Captain Tushin is a secondary hero of Leo Tolstoy, who has very little space on the pages of the novel. But the entire episode with Captain Tushin was written very brightly and capaciously.
Reader’s first meeting with Tushin’s battery
For the first time, L.N. Tolstoy mentions the Tushin battery in the second part of the novel, in chapter XVI. It was there that Prince Andrew considered the position of the infantry and dragoons. The battery was in the center of the Russian troops, directly opposite the village of Shengraben. The prince did not see the officers who were sitting in the booth, but one of the voices struck him with his sincerity. The officers, in spite of, and perhaps precisely because, the battle was soon to come, philosophized. They talked about where the soul would go. “After all, there seems to be no sky,” said a soft voice that surprised the prince, “but there is one atmosphere.” Suddenly the core fell and exploded. The officers quickly jumped out, and then Prince Andrew examined Tushin. So in the minds of the reader the image of captain Tushin begins to take shape.
Officer Appearance
This is the first officer we see through the eyes of Prince Andrew. He turned out to be small in stature, with a kind and intelligent face. Captain Tushin is a little stooped and does not look like a hero, but a weak man, and, in accordance with his name, is stewed when he meets with dignitaries. And he himself is small, and his hands are small, and his voice is thin, indecisive. But the eyes are big, smart and kind. Such is the ordinary, non-heroic appearance of Captain Tushin. But beneath this plain appearance lies a courageous and reckless in times of danger, fearless spirit.
Kindness of Tushin
After the battle, the shell-shocked young Nikolai Rostov had a hard time walking, and he lost his horse during the battle. He asked absolutely everyone passing to be taken, but no one paid any attention to him. And only headquarters captain Tushin allowed him to sit on the gun carriage, which he called Matveevna in battle, and helped the cadet. So in action the captain's humanity and kindness are manifested during the general indifference to an individual life.
Responsiveness and compassion
When a halt came in the evening, the staff captain sent one of the soldiers to look for a doctor or dressing station for the cadet Rostov. And he looked at the young man with compassion and compassion. It was clear that he wanted to help with all his heart, but so far nothing. This is described in chapter XXI. It also tells that a wounded soldier who wanted to drink came up. He received water from Tushin. Another soldier ran up, who asked for fire for the infantry, and the captain did not refuse him.
The war as represented by L. Tolstoy
This is an anti-human phenomenon that is full of filth and dirt and devoid of a romantic halo. Life is beautiful and death is ugly. This is only the massacre of innocent people. His best heroes themselves do not kill anyone. Even during the battles it is not shown how Denisov or Rostov took someone's life, not to mention Prince Andrei. Description of the military operations of 1805-1807, in which Captain Tushin participated, in the novel War and Peace is one of the centers of the epic. On these pages, the writer constantly describes war and death. It shows how masses of people are forced to endure inhuman trials. But simply and without further ado, Captain Tushin fulfills his duty as a soldier. War and peace exist for him in parallel worlds. In war, he tries as best as possible, carefully considering every action, to inflict damage on the enemy, preserving the life of his soldiers and weapons, which are of material value, if possible. His peaceful life is shown to us only at short breaks, when he cares about the people who are next to him. He eats and drinks with his soldiers, and it can be difficult to distinguish from them, he can not always correctly salute a superior in rank. With each battle, his human significance rises even higher.
Shengraben - preparation for the battle
Prince Bagration with his retinue drove into Tushin’s battery. The guns were just starting to shoot, everyone in the company had a special cheerful and excited spirit. Tushin even at first, giving instructions in a thin voice, while running and stumbling, did not notice the prince, and finally he saw embarrassment, timidly and awkwardly put his fingers to the visor and went to the commander. Bagration left, leaving the company without cover.
Battle
Nobody left orders to the captain, but he consulted with his sergeant major and decided to light the village of Shengraben. We emphasize that he knew how to use the common sense of experienced soldiers, and not look down on them. He was, of course, a nobleman, but did not stick out his origin, but appreciated the experience and mind of his subordinates. And the Russian army received an order to retreat, but everyone forgot about Tushin, and his company stood and restrained the French offensive.
Fighting
When Bagration, retreating along with the main part of the army, listened, he heard the cannonade somewhere in the center. To find out what was going on, he sent Prince Andrew to order the battery to retreat as quickly as possible. Tushin had only four guns. But they shot so vigorously that the French suggested that large forces were concentrated there. They attacked twice, but both were repelled. When it was possible to light the Shengraben, then all the cannons began to strike together in the very center of fire. The soldiers were excitedly excited by the way the French ran in, trying to put out the fire that the wind carried, and it spread more and more. French columns left the village. But on the right, the enemy put ten guns and began to hit Tushin’s battery with precision.
Feat of Captain Tushin
Tushin injured both horses and soldiers. Out of forty people, seventeen fell out of order. However, the battery life did not weaken. All four guns turned against ten firing guns. Tushin, like everyone else, was lively, cheerful and excited.
All the time, he demanded that the orderly get a tube. With her, he ran from one gun to another, counted the remaining shells, ordered the replacement of dead horses. When a soldier wounded or killed, he winced, as if in pain, and ordered the wounded to be helped. And the faces of the soldiers, tall, huge men, like mirrors reflected the expression on the face of their commander. It immediately becomes clear from the description of L. Tolstoy that subordinates simply loved their boss and carried out his orders not out of fear of punishment, but out of a desire to meet his requirements.
In the midst of the battle, Tushin was completely transformed, he presented himself simply as a hero who throws kernels at the French. He infected soldiers and officers with his fighting spirit. The captain all plunged into battle. He called one of his guns Matveyevna, she seemed to him powerful and huge. The French seemed to him ants, and their guns - pipes from which smoke was smoked. He saw only his guns and the French, which should be kept. Tushin began to form a single whole with everything that was on his battery: with guns, people, horses. Such is Captain Tushin in battle. His characteristic is a characteristic of a humble man who perceives heroic actions as the fulfillment of
military duty. At the time of the battle, all his joys and sorrows are associated only with his comrades, the enemy and the cannons animated by his imagination.
What Prince Andrew Learned
He was sent to give the captain an order to retreat. And the first thing the prince saw was a horse with a broken leg, from which blood spurted from the fountain. And a few more dead people. A core flew over him. By force of will, the prince ordered himself not to be afraid. He got off his horse and, along with Tushin, began to manage the cleaning of the guns.
The soldiers simply noted the courage of the prince, telling him that the authorities came and immediately escaped. And when Tushin was summoned to headquarters to indicate that he had lost two guns, Prince Andrei, whose ideas about heroism had already begun to change, he saw heroism without bravado, humble and dignified, unable to show off and admire himself, stood up for military honor companies of captain Tushin. And he said briefly but firmly that the success of the day is due to the actions of Captain Tushin and his company.
L. N. Tolstoy told the bitter truth about the war, in which innocent people and animals die, where they do not notice genuine heroes, and staff officers who did not smell gunpowder receive awards, where the revenge of the people is ripening, which is being replaced by the end of the war pity mixed with contempt. He showed how many silent Timokhins and Tushins, genuine national heroes, lie in nameless graves.