s, chiefly Germans.

The second party was directly opposed to the first; one extreme, as
always happens, was met by representatives of the other. The members of
this party were those who had demanded an advance from Vilna into Poland
and freedom from all prearranged plans. Besides being advocates of bold
action, this section also represented nationalism, which made them still
more one-sided in the dispute. They were Russians: Bagration, Ermolov
(who was beginning to come to the front), and others. At that time a
famous joke of Ermolov's was being circulated, that as a great favor he
had petitioned the Emperor to make him a German. The men of that party,
remembering Suvorov, said that what one had to do was not to reason,
or stick pins into maps, but to fight, beat the enemy, keep him out of
Russia, and not let the army get discouraged.

To the third party--in which the Emperor had most confidence--belonged
the courtiers who tried to arrange compromises between the other two.
The members of this party, chiefly civilians and to whom Arakcheev
belonged, thought and said what men who have no convictions but wish
to seem to have some generally say. They said that undoubtedly war,
particularly against such a genius as Bonaparte (they called him
Bonaparte now), needs most deeply devised plans and profound scientific
knowledge and in that respect Pfuel was a genius, but at the same time
it had to be acknowledged that the theorists are often one sided, and
therefore one should not trust them absolutely, but should also listen
to what Pfuel's opponents and practical men of experience in warfare had
to say, and then choose a middle course. They insisted on the retention
of the camp at Drissa, according to Pfuel's plan, but on changing the
movements of the other armies. Though, by this course, neither one aim
nor the other could be attained, yet it seemed best to the adherents of
this third party.

Of a fourth opinion the most conspicuous representative was the
Tsarevich, who could not forget his disillusionment at Austerlitz, where
he had ridden out at the head of the Guards, in his casque and cavalry
uniform as to a review, expecting to crush the French gallantly; but
unexpectedly finding himself in the front line had narrowly escaped amid
the general confusion. The men of this party had both the quality
and the defect of frankness in their opinions. They feared Napoleon,
recognized his strength and their own weakness, and fran