov, responsible for distributing the orders, has mysteriously vanished just when he's needed most. A young officer spends hours riding around camp, desperately searching for him while precious time ticks away. The search becomes increasingly absurd—Ermólov isn't at headquarters, isn't with other generals, and nobody knows where he's gone. Finally, the officer tracks him down at a lavish party outside the military lines, where all the top brass are drinking, dancing, and having a grand time while thousands of soldiers prepare for battle. When the officer finally delivers the critical orders, Ermólov takes them without a word or apology. The chapter ends with a knowing comment from another officer suggesting this wasn't an accident—that Ermólov deliberately made himself scarce to cause problems for a rival. Tolstoy shows us how personal politics and irresponsibility can cascade through an entire system. While soldiers' lives hang in the balance, those in charge are either partying or playing games. It's a timeless portrait of how the people at the top often fail the people counting on them, and how one person's negligence can jeopardize an entire operation.
Coming Up in Chapter 284
The battle plans have finally been delivered, but will the delayed orders and behind-the-scenes scheming affect the upcoming attack? The morning of October 5th arrives with all its consequences.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
Bennigsen’s note and the Cossack’s information that the left flank of the French was unguarded were merely final indications that it was necessary to order an attack, and it was fixed for the fifth of October. On the morning of the fourth of October Kutúzov signed the dispositions. Toll read them to Ermólov, asking him to attend to the further arrangements. “All right—all right. I haven’t time just now,” replied Ermólov, and left the hut. The dispositions drawn up by Toll were very good. As in the Austerlitz dispositions, it was written—though not in German this time: “The First Column will march here and here,” “the Second Column will march there and there,” and so on; and on paper, all these columns arrived at their places at the appointed time and destroyed the enemy. Everything had been admirably thought out as is usual in dispositions, and as is always the case, not a single column reached its place at the appointed time. When the necessary number of copies of the dispositions had been prepared, an officer was summoned and sent to deliver them to Ermólov to deal with. A young officer of the Horse Guards, Kutúzov’s orderly, pleased at the importance of the mission entrusted to him, went to Ermólov’s quarters. “Gone away,” said Ermólov’s orderly. The officer of the Horse Guards went to a general with whom Ermólov was often to be found. “No, and the general’s out too.” The officer, mounting his horse, rode off to someone else. “No, he’s gone out.” “If only they don’t make me responsible for this delay! What a nuisance it is!” thought the officer, and he rode round the whole camp. One man said he had seen Ermólov ride past with some other generals, others said he must have returned home. The officer searched till six o’clock in the evening without even stopping to eat. Ermólov was nowhere to be found and no one knew where he was. The officer snatched a little food at a comrade’s, and rode again to the vanguard to find Milorádovich. Milorádovich too was away, but here he was told that he had gone to a ball at General Kíkin’s and that Ermólov was probably there too. “But where is it?” “Why, there, over at Échkino,” said a Cossack officer, pointing to a country house in the far distance. “What, outside our line?” “They’ve put two regiments as outposts, and they’re having such a spree there, it’s awful! Two bands and three sets of singers!” The officer rode out beyond our lines to Échkino. While still at a distance he heard as he rode the merry sounds of a soldier’s dance song proceeding from the house. “In the meadows... in the meadows!” he heard, accompanied by whistling and the sound of a torban, drowned every now and then by shouts. These sounds made his spirits rise, but at the same time he was afraid that he would be blamed for not having executed sooner the important order...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Convenient Absence
The practice of making oneself unavailable at critical moments to avoid accountability for difficult decisions or outcomes.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when someone's unavailability is calculated self-preservation rather than genuine circumstance.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when people become unreachable during high-stakes moments—document everything and always have backup plans ready.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Dispositions
Military battle plans that detail where each unit should move and when. In Tolstoy's time, these were elaborate written orders that looked perfect on paper but often failed in reality.
Modern Usage:
Like detailed project plans at work that fall apart the moment real people get involved.
Chain of command
The military hierarchy where orders flow down from top generals to lower officers to soldiers. When someone in the chain disappears or fails, the whole system can collapse.
Modern Usage:
When your supervisor goes MIA right before a big deadline and nobody knows who's supposed to make the decisions.
Orderly
A junior officer or soldier assigned to carry messages and run errands for higher-ranking officers. They're the communication backbone of military operations.
Modern Usage:
The assistant or messenger who has to track down busy executives when urgent decisions need to be made.
Horse Guards
Elite cavalry units that served as the personal guards and messengers for top commanders. Being chosen for these units was a mark of honor and trust.
Modern Usage:
Like being on the CEO's inner circle or executive assistant team - high status but high pressure.
Military bureaucracy
The complex system of ranks, procedures, and paperwork that keeps armies organized but can also create delays and confusion when people don't do their jobs.
Modern Usage:
Any large organization where important things get stuck because someone didn't follow through or is playing politics.
Dereliction of duty
When someone in a position of responsibility abandons their post or fails to fulfill their obligations, especially when others are counting on them.
Modern Usage:
When your team lead disappears during crunch time or your manager goes radio silent when you need approval.
Characters in This Chapter
Kutúzov
Commander-in-chief
The top Russian general who signs the battle orders and trusts his subordinates to carry them out. He represents the leader who does his part but depends on others to execute the plan.
Modern Equivalent:
The CEO who makes the big decisions but has to rely on middle management to make things happen
Ermólov
Irresponsible general
The general who's supposed to distribute crucial battle orders but vanishes instead, possibly on purpose to sabotage a rival. His negligence puts the entire operation at risk.
Modern Equivalent:
The department head who goes missing right before a major project launch
Toll
Staff officer
The competent officer who actually writes the detailed battle plans and tries to ensure they get distributed properly. He does his job well but can't control what happens next.
Modern Equivalent:
The project manager who creates perfect plans but can't make other people follow them
The young Horse Guards officer
Messenger
The dedicated junior officer who spends hours searching for Ermólov to deliver the critical orders. His frustrating quest shows how one person's irresponsibility affects everyone below them.
Modern Equivalent:
The assistant trying to track down their boss for an urgent signature while deadlines slip away
Key Quotes & Analysis
"All right—all right. I haven't time just now"
Context: When asked to handle the distribution of battle orders
This casual dismissal reveals Ermólov's irresponsible attitude toward a critical task. His 'I haven't time' excuse becomes ironic when he's later found partying.
In Today's Words:
Yeah, yeah, whatever - I'm too busy right now
"Gone away"
Context: When the messenger arrives to deliver the crucial battle orders
These two simple words capture the frustration of trying to reach someone who's made themselves unavailable at the worst possible moment. The orderly's matter-of-fact tone suggests this happens often.
In Today's Words:
He's not here and I have no idea when he'll be back
"Not a single column reached its place at the appointed time"
Context: Describing how battle plans always fail in reality
Tolstoy's observation about the gap between planning and execution. Perfect plans mean nothing if the people responsible for implementing them don't do their jobs.
In Today's Words:
Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong
Thematic Threads
Power
In This Chapter
Ermólov uses his position to avoid responsibility while maintaining authority—he can disappear without consequences but others must search for him
Development
Continues exploring how power creates different rules for different people
In Your Life:
You might notice how certain people at work become unreachable exactly when you need approval or answers most
Class
In This Chapter
Officers party while soldiers prepare to die—the disconnect between those who decide and those who suffer consequences
Development
Reinforces the theme that privilege insulates people from the results of their choices
In Your Life:
You see this when administrators make policy changes that affect frontline workers but never experience the chaos themselves
Responsibility
In This Chapter
Critical military orders are treated as an inconvenience rather than a life-or-death matter requiring urgency
Development
Shows how individual irresponsibility cascades through entire systems
In Your Life:
You experience this when one person's negligence creates crisis situations for everyone else down the line
Politics
In This Chapter
Ermólov's absence may be deliberate sabotage of a rival rather than mere negligence
Development
Introduces how personal vendettas can masquerade as incompetence
In Your Life:
You might recognize when someone's 'mistakes' are actually calculated moves to undermine colleagues or projects
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What was Ermólov supposed to do, and why couldn't anyone find him when it mattered most?
analysis • surface - 2
Why do you think Ermólov made himself so hard to find right when the battle orders needed to be delivered?
analysis • medium - 3
Can you think of a time when someone important in your life became mysteriously unavailable right when you needed them most?
application • medium - 4
If you were the young officer searching for Ermólov, what would you have done differently to protect yourself and get the job done?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter reveal about how power protects itself when things go wrong?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Own Missing Person Pattern
Think about the important people in your life—bosses, landlords, family members, service providers. Make a list of who tends to disappear when you need them most. For each person, write down what they're usually avoiding and what you could do differently next time to protect yourself from their vanishing act.
Consider:
- •Look for patterns in timing—do they disappear before deadlines, during conflicts, or when money is involved?
- •Consider whether their absence is truly accidental or strategically convenient for them
- •Think about what backup plans you could create so their disappearance doesn't become your crisis
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when someone's convenient absence left you holding the bag. How did it affect you, and what would you do differently if faced with the same situation today?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 284: When Leaders Lose Control
Moving forward, we'll examine stress and disappointment can make even experienced leaders lose their composure, and understand taking anger out on innocent people damages your authority and relationships. These insights bridge the gap between classic literature and modern experience.