War and Peace, Book 11: 1812, Chapter 26 summary
Book 11: 1812, Chapter 26 of 365 · 9 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 26, Murat’s troops enter Moscow, force their way through a defended Kremlin gate, and scatter through abandoned houses, turning from an organized army into looters. The narrator presents this collapse as a consequence of hunger and abundant wealth, and explains Moscow’s burning through careless occupation rather than deliberate arson or individual blame.
What happens
- Murat enters Moscow and orders guns forward after hearing that the Kremlin gates are barricaded.
- Shots from the gateway wound a French soldier, and French cannon fire overcomes the unidentified defenders.
- French soldiers kill the wounded, remove the bodies, and enter the Kremlin to establish camp.
- Troops disperse into abandoned houses, seize provisions and valuables, and ignore commanders’ orders against looting.
- The narrator describes the army’s departure five weeks afterward as the movement of looters intent on protecting their possessions.
- The narrator attributes Moscow’s burning to abandonment, wooden buildings, and soldiers’ cooking fires and carelessness rather than deliberate arson.
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What does the narrator identify as the main cause of Moscow’s burning?
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