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On the left our troops were close to a copse, in which smoked the

bonfires of our infantry who were felling wood. The French line

was wider than ours, and it was plain that they could easily

outflank us on both sides. Behind our position was a steep and

deep dip, making it difficult for artillery and cavalry to

retire. Prince Andrew took out his notebook and, leaning on the

cannon, sketched a plan of the position. He made some notes on

two points, intending to mention them to Bagration. His idea was,

first, to concentrate all the artillery in the center, and

secondly, to withdraw the cavalry to the other side of the dip.

Prince Andrew, being always near the commander in chief, closely

following the mass movements and general orders, and constantly

studying historical accounts of battles, involuntarily pictured

to himself the course of events in the forthcoming action in

broad outline.