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diff --git a/2118-h/2118-h.htm b/2118-h/2118-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d9a78ab --- /dev/null +++ b/2118-h/2118-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,13377 @@ +<?xml version="1.0" encoding="us-ascii"?> + +<!DOCTYPE html + PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd" > + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en"> + <head> + <title> + History of Friedrich II Of Prussia, Volume 18, by Thomas Carlyle + </title> + <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve"> + + body { margin:5%; background:#faebd0; text-align:justify} + P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; } + H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; } + hr { width: 50%; text-align: center;} + .foot { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 90%; } + blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + .mynote {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;} + .toc { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;} + .toc2 { margin-left: 20%;} + div.fig { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; } + div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; } + .figleft {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;} + .figright {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;} + .pagenum {display:inline; font-size: 70%; font-style:normal; + margin: 0; padding: 0; position: absolute; right: 1%; + text-align: right;} + pre { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;} + +</style> + </head> + <body> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. +XVIII. (of XXI.), by Thomas Carlyle + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. XVIII. (of XXI.) + Frederick The Great--Seven-Years War Rises to a Height.--1757-1759. + +Author: Thomas Carlyle + +Release Date: June 13, 2008 [EBook #2118] +Last Updated: November 30, 2012 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORY OF FRIEDRICH II. *** + + + + +Produced by D.R. Thompson and David Widger + + + + + +</pre> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <h1> + HISTORY OF FRIEDRICH II OF PRUSSIA, Volume 18 + </h1> + <h2> + FREDERICK THE GREAT + </h2> + <h2> + by Thomas Carlyle + </h2> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <h2> + Contents + </h2> + <div class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0001"> <big><b>BOOK XVIII.—SEVEN-YEARS WAR RISES + TO A HEIGHT.—1757-1759.</b></big> </a><br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0001"> <b>Chapter I.—THE CAMPAIGN OPENS.</b> </a><br /> + <div class="toc2"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0003"> REICH'S THUNDER, SLIGHT SURVEY OF IT; WITH + QUESTION, WHITHERWARD, IF ANY-WHITHER. </a><br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0004"> + FRIEDRICH SUDDENLY MARCHES ON PRAG. </a><br /><br /> + </div> + <a href="#link2HCH0002"> <b>Chapter II.—BATTLE OF PRAG.</b> </a><br /><br /> + <a href="#link2HCH0003"> <b>Chapter III.—PRAG CANNOT BE GOT AT ONCE.</b> + </a><br /> + <div class="toc2"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0007"> COLONEL MAYER WITH HIS "FREE-CORPS" PARTY + MAKES A VISIT, OF DIDACTIC NATURE, TO THE REICH. </a><br /> <a + href="#link2H_4_0008"> OF THE SINGULAR QUASI-BEWITCHED CONDITION OF + ENGLAND; AND WHAT IS TO BE HOPED FROM IT FOR THE COMMON CAUSE, IF PRAG + GO AMISS. </a><br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0009"> PHENOMENA OF PRAG SIEGE:—PRAG + SIEGE IS INTERRUPTED. </a><br /><br /> + </div> + <a href="#link2HCH0004"> <b>Chapter IV.—BATTLE OF KOLIN.</b> </a><br /> + <div class="toc2"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0011"> THE MARIA-THERESA ORDER, NEW KNIGHTHOOD FOR + AUSTRIA. </a><br /><br /> + </div> + <a href="#link2HCH0005"> <b>Chapter V.—FRIEDRICH AT LEITMERITZ, HIS + WORLD OF ENEMIES COMING ON.</b> </a><br /> + <div class="toc2"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0013"> PRINCE AUGUST WILHELM FINDS A BAD PROBLEM AT + JUNG-BUNZLAU; AND DOES IT BADLY: FRIEDRICH THEREUPON HAS TO RISE FROM + LEITMERITZ, AND TAKE THE FIELD ELSEWHERE, IN BITTER HASTE AND + IMPATIENCE, WITH OUTLOOKS WORSE THAN EVER. </a><br /><br /> + </div> + <a href="#link2HCH0006"> <b>Chapter VI.—DEATH OF WINTERFELD.</b> + </a><br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0007"> <b>Chapter VII.—FRIEDRICH IN + THURINGEN, HIS WORLD OF ENEMIES ALL COME.</b> </a><br /> + <div class="toc2"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0016"> I. FRIEDRICH'S MARCH TO ERFURT FROM DRESDEN—(31st + August-13th September, 1757). </a><br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0017"> II. + THE SOUBISE HILDBURGHAUSEN PEOPLE TAKE INTO THE HILLS; FRIEDRICH IN + ERFURT NEIGHBORHOOD, HANGING ON, WEEK AFTER WEEK, IN AN AGONY OF + INACTION (13th September-10th October). </a><br /> <a + href="#link2H_4_0018"> LAMENTATION-PSALMS OF FRIEDRICH. </a><br /> <a + href="#link2H_4_0019"> III. RUMOR OF AN INROAD ON BERLIN SUDDENLY SETS + FRIEDRICH ON MARCH THITHER: INROAD TAKES EFFECT,—WITH IMPORTANT + RESULTS, CHIEFLY IN A LEFT-HAND FORM. </a><br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0020"> + SCENE AT REGENSBURG IN THE INTERIM. </a><br /><br /> + </div> + <br /> <br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0021"> <big><b>BOOK XVIII (CONTINUED)—SEVEN-YEARS + WAR RISES TO A HEIGHT. 1757-1759.</b></big> </a><br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0008"> <b>Chapter VIII.—BATTLE OF ROSSBACH.</b> </a><br /> + <div class="toc2"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0023"> CATASTROPHE OF DAUPHINESS (Saturday, 5th + November, 1757). </a><br /><br /> + </div> + <a href="#link2HCH0009"> <b>Chapter IX.—FRIEDRICH MARCHES FOR + SILESIA.</b> </a><br /> + <div class="toc2"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0025"> FRIEDRICH'S SPEECH TO HIS GENERALS (Parchwitz, + 3d December, 1757). [From </a><br /><br /> + </div> + <a href="#link2HCH0010"> <b>Chapter X.—BATTLE OF LEUTHEN.</b> </a><br /><br /> + <a href="#link2HCH0011"> <b>Chapter XI.—WINTER IN BRESLAU: THIRD + CAMPAIGN OPENS.</b> </a><br /> + <div class="toc2"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0028"> OF THE ENGLISH SUBSIDY. </a><br /> <a + href="#link2H_4_0029"> FRIEDRICH, AS INDEED PITT'S PEOPLE AND OTHERS + HAVE DONE, TAKES THE FIELD UNCOMMONLY EARLY: FRIEDRICH GOES UPON + SCHWEIDNITZ, SCHWEIDNITZ, AS THE PREFACE TO WHATEVER HIS CAMPAIGN MAY + BE. </a><br /><br /> + </div> + <a href="#link2HCH0012"> <b>Chapter XII.—SIEGE OF OLMUTZ.</b> </a><br /><br /> + <a href="#link2HCH0013"> <b>Chapter XIII.—BATTLE OF ZORNDORF.</b> + </a><br /> + <div class="toc2"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0032"> THESEUS AND THE MINOTAUR OVER AGAIN,—THAT + IS TO SAY, FRIEDRICH AT HAND-GRIPS WITH FERMOR AND HIS RUSSIANS (25TH + AUGUST, 1758). </a><br /><br /> + </div> + <a href="#link2HCH0014"> <b>Chapter XIV.—BATTLE OF HOCHKIRCH.</b> + </a><br /> + <div class="toc2"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0034"> DAUN AND THE REICHS ARMY INVADE SAXONY, IN + FRIEDRICH'S ABSENCE. </a><br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0035"> FRIEDRICH + INTERVENING, DAUN DRAWS BACK; INTRENCHES HIMSELF IN NEIGHBORHOOD TO + DRESDEN AND PIRNA; FRIEDRICH FOLLOWING HIM. FOUR ARMIES STANDING THERE, + IN DEAD-LOCK, FOR A MONTH; WITH ISSUE, A FLANK-MARCH ON THE PART OF + FRIEDRICH'S ARMY, WHICH HALTS AT HOCH</a><br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0036"> + WHAT ACTUALLY BEFELL AT HOCHKIRCH (Saturday, 14th October, 1758). </a><br /> + <a href="#link2H_4_0037"> SEQUEL OF HOCHKIRCH; THE CAMPAIGN ENDS IN A + WAY SURPRISING TO AN ATTENTIVE PUBLIC (22d October-20th November, 1758). + </a><br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0038"> FRIEDRICH MARCHES, ENIGMATICALLY, + NOT ON GLOGAU, BUT ON REICHENBACH AND GORLITZ; TO DAUN'S ASTONISHMENT. + </a><br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0039"> FELDMARSCHALL DAUN AND THE REICHS + ARMY TRY SOME SIEGE OF DRESDEN (9th-16th November). </a><br /><br /> + </div> + <br /> + </div> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0001" id="link2H_4_0001"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + BOOK XVIII.—SEVEN-YEARS WAR RISES TO A HEIGHT.—1757-1759. + </h2> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter I.—THE CAMPAIGN OPENS. + </h2> + <p> + Seldom was there seen such a combination against any man as this against + Friedrich, after his Saxon performances in 1756. The extent of his sin, + which is now ascertained to have been what we saw, was at that time + considered to transcend all computation, and to mark him out for + partition, for suppression and enchainment, as the general enemy of + mankind. "Partition him, cut him down," said the Great Powers to one + another; and are busy, as never before, in raising forces, inciting new + alliances and calling out the general POSSE COMITATUS of mankind, for that + salutary object. What tempestuous fulminations in the Reichstag, and over + all Europe, England alone excepted, against this man! + </p> + <p> + Latterly the Swedes, who at first had compunctions on the score of + Protestantism, have agreed to join in the Partitioning adventure: "It + brings us his Pommern, all Pommern ours!" cry the Swedish Parliamentary + Eloquences (with French gold in their pocket): "At any rate," whisper + they, "it spites the Queen his Sister!"—and drag the poor Swedish + Nation into a series of disgraces and disastrous platitudes it was little + anticipating. This precious French-Swedish Bargain ("Swedes to invade with + 25,000; France to give fair subsidy," and bribe largely) was consummated + in March; ["21st March, 1757" (Stenzel, v. 38; &c.).] but did not + become known to Friedrich for some months later; nor was it of the + importance he then thought it, in the first moment of surprise and + provocation. Not indeed of importance to anybody, except, in the reverse + way, to poor Sweden itself, and to the French, who had spent a great deal + of pains and money on it, and continued to spend, with as good as no + result at all. For there never was such a War, before or since, not even + by Sweden in the Captainless state! And the one profit the copartners + reaped from it, was some discountenance it gave to the rumor which had + risen, more extensively than we should now think, and even some nucleus of + fact in it as appears, That Austria, France and the Catholic part of the + Reich were combining to put down Protestantism. To which they could now + answer, "See, Protestant Sweden is with us!"—and so weaken a little + what was pretty much Friedrich's last hold on the public sympathies at + this time. + </p> + <p> + As to France itself,—to France, Austria, Russia,—bound by such + earthly Treaties, and the call of very Heaven, shall they not, in united + puissance and indignation, rise to the rescue? France, touched to the + heart by such treatment of a Saxon Kurfurst, and bound by Treaty of + Westphalia to protect all members of the Reich (which it has sometimes, to + our own knowledge, so carefully done), is almost more ardent than Austria + itself. France, Austria, Russia; to these add Polish Majesty himself; and + latterly the very Swedes, by French bribery at Stockholm: these are the + Partitioning Powers;—and their shares (let us spare one line for + their shares) are as follows. + </p> + <p> + The Swedes are to have Pommern in whole; Polish-Saxon Majesty gets + Magdeburg, Halle, and opulent slices thereabouts; Austria's share, we need + not say, is that jewel of a Silesia. Czarish Majesty, on the extreme East, + takes Preussen, Konigsberg-Memel Country in whole; adds Preussen to her as + yet too narrow Territories. Wesel-Cleve Country, from the other or Western + extremity, France will take that clipping, and make much of it. These are + quite serious business-engagements, engrossed on careful parchment, that + Spring, 1757, and I suppose not yet boiled down into glue, but still to be + found in dusty corners, with the tape much faded. The high heads, making + preparation on the due scale, think them not only executable, but + indubitable, and almost as good as done. Push home upon him, as united + Posse Comitatus of Mankind; in a sacred cause of Polish Majesty and Public + Justice, how can one malefactor resist?"AH, MA TRES-CHERE" and "Oh, my + dearest Princess and Cousin," what a chance has turned up! + </p> + <p> + It is computed that there are arrayed against this one King, under their + respective Kings, Empress-Queens, Swedish Senates, Catins and Pompadours, + populations to the amount of above 100 millions,—in after stages, I + remember to have seen "150 millions" loosely given as the exaggerated + cipher. Of armed soldiers actually in the field against him (against + Hanover and him), in 1757, there are, by strict count, 430,000. + Friedrich's own Dominions at this time contain about Five Millions of + Population; of Revenue somewhat less than Two Millions sterling. New taxes + he cannot legally, and will not, lay on his People. His SCHATZ + (ready-money Treasure, or Hoard yearly accumulating for such end) is, I + doubt not, well filled,—express amount not mentioned. Of drilled men + he has, this Year, 150,000 for the field; portioned out thriftily,—as + well beseems, against Four Invasions coming on him from different points. + In the field, 150,000 soldiers, probably the best that ever were; and in + garrison, up and down (his Country being, by nature, the least defensible + of all Countries), near 40,000, which he reckons of inferior quality. So + stands the account. [Stenzel, iv. 308, 306, v. 39; Ranke, iii. 415; + Preuss, ii, 389, 43, 124; &c. &c.;—substantially true, I + doubt not; but little or nothing of it so definite and conclusively + distinct as it ought, in all items, to have been by this time,—had + poor Dryasdust known what he was doing.] These are, arithmetically + precise, his resources,—PLUS only what may lie in his own head and + heart, or funded in the other heads and hearts, especially in those + 150,000, which he and his Fathers have been diligently disciplining, to + good perfection, for four centuries come the time. + </p> + <p> + France, urged by Pompadour and the enthusiasms, was first in the field. + The French Army, in superb equipment, though privately in poorish state of + discipline, took the road early in March; "March 26th and 27th," it + crossed the German Border, Cleve Country and Koln Country; had been + rumored of since January and February last, as terrifically grand; and + here it now actually is, above 100,000 strong,—110,405, as the + Army-Lists, flaming through all the Newspapers, teach mankind. [<i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> + iv. 391; iii. 1073.] Bent mainly upon Prussia, it would seem; such the + will of Pompadour. Mainly upon Prussia; Marechal d'Estrees, crossing at + Koln, made offers even to his Britannic Majesty to be forgiven in + comparison; "Yield us a road through your Hanover, merely a road to those + Halberstadt-Magdeburg parts, your Hanover shall have neutrality!" + "Neutrality to Hanover?" sighed Britannic Majesty: "Alas, am not I pledged + by Treaty? And, alas, withal, how is it possible, with that America + hanging over us?" and stood true. Nor is this all, on the part of + magnanimous France: there is a Soubise getting under way withal, Soubise + and 30,000, who will reinforce the Reich's Armament, were it on foot, and + be heard of by and by! So high runs French enthusiasm at present. A new + sting of provocation to Most Christian Majesty, it seems, has been + Friedrich's conduct in that Damiens matter (miserable attempt, by a poor + mad creature, to assassinate; or at least draw blood upon the Most + Christian Majesty ["Evening of 5th January, 1757" (exuberantly plentiful + details of it, and of the horrible Law-procedures which followed on it: In + Adelung, viii. 197-220; Barbier, &c. &c.).]); about which + Friedrich, busy and oblivious, had never, in common politeness, been at + the pains to condole, compliment, or take any notice whatever. And will + now take the consequences, as due!— + </p> + <p> + The Wesel-Cleve Countries these French find abandoned: Friedrich's + garrisons have had orders to bring off the artillery and stores, blow up + what of the works are suitable for blowing up; and join the "Britannic + Army of Observation" which is getting itself together in those regions. + Considerable Army, Britannic wholly in the money part: new Hanoverians so + many, Brunswickers, Buckeburgers, Sachsen-Gothaers so many; add those + precious Hanoverian-Hessian 20,000, whom we have had in England guarding + our liberties so long,—who are now shipped over in a lot; fair wind + and full sea to them. Army of 60,000 on paper; of effective more than + 50,000; Head-quarters now at Bielefeld on the Weser;—where, "April + 16th," or a few days later, Royal Highness of Cumberland comes to take + command; likely to make a fine figure against Marechal d'Estrees and his + 100,000 French! But there was no helping it. Friedrich, through Winter, + has had Schmettau earnestly flagitating the Hanoverian Officialities: "The + Weser is wadable in many places, you cannot defend the Weser!" and + counselling and pleading to all lengths,—without the least effect. + "Wants to save his own Halberstadt lands, at our expense!" Which was the + idea in London, too: "Don't we, by Apocalyptic Newswriters and eyesight of + our own, understand the man?" Pitt is by this time in Office, who perhaps + might have judged a little otherwise. But Pitt's seat is altogether + temporary, insecure; the ruling deities Newcastle and Royal Highness, who + withal are in standing quarrel. So that Friedrich, Schmettau, Mitchell + pleaded to the deaf. Nothing but "Defend the Weser," and ignorant Fatuity + ready for the Impossible, is to be made out there. "Cannot help it, then," + thinks Friedrich, often enough, in bad moments; "Army of Observation will + have its fate. Happily there are only 5,000 Prussians in it, Wesel and the + other garrisons given up!" + </p> + <p> + Only 5,000 Prussians: by original Engagement, there should have been + 25,000; and Friedrich's intention is even 45,000 if he prosper otherwise. + For in January, 1757 (Anniversary, or nearly so, of that NEUTRALITY + CONVENTION last year), there had been—encouraged by Pitt, as I could + surmise, who always likes Friedrich—a definite, much closer TREATY + OF ALLIANCE, with "Subsidy of a million sterling," Anti-Russian "Squadron + of Observation in the Baltic," "25,000 Prussians," and other items, which + I forget. Forget the more readily, as, owing to the strange state of + England (near suffocating in its Constitutional bedclothes), the Treaty + could not be kept at all, or serve as rule to poor England's exertions for + Friedrich this Year; exertions which were of the willing-minded but futile + kind, going forward pell-mell, not by plan, and could reach Friedrich only + in the lump,—had there been any "lump" of them to sum together. But + Pitt had gone out;—we shall see what, in Pitt's absence, there was! + So that this Treaty 1757 fell quite into the waste-basket (not to say, far + deeper, by way of "pavement" we know where!),—and is not mentioned + in any English Book; nor was known to exist, till some Collector of such + things printed it, in comparatively recent times. ["M. Koch in 1802," not + very perfectly (Scholl, iii. 30 n.; who copies what Koch has given).] A + Treaty 1757, which, except as emblem of the then quasi-enchanted condition + of England, and as Foreshadow of Pitt's new Treaty in January, 1758, and + of three others that followed and were kept to the letter, is not of + moment farther. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0003" id="link2H_4_0003"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + REICH'S THUNDER, SLIGHT SURVEY OF IT; WITH QUESTION, WHITHERWARD, IF + ANY-WHITHER. + </h2> + <p> + The thunderous fulminations in the Reich's-Diet—an injured Saxony + complaining, an insulted Kaiser, after vain DEHORTATORIUMS, reporting and + denouncing "Horrors such as these: What say you, O Reich?"—have been + going on since September last; and amount to boundless masses of the + liveliest Parliamentary Eloquence, now fallen extinct to all creatures. + [Given, to great lengths, in <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> iii. iv. (and other + easily avoidable Books).] The Kaiser, otherwise a solid pacific gentleman, + intent on commercial operations (furnishes a good deal of our meal, says + Friedrich), is Officially extremely violent in behalf of injured Saxony,—that + is to say, in fact, of injured Austria, which is one's own. Kur-Mainz, + Chairman of the Diet (we remember how he was got, and a Battle of + Dettingen fought in consequence, long since); Kur-Mainz is admitted to + have the most decided Austrian leanings: Britannic George, Austria being + now in the opposite scale, finds him an unhandy Kur-Mainz, and what profit + it was to introduce false weights into the Reich's balance that time! Not + for long generations before, had the poor old semi-imaginary Reich's-Diet + risen into such paroxysms; nor did it ever again after. Never again, in + its terrestrial History, was there such agonistic parliamentary struggle, + and terrific noise of parliamentary palaver, witnessed in the poor + Reich's-Diet. Noise and struggle rising ever higher, peal after peal, from + September, 1756, when it started, till August, 1757, when it had reached + its acme (as perhaps we shall see), though it was far from ending then, or + for years to come. + </p> + <p> + Contemporary by-standers remark, on the Austrian part, extraordinary rage + and hatred against Prussia; which is now the one point memorable. Austria + is used to speak loud in the Diet, as we have ourselves seen: and it is + again (if you dive into those old AEolus'-Caves, at your peril) + unpleasantly notable to what pitch of fixed rage, and hot sullen hatred + Austria has now gone; and how the tone has in it a potency of world-wide + squealing and droning, such as you nowhere heard before. Omnipotence of + droning, edged with shrieky squealing, which fills the Universe, not at + all in a melodious way. From the depths of the gamut to the shrieky top + again,—a droning that has something of porcine or wild-boar + character. Figure assembled the wild boars of the world, all or mostly all + got together, and each with a knife just stuck into its side, by a + felonious individual too well known,—you will have some notion of + the sound of these things. Friedrich sometimes remonstrates: "Cannot you + spare such phraseology, unseemly to Kings? The quarrels of Kings have to + be decided by the sword; what profit in unseemly language, Madam?"—but, + for the first year and more, there was no abatement on the Austrian part. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich's own Delegate at Regensburg, a Baron von Plotho, come of old + Brandenburg kindred, is a resolute, ready-tongued, very undaunted + gentleman; learned in Diplomacies and Reich's Law; carries his head high, + and always has his story at hand. Argument, grounded on Reich's Law and + the nature of the case, Plotho never lacks, on spur of the hour: and is + indeed a very commendable parliamentary mastiff; and honorable and + melodious in the bark of him, compared with those infuriated porcine + specimens. He has Kur-Hanover for ally on common occasions, and generally + from most Protestant members individually, or from the CORPUS + EVANGELICORUM in mass, some feeble whimper of support. Finds difficulty in + getting his Reich's Pleadings printed;—dangerous, everywhere in + those Southern Parts, to print anything whatever that is not Austrian: so + that Plotho, at length, gets printers to himself, and sets up a + Printing-Press in his own house at Regensburg. He did a great deal of + sonorous pleading for Friedrich; proud, deep-voiced, ruggedly logical; + fairly beyond the Austrian quality in many cases,—and always far + briefer, which is another high merit. October coming, we purpose to look + in upon Plotho for one minute; "October 14th, 1757;" which may be reckoned + essentially the acme or turning-point of these unpleasant thunderings. [<i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> + iv. 745-749.] + </p> + <p> + What good he did to Friedrich, or could have done with the tongue of + angels in such an audience, we do not accurately know. Some good he would + do even in the Reich's-Diet there; and out of doors, over a German public, + still more; and is worth his frugal wages,—say 1,000 pounds a year, + printing and all other expense included! This is a mere guess of mine, + Dryasdust having been incurious: but, to English readers it is incredible + for what sums Friedrich got his work done, no work ever better. Which is + itself an appreciable advantage, computable in pounds sterling; and is the + parent of innumerable others which no Arithmetic or Book-keeping by Double + Entry will take hold of, and which are indeed priceless for Nations and + for persons. But this poor old bedridden Reich, starting in agonistic + spasm at such rate: is it not touching, in a Corpus moribund for so many + Centuries past! The Reich is something; though it is not much, nothing + like so much as even Kaiser Franz supposes it. Much or not so much, Kaiser + Franz wishes to secure it for himself; Friedrich to hinder him,—and + it must be a poor something, if not worth Plotho's wages on Friedrich's + part. + </p> + <p> + It would insult the patience of every reader to go into these spasmodic + tossings of the poor paralytic Reich; or to mention the least item of them + beyond what had some result, or fraction of result, on the world's real + affairs. We shall say only, therefore, that after tempests not a few of + porcine squealing, answered always by counter-latration on the vigilant + Plotho's part;—squealing, chiefly, from the Reich's-Hofrath at + Vienna, the Head Tribunal of Imperial Majesty, which sits judging and + denouncing there, touched to the soul, as if by a knife driven into its + side, by those unheard-of treatments of Saxony and disregard to our + DEHORTATORIUMS, and which bursts out, peal after peal, filling the + Universe, Plotho not unvigilant;—the poor old Reich's-Diet did at + last get into an acting posture, and determine, by clear majority of 99 + against 60, that there should be a "Reich's Execution Army" got on foot. + Reich's Execution Army to coerce, by force of arms, this nefarious King of + Prussia into making instant restitution to Saxony, with ample damages on + the nail; that right be done to Kurfursts of this Reich. To such height of + vigor has the Reich's-Diet gone;—and was voting it at Regensburg + January 10th, 1757; [<i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> iv. 252, 302, 330; Stenzel, + v. 32.] that very day when nefarious Friedrich at Berlin, case-hardened in + iniquity to such a pitch, sat writing his INSTRUCTION TO COUNT FINCK, + which we read not long since. Simultaneous movements, unknown to one + another, in this big wrestle. + </p> + <p> + Reich's-Diet perfected its Vote; had it quite through, and sanctioned by + the Kaiser's Majesty, January 29th: "Arming to be a TRIPLUM" (triple + contingent required of you this time); with Romish-months (ROMERMONATE) of + cash contributions from all and sundry (rigorously gathered, I should + hope, where Austria has power), so many as will cover the expense. Army to + be got on actual foot hastily, instantly if possible: an "EILENDE + REICHS-EXECUTIONS ARMEE;" so it ran, but the word EILENDE (speedy) had a + mischance in printing, and was struck off into ELENDE (contemptibly + wretched): so that on all Market-Squares and Public Places of poor + Teutschland, you read flaming Placards summoning out, not a speedy or + immediate, but "a MISERABLE Reich's Execution Army!" A word which, we need + not say, was laughed at by the unfeeling part of the public; and was often + called to mind by the Reich's Execution Army's performances, when said + SPEEDY Army did at last take the field. + </p> + <p> + For the Reich performed its Vote; actually had a Reich's Execution Army; + the last it ever had in this world, not by any means the worst it ever + had, for they used generally to be bad. Commanders, managers are named, + Romermonate are gathered in, or the sure prospect of them; and, through + May-June, 1757, there is busy stir, of drumming, preparing and enlisting, + all over the Reich. End of July, we shall see the Reich's Army in Camp; + end of August, actually in the field; and later on, a touch of its + fighting withal. Many other things the Reich tried against unfortunate + Friedrich,—gradual advance, in fact, to Ban of the Reich (or total + anathema and cutting-off from fire and water): but in none of these, in + Ban as little as any, did it come to practical result at all, or acquire + the least title to be remembered at this day. Finis of Ban, some eight + months hence, has something of attractive as futility, the curious Death + of a Futility. Finis of Ban (October 14th, already indicated) we may for + one moment look in upon, if there be one moment to spare; the rest—readers + may fancy it; and read only of the actuality and fighting part, which will + itself be enough for them on such a matter. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0004" id="link2H_4_0004"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + FRIEDRICH SUDDENLY MARCHES ON PRAG. + </h2> + <p> + Four Invasions, from their respective points of the compass, northeast, + northwest, southeast and southwest: here is a formidable outlook for the + one man against whom they are all advancing open-mouthed. The one man—with + nothing but a Duke of Cumberland and his Observation Army for backing in + such duel—had need to look to himself! Which, we well know, he does; + wrapt in profoundly silent vigilance, with his plans all laid. Of the Four + Invasions, three, the Russian, French, Austrian, are very large; and the + two latter, especially the last, are abundantly formidable. The Swedish, + of which there is rumoring, he hopes may come to little, or not come at + all. Nor is Russia, though talking big, and actually getting ready above + 100,000 men, so immediately alarming. Friedrich always hopes the English, + with their guineas and their managements, will do something for him in + that quarter; and he knows, at worst, that the Russian Hundred Thousand + will be a very slow-moving entity. The Swedish Invasion Friedrich, for the + present, leaves to chance: and against Russia, he has sent old Marshal + Lehwald into those Baltic parts; far eastward, towards the utmost Memel + Frontier, to put the Country upon its own defence, and make what he can of + it with 30,000 men,—West-Prussian militias a good few of them. This + is all he can spare on the Swedish-Russian side: Austria and France are + the perilous pair of entities; not to be managed except by intense + concentration of stroke; and by going on them in succession, if one have + luck!— + </p> + <p> + Friedrich's motions and procedures in canton-quarters, through Winter and + in late months, have led to the belief that he means to stand on the + defensive; that the scene of the Campaign will probably be Saxony; and + that Austria, for recovering injured Saxony, for recovering dear Silesia, + will have to take an invasive attitude. And Austria is busy everywhere + preparing with that view. Has Tolpatcheries, and advanced Brigades, still + harassing about in the Lausitz. A great Army assembling at Prag,—Browne + forward towards the Metal Mountains securing posts, gathering magazines, + for the crossing into Saxony there. There, it is thought, the tug of war + will probably be. Furious, and strenuous, it is not doubted, on this + Friedrich's part: but against such odds, what can he do? With Austrians in + front, with Russians to left, with French to right and arear, not to + mention Swedes and appendages: surely here, if ever, is a lost King!— + </p> + <p> + It is by no means Friedrich's intention that Saxony itself shall need to + be invaded. Friedrich's habit is, as his enemies might by this time be + beginning to learn, not that of standing on the defensive, but that of + GOING on it, as the preferable method wherever possible. March 24th, + Friedrich had quitted Dresden City; and for a month after (head-quarters + Lockwitz, edge of the Pirna Country), he had been shifting, + redistributing, his cantoned Army,—privately into the due Divisions, + due readiness for march. Which done, on fixed days, about the end of + April, the whole Army, he himself from Lockwitz, April 20th,—to the + surprise of Austria and the world, Friedrich in three grand Columns, + Bevern out of the Lausitz, King himself over the Metal Mountains, Schwerin + out of Schlesien, is marching with extraordinary rapidity direct for Prag; + in the notion that a right plunge into the heart of Bohemia will be the + best defence for Saxony and the other places under menace. + </p> + <p> + This is a most unexpected movement; which greatly astonishes the + world-theatre, pit, boxes and gallery alike (as Friedrich's sudden + movements often do); and which is, above all, interesting on the stage + itself, where the actors had been counting on a quite opposite set of + entries and activities! Feldmarschall Browne and General Konigseck (not + our old friend Konigseck, who used to dry-nurse in the Netherlands, but + his nephew and heir) may cease gathering Magazines, in those Lausitz and + Metal-Mountain parts: happy could they give wings to those already + gathered! Magazines, for Austrian service, are clearly not the things + wanted there. One does not burn one's Magazines till the last extremity; + but wings they have none; and such is the enigmatic velocity of those + Prussian movements, one seldom has time even to burn them, in the last + crisis of catastrophe! Considerable portions of that provender fell into + the Prussian throat; as much as "three months' provision for the whole + Army," count they,—adding to those Frontier sundries the really + important Magazine which they seized at Jung-Bunzlau farther in. [<i>Helden-Geschichte</i>, + iv. 6-13; &c.] It is one among their many greater advantages from this + surprisal of the enemy, and sudden topsy-turvying of his plans. Browne and + Konigseck have to retire on Prag at their swiftest; looking to more + important results than Magazines. + </p> + <p> + It is Friedrich's old plan. Long since, in 1744, we saw a march of this + kind, Three Columns rushing with simultaneous rapidity on Prag; and need + not repeat the particulars on this occasion. Here are some Notes on the + subject, which will sufficiently bring it home to readers:— + </p> + <p> + "The Three Columns were, for a part of the way, Four; the King's being, at + first, in two branches, till they united again, on the other side of the + Hills. For the King," what is to be noted, "had shot out, three weeks + before, a small preliminary branch, under Moritz of Dessau; who marched, + well westward, by Eger (starting from Chemnitz in Saxony); and had some + tussling with our poor old friend Duke d'Ahremberg, Browne's subordinate + in those parts. D'Ahremberg, having 20,000 under him, would not quit Eger + for Moritz; but pushed out Croats upon him, and sat still. This, it was + afterwards surmised, had been a feint on Friedrich's part; to give the + Austrians pleasant thoughts: 'Invading us, is he? Would fain invade us, + but cannot!' Moritz fell back from Eger; and was ready to join the King's + march, (at Linay, April 23d' (third day from Lockwitz, on the King's + part). Onwards from which point the Columns are specifically Three; in + strength, and on routes, somewhat as follows:— + </p> + <p> + 1. "The FIRST Column, or King's,—which is 60,000 after this + junction, 45,000 foot, 15,000 horse,—quitted Lockwitz (head-quarter + for a month past), WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20TH. They go by the Pascopol and + other roads; through Pirna, for one place: through Karbitz, Aussig, are at + Linay on the 23d; where Moritz joins: 24th, in the united state, forward + again (leave Lobositz two miles to left); to Trebnitz, 25th, and rest + there one day. + </p> + <p> + "At Aussig an unfortunate thing befell. Zastrow, respectable old General + Zastrow, was to drive the Austrians out of Aussig: Zastrow does it, April + 22d-23d, drives them well over the heights; April 25th, however, marching + forward towards Lobositz, Zastrow is shot through both temples (Pandour + hid among the bushes and cliffs, OTHER side of Elbe), and falls dead on + the spot. Buried in GOTTLEUBE Kirk, 1st May." + </p> + <p> + In these Aussig affairs, especially in recapturing the Castle of Tetschen + near by, Colonel Mayer, father of the new "Free-Corps," did shining + service;—and was approved of, he and they. And, a day or two after, + was detached with a Fifteen Hundred of that kind, on more important + business: First, to pick up one or two Bohemian Magazines lying handy; + after which, to pay a visit to the Reich and its bluster about + Execution-Army, and teach certain persons who it is they are thundering + against in that awkwardly truculent manner! Errand shiningly done by + Mayer, as perhaps we may hear,—and certainly as all the Newspapers + loudly heard,—in the course of the next two months. + </p> + <p> + At crossing of the Eger, Friedrich's Column had some chasing of poor + D'Ahremberg; attempting to cut him off from his Bridges, Bridge of + Koschlitz, Bridge of Budin; but he made good despatch, Browne and he; and, + except a few prisoners of Ziethen's gathering, and most of his Magazines + unburnt, they did him no damage. The chase was close enough; more than + once, the Austrian head-quarter of to-night was that of the Prussians + to-morrow. Monday, May 2d, Friedrich's Column was on the Weissenberg of + Prag; Browne, D'Ahremberg, and Prince Karl, who is now come up to take + command, having hastily filed through the City, leaving a fit garrison, + the day before. Except his Magazines, nothing the least essential went + wrong with Browne; but Konigseck, who had not a Friedrich on his heels,—Konigseck, + trying more, as his opportunities were more,—was not quite so lucky. + </p> + <p> + 2. "Column SECOND, to the King's left, comes from the Lausitz under + Brunswick-Bevern,—18,000 foot, 5,000 horse. This is the Bevern who + so distinguished himself at Lobositz last year; and he is now to culminate + into a still brighter exploit,—the last of his very bright ones, as + it proved. Bevern set out from about Zittau (from Grottau, few miles south + of Zittau), the same day with Friedrich, that is April 20th;—and had + not well started till he came upon formidable obstacles. Came upon General + Konigseck, namely: a Konigseck manoeuvring ahead, in superior force; a + Maguire, Irish subordinate of Konigseck's, coming from the right to cut + off our baggage (against whom Bevern has to detach); a Lacy, coming from + the left;—or indeed, Konigseck and Lacy in concert, intending to + offer battle. Battle of Reichenberg, which accordingly ensued, April + 21st,"—of which, though it was very famous for so small a Battle, + there can be no account given here. + </p> + <p> + The short truth is, Konigseck falling back, Parthian-like, with a force of + 30,000 or more, has in front of him nothing but Bevern; who, as he issues + from the Lausitz, and till he can unite with Schwerin farther southward, + is but some 20,000 odd: cannot Konigseck call halt, and bid Bevern return, + or do worse? Konigseck, a diligent enough soldier, determines to try; + chooses an excellent position,—at or round Reichenberg, which is the + first Bohemian Town, one march from Zittau in the Lausitz, and then one + from Liebenau, which latter would be Bevern's SECOND Bohemian stage on the + Prag road, if he continued prosperous. Reichenberg, standing nestled among + hills in the Neisse Valley (one of those Four Neisses known to us, the + Neisse where Prince Karl got exploded, in that signal manner, Winter, + 1745, by a certain King), offers fine capabilities; which Konigseck has + laid hold of. There is especially one excellent Hollow (on the left or + western bank of Neisse River, that is, ACROSS from Reichenberg), backed by + woody hills, nothing but hills, brooks, woods all round; Hollow scooped + out as if for the purpose; and altogether of inviting character to + Konigseck. There, "Wednesday, April 20th," Konigseck posts himself, plants + batteries, fells abatis; plenty of cannon, of horse and foot, and, say all + soldiers, one of the best positions possible. + </p> + <p> + So that Bevern, approaching Reichenberg at evening, evening of his first + march, Wednesday, April 20th, finds his way barred; and that the + difficulties may be considerable. "Nothing to be made of it to-night," + thinks Bevern; "but we must try to-morrow!" and has to take camp, "with a + marshy brook in front of him," some way on the hither side of Reichenberg; + and study overnight what method of unbarring there may be. Thursday + morning early, Bevern, having well reconnoitred and studied, was at work + unbarring. Bevern crossed his own marshy brook; courageously assaulted + Konigseck's position, left wing of Konigseck; stormed the abatis, the + batteries, plunged in upon Konigseck, man to man, horse to horse, and + after some fierce enough but brief dispute, tumbled Konigseck out of the + ground. Konigseck made some attempt to rally; attempted twice, but in + vain; had fairly to roll away, and at length to run, leaving 1,000 dead + upon the field, about 500 prisoners; one or two guns, and I forget how + many standards, or whether any kettle-drums. This was thought to be a + decidedly bright feat on Bevern's part (rather mismanaged latterly on + Konigseck's); [Tempelhof, i. 100; <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> iii. 1077 + (Friedrich's own Account, "Linay in Bohmen, 24th April, 1757"); &c. + &c. There is, in Busching's <i>Magazin</i> (xvi. 139 et seq.), an + intelligible sketch of this Action of Reichenherg, with satirical + criticisms, which have some basis, on Lacy, Maguire and others, by an + Anonymous Military Cynic,—who gives many such in BUSCHING (that of + Fontenoy, for example), not without force of judgment, and signs of wide + study and experience in his trade.]—much approved by Friedrich, as + he hears of it, at Linay, on his own prosperous march Prag-ward. A + comfortable omen, were there nothing more. + </p> + <p> + Konigseck and Company, torn out of Reichenberg, and set running, could not + fairly halt again and face about till at Liebenau, twenty miles off, where + they found some defile or difficult bit of ground fit for them; and this + too proved capable of yielding pause for a few hours only. For Schwerin, + with his Silesian Column, was coming up from the northeast, threatening + Konigseck on flank and rear: Konigseck could only tighten his straps a + little at this Liebenau, and again get under way; and making vain attempts + to hinder the junction of Schwerin and Bevern, to defend the Jung-Bunzlau + Magazine, or do any good in those parts, except to detain the + Schwerin-Bevern people certain hours (I think, one day in all), had + nothing for it but to gird himself together, and retreat on Prag and the + Ziscaberg, where his friends now were. + </p> + <p> + The Austrian force at Reichenberg was 20,000; would have been 30 and odd + thousands, had Maguire come up (as he might have done, had not the + appearances alarmed him too much); Bevern, minus the Detachment sent + against Maguire, was but 15,000 in fight; and he has quite burst the + Austrians away, who had plugged his road for him in such force: is it not + a comfortable little victory, glorious in its sort; and a good omen for + the bigger things that are coming? Bevern marched composedly on, after + this inspiriting tussle, through Liebenau and what defiles there were; + April 24th, at Turnau, he falls into the Schwerin Column; incorporates + himself therewith, and, as subordinate constituent part, accompanies + Schwerin thenceforth. + </p> + <p> + 3. "Column THIRD was Schwerin's, out of Schlesien; counted to be 32,000 + foot, 12,000 horse. Schwerin, gathering himself, from Glatz and the + northerly country, at Landshut,—very careless, he, of the pleasant + Hills, and fine scattered peaks of the Giant Mountains thereabouts,—was + completely gathered foremost of all the Columns, having farthest to go. + And on Monday, 18th April, started from Landshut, Winterfeld leading one + division. In our days, it is the finest of roads; high level Pass, of good + width, across the Giant Range; pleasant painted hamlets sprinkling it, + fine mountain ridges and distant peaks looking on; Schneekoppe (SNOWfell, + its head bright-white till July come) attends you, far to the right, all + the way:—probably Sprite Rubezahl inhabits there; and no doubt River + Elbe begins his long journey there, trickling down in little threads over + yonder, intending to float navies by and by: considerations infinitely + indifferent to Schwerin. 'The road,' says my Tourist, (is not Alpine; it + reminds you of Derbyshire-Peak country; more like the road from Castletown + to Sheffield than any I could name;'—we have been in it before, my + reader and I, about Schatzlar and other places. Trautenau, well down the + Hills, with swift streams, more like torrents, bound Elbe-wards, watering + it, is a considerable Austrian Town, and the Bohemian end of the Pass,—Sohr + only a few miles from it: heartily indifferent to Schwerin at this moment; + who was home from the Army, in a kind of disfavor, or mutual pet, at the + time Sohr was done. Schwerin's March we shall not give; his junction with + Bevern (at Turnau, on the Iser, April 24th), then their capture of + Jung-Bunzlau Magazine, and crossing of the Elbe at Melnick, these were the + important points; and, in spite of Konigseck's tusslings, these all went + well, and nothing was lost except one day of time." + </p> + <p> + The Austrians, some days ago, as we observed, filed THROUGH Prag,—Sunday, + May 1st, not a pleasant holiday-spectacle to the populations;—and + are all encamped on the Ziscaberg high ground, on the other side of the + City. Had they been alert, now was the time to attack Friedrich, who is + weaker than they, while nobody has yet joined him. They did not think of + it, under Prince Karl; and Browne and the Prince are said to be in bad + agreement. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter II.—BATTLE OF PRAG. + </h2> + <p> + Monday morning, 2d May, 1757, the Vanguard, or advanced troops of + Friedrich's Column, had appeared upon the Weissenberg, northwest corner of + Prag (ground known to them in 1744, and to the poor Winter-King in 1620): + Vanguard in the morning; followed shortly by Friedrich himself; and, hour + after hour, by all the others, marching in. So that, before sunset, the + whole force lay posted there; and had the romantic City of Prag full in + view at their feet. A most romantic, high-piled, many-towered, most + unlevel old City; its skylights and gilt steeple-cocks glittering in the + western sun,—Austrian Camp very visible close beyond it, spread out + miles in extent on the Ziscaberg Heights, or eastern side;—Prag, no + doubt, and the Austrian Garrison of Prag, taking intense survey of this + Prussian phenomenon, with commentaries, with emotions, hidden now in + eternal silence, as is fit enough. One thing we know, "Head-quarter was in + Welleslawin:" there, in that small Hamlet, nearly to north, lodged + Friedrich, the then busiest man of Europe; whom Posterity is still + striving for a view of, as something memorable. + </p> + <p> + Prince Karl, our old friend, is now in chief command yonder; Browne also + is there, who was in chief command; their scheme of Campaign gone all + awry. And to Friedrich, last night, at his quarters "in the Monastery of + Tuchomirsitz," where these two Gentlemen had lodged the night before, it + was reported that they had been heard in violent altercation; [<i>Helden-Geschichte, + </i> iv. 11 (exact "Diary of the march" given there).]—both of them, + naturally, in ill-humor at the surprising turn things had taken; and + Feldmarschall Browne firing up, belike, at some platitude past or coming, + at some advice of his rejected, some imputation cast on him, or we know + not what. Prince Karl is now chief; and indignant Browne, as may well be + the case, dissents a good deal,—as he has often had to do. Patience, + my friend, it is near ending now! Prince Karl means to lie quiet on the + Ziscaberg, and hold Prag; does not think of molesting Friedrich in his + solitary state; and will undertake nothing, "till Konigseck, from + Jung-Bunzlau, come in," victorious or not; or till perhaps even Daun + arrive (who is, rather slowly, gathering reinforcement in Maren): "What + can the enemy attempt on us, in a Post of this strength?" thinks Prince + Karl. And Browne, whatever his insight or convictions be, has to keep + silence. + </p> + <p> + "Weissenberg," let readers be reminded, "is on the hither or western side + of Prag: the Hradschin [pronounce RadSHEEN, with accent on the last + syllable, as in "SchwerIN" and other such cases], the Hradschin, which is + the topmost summit of the City and of the Fashionable Quarter,—old + Bohemian Palace, still occasionally habitable as such, and in constant use + as a DOWNING STREET,—lies on the slope or shoulder of the + Weissenberg, a good way from the top; and has a web of streets rushing + down from it, steepest streets in the world; till they reach the Bridge, + and broad-flowing Moldau (broad as Thames at half-flood, but nothing like + so deep); after which the streets become level, and spread out in + intricate plenty to right and to left, and ahead eastward, across the + River, till the Ziscaberg, with frowning precipitous brow, suddenly puts a + stop to them in that particular direction. From Ziscaberg top to + Weissenberg top may be about five English miles; from the Hradschin to the + foot of Ziscaberg, northwest to southeast, will be half that distance, the + greatest length of Prag City. Which is rather rhomboidal in shape, its + longer diagonal this that we mention. The shorter diagonal, from northmost + base of Ziscaberg to southmost of Hradschin, is perhaps a couple of miles. + Prag stands nestled in the lap of mountains; and is not in itself a strong + place in war: but the country round it, Moldau ploughing his rugged chasm + of a passage through the piled table-land, is difficult to manoeuvre in. + </p> + <p> + "Moldau Valley comes straight from the south, crosses Prag; and—making, + on its outgate at the northern end of Prag (end of 'shortest diagonal' + just spoken of), one big loop, or bend and counter-bend, of horse-shoe + shape," which will be notable to us anon—"again proceeds straight + northward and Elbe-ward. It is narrow everywhere, especially when once got + fairly north of Prag; and runs along like a Quasi-Highland Strath, amid + rocks and hills. Big Hill-ranges, not to be called barren, yet with rock + enough on each hand, and fine side valleys opening here and there: the + bottom of your Strath, which is green and fertile, with pleasant busy + Villages (much intent on water-power and cotton-spinning in our time), is + generally of few furlongs in breadth. And so it lasts, this pleasant + Moldau Valley, mile after mile, on the northern or Lower Moldau, generally + straight north, though with one big bend eastward just before ending; and + not till near Melnick, or the mouth of Moldau, do we emerge on that grand + Elbe Valley,—glanced at once already, from Pascopol or other Height, + in the Lobositz times." + </p> + <p> + Friedrich's first problem is the junction with Schwerin: junction not to + be accomplished south of Ziscaberg in the present circumstances; and which + Friedrich knows to be a ticklish operation, with those Austrians looking + on from the high grounds there. Tuesday, 3d May, in the way of + reconnoitring, and decisively on Wednesday, 4th, Friedrich is off + northward, along the western heights of Lower Moldau, proper force + following him, to seek a fit place for the pontoons, and get across in + that northern quarter. "How dangerous that Schwerin is a day too late!" + murmurs he; but hopes the Austrians will undertake nothing. Keith, with + 30,000, he has left on the Weissenberg, to straiten Prag and the Austrian + Garrison on that side: our wagon-trains arrive from Leitmeritz on that + side, Elbe-boats bring them up to Leitmeritz; very indispensable to guard + that side of Prag. Friedrich's fixed purpose also is to beat the + Austrians, on the other side of it, and send them packing; but for that, + there are steps needful! + </p> + <p> + Up so far as Lissoley, the first day, Friedrich has found no fit place; + but on the morrow, Thursday, 5th, farther up, at a place called Seltz, + Friedrich finds his side of the Strath to be "a little higher than the + other,"—proper, therefore, for cannonading the other, if need be;—and + orders his pontoons to be built together there. He knows accurately of the + Schwerin Column, of the comfortable Bevern Victory at Reichenberg, and how + they have got the Jung-Bunzlau Magazine, and are across the Elbe, their + bridges all secured, though with delay of one day; and do now wait only + for the word,—for the three cannon-shot, in fact, which are to + signify that Friedrich is actually crossing to their side of Lower Moldau. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich's Bridge is speedily built (trained human hands can be no + speedier), his batteries planted, his precautions taken: the three + cannon-shot go off, audible to Schwerin; and Friedrich's troops stream + speedily across, hardly a Pandour to meddle with them. Nay, before the + passage was complete—what light-horse squadrons are these? Hussars, + seen to be Seidlitz's (missioned by Schwerin), appear on the outskirts: a + meeting worthy of three cheers, surely, after such a march on both sides! + Friedrich lies on the eastern Hill-tops that night (Hamlet of Czimitz his + Head-quarter, discoverable if you wish it, scarcely three miles north of + Prag); and accurate appointment is made with Schwerin as to the + meeting-place to-morrow morning. Meeting-place is to be the environs of + Prossik Village, southeastward over yonder, short way north of the + Prag-Konigsgratz Highway; and rather nearer Prag than we now are, in + Czimitz here: time at Prossik to be 6 A.M. by the clock; and Winterfeld + and Schwerin to come in person and speak with his Majesty. This is the + program for Friday, May 6th, which proves to be so memorable a day. + </p> + <p> + Schwerin is on foot by the stroke of midnight; comes along, "over the + heights of Chaber," by half a dozen, or I know not how many roads; visible + in due time to Friedrich's people, who are likewise punctually on the + advance: in a word, the junction is accomplished with all correctness. + And, while the Columns are marching up, Schwerin and Winterfeld ride about + in personal conference with his Majesty; taking survey, through + spy-glasses, of those Austrians encamped yonder on the broad back of their + Zisca Hill, a couple of miles to southward. "What a set of Austrians," + exclaim military critics, "to permit such junction, without effort to + devour the one half or the other, in good time!" Friedrich himself, it is + probable, might partly be of the same opinion; but he knew his Austrians, + and had made bold to venture. Friedrich, we can observe, always got to + know his man, after fighting him a month or two; and took liberties with + him, or did not take, accordingly. And, for most part,—not quite + always, as one signal exception will Show,—he does it with perfect + accuracy; and often with vital profit to his measures. "If the Austrian + cooking-tents are a-smoke before eight in the morning," notes he, "you may + calculate, in such case, the Austrians will march that day." [MILITARY + INSTRUCTIONS.] With a surprising vividness of eye and mind (beautiful to + rival, if one could), he watches the signs of the times, of the hours and + the days and the places; and prophesies from them; reads men and their + procedures, as if they were mere handwriting, not too cramp for him.—The + Austrians have, by this time, got their Konigseck home, very unvictorious, + but still on foot, all but a thousand or two: they are already stronger + than the Prussians by count of heads; and till even Daun come up, what + hurry in a Post like this? The Austrians are viewing Friedrich, too, this + morning; but in the blankest manner: their outposts fire a cannon-shot or + two on his group of adjutants and him, without effect; and the Head people + send their cavalry out to forage, so little prophecy have they from signs + seen. + </p> + <p> + Zisca Hill, where the Austrians now are, rises sheer up, of well-nigh + precipitous steepness, though there are trees and grass on it, from the + eastern side of Prag, say five or six hundred feet. A steep, picturesque, + massive green Hill; Moldau River, turning suddenly to right, strikes the + northwest corner of it (has flowed well to west of it, till then), and + winds eastward round its northern base. As will be noticed presently. The + ascent of Ziscaberg, by roads, is steep and tedious: but once at the top, + you find that it is precipitous on two sides only, the City or westward + side, and the Moldau or northward. Atop it spreads out, far and wide, into + a waving upland level; bare of hedges; ploughable all of it, studded with + littery hamlets and farmsteadings; far and wide, a kind of Plain, sloping + with extreme gentleness, five or six miles to eastward, and as far to + southward, before the level perceptibly rise again. + </p> + <p> + Another feature of the Ziscaberg, already hinted at, is very notable: that + of the Moldau skirting its northern base, and scarping the Hill, on that + side too, into a precipitous, or very steep condition. Moldau having + arrived from southward, fairly past the end of Ziscaberg, had, so to + speak, made up his mind to go right eastward, quarrying his way through + the lower uplands there, And he proceeds accordingly, hugging the northern + base of Ziscaberg, and making it steep enough; but finds, in the course of + a mile or so, that he can no more; upland being still rock-built, not + underminable farther; and so is obliged to wind round again, to northward, + and finally straight westward, the way he came, or parallel to the way he + came; and has effected that great Horse-shoe Hollow we heard of lately. An + extremely pretty Hollow, and curious to look upon; pretty villas, gardens, + and a "Belvedere Park," laid out in the bottom part; with green + mountain-walls rising all round it, and a silver ring of river at the base + of them: length of Horse-shoe, from heel to toe, or from west to east, is + perhaps a mile; breadth, from heel to heel, perhaps half as much. Having + arrived at his old distance to west, Moldau, like a repentant prodigal, + and as if ashamed of his frolic, just over against the old point he + swerved from, takes straight to northward again. Straight northward; and + quarries out that fine narrow valley, or Quasi-Highland Strath, with its + pleasant busy villages, where he turns the overshot machinery, and where + Friedrich and his men had their pontoons swimming yesterday. + </p> + <p> + It is here, on this broad back of the Ziscaberg, that the Austrians now + lie; looking northward over to the King, and trying cannon-shots upon him. + There they have been encamping, and diligently intrenching themselves for + four days past; diligent especially since yesterday, when they heard of + Friedrich's crossing the River. Their groups of tents, and batteries at + all the good points, stretch from near the crown of Ziscaberg, eastward to + the Villages of Hlaupetin, Kyge, and their Lakes, near four miles; and + rearward into the interior one knows not how far;—Prince Karl, + hardly awake yet, lies at Nussel, near the Moldau, near the Wischerad or + southeastmost point of Prag; six good miles west-by-south of Kyge, at the + other end of the diagonal line. About the same distance, right east from + Nussel, and a mile or more to south of Kyge, over yonder, is a littery + Farmstead named Sterbohol, which is not yet occupied by the Austrians, but + will become very famous in their War-Annals, this day!— + </p> + <p> + Where the Austrian Camp or various Tent-groups were, at the time Friedrich + first cast eye on them, is no great concern of his or ours; inasmuch as, + in two or three hours hence, the Austrians were obliged, rather suddenly, + to take Order of Battle; and that, and not their camping, is the thing we + are curious upon. Let us step across, and take some survey of that + Austrian ground, which Friedrich is now surveying from the distance, fully + intending that it shall be a battle-ground in few hours; and try to + explain how the Austrians drew up on it, when they noticed the Prussian + symptoms to become serious more and more. By nine in the morning,—some + two hours after Friedrich began his scanning, and the Austrian outposts + their firing of stray cannon-shots on him,—it is Battle-lines, not + empty Tents (which there was not time to strike), that salute the eye over + yonder. + </p> + <p> + From behind that verdant Horse-shoe Chasm we spoke of, buttressed by the + inaccessible steeps, and the Moldau, double-folded in the form of + Horse-shoe, all along the brow of that sloping expanse, stands (by 9 A.M. + "foragers all suddenly called in") the Austrian front; the second line and + the reserve, parallel to it, at good distances behind. Ranked there; say + 65,000 regulars (Prussian force little short of the same), on the brow of + Ziscaberg slope, some four miles long. Their right wing ends, in strong + batteries, in intricate marshes, knolls, lakelets, between Hlaupetin and + Kyge: the extreme of their left wing looks over on that Horse-shoe Hollow, + where Moldau tried to dig his way, but could not and had to turn back. + They have numerous redoubts, in front and in all the good places; and are + busy with more, some of them just now getting finished, treble-quick, + while the Prussians are seen under way. As many as sixty heavy cannon in + battery up and down: of field-pieces they have a hundred and fifty. + Excellent always with their Artillery, these Austrians; plenty of it, + well-placed and well-served: thanks to Prince Lichtenstein's fine labors + within these ten years past. [<i>OEuvres de Frederic,</i> (in several + places); see Hormayr,? Lichtenstein.] The villages, the farmsteads, are + occupied; every rising ground especially has its battery,—Homoly + Berg, Tabor Berg, "Mount of Tabor;" say KNOLL of Tabor (nothing like so + high as Battersea Rise, hardly even as Constitution Hill), though + scriptural Zisca would make a Mount of it;—these, and other BERGS of + the like type. + </p> + <p> + That is the Austrian Battle Order (as it stood about 9, though it had + still to change a little, as we shall see): their first line, straight or + nearly so, looking northward, stands on the brow of the Zisca Slope; their + second and their third, singularly like it, at the due distances behind;—in + the intervals, their tents, which stand scattered, in groups wide apart, + in the ample interior to southward. The cavalry is on both wings; left + wing, behind that Moldau Chasm, cannot attack nor be attacked,—except + it were on hippogriffs, and its enemy on the like, capable of fighting in + the air, overhead of these Belvedere Pleasure-grounds: perhaps Prince Karl + will remedy this oversight; fruit of close following of the orthodox + practice? Prince Karl, supreme Chief, commands on the left wing; Browne on + the right, where he can attack or be attacked, NOT on hippogriffs. As we + shall see, and others will! Light horse, in any quantity, hang scattered + on all outskirts. With foot, with cannon batteries, with horse, light or + heavy, they cover in long broad flood the whole of that Zisca Slope, to + near where it ceases, and the ground to eastward begins perceptibly to + rise again. + </p> + <p> + In this latter quarter, Zisca Slope, now nearly ended, begins to get very + swampy in parts; on the eastern border of the Austrian Camp, at Kyge, + Hostawitz, and beyond it southward, about Sterbohol and Michelup, there + are many little lakelets; artificial fish-ponds, several of them, with + their sluices, dams and apparatus: a ragged broadish lacing of ponds and + lakelets (all well dried in our day) straggles and zigzags along there, + connected by the miserablest Brook in nature, which takes to oozing and + serpentizing forward thereabouts, and does finally get emptied, now in a + rather livelier condition, into the Moldau, about the TOE-part of that + Horse-shoe or Belvedere region. It runs in sight of the King, I think, + where he now is; this lower livelier part of it: little does the King know + how important the upper oozing portion of it will be to him this day. Near + Michelup are lakelets worth noticing; a little under Sterbohol, in the + course of this miserable Brook, is a string of fish-ponds, with their + sluices open at this time, the water out, and the mud bottom sown with + herb-provender for the intended carps, which is coming on beautifully, + green as leeks, and nearly ready for the fish getting to it again. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich surveys diligently what he can of all this, from the northern + verge. We will now return to Friedrich; and will stay on his side through + the terrible Action that is coming. Battle of Prag, one of the furious + Battles of the World; loud as Doomsday;—the very Emblem of which, + done on the Piano by females of energy, scatters mankind to flight who + love their ears! Of this great Action the Narratives old and modern are + innumerable; false some of them, unintelligible well-nigh all. There are + three in Lloyd, known probably to some of my readers. Tempelhof, with + criticisms of these three, gives a fourth,—perhaps the one Narrative + which human nature, after much study, can in some sort understand. Human + readers, especially military, I refer to that as their finale. [In Lloyd, + i. 38 et seq. (the Three): in Tempelhof, i. 123 (the Fourth); ib. i. 144 + (strength of each Army), 105-149 (remarks of Tempelhof).—The + "HISTORY," or Series of Lectures on the Battles &c. of this War, "BY + THE ROYAL STAFF-OFFICERS"—which, for the last thirty or forty years, + is used as Text-Book, or Military EUCLID, in the Prussian Cadet-Schools,—appears + to possess the fit professorial lucidity and amplitude; and, in regard to + all Official details, enumerations and the like, is received as of + CANONICAL authority: it is not accessible to the general Public,—though + liberally enough conceded in special cases; whereby, in effect, the main + results of it are now become current in modern Prussian Books. By favor in + high quarters, I had once possession of a copy, for some months; but not, + at that time, the possibility of thoroughly reading any part of it.] Other + interest than military-scientific the Action now has not much. The stormy + fire of soul that blazed that day (higher in no ancient or modern Fight of + men) is extinct, hopeless of resuscitation for English readers. + Approximately what the thing to human eyes might be like; what Friedrich's + procedure, humor and physiognomy of soul was in it: this, especially the + latter head, is what we search for,—had lazy Dryasdust given us + almost anything on this latter head! What little can be gleaned from him + on both heads let us faithfully give, and finish our sad part of the + combat. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich, with his Schwerin and Winterfeld, surveying these things from + the northern edge, admits that the Austrian position is extremely strong; + but he has no doubt that it must be, by some good method, attacked + straightway, and the Austrians got beaten. Indisputably the enterprise is + difficult. Unattackable clearly, the Austrians, on that left wing of + theirs; not in the centre well attackable, nor in the front at all, with + that stiff ground, and such redoubts and points of strength: but round on + their right yonder; take them in flank,—cannot we? On as far as + Kyge, the Three have ridden reconnoitring; and found no possibility upon + the front; nor at Kyge, where the front ends in batteries, pools and + quagmires, is there any. "Difficult, not undoable," persists the King: + "and it must be straightway set about and got done." Winterfeld, always + for action, is of that opinion, too: and, examining farther down along + their right flank, reports that there the thing is feasible. + </p> + <p> + Feasible perhaps: "but straightway?" objects Schwerin. His men have been + on foot since midnight, and on forced marches for days past: were it not + better to rest for this one day? "Rest:—and Daun, coming on with + 30,000 of reinforcement to them, might arrive this night? Never, my good + Feldmarschall;"—and as the Feldmarschall was a man of stiff notions, + and had a tongue of some emphasis, the Dialogue went on, probably with + increasing emphasis on Friedrich's side too, till old Schwerin, with a + quite emphatic flash of countenance, crushing the hat firm over his brow, + exclaims: "Well, your Majesty: the fresher fish the better fish (FRISCHE + FISCHE, GUTE FISCHE): straightway, then!" and springs off on the gallop + southward, he too, seeking some likely point of attack. He too,—conjointly + or not with Winterfeld, I do not know: Winterfeld himself does not say; + whose own modest words on the subject readers shall see before we finish. + But both are mentioned in the Books as searching, at hand-gallop, in this + way: and both, once well round to south, by the Podschernitz + ["Podschernitz" is pronounced PotSHERnitz (should we happen to mentionn it + again); "Kyge," KEEGA.] quarter, with the Austrian right flank full in + view, were agreed that here the thing was possible. "Infantry to push from + this quarter towards Sterbohol yonder, and then plunge into their redoubts + and them! Cavalry may sweep still farther southward, if found convenient, + and even take them in rear." Both agree that it will do in this way: + ground tolerably good, slightly downwards for us, then slightly upwards + again; tolerable for horse even:—the intermediate lacing of dirty + lakelets, the fish-ponds with their sluices drawn, Schwerin and Winterfeld + either did not notice at all, or thought them insiginificant, interspersed + with such beautiful "pasture-ground,"—of unusual verdure at this + early season of the year. + </p> + <p> + The deployment, or "marching up (AUFMARSCHIREN)" of the Prussians was + wonderful; in their squadrons, in their battalions, horse, foot, + artillery, wheeling, closing, opening; strangely checkering a + country-side,—in movements intricate, chaotic to all but the + scientific eye. Conceive them, flowing along, from the Heights of Chaber, + behind Prossik Hamlet (right wing of infantry plants itself at Prossik, + horse westward of them); and ever onwards in broad many-checkered + tide-stream, eastward, eastward, then southward ("our artillery went + through Podschernitz, the foot and horse a little on this westward side of + it"): intricate, many-glancing tide of coming battle; which, swift, + correct as clock-work, becomes two lines, from Prossik to near Chwala + ("baggage well behind at Gbell"); thence round by Podschernitz quarter; + and descends, steady, swift, tornado-storm so beautifully hidden in it, + towards Sterbohol, there to grip to. Gradually, in stirring up those old + dead pedantic record-books, the fact rises on us: silent whirlwinds of old + Platt-Deutsch fire, beautifully held down, dwell in those mute masses; + better human stuff there is not than that old Teutsch (Dutch, English, + Platt-Deutsch and other varieties); and so disciplined as here it never + was before or since. "In an hour and half," what military men may count + almost incredible, they are fairly on their ground, motionless the most of + them by 9 A.M.; the rest wheeling rightward, as they successively arrive + in the Chwala-Podschernitz localities; and, descending diligently, + Sterbohol way; and will be at their harvest-work anon. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile the Austrians, seeing, to their astonishment, these phenomena to + the north, and that it is a quite serious thing, do also rapidly bestir + themselves; swarming like bees;—bringing in their foraging Cavalry, + "No time to change your jacket for a coat:" rank, double-quick! Browne is + on that right wing of theirs: "Bring the left wing over hither," suggests + Browne; "cavalry is useless yonder, unless they had hippogriffs!"—and + (again Browne suggesting) the Austrians make a change in the position of + their right wing, both horse and foot: change which is of vital + importance, though unnoted in many Narratives of this Battle. Seeing, + namely, what the Prussians intend, they wheel their right wing (say the + last furlong or two of their long Line of Battle) half round to right; so + that the last furlong or two stands at right angles ("EN POTENCE," + gallows-wise, or joiner's-square-wise to the rest); and, in this way, make + front to the Prussian onslaught,—front now, not flank, as the + Prussians are anticipating. This is an important wheel to right, and + formation in joiner's-square manner; and involves no end of interior + wheeling, marching and deploying; which Austrians cannot manage with + Prussian velocity. "Swift with it, here about Sterbohol at least, my men! + For here are the Prussians within wind of us!" urges Browne. And here + straightway the hurricane does break loose. + </p> + <p> + Winterfeld, the van of Schwerin's infantry (Schwerin's own regiment, and + some others, with him), is striding rapidly on Sterbohol; Winterfeld + catches it before Browne can. But near by, behind that important post, on + the Homely Hill (BERG or "Mountain," nothing like so high as Constitution + Mountain), are cannon-batteries of devouring quality; which awaken on + Winterfeld, as he rushes out double-quick on the advancing Austrians; and + are fatal to Winterfeld's attempt, and nearly to Winterfeld himself. + Winterfeld, heavily wounded, sank in swoon from his horse; and awakening + again in a pool of blood, found his men all off, rushing back upon the + main Schwerin body; "Austrian grenadiers gazing on the thing, about eighty + paces off, not venturing to follow." Winterfeld, half dead, scrambled + across to Schwerin, who has now come up with the main body, his front line + fronting the Austrians here. And there ensued, about Sterbohol and + neighborhood, led on by Schwerin, such a death-wrestle as was seldom seen + in the Annals of War. Winterfeld's miss of Sterbohol was the beginning of + it: the exact course of sequel none can describe, though the end is well + known. + </p> + <p> + The Austrians now hold Sterbohol with firm grip, backed by those batteries + from Homoly Hill. Redoubts, cannon-batteries, as we said, stud all the + field; the Austrian stock of artillery is very great; arrangement of it + cunning, practice excellent; does honor to Prince Lichtenstein, and indeed + is the real force of the Austrians on this occasion. Schwerin must have + Sterbohol, in spite of batteries and ranked Austrians, and Winterfeld's + recoil tumbling round him:—and rarely had the oldest veteran such a + problem. Old Schwerin (fiery as ever, at the age of 73) has been in many + battles, from Blenheim onwards; and now has got to his hottest and his + last. "Vanguard could not do it; main body, we hope, kindling all the + hotter, perhaps may!" A most willing mind is in these Prussians of + Schwerin's: fatigue of over-marching has tired the muscles of them; but + their hearts,—all witnesses say, these (and through these, their + very muscles, "always fresh again, after a few minutes of breathing-time") + were beyond comparison, this day! + </p> + <p> + Schwerin's Prussians, as they "march up" (that is, as they front and + advance upon the Austrians), are everywhere saluted by case-shot, from + Homoly Hill and the batteries northward of Homoly; but march on, this main + line of them, finely regardless of it or of Winterfeld's disaster by it. + The general Prussian Order this day is: "By push of bayonet; no firing, + none, at any rate, till you see the whites of their eyes!" Swift, steady + as on the parade-ground, swiftly making up their gaps again, the Prussians + advance, on these terms; and are now near those "fine sleek + pasture-grounds, unusually green for the season." Figure the actual + stepping upon these "fine pasture-grounds:"—mud-tanks, verdant with + mere "bearding oat-crop" sown there as carp-provender! Figure the sinking + of whole regiments to the knee; to the middle, some of them; the steady + march become a wild sprawl through viscous mud, mere case-shot singing + round you, tearing you away at its ease! Even on those terrible terms, the + Prussians, by dams, by footpaths, sometimes one man abreast, sprawl + steadily forward, trailing their cannon with them; only a few regiments, + in the footpath parts, cannot bring their cannon. Forward; rank again, + when the ground will carry; ever forward, the case-shot getting ever more + murderous! No human pen can describe the deadly chaos which ensued in that + quarter. Which lasted, in desperate fury, issue dubious, for above three + hours; and was the crisis, or essential agony, of the Battle. + Foot-chargings, (once the mud-transit was accomplished), under storms of + grape-shot from Homoly Hill; by and by, Horse-chargings, Prussian against + Austrian, southward of Homoly and Sterbohol, still farther to the Prussian + left; huge whirlpool of tumultuous death-wrestle, every species of + spasmodic effort, on the one side and the other;—King himself + present there, as I dimly discover; Feldmarschall Browne eminent, in the + last of his fields; and, as the old NIEBELUNGEN has it, "a murder grim and + great" going on. + </p> + <p> + Schwerin's Prussians, in that preliminary struggle through the mud-tanks + (which Winterfeld, I think, had happened to skirt, and avoid), were hard + bested. This, so far as I can learn, was the worst of the chaos, this + preliminary part. Intolerable to human nature, this, or nearly so; even to + human nature of the Platt-Teutsch type, improved by Prussian drill. + Winterfeld's repulse we saw; Schwerin's own Regiment in it. Various + repulses, I perceive, there were,—"fresh regiments from our Second + Line" storming in thereupon; till the poor repulsed people "took breath," + repented, "and themselves stormed in again," say the Books. Fearful + tugging, swagging and swaying is conceivable, in this Sterbohol problem! + And after long scanning, I rather judge it was in the wake of that first + repulse, and not of some other farther on, that the veteran Schwerin + himself got his death. No one times it for us; but the fact is + unforgettable; and in the dim whirl of sequences, dimly places itself + there. Very certain it is, "at sight of his own regiment in retreat," + Feldmarschall Schwerin seized the colors,—as did other Generals, who + are not named, that day. Seizes the colors, fiery old man: "HERAN, MEINE + KINDER (This way, my sons)!" and rides ahead, along the straight dam + again; his "sons" all turning, and with hot repentance following. "On, my + children, HERAN!" Five bits of grape-shot, deadly each of them, at once + hit the old man; dead he sinks there on his flag; and will never fight + more. "HERAN!" storm the others with hot tears; Adjutant von Platen takes + the flag; Platen, too, is instantly shot; but another takes it. "HERAN, + On!" in wild storm of rage and grief:—in a word, they manage to do + the work at Sterbohol, they and the rest. First line, Second line, + Infantry, Cavalry (and even the very Horses, I suppose), fighting + inexpressibly; conquering one of the worst problems ever seen in War. For + the Austrians too, especially their grenadiers there, stood to it toughly, + and fought like men;—and "every grenadier that survived of them," as + I read afterwards, "got double pay for life." + </p> + <p> + Done, that Sterbohol work;—those Foot-chargings, Horse-chargings; + that battery of Homoly Hill; and, hanging upon that, all manner of + redoubts and batteries to the rightward and rearward:—but how it was + done no pen can describe, nor any intellect in clear sequence understand. + An enormous MELEE there: new Prussian battalions charging, and ever new, + irrepressible by case-shot, as they successively get up; Marshal Browne + too sending for new battalions at double-quick from his left, disputing + stiffly every inch of his ground. Till at length (hour not given), a + cannon-shot tore away his foot; and he had to be carried into Prag, + mortally wounded. Which probably was a most important circumstance, or the + most important of all. + </p> + <p> + Important too, I gradually see, was that of the Prussian Horse of the Left + Wing. Prussian Horse of the extreme left, as already noticed, had, in the + mean while, fallen in, well southward, round by certain lakelets about + Michelup, on Browne's extreme right; furiously charging the Austrian + Horse, which stood ranked there in many lines; breaking it, then again + half broken by it; but again rallying, charging it a second time, then a + third time, "both to front and flank, amid whirlwinds of dust" (Ziethen + busy there, not to mention indignant Warnery and others);—and at + length, driving it wholly to the winds: "beyond Nussel, towards the Sazawa + Country;" never seen again that day. Prince Karl (after Browne's + death-wound, or before, I never know) came galloping to rally that + important Right Wing of horse. Prince Karl did his very utmost there; + obtesting, praying, raging, threatening:—but to no purpose; the + Zietheners and others so heavy on the rear of them:—and at last + there came a cramp, or intolerable twinge of spasm, through Prince Karl's + own person (breast or heart), like to take the life of him: so that he too + had to be carried into Prag to the doctors. And his Cavalry fled at + discretion; chased by Ziethen, on Friedrich's express order, and sent + quite over the horizon. Enough, "by about half-past one," Sterbohol work + is thoroughly done: and the Austrian Battle, both its Commanders gone, has + heeled fairly downwards, and is in an ominous way. + </p> + <p> + The whole of this Austrian Right Wing, horse and foot, batteries and + redoubts, which was put EN POTENCE, or square-wise, to the main battle, is + become a ruin; gone to confusion; hovers in distracted clouds, seeking + roads to run away by, which it ultimately found. Done all this surely was; + and poor Browne, mortally wounded, is being carried off the ground; but in + what sequence done, under what exact vicissitudes of aspect, special steps + of cause and effect, no man can say; and only imagination, guided by these + few data, can paint to itself. Such a chaotic whirlwind of blood, dust, + mud, artillery-thunder, sulphurous rage, and human death and victory,—who + shall pretend to describe it, or draw, except in the gross, the scientific + plan of it? + </p> + <p> + For, in the mean time,—I think while the dispute at Sterbohol, on + the extreme of the Austrian right wing "in joiner's-square form," was past + the hottest (but nobody will give the hour),—there has occurred + another thing, much calculated to settle that. And, indeed, to settle + everything;—as it did. This was a volunteer exploit, upon the very + elbow or angle of said "joiner's-square;" in the wet grounds between + Hlaupetin and Kyge, a good way north of Sterbohol. Volunteer exploit; on + the part of General Mannstein, our old Russian friend; which Friedrich, a + long way off from it, blames as a rash fault of Mannstein's, made good by + Prince Henri and Ferdinand of Brunswick running up to mend it; but which + Winterfeld, and subsequent good judges, admit to have been highly + salutary, and to have finished everything. It went, if I read right, + somewhat as follows. + </p> + <p> + In the Kyge-Hlaupetin quarter, at the corner of that Austrian right wing + EN POTENCE, there had, much contrary to Browne's intention, a perceptible + gap occurred; the corner is open there; nothing in it but batteries and + swamps. The Austrian right wing, wheeling southward, there to form + POTENCE; and scrambling and marching, then and subsequently, through such + ground at double-quick, had gone too far (had thinned and lengthened + itself, as is common, in such scrambling, and double-quick movement, + thinks Tempelhof), and left a little gap at elbow; which always rather + widened as the stress at Sterbohol went on. Certain enough, a gap there + is, covered only by some half-moon battery in advance: into this, General + Mannstein has been looking wistfully a long time: "Austrian Line fallen + out at elbow yonder; clouted by some battery in advance?"—and at + length cannot help dashing loose on it with his Division. A man liable to + be rash, and always too impetuous in battle-time. + </p> + <p> + He would have fared ill, thinks Friedrich, had not Henri and Ferdinand, in + pain for Mannstein (some think, privately in preconcert with him), + hastened in to help; and done it altogether in a shining way; surmounting + perilous difficulties not a few. Hard fighting in that corner, partly on + the Sterbohol terms; batteries, mud-tanks; chargings, rechargings: + "Comrades, you have got honor enough, KAMERADEN, IHR HABT EHRE GENUG [the + second man of you lying dead]; let us now try!" said a certain Regiment to + a certain other, in this business. [Archenholtz, i. 75; Tempelhof, &c.] + Prince Henri shone especially, the gallant little gentleman: coming upon + one of those mud-tanks with battery beyond, his men were spreading + file-wise, to cross it on the dams; "BURSCHE, this way!" cried the Prince, + and plunged in middle-deep, right upon the battery; and over it, and + victoriously took possession of it. In a word, they all plunge forward, in + a shining manner; rush on those half-moon batteries, regardless of + results; rush over them, seize and secure them. Rush, in a word, fairly + into that Austrian hole-at-elbow, torrents more following them,—and + irretrievably ruin both fore-arm and shoulder-arm of the Austrians + thereby. + </p> + <p> + Fore-arm (Austrian right wing, if still struggling and wriggling about + Sterbohol) is taken in flank; shoulder-arm, or main line, the like; we + have them both in flank; with their own batteries to scour them to + destruction here:—the Austrian Line, throughout, is become a ruin. + Has to hurl itself rapidly to rightwards, to rearwards, says Tempelhof, + behind what redoubts and strong points it may have in those parts; and + then, by sure stages (Tempelhof guesses three, or perhaps four), as one + redoubt after another is torn from the loose grasp of it, and the stand + made becomes ever weaker, and the confusion worse,—to roll pell-mell + into Prag, and hastily close the door behind it. The Prussians, Sterbohol + people, Mannstein-Henri people, left wing and right, are quite across the + Zisca Back, on by Nussel (Prince Earl's head-quarter that was), and at the + Moldau Brink again, when the thing ends. Ziethen's Hussars have been at + Nussel, very busy plundering there, ever since that final charge and chase + from Sterbohol. Plundering; and, I am ashamed to say, mostly drunk: "Your + Majesty, I cannot rank a hundred sober," answered Ziethen (doubtless with + a kind of blush), when the King applied for them. The King himself has got + to Branik, farther up stream. Part of the Austrian foot fled, leftwards, + southwards, as their right wing of horse had all done, up the Moldau. + About 16,000 Austrians are distractedly on flight that way. Towards, the + Sazawa Country; to unite with Daun, as the now advisable thing. Near + 40,000 of them are getting crammed into Prag; in spite of Prince Karl, now + recovered of his cramp, and risen to the frantic pitch; who vainly + struggles at the Gate against such inrush, and had even got through the + Gate, conjuring and commanding, but was himself swum in again by those + panic torrents of ebb-tide. + </p> + <p> + Rallying within, he again attempted, twice over, at two different points, + to get out, and up the Moldau, with his broken people; but the Prussians, + Nussel-Branik way, were awake to him: "No retreat up the Moldau for you, + Austrian gentlemen!" They tried by another Gate, on the other side of the + River; but Keith was awake too: "In again, ye Austrian gentlemen! Closed + gates here too. What else?" Browne, from his bed of pain (death-bed, as it + proved), was for a much more determined outrush: "In the dead of night, + rank, deliberately adjust yourselves; storm out, one and all, and cut your + way, night favoring!" That was Browne's last counsel; but that also was + not taken. A really noble Browne, say all judges; died here in about six + weeks,—and got away from Kriegs-Hofraths and Prince Karls, and the + stupidity of neighbors, and the other ills that flesh is heir to, + altogether. + </p> + <p> + At Branik the victorious King had one great disappointment: Prince Moritz + of Dessau, who should have been here long hours ago, with Keith's right + wing, a fresh 15,000, to fall upon the enemy's rear;—no Moritz + visible; not even now, when the business is to chase! "How is this?" "Ill + luck, your Majesty!" Moritz's Pontoon Bridge would not reach across, when + he tried it. That is certain: "just three poor pontoons wanting," Rumor + says:—three or more; spoiled, I am told, in some narrow road, some + short-cut which Moritz had commanded for them: and now they are not; and + it is as if three hundred had been spoiled. Moritz, would he die for it, + cannot get his Bridge to reach: his fresh 15,000 stand futile there; not + even Seidlitz with his light horse could really swim across, though he + tried hard, and is fabled to have done so. Beware of short-cuts, my + Prince: your Father that is gone, what would he say of you here! It was + the worst mistake Prince Moritz ever made. The Austrian Army might have + been annihilated, say judges (of a sanguine temper), had Moritz been + ready, at his hour, to fall on from rearward;—and where had their + retreat been? As it is, the Austrian Army is not annihilated; only bottled + into Prag, and will need sieging. The brightest triumph has a bar of black + in it, and might always have been brighter. Here is a flying Note, which I + will subjoin:— + </p> + <p> + Friedrich's dispositions for the Battle, this day, are allowed to have + been masterly; but there was one signal fault, thinks Retzow: That he did + not, as Schwerin counselled, wait till the morrow. Fault which brought + many in the train of it; that of his "tired soldiers," says Retzow, being + only a first item, and small in comparison. "Had he waited till the + morrow, those fish-ponds of Sterbohol, examined in the interim, need not + have been mistaken for green meadows; Prince Moritz, with his 15,000, + would have been a fact, instead of a false hope; the King might have done + his marching down upon Sterbohol in the night-time, and been ready for the + Austrians, flank, or even rear, at daybreak: the King might"—In + reality, this fault seems to have been considerable; to have made the + victory far more costly to him, and far less complete. No doubt he had his + reasons for making haste: Daun, advancing Prag-ward with 30,000, was + within three marches of him; General Beck, Daun's vanguard, with a 10,000 + of irregulars, did a kind of feat at Brandeis, on the Prussian post there + (our Saxons deserting to him, in the heat of action), this very day, May + 6th; and might, if lucky, have taken part at Ziscaberg next day. And + besides these solid reasons, there was perhaps another. Retzow, who is + secretly of the Opposition-party, and well worth hearing, knows personally + a curious thing. He says:— + </p> + <p> + "Being then [in March or April, weeks before we left Saxony] employed to + translate the PLAN OF OPERATIONS into French, for Marshal Keith's use, who + did not understand German, I well know that it contained the following + three main objects: 1. 'All Regiments cantoning in Silesia as well as + Saxony march for Bohemia on one and the same day. 2. Whole Army arrives at + Prag May 4th [Schwerin was a day later, and got scolded in consequence]; + if the Enemy stand, he is attacked May 6th, and beaten. 3. So soon as Prag + is got, Schwerin, with the gross of the Army, pushes into Mahren,' and the + heart of Austria itself; 'King hastens with 40,000 to help of the Allied + Army,'"—Royal Highness of Cumberland's; who will much need it by + that time! [Retzow, i. 84 n.] + </p> + <p> + Here is a very curious fact and consideration. That the King had so + prophesied and preordained: "May 4th, Four Columns arrive at Prag; May + 6th, attack the Austrians, beat them,"—and now wished to keep his + word! This is an aerial reason, which I can suspect to have had its weight + among others. There were twirls of that kind in Friedrich; intricate weak + places; knots in the sound straight-fibred mind he had (as in whose mind + are they not?),—which now and then cost him dear! The Anecdote-Books + say he was very ill of body, that day, May 6th; and called for something + of drug nature, and swallowed it (drug not named), after getting on + horseback. The Evening Anecdote is prettier: How, in the rushing about, + Austrians now flying, he got eye on Brother Henri (clayey to a degree); + and sat down with him, in the blessed sunset, for a minute or two, and + bewailed his sad losses of Schwerin and others. + </p> + <p> + Certain it is, the victory was bought by hard fighting; and but for the + quality of his troops, had not been there. But the bravery of the + Prussians was exemplary, and covered all mistakes that were made. Nobler + fire, when did it burn in any Army? More perfect soldiers I have not read + of. Platt-Teutsch fire—which I liken to anthracite, in + contradistinction to Gaelic blaze of kindled straw—is thrice noble, + when, by strict stern discipline, you are above it withal; and wield your + fire-element, as Jove his thunder, by rule! Otherwise it is but + half-admirable: Turk-Janissaries have it otherwise; and it comes to + comparatively little. + </p> + <p> + This is the famed Battle of Prag; fought May 6th, 1757; which sounded + through all the world,—and used to deafen us in drawing-rooms within + man's memory. Results of it were: On the Prussian side, killed, wounded + and missing, 12,500 men; on the Austrian, 13,000 (prisoners included), + with many flags, cannon, tents, much war-gear gone the wrong road;—and + a very great humiliation and dispiritment; though they had fought well: + "No longer the old Austrians, by any means," as Friedrich sees; but have + iron ramrods, all manner of Prussian improvements, and are "learning to + march," as he once says, with surprise not quite pleasant. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich gives the cipher of loss, on both sides, much higher: "This + Battle," says he, "which began towards nine in the morning, and lasted, + chase included, till eight at night, was one of the bloodiest of the age. + The Enemy lost 24,000 men, of whom were 5,000 prisoners; the Prussian loss + amounted to 18,000 fighting men,—without counting Marshal Schwerin, + who alone was worth above 10,000." "This day saw the pillars of the + Prussian Infantry cut down," says he mournfully, seeming almost to think + the "laurels of victory" were purchased too dear. His account of the + Battle, as if it had been a painful object, rather avoided in his + after-thoughts, is unusually indistinct;—and helps us little in the + extreme confusion that reigns otherwise, both in the thing itself and in + the reporters of the thing. Here is a word from Winterfeld, some private + Letter, two days after; which is well worth reading for those who would + understand this Battle. + </p> + <p> + "The enemy had his Left Wing leaning on the City, close by the Moldau," at + Nussel; "and stretched with his Right Wing across the high Hill [of Zisca] + to the village of Lieben [so he HAD stood, looking into Prag; but faced + about, on hearing that Friedrich was across the River]; having before him + those terrible Defiles [DIE TERRIBLEN DEFILEES, "Horse-shoe of the + Moldau," as we call it], and the village of Prossik, which was crammed + with Pandours. It was about half-past six in the morning, when our + Schwerin Army [myself part of it, at this time] joined with the twenty + battalions and twenty squadrons, which the King had brought across to + unite with us, and which formed our right wing of battle that day [our + left wing were Schweriners, Sterbohol and the fighting done by Schweriners + after their long march]. The King was at once determined to attack the + Enemy; as also were Schwerin [say nothing of the arguing] and your humble + servant (MEINE WENIGKEIT): but the first thing was, to find a hole whereby + to get at him. + </p> + <p> + "This too was selected, and decided on, my proposal being found good; and + took effect in manner following: We [Schweriners] had marched off + left-wise, foremost; and we now, without halt, continued marching so with + the Left Wing" of horse, "which had the van (TETE); and moved on, keeping + the road for Hlaupetin, and ever thence onwards along for Kyge, round the + Ponds of Unter-Podschernitz, without needing to pass these, and so as to + get them in our rear. + </p> + <p> + "The Enemy, who at first had expected nothing bad, and never supposed that + we would attack him at once, FLAGRANTE DELICTO, and least of all in this + point; and did not believe it possible, as we should have to wade, + breast-deep in part, through the ditches, and drag our cannon,—was + at first quite tranquil. But as he began to perceive our real design (in + which, they say, Prince Karl was the first to open Marshal Browne's eyes), + he drew his whole Cavalry over towards us, as fast as it could be done, + and stretched them out as Right Wing; to complete which, his Grenadiers + and Hungarian Regulars of Foot ranked themselves as they got up [makes his + POTENCE, HAKEN, or joiner's-square, outmost end of it Horse.] + </p> + <p> + "The Enemy's intention was to hold with the Right Wing of his infantry on + the Farmstead which they call Sterbaholy [Sterbohol, a very dirty + Farmstead at this day]; I, however, had the good luck, plunging on, head + foremost, with six battalions of our Left Wing and two of the Flank, to + get to it before him. Although our Second Line was not yet come forward, + yet, as the battalions of the First were tolerably well together, I + decided, with General Fouquet, who had charge of the Flank, to begin at + once; and, that the Enemy might not have time to post himself still + better, I pushed forward, quick step, out of the Farmstead" of Sterbohol + "to meet him,—so fast, that even our cannon had not time to follow. + He did, accordingly, begin to waver; and I could observe that his people + here, on this Wing, were making right-about. + </p> + <p> + "Meanwhile, his fire of case-shot opened [from Homoly Hill, on our left], + and we were still pushing on,—might now be about two hundred steps + from the Enemy's Line, when I had the misfortune, at the head of Regiment + Schwerin, to get wounded, and, swooning away (VOR TOD), fell from my horse + to the ground. Awakening after some minutes, and raising my head to look + about, I found nobody of our people now here beside or round me; but all + were already behind, in full flood of retreat (HOCH ANSCHLAGEN). The + Enemy's Grenadiers were perhaps eighty paces from me; but had halted, and + had not the confidence to follow us. I struggled to my feet, as fast as, + for weakness, I possibly could; and got up to our confused mass [CONFUSEN + KLUMPEN,—exact place, where?]: but could not, by entreaties or by + threats, persuade a single man of them to turn his face on the Enemy, much + less to halt and try again. + </p> + <p> + "In this embarrassment the deceased Feldmarschall found me, and noticed + that the blood was flowing stream-wise from my neck. As I was on foot, and + none of my people now near, he bade give me his led horse which he still + had [and sent me home for surgery? Winterfeld, handsomely effacing himself + when no longer good for anything, hurries on to the Catastrophe, leaving + us to guess that he was NOT an eye-witness farther]—bade give me the + led horse which he still had; AND [as if that had happened directly after, + which surely it did not? AND] snatched the flag from Captain Rohr, who had + taken it up to make the Bursche turn, and rode forward with it himself.' + But before he could succeed in the attempt, this excellent man, almost in + a minute, was hit with five case-shot balls, and fell dead on the ground; + as also his brave Adjutant von Platen was so wounded that he died next + day. + </p> + <p> + "During this confusion and repulse, by which, as already mentioned, the + Enemy had not the heart to profit, not only was our Second Line come on, + but those of the First, who had not suffered, went vigorously (FRISCH) at + the Enemy,"—and in course of time (perhaps two hours yet), and by + dint of effort, we did manage Sterbohol and its batteries:—"Like as + [still in one sentence, and without the least punctuation; Winterfeld + being little of a grammarian, and in haste for the close], Like as Prince + Henri's Royal Highness with our Right Wing," Mannstein and he, "without + waiting for order, attacked so PROMPT and with such FERMOTE," in that + elbow-hole far north of US, "that everywhere the Enemy's Line began to + give way; and instead of continuing as Line, sought corps-wise to gain the + Heights, and there post itself. And as, without winning said Heights, we + could not win the Battle, we had to storm them all, one after the other; + and this it was that cost us the best, most and bravest people. + </p> + <p> + "The late Colonel von Goltz [if we glance back to Sterbohol itself], who, + with the regiment Fouquet, was advancing, right-hand of Schwerin regiment" + and your servant, "had likewise got quite close to the Enemy; and had he + not, at the very instant when he was levelling bayonets, been shot down, I + think that he, with myself and the Schwerin regiment, would have got in,"—and + perhaps have there done the job, special and general, with much less + expense, and sooner! [Preuss, ii. 45-47 (in Winterfeld's hand; dated "Camp + at Prag, 8th May, 1757:" addressed to one knows not whom; first printed by + Preuss).] + </p> + <p> + This is what we get from Winterfeld; a rugged, not much grammatical man, + but (as I can perceive) with excellent eyes in his head, and interior + talent for twenty grammatical people, had that been his line. These, + faithfully rendered here, without change but of pointing, are the only + words I ever saw of his: to my regret,—which surely the Prussian + Dryasdust might still amend a little?—in respect of so distinguished + a person, and chosen Peer of Friedrich's. This his brief theory of Prag + Battle, if intensely read, I find to be of a piece with his practice + there. + </p> + <p> + Schwerin was much lamented in the Army; and has been duly honored ever + since. His body lies in Schwerinsburg, at home, far away; his Monument, + finale of a series of Monuments, stands, now under special guardianship, + near Sterbohol on the spot where he fell. A late Tourist says:— + </p> + <p> + "At first there was a monument of wood [TREE planted, I will hope], which + is now all gone; round this Kaiser Joseph II. once, in the year 1776, + holding some review there, made his grenadier battalions and artilleries + form circle, fronting the sky all round, and give three volleys of great + arms and small, Kaiser in the centre doffing hat at each volley, in honor + of the hero. Which was thought a very pretty thing on the Kaiser's part. + In 1824, the tree, I suppose, being gone to a stump, certain subscribing + Prussian Officers had it rooted out, and a modest Pyramid of red-veined + marble built in its room. Which latter the then King of Prussia, Friedrich + Wilhelm III., determined to improve upon; and so, in 1839, built a second + Pyramid close by, bigger, finer, and of Prussian iron, this one;—purchasing + also, from the Austrian Government, a rood or two of ground for site; and + appointing some perpetual Peculium, or increase of Pension to an Austrian + Veteran of merit for taking charge there. All which, perfectly in order, + is in its place at this day. The actual Austrian Pensioner of merit is a + loud-voiced, hard-faced, very limited, but honest little fellow; who has + worked a little polygon ditch and miniature hedge round the two Monuments; + keeps his own cottage, little garden, and self, respectably clean; and + leads stoically a lone life,—no company, I should think, but the + Sterbohol hinds, who probably are Czechs and cannot speak to him. He was + once 'of the regiment Hohenlohe;' suffers somewhat from cold, in the + winter-time, in those upland parts (the 'cords of wood' allowed him being + limited); but complains of nothing else. Two English names were in his + Album, a military two, and no more. 'EHRET DEN HELD (Honor the Hero)!' we + said to him, at parting. 'Don't I?' answered he; glancing at his muddy + bare legs and little spade, with which he had been working in the Polygon + Ditch when we arrived. I could wish him an additional 'KLAFTER HOLZ' (cord + more of firewood) now and then, in the cold months!— + </p> + <p> + "Sterbohol Farmstead has been new built, in man's memory, but is dirty as + ever. Agriculture, all over this table-land of the Ziscaberg, I should + judge to be bad. Not so the prospect; which is cheerfully extensive, + picturesque in parts, and to the student of Friedrich offers good + commentary. Roads, mansions, villages: Prossik, Kyge, Podschernitz, from + the Heights of Chaber round to Nussel and beyond: from any knoll, all + Friedrich's Villages, and many more, lie round you as on a map,—their + dirt all hidden, nothing wanting to the landscape, were it better carpeted + with green (green instead of russet), and shaded here and there with wood. + A small wild pink, bright-red, and of the size of a star, grows + extensively about; of which you are tempted to pluck specimens, as + memorial of a Field so famous in War." [Tourist's Note (September, 1858).] + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter III.—PRAG CANNOT BE GOT AT ONCE. + </h2> + <p> + What Friedrich's emotions after the Battle of Prag were, we do not much + know. They are not inconceivable, if we read his situation well; but in + the way of speech, there is, as usual, next to nothing. Here are two stray + utterances, worth gathering from a man so uncommunicative in that form. + </p> + <p> + FRIEDRICH A MONTH BEFORE PRAG (From Lockwitz, 25th March, to Princess + Amelia, at Berlin).—"My dearest Sister, I give you a thousand thanks + for the hints you have got me from Dr. Eller on the illness of our dear + Mother. Thrice-welcome this; and reassures me [alas, not on good basis!] + against a misfortune which I should have considered very great for me. + </p> + <p> + "As to us and our posture of affairs, political and military,—place + yourself, I conjure you, above every event. Think of our Country and + remember that one's first duty is to defend it. If you learn that a + misfortune happens to one of us, ask, 'Did he die fighting?' and if Yes, + give thanks to God. Victory or else death, there is nothing else for us; + one or the other we must have. All the world here is of that temper. What! + you would everybody sacrifice his life for the State, and you would not + have your Brothers give the example? Ah, my dear Sister, at this crisis, + there is no room for bargaining. Either at the summit of glorious success, + or else abolished altogether. This Campaign now coming is like that of + Pharsalia for Rome, or that of Leuctra for the Greeks,"—a Campaign + we verily shall have to win, or go to wreck upon! [<i>OEuvres de Frederic,</i> + xxvii. i. 391.] + </p> + <p> + FRIEDERICH SHORTLY AFTER PRAG (To his Mother, Letter still extant in + Autograph, without date).—"My Brothers and I are still well. The + whole Campaign runs risk of being lost to the Austrians; and I find myself + free, with 150,000 men. Add to this, that we are masters of a Kingdom + [Bohemia here], which is obliged to furnish us with troops and money. The + Austrians are dispersed like straw before the wind. I will send a part of + my troops to compliment Messieurs the French; and am going [if I once had + Prag!] to pursue the Austrians with the rest of my Army." [Ib. xxvi. 75.] + </p> + <p> + Friedrich, who keeps his emotions generally to himself, does not, as will + be seen, remain quite silent to us throughout this great Year; but, by + accident, has left us some rather impressive gleanings in that kind;—and + certainly in no year could such accident have been luckier to us; this of + 1757 being, in several respects, the greatest of his Life. From nearly the + topmost heights down to the lowest deeps, his fortunes oscillated this + year; and probably, of all the sons of Adam, nobody's outlooks and + reflections had in them, successive and simultaneous, more gigantic forms + of fear and of hope. He is on a very high peak at this moment; suddenly + emerging from his thick cloud, into thunderous victory of that kind; and + warning all Pythons what they get by meddling with the Sun-god! Loud + enough, far-clanging, is the sound of the silver bow; gazetteers and men + all on pause at such new Phoebus Apollo risen in his wrath;—the + Victory at Prag considered to be much more annihilative than it really + was. At London, Lord Holderness had his Tower-guns in readiness, waiting + for something of the kind; and "the joy of the people was frantic." [<i>Mitchell + Papers and Memoirs</i> (i. e the PRINTED Selection, 2 vols. London, 1850;—which + will be the oftenest cited by us, "Papers AND MEMOIRS"), i. 249: + "Holderness to Mitchell, 20th May, 1757." Mitchell is now attending + Friedrich; his Letter from Keith's Camp, during the thunder of "Friday, + May 6th," is given, ib. i. 248.] + </p> + <p> + Very dominant, our "Protestant Champion" yonder, on his Ziscaberg; bidding + the enormous Pompadour-Theresa combinations, the French, Austrian, + Swedish, Russian populations and dread sovereigns, check their proud + waves, and hold at mid-flood. It is thought, had he in effect, + "annihilated" the Austrian force at Prag, that day (Friday, 6th May, as he + might have done by waiting till Saturday, 7th), he could then, with the + due rapidity, rapidity being indispensable in the affair, have become + master of Prag, which meant of Bohemia altogether; and have stormed + forward, as his program bore, into the heart, of an Austria still + terror-stricken, unrallied;—in which case, it is calculated, the + French, the Russians, Swedes, much more the Reich and such like, would all + have drawn bridle; and Austria itself have condescended to make Peace with + a Neighbor of such quality, and consent to his really modest desire of + being let alone! Possible, all this,—think Retzow and others. [See + RETZOW, i. 100-108; &c. ] But the King had not waited till to-morrow; + no persuasion could make him wait: and it is idle speculating on the small + turns which here, as everywhere, can produce such deflections of course. + </p> + <p> + Beyond question, Prag is not captured, and may, as now garrisoned, require + a great deal of capturing:—and perhaps it is but a PEAK, this high + dominancy of Friedrich's, not a solid table-land, till much more have been + done! Friedrich has nothing of the Gascon: but there may well be + conceivable at this time a certain glow of internal pride, like that of + Phoebus amid the piled tempests,—like that of the One Man + prevailing, if but for a short season, against the Devil and All Men: "I + have made good my bit, of resolution so far: here are the Austrians beaten + at the set day, and Prag summoned to surrender, as per program!"— + </p> + <p> + Intrinsically, Prag is not a strong City: we have seen it, taken in few + days; in one night;—and again, as in Belleisle's time, we have seen + it making tough defence for a series of weeks. It depends on the garrison, + what extent of garrison (the circuit of it being so immense), and what + height of humor. There are now 46,000 men caged in it, known to have + considerable magazines; and Friedrich, aware that it will cost trouble, + bends all his strength upon it, and from his two camps, Ziscaberg, + Weissenberg, due Bridges uniting, Keith and he batter it, violently, + aiming chiefly at the Magazines (which are not all bomb-proof); and hope + they may succeed before it is too late. + </p> + <p> + The Vienna people are in the depths of amazement and discouragement; + almost of terror, had it not been for a few, or especially for one high + heart among them. Feldmarschall Daun, on the news of May 6th, hastily fell + back, joined by the wrecks of the right wing, which fled Sazawa way. + Brunswick-Bevern, with a 20,000, is detached to look after Daun; finds + Daun still on the retreat; greedily collecting reinforcements from the + homeward quarter; and hanging back, though now double or so of Bevern's + strength. Amazement and discouragement are the general feeling among + Friedrich's enemies. Notable to see how the whole hostile world marching + in upon him,—French, Russians, much more the Reich, poor faltering + entity,—pauses, as with its breath taken away, at news of Prag; and, + arrested on the sudden, with lifted foot, ceases to stride forward; and + merely tramp-tramps on the same place (nay in part, in the Reich part, + visibly tramps backward), for above a month ensuing! Who knows whether, + practically, any of them will come on; [See CORRESPONDANCE DU COMTE DE + SAINT-GERMAIN, an Eye-witness, i. 108 (cited in Preuss, ii. 50); &c. + &c.] and not leave Austria by itself to do the duel with Friedrich? If + Prag were but got, and the 46,000 well locked away, it would be very + salutary for Friedrich's affairs!—Week after week, the City holds + out; and there seems no hope of it, except by hunger, and burning their + Magazines by red-hot balls. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0007" id="link2H_4_0007"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + COLONEL MAYER WITH HIS "FREE-CORPS" PARTY MAKES A VISIT, OF DIDACTIC + NATURE, TO THE REICH. + </h2> + <p> + Friedrich, as we saw, on entering Bohmen, had shot off a Light Detachment + under Colonel Mayer, southward, to seize any Austrian Magazines there + were, especially one big Magazine at Pilsen:—which Mayer has + handsomely done, May 2d (Pilsen "a bigger Magazine than Jung-Bunzlau, + even"); after which Mayer is now off westward, into the Ober-Pfalz, into + the Nurnberg Countries; to teach the Reich a small lesson, since they will + not listen to Plotho. Prag Battle, as happens, had already much chilled + the ardor of the Reich! Mayer has two Free-Corps, his own and another; + about 1,300 of foot; to which are added a 200 of hussars. They have 5 + cannon, carry otherwise a minimum of baggage; are swift wild fellows, + sharp of stroke; and do, for the time, prove didactic to the Reich; + bringing home to its very bosom the late great lesson of the Ziscaberg, in + an applied form. Mayer made a pretty course of it, into the Ober-Pfalz + Countries; scattering the poor Execution Drill-Sergeants and incipiencies + of preparation, the deliberative County Meetings, KREIS-Convents: + ransoming Cities, Nurnberg for one city, whose cries went to Friedrich on + the Ziscaberg, and wide over the world. [In <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> iv. + 360-367, the Nurnberg Letter and Response (31st May-5th June, 1757): in + Pauli, <i>Leben grosser Helden</i> (iii. 159 et seq.), Account of the + Mayer Expedition; also in <i>Militair-Lexikon, </i> iii. 29 (quoting from + Pauli).] Nurnberg would have been but too happy to "refuse its contingent + to the Reich's Army," as many others would have been (poor Kur-Baiern + hurrying off a kind of Embassy to Friedrich, great terror reigning among + the wigs of Regensburg, and everybody drawing back that could),—had + not Imperial menaces, and an Event that fell out by and by in Prag + Country, forced compliance. + </p> + <p> + Mayer's Expedition made a loud noise in the Newspapers; and was truly of a + shining nature in its kind; very perfectly managed on Mayer's part, and + has traits in it which are amusing to read, had one time. Take one small + glance from Pauli:— + </p> + <p> + "At Furth in Anspach, 1st June [after six days' screwing of Nurnberg from + without, which we had no cannon to take], a Gratuity for the Prussian + troops [amount not stated] was demanded and given: at Schwabach, farther + up the Regnitz River, they took quarters; no exemption made, clergy and + laity alike getting soldiers billeted. Meat and drink had to be given + them: as also 100 carolines [guineas and better], and twenty new uniforms. + Upon which, next day, they marched to Zirndorf, and the Reichsgraf + Puckler's Mansion, the Schloss of Farrenbach there. Mayer took quarter in + the Schloss itself. Here the noble owners got up a ball for Mayer's + entertainment; and did all they could contrive to induce a light treatment + from him." Figure it, the neighboring nobility and gentry in gala; Mayer + too in his best uniform, and smiling politely, with those "bright little + black eyes" of his! For he was a brilliant airy kind of fellow, and had + much of the chevalier, as well as of the partisan, when requisite! + </p> + <p> + "Out of Farrenbach, the Mayer people circulated upon all the neighboring + Lordships; at Wilhelmsdorf, the Reichs-Furst von Hohenlohe [a too busy + Anti-Prussian] had the worst brunt to bear. The adjacent Baireuth lands + [dear Wilhelmina, fancy her too in such neighborhood!] were to the utmost + spared all billeting, and even all transit,"—though wandering + sergeants of the Reich's Force, "one sergeant with the Wurzburg Herr + Commissarius and eight common men, did get picked up on Baireuth ground: + and this or the other Anspach Official (Anspach being disaffected), too + busy on the wrong side, found himself suddenly Prisoner of War; but was + given up, at Wilhelmina's gracious request. On Bamberg he was sharp as + flint; and had to be; the Bambergers, reinforced at last by + 'Circle-Militias (KREIS-TRUPPEN)' in quantity, being called out in mass + against him; and at Vach an actual Passage of Fight had occurred." + </p> + <p> + Of the "Affair at Vach," pretty little Drawn-Battle (mostly an affair of + art), Mayer VERSUS "Kreis-troops to the amount of 6,000, with twelve + cannon, or some say twenty-four" (which they couldn't handle); and how + Mayer cunningly took a position unassailable, "burnt Bridges of the + Regnitz River," and, plying his five cannon against these ardent awkward + people, stood cheerful on the other side; and then at last, in good time, + whisked himself off to the Hill of Culmbach, with all his baggage, + inexpugnable there for three days:—of all this, though it is set + down at full length, we can say nothing. [Pauli, iii. 159, &c. (who + gives Mayer's own LETTER, and others, upon Vach).] And will add only, + that, having girt himself and made his packages, Mayer left the Hill of + Culmbach; and deliberately wended home, by Coburg and other Countries + where he had business, eating his way; and early in July was safe in the + Metal Mountains again; having fluttered the Volscians in their Frankenland + Corioli to an unexpected extent. It is one of five or six such sallies + Friedrich made upon the Reich, sometimes upon the Austrians and Reich + together, to tumble up their magazines and preparations. Rapid unexpected + inroads, year after year; done chiefly by the Free-Corps; and famous + enough to the then Gazetteers. Of which, or of their doers, as we can in + time coming afford little or no notice, let us add this small Note on the + Free-Corps topic, which is a large one in the Books, but must not + interrupt us again:— + </p> + <p> + "Before this War was done," say my Authorities, "there came gradually to + be twenty-one Prussian Free-Corps,"—foot almost all; there being + already Hussars in quantity, ever since the first Silesian experiences. + "Notable Aggregates they were of loose wandering fellows, broken Saxons, + Prussians, French; 'Hungarian-Protestant' some of them, 'Deserters from + all the Armies' not a few; attracted by the fame of Friedrich,—as + the Colonels enlisting them had been; Mayer himself, for instance, was by + birth a Vienna man; and had been in many services and wars, from his + fifteenth year and onwards. Most miscellaneous, these Prussian Free-Corps; + a swift faculty the indispensable thing, by no means a particular + character: but well-disciplined, well-captained; who generally managed + their work well. + </p> + <p> + "They were, by origin, of Anti-Tolpatch nature, got up on the + diamond-cut-diamond principle; they stole a good deal, with order + sometimes, and oftener without; but there was nothing of the old + Mentzel-Trenck atrocity permitted them, or ever imputed to them; and they + did, usually with good military talent, sometimes conspicuously good, what + was required of them. Regular Generals, of a high merit, one or two of + their Captains came to be: Wunsch, for example; Werner, in some sort; and, + but for his sudden death, this Mayer himself. Others of them, as Von Hordt + (Hard is his Swedish name); and 'Quintus Icilius' (by nature GUICHARD, of + whom we shall hear a great deal in the Friedrich circle by and by), are + distinguished as honorably intellectual and cultivated persons. [Count de + Hordt's <i>Memoirs</i> (autobiographical, or in the first person: English + Translation, London, 1806; TWO French Originals, a worse in 1789, and a + better now at last), Preface, i-xii. In <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> v. + 102-104, 93, a detailed "List of the Free-Corps in 1758" (twelve of foot, + two of horse, at that time): see Preuss, ii. 372 n.; Pauli (ubi supra), <i>Life + of Mayer.</i>] + </p> + <p> + "Poor Mayer died within two years hence (5th January, 1759); of fever, + caught by unheard-of exertions and over fatigues; after many exploits, and + with the highest prospect, opening on him. A man of many adventures, of + many qualities; a wild dash of chivalry in him all along, and much + military and other talent crossed in the growing. In the dull old Books I + read one other fact which is vivid to me, That Wilhelmina, as sequel of + those first Franconian exploits and procedures, 'had given him her Order + of Knighthood, ORDER OF SINCERITY AND FIDELITY,'"—poor dear + Princess, what an interest to Wilhelmina, this flash of her Brother's + thunder thrown into those Franconian parts, and across her own pungent + anxieties and sorrowfully affectionate thoughts, in these weeks!— + </p> + <p> + Shortly after Mayer, about the time when Mayer was wending homeward, + General von Oldenburg, a very valiant punctual old General, was pushed out + westward upon Erfurt, a City of Kur-Mainz's, to give Kur-Mainz a similar + monition. And did it handsomely, impressively upon the Gazetteer world at + least and the Erfurt populations,—though we can afford it no room in + this place. Oldenburg's force was but some 2,000; Pirna Saxons most of + them:—such a winter Oldenburg has had with these Saxons; bursting + out into actual musketry upon him once; Oldenburg, volcanically steady, + summoning the Prussian part, "To me, true Prussian Bursche!"—and + hanging nine of the mutinous Saxons. And has coerced and compesced them + (all that did not contrive to desert) into soldierly obedience; and, 20th + June, appears at the Gate of Erfurt with them, to do his delicate errand + there. Sharply conclusive, though polite and punctual. "Send to Kur-Mainz + say you? Well, as to your Citadel, and those 1,400 soldiers all moving + peaceably off thither,—Yes. As to your City: within one hour, Gate + open to us, or we open it!" [In <i>Helden-Geschichte</i> (v. 371-384) + copious Account, with the Missives to and from, the Reichs-Pleadings that + followed, the &c. &c. <i>Militair-Lexikon,</i>? Oldenburg.] And + Oldenburg marches in, as vice-sovereign for the time:—but, indeed, + has soon to leave again; owing to what Event in the distance will be seen! + </p> + <p> + If Prag Siege go well, these Mayer-Oldenburg expeditions will have an + effect on the Reich: but if it go ill, what are they, against Austria with + its force of steady pressure? All turns on the issue of Prag Siege:—a + fact extremely evident to Friedrich too! But these are what in the interim + can be done. One neglects no opportunity, tries by every method. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0008" id="link2H_4_0008"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + OF THE SINGULAR QUASI-BEWITCHED CONDITION OF ENGLAND; AND WHAT IS TO BE + HOPED FROM IT FOR THE COMMON CAUSE, IF PRAG GO AMISS. + </h2> + <p> + On the Britannic side, too, the outlooks are not good;—much need + Friedrich were through his Prag affair, and "hastening with forty thousand + to help his Allies,"—that is, Royal Highness of Cumberland and + Britannic Purse, his only allies at this moment. Royal Highness and Army + of Observation (should have been 67,000, are 50 to 60,000, hired Germans; + troops good enough, were they tolerably led) finds the Hanover Program as + bad as Schmettau and Friedrich ever represented it; and, already,—unless + Prag go well,—wears, to the understanding eye, a very contingent + aspect. D'Estrees outnumbers him; D'Estrees, too, is something of a + soldier,—a very considerable advantage in affairs of war. + </p> + <p> + D'Estrees, since April, is in Wesel; gathering in the revenues, changing + the Officialities: much out of discipline, they say;—"hanging" + gradually "1,000 marauders;" in round numbers 1,000 this Year. [Stenzel, + v. 65; Retzow, i. 173.] D'Estrees does not yet push forward, owing to + Prag. If he do—It is well known how Royal Highness fared when he + did, and what a Campaign Royal Highness made of it this Year 1757! How the + Weser did prove wadable, as Schmettau had said to no purpose; wadable, + bridgable; and Royal Highness had to wriggle back, ever back; no stand to + be made, or far worse than none: back, ever back, till he got into the + Sea, for that matter, and to the END of more than one thing! Poor man, + friends say he has an incurable Hanover Ministry, a Program that is + inexecutable. As yet he has not lost head, any head he ever had: but he is + wonderful, he;—and his England is! We shall have to look at him once + again; and happily once only. Here, from my Constitutional Historian, are + some Passages which we may as well read in the present interim of + expectation. I label, and try to arrange:— + </p> + <p> + 1. ENGLAND IN CRISIS. "England is indignant with its Hero of Culloden and + his Campaign 1757; but really has no business to complain. Royal Highness + of Cumberland, wriggling helplessly in that manner, is a fair + representative of the England that now is. For years back, there has been, + in regard to all things Foreign or Domestic, in that Country, by way of + National action, the miserablest haggling as to which of various + little-competent persons shall act for the Nation. A melancholy condition + indeed!— + </p> + <p> + "But the fact is, his Grace of Newcastle, ever since his poor Brother + Pelham died (who was always a solid, loyal kind of man, though a dull; and + had always, with patient affection, furnished his Grace, much UNsupplied + otherwise, with Common sense hitherto), is quite insecure in Parliament, + and knows not what hand to turn to. Fox is contemptuous of him; Pitt + entirely impatient of him; Duke of Cumberland (great in the glory of + Culloden) is aiming to oust him, and bear rule with his Young Nephew, the + new Rising Sun, as the poor Papa and Grandfather gets old. Even Carteret + (Earl Granville as they now call him, a Carteret much changed since those + high-soaring Worms-Hanau times!) was applied to. But the answer was—what + could the answer be? High-soaring Carteret, scandalously overset and + hurled out in that Hanau time, had already tried once (long ago, and with + such result!) to spring in again, and 'deliver his Majesty from factions;' + and actually had made a 'Granville Ministry;' Ministry which fell again in + one day. ["11th February, 1746" (Thackeray, <i>Life of Chatham,</i> i. + 146).] To the complete disgust of Carteret-Granville;—who, ever + since, sits ponderously dormant (kind of Fixture in the Privy Council, + this long while back); and is resigned, in a big contemptuous way, to have + had his really considerable career closed upon him by the smallest of + mankind; and, except occasional blurts of strong rugged speech which come + from him, and a good deal of wine taken into him, disdains making farther + debate with the world and its elect Newcastles. Carteret, at this crisis, + was again applied to, 'Cannot you? In behalf of an afflicted old King?' + But Carteret answered, No. [Ib. i. 464.] + </p> + <p> + "In short, it is admitted and bewailed by everybody, seldom was there seen + such a Government of England (and England has seen some strange + Governments), as in these last Three Years. Chaotic Imbecility reigning + pretty supreme. Ruler's Work,—policy, administration, governance, + guidance, performance in any kind,—where is it to be found? For if + even a Walpole, when his Talking-Apparatus gets out of gear upon him, is + reduced to extremities, though the stoutest of men,—fancy what it + will be, in like case, and how the Acting-Apparatuses and Affairs + generally will go, with a poor hysterical Newcastle, now when his Common + Sense is fatally withdrawn! The poor man has no resource but to shuffle + about in aimless perpetual fidget; endeavoring vainly to say Yes and No to + all questions, Foreign and Domestic, that may rise. Whereby, in the + Affairs of England, there has, as it were, universal St.-Vitus's dance + supervened, at an important crisis: and the Preparations for America, and + for a downright Life-and-Death Wrestle with France on the JENKINS'S-EAR + QUESTION, are quite in a bad way. In an ominously bad. Why cannot we draw + a veil over these things!"— + </p> + <p> + 2. PITT, AND THE HOUR OF TIDE. "The fidgetings and shufflings, the + subtleties, inane trickeries, and futile hitherings and thitherings of + Newcastle may be imagined: a man not incapable of trick; but anxious to be + well with everybody; and to answer Yes and No to almost everything,—and + not a little puzzled, poor soul, to get through, in that impossible way! + Such a paralysis of wriggling imbecility fallen over England, in this + great crisis of its fortunes, as is still painful to contemplate: and + indeed it has been mostly shaken out of mind by the modern Englishman; who + tries to laugh at it, instead of weeping and considering, which would + better beseem. Pitt speaks with a tragical vivacity, in all ingenious + dialects, lively though serious; and with a depth of sad conviction, which + is apt to be slurred over and missed altogether by a modern reader. Speaks + as if this brave English Nation were about ended; little or no hope left + for it; here a gleam of possibility, and there a gleam, which soon + vanishes again in the fatal murk of impotencies, do-nothingisms. Very sad + to the heart of Pitt. A once brave Nation arrived at its critical point, + and doomed to higgle and puddle there till it drown in the gutters: + considerably tragical to Pitt; who is lively, ingenious, and, though not + quitting the Parliamentary tone for the Hebrew-Prophetic, far more serious + than the modern reader thinks. + </p> + <p> + "In Walpole's Book [<i>Memoirs of the Last Ten Years of George II.</i>] + there is the liveliest Picture of this dismal Parliamentary Hellbroth,—such + a Mother of Dead Dogs as one has seldom looked into! For the Hour is + great; and the Honorable Gentlemen, I must say, are small. The hour, + little as you dream of it, my Honorable Friends, is pregnant with + questions that are immense. Wide Continents, long Epochs and AEons hang on + this poor jargoning of yours; the Eternal Destinies are asking their + much-favored Nation, 'Will you, can you?'—much-favored Nation is + answering in that manner. Astonished at its own stupidity, and taking + refuge in laughter. The Eternal Destinies are very patient with some + Nations; and can disregard their follies, for a long while; and have their + Cromwell, have their Pitt, or what else is essential, ready for the poor + Nation, in a grandly silent way! + </p> + <p> + "Certain it is,—though how could poor Newcastle know it at all!—here + is again the hour of tide for England. Tide is full again; has been + flowing long hundreds of years, and is full: certain, too, that time and + tide wait on no man or nation. In a dialect different from Cromwell's or + Pitt's, but with a sense true to theirs, I call it the Eternal Destinies + knocking at England's door again: 'Are you ready for the crisis, + birth-point of long Ages to you, which is now come?' Greater question had + not been, for centuries past. None to be named with it since that high + Spiritual Question (truly a much higher, and which was in fact the PARENT + of this and of all of high and great that lay ahead), which England and + Oliver Cromwell were there to answer: 'Will you hold by Consecrated + Formulas, then, you English, and expect salvation from traditions of the + elders; or are you for Divine Realities, as the one sacred and + indispensable thing?' Which they did answer, in what way we know. Truly + the Highest Question; which if a Nation can answer WELL, it will grow in + this world, and may come to be considerable, and to have many high + Questions to answer,—this of Pitt's, for example. And the Answers + given do always extend through coming ages; and do always bear harvests, + accursed or else blessed, according as the Answers were. A thing awfully + true, if you have eye for it;—a thing to make Honorable Gentlemen + serious, even in the age of percussion-caps! No, my friend, Newcastleisms, + impious Poltrooneries, in a Nation, do not die:—neither (thank God) + do Cromwellisms and pious Heroisms; but are alive for the poor Nation, + even in its somnambulancies, in its stupidest dreams. For Nations have + their somnambulancies; and, at any rate, the questions put to Nations, in + different ages, vary much. Not in any age, or turning-point in History, + had England answered the Destinies in such a dialect as now under its + Newcastle and National Palaver." + </p> + <p> + 3. OF WALPOLE, AS RECORDING ANGEL. "Walpole's <i>George the Second</i> is + a Book of far more worth than is commonly ascribed to it; almost the one + original English Book yet written on those times,—which, by the + accident of Pitt, are still memorable to us. But for Walpole,—burning + like a small steady light there, shining faithfully, if stingily, on the + evil and the good,—that sordid muddle of the Pelham Parliaments, + which chanced to be the element of things now recognizable enough as + great, would be forever unintelligible. He is unusually accurate, + punctual, lucid; an irrefragable authority on English points. And if, in + regard to Foreign, he cannot be called an understanding witness, he has + read the best Documents accessible, has conversed with select Ambassadors + (Mitchell and the like, as we can guess); and has informed himself to a + degree far beyond most of his contemporaries. In regard to Pitt's + Speeches, in particular, his brief jottings, done rapidly while the matter + was still shining to him, are the only Reports that have the least human + resemblance. We may thank Walpole that Pitt is not dumb to us, as well as + dark. Very curious little scratchings and etchings, those of Walpole; + frugal, swift, but punctual and exact; hasty pen-and-ink outlines; at + first view, all barren; bald as an invoice, seemingly; but which yield + you, after long study there and elsewhere, a conceivable notion of what + and how excellent these Pitt Speeches may have been. Airy, winged, like + arrow-flights of Phoebus Apollo; very superlative Speeches indeed. + Walpole's Book is carefully printed,—few errors in it like that + 'Chapeau' for CHASOT," which readers remember:—"but, in respect to + editing, may be characterized as still wanting an Editor. A Book UNedited; + little but lazy ignorance of a very hopeless type, thick contented + darkness, traceable throughout in the marginal part. No attempt at an + Index, or at any of the natural helps to a reader now at such distance + from it. Nay, till you have at least marked, on the top of each page, what + Month and Year it actually is, the Book cannot be read at all,—except + by an idle creature, doing worse than nothing under the name of reading!" + </p> + <p> + 4. PITT'S SPEECHES, FORESHADOWING WHAT. "It is a kind of epoch in your + studies of modern English History when you get to understand of Pitt's + Speeches, that they are not Parliamentary Eloquences, but things which + with his whole soul he means, and is intent to DO. This surprising + circumstance, when at last become undeniable, makes, on the sudden, an + immense difference for the Speeches and you! Speeches are not a thing of + high moment to this Editor; it is the Thing spoken, and how far the + speaker means to do it, that this Editor inquires for. Too many Speeches + there are, which he hears admired all round, and has privately to + entertain a very horrid notion of! Speeches, the finest in quality (were + quality really 'fine' conceivable in such case), which WANT a + corresponding fineness of source and intention, corresponding nobleness of + purport, conviction, tendency; these, if we will reflect, are frightful + instead of beautiful. Yes;—and always the frightfuler, the 'finer' + they are; and the faster and farther they go, sowing themselves in the dim + vacancy of men's minds. For Speeches, like all human things, though the + fact is now little remembered, do always rank themselves as forever + blessed, or as forever unblessed. Sheep or goats; on the right hand of the + Final Judge, or else on the left. There are Speeches which can be called + true; and, again, Speeches which are not true:—Heavens, only think + what these latter are! Sacked wind, which you are intended to SOW,—that + you may reap the whirlwind! After long reading, I find Chatham's Speeches + to be what he pretends they are: true, and worth speaking then and there. + Noble indeed, I can call them with you: the highly noble Foreshadow, + necessary preface and accompaniment of Actions which are still nobler. A + very singular phenomenon within those walls, or without! + </p> + <p> + "Pitt, though nobly eloquent, is a Man of Action, not of Speech; an + authentically Royal kind of Man. And if there were a Plutarch in these + times, with a good deal of leisure on his hands, he might run a Parallel + between Friedrich and Chatham. Two radiant Kings: very shining Men of + Action both; both of them hard bested, as the case often is. For your born + King will generally have, if not "all Europe against him," at least pretty + much all the Universe. Chatham's course to Kingship was not straight or + smooth,—as Friedrich, too, had his well-nigh fatal difficulties on + the road. Again, says the Plutarch, they are very brave men both; and of a + clearness and veracity peculiar among their contemporaries. In Chatham, + too, there is something of the flash of steel; a very sharp-cutting, + penetrative, rapid individual, he too; and shaped for action, first of + all, though he has to talk so much in the world. Fastidious, proud, no + King could be prouder, though his element is that of Free-Senate and + Democracy. And he has a beautiful poetic delicacy, withal; great + tenderness in him, playfulness, grace; in all ways, an airy as well as a + solid loftiness of mind. Not born a King,—alas, no, not officially + so, only naturally so; has his kingdom to seek. The Conquering of Silesia, + the Conquering of the Pelham Parliaments—But we will shut up the + Plutarch with time on his hands. + </p> + <p> + "Pitt's Speeches, as I spell them from Walpole and the other faint + tracings left, are full of genius in the vocal kind, far beyond any + Speeches delivered in Parliament: serious always, and the very truth, such + as he has it; but going in many dialects and modes; full of airy + flashings, twinkles and coruscations. Sport, as of sheet-lightning + glancing about, the bolt lying under the horizon; bolt HIDDEN, as is fit, + under such a horizon as he had. A singularly radiant man. Could have been + a Poet, too, in some small measure, had he gone on that line. There are + many touches of genius, comic, tragic, lyric, something of humor even, to + be read in those Shadows of Speeches taken down for us by Walpole.... + </p> + <p> + "In one word, Pitt, shining like a gleam of sharp steel in that murk of + contemptibilities, is carefully steering his way towards Kingship over it. + Tragical it is (especially in Pitt's case, first and last) to see a Royal + Man, or Born King, wading towards his throne in such an element. But, + alas, the Born King (even when he tries, which I take to be the rarer + case) so seldom can arrive there at all;—sinful Epochs there are, + when Heaven's curse has been spoken, and it is that awful Being, the Born + Sham-King, that arrives! Pitt, however, does it. Yes; and the more we + study Pitt, the more we shall find he does it in a peculiarly high, manful + and honorable as well as dexterous manner; and that English History has a + right to call him 'the acme and highest man of Constitutional Parliaments; + the like of whom was not in any Parliament called Constitutional, nor will + again be.'" + </p> + <p> + Well, probably enough; too probably! But what it more concerns us to + remember here, is the fact, That in these dismal shufflings which have + been, Pitt—in spite of Royal dislikes and Newcastle peddlings and + chicaneries—has been actually in Office, in the due topmost place, + the poor English Nation ardently demanding him, in what ways it could. + Been in Office;—and is actually out again, in spite of the Nation. + Was without real power in the Royal Councils; though of noble promise, and + planting himself down, hero-like, evidently bent on work, and on ending + that unutterable "St.-Vitus's-dance" that had gone so high all round him. + Without real power, we say; and has had no permanency. Came in 11th-19th + November, 1756; thrown out 5th April, 1757. After six months' trial, the + St. Vitus finds that it cannot do with him; and will prefer going on + again. The last act his Royal Highness of Cumberland did in England was to + displace Pitt: "Down you, I am the man!" said Royal Highness; and went to + the Weser Countries on those terms. + </p> + <p> + Would the reader wish to see, in summary, what Pitt's Offices have been, + since he entered on this career about thirty years ago? Here, from our + Historian, is the List of them in order of time; STAGES OF PITT'S COURSE, + he calls it:— + </p> + <p> + 1. "DECEMBER, 1734, Comes into Parliament, age now twenty-six; Cornet in + the Blues as well; being poor, and in absolute need of some career that + will suit. APRIL, 1736, makes his First Speech:—Prince Frederick the + subject,—who was much used as battering-ram by the Opposition; whom + perhaps Pitt admired for his madrigals, for his Literary patronizings, and + favor to the West-Wickham set. Speech, full of airy lightning, was much + admired. Followed by many, with the lightning getting denser and denser; + always on the Opposition side [once on the JENKINS'S-EAR QUESTION, as we + saw, when the Gazetteer Editor spelt him Mr. Pitts]: so that Majesty was + very angry, sulky Public much applausive; and Walpole was heard to say, + 'We must muzzle, in some way, that terrible Cornet of Horse!'—but + could not, on trial; this man's 'price,' as would seem, being awfully + high! AUGUST-OCTOBER, 1744, Sarah Duchess of Marlborough bequeathed him + 10,000 pounds as Commissariat equipment in this his Campaign against the + Mud-gods, [Thackeray, i. 138.]—glory to the old Heroine for so + doing! Which lifted Pitt out of the Cornetcy or Horse-guards element, I + fancy; and was as the nailing of his Parliamentary colors to the mast. + </p> + <p> + 2. "FEBRUARY 14th, 1746, Vice-Treasurer for Ireland: on occasion of that + Pelham-Granville 'As-you-were!' (Carteret Ministry, which lasted One Day), + and the slight shufflings that were necessary. Now first in Office,—after + such Ten Years of colliding and conflicting, and fine steering in + difficult waters. Vice-Treasurer for Ireland: and 'soon after, on Lord + Wilmington's death,' PAYMASTER OF THE FORCES. Continued Paymaster about + nine years. Rejects, quietly and totally, the big income derivable from + Interest of Government Moneys lying delayed in the Paymaster's hand + ('Dishonest, I tell you!')—and will none of it, though poor. Not yet + high, still low over the horizon, but shining brighter and brighter. + Greatly contemptuous of Newcastle and the Platitudes and Poltrooneries; + and still a good deal in the Opposition strain, and NOT always tempering + the wind to the shorn lamb. For example, Pitt (still Paymaster) to + Newcastle on King of the Romans Question (1752 or so): 'You engage for + Subsidies, not knowing their extent; for Treaties, not knowing the terms!'—'What + a bashaw!' moan Newcastle and the top Officials. 'Best way is, don't mind + it,' said Mr. Stone [one of their terriers,—a hard-headed fellow, + whose brother became Primate of Ireland by and by]. + </p> + <p> + 3. "NOVEMBER 20th, 1755, Thrown out:—on Pelham's death, and the + general hurly-burly in Official regions, and change of partners with no + little difficulty, which had then ensued! Sir Thomas Robinson," our old + friend, "made Secretary,—not found to answer. Pitt sulkily looking + on America, on Minorca; on things German, on things in general; warily set + on returning, as is thought; but How? FOX to Pitt: 'Will you join ME?'—PITT: + 'No,'—with such politeness, but in an unmistakable way! Ten months + of consummate steering on the part of Pitt; Chancellor Hardwicke coming as + messenger, he among others; Pitt's answer to him dexterous, modestly + royal. Pitt's bearing, in this grand juncture and crisis, is royal, his + speakings and also his silences notably fine. OCTOBER 20th, 1756: to + Newcastle face to face, 'I will accept no situation under your Grace!'—and, + about that day month, comes IN, on his own footing. That is to say, + </p> + <p> + "NOVEMBER 19th, 1756, to England's great comfort, Sees himself Secretary + of State (age now just forty-eight). Has pretty much all England at his + back; but has, in face of him, Fox, Newcastle and Company, offering mere + impediment and discouragement; Royal Highness of Cumberland looking deadly + sour. Till finally, + </p> + <p> + "APRIL 5th, 1757, King bids him resign; Royal Highness setting off for + Germany the second day after. Pitt had been IN rather more than Four + months. England, at that time a silent Country in comparison, knew not + well what to do; took to offering him Freedoms of Corporations in very + great quantity. Town after Town, from all the four winds, sympathetically + firing off, upon a misguided Sacred Majesty, its little Box, in this + oblique way, with extraordinary diligence. Whereby, after six months + bombardment by Boxes, and also by Events, JUNE 29th, 1757"—We will + expect June 29th. [Thackeray, i. 231, 264; Almon, <i>Anecdotes of Pitt</i> + (London, 1810), i. 151, 182, 218.] + </p> + <p> + In these sad circumstances, Preparations so called have been making for + Hanover, for America;—such preparations as were never seen before. + Take only one instance; let one be enough:— + </p> + <p> + "By the London Gazette, well on in February, 1756, we learn that Lord + Loudon, a military gentleman of small faculty, but of good connections, + has been nominated to command the Forces in America; and then, more + obscurely, some days after, that another has been nominated:—one of + them ought certainly to make haste out, if he could; the French, by + account, have 25,000 men in those countries, with real officers to lead + them! Haste out, however, is not what this Lord Loudon or his rival can + make. In March, we learn that Lord Loudon has been again nominated; in an + improved manner, this time;—and still does not look like going. + 'Again nominated, why again?' Alas, reader, there have been hysterical + fidgetings in a high quarter; internal shiftings and shufflings, + contradictions, new proposals, one knows not what. [<i>Gentleman's + Magazine </i> for 1756, pp. 92, 150, 359, 450.] One asks only: How is the + business ever to be done, if you cannot even settle what imbecile is to go + and try it? + </p> + <p> + "Seldom had Country more need of a Commander than America now. America + itself is of willing mind; and surely has resources, in such a Cause; but + is full of anarchies as well: the different States and sections of it, + with their discrepant Legislatures, their half-drilled Militias, pulling + each a different way, there is, as in the poor Mother Country, little + result except of the St.-Vitus kind. In some Legislatures are anarchic + Quakers, who think it unpermissible to fight with those hectoring French, + and their tail of scalping Indians; and that the 'method of love' ought to + be tried with them. What is to become of those poor people, if not even a + Lord Loudon can get out?" + </p> + <p> + The result was, Lord Loudon had not in his own poor person come to hand in + America till August, 1756, Season now done; and could only write home, + "All is St. Vitus out here! Must have reinforcement of 10,000 men!" "Yes," + answers Pitt, who is now in Office: "you shall have them; and we will take + Cape Breton, please Heaven!"—but was thrown out; and by the + wrigglings that ensued, nothing of the 10,000 reached Lord Loudon till + Season 1757 too was done. Nor did they then stead his Lordship much, then + or afterwards; who never took Cape Breton, nor was like doing it;—but + wriggled to and fro a good deal, and revolved on his axis, according to + pattern given. And set (what chiefly induces us to name him here) his not + reverent enough Subordinate, Lord Charles Hay, our old Fontenoy friend, + into angry impatient quizzing of him;—and by and by into + Court-Martial for such quizzing. [Peerage Books,? Tweeddale.] + Court-Martial, which was much puzzled by the case; and could decide + nothing, but only adjourn and adjourn;—as we will now do, not + mentioning Lord Loudon farther, or the numerous other instances at all. + ["1st May, 1760, Major-General Lord Charles Hay died" (<i>Gentleman's + Magazine</i> of Year); and his particular Court-Martial could adjourn for + the last time.—"I wrote something for Lord Charles," said the great + Johnson once, many years afterwards; "and I thought he had nothing to fear + from a Court-Martial. I suffered a great loss when he died: he was a + mighty pleasing man in conversation, and a reading man" (Boswell's <i>Life + of Johnson:</i> under date, "3d April, 1776").] + </p> + <p> + Pitt, we just saw, far from being confirmed and furthered, has been thrown + out by Royal Highness of Cumberland, the last thing before crossing to + that exquisite Weser Problem. "Nothing now left at home to hinder us and + our Hanover and Weser Problem!" thinks Royal Highness. No, indeed: a + comfortable pacific No-government, or Battle of the Four Elements, left + yonder; the Anarch Old waggling his addle head over it; ready to help + everybody, and bring fire and water, and Yes and No, into holy matrimony, + if he could!—Let us return to Prag. Only one remark more; upon + "April 5th." That was the Day of Pitt's Dismissal at St. James's: and I + find, at Schonbrunn it is likewise the day when REICHS-HOFRATH (Kaiser in + Privy Council) decides, in respect to Friedrich, that Ban of the Reich + must be proceeded with, and recommends Reich's Diet to get through with + the same. [<i>Helden-Geschichte</i> (Reichs-Procedures, UBI SUPRA).] + Official England ordering its Pitt into private life, and Official + Teutschland its Friedrich into outlawry ("Be quiet henceforth, both of + YOU!")—are, by chance, synchronous phenomena. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0009" id="link2H_4_0009"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + PHENOMENA OF PRAG SIEGE:—PRAG SIEGE IS INTERRUPTED. + </h2> + <p> + Friedrich's Siege of Prag proved tedious beyond expectation. In four days + he had done that exploit in 1744; but now, to the world's disappointment, + in as many weeks he cannot. Nothing was omitted on his part: he seized all + egresses from Prag, rapidly enough; had beset them with batteries, on the + very night or morrow of the Battle; every egress beset, cannon and ruin + forbidding any issue there. On the 9th of May, cannonading began; proper + siege-cannon and ammunition, coming up from Dresden, were completely come + May 19th; after which the place is industriously battered, bombarded with + red-hot balls; but except by hunger, it will not do. Prag as a fortress is + weak, but as a breastwork for 50,000 men it is strong. The Austrians tried + sallies; but these availed nothing,—very ill-conducted, say some. + The Prussians, more than once, had nearly got into the place by surprisal; + but, owing to mere luck of the Austrians, never could,—say the same + parties. [Archenholtz, i. 85, 87.] + </p> + <p> + A DIARIUM of Prag Siege is still extant, Two DIARIUMS; punctual diurnal + account, both Austrian and Prussian: [In <i> Helden-Geschichte,</i> iv. + 42-56, Prussian DIARIUM; ib. 73-86, Austrian.] which it is far from our + intention to inflict on readers, in this haste. Siege lasted six weeks; + four weeks extremely hot,—from May 19th, when the proper + artilleries, in complete state, got up from Dresden. Line of siege-works, + or intermittent series of batteries, is some twelve miles long; from + Branik southward to beyond the Belvedere northward, on both sides of the + Moldau. King's Camp is on the Ziscaberg; Keith's on the Lorenz Berg, + embracing and commanding the Weissenberg; there are two Bridges of + communication, Branik and Podoli: King lodges in the Parsonage of Michel,—the + busiest of all the sons of Adam; what a set of meditations in that + Parsonage! The Besieged, 46,000 by count, offer to surrender Prag on + condition of "Free withdrawal:" "No; you shall engage, such of you as + won't enlist with us, not to serve against me for six years." Here are + some select Specimens; Prussian chiefly, in an abridged state:— + </p> + <p> + "MAY 19th, No sooner was our artillery come (all the grounds and beds for + it had been ready beforehand), than as evening fell, it began to play in + terrific fashion." + </p> + <p> + "NIGHT OF THE 23d-24th MAY, There broke out a furious sally; their first, + and much their hottest, say the Prussians: a very serious affair;—which + fell upon Keith's quarter, west side of the Moldau. Sally, say something + like 10,000 strong; picked men all, and strengthened with half a pound of + horse-flesh each" (unluckily without salt): judge what the common diet + must have been, when that was generous! "No salt to it; but a fair + supplement of brandy. Browne, from his bed of pain (died 26th June), had + been strongly urgent. Aim is, To force the Prussian lines, by + determination and the help of darkness, in some weak point: the whole + Army, standing ranked on the walls, shall follow, if things go well; and + storm itself through,—away Daun-wards, across the River by Podoli + Bridge. + </p> + <p> + "Sally broke out between 1 and 2 A.M.; but we had wind of it, and were on + the alert. Sally tried on this place and on that; very furious in places, + but could not anywhere prevail. The tussling lasted for near six hours + (Prince Ferdinand" of Preussen, King's youngest Brother, "and others of + us, getting hurts and doing exploits),—till, about 7 A.M., it was + wholly swept in, with loss of 1,000 dead. Upon which, their whole Army + retired to its quarters, in a hopeless condition. Escape impossible. Near + 50,000 of them; but in such a posture. Provision of bread, the spies say, + is not scarce, unless the Prussians can burn it, which they are + industriously trying (diligent to learn where the Magazines are, and to + fire incessantly upon the same): plenty of meal hitherto; but for + butcher's-meat, only what we saw. Forage nearly done, and 12,000 horses + standing in the squares and market-places,—not even stabling for + them, not to speak of food or work,—slaughtering and salting [if one + but had salt!] the one method. Horse-flesh two kreutzers a pound; rises + gradually to double that value. + </p> + <p> + "MAY 29th, About sunset there came a furious burst of weather: + rain-torrents mixed with battering hail;—some flaw of water-spout + among the Hills; for it lasted hour on hour, and Moldau came down roaring + double-deep, above a hundred yards too wide each way; with cargoes of + ruin, torn-up trees, drowned horses; which sorely tried our Bridge at + Branik. Bridge, half of it, did break away (Friedrich's half, forty-four + pontoons; Keith's people got their end of the Bridge doubled in and + saved): the Austrians, in Prag, fished out twenty-four of Friedrich's + pontoons; the other twenty we caught at our Bridge of Podoli, farther + down. A most wild night for the Prussian Army in tents; and indeed for + Prag itself, the low parts of which were all under water; unfortunate + individuals getting drowned in the cellars; and, still more important, a + great deal of Austrian meal, which had been carried thither, to be safe + from the red-hot balls. + </p> + <p> + "It was thought the Austrians, our Bridge being down, might try a sally + again. To prevent which, hardly was the rain done, when, on our part, a + rocket flew aloft; and there began on the City, from all sides, a deluge + of bombs and red hot balls. So that the still-dripping City was set fire + to, in various parts: and we could hear [what this Editor never can + forget] the WEH-KLAGEN (wail) of the Townsfolk as they tried to quench it, + and it always burst out again. The fire-deluge lasted for six hours."—Human + WEH-KLAGEN, through the hollow of Night, audible to the Prussians and us: + "Woe's me! water-deluges, then fire-deluges; death on every hand!" + According to the Austrian accounts, there perished, by bursting of + bomb-shells, falling of walls, by hunger and other misery and hurts, + "above 9,000 Townsfolk in this Siege." Yes, my Imperial friends; War is + not a thing of streamering and ornamental trumpeting alone; War is an + inexorable, dangerously incalculable thing. Is it not a terrible question, + at whose door lies the beginning of a War! + </p> + <p> + "JUNE 5th, 12,000 poor people of Prag were pushed out: 'Useless mouths, + will you contrive to disappear some way!' But, after haggling about all + day, they had to be admitted in again, under penalty of being shot. + </p> + <p> + "JUNE 8th, City looking black and ruinous, whole of the Neustadt in ashes; + few houses left in the Jew Town; in the Altstadt the fire raged on + (WUTHETE FORT). Nothing but ruin and confusion over there; population + hiding in cellars, getting killed by falling buildings. Burgermeister and + Townsfolk besiege Prince Karl, 'For the Virgin's sake, have pity on us, + Your Serenity!' Poor Prince Karl has to be deaf, whatever his feelings. + </p> + <p> + "He was diligent in attending mass, they say: he alone of the Princes, of + whom there were several; two Saxon Princes among others, Prince Xavier the + elder of them, who will be heard of again. A profane set, these, lodging + in the CLEMENTINUM [vast Jesuit Edifice, which had been cleared out for + them, and "the windows filled with dung outside," against balls]: there, + with wines of fine vintage, and cookeries plentiful and exquisite, that + know nothing of famine outside, they led an idle disorderly life,—ran + races in the long corridors [not so bad a course], dressed themselves in + Priests' vestures [which are abundant in such locality], and made + travesties and mummeries of Holy Religion; the wretched creatures, defying + despair, as buccaneers might when their ship is sinking. To surrender, + everything forbids; of escape, there is no possibility. [Archenholtz i. + 86; <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> iv. 73-84.] + </p> + <p> + "JUNE 9th, The bombardment abates; a LABORATORIUM of our own flew aloft by + some spark or accident; and killed thirteen men. + </p> + <p> + "JUNE 15th, From the King's Camp a few bombs [King himself now gone] + kindled the City in three places:"—but there is, by this time, new + game afield; Prag Siege awaiting its decision not at Prag, but some way + off. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich has been doing his utmost; diligent, by all methods, to learn + where the Austrian Magazines were, that is, on what special edifices and + localities shot might be expended with advantage; and has fired into these + "about 12,000 bombs." Here is a small thing still remembered:— + </p> + <p> + "Spies being, above all, essential in this business, Friedrich had + bethought him of one Kasebier, a supreme of House-breakers, whom he has, + safe with a ball at his ankle, doing forced labor at Spandau [in Stettin, + if it mattered]. Kasebier was actually sent for, pardon promised him if he + could do the State a service. Kasebier smuggled himself twice, perhaps + three times, into Prag; but the fourth time he did not come back." + [Retzow, i. 108. n.] Another Note says: "Kasebier was a Tailor, and Son of + a Tailor, in Halle; and the expertest of Thieves. Had been doing forced + labor, in Stettin, since 1748; twice did get into Prag; third time, + vanished. A highly celebrated Prussian thief; still a myth among the + People, like Dick Turpin or Cartouche, except that his was always theft + without violence." [Preuss, ii. 57 n.] + </p> + <p> + We learn vaguely that the price of horse-flesh in Prag has risen to + double; famine very sore: but still one hears nothing of surrender. And + again there is vague rumor that the City may be as it will; but that the + Garrison has meal, after all we have ruined, which will last till October. + Such a Problem has this King: soluble within the time; or not soluble? + Such a question for the whole world, and for himself more than any. + </p> + <p> + MAP GOES IN HERE—fACING PAGE 446, BOOK xviii + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter IV.—BATTLE OF KOLIN. + </h2> + <p> + On and after June 9th, the bombardment at Prag abated, and never rose to + briskness again; the place of trial for decision of that Siege having + flitted else-whither, as we said. About that time, rumors came in, not so + favorable, from the Duke of Bevern; which Friedrich, strong in hope, + strove visibly to disbelieve, but at last could not. Bevern reports that + Daun is actually coming on, far too strong for his resisting;—in + other terms, that the Siege of Prag will not decide itself by bombardment, + but otherwise and elsewhere. Of which we must now give some account; brief + as may be, especially in regard to the preliminary or marching part. + </p> + <p> + Daun, whose light troops plundered Brandeis (almost within wind of the + Prussian Rear) on the day while Prag Battle was fighting, had, on that + fatal event, gradually drawn back to Czaslau, a place we used to know + fifteen years ago; and there, or in those neighborhoods, defensively + manoeuvring, and hanging upon Kuttenberg, Kolin, especially upon his + Magazine of Suchdol, Daun, always rather drawing back, with + Brunswick-Bevern vigilantly waiting on him, has continued ever since; + diligently recruiting himself; ranking the remains of the right wing + defeated at Prag; drawing regiments out of Mahren, or whencesoever to be + had. Till, by these methods, he is grown 60,000 strong; nearly thrice + superior to Bevern; though being a "Fabius Cunctator" (so called by and + by), he as yet attempts nothing. Forty thousand in Prag, with Sixty here + in the Czaslau Quarter, [Tempelhof, i. 196; Retzow (i. 107, 109) counts + 46,000+66,000.] that makes 100,000; say his Prussian Majesty has + two-thirds of the number: can the Fabius Cunctator attempt nothing, before + Prag utterly famish? + </p> + <p> + Order comes to him from Vienna: "Rescue Prag; straightway go upon it, cost + what it like!" Daun does go upon it; advances visibly towards Prag, Bevern + obliged to fall back in front of him. Sunday, 12th June, Daun despatches + several Officers to Prince Karl at Prag, with notice that, "On the 20th, + Monday come a week, he will be in the neighborhood of Prag with this view:—they, + of course, to sally out, and help from rearward." "Several Officers, under + various disguises," go with that message, June 12th; but none of them + could get into the City; and some of them, I judge, must have fallen into + the Prussian Hussar Parties:—at any rate, the news they carried did + get into the Prussian circuit, and produced an instant resolution there. + Early next morning, Monday 13th, King Friedrich, with what disposable + force is on the spot,—10,000 capable of being spared from + siege-work, and 4,000 more that will be capable of following, under Prince + Moritz, in two days,—sets forth in all speed. Joins Bevern that same + night; at Kaurzim, thirty-five miles off, which is about midway from Prag + to Czaslau, and only three miles or so from Daun's quarters that night,—had + the King known it, which he did not. + </p> + <p> + Daun must be instantly gone into; and shall,—if he is there at all, + and not fallen back at the first rumor of us, as Friedrich rather + supposes. In any case, there are preliminaries indispensable: the 4,000 of + Prince Moritz still to come up; secondly, bread to be had for us, which is + baking at Nimburg, across the Elbe, twenty miles off; lastly (or rather + firstly, and most indispensable of all), Daun to be reconnoitred. + Friedrich reconnoitres Daun with all diligence; pushes on everything + according to his wont; much obstructed in the reconnoitring by Pandour + clouds, under which Daun has veiled himself, which far outnumber our small + Hussar force. Daun, as usual,—showing always great skill in regard + to camps and positions,—has planted himself in difficult country: a + little river with its boggy pools in front; behind and around, an + intricate broken country of knolls and swamps, one ridge in it which they + even call a BERG or Hill, Kamhayek Berg; not much of a Hill after all, but + forming a long backbone to the locality, west end of it straight behind + Daun's centre, at present. Friedrich's position is from north to south; + like Daun's, taking advantage of what heights and brooks there are; and + edging northward to be near his bread-ovens: right wing still holds by + Kaurzim, left wing looking down on Planian, a little Town on the High Road + (KAISER-STRASSE) from Prag to Vienna. Little Town destined to get up its + name in a day or two,—next little Town to which, twelve miles + farther on, is Kolin, secretly destined to become and continue still more + famous among mankind. Kolin is close to the Elbe, left or south bank; Elbe + hereabouts strikes into his long northwestern course (to Wittenberg all + the way; Pirna, say 150 miles off, is his half-way house in that + direction);—strikes off northward hereabouts, making for Nimburg, + among other places: Planian, right south of Nimburg, is already fifteen + good miles from Elbe. + </p> + <p> + This is Friedrich's position, Wednesday, June 15th and the day following; + somewhat nearer his ovens than yesterday. Daun is yet parallel to him, has + his centre behind Swoyschitz, an insignificant Village at the foot of + those Kamhayek Heights, which is, ever since, to be found in Maps. Friday, + 17th, Friedrich's bread-wagons and 4,000 having come in, as doubtless the + Pandours report in the proper place, Daun does not quite like his strong + position any more, but would prefer a stronger. Friday about sunset, + "great clouds of dust" rise from Daun: changing his position, the + Prussians see, if for Pandours and gathering darkness they can at present + see little else. Daun, truly, observing the King to have in that manner + edged up, towards Planian, is afraid of his right wing from such a + neighbor. So that the reader must take his Map again. Or, if he care not + for such things, let him skip, and leave me solitary to my sad function; + till we can meet on easier ground, and report the battle which ensued. + Daun hustles his right wing back out of that dangerous proximity; wheels + his whole right wing and centre ninety degrees round, so as to reach out + now towards Kolin, and lie on the north slope of the Kamhayek ridge; + places his left wing EN POTENCE (gibbet-wise), hanging round the western + end of said Kamhayek, its southern extremity at Swoyschitz, its northern + at Hradenin, where (not a mile from Planian) his right wing had formerly + been;—with other intricate movements not worth following, under my + questionable guidance, on a Map with unpronounceable names. Enough to say + that Daun's right wing is now far east at Krzeczhorz, well beyond + Chotzemitz, whereabouts his centre now comes to stand (and most of his + horse THERE, both the wings being hilly and rough, unfit for horse);—and + that, this being nearly the last of Daun's shiftings and hustlings for the + present, or indeed in essential respects the very last, readers may as + well note the above main points in it. + </p> + <p> + Hustled into this still stronger place, with wheeling and shoving, which + lasted to a late hour, Daun composes himself for the night. He lies now, + with centre and right looking northward, pretty much parallel to the + Planian-Kolin or Prag-Vienna Highway, and about a mile south of the same; + extreme posts extending almost to Kolin on that side; left wing well + planted EN POTENCE; Kamhayek ridge, north face and west end of it, + completely his on both the exposed or Anti-Prussian faces. Friedrich feels + uncertain whether he has not gone his ways altogether; but proposes to + ascertain by break of day. + </p> + <p> + By break of day Friedrich starts, having cleared off certain Pandour + swarms visible in places of difficulty, who go on first notice, and + without shot fired. [Lloyd, i. 61 et seq. (or Tempelhof's Translation, i. + 151-164); Tempelhof's own Account is, i. 179-196; Retzow's, i. 120-149 + (fewer errors of detail than usual); Kutzen, <i>Der Tag von Kolin</i> + (Breslau, 1857), a useful little compilation from many sources. Very + incorrect most of the common accounts are; Kausler's <i> Schlachten,</i> + Jomini, and the like.] Marches through Planian in two columns, along the + Kolin Highway and to north of it; marches on, four or five miles farther, + nothing visible but the skirts of retiring Pandours,—"Daun's + rear-guard probably?"—Friedrich himself is with Ziethen, who has the + vanguard, as Friedrich's wont is, eagerly enough looking out; reaches a + certain Inn on the wayside (WIRTHSHAUS "of Slatislunz or GOLDEN-SUN," say + the Modern Books,—though I am driven to think it Novomiesto, nearer + Planian; but will not quarrel on the subject); Inn of good height for one + thing; and there, mounting to the top-story or perhaps the leads, descries + Daun, stretching far and wide, leant against the Kamhayek, in the summer + morning. What a sight for Friedrich: "Big game SHALL be played, then; + death sure, this day, to thousands of men: and to me—? Well!" + </p> + <p> + Friedrich calls halt: rest here a little; to consider, examine, settle + how. A hot close morning; rest for an hour or two, till our rear from + Kaurzim come up: horses and men will be the better for it,—horses + can have a mouthful of grass, mouthful of water; some of them "had no + drink last night, so late in getting home." Poor quadrupeds, they also + have to get into a blaze of battle-rage this day, and be blown to pieces a + great many of them,—in a quarrel not of their seeking! Horse and + rider are alike satisfied on that latter point; silently ready for the + task THEY have; and deaf on questions that are bottomless. + </p> + <p> + At this Hostelry of Novomiesto (not of Slatislunz or "GOLDEN-SUN" at all, + which is a "Sun" fallen dismally eclipsed in other ways ["The Inn of + Slati-Slunz was burnt, about twenty years ago; nothing of it but the stone + walls now dates from Friedrich's time. It is a biggish solid-looking House + of two stories (whether ever of three, I could not learn); stands + pleasantly, at the crown of a long rise from Kolin;—and inwardly, + alas, in our day, offers little but bad smells and negative quantities! + Only the ground-floor is now inhabited. From the front, your view + northward, Nimburg way, across the Elbe Valley, is fertile, wide-waving, + pretty: but rearward, upstairs,—having with difficulty got + permission,—you find bare balks, tattered feathers, several + hundredweight of pigeon's dung, and no outlook at all, except into walls + of office-houses and the overhanging brow of Heights,—fatal, + clearly, to any view of Daun, even from a third story!" (TOURIST'S NOTE, + 1858.)—Tempelhof (UBI SUPRA) seems to have known the right, place; + not, Retzow, or almost anybody since: and indeed the question, except for + expressly Military people, is of no moment.]), Friedrich halted for three + hours and more; saw Daun developing himself into new Order of Battle, + "every part of his position visible;" considered with his whole might what + was to be tried upon him;—and about noon, having made up his mind, + called his Generals, in sight of the phenomenon itself there, to give them + their various orders and injunctions in regard to the same. The Plan of + Fight, which was thought then, and is still thought by everybody, an + excellent one,—resting on the "oblique order of attack," Friedrich's + favorite mode,—was, if the reader will take his Map, conceivable as + follows. + </p> + <p> + Daun has by this time deployed himself; in three lines, or two lines and a + reserve; on the high-lying Champaign south of the Planian-Kolin Great + Road; south, say a mile, and over the crests of the rising ground, or + Kamhayek ridge, so that from the Great Road you can see nothing of him. + His line, swaying here and there a little, to take advantage of its + ground, extends nearly five miles, from east to west; pointing towards + Planian side, the left wing of it; from Planian, eastward, the way + Friedrich has marched, Daun's left wing may be four miles distant. On the + other side, Daun's right wing—main line always pretty parallel to + the Highway, and pointing rather southward of Kolin—reaches to the + small Hamlet of Krzeczhorz, which is two miles off Kolin. In front of his + centre is a Village called Chotzemitz (from which for a while, in those + months, the Battle gets its name, "Battle of Chotzemitz," by Daun's + christening): in front of him, to right or to left of Chotzemitz, are some + four or even six other Villages (dim rustic Hamlets, invisible from the + High Road), every Village of which Daun has well beset with batteries, + with good infantry, not to speak of Croat parties hovering about, or + dismounted Pandours squatted in the corn. That easternmost Village of his + is spelt "Krzeczhorz" (unpronounceable to mankind), a dirty little place; + in and round which the Battle had its hinge or cardinal point: the others, + as abstruse of spelling, all but equally impossible to the human organs, + we will forbear to name, except in case of necessity. Half a mile behind + Krzeczhorz (let us write it Kreczor, for the future: what can we do?), is + a thin little Oak-wood, bushes mainly, but with sparse trees too, which is + now quite stubbed out, though it was then important enough, and played a + great part in the result of this day's work. Radowesnitz, a pronounceable + little Village, half a mile farther or southward of the Oak-bush, is + beyond the extremity of Daun's position; low down on a marshy little + Brook, which oozes through lakes and swamps towards Kolin, in the + northerly direction. + </p> + <p> + Most or all of these Villages are on little Brooks (natural thirst so + leading them): always some little runlet of water, not so swampy when + there is any fall for it; in general lively when it gets over the ridge, + and becomes visible from this Highway. And it is curious to see what a + considerable dell, or green ascending chasm, this little thread of water, + working at all moments for thousands of years, has hollowed out for itself + in the sloping ground; making a great military obstacle, if you are + mounting to attack there. Poor Czech Hamlets all of them, dirty, dark, + mal-odorous, ignorant, abhorrent of German speech;—in what nook + those inarticulate inhabitants, diving underground at a great rate this + morning, have hidden themselves to-day, I know not. The country consists + of knolls and slopes, with swamps intermediate; rises higher on the + Planian side; but except the top of that Kamhayek ridge on the Planian + side, and "Friedrich's-Berg" on the Kolin side, there is nothing that you + could think of calling a Hill, though many Books (and even Friedrich's + Book) rashly say otherwise. Friedrich's-Berg, now so called, is on the + north side of the Highway: half a mile northeastward of Slatislunz, the + mal-odorous Inn. A conical height of perhaps a hundred and fifty feet; + rises rather suddenly from the still-sloping ground, checking the slope + there; on which the Austrian populations have built some memorial lately, + notable to Tourists. Here Friedrich "stood during the Battle," say they; + and the Prussians "had a battery there." Which remains uncertain to me, at + least the battery part of it: that Friedrich himself was there, now and + then, can be believed; but not that he kept "standing there" for long + together. Friedrich's-Berg does command some view of the Kreczor scene, + which at times was cardinal, at others not: but Friedrich did not stand + anywhere: "oftenest in the thick of the fire," say those who saw. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich, from his Inn near Planian, seeing how Daun deploys himself, + considers him impregnable on the left wing; impregnable, too, in front: + not so on the Kreczor side, right flank and rear; but capable of being + rolled together, if well struck at there. Thither therefore; that is his + vulnerable point. March along his front: quietly parallel in due Order of + Battle, till we can bend round, and plunge in upon that. The Van, which + consists of Ziethen's Horse and Hulsen's Infantry; Van, having faced to + right at the proper moment and so become Left Wing, will attack Kreczor; + probably carry it; each Division following will in like manner face to + right when it arrives there, and fall on in regular succession in support + of Hulsen (at Hulsen's right flank, if Hulsen be found prospering): our + Right Wing is to refuse itself, and be as a Reserve,—no fighting on + the road, you others, but steady towards Hulsen, in continual succession, + all you; no facing round, no fighting anywhere, till we get thither:—"March!" + </p> + <p> + The word is given about 2 P.M.; and all, on the instant, is in motion; + rolls steadily eastward, in two columns, which will become First Line and + Second. One along the Highway, the second at due distance leftward on the + green ground, no hedge or other obstacle obstructing in that part of the + world. Daun's batteries, on the right, spit at them in passing, to no + purpose; sputters of Pandour musketry, from coverts, there may be: + Prussians finely disregarding, pass along; flowing tide-like towards THEIR + goal and place of choice. An impressive phenomenon in the sunny afternoon; + with Daun expectant of them, and the Czech populations well hidden + underground!— + </p> + <p> + Ziethen, vanmost of all, finds Nadasti and his Austrian squadrons drawn + across the Highway, hitherward of the Kreczor latitude: Ziethen dashes on + Nadasti; tumbles his squadrons and him away; clears the Road, and Kreczor + neighborhood, of Nadasti: drives him quite into the hollow of Radowesnitz, + where he stood inactive for the rest of the day. Hulsen now at the level + of Kreczor (in the latitude of Kreczor, as we phrased it), halts, faces to + right; stiffly presses up, opens his cannon-thunders, his bayonet-charges + and platoon-fires upon Kreczor. Stiffly pressing up, in spite of the + violent counter-thunders, Hulsen does manage Kreczor without very much + delay, completely enough, and like a workman; takes the battery, two + batteries; overturns the Infantry;—in a word, has seized Kreczor, + and, as new tenant, swept the old, and their litter, quite out. Of all + which Ziethen has now the chase, and by no means will neglect that duty. + Ziethen, driving the rout before him, has driven it in some minutes past + the little Oak-wood above mentioned; and, or rather BUT,—what is + much to be noted,—is there taken in flank with cannon-shot and + musketry, Daun having put batteries and Croat parties in the Oak-wood; and + is forced to draw bridle, and get out of range again. + </p> + <p> + Hulsen, advancing towards this little Oak-wood, is surprised to discover, + not the wood alone, but a strong Austrian force, foot and horse, to rear + of it;—such had been Daun's and Nadasti's precaution, on view of + those Friedrich phenomena, flowing on from Planian, guessed to be + hitherward. At sight of which Wood and foot-party, Hulsen, no new + Battalion having yet arrived to second him, pauses, merely cannonading + from the distance, till new Battalions shall arrive. Unhappily they did + not arrive, or not in due quantity at the set time,—for what reason, + by what strange mistake? men still ask themselves. Probably by more + mistakes than one. Enough, Hulsen struggling here all day, with + reinforcements never adequate, did take the Wood, and then lose it; did + take and lose this and that;—but was unable to make more of it than + keep his ground thereabouts. A resolute man, says Retzow, but without + invention of his own, or head to mend the mistakes of others. In and about + Kreczor, Hulsen did maintain himself with more and more tenacity, till the + general avalanche, fruit of sad mistakes swept HIM, quite spasmodically + struggling at that period, off to the edge of it, and all the others clean + away! Mistakes have been to rightwards, one or even two, the fruit of + which, small at first, suffices to turn the balance, and ends in an + avalanche, or precipitous descent of ruin on the Prussian side + </p> + <p> + One mistake there was, miles westward on the right wing; due to Mannstein, + our too impetuous Russian friend, Mannstein well to right, while marching + forward according to order, has Croat musketry spitting upon him from amid + the high corn, to an inconvenient extent: such was the common lot, which + others had borne and disregarded: perhaps it was beyond the average on + Mannstein, or Mannstein's patience was less infinite; any way it provoked + Mannstein to boil over; and in an evil moment he said, "Extinguish me that + Croat canaille, then!" Regiment Bornstedt faced to right, accordingly; + took to extinguishing the Croat canaille, which of course fled at once, or + squatted closer, but came back with reinforcements; drew Mannstein deeper + in, fatally delayed Bornstedt, and proved widely ruinous. For now he + stopped the way to those following him: regiments marching on to rear of + Mannstein see Mannstein halted, volleying with the Austrians; ask + themselves "How? Is there new order come? Attack to be in this point?" And + successively fall on to support Mannstein, as the one clear point in such + dubiety. So that the whole right wing from Regiment Bornstedt westward is + storming up the difficult steeps, in hot conflict with the Austrians + there, where success against them had been judged impracticable;—and + there is now no reserve force anywhere to be applied to in emergency, for + Hulsen's behoof or another's; and the Plan of Battle from Mannstein + westward has been fatally overturned. Poor Mannstein, there is no doubt, + committed this error, being too fiery a man. Surely to him it was no + luxury, and he paid the smart for it in skin and soul: "badly wounded in + this business;" nay, in direct sequel, not many weeks after, killed by it, + as we shall see!— + </p> + <p> + To Mannstein's mistake, Friedrich himself, in his account of Kolin, mainly + imputes the disaster that followed; and such, then and afterwards, was the + universal judgment in military circles; loading the memory of too + impetuous Mannstein with the whole. [See Retzow, i. 135; Templehof, i. + 214, 220.] Much talk there was in Prussian military circles; but there + must also have been an admirable silence on the part of some. To Three + Persons it was known that another strange incident had happened far ahead, + far eastward, of Mannstein's position: incident which did not by any means + tend to alleviate, which could only strengthen and widen, the evil results + of Mannstein; and which might have lifted part of the load from + Mannstein's memory! Not till the present Century, after the lapse of + almost fifty years, was this secret slowly dug out of silence, and + submitted to modern curiosity. + </p> + <p> + The incident is this;—never whispered of for near fifty years (so + silent were the three); and endlessly tossed about since that; the sense + of it not understood till almost now. [See Retzow, i. 126; Berenhorst; + &c. &c.;—then FINALLY Kutzen, pp. 99, 217.] The three + parties were: King Friedrich; Moritz of Dessau, leading on the centre + here; Moritz's young Nephew Franz, Heir of Dessau, a brisk lad of + seventeen, learning War here as Aide-de-camp to Moritz: the exact spot is + not known to me,—probably the ground near that Inn of Slatislunz, or + Golden-Sun; between the foot of Friedrich's-Berg and that:—fact + indubitable, though kept dark so long. Moritz is marching with the centre, + or main battle, that way, intending to wheel and turn hillwards, + Kreczor-wise, as per order, certain furlongs ahead; when Friedrich + (having, so I can conceive it, seen from his Hill-top, how Hulsen had done + Kreczor, altogether prosperous there; and what endless capability there + was of prospering to all lengths and speeding the general winning, were + Hulsen but supported soon enough, were there any safe short-cut to Hulsen) + dashed from his Hill-top in hot haste towards Prince Moritz, General of + the centre, intending to direct him upon such short-cut; and hastily said, + with Olympian brevity and fire, "Face to right HERE!" With Jove-like + brevity, and in such blaze of Olympian fire as we may imagine. Moritz + himself is of brief, crabbed, fiery mind, brief in temper; and answers to + the effect, "Impossible to attack the enemy here, your Majesty; postured + as they are; and we with such orders gone abroad!"—"Face to right, I + tell you!" said the King, still more Olympian, and too emphatic for + explaining. Moritz, I hope, paused, but rather think he did not, before + remonstrating the second time; neither perhaps was his voice so low as it + should have been: it is certain Friedrich dashed quite up to Moritz at + this second remonstrance, flashed out his sword (the only time he ever + drew his sword in battle); and now, gone all to mere Olympian lightning + and thundertone, asks in THIS attitude, "WILL ER (Will He) obey orders, + then?"—Moritz, fallen silent of remonstrance, with gloomy rapidity + obeys. + </p> + <p> + Prince Franz, the young Nephew of Moritz, alone witnessed this scene; + scene to be locked in threefold silence. In his old age, Franz had + whispered it to Berenhorst, his bastard Half-Uncle, a famed military + Critic,—who is still in the highest repute that way (Berenhorst's + KRIEGSKUNST, and other deep Books), and is recognizable, to LAY readers, + for an abstruse strong judgment; with equal strength of abstruse temper + hidden behind it, and very privately a deep grudge towards Friedrich, + scarcely repressible on opportunity. From Berenhorst it irrepressibly + oozed out; ["Heinrich van Berenhorst [a natural son of the Old + Dessauer's], in his <i>Betrachtungen uber die Kriegskunst,</i> is the + first that alludes to it in print. (Leipzig, 1797,—page in SECOND + edition, 1798, is i. 219)."] much more to Friedrich's disadvantage than it + now looks when wholly seen into. Not change of plan, not ruinous caprice + on Friedrich's part, as Berenhorst, Retzow and others would have it; only + excess of brevity towards Moritz, and accident of the Olympian fire + breaking out. Friedrich is chargeable with nothing, except perhaps (what + Moritz knows the evil of) trying for a short-cut! Such is now the received + interpretation. Prince Franz, to his last day, refused to speak again on + the subject; judiciously repentant, we can fancy, of having spoken at all, + and brought such a matter into the streets and their pie-powder + adjudications. [In KUTZEN, pp. 217-237, a long dissertation on it.] For + the present, he is Adjutant to Moritz, busy obeying to the letter. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich, withdrawing to his Height again, and looking back on Moritz, + finds that he is making right in upon the Austrian line; which was by no + means Friedrich's meaning, had not he been so brief. Friedrich, doubtless + with pain, remembers now that he had said only, "Face to right!" and had + then got into Olympian tempest, which left things dark to Moritz. + "HALB-LINKS, Half to left withal!" he despatches that new order to Moritz, + with the utmost speed: "Face to right; THEN, forward half to left." Had + Moritz, at the first, got that commentary to his order, there had probably + been no remonstrance on Moritz's part, no Olympian scene to keep silent; + and Moritz, taking that diagonal direction from the first, had hit in at + or below Kreczor, at the very point where he was needed. Alas for + overhaste; short-cuts, if they are to be good, ought at least to be made + clear! Moritz, on the new order reaching him, does instantly steer + half-left: but he arrives now above Kreczor, strikes the Austrian line on + this side of Kreczor; disjoined from Hulsen, where he can do no good to + Hulsen: in brief, Moritz, and now the whole line with him, have to do as + Mannstein and sequel are doing, attack in face, not in flank; and try + what, in the proportion of one to two, uphill, and against batteries, they + can make of it in that fashion! + </p> + <p> + And so, from right wing to left, miles long, there is now universal storm + of volleying, bayonet-charging, thunder of artillery, case-shot, + cartridge-shot, and sulphurous devouring whirlwind; the wrestle very tough + and furious, especially on the assaulting side. Here, as at Prag, the + Prussian troops were one and all in the fire; each doing strenuously his + utmost, no complaint to be made of their performance. More perfect + soldiers, I believe, were rarely or never seen on any field of war. But + there is no reserve left: Mannstein and the rest, who should have been + reserve, and at a General's disposal, we see what they are doing! In vain, + or nearly so, is Friedrich's tactic or manoeuvring talent; what now is + there to manoeuvre? All is now gone up into one combustion. To fan the + fire, to be here, there, fanning the fire where need shows: this is now + Friedrich's function; "everywhere in the hottest of the fight," that is + all we at present know of him, invisible to us otherwise. This + death-wrestle lasted perhaps four hours; till seven or towards eight + o'clock in the June evening; the sun verging downwards; issue still + uncertain. + </p> + <p> + And, in fact, at last the issue turned upon a hair;—such the empire + of Chance in War matters. Cautious Daun, it is well known, did not like + the aspect of the thing; cautious Daun thinks to himself, "If we get + pushed back into that Camp of yesternight, down the Kamhayek Heights, and + right into the impassable swamps; the reverse way, Heights now HIS, not + ours, and impassable swamps waiting to swallow us? Wreck complete, and + surrender at discretion—!" Daun writes in pencil: "The retreat is to + Suchdol" (Kuttenberg way, southward, where we have heights again and + magazines); Daun's Aide-de-camp is galloping every-whither with that + important Document; and Generals are preparing for retreat accordingly,—one + General on the right wing has, visibly to Hulsen and us, his cannon out of + battery, and under way rearwards; a welcome sight to Hulsen, who, with + imperfect reinforcement, is toughly maintaining himself there all day. + </p> + <p> + And now the Daun Aide-de-camp, so Chance would have it, cannot find + Nostitz the Saxon Commandant of Horse in that quarter; finds a "Saxon + Lieutenant-Colonel B—-" ("Benkendorf" all Books now write him + plainly), who, by another little chance, had been still left there: "Can + the Herr Lieutenant-Colonel tell me where General Nostitz is?" Benkendorf + can tell;—will himself take the message: but Benkendorf looks into + the important Pencil Document; thinks it premature, wasteful, and that the + contrary is feasible! persuades Nostitz so to think; persuades this + regiment and that (Saxon, Austrian, horse and foot); though the cannon in + retreat go trundling past them: "Merely shifting their battery, don't you + see:—Steady!" And, in fine, organizes, of Saxon and Austrian horse + and foot in promising quantity (Saxons in great fury on the Pirna score, + not to say the Striegau, and other old grudges), a new unanimous assault + on Hulsen. + </p> + <p> + The assault was furious, and became ever more so; at length irresistible + to Hulsen. Hulsen's horse, pressing on as to victory, are at last hurled + back; could not be rallied; [That of "RUCKER, WOLLT IHR EWIG LEBEN, + Rascals, would you live forever?" with the "Fritz, for eight groschen, + this day there has been enough!"—is to be counted pure myth; not + unsuccessful, in its withered kind.] fairly fled (some of them); confusing + Hulsen's foot,—foot is broken, instantly ranks itself, as the manner + of Prussians is; ranks itself in impromptu squares, and stands fiercely + defensive again, amid the slashing and careering: wrestle of extreme fury, + say the witnesses. "This for Striegau!" cried the Saxon dragoons, + furiously sabring. [Archenholtz, i. 100.] Yes; and is there nothing to + account of Pirna, and the later scores? Scores unliquidated, very many + still; but the end is, Hulsen is driven away; retreats, Parthian-like, + down-hill, some space; whose sad example has to spread rightwards like a + powder-train, till all are in retreat,—northward, towards Nimburg, + is the road;—and the Battle of Kolin is finished. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich made vehement effort to rally the Horse, to rally this and that; + but to no purpose: one account says he did collect some small body, and + marched forth at the head of it against a certain battery; but, in his + rear, man after man fell away, till Lieutenant-Colonel Grant (not "Le + Grand," as some call him, and indeed there is an ACCENT of Scotch in him, + still audible to us here) had to remark, "Your Majesty and I cannot take + the battery ourselves!" Upon which Friedrich turned round; and, finding + nobody, looked at the Enemy through his glass, and slowly rode away + [Retzow, i. 139.]—on a different errand. + </p> + <p> + Seeing the Battle irretrievably lost, he now called Bevern and Moritz to + him; gave them charge of the retreat—"To Nimburg; cross Elbe there + [fifteen good miles away]; and in the defiles of Planian have especial + care!" and himself rode off thitherward, his Garde-du-Corps escorting. + Retzow says, "a swarm of fugitive horse-soldiers, baggage-people, grooms + and led horses gathered in the train of him: these latter, at one point," + Retzow has heard in Opposition circles, "rushed up, galloping: 'Enemy's + hussars upon us!' and set the whole party to the gallop for some time, + till they found the alarm was false." [Ib. i. 140.] Of Friedrich we see + nothing, except as if by cloudy moonlight in an uncertain manner, through + this and the other small Anecdote, perhaps semi-mythical, and true only in + the essence of it. + </p> + <p> + Daun gave no chase anywhere; on his extreme left he had, perhaps as + preparative for chasing, ordered out the cavalry; "General Stampach and + cavalry from the centre," with cannon, with infantry and appliances, to + clear away the wrecks of Mannstein, and what still stands, to right of + him, on the Planian Highway yonder. But Stampach found "obstacles of + ground," wet obstacles and also dry,—Prussian posts, smaller and + greater, who would not stir a hand-breadth: in fact, an altogether deadly + storm of Negative, spontaneous on their part, from the indignant regiments + thereabouts, King's First Battalion, and two others; who blazed out on + Stampach in an extraordinary manner, tearing to shreds every attempt of + his, themselves stiff as steel: "Die, all of us, rather than stir!" And, + in fact, the second man of these poor fellows did die there? [Kutzen, p. + 138 (from the canonical, or "STAFF-OFFICER'S" enumeration: see SUPRA, p. + 403 n.).] So that Bevern, Commander in that part, who was absent speaking + with the King, found on his return a new battle broken out; which he did + not forbid but encourage; till Stampach had enough, and withdrew in rather + torn condition. This, if this were some preparative for chasing, was what + Daun did of it, in the cavalry way; and this was all. The infantry he + strictly prohibited to stir from their position,—"No saying, if we + come into the level ground, with such an enemy!"—and passed the + night under arms. Far on our left, or what was once our left, Ziethen with + all his squadrons, nay Hulsen with most of his battalions, continued + steady on the ground; and marched away at their leisure, as rear-guard. + </p> + <p> + "It seemed," says Tempelhof, in splenetic tone, "as if Feldmarschall Daun, + like a good Christian, would not suffer the sun to go down on his wrath. + This day, nearly the longest in the year, he allowed the Prussian cavalry, + which had beaten Nadasti, to stand quiet on the field till ten at night + [till nine]; he did not send a single hussar in chase of the infantry. He + stood all night under arms; and next day returned to his old Camp, as if + he had been afraid the King would come back. Arriving there himself, he + could see, about ten in the morning, behind Kaurzim and Planian, the whole + Prussian Baggage fallen into such a coil that the wagons were with + difficulty got on way again; nevertheless he let it, under cover of the + grenadier battalion Manteuffel, go in peace." [Tempelhof, i. 195.] A man + that for caution and slowness could make no use of his victory! + </p> + <p> + The Austrian force in the Field this day is counted to have been 60,000; + their losses in killed, wounded and missing, 8,114. The Prussians, who + began 34,000 in strength, lost 13,773; of whom prisoners (including all + the wounded), 5,380. Their baggage, we have seen, was not meddled with: + they lost 45 cannon, 22 flags,—a loss not worth adding, in + comparison to this sore havoc, for the second time, in the flower of the + Prussian Infantry. [Retzow, i. 141 (whose numbers are apt to be + inaccurate); Kutzen, p. 144 (who depends on the Canonical STAFF-OFFICER + Account).] + </p> + <p> + The news reached Prag Camp at two in the morning (Sunday, 19th): to the + sorrowful amazement of the Generals there; who "stood all silent; only the + Prince of Prussia breaking out into loud lamentations and accusations," + which even Retzow thinks unseemly. Friedrich arrived that Sunday evening: + and the Siege was raised, next day; with next to no hindrance or injury. + With none at all on the part of Daun; who was still standing among the + heights and swamps of Planian,—busy singing, or shooting, universal + TE-DEUM, with very great rolling fire and other pomp, that day while + Friedrich gathered his Siege-goods and got on march. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0011" id="link2H_4_0011"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + THE MARIA-THERESA ORDER, NEW KNIGHTHOOD FOR AUSTRIA. + </h2> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> +No tongue can express the joy of the Austrians over this +victory,—vouchsafed them, in this manner, by Lieutenant-Colonel +Benkendorf and the Powers above. Miraculously, behold, they are not upon +the retreat to Suchdol, at double-quick, and in ragged ever-lengthening +line; but stand here, keeping rank all night, on the Planian-Kolin +upland of the Kamhayek:—behold, they have actually beaten Friedrich; +for the first time, not been beaten by him. Clearly beaten that +Friedrich, by some means or other. With such a result, too; consider +it,—drawn sword was at our throat; and marvellously now it is turned +round upon his (if Daun be alert), and we—let us rejoice to all +lengths, and sing TE-DEUM and TE-DAUNUM with one throat, till the +Heavens echo again. + + There was quite a hurricane, or lengthened storm, of jubilation +and tripudiation raised at Vienna on this victory: New ORDER OF MARIA +THERESA, in suitable Olympian fashion, with no end of regulating and +inaugurating,—with Daun the first Chief of it; and "Pensions to Merit" +a conspicuous part of the plan, we are glad to see. It subsists to this +day: the grandest Military Order the Austrians yet have. Which +then deafened the world, with its infinite solemnities, patentings, +discoursings, trumpetings, for a good while. As was natural, surely, to +that high Imperial Lady with the magnanimous heart; to that loyal solid +Austrian People with its pudding-head. Daun is at the top of the Theresa +Order, and of military renown in Vienna circles;—of Lieutenant-Colonel +Benkendorf I never heard that he got the least pension or +recognition;—continued quietly a military lion to discerning men, for +the rest of his days. ["Died at Dresden, General of Cavalry," 5th May, +1801 (Rodenbeck, i. 338, 339).] +</pre> + <p> + Nay once, on Dauu's TE-DEUM day, he had a kind of recognition;—and + even, by good accident, can tell us of it in his own words: [Kutzen + (citing some BIOGRAPHY of Benkendorf), p. 143.]— + </p> + <p> + "I was sent for to head-quarters by a trumpeter,"—Benkendorf was,—"when + all was ready for the TE-DEUM. Feldmarschall Daun was pleased to say at + sight of me, 'That as I had had so much to do with the victory, it was but + right I should thank our Herr Gott along with him.' Having no change of + clothes,—as the servant, who was to have a uniform and some linens + ready for me, had galloped off during the Fight, and our baggage was all + gone to rearward,—I tried to hustle out of sight among the crowd of + Imperial Officers all in gala: but the reigning Duke of Wurtemberg + [Wilhelmina's Son-in-law, a perverse obstinate Herr, growing ever more + perverse; one of Wilhelmina's sad afflictions in these days] called me to + him, and said, 'He would give his whole wardrobe, could he wear that dusty + coat with such honor as I!'"—yes; and tried hard, in his perverse + way, for some such thing; but never could, as we shall see. + </p> + <p> + How lucky that Polish Majesty had some remains of Cavalry still at Warsaw + in the Pirna time; that they were made into a Saxon Brigade, and taken + into the Austrian service; Brigade of three Regiments, Nostitz for Chief, + and this Benkendorf a Lieutenant-Colonel, among them;—and that + Polish Majesty, though himself lost, has been the saving of Austria twice + within one year! + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter V.—FRIEDRICH AT LEITMERITZ, HIS WORLD OF ENEMIES COMING ON. + </h2> + <p> + Of Friedrich's night-thoughts at Nimburg; how he slept, and what his + dreams were, we have no account. Seldom did a wearied heart sink down into + oblivion on such terms. By narrow miss, the game gone; and with such + results ahead. It was a right valiant plunge this that he made, with all + his strength and all his skill, home upon the heart of his chief enemy. To + quench his chief enemy before another came up: it was a valiant plan, and + valiantly executed; and it has failed. To dictate peace from the walls of + Vienna: that lay on the cards for him this morning; and at night—? + Kolin is lost, the fruit of Prag Victory too is lost; and Schwerin and new + tens of thousands, unreplaceable for worth in this world, are lost; much + is lost! Courage, your Majesty, all is not lost, you not, and honor not. + </p> + <p> + To the young Graf von Anhalt, on the road to Nimburg, he is recorded to + have said, "Don't you know, then, that every man must have his reverses + (MAIS NE SAVEZ-VOUS DONC PAS QUE CHAQUE HOMME DOIT AVOIR SES REVERS)? It + appears I am to have mine." [Rodenbeck, i. 309.] And more vaguely, in the + Anecdote-Books, is mention of some stanch ruggedly pious old Dragoon, who + brought, in his steel cap, from some fine-flowing well he had discovered, + a draught of pure water to the King; old Mother Earth's own gift, through + her rugged Dragoon, exquisite refection to the thirsty wearied soul; and + spoke, in his Dragoon dialect,—"Never mind, your Majesty! DER + ALLMACHTIGE and we; It shall be mended yet. 'The Kaiserin may get a + victory for once; but does that send us to the Devil (DAVON HOLT UNS DER + TEUFEL-NICHT)!'"—words of rough comfort, which were well taken. + </p> + <p> + Next morning, several Books, and many Drawings and Sculptures of a dim + unsuccessful nature, give us view of him, at Kimburg; sitting silent "on a + BRUNNEN-ROHR" (Fountain Apparatus, waste-pipe or feeding-pipe, too high + for convenient sitting): he is stooping forward there, his eyes fixed on + the ground, and is scratching figures in the sand with his stick, as the + broken troops reassemble round him. Archenholtz says: "He surveyed with + speechless feeling the small remnant of his Life-guard of Foot, favorite + First Battalion; 1,000 strong yesterday morning, hardly 400 now;"—gone + the others, in that furious Anti-Stampach outburst which ended the day's + work! "All soldiers of this chosen Battalion were personally known to him; + their names, their age, native place, their history [the pick of his + Ruppin regiment was the basis of it]: in one day, Death had mowed them + down; they had fought like heroes, and it was for him that they had died. + His eyes were visibly wet, down his face rolled silent tears." + [Archenholtz, i. 104, 101; Kutzen, pp. 259, 138; Retzow, i. 142.] + </p> + <p> + In public I never saw other tears from this King,—though in private + I do not warrant him; his sensibilities, little as you would think it, + being very lively and intense. "To work, however!" This King can shake + away such things; and is not given overmuch to retrospection on the + unalterable Past. "Like dewdrops from the lion's mane" (as is figuratively + said); the lion swiftly rampant again! There was manifold swift ordering, + considering and determining, at Nimburg, that day; and towards night + Friedrich shot rapidly into Head-quarters at Prag, where, by order, there + is, as the first thing of all, a very rapid business going on, well + forward by the time he arrives. + </p> + <p> + To fold one's Siege-gear and Army neatly together from those Two + Hill-tops, and march away with them safe, in sight of so many enemies: + this has to be the first and rapidest thing; if this be found possible, as + one calculates it may. After which, the world of enemies, held in the slip + so long, will rush in from all the four winds,—unknown whitherward; + one must wait to see whitherward and how. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich's History for the remaining six months of this Year falls, + accordingly, into three Sections. Section FIRST: Waiting how and towards + what objects his enemies, the Austrians first of all, will advance;—this + lasts for about a month; Friedrich waiting mainly at Leitmeritz, on guard + there both of Saxony and of Silesia, till this slowly declare itself. + Slowly, perhaps almost stupidly, but by no means satisfactorily to + Friedrich, as will be seen! After which, Section SECOND of his History + lasts above two months; Friedrich's enemies being all got to the ground, + and united in hope and resolution to overwhelm and abolish him; but their + plans, positions, operations so extremely various that, for a long time + (end of August to beginning of November), Friedrich cannot tell what to do + with them; and has to scatter himself into thin threads, and roam about, + chiefly in Thuringen and the West of Saxony, seeking something to fight + with, and finding nothing; getting more and more impatient of such paltry + misery; at times nigh desperate; and habitually drifting on desperation as + on a lee shore in the night, despite all his efforts. Till, in Section + THIRD, which goes from November 5th, through December 5th, and into the + New Year, he does find what to do; and does it,—in a forever + memorable way. + </p> + <p> + Three Sections; of which the reader shall successively have some idea, if + he exert himself; though it is only in snatches, suggestive to an active + fancy, that we can promise to dwell on them, especially on the First Two, + which lie pretty much unsurveyable in those chaotic records, like a + world-wide coil of thrums. Let us be swift, in Friedrich's own manner; and + try to disimprison the small portions of essential! Here, partly from + Eye-witnesses, are some Notes in regard to Section First: [Westphalen, <i>Geschichte + der Feldzuge des Herzogs Ferdinand </i> (and a Private Journal of W.'s + there), ii. 13-19; Retzow; &c.]— + </p> + <p> + "SUNDAY, 19th JUNE, At 2 A.M., Major Grant arrives at Prag [must have + started instantly after that of "We two cannot take the battery, your + Majesty!"]—goes to Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick, interim Commander + on the Ziscaberg, with order To raise Siege. Consternation on the part of + some; worse, on the Prince of Prussia's part; the others kept silence at + least,—and set instantly to work. On both Hills, the cannons are + removed (across Moldau the Zisca-Hill ones), batteries destroyed, + Siege-gear neatly gathered up, to go in wagons to Leitmeritz, thence by + boat to Dresden; all this lies ready done, the dangerous part of it done, + when Friedrich arrives. + </p> + <p> + "MONDAY, 20th, before sunrise, Siege raised. At three in the morning + Friedrich marches from the Ziscaberg; to eastward he, to Alt-Bunzlau, + thence to Ah-Lissa,"—Nimburg way, with what objects we shall see. + "Marshal Keith's fine performance. Keith, from the Weissenberg, does not + march, such packing and loading still; all the baggages and artilleries + being with Keith. Not till four in the afternoon did Keith march; but + beautifully then; and folded himself away,—rear-guard under + Schmettau 'retreating checkerwise,' nothing but Tolpatcheries attempting + on him,—westward, Budin-ward, without loss of a linstock, not to + speak of guns. Very prettily done on the part of Keith. By Budin, to + Leitmeritz, he; where the King will join him shortly." + </p> + <p> + Friedrich's errand in Alt-Lissa, eastward, while Keith went westward, was, + To be within due arm's-length of the Moritz-Bevern, or beaten Kolin Army, + which is coming up that way; intending to take post, and do its best, in + those parts, with Zittau Magazine and the Lausitz to rear of it. One of + our Eye-witnesses, a Herr Westphalen, Ferdinand of Brunswick's Secretary,—who, + with his Chief, got into wider fields before long,—yields these + additional particulars face to face:— + </p> + <p> + "TUESDAY, 21st JUNE, 1757. King's Head-quarters in Lissa or neighborhood + till Friday next; which is central for both these movements,—Thursday, + orders seven regiments of horse to reinforce Keith. No symptom yet of + pursuit anywhere. + </p> + <p> + "FRIDAY, 24th. Prince Moritz with the Kolin Army made appearance, all + safe, and is to command here; King intending for Keith. After dinner, and + the due interchange of battalions to that end, King sets off, with Prince + Henri, towards Keith; Head-quarter in Alt-Bunzlau again. SATURDAY NIGHT, + at Melnick; SUNDAY, Gastorf: MONDAY NIGHT, 27th JUNE, Leitmeritz; King + lodges in the Cathedral Close, in sight of Keith, who is on the opposite + side of Elbe,—but the town has a Bridge for to-morrow. 'Never was a + quieter march; not the shadow of a Pandour visible. The Duke [Ferdinand, + my Chief, Chatham's jewel that is to be, and precious to England] has + suffered much from a'—in fact, from a COURS DE VENTRE, temporary + bowel-derangement, which was very troublesome, owing to the excessive + heats by day, and coldness of the nights. + </p> + <p> + "TUESDAY, 28th. Junction with Keith,—Bridge rightly secured, due + party of dragoons and foot left on the right bank, to occupy a height + which covers Leitmeritz. 'Clearing of the Pascopol' (that is, sweeping the + Pandours out of it) is the first business; Colonel Loudon with his + Pandours, a most swift sharpcutting man, being now here in those parts; + doing a deal of mischief. Three days ago, Saturday, 25th, Keith had sent + seven battalions, with the proper steel-besoms, on that Pascopol affair; + Tuesday, on junction, Majesty sends three more: job done on Wednesday; + reported 'done,'—though I should not be surprised," says Westphalen, + "if some little highway robbery still went on among the Mountains up + there." + </p> + <p> + No;—and before quitting hold, what is this that Loudon (on the very + day of the King's arrival, June 27th), on the old Field of Lobositz over + yonder, has managed to do! General Mannstein, wounded at Kolin, happened, + with others in like case, to be passing that way, towards Dresden and + better surgery,—when Loudon's Croats set upon them, scattering their + slight escort: "Quarter, on surrender! Prisoners?" "Never!" answered + Mannstein; "Never!" that too impetuous man, starting out from his + carriage, and snatching a musket: and was instantly cut down there. And so + ends;—a man of strong head, and of heart only too strong. [Preuss, + ii. 58; <i>Militair-Lexikon,</i> iii. 10.] + </p> + <p> + From Prag onwards, here has been a delicate set of operations; perfectly + executed,—thanks to Friedrich's rapidity of shift, and also to the + cautious slowly puzzling mind of Daun. Had Daun used any diligence, had + Daun and Prince Karl been broad awake, together or even singly! But + Friedrich guessed they seldom or never were; that they would spend some + days in puzzling; and that, with despatch, he would have time for + everything. Daun, we could observe, stood singing TE-DEUM, greatly at + leisure, in his old Camp, 20th June, while Friedrich, from the first gray + of morning, and diligently all day long, was withdrawing from the trenches + of Prag,—Friedrich's people, self and goods getting folded out in + the finest gradation, and with perfect success; no Daun to hinder him,—Daun + leisurely doing TE-DEUM, forty miles off, helping on the WRONG side by + that exertion! [Cogniazzo, ii. 367.]—"Poor Browne, he is dead of his + wounds, in Prag yonder," writes Westphalen, in his Leitmeritz Journal, + "news came to us July 1st: men said, 'Ah, that was why they lay asleep.'" + </p> + <p> + Till June 26th, Daun and Karl had not united; nor, except sending out + Loudon and Croats, done anything, either of them. Sunday, June 26th, at + Podschernitz on the old Field of Prag, a week and a day after Kolin, they + did get together; still seemingly a little puzzled, "Shall we follow the + King? Shall we follow Moritz and Bevern?"—nothing clear for some + time, except to send out Pandour parties upon both. Moritz, since parting + with the King in Alt-Bunzlau neighborhood, has gone northward some + marches, thirty miles or so, to JUNG-Bunzlau,—meeting of Iser and + Elbe, surely a good position:—Moritz, on receipt of these Pandour + allowances of his, writes to the King, "Shall we retreat on Zittau, then, + your Majesty? Straight upon Zittau?" Fancy Friedrich's astonishment;—who + well intends to eat the Country first, perhaps to fight if there be + chance, and at least to lie OUTSIDE the doors of Silesia and the Lausitz, + as well as of Saxony here!—and answers, with his own hand, on the + instant: "Your Dilection will not be so mad!" [In Preuss, ii. 58, the + pungent little Autograph in full.] And at once recalls Moritz, and + appoints the Prince of Prussia to go and take command. Who directly went;—a + most important step for the King's interests and his own. Whose fortunes + in that business we shall see before long!— + </p> + <p> + At Leitmeritz the King continues four weeks, with his Army parted in this + way; waiting how the endless hostile element, which begirdles his horizon + all round, will shape itself into combinations, that he may set upon the + likeliest or the needfulest of these, when once it has disclosed itself. + Horizon all round is black enough: Austrians, French, Swedes, Russians, + Reichs Army; closer upon him or not so close, all are rolling in: Saxony, + the Lausitz and Silesia, Brandenburg itself, it is uncertain which of + these may soonest require his active presence. + </p> + <p> + The very day after his arrival in Leitmeritz,—Tuesday, 28th June, + while that junction with Keith was going on, and the troops were defiling + along the Bridge for junction with Keith,—a heavy sorrow had + befallen him, which he yet knew not of. An irreparable Domestic loss; sad + complement to these Military and other Public disasters. Queen Sophie + Dorothee, about whose health he had been anxious, but had again been set + quiet, died at Berlin that day. [Monbijou, 28th June, 1757; born at + Hanover, 27th March, 1687.] In her seventy-first year: of no definite + violent disease; worn down with chagrins and apprehensions, in this black + whirlpool of Public troubles. So far as appears, the news came on + Friedrich by surprise:—"bad cough," we hear of, and of his anxieties + about it, in the Spring time; then again of "improvement, recovery, in the + fine weather;"—no thought, just now, of such an event: and he took + it with a depth of affliction, which my less informed readers are far from + expecting of him. + </p> + <p> + July 2d, the news came: King withdrew into privacy; to weep and bewail + under this new pungency of grief, superadded to so many others. Mitchell + says: "For two days he had no levee; only the Princes dined with him + [Princes Henri and Ferdinand; Prince of Prussia is gone to Jung-Bunzlau, + would get the sad message there, among his other troubles]: yesterday, + July 3d, King sent for me in the afternoon,—the first time he has + seen anybody since the news came:—I had the honor to remain with him + some hours in his closet. I must own to your Lordship I was most sensibly + afflicted to see him indulging his grief, and giving way to the warmest + filial affections; recalling to mind the many obligations he had to her + late Majesty; all she had suffered, and how nobly she bore it; the good + she did to everybody; the one comfort he now had, to think of having tried + to make her last years more agreeable." [<i>Papers and Memoirs,</i> i. + 253; Despatch to Holderness, 4th July (slightly abridged);—see ib. + i. 357-359 (Private Journal). Westphalen, ii. 14. See <i>OEuvres de + Frederic,</i> iv. 182.] In the thick of public business, this kind of mood + to Mitchell seems to have lasted all the time of Leitmeritz, which is + about three weeks yet: Mitchell's Note-books and Despatches, in that part, + have a fine Biographic interest; the wholly human Friedrich wholly visible + to us there as he seldom is. Going over his past Life to Mitchell; brief, + candid, pious to both his Parents;—inexpressibly sad; like moonlight + on the grave of one's Mother, silent that, while so much else is too + noisy! + </p> + <p> + This Friedrich, upon whom the whole world has risen like a mad + Sorcerer's-Sabbath, how safe he once lay in his cradle, like the rest of + us, mother's love wrapping him soft:—and now! These thoughts + commingle in a very tragic way with the avalanche of public disasters + which is thundering down on all sides. Warm tears the meed of this new + sorrow; small in compass, but greater in poignancy than all the rest + together. "My poor old Mother, oh, my Mother, that so loved me always, and + would have given her own life to shelter mine!"—It was at + Leitmeritz, as I guess, that Mitchell first made decisive acquaintance, + what we may almost call intimacy, with the King: we already defined him as + a sagacious, long-headed, loyal-hearted diplomatic gentleman, Scotch by + birth and by turn of character; abundantly polite, vigilant, discreet, and + with a fund of general sense and rugged veracity of mind; whom Friedrich + at once recognized for what he was, and much took to, finding a hearty + return withal; so that they were soon well with one another, and continued + so. Mitchell, as orders were, "attended the King's person" all through + this War, sometimes in the blaze of battle itself and nothing but + cannon-shot going, if it so chanced; and has preserved, in his + multifarious Papers, a great many traits of Friedrich not to be met with + elsewhere. + </p> + <p> + Mitchell's occasional society, conversation with a man of sense and manly + character, which Friedrich always much loved, was, no doubt, a resource to + Friedrich in his lonely roamings and vicissitudes in those dark years. No + other British Ambassador ever had the luck to please him or be pleased by + him,—most of them, as Ex-Exchequer Legge and the like + Ex-Parliamentary people, he seems to have considered dull, obstinate, + wooden fellows, of fantastic, abrupt rather abstruse kind of character, + not worth deciphering;—some of them, as Hanbury Williams, with the + mischievous tic (more like galvanism or St.-Vitus'-dance) which he called + "wit," and the inconvenient turn for plotting and intriguing, Friedrich + could not endure at all, but had them as soon as possible recalled,—of + course, not without detestation on their part. + </p> + <p> + At Leitmeritz, it appears, he kept withdrawn to his closet a good deal; + gave himself up to his sorrows and his thoughts; would sit many hours + drowned in tears, weeping bitterly like a child or a woman. This is + strange to some readers; but it is true,—and ought to alter certain + current notions. Friedrich, flashing like clear steel upon evildoers and + mendacious unjust persons and their works, is not by nature a cruel man, + then, or an unfeeling, as Rumor reports? Reader, no, far the reverse;—and + public Rumor, as you may have remarked, is apt to be an extreme blockhead, + full of fury and stupidity on such points, and had much better hold its + tongue till it know in some measure. Extreme sensibility is not sure to be + a merit; though it is sure to be reckoned one, by the greedy dim fellows + looking idly on: but, in any case, the degree of it that dwelt (privately, + for most part) in Friedrich was great; and to himself it seemed a sad + rather than joyful fact. Speaking of this matter, long afterwards, to + Garve, a Silesian Philosopher, with whom he used to converse at Breslau, + he says;—or let dull Garve himself report it, in the literal + third-person:— + </p> + <p> + "And herein, I," the Herr Garve (venturing to dispute, or qualify, on one + of his Majesty's favorite topics), "believe, lies the real ground of + 'happiness:' it is the capacity and opportunity to accomplish great + things. This the King would not allow; but said, That I did not + sufficiently take into account the natural feelings, different in + different people, which, when painful, imbittered the life of the highest + as of the lowest. That, in his own life, he had experienced the deepest + sufferings of this kind: 'And,' added he, with a touching tone of kindness + and familiarity, which never occurred again in his interviews with me, 'if + you (ER) knew, for instance, what I underwent on the death of my Mother, + you would see that I have been as unhappy as any other, and unhappier than + others, because of the greater sensibility I had (WEIL ICH MEHR + EMPFINDLICHKEIT GEHABT HABE).'" [<i>Fragmente zur Schilderung des Geistes, + des Charakters und der Regierung Friedrichs des Zweiten,</i> von Christian + Garve (Breslau, 1798), i. 314-316. An unexpectedly dull Book (Garve having + talent and reputation); kind of monotonous Preachment upon Friedrich's + character: almost nothing but the above fraction now derivable from it.] + </p> + <p> + There needed not this new calamity in Friedrich's lot just now! From all + points of the compass, his enemies, held in check so long, are floating + on: the confluence of disasters and ill-tidings, at this time, very great. + From Jung-Bunzlau, close by, his Brother's accounts are bad; and grow ever + worse,—as will be seen! On the extreme West, "July 3d," while + Friedrich at Leitmeritz sat weeping for his Mother, the French take Embden + from him; "July 5th," the Russians, Memel, on the utmost East. June 30th, + six days before, the Russians, after as many months of haggling, did cross + the Border; 37,000 of them on this point; and set to bombarding Memel from + land and sea. Poor Memel (garrison only 700) answered very fiercely, "sank + two of their gunboats" and the like; but the end was as we see,—Feldmarschall + Lehwald able to give no relief. For there were above 70,000 other Russians + (Feldmarschall Apraxin with these latter, and Cossacks and Calmucks more + than enough) crossing elsewhere, south in Tilsit Country, upon old + Lehwald. [<i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> iv. 407-413.] Lehwald, with 30,000, in + such circumstances—what is to become of Preussen and him! Nearer + hand, the Austrians, the French, the very Reichs Army, do now seem intent + on business. + </p> + <p> + The Reichs Execution Army, we saw how Mayer and the Battle of Prag had + checked it in the birth-pangs; and given rise to pangs of another sort; + the poor Reichs Circles generally exclaiming, "What! Bring the war into + our own borders? Bring the King of Prussia on our own throats!"—and + stopping short in their enlistments and preparations; in vain for Austrian + Officials to urge them. Watching there, with awe-struck eye, while the + 12,000 bombs flew into Prag. + </p> + <p> + The Battle of Kolin has reversed all that; and the poor old Reich is again + bent on business in the Execution way. Drumming, committeeing, projecting, + and endeavoring, with all her might, in all quarters; and, from and after + the event of Kolin, holding visible Encampment, in the Nurnberg Country; + fractions of actual troops assembling there. "On the Plains of Furth, + between Furth and Farrenbach, east side the River Regnitz, there was the + Camp pitched," says my Anonymous Friend; who gives me a cheerful + Copperplate of the thing: red pennons, blue, and bright mixed colors; + generals, tents; order-of-battle, and respective rallying points: with + Bamberg Country in front, and the peaks of the Pine Mountains lying + pleasantly behind: a sight for the curious. [J.F.S. (whom I named + ANONYMOUS OF HAMBURG long since; who has boiled down, with great + diligence, the old Newspapers, and gives a great many dates, notes, &c., + without Index), i. 211, 224 (the Copperplate).] It is the same ground + where Mayer was careering lately; neighboring nobility and gentry glad to + come in gala, and dance with Mayer. Hither, all through July, come + contingents straggling in, thicker and thicker; "August 8th," things now + about complete, the Bishop of Bamberg came to take survey of the + Reichs-Heer (Bishop's remarks not given); August 10th, came the young + reigning Duke of Hildburghausen (Duke's grand-uncle is to be Commander), + on like errand; August 11th) the Reichs-Heer got on march. Westward ho!—readers + will see towards what. + </p> + <p> + A truly ELENDE, or miserable, Reichs Execution Army (as the MISprinter had + made it); but giving loud voice in the Gazettes; and urged by every + consideration to do something for itself. Prince of Hildburghausen—a + general of small merit, though he has risen in the Austrian service, and + we have seen him with Seckendorf in old Turk times—has, for his + Kaiser's sake, taken the command; sensible perhaps that glory is not + likely to be rife here; but willing to make himself useful. Kaiser and + Austria urge, everywhere, with all their might: Prince of + Hessen-Darmstadt, who lay on the Weissenberg lately, one of Keith's + distinguished seconds there and a Prussian Officer of long standing, has, + on Kaiser's order, quitted all that, and become Hildburghausen's second + here, in the Camp of Furth; thinking the path of duty lay that way,—though + his Wife, one of the noble women of her age, thought very differently. + [Her Letter to Friedrich, "Berlin, 30th October, 1757," <i>OEuvres de + Frederic,</i> xxvii. ii. 135.] A similar Kaiser's order, backed by what + Law-thunder lay in the Reich, had gone out against Friedrich's own + Brothers, and against every Reichs Prince who was in Friedrich's service; + but, except him of Hessen-Darmstadt, none of them had much minded. [In + Orlich, <i>Furst Moritz von Anhalt Dessau</i> (Berlin, 1842), pp. 74, 75, + Prince Moritz's rather mournful Letter on the subject, with Friedrich's + sharp Answer.] I did not hear that his strategic talent was momentous: but + Prussia had taught him the routine of right soldiering, surely to small + purpose; and Friedrich, no doubt, glanced indignantly at this small thing, + among the many big ones. + </p> + <p> + From about the end of June, the Reichs Army kept dribbling in: the most + inferior Army in the world; no part of it well drilled, most of it not + drilled at all; and for variety in color, condition, method, and military + and pecuniary and other outfit, beggaring description. Hildburghausen does + his utmost; Kaiser the like. The number should have far exceeded 50,000; + but was not, on the field, of above half that number: 25,000; add at least + 8,000 Austrian troops, two regiments of them cavalry; good these 8,000, + the rest bad,—that was the Reichs Execution Army; most inferior + among Armies; and considerable part of it, all the Protestant part, + privately wishing well to Friedrich, they say. Drills itself + multifariously in that Camp between Furth and Farrenbach, on the east side + of Regnitz River. Fancy what a sight to Wilhelmina, if she ever drove that + way; which I think she hardly would. The Baireuth contingent itself is + there; the Margraf would have held out stiff on that point; but Friedrich + himself advised compliance. Margraf of Anspach—perverse tippling + creature, ill with his Wife, I doubt—has joyfully sent his legal + hundreds; will vote for the Reichs Ban against this worst of Germans, whom + he has for Brother-in-law. Dark days in the heart of Wilhelmina, those of + the Camp at Furth. Days which grow ever darker, with strange flashings out + of empyrean lightning from that shrill true heart; no peace more, till the + noble heroine die!— + </p> + <p> + This ELENDE Reichs-Heer, miserable "Army of the Circles," is mockingly + called "the Hoopers, Coopers (TONNELIERS)," and gets quizzing enough, + under that and other titles, from an Opposition Public. Far other from the + French and Austrians; who are bent that it should do feats in the world, + and prove impressive on a robber King. Thus too, "for Deliverance of + Saxony," to co-operate with Reichs-Heer in that sacred object, thanks to + the zeal of Pompadour, Prince de Soubise has got together, in Elsass, a + supplementary 30,000 (40,330 said Theory, but Fact never quite so many): + and is passing them across the Rhine, in Frankfurt Country, all through + July, while the drilling at Furth goes on. With these, Soubise, + simultaneously getting under way, will steer northeastward; join the + Reichs-Heer about Erfurt, before August end; and—and we shall see + what becomes of the combined Soubise and Reichs Army after that! + </p> + <p> + It must be owned, the French, Pompadour and love of glory urging, are + diligent since the event of Kolin. In select Parisian circles, the Soubise + Army, or even that of D'Estrees altogether,—produced by the tears of + a filial Dauphiness,—is regarded as a quasi-sacred, or uncommonly + noble thing; and is called by her name, "L'ARMEE DE LA DAUPHINE;" or for + shortness "LA DAUPHINE" without adjunct. Thus, like a kind of chivalrous + Bellona, vengeance in her right hand, tears and fire in her eyes, the + DAUPHINESS advances; and will join Reichs-Heer at Erfurt before August + end. Such the will of Pompadour; Richelieu encouraging, for reasons of his + own. Soubise, I understand, is privately in pique against poor D'Estrees; + ["Reappeared unexpectedly in Paris [from D'Estree's Army], 22d June" (four + days after Kolin): got up this DAUPHINESS ARMY, by aid of Pompadour, with + Richelieu, &c.: BARBIER, iv. 227, 231. Richelieu "busy at Strasburg + lately" (29th July: Collini's VOLTAIRE, p. 191).] and intends to eclipse + him by a higher style of diligence; though D'Estrees too is doing his + best. + </p> + <p> + July 3d, we saw the D'Estrees people taking Embden; D'Estrees, quiet so + long in his Camp at Bielefeld, had at once bestirred himself, Kolin being + done;—shot out a detachment leftwards, and Embden had capitulated + that day. Adieu to the Shipping Interests there, and to other pleasant + things! "July 9th, after sunset," D'Estrees himself got on march from + Bielefeld; set forth, in the cool of night, 60,000 strong, and 10,000 more + to join him by the road (the rest are left as garrisons, reserves,—1,000 + marauders of them swing as monitory pendulums, on their various trees, for + one item),—direct towards Hanover and Royal Highness of Cumberland; + who retreats, and has retreated, behind the Ems, the Weser, back, ever + back; and, to appearance, will make a bad finish yonder. + </p> + <p> + To Friedrich, waiting at Leitmeritz, all these things are gloomily known; + but the most pressing of them is that of the Austrians and Jung-Bunzlau + close by. Let us give some utterances of his to Wilhelmina, nearly all we + have of direct from him in that time; and then hasten to the Prince of + Prussia there:— + </p> + <p> + FRIEDRICH TO WILHELMINA (at Baireuth). + </p> + <p> + LEITMERITZ, 1st JULY, 1757.... "Sensible as heart can be to the tender + interest you deign to take in what concerns me. Dear Sister, fear nothing + on my score: men are always in the hand of what we call Fate" + ("Predestination, GNADENWAHL,"—Pardon us, Papa!—"CE QU'ON + NOMME LE DESTIN); accidents will befall people, walking on the streets, + sitting in their room, lying in their bed; and there are many who escape + the perils of war.... I think, through Hessen will be the safest route for + your Letters, till we see; and not to write just now except on occasions + of importance. Here is a piece in cipher; anonymous,"—intended for + the Newspapers, or some such road. + </p> + <p> + JULY 5th. "By a Courier of Plotho's, returning to Regensburg [who passes + near you], I write to apprise my dear Sister of the new misery which + overwhelms us. We have no longer a Mother. This loss puts the crown on my + sorrows. I am obliged to act; and have not time to give free course to my + tears. Judge, I pray you, of the situation of a feeling heart put to so + cruel a trial. All losses in the world are capable of being remedied; but + those which Death causes are beyond the reach of hope." + </p> + <p> + JULY 7th. "You are too good; I am ashamed to abuse your indulgence. But + do, since you will, try to sound the French, what conditions of Peace they + would demand; one might judge as to their intentions. Send that Mirabeau + (CE M. DE MIRABEAU) to France. Willingly will I pay the expense. He may + offer as much as five million thalers [750,000 pounds] to the Favorite + [yes, even to the Pompadour] for Peace alone. Of course, his utmost + discretion will be needed;"—should the English get the least wind of + it! But if they are gone to St. Vitus, and fail in every point, what can + one do? CE M. DE MIRABEAU, readers will be surprised to learn, is an Uncle + of the great Mirabeau's; who has fallen into roving courses, gone abroad + insolvent; and "directs the Opera at Baireuth," in these years!—One + Letter we will give in full:— + </p> + <p> + "LEITMERITZ, 13th July, 1757. + </p> + <p> + "MY DEAREST SISTER,—Your Letter has arrived: I see in it your + regrets for the irreparable loss we have had of the best and worthiest + Mother in this world. I am so struck down with all these blows from within + and without, that I feel myself in a sort of Stupefaction. + </p> + <p> + "The French have just laid hold of Friesland [seized Embden, July 3d]; are + about to pass the Weser: they have instigated the Swedes to declare War + against me; the Swedes are sending 17,000 men [rather more if anything; + but they proved beautifully ineffectual] into Pommern,"—will be + burdensome to Stralsund and the poor country people mainly; having no + Captain over them but a hydra-headed National Palaver at home, and a + Long-pole with Cocked-hat on it here at hand. "The Russians are besieging + Memel [have taken it, ten days ago]: Lehwald has them on his front and in + his rear. The Troops of the Reich," from your Plains of Furth yonder, "are + also about to march. All this will force me to evacuate Bohemia, so soon + as that crowd of Enemies gets into motion. + </p> + <p> + "I am firmly resolved on the extremest efforts to save my Country. We + shall see (QUITTE A VOIR) if Fortune will take a new thought, or if she + will entirely turn her back upon me. Happy the moment when I took to + training myself in philosophy! There is nothing else that can sustain the + soul in a situation like mine. I spread out to you, dear Sister, the + detail of my sorrows: if these things regarded only myself, I could stand + it with composure; but I am bound Guardian of the safety and happiness of + a People which has been put under my charge. There lies the sting of it: + and I shall have to reproach myself with every fault, if, by delay or by + over-haste, I occasion the smallest accident; all the more as, at present, + any fault may be capital. + </p> + <p> + "What a business! Here is the liberty of Germany, and that Protestant + Cause for which so much blood has been shed; here are those Two great + Interests again at stake; and the pinch of this huge game is such, that an + unlucky quarter of an hour may establish over Germany the tyrannous + domination of the House of Austria forever! I am in the case of a + traveller who sees himself surrounded and ready to be assassinated by a + troop of cut-throats, who intend to share his spoils. Since the League of + Cambrai [1508-1510, with a Pope in it and a Kaiser and Most Christian + King, iniquitously sworn against poor Venice;—to no purpose, as + happily appears], there is no example of such a Conspiracy as that + infamous Triumvirate [Austria, France, Russia] now forms against me. Was + it ever seen before, that three great Princes laid plot in concert to + destroy a Fourth, who had done nothing against them? I have not had the + least quarrel either with France or with Russia, still less with Sweden. + If, in common life, three citizens took it into their heads to fall upon + their neighbor, and burn his house about him, they very certainly, by + sentence of tribunal, would be broken on the wheel. What! and will + Sovereigns, who maintain these tribunals and these laws in their States, + give such example to their subjects?... Happy, my dear Sister, is the + obscure man, whose good sense from youth upwards, has renounced all sorts + of glory; who, in his safe low place, has none to envy him, and whose + fortune does not excite the cupidity of scoundrels! + </p> + <p> + "But these reflections are vain. We have to be what our birth, which + decides, has made us in entering upon this world. I reckoned that, being + King, it beseemed me to think as a Sovereign; and I took for principle, + that the reputation of a Prince ought to be dearer to him than life. They + have plotted against me; the Court of Vienna has given itself the liberty + of trying to maltreat me; my honor commanded me not to suffer it. We have + come to War; a gang of robbers falls on me, pistol in hand: that is the + adventure which has happened to me. The remedy is difficult: in desperate + diseases there are no methods but desperate ones. + </p> + <p> + "I beg a thousand pardons, dear Sister: in these three long pages I talk + to you of nothing but my troubles and affairs. A strange abuse it would be + of any other person's friendship. But yours, my dear Sister, yours is + known to me; and I am persuaded you are not impatient when I open my heart + to you:—a heart which is yours altogether; being filled with + sentiments of the tenderest esteem, with which I am, my dearest Sister, + your [in truth, affectionate Brother at all times] F." [<i>OEuvres de + Frederic,</i> xxvii. i. 294, 295, 296-298.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0013" id="link2H_4_0013"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + PRINCE AUGUST WILHELM FINDS A BAD PROBLEM AT JUNG-BUNZLAU; AND DOES IT + BADLY: FRIEDRICH THEREUPON HAS TO RISE FROM LEITMERITZ, AND TAKE THE FIELD + ELSEWHERE, IN BITTER HASTE AND IMPATIENCE, WITH OUTLOOKS WORSE THAN EVER. + </h2> + <p> + The Prince of Prussia's Enterprise had its intricacies; but, by good + management, was capable of being done. At least, so Friedrich thought;—though, + in truth, it would have been better had Friedrich gone himself, since the + chief pressure happened to fall there! The Prince has to retire, + Parthian-like, as slowly as possible, with the late Kolin or Moritz-Bevern + Army, towards the Lausitz, keeping his eye upon Silesia the while; of + course securing the passes and strong places in his passage, for defence + of his own rear at lowest; especially securing Zittau, a fine opulent + Town, where his chief Magazine is, fed from Silesia now. The Army is in + good strength (guess 30,000), with every equipment complete, in + discipline, in health and in heart, such as beseems a Prussian Army,—probably + longing rather, if it venture to long or wish for anything not yet + commanded, to have a stroke at those Austrians again, and pay them + something towards that late Kolin score. + </p> + <p> + The Prince arrived at Jung-Bunzlau, June 30th; Winterfeld with him, and, + at his own request, Schmettau. The Austrians have not yet stirred: if they + do, it may be upon the King, it may be upon the Prince: in three or even + in two marches, Prince and King can be together,—the King only too + happy, in the present oppressive coil of doubts, to find the Austrians + ready for a new passage of battle, and an immediate decision. The + Austrians did, in fact, break out,—seemingly, at first, upon the + King; but in reality upon the Prince, whom they judge safer game; and the + matter became much more critical upon him than had been expected. + </p> + <p> + The Prince was thought to have a good judgment (too much talk in it, we + sometimes feared), and fair knowledge in military matters. The King, not + quite by the Prince's choice, has given him Winterfeld for Mentor; + Winterfeld, who has an excellent military head in such matters, and a + heart firm as steel,—almost like a second self in the King's + estimation. Excellent Winterfeld;—but then there are also Schmettau, + Bevern and others, possibly in private not too well affected to this + Winterfeld. In fact, there is rather a multitude of Counsellers;—and + an ingenuous fine-spirited Prince, perhaps more capable of eloquence on + the Opposition side, than of condensing into real wisdom a multitude of + counsels, when the crisis rises, and the affair becomes really difficult. + Crisis did rise: the victorious Austrians, after such delay, had finally + made up their minds to press this one a little, this one rather than the + King, and hang upon his skirts; Daun and Prince Karl set out after him, + just about the time of his arrival,—"70,000 strong," the Prince + hears; including plenty of Pandours. Certain it is, the poor Prince's mind + did flounder a good deal; and his procedures succeeded extremely ill on + this occasion. Certain, too, that they were extremely ill-taken at + head-quarters: and that he even died soon after,—chiefly of broken + heart, said the censorious world. It is well known how Europe rang with + the matter for a long while; and Books were printed, and Documents, and + COLLECTIONS BY A MASTER'S HAND. [<i>Lettres Secretes touchant la Deniere + Guerre; de Main de Maitre; divisees en deux parties</i> (Francfort et + Amsterdam, 1772): this is the Prince's own Statement, Proof in hand. By + far the clearest Account is in <i>Schmettau's Leben</i> (by his Son), pp. + 353-384. See also Preuss, ii. 57-61, and especially ii. 407.] We, who can + spend but a page or two on it, must carefully stand by the essential part. + </p> + <p> + "JUNE 30th-JULY 3d, Prince at Jung-Bunzlau, in chief command. Besides + Winterfeld, the Generals under him are Ziethen, Schmettau, Fouquet, + Retzow, Goltz, and two others who need not be of our acquaintance. + Impossible to stay there, thinks the Prince, thinks everybody; and they + shift to Neuschloss, westward thirty miles. July 1st, Daun had crossed the + Elbe (Daun let us say for brevity, though it is Daun and Karl, or even + Karl and Daun, Karl being chief, and capable of saying so at times, though + Daun is very splendent since Kolin),—crossed the Elbe above + Brandeis; Nadasti, with precursor Pandours, now within an hour's march of + Jung-Bunzlau;—and it was time to go. + </p> + <p> + "JULY 3d-6th, At Neuschloss, which is thought a strong position, key of + the localities there, and nearer Friedrich too, the Prince stayed not + quite four days; shifted to Bohm (BohmISCH) Leipa, JULY 7th,—rather + off from Leitmeritz, but a march towards Zittau, where the provisions are. + 'A bad change,' said the Prince's friends afterwards; (change advised by + Winterfeld,—who never mentioned that circumstance to his Majesty, + many as he did mention, not in the best way!'—Prince gets to Bohm + Leipa July 7th; stays there, in questionable circumstances, nine days. + </p> + <p> + "Bohm Leipa is still not above thirty miles northeastward of the King; and + it is about the same distance southwestward from Zittau, out of which fine + Town, partly by cross-roads, the Prince gets his provisions on this march. + From Zittau hitherward, as far as the little Town of Gabel, which lies + about half way, there is broad High Road, the great Southern + KAISER-STRASSE: from Gabel, for Bohm Leipa, you have to cross + southwestward by country roads; the keys to which, especially Gabel, the + Prince has not failed to secure by proper garrison parties. And so, for + about a week, not quite uncomfortably, he continues at Bohm Leipa; getting + in his convoys from Zittau. Diligently scanning the Pandour stragglings + and sputterings round him, which are clearly on the increasing hand. + Diligently corresponding with the King, meanwhile; who much discourages + undue apprehension, or retreat movement till the last pinch. 'Edging + backward, and again backward, you come bounce upon Berlin one day, and + will then have to halt!'—which is not pleasant to the Prince. But, + indisputably, the Pandour spurts on him do become Pandour gushings, with + regulars also noticeable: it is certain the Austrians are out,—pretending + first to mean the King and Leitmeritz; but knowing better, and meaning the + Prince and Bohm Leipa all the while."—By way of supplement, take + Daun's positions in the interim:— + </p> + <p> + Daun and Karl were at Podschernitz 26th June; 1st July, cross the Elbe, + above Brandeis (Nadasti now within an hour's march of Jung-Bunzlau); 7th + July (day while the Prince is flitting to Bohm Leipa), Daun is through + Jung-Bunzlau to Munchengratz; thence to Liebenau; 14th, to Niemes, not + above four miles from the Prince's rightmost outpost (rightmost or + eastmost, which looks away from his Brother); while a couple of advanced + parties, Beck and Maguire, hover on his flank Zittau-ward, and Nadasti (if + he knew it) is pushing on to rear. + </p> + <p> + "THURSDAY, 14th JULY, About six in the evening, at Bohm Leipa, distinct + cannon-thunder is heard from northeast: 'Evidently Gabel getting + cannonaded, and our wagon convoy [empty, going to Zittau for meal, General + Puttkammer escorting] is in a dangerous state!' And by and by hussar + parties of ours come in, with articulate news to that bad effect: 'Gabel + under hot attack of regulars; Puttkammer with his 3,000 vigorously + defending, will expect to be relieved within not many hours!' Here has the + crisis come. Crisis sure enough;—and the Prince, to meet it, summons + that refuge of the irresolute, a Council of War. + </p> + <p> + "Winterfeld, who is just come home in these moments, did not attend;—not, + till three next morning. Winterfeld had gone to bed; fairly 'tired dead,' + with long marching and hurrying about. To the poor Prince there are three + courses visible. Course FIRST, That of joining the King at Leitmeritz. + Gabel, Zittau lost in that case; game given up;—reception likely to + be bad at Leitmeritz! Course SECOND,—the course Friedrich himself + would at once have gone upon, and been already well ahead with,—That + of instantly taking measures for the relief of Puttkammer. Dispute Gabel + to the last; retreat, on loss of it, Parthian-like, to Zittau, by that + broad Highway, short and broad, whole distance hence only thirty miles. + 'Thirty miles,' say the multitude of Counsellors: 'Yes, but the first + fifteen, TO Gabel, is cross-road, hilly, difficult; they have us in + flank!' 'We are 25,000,' urges the Prince; 'fifteen miles is not much!' + The thing had its difficulties: the Prince himself, it appears, faintly + thought it feasible: '25,000 we; 20,000 they; only fifteen miles,' said + he. But the variety of Counsellors: 'Cross-roads, defiles, flank-march, + dangerous,' said they. And so the third course, which was incomparably the + worst, found favor in Council of War: That of leaving Gabel and Puttkammer + to their fate; and of pushing off for Zittau leftwards through the safe + Hills, by Kamnitz, Kreywitz, Rumburg;—which, if the reader look, is + by a circuitous, nay quite parabolic course, twice or thrice as far:—'In + that manner let us save Zittau and our Main Body!' said the Council of + War. Yes, my friends: a cannon-ball, endeavoring to get into Zittau from + the town-ditch, would have to take a parabolic course;—and the + cannon-ball would be speedy upon it, and not have Hill roads to go by! + This notable parabolic circuit of narrow steep roads may have its + difficulties for an Army and its baggages!" Enough, the poor Prince + adopted that worst third course; and even made no despatch in getting into + it; and it proved ruinous to Zittau, and to much else, his own life partly + included. + </p> + <p> + "JULY 16th-22d. Thursday night, or Friday 3 A.M., that third and + incomparably worst course was adopted: Gabel, Puttkammer with his wagons, + ensigns, kettledrums, all this has to surrender in a day: High Road to + Zittau, for the Austrians, is a smooth march, when they like to gather + fully there, and start. And in the Hills, with their jolts and precipitous + windings, infested too by Pandours, the poor Prussian Main Body, on its + wide parabolic circuit, has a time of it! Loses its pontoons, loses most + of its baggage; obliged to set fire, not to the Pandours, but to your own + wagons, and necessaries of army life; encamps on bleak heights; no food, + not even water; road quite lost, road to be rediscovered or invented; + Pandours sputtering on you out of every bush and hollow, your peasant + wagoners cutting traces and galloping off:—such are the phenomena of + that march by circuit leftward, on the poor Prince's part. March began, + soon after midnight, SATURDAY, 16th, Schmettau as vanguard; and"— + </p> + <p> + And, in fine, by FRIDAY, 22d, after not quite a week of it, the Prince, + curving from northward (in parabolic course, LESS speedy than the + cannon-ball's would have been) into sight of Zittau,—behold, there + are the Austrians far and wide to left of us, encamped impregnable behind + the Neisse River there! They have got the Eckart's Hill, which commands + Zittau:—and how to get into Zittau and our magazines, and how to + subsist if we were in? The poor Prince takes post on what Heights there + are, on his own side of the Neisse; looks wistfully down upon Zittau, + asking How? + </p> + <p> + About stroke of noon the Austrians, from their Eckartsberg, do a thing + which was much talked of. They open battery of red-hot balls upon Zittau; + kindle the roofs of it, shingle-roofs in dry July; set Zittau all on + blaze, the 10,000 innocent souls shrieking in vain to Heaven and Earth; + and before sunset, Zittau is ashes and red-hot walls, not Zittau but a + cinder-heap,—Prussian Garrison not hurt, nor Magazine as yet; + Garrison busy with buckets, I should guess, but beginning to find the air + grow very hot. On the morrow morning, Zittau is a smouldering cinder-heap, + hotter and hotter to the Prussian Garrison; and does not exist as a City. + </p> + <p> + One of the most inhuman actions ever heard of in War, shrieks universal + Germany; asks itself what could have set a chivalrous Karl upon this + devil-like procedure? "Protestants these poor Zittauers were; shone in + commerce; no such weaving, industrying, in all Teutschland elsewhere: Hah! + An eye-sorrow, they, with their commerce, their weavings and industryings, + to Austrian Papists, who cannot weave or trade?" that was finally the + guess of some persons;—wide of the mark, we may well judge. Prince + Xavier of Saxony, present in the Camp too, made no remonstrance, said + others. Alas, my friends, what could Xavier probably avail, the foolish + fellow, with only three regiments? Prince Karl, it was afterwards evident, + could have got Zittau unburnt; and could even have kept the Prussians out + of Zittau altogether. Zittau surely would have been very useful to Prince + Karl. But overnight (let us try to fancy it so), not knowing the Prussian + possibilities, Prince Karl, screwed to the devilish point, had got his + furnaces lighted, his red-hot balls ready; and so, hurried on by his Pride + and by his other Devils, had,—There are devilish things sometimes + done in War. And whole cities are made ashes by them. For certain, here is + a strange way of commencing your "Deliverance of Saxony"! And Prince Karl + carries, truly, a brand-mark from this conflagration, and will till all + memory of him cease. As to Zittau, it rebuilt itself. Zittau is alive + again; a strong stone city, in our day. On its new-built Town-house stands + again "BENE FACERE ET MALE AUDIRE REGIUM EST, To do well, and be ill + spoken of, is the part of kings" [A saying of Alexander the Great's + (Plutarch, in ALEXANDRE).] (amazingly true of them,—when they are + not shams). What times for Herrnhuth; preparing for its Christian Sabbath, + under these omens near by! + </p> + <p> + The Prince of Prussia tells us, he "early next morning (Saturday, 23d + July) had his tents pitched;" which was but an unavailing procedure, with + poor Zittau gone such a road. "Bring us bread out of that ruined Zittau," + ordered the Prince: his Detachment returns ineffectual, "So hot, we cannot + march in." And the Garrison Colonel (one Dierecke and five battalions are + garrison) sends out word: "So hot, we cannot stand it." "Stand it yet a + very little; and—!" answers the Prince: but Dierecke and battalions + cannot, or at least cannot long enough; and set to marching out. In firm + order, I have no doubt, and with some modicum of bread: but the tumbling + of certain burnt walls parted Colonel and men, in a sad way. Colonel + himself, with the colors, with the honors (none of his people, it seems, + though they were scattered loose), was picked up by an Austrian party, and + made prisoner. A miserable business, this of Zittau! + </p> + <p> + Next, evening, Sunday, after dark, Prince of Prussia strikes his tents + again; rolls off in a very unsuccinct condition; happily unchased, for he + admits that chase would have been ruinous. Off towards Lobau (what nights + for Zinzendorf and Herrnhuth, as such things tumble past them!); thence + towards Bautzen; and arrives in the most lugubrious torn condition any + Prussian General ever stood in. Reaches Bautzen on those terms;—and + is warned that his Brother will be there in a day or two. + </p> + <p> + One may fancy Friedrich's indignation, astonishment and grief, when he + heard of that march towards Zittau through the Hills by a parabolic + course; the issue of which is too guessable by Friedrich. He himself + instantly rises from Leitmeritz; starts, in fit divisions, by the + Pascopol, by the Elbe passes, for Pirna; and, leaving Moritz of Dessau + with a 10,000 to secure the Passes about Pirna, and Keith to come on with + the Magazines, hastens across for Bautzen, to look into these advancing + triumphant Austrians, these strange Prussian proceedings. On first hearing + of that side-march, his auguries had been bad enough; [Letter to + Wilhelmina "Linay, 22d July" (second day of the march from Leitmeritz); <i>OEuvres,</i> + xxvii. i. 298.] but the event has far surpassed them. Zittau gone; the + Army hurrying home, as if in flight, in that wrecked condition; the door + of Saxony, door of Silesia left wide open,—Daun has only to choose! + Day by day, as Friedrich advanced to repair that mischief, the news of it + have grown worse on him. Days rife otherwise in mere bad news. The + Russians in Memel, Preussen at their feet; Soubise's French and the + Reich's Army pushing on for Erfurt, to "deliver Saxony," on that western + side: and from the French-English scene of operations—In those same + bad days Royal Highness of Cumberland has been doing a feat worth notice + in the above connection! Read this, from an authentic source:— + </p> + <p> + "HASTENBECK, 22d-26th JULY, 1757. Royal Highness, hitching back and back, + had got to Hameln, a strong place of his on the safe side of the Weser; + and did at last, Hanover itself being now nigh, call halt; and resolve to + make a stand. July 22d [very day while the Prince of Prussia came in sight + of Zittau, with the Austrians hanging over it], Royal Highness took post + in that favorable vicinity of Hameln; at perfect leisure to select his + ground: and there sat waiting D'Estrees,—swamps for our right wing, + and the Weser not far off; small Hamlet of Hastenbeck in front, and a + woody knoll for our left;—totally inactive for four days long; + attempting nothing upon D'Estrees and his intricate shufflings, but + looking idly noonward to the courses of the sun, till D'Estrees should + come up. Royal Highness is much swollen into obesity, into flabby torpor; + a changed man since Fontenoy times; shockingly inactive, they say, in this + post at Hastenbeck. D'Estrees, too, is ridiculously cautious, 'has + manoeuvred fifteen days in advancing about as many British miles.' + D'Estrees did at last come up (July 25th), nearly two to one of Royal + Highness,—72,000 some count him, but considerably anarchic in parts, + overwhelmed with Court Generals and Princes of the Blood, for one item;—and + decides on attacking, next morning. D'Estrees duly went to reconnoitre, + but unluckily 'had mist suddenly falling.' 'Well; we must attack, all the + same!' + </p> + <p> + "And so, 26th JULY, Tuesday, there ensued a BATTLE OF HASTENBECK: the + absurdest Battle in the world; and which ought, in fairness, to have been + lost by BOTH, though Royal Highness alone had the ill luck. Both Captains + behaved very poorly; and each of them had a subaltern who behaved well. + D'Estrees, with his 70,000 VERSUS 40,000 posted there, knows nothing of + Royal Highness's position; sees only Royal Highness's left wing on that + woody Height; and after hours of preliminary cannonading, sends out + General Chevert upon that. Chevert, his subaltern [a bit of right + soldier-stuff, the Chevert whom we knew at Prag, in old Belleisle times], + goes upon it like fury; whom the Brunswick Grenadiers resist in like + humor, hotter and hotter. Some hard fighting there, on Royal Highness's + left; Chevert very fiery, Grenadiers very obstinate; till, on the centre, + westward, in Royal Highness's chief battery there, some spark went the + wrong way, and a powder-wagon shot itself aloft with hideous blaze and + roar; and in the confusion, the French rushed in, and the battery was + lost. Which discouraged the Grenadiers; so that Chevert made some progress + upon them, on their woody Height, and began to have confident hope. + </p> + <p> + "Had Chevert known, or had D'Estrees known, there was, close behind said + Height, a Hollow, through which these Grenadiers might have been taken in + rear. Dangerous Hollow, much neglected by Royal Highness, who has only + General Breitenbach with a weak party there. This Breitenbach, happening + to have a head of his own, and finding nothing to do in that Hollow or to + rightward, bursts out, of his own accord, on Chevert's left flank; + cannonading, volleying, horse-charging;—the sound of which ('Hah, + French there too!') struck a damp through Royal Highness, who instantly + ordered retreat, and took the road. What singular ill-luck that sound of + Breitenbach to Royal Highness! For observe, the EFFECT of Breitenbach,—which + was, to recover the lost battery (gallant young Prince of Brunswick, + 'Hereditary Prince,' or Duke that is to be, striking in upon it with + bayonet-charge at the right moment), made D'Estrees to order retreat! + 'Battle lost,' thinks D'Estrees;—and with good cause, had + Breitenbach been supported at all. But no subaltern durst; and Royal + Highness himself was not overtakable, so far on the road. Royal Highness + wept on hearing; the Brunswick Grenadiers too are said to have wept (for + rage); and probably Breitenbach and the Hereditary Prince." [Mauvillon, i. + 228; Anonymous of Hamburg, i. 206 (who gives a Plan and all manner of + details, if needed by anybody); Kausler; &c. &c.] + </p> + <p> + This is the last of Royal Highness's exploits in War. The retreat had been + ordered "To Hanover;" but the baggage by mistake took the road for Minden; + and Royal Highness followed thither,—much the same what road he or + it takes. Friedrich might still hope he would retreat on Magdeburg; 40,000 + good soldiers might find a Captain there, and be valuable against a + D'Estrees and Soubise in those parts. But no; it was through Bremen + Country, to Stade, into the Sea, that Royal Highness, by ill luck, + retreated! He has still one great vexation to give Friedrich,—to us + almost a comfort, knowing what followed out of it;—and will have to + be mentioned one other time in this History, and then go over our horizon + altogether. + </p> + <p> + Whether Friedrich had heard of Hastenbeck the day his Brother and he met + (July 29th, at Bautzen), I do not know: but it is likely enough he may + have got the news that very morning; which was not calculated to increase + one's good humor! His meeting with the Prince is royal, not fraternal, as + all men have heard. Let us give with brevity, from Schmettau Junior, the + exact features of it; and leave the candid reader, who has formed to + himself some notion of kingship and its sorrows and stern conditions + (having perhaps himself some thing of kingly, in a small potential way), + to interpret the matter, and make what he can of it:— + </p> + <p> + "BAUTZEN, 29th JULY, 1757. The King with reinforcement is coming hither, + from the Dresden side; to take up the reins of this dishevelled Zittau + Army; to speed with it against the Austrians, and, if humanly possible, + lock the doors of Silesia and Saxony again, and chase the intruders away. + Prince of Prussia and the other Generals have notice, the night before: + 'At 4 A.M. to-morrow (29th), wait his Majesty.' Prince and Generals wait + accordingly, all there but Goltz and Winterfeld; they not, which is noted. + </p> + <p> + "For above an hour, no King; Prince and Generals ride forward:—there + is the King coming; Prince Henri, Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick and others + in his train. King, noticing them, at about 300 paces distance, drew + bridle; Prince of Prussia did the like, train and he saluting with their + hats, as did the King's train in return. King did not salute;—on the + contrary, he turned his horse round and dismounted, as did everybody else + on such signal. King lay down on the ground, as if waiting the arrival of + his Vanguard; and bade Winterfeld and Goltz sit by him." Poor Prince of + Prussia, and battered heavy-laden Generals!"After a minute or two, Goltz + came over and whispered to the Prince. 'Hither, MEINE HERREN, all of you; + a message from his Majesty!' cried the Prince. Whereupon, to Generals and + Prince, Goltz delivered, in equable official tone, these affecting words: + 'His Majesty commands me to inform your Royal Highness, That he has cause + to be greatly discontented with you; that you deserve to have a + Court-martial held over you, which would sentence you and all your + Generals to death; but that his Majesty will not carry the matter so far, + being unable to forget that in the Chief General he has a Brother!'" + [Schmettau, pp. 384, 385.] + </p> + <p> + The Prince answered, He wanted only a Court-martial, and the like, in + stiff tone. Here is the Letter he writes next day to his Brother, with the + Answer:— + </p> + <p> + PRINCE OF PRUSSIA TO THE KING. + </p> + <p> + "BAUTERN, 30th July, 1757. + </p> + <p> + "MY DEAR BROTHER,—The Letters you have written me, and the reception + I yesterday met with, are sufficient proof that, in your opinion, I have + ruined my honor and reputation. This grieves, but it does not crush me, as + in my own mind I am not conscious of the least reproach. I am perfectly + convinced that I did not act by caprice: I did not follow the counsels of + people incapable of giving good ones; I have done what I thought to be + suitablest for the Army. All your Generals will do me that justice. + </p> + <p> + "I reckon it useless to beg of you to have my conduct investigated: this + would be a favor you would do me; so I cannot expect it. My health has + been weakened by these fatigues, still more by these chagrins. I have gone + to lodge in the Town, to recruit myself. + </p> + <p> + "I have requested the Duke of Bevern to present the Army Reports; he can + give you explanation of everything. Be assured, my dear Brother, that in + spite of the misfortunes which overwhelm me, and which I have not + deserved, I shall never cease to be attached to the State; and as a + faithful member of the same, my joy will be perfect when I learn the happy + issue of your Enterprises. I have the honor to be" + </p> + <p> + AUGUST WILHELM. <i>Main de Maitre,</i> p. 21.] + </p> + <p> + KING'S ANSWER, THE SAME DAY. + </p> + <p> + "CAMP NEAR BAUTZEN, 30th July, 1757. "MY DEAR BROTHER,—Your bad + guidance has greatly deranged my affairs. It is not the Enemy, it is your + ill-judged measures that have done me all this mischief. My Generals are + inexcusable; either for advising you so ill, or in permitting you to + follow resolutions so unwise. Your ears are accustomed to listen to the + talk of flatterers only. Daun has not flattered you;—behold the + consequences. In this sad situation, nothing is left for me but trying the + last extremity. I must go and give battle; and if we cannot conquer, we + must all of us have ourselves killed. + </p> + <p> + "I do not complain of your heart; but I do of your incapacity, of your + want of judgment in not choosing better methods. A man who [like me; mark + the phrase, from such a quarter!] has but a few days to live need not + dissemble. I wish you better fortune than mine has been: and that all the + miseries and bad adventures you have had may teach you to treat important + things with more of care, more of sense, and more of resolution. The + greater part of the misfortunes which I now see to be near comes only from + you. You and your Children will be more overwhelmed by them than I. Be + persuaded nevertheless that I have always loved you, and that with these + sentiments I shall die. FRIEDRICH." [MAIN DE MAITRE, p. 22.] + </p> + <p> + As the King went off to the Heights of Weissenberg, Zittau way, to encamp + there against the Austrians, that same evening, the Prince did not answer + this Letter,—except by asking verbally through Lieutenant-Colonel + Lentulus (a mute Swiss figure, much about the King, who often turns up in + these Histories), "for leave to return to Dresden by the first escort."—"Depends + on himself;—an escort is going this night! answered Friedrich. And + the Prince went accordingly; and, by two stages, got into Dresden with his + escort on the morrow. And had, not yet conscious of it, quitted the Field + of War altogether; and was soon about to quit the world, and die, poor + Prince. Died within a year, 12th June, 1758, at Oranienburg, beside his + Family, where he had latterly been. [Preuss, ii. 60 (ib. 78).]—Winterfeld + was already gone, six months before him; Goltz went, not long after him; + the other Zittau Generals all survived this War. + </p> + <p> + The poor Prince's fate, as natural, was much pitied; and Friedrich, to + this day, is growled at for "inhuman treatment" and so on. Into which + question we do not enter, except to say that Friedrich too had his + sorrows; and that probably his concluding words, "with these sentiments I + shall die," were perfectly true. MAIN DE MAITRE went widely abroad over + the world. The poor Prince's words and procedures were eagerly caught up + by a scrutinizing public,—and some of the former were not too + guarded. At Dresden, he said, one morning, calling on a General Finck whom + we shall hear of again: "Four such disagreeing, thin-skinned, high-pacing + (UNEINIGE, PIQUIRTE) Generals as Fouquet, Schmettau, Winterfeld and Goltz, + about you, what was to be done!" said the Prince to Finck. [Preuss, ii. 79 + n.: see ib. 60, 78.] + </p> + <p> + His Wife, when at last he came to Oranienburg, nursed him fondly; that is + one comfortable fact. Prince Henri, to the last, had privately a grudge of + peculiar intensity, on this score, against all the peccant parties, King + not excepted. As indeed he was apt to have, on various scores, the + jealous, too vehement little man. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich's humor at this time I can guess to have been well-nigh + desperate. He talks once of "a horse, on too much provocation, getting the + bit between its teeth; regardless thenceforth of chasms and precipices:" + [Letter to Wilhelmina, "Linay, 22d July" (cited above).]—though he + himself never carries it to that length; and always has a watchful eye, + when at his swiftest! From Weissenberg, that night, he drives in the + Pandours on Zittau and the Eckartsberg—but the Austrians don't come + out. And, for three weeks in this fierce necessity of being speedy, he + cannot get one right stroke at the Austrians; who sit inexpugnable upon + their Eckart's Hill, bristling with cannon; and can in no way be + manoeuvred down, or forced or enticed into Battle. A baffling, bitterly + impatient three weeks;—two of them the worst two, he spends at + Weissenberg itself, chasing Pandours, and scuffling on the surface, till + Keith and the Magazine-train come up;—even writing Verses now and + then, when the hours get unendurable otherwise! + </p> + <p> + The instant Keith and the Magazines are come he starts for Bernstadt; + 56,000 strong after this junction:—and a Prussian Officer, dating + "Bernstadtel [Bernstadt on the now Maps], 21st August, 1757," sends us + this account; which also is but of preliminary nature:— + </p> + <p> + "AUGUST 15th, Majesty left Weissenberg, and marched hither, much to the + enemy's astonishment, who had lain perfectly quiet for a fortnight past, + fancying they were a mastiff on the door-sill of Silesia: little thinking + to be trampled on in this unceremonious way! General Beck, when our + hussars of the vanguard made appearance, had to saddle and ride as for + life, leaving every rag of baggage, and forty of his Pandours captive. Our + hussars stuck to him, chasing him into Ostritz, where they surprised + General Nadasti at dinner; and did a still better stroke of business: + Nadasti himself could scarcely leap on horseback and get off; left all his + field equipage, coaches, horses, kitchen-utensils, flunkies seventy-two in + number,—and, what was worst of all, a secret box, in which were + found certain Dresden Correspondences of a highly treasonous character, + which now the writers there may quake to think of;"—if Friedrich, or + we, could take much notice of them, in this press of hurries! [<i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> + iv. 595-599.] + </p> + <p> + Next day, August 16th, Friedrich detached five battalions to Gorlitz;—Prince + Karl (he calls it DAUN) still camping on the Eckartsberg;—and + himself, about 4 P.M., with the main Army, marched up to those Austrians + on their Hill, to see if they would fight. [<i>OEuvres de Frederic,</i> + iv. 137.] No, they would n't: they merely hustled themselves round so as + to face him; face him, and even flank him with cannon-batteries if he came + too near. Steep ground, "precipitous front of rocks," in some places. "A + hollow before their front; Village of Wittgenau there, and three roads + through it, ONE of them with width for wheels;" Daun sitting inaccessible, + in short. Next day, Winterfeld, with a detached Division, crossed the + Neisse, tried Nadasti: "Attack Nadasti, on his woody knoll at Hirschfeld + yonder; they will have to rise and save him!" In vain, that too; they let + Nadasti take his own luck: for four days (16th-20th August) everything was + tried, in vain. + </p> + <p> + No Battle to be had from these Austrians. And it would have been so + infinitely convenient to us: Reich's Army and Soubise's French are now in + the actual precincts of Erfurt (August 25th, Soubise took quarter there); + Royal Highness of Cumberland is staggering back into the Sea; Richelieu's + French (not D'Estrees any more, D'Estrees being superseded in this strange + way) are aiming, it is thought, towards Magdeburg, had they once done with + Royal Highness; Swedes are getting hold of Pommern; Russians, in huge + force, of Preussen: how comfortable to have had our Austrians finished + before going upon the others! For four days more (August 20th-24th), + Friedrich arranges his Army for watching the Austrians, and guarding + Silesia;—Bevern and Winterfeld to take command in his absence:—and, + August 25th, has to march; with a small Division, which, at Dresden, he + will increase by Moritz's, now needless in the Pirna Country; towards + Thuringen; to look into Soubise and the Reich's Army, as a thing that + absolutely cannot wait. Arrives in Dresden, Monday, August 29th; and—Or + let the old Newspaper report it, with the features of life:— + </p> + <p> + "DRESDEN, 29th AUGUST, 1757, This day, about noon, his Majesty, with a + part of his Army from the Upper Lausitz, arrived at the Neustadt here. + Though the kitchen had been appointed to be set up at what they call The + Barns (DIE SCHEUNEN), his Majesty was pleased to alight in Konigsbruck + Street, at the new House of Bruhl's Chamberlain, Haller; and there passed + the night. Tuesday evening, 30th, his Majesty the King, with his + Lifeguards of Horse and of Foot, also with the Gens-d'Armes and other + Battalions, marched through the City, about a mile out on the Freiberg + road, and took quarter in Klein Hamberg. The 31st, all the Army followed,"—a + poor 23,000, Moritz and he, that was all! ["22,360" (Templehof, i. 228).]—"the + King's field-equipage, which had been taken from the Bruhl Palace and + packed in twelve wagons, went with them." [Rodenbeck, p. 316; Preuss, ii. + 84 n; Mitchell's Interview (<i>Memoirs and Papers,</i> i. 270).] + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter VI.—DEATH OF WINTERFELD. + </h2> + <p> + Before going upon this forlorn march of Friedrich's, one of the forlornest + a son of Adam ever had, we must speak of a thing which befell to rearward, + while the march was only half done, and which greatly influenced it and + all that followed. It was the seventh day of Friedrich's march, not above + eighty miles of it yet done, when Winterfeld perished in fight. No + Winterfeld now to occupy the Austrians in his absence; to stand between + Silesia and them, or assist him farther in his lonesome struggle against + the world. Let us spend a moment on the exit of that brave man: Bernstadt, + Gorlitz Country, September 7th, 1757. + </p> + <p> + The Bevern Army, 36,000 strong, is still there in its place in the + Lausitz, near Gorlitz; Prince Karl lies quiet in his near Zittau, ever + since he burnt that Town, and stood four days in arms unattackable by + Friedrich with prospect of advantage. The Court of Vienna cannot + comprehend this state of inactivity: "Two to one, and a mere Bevern + against you, the King far away in Saxony upon his desperate Anti-French + mission there: why not go in upon this Bevern? The French, whom we are by + every courier passionately importuning to sweep Saxony clear, what will + they say of this strange mode of sweeping Silesia clear?" Maria Theresa + and her Kriegs-Hofrath are much exercised with these thoughts, and with + French and other remonstrances that come. Maria Theresa and her + Kriegs-Hofrath at length despatch their supreme Kaunitz, Graf Kaunitz in + person, to stir up Prince Karl, and look into the matter with his own wise + eyes and great heart: Prince Karl, by way of treat to this high gentleman, + determines on doing something striking upon Bevern. + </p> + <p> + Bevern lies with his main body about Gorlitz, in and to westward of + Gorlitz, a pleasant Town on the left bank of the Neisse (readers know + there are four Neisses, and which of them this is), with fine hilly + country all round, bulky solitary Heights and Mountains rising out of + fruitful plains,—two Hochkirchs (HIGH-KIRKS), for example, are in + this region, one of which will become extremely notable next year:—Bevern + has a strong camp leaning on the due Heights here, with Gorlitz in its + lap; and beyond Gorlitz, on the right bank of the Neisse, united to him by + a Bridge, he has placed Winterfeld with 10,000, who lies with his back to + Gorlitz, proper brooks and fencible places flanking him, has a Dorf + (THORP) called Moys in HIS lap; and, some short furlong beyond Moys, a + 2,000 of his grenadiers planted on the top of a Hill called the Moysberg, + called also the Holzberg (WOODHILL) and Jakelsberg, of which the reader is + to take notice. Fine outpost, with proper batteries atop, with hussar + squadrons and hussar pickets sprinkled about; which commands a far outlook + towards Silesia, and in marching thither, or in continuing here, is useful + to have in hand,—were it not a little too distant from the main + body. It is this Jakelsberg, capable of being snatched if one is sudden + enough, that Prince Karl decides on: it may be good for much or for little + to Prince Karl; and, if even for nothing, it will be a brilliant affront + upon Winterfeld and Bevern, and more or less charming to Kaunitz. + </p> + <p> + Winterfeld, the ardent enterprising man, King's other self, is thought to + be the mainspring of affairs here (small thanks to him privately from + Bevern, add some): and is stationed in the extreme van, as we see; + Winterfeld is engaged in many things besides the care of this post; and + indeed where a critical thing is to be done, we can imagine Winterfeld + goes upon it. "We must try to stay here till the King has finished in + Saxony!" says Winterfeld always. To which Bevern replies, "Excellent, + truly; but how?" Bevern has his provender at Dresden, sadly far off; has + to hold Bautzen garrisoned, and gets much trouble with his convoys. Better + in Silesia, with our magazines at hand, thinks Bevern, less mindful of + other considerations. + </p> + <p> + Tuesday, September 6th, Prince Karl sends Nadasti to the right bank of the + River, forward upon Moys, to do the Jakelsberg before day to-morrow: only + some 2,000 grenadiers on it; Nadasti has with him 15,000, some count + 20,000 of all arms, artillery in plenty; surely sufficient for the + Jakelsberg; and Daun advances, with the main body, on the other side of + the River, to be within reach, should Moys lead to more serious + consequences. Nadasti diligently marches all day; posts himself at night + within few miles of Moys; gets his cannon to the proper Hills (GALLOWS + Hill and others), his Croats to the proper Woods; and, before daylight on + the morrow, means to begin upon the Moys Hill and its 2,000 grenadiers. + </p> + <p> + Wednesday morning, at the set hour, Nadasti, with artillery bursting out + and quivering battle-lines, is at work accordingly; hurls up 1,000 Croats + for one item, and regulars to the amount of "forty companies in three + lines." The grenadiers, somewhat astonished, for the morning was misty and + their hussar-posts had come hastily in, stood upon their guard, like + Prussian men; hurled back the 1,000 Croats fast enough; stubbornly + repulsed the regulars too, and tumbled them down hill with bullet-storm + for accompaniment; gallantly foiling this first attempt of Nadasti's. Of + course Nadasti will make another, will make ever others; capture of the + Jakelsberg can hardly be doubtful to Nadasti. + </p> + <p> + Winterfeld was not at Moys, he was at Gorlitz, just got in from escorting + an important meal-convoy hither out of Bautzen; and was in conference with + Bevern, when rumor of these Croat attacks came in at the gallop from Moys. + Winterfeld made little of the rumors: he had heard of some attack + intended, but it was to have been overnight, and has not been. "Mere + foraging of Croat rabble, like yesterday's!" said Winterfeld, and + continued his present business. In few minutes the sound of heavy + cannonading convinced him. "Haha, there are my guests," said he; "we must + see if we cannot entertain them right!" sprang to horseback, ordered on, + double-quick, the three regiments nearest him, and was off at the gallop,—too + late; or, alas, too EARLY we might rather say! Arriving at the gallop, + Winterfeld found his grenadiers and their insufficient reinforcements + rolling back, the Hill lost; Winterfeld "sprang to a fresh horse," shot + his lightning glances and energies, to his hand and that; stormfully + rallied the matter, recovered the Hill; and stormfully defended it, for, I + should guess, an hour or more; and might still have done one knows not + what, had not a bullet struck him through the breast, and suddenly ended + all his doings in this world. + </p> + <p> + Three other reasons the Prussians give for loss of their Hill, which are + of no consequence to them or to us in comparison. First, that Bevern; on + message after message, sent no reinforcement; that Winterfeld was left to + his own 10,000, and what he and they could make of it. Bevern is jealous + of Winterfeld, hint they, and willing to see his impetuous audacity + checked. Perhaps only cautious of getting into a general action for what + was intrinsically nothing? Second, that two regiments of Infantry, whom + Winterfeld detached double-quick to seize a couple of villages + (Leopoldshayn, Hermsdorf) on his right, and therefrom fusillade Nadasti on + flank, found the villages already occupied by thousands of Croats, with + regular foot and cannon-batteries, and could in nowise seize them. This + was a great reverse of advantage. Third, that an Aide-de-Camp made a small + misnomer, misreport of one word, which was terribly important: "Bring me + hither Regiment Manteuffel!" Winterfeld had ordered. The Aide-de-Camp + reported it "Grenadiers Manteuffel:" upon which, the grenadiers, who were + posted in a walled garden, an important point to Winterfeld's right, came + instantly to order; and Austrians instantly rushed in to the vacant post, + and galled Winterfeld's other flank by their fire. [Abundant Accounts in + Seyfarth, ii. (<i>Beylagen</i>), 162-163; <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> iv. + 615-633; Retzow, i. 216-221.] + </p> + <p> + Enough, Winterfeld lay bleeding to death, the Hill was lost, Prussians + drawing off slowly and back-foremost, about two in the afternoon; upon + which the Austrians also drew off, leaving only a small party on the Hill, + who voluntarily quitted it next morning. Next morning, likewise, + Winterfeld had died. The Hill was, except as bravado, and by way of + comfort to Kaunitz, nothing for the Austrians; but the death of + Winterfeld, which had come by chance to them in the business, was probably + a great thing. Better than two pitched battles gained: who shall say? He + was a shining figure, this Winterfeld; dangerous to the Austrians. The + most shining figure in the Prussian Army, except its Chief; and had great + thoughts in his head. Prussia is not skilful to celebrate her Heroes,—the + Prussian Muse of History, choked with dry military pipe-clay, or with + husky cobwebbery and academic pedantry, how can she?—but if Prussia + can produce heroes worth celebrating, that is the one important point. + Apart from soldiership, and the outward features which are widely + different, there is traceable in Winterfeld some kinship in soul to + English Chatham his contemporary; though he has not had the fame of + Chatham. + </p> + <p> + Winterfeld was by no means universally liked; as what brave man is or can + be? Too susceptible to flattery; too this, too that. He is, one feels + always, except Friedrich only, the most shining figure in the Prussian + Army: and it was not unnatural he should be Friedrich's one friend,—as + seems to have been the case. Friedrich, when this Job's-message reached + him (in Erfurt Country, eight days hence), was deeply affected by it. To + tears, or beyond tears, as we can fancy. "Against my multitude of enemies + I may contrive resources," he was heard to say; "but I shall find no + Winterfeld again!" Adieu, my one friend, real Peer, sole companion to my + lonely pilgrimage in these perilous high regions. + </p> + <p> + "The Prince of Prussia, contrariwise," says a miserable little Note, which + must not be withheld, "brightened up at the news: 'I shall now die much + more content, knowing that there is one so bad and dangerous man fewer in + the Army!' And, six months after, in his actual death-moments, he + exclaimed: 'I end my life, the last period of which has cost me so much + sorrow; but Winterfeld is he who shortened my days!'" [Preuss, ii. 75; + citing Retzow.]—Very bitter Opposition humors circulating, in their + fashion, there as elsewhere in this world! + </p> + <p> + Bevern, the millstone of Winterfeld being off his neck, has become a more + responsible, though he feels himself a much-delivered man. Had not liked + Winterfeld, they say; or had even hated him, since those bad Zittau times. + Can now, at any rate, make for Schlesien and the meal-magazines, when he + sees good. He will find meal readier there; may he find other things + corresponding! Nobody now to keep him painfully manoeuvring in these + parts; with the King's Army nearer to him, but meal not. + </p> + <p> + On the third day after (September 10th), Bevern, having finished packing, + took the road for Schlesien; Daun and Karl attending him; nothing left of + Daun and Karl in those Saxon Countries,—except, at Stolpen, out + Dresden-wards, some Reserve-Post or Rear-guard of 15,000, should we chance + to hear of that again. And from the end of September onwards, Bevern's + star, once somewhat bright at Reichenberg, shot rapidly downwards, under + the horizon altogether; and there came, post after post, such news out of + Schlesien,—to say nothing of that Stolpen Party,—as Friedrich + had never heard before. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter VII.—FRIEDRICH IN THURINGEN, HIS WORLD OF ENEMIES ALL COME. + </h2> + <p> + The Soubise-Hildburghausen people had got rendezvoused at Erfurt about + August 25th; 50,000 by account, and no enemy within 200 miles of them; and + in the Versailles circles it had been expected they would proceed to the + "Deliverance of Saxony" straightway. What is to hinder?—Friedrich, + haggling with the Austrians at Bernstadt, could muster but a poor 23,000, + when he did march towards Erfurt. In those same neighborhoods, within + reach of Soubise, is the Richelieu, late D'Estrees, Army; elated with + Hastenbeck, comfortably pushing Royal Highness of Cumberland, who makes no + resistance, step by step, into the sea; victoriously plundering, far and + wide in those countries, Hanover itself the Head-quarter. In the + Versailles circles, it is farther expected that Richelieu, "Conqueror of + Minorca," will shortly besiege and conquer Magdeburg, and so crown his + glories. Why not; were the "Deliverance of Saxony" complete? + </p> + <p> + The whole of which turned out greatly otherwise, and to the sad + disappointment of Versailles. The Conqueror of Minorca is probably aware + that the conquering of Magdeburg, against one whose platforms are not + rotten, and who does not "lie always in his bed," as poor old Blakeney + did, will be a very different matter. And the private truth is, Marrchal + de Richelieu never turned his thoughts upon Magdeburg at all, nor upon any + point of war that had difficulties, but solely upon collecting plunder for + himself in those Countries. One of the most magnificent marauders on + record; in no danger, he, of becoming monitory and a pendulum, like the + 1,000 that already swing in that capacity to rear of him! And he did + manage, in this Campaign, which was the last of his military services, so + as to pay off at Paris "above 50,000 pounds of debts; and to build for + himself a beautiful Garden Mansion there, which the mocking populations + called 'Hanover Pavilion (PAVILION D'HANOVRE);'" a name still sticking to + it, I believe. [Barbier, iii. 256, 271.] Of the Richelieu Campaign we are + happily delivered from saying almost anything: and the main interest for + us turns now on that Soubise-Hildburghausen wing of it,—which also + is a sufficiently contemptible affair; not to be spoken of beyond the + strictly unavoidable. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich, with his 23,000 setting out from Dresden, August 30th, has a + march of about 170 miles towards Erfurt. He may expect to find—counting + Richelieu, if Royal Highness of Cumberland persist in acting ZERO as + hitherto—a confused mass of about 150,000 Enemies, of one sort and + other, waiting him ahead; not to think of those he has just left behind;—and + he cannot well be in a triumphant humor! Behind, before, around, it is one + gathering of Enemies: one point only certain, that he must beat them, or + else die. Readers would fain follow him in this forlorn march; him, the + one point of interest now in it: and readers shall, if we can manage, + though it is extremely difficult. For, on getting to Erfurt, he finds his + Soubise-Hildburghausen Army off on retreat among the inaccessible Hills + still farther westward; and has to linger painfully there, and to detach, + and even to march personally against other Enemies; and then, these + finished, to march back towards his Erfurt ones, who are taking heart in + the interim:—and, in short, from September 1st to November 5th, + there are two months of confused manoeuvring and marching to and fro in + that West-Saxon region, which are very intricate to readers. November 5th + is a day unforgettable: but anterior to that, what can we do? Here, dated, + are the Three grand Epochs of the thing; which readers had better fix in + mind as a preliminary:— + </p> + <p> + 1. SEPTEMBER 13th, Friedrich has got to Erfurt neighborhood; but Soubise + and Company are off westward to the Hills of Eisenach, won't come down; + Friedrich obliged to linger thereabouts, painfully waiting almost a month, + till + </p> + <p> + 2. OCTOBER 11th, hearing that "15,000 Austrians" (that Stolpen Party, left + as rear-guard at Stolpen; Croats mainly, under a General Haddick) are on + march for Berlin, he rises in haste thitherward, through Leipzig, Torgau, + say 100 miles; hears that Haddick HAS been in Berlin (16th-17th October) + for one day, and that he is off again full speed with a ransom of 30,000 + pounds, which they have had to pay him: upon which Friedrich calls halt in + the Torgau country;—and would have been uncertain what to do, had + not + </p> + <p> + 3. Soubise and Company, extremely elated with this Haddick Feat, come out + from their Hills, intent to deliver Saxony after all. So that Friedrich + has to turn back (October 26th-30th) through Leipzig again; towards,—in + fact towards ROSSBACH and NOVEMBER 5th, in his old Saale Country, which + does not prove so wearisome as formerly! + </p> + <p> + These are the cardinal dates; these let the reader recur to, if necessary, + and keep steadily in mind: it will then perhaps be possible to + intercalate, in a manner intelligible to him, what other lucent phenomena + there are; and these dismal wanderings, and miserablest two months of + Friedrich's life, will not be wholly a provoking blotch of enigmatic + darkness, but in some sort a thing with features in the twilight of the + Past. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0016" id="link2H_4_0016"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + I. FRIEDRICH'S MARCH TO ERFURT FROM DRESDEN—(31st August-13th + September, 1757). + </h2> + <p> + The march to Erfurt was of twelve days, and without adventure to speak of. + Mayer and Free-Battalion had the vanguard, Friedrich there as usual; main + body, under Keith with Ferdinand and Moritz, following in several columns: + straight towards their goal; with steady despatch; for twelve days;—weather + often very wet. [Tempelhof, i. 229; Rodenbeck, i. 317 (not very correct): + in Westphalen (ii. 20 &c.) a personal Diary of this March, and of what + followed on Duke Ferdinand's part.] Seidlitz, with cavalry, had gone + ahead, in search of one Turpin, a mighty hunter and Hussar among the + French, who was threatening Leipzig, threatening Halle: but Turpin made + off at sound of him, without trying fight; so that Seidlitz had only to + halt, and rejoin, hoping better luck another time. + </p> + <p> + A march altogether of the common type,—the stages of it not worth + marking except for special readers;—and of memorable to us offers + only this, if even this: at Rotha, in Leipzig Country, the eighth stage + from Dresden, Friedrich writes, willing to try for Peace if it be + possible, + </p> + <p> + TO THE MARECHAL DUC DE RICHELIEU. + </p> + <p> + "ROTHA, 7th September, 1757. + </p> + <p> + "I feel, M. le Duc, that you have not been put in the post where you are + for the purpose of Negotiating. I am persuaded, however, that the Nephew + of the great Cardinal Richelieu is made for signing treaties no less than + for gaining battles. I address myself to you from an effect of the esteem + with which you inspire even those who do not intimately know you. + </p> + <p> + "'T is a small matter, Monsieur (IL S'AGIT D'UNE BAGATELLE): only to make + Peace, if people are pleased to wish it! I know not what your Instructions + are: but, in the supposition that the King your Master, zow assured by + your Successes, will have put it in your power to labor in the + pacification of Germany, I address to you the Sieur d'Elcheset" (Sieur + Balbi is the real name of him, an Italian Engineer of mine, who once + served with you in the Fontenoy times,—and some say he has privately + a 15,000 pounds for your Grace's acceptance,—"the Sieur d'Elcheset), + in whom you may place complete confidence. + </p> + <p> + "Though the events of this Year afford no hope that your Court still + entertains a favorable disposition for my interests, I cannot persuade + myself that a union which has lasted between us for sixteen years may not + have left some trace in the mind. Perhaps I judge others by myself. But, + however that may be, I, in short, prefer putting my interests into the + King your Master's hands rather than into any other's. If you have not, + Monsieur, any Instructions as to the Proposal hereby made, I beg of you to + ask such, and to inform me what the tenor of them is. + </p> + <p> + "He who has merited statues at Genoa [ten years ago, in those + ANTI-Austrian times, when Genoa burst up in revolt, and the French and + Richelieu beautifully intervened against the oppressors]; he who conquered + Minorca in spite of immense obstacles; he who is on the point of + subjugating Lower Saxony,—can do nothing more glorious than to + restore Peace to Europe. Of all your laurels, that will be the fairest. + Work in this Cause, with the activity which has secured you such rapid + progress otherwise; and be persuaded that nobody will feel more grateful + to you than, Monsieur le Duc,—Your faithful Friend,— + FREDERIC." [Given in RODENBECK, i. 313 (doubtless from <i>Memoires de + Richelieu,</i> Paris, 1793, ix. 175, the one fountain-head in regard to + this small affair): for "the 15,000 pounds" and other rumored particulars, + sea Retzow, i. 197; Preuss, ii. 84; <i> OEuvres de Frederic,</i> iv. 145.] + </p> + <p> + Richelieu, it appears by any evidence there is, went willingly into this + scheme; and applied at Versailles, as desired; with a peremptory negative + for result. Nothing came of the Richelieu attempt there; nor of "CE M. DE + MIRABEAU," if he ever went; nor of any other on that errand. Needless to + apply for Peace at Versailles (and a mere waste of your "sum of 15,000 + pounds," which one hopes is fabulous in the present scarcity of money):—or + should we perhaps have mentioned the thing at all, except for the sake of + Wilhelmina, whose fond scheme it is in this extremity of fate; scheme + which she tries in still other directions, as we shall see; her Brother + willing too, but probably with much less hope. If a civil Letter and a + bribe of Money will do it, these need not be spared. + </p> + <p> + This at Rotha is the day while Winterfeld, on Moys Hill, is meeting his + death. To-day at Pegau, in this neighborhood, Seidlitz, who could not fall + in with Turpin, has given the Hussars of Loudon a beautiful slap; the + first enemy we have seen on this march; and the last,—nothing but + Loudon and Hussars visibly about, the rest of those Soubise-Reichs people + dormant, as would seem. "D'Elcheset," Balbi, or whoever he was, would not + find Richelieu at Hanover; but at a place called Kloster-Zeven, in Bremen + Country, fifty or sixty miles farther on. There, this day, are Richelieu + with one Sporcken a Hanoverian, and one Lynar a Dane, rapidly finishing a + thing they were pleased to call "Convention of Kloster-Zeven;" which + Friedrich regarded as another huge misfortune fallen on him,—though + it proved to have been far the reverse a while after. Concerning which + take this brief Note; cannot be too brief on such a topic:— + </p> + <p> + "Never was there a more futile Convention than that of Kloster-Zeven; + which filled all Europe with lamentable noises, indignations and + anxieties, during the remainder of that Year; and is now reduced, for + Europe and the Universe, to a silent mathematical point, or mere mark of + position, requiring still to be attended to in that character, though + itself zero in any other. Here are the main particulars, in their + sequence. + </p> + <p> + "August 3d, towards midnight, '11 P.M.' say the Books, Marechal de + Richelieu arrives in the D'Estrees Camp ('Camp of Oldendorf,' still only + one march west of Hastenbeck); to whom D'Estrees on the instant loftily + delivers up his Army; explains with loyalty, for a few days more, all + things needful to the new Commander; declines to be himself Second; and + loftily withdraws to the Baths of Aachen 'for his health.' + </p> + <p> + "Royal Highness of Cumberland is, by this time, well on Elbe-ward, + Ocean-ward. Till August 1st; for one week, Royal Highness of Cumberland + lay at Minden, some thirty odd miles from Hastenbeck; deploring that sad + mistake; but unpersuadable to stand, and try amendment of it: August 1st, + the French advancing on him again, he moved off northward, seaward. By + Nienburg, Verden, Rothenburg, Zeven, Bremenvorde, Stade;—arrived at + Stade, on the tidal Waters of the Elbe, August 5th; and by necessity did + halt there. From Minden onwards, Richelieu, not D'Estrees, has had the + chasing of Royal Highness: one of the simplest functions; only that the + country is getting muddy, difficult for artillery-carriage (thinks + Richelieu), with an Army so dilapidated, hungry, short of pay; and that + Royal Highness, a very furious person to our former knowledge, might turn + on us like a boar at bay, endangering everything; and finally, that one's + desire is not for battle, but for a fair chance of plunder to pay one's + debts. + </p> + <p> + "Britannic Majesty, in this awful state of his Hanover Armaments, has been + applying at the Danish Court; Richelieu too sends off an application + thither: 'Mediate between us, spare useless bloodshed!' [Valfons, p. 291.]—Whereupon + Danish Majesty (Britannic's son-in-law) cheerfully undertakes it; bids one + Lynar bestir himself upon it. Count Lynar, an esteemed Official of his, + who lives in those neighborhoods; Danish Viceroy in Oldenburg,—much + concerned with the Scriptures, the Sacred Languages and other seraphic + studies,—and a changed man since we saw him last in the Petersburg + regions, making love to Mrs. Anton Ulrich long ago! Lynar, feeling the + axis of the world laid on his shoulder in this manner, loses not a moment; + invokes the Heavenly Powers; goes on it with an alacrity and a despatch + beyond praise. Runs to the Duke of Cumberland at Stade; thence to + Richelieu at Zeven; back to the Duke, back to Zeven: 'Won't you; and won't + YOU?' and in four short days has the once world-famed 'Convention of + Kloster-Zeven' standing on parchment,—signed, ready for ratifying: + 'Royal Highness's Army to go home to their countries again [routes, + methods, times: when, how, and what next, all left unsettled], and noise + of War to cease in those parts.' Signed cheerfully on both sides 9th + September, 1757; and Lynar striking the stars with his sublime head. + [Busching (who alone is exact in the matter), <i> Beitrage,</i> iv. 167, + 168,? Lynar: see Scholl, iii. 49; Valfons, pp. 202, 203; <i>OEuvres de + Frederic,</i> iv. 143 (with correction of Preuss's Note there).] + </p> + <p> + "Unaccountable how Lynar had managed such a difficulty. He says + seraphically, in a Letter to a friend, which the Prussian hussars got hold + of, 'The idea of it was inspired by the Holy Ghost:' at which the whole + world haha'd again. For it was a Convention vague, absurd, not capable of + being executed; ratification of it refused by both Courts, by the French + Court first, if that was any matter:—and the only thing now + memorable of it is, that IT was a total Futility; but, that there ensued + from it a Fact still of importance; namely:— + </p> + <p> + "That on the 5th of October following, Royal Highness quitted Stade, and + his wrecked Army hanging sorrowful there, like a flight of plucked cranes + in mid-air;—arrived at Kensington, October 12th; heard the paternal + Majesty say, that evening, 'Here is my son who has ruined me, and + disgraced himself!'—and thereupon indignantly laid down his military + offices, all and sundry; and ceased altogether to command Armies, English + or other, in this world. [In WALPOLE (iii. 59-64) the amplest minuteness + of detail.] Whereby, in the then and now diagram of things, Kloster-Zeven, + as a mathematical point, continues memorable in History, though shrunk + otherwise to zero! + </p> + <p> + "Pitt's magnanimity to Royal Highness was conspicuous. Royal Highness, it + is said, had been very badly used in this matter by his poor peddling + Father and the Hanover Ministers; the matter being one puddle of + imbecilities from beginning to end. He was the soul of honor; brave as a + Welf lion; but, of dim poor head; and had not the faintest vestige + [ALLERGERINGSTE says Mauvillon] of military skill: awful in the extreme to + see in command of British Armies! Adieu to him, forever and a day." + </p> + <p> + Ever since July 29th, three days after Hastenbeck, Pitt had been in Office + again; such the bombardment by Corporation-Boxes and Events impinging on + Britannic Majesty: but not till now, as I fancy, had Pitt's way, in regard + to those German matters, been clear to him. The question of a German Army, + if you must, have a No-General at the top of it, might well be + problematical to Pitt. To equip your strong fighting man, and send him on + your errand, regardless of expense; and, by way of preliminary, cut the + head off him, before saying "Good-speed to you, strong man!" But with a + General, Pitt sees that it can be different; that perhaps "America can be + conquered in Germany," and that, with a Britannic Majesty so disposed, + there is no other way of trying it. To this course Pitt stands henceforth, + heedless of the gazetteer cackle, "Hah, our Pitt too become German, after + all his talking!"—like a seventy-four under full sail, with sea, + wind, pilot all of one mind, and only certain water-fowl objecting. And is + King of England for the next Four Years; the one King poor England has had + this long while;—his hand felt shortly at the ends of the Earth. And + proves such a blessing to Friedrich, among others, as nothing else in this + War; pretty much his one blessing, little as he expected it. Before long, + Excellency Mitchell begins consulting about a General,—and Friedrich + dimly sees better things in the distance, and that Kloster-Zeven had not + been the misfortune he imagined, but only "The darkest hour," which, it is + said, lies "nearest to the dawn." + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0017" id="link2H_4_0017"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + II. THE SOUBISE HILDBURGHAUSEN PEOPLE TAKE INTO THE HILLS; FRIEDRICH IN + ERFURT NEIGHBORHOOD, HANGING ON, WEEK AFTER WEEK, IN AN AGONY OF INACTION + (13th September-10th October). + </h2> + <p> + Friedrich's march has gone by Dobeln, Grimma, to Pegau and Rotha, Leipzig + way, but, with Leipzig well to right: it just brushes Weissenfels to + rightward, next day after Rotha; crosses Saale River near Naumburg, whence + straight through Weimar Country, Weimar City on your left, to Erfurt on + the northern side;—and, + </p> + <p> + "ERFURT, TUESDAY 13th SEPTEMBER, 1757, About 10 in the morning [listen to + a faithful Witness], there appeared Hussars on the heights to northward:—'Vanguard + of his Prussian Majesty!' said Erfurt with alarm, and our French guests + with alarm. And scarcely were the words uttered, when said Vanguard, and + gradually the whole Prussian Army [only some 9,000, though we all thought + it the whole], came to sight; posting itself in half-moon shape round us + there; French and Reichs folk hurrying off what they could from the + Cyriaksberg and Petersberg, by the opposite gates,"—towards Gotha, + and the Hills of Eisenach. + </p> + <p> + "Think what a dilemma for Erfurt, jammed between two horns in this way, + should one horn enter before the other got out! Much parleying and + supplicating on the part of Erfurt: Till at last, about 4 P.M., French + being all off, Erfurt flung its gates open; and the new Power did enter, + with some due state: Prussian Majesty in Person (who could have hoped it!) + and Prince Henri beside him; Cavalry with drawn swords; Infantry with + field-pieces, and the band playing"—Prussian grenadier march, I + should hope, or something equally cheering. "The rest of the Vanguard, + and, in succession, the Army altogether, had taken Camp outside, looking + down on the Northern Gate, over at Ilgertshofen, a village in the + neighborhood, about two miles off." [<i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> iv. 636, + 637.] + </p> + <p> + That is the first sight Friedrich has of "LA DAUPHINE," as the Versailles + people call this Bellona, come to "deliver Saxony;" and she is + considerably coyer than had been expected. Many sad days, and ardent vain + vows of Friedrich, before he could see the skirt of her again! From + Ilgertshofen, northwestward to Dittelstadt, Gamstadt, and other poor + specks of villages in Gotha Territory, is ten or fifteen miles; from + Dittelstadt eastward to Buttstadt and Buttelstadt, in Weimar Country, may + be twenty-five: in this area, Friedrich, shifting about, chiefly for + convenience of quarters,—head-quarter Kirschleben for a while, + Buttelstadt finally and longest,—had to wander impatiently to and + fro for four weeks and more; no work procurable, or none worth mentioning:—in + the humor of a man whose House is on fire, flaming out of every window, + front and rear; who has run up with quenching apparatus; and cannot, being + spell-bound, get the least bucket of it applied. And is by nature the + rapidest soul now alive. Figure his situation there, as it gradually + becomes manifest to him! + </p> + <p> + For the present, DAUPHINESS Bellona, hurrying to the Hills, has left some + tagrag of remnant in Gotha. Whereupon, the second day, here is an "Own + Correspondent" again,—not coming by electric telegraph, but (what is + a sensible advantage) credible in every point, when he does come:— + </p> + <p> + "GOTHA, THURSDAY, 15th SEPTEMBER. Grand-Duke and Duchess, like everybody + else, have been much occupied all morning with the fact, that the Prussian + Army [Seidlitz and a regiment or two, nothing more] is actually here; took + possession of the Town-Gates and Main Guard this morning,—certain + Hungarian-French hussar rabble, hateful to every one in Gotha, having made + off in time, rapidly towards Eisenach and the Hills. + </p> + <p> + "Towards noon, his Royal Majesty in highest person, with his Lord Brother + the Prince Henri's Royal Highness, arrived in Gotha; sent straightway, by + one of his Officers, a compliment to the Grand-Duke; and 'would have the + pleasure to come and dine, if his Serene Highness permitted.' Serene + Highness, self and Household always cordially Friedrich's, was just about + sitting down to dinner; and answered with exuberantly glad surprise,—or + was answering, when Royal Majesty himself stept in with smiling face; and + embracing the Duke, said: 'I timed myself to arrive at this moment, + thinking your Durchlaucht would be at dinner, that I might be received + without ceremony, and dine like a neighbor among you.' Unexpected as this + visit was, the joy of Duke and Duchess," always fast friends to Friedrich, + and the latter ever afterwards his correspondent, "may be conceived, but + not adequately expressed; as both the Serenities were touched, in the most + affecting manner, by the honor of so great a King's sudden presence among + them. + </p> + <p> + "His Majesty requested that the Frau von Buchwald, our Most Gracious + Duchess's Hof-Dame, whose qualities he much valued, might dine with them,"—being + always fond of sensible people, especially sensible women. "The whole + Highest and High company [Royal, that is, and Ducal] was, during table, + uncommonly merry. The King showed himself altogether content; and his + bright clever talk and sprightly sallies, awakening everybody to the like, + left not the least trace visible of the weighty toils he was then engaged + in;—as if the weightier these were, the less should they fetter the + noble openness (FREYMUTHIGKEIT) of this high soul, which is not to be cast + down by the heaviest burden. + </p> + <p> + "His Majesty having taken leave of Duke and Duchess, and graciously + permitted the chiefest persons of the Gotha Court to pay their respects, + withdrew to his Army." [Letter in <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> iv. 638, 639.] + Slept, I find elsewhere, "at Gamstadt, on the floor of a little Inn;" + meaning to examine Posts in that part, next morning. + </p> + <p> + Here has been a cheerful little scene for Friedrich; the last he has in + these black weeks. A laborious Predecessor, striving to elucidate, leaves + me this Note:— + </p> + <p> + "What a pity one knows nothing, nor can know, about this Duke and Duchess, + though their names, especially the latter's name, are much tossed to and + fro in the Books! We heard of them, favorably, in Voltaire's time; and may + again, at least of the Lady, who is henceforth a Correspondent of + Friedrich's. The above is a dim direct view of them, probably our last as + well as first. Duke's name is Friedrich III.; I do believe, a man of + solidity, honor and polite dignified sense, a highly respectable Duke of + Sachsen-Gotha, contented to be obscure, and quietly do what was still + do-able in that enigmatic situation. He is Uncle to our George III.;—his + Sister is the now Princess-Dowager of Wales, with a Lord Bute, and I know + not what questionable figures and intrigues, or suspicions of intrigue, + much about her. His Duchess, Louisa Dorothee, is a Princess of + distinguished qualities, literary tastes,—Voltaire's Hostess, + Friedrich's Correspondent: a bright and quietly shining illumination to + the circle she inhabits. Duke is now fifty-eight, Duchess forty-seven; and + they lost their eldest Son last year. There has been lately a considerable + private brabble as to Tutorage of the Duke of Weimar (Wilhelmina's maddish + Duke, who is dead lately; and a Prince left, who soon died also, but left + a Son, who grew to be Goethe's friend); Tutorage claimed by various + Cousins, has been adjudged to this one, King Friedrich co-operating in + such result. + </p> + <p> + "As to the famed Grand-Duchess, she is a Sachsen-Meiningen Princess, come + of Ernst the Pious, of Johann the Magnanimous, as her Husband and all + these Sachsens are: when Voltaire went precipitant, with such velocity, + from the Potsdam Heaven, she received him at Gotha; set him on writing his + HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE, and endeavored to break his fall. She was noble to + Voltaire, and well honored by that uncertain Spirit. There is a fine + Library at Gotha; and the Lady bright loves Books, and those that can + write them;—a friend of the Light, a Daughter of the Sun and the + Empyrean, not of Darkness and the Stygian Fens." [Michaelis, i. 517; &c. + &c.] + </p> + <p> + Friedrich's first Letter to her Highness was one of thanks, above a year + ago, for an act of kindness, act of justice withal, which she did to one + of his Official people. Here, on the morrow of that dinner, is the second + Letter, much more aerial and cordial, in which style they all continue, + now that he has seen the admired Princess. + </p> + <p> + TO THE MOST SERENE GRAND-DUCHESS OF SACHSEN-GOTHA. + </p> + <p> + DITTELSTADT, "16th September, 1757. + </p> + <p> + "MADAM,—Yesterday was a Day I shall never forget; which satisfied a + just desire I have had, this long while, to see and hear a Princess whom + all Europe admires. I am not surprised, Madam, that you subdue people's + hearts; you are made to attract the esteem and the homage of all who have + the happiness to know you. But it is incomprehensible to me how you can + have enemies; and how men representing Countries that by no means wish to + pass for barbarous, can have been so basely (INDIGNEMENT) wanting in the + respect they owe you, and in the consideration which is due to all + sovereigns [French not famous for their refined demeanor in Saxony this + time]. Why could not I fly to prevent such disorders, such indecency! I + can only offer you a great deal of good-will; but I feel well that, in + present circumstances, the thing wanted is effective results and reality. + May I, Madam, be so happy as to render you some service! May your fortune + be equal to your virtues! I am with the highest consideration, Madam, your + Highness's faithful Cousin,—F." [<i>OEuvres de Frederic,</i> xvii. + 166.] + </p> + <p> + To Wilhelmina he says of it, next day, still gratified, though sad news + have come in the interim;—death of Winterfeld, for one black item:— + </p> + <p> + ... "The day before yesterday I was in Gotha. It was a touching scene to + see the partners of one's misfortunes, with like griefs and like + complaints. The Duchess is a woman of real merit, whose firmness puts many + a man to shame. Madam de Buchwald appears to me a very estimable person, + and one who would suit you much: intelligent, accomplished, without + pretensions, and good-humored. My Brother Henri is gone to see them + to-day. I am so oppressed with grief, that I would rather keep my sadness + to myself. I have reason to congratulate myself much on account of my + Brother Henri; he has behaved like an angel, as a soldier, and well + towards me as a Brother. I cannot, unfortunately, say the same of the + elder. He sulks at me (IL ME BODE), and has sulkily retired to Torgau, + from whence, I hear, he is gone to Wittenberg. I shall leave him to his + caprices and to his bad conduct; and I prophesy nothing good for the + future, unless the younger guide him." ["Kirschleben, near Erfurt, 17th + September, 1757" (<i>OEuvres de Frederic,</i> xxvii. i. 306).]... + </p> + <p> + This is part of a long sad Letter to Wilhelmina; parts of which we may + recur to, as otherwise illustrative. But before going into that tragic + budget of bad news, let us give the finale of Gotha, which occurred the + next day,—tragi-comic in part,—and is the last bit of action + in those dreary four weeks. + </p> + <p> + GOTHA, 18th SEPTEMBER. "Since Thursday 15th, Major-General Seidlitz," + youngest Major-General of the Army, but a rapidly rising man, "has been + Commandant in Gotha, under flourishing circumstances; popular and supreme, + though only with a force of 1,500, dragoons and hussars. Monday morning + early, Seidlitz's scouts bring word that the Soubise-Hildburghausen people + are in motion hitherward; French hussars and Austrian, Turpin's, Loudon's, + all that are; grenadiers in mass;—total, say, 8,000 horse and foot, + with abundance of artillery;—have been on march all night, to retake + Gotha; with all the Chief Generals and Dignitaries of the Army following + in their carriages, for some hours past, to see it done. Seidlitz, + ascertaining these things, has but one course left,—that of clearing + himself out, which he does with orderly velocity: and at 9 A.M. the + Dignitaries and their 8,000 find open gates, Seidlitz clean off; occupy + the posts, with due emphasis and flourish; and proceed to the Schloss in a + grand triumphant way,—where privately they are not very welcome, + though one puts the best face on it, and a dinner of importance is the + first thing imperative to be set in progress. A flurried Court, that of + Gotha, and much swashing of French plumes through it, all this morning, + since Seidlitz had to flit. + </p> + <p> + "Seidlitz has not flitted very far. Seidlitz has ranked his small + dragoon-hussar force in a hollow, two miles off; has got warning sent to a + third regiment within reach of him, 'Come towards me, and in a certain + defile, visible from Gotha eastward, spread yourselves so and so!'—and + judges by the swashing he hears of up yonder, that perhaps something may + still be done. Dinner, up in the Schloss, is just being taken from the + spit, and the swashing at its height, when—'Hah what is that, + though?' and all plumes pause. For it is Seidlitz, artistically spread + into single files, on the prominent points of vision; advancing again, + more like 15,000 than 1,500: 'And in the Defile yonder, that regiment, do + you mark it; the King's vanguard, I should say?—To horse!' + </p> + <p> + "That is Seidlitz's fine Bit of Painting, hung out yonder, hooked on the + sky itself, as temporary background to Gotha, to be judged of by the + connoisseurs. For pictorial effect, breadth of touch, truth to Nature and + real power on the connoisseur, I have heard of nothing equal by any + artist. The high Generalcy, Soubise, Hildburghausen, Darmstadt, mount in + the highest haste; everybody mounts, happy he who has anything to mount; + the grenadiers tumble out of the Schloss; dragoons, artillery tumble out; + Dauphiness takes wholly to her heels, at an extraordinary pace: so that + Seidlitz's hussars could hardly get a stroke at her; caught sixty and odd, + nine of them Officers not of mark; did kill thirty; and had such a haul of + equipages and valuable effects, cosmetic a good few of them, habilatory, + artistic, as caused the hussar heart to sing for joy. Among other plunder, + was Loudon's Commission of Major-General, just on its road from Vienna + [poor Mannstein's death the suggesting cause, say some];—undoubtedly + a shining Loudon; to whom Friedrich, next day, forwarded the Document with + a polite Note." [<i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> iv. 640; Westphalen, ii. 37; <i>OEuvres + de Frederic,</i> iv, 147.]' + </p> + <p> + The day after this bright feat of Seidlitz's, which was a slight + consolation to Friedrich, there came a Letter from the Duchess, not of + compliment only; the Letter itself had to be burnt on the spot, being, as + would seem, dangerous for the High Lady, who was much a friend of + Friedrich's. Their Correspondence, very polite and graceful, but for most + part gone to the unintelligible state, and become vacant and spectral, + figures considerably in the Books, and was, no doubt, a considerable fact + to Friedrich. His Answer on this occasion may be given, since we have it,—lest + there should not elsewhere be opportunity for a second specimen. + </p> + <p> + FRIEDRICH TO THE GRAND-DUCHESS OF SACHSEN-GOTHA. + </p> + <p> + "KIRSCHLEBEN, NEAB ERFURT, 20th September, 1757. + </p> + <p> + "MADAM,—Nothing could happen more glorious to my troops than that of + fighting, Madam, under your eyes and for your defence. I wish their help + could be useful to you; but I foresee the reverse. If I were obstinately + to insist on maintaining the post of Gotha with Infantry, I should ruin + your City for you, Madam, by attracting thither and fixing there the + theatre of the War; whereas, by the present course, you will only have to + suffer little rubs (PASSADES), which will not last long. + </p> + <p> + "A thousand thanks that you could, in a day like yesterday, find the + moment to think of your Friends, and to employ yourself for them. + [Seidlitz's attack was brisk, quite sudden, with an effect like + Harlequin's sword in Pantomimes; and Gotha in every corner, especially in + the Schloss below and above stairs,—dinner cooked for A, and eaten + by B, in that manner,—must have been the most agitated of little + Cities.] I will neglect nothing of what you have the goodness to tell me; + I shall profit by these notices. Heaven grant it might be for the + deliverance and the security of Germany! + </p> + <p> + "The most signal mark of obedience I can give you consists unquestionably + in doing your bidding with this Letter. [Burn it, so soon as read.] I + should have kept it as a monument of your generosity and courage: but, + Madam, since you dispose of it otherwise, your orders shall be executed; + persuaded that if one cannot serve one's friends, one must at least avoid + hurting them; that one may be less circumspect for one's own interest, but + that one must be prudent and even timid for theirs. I am, with the highest + esteem and the most perfect consideration, Madam, your Highness's most + faithful and affectionate Cousin,—F." [<i>OEuvres de Frederic,</i> + xvii. 167.] + </p> + <p> + From Erfurt, on the night of his arrival, finding the Dauphiness in such + humor, Friedrich had ordered Ferdinand of Brunswick with his Division and + Prince Moritz with his, both of whom were still at Naumburg, to go on + different errands,—Ferdinand out Halberstadt-Magdeburg way, whither + Richelieu, vulture-like, if not eagle-like, is on wing; Moritz to Torgau, + to secure our magazine and be on the outlook there. Both of them marched + on the morrow (November 14th): and are sending him news,—seldom + comfortable news; mainly that, in spite of all one can do (and it is not + little on Ferdinand's part, the Richelieu vultures, 80,000 of them, + floating onward, leagues broad, are not to be kept out of Halberstadt, + well if out of Magdeburg itself;—and that, in short, the general + conflagration, in those parts too, is progressive. [In Orlich's <i>First + Moritz,</i> pp. 71-89; and in <i>Westphalen,</i> ii. 23-143 (about + Ferdinand): interesting Documentary details, Autographs of Friedrich, + &c., in regard to both these Expeditions.] Moritz, peaceable for some + weeks in Torgau Country, was to have an eye on Brandenburg withal, on + Berlin itself; and before long Moritz will see something noticeable there! + </p> + <p> + From Preussen, Friedrich hears of mere ravagings and horrid cruelties, + Cossack-Calmuck atrocities, which make human nature shudder: [In <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> + iv. 427-437, the hideous details.] "Fight those monsters; go into them at + all hazards!" he writes to Lehwald peremptorily. Lehwald, 25,000 against + 80,000, does so; draws up, in front of Wehlau, not far east of Konigsberg, + among woody swamps, AUGUST 30th, at a Hamlet called GROSS-JAGERSDORF, with + his best skill; fights well, though not without mistakes; and is beaten by + cannon and numbers. [Tempelhof, i. 299; Retzow, i. 212; &c. &c. + ("Russians lost about 9,000," by their own tale 5,000; "the Prussians + 3,000" and the Field).] Preussen now lies at Apraxin's discretion. This + bit of news too is on the road for Erfurt Country. Such a six weeks for + the swift man, obliged to stand spell-bound,—idle posterity never + will conceive it; and description is useless. + </p> + <p> + Let us add here, that Apraxin did not advance on Konigsberg, or farther + into Preussen at all; but, after some loitering, turned, to everybody's + surprise, and wended slowly home. "Could get no provision," said Apraxin + for himself. "Thought the Czarina was dying," said the world; "and that + Peter her successor would take it well!" Plodded slowly home, for certain; + Lehwald following him, not too close, till over the border. Nothing left + of Apraxin, and his huge Expedition, but Memel alone; Memel, and a great + many graves and ruins. So that Lehwald could be recalled, to attend on the + Swedes, before Winter came. And Friedrich's worst forebodings did not take + effect in this case;—nor in some others, as we shall see! + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0018" id="link2H_4_0018"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + LAMENTATION-PSALMS OF FRIEDRICH. + </h2> + <p> + Meanwhile, is it not remarkable that Friedrich wrote more Verses, this + Autumn, than almost in any other three months of his life? Singular, yes; + though perhaps not inexplicable. And if readers could fairly understand + that fact, instead of running away with the shell of it, and leaving the + essence, it would throw a great light on Friedrich. He is not a brooding + inarticulate man, then; but a bright-glancing, articulate; not to be + struck dumb by the face of Death itself. Flashes clear-eyed into the + physiognomy of Death, and Ruin, and the Abysmal Horrors opening; and has a + sharp word to say to them. The explanation of his large cargo of Verses + this Autumn is, That always, alternating with such fiery velocity, he had + intolerable periods of waiting till things were ready. And took to verses, + by way of expectorating himself, and keeping down his devils. Not a bad + plan, in the circumstances,—especially if you have so wonderful a + turn for expectoration by speech. "All bad as Poetry, those Verses?" asks + the reader. Well, some of them are not of first-rate goodness. Should have + been burnt; or the time marked which they took up, and whether it was good + time wasted (which I suppose it almost never was), or bad time skilfully + got over. Time, that is the great point; and the heart-truth of them, or + mere lip-truth, another. We must give some specimens, at any rate. + </p> + <p> + Especially that notable Specimen from the Zittau Countries: the "Epistle + to Wilhelmina (EPITRE A MA SOEUR [<i>OEuvres de Frederic,</i> xii. + 36-42.];" which is the key-note, as it were; the fountain-head of much + other verse, and of much prose withal, and Correspondencing not with + Wilhelmina alone, of which also some taste must be given. Primary EPITRE; + written, I perceive, in that interval of waiting for Keith and the + magazines,—though the final date is "Bernstadt, August 24th." + Concerning which, Smelfungus takes, over-hastily, the liberty to say: + "Strange, is it not, to be on the point of fighting for one's existence; + overwhelmed with so many businesses; and disposed to go into verse in + addition! CONCEIVE that form of mind; it would illuminate something of + Friedrich's character: I cannot yet rightly understand such an aspect of + structure, and know not what to say of it, except 'Strange!'"— + </p> + <p> + Understand it or not, we do gather by means of it some indisputable + glimpses, nearly all the direct insight allowed us out of any source, into + Friedrich's inner man; what his thoughts were, what his humor was in that + unique crisis; and to readers in quest of that, these Pieces, fallen + obsolete and frosty to all other kinds of readers, are well worth + perusing, and again perusing. Most veracious Documents, we can observe; + nothing could be truer; Confessions they are, in the most emphatic sense; + no truer ever made to a Priest in the name of the Most High. Like a + soliloquy of Night-Thoughts, accidentally becoming audible to us. Mahomet, + I find, wrote the Koran in this manner. From these poor Poems, which are + voices DE PROFUNDIS, there might, by proper care and selection, be + constructed a Friedrich's Koran; and, with commentary and elucidation, it + would be pleasant to read. The Koran of Friedrich, or the + Lamentation-Psalms of Friedrich! But it would need an Editor,—other + than Dryasdust! Mahomet's Koran, treated by the Arab Dryasdust (merely + turning up the bottom of that Box of Shoulder-blades, and printing them), + has become dreadfully tough reading, on this side of the Globe; and has + given rise to the impossiblest notions about Mahomet! Indisputable it is, + Heroes, in their affliction, Mahomet and David, have solaced themselves by + snatches of Psalms, by Suras, bursts of Utterance rising into Song;—and + if Friedrich, on far other conditions, did the like, what has History to + say of blame to him? + </p> + <p> + Wilhelmina comes out very strong, in this season of trouble; almost the + last we see of our excellent Wilhelmina. Like a lioness; like a shrill + mother when her children are in peril. A noble sisterly affection is in + Wilhelmina; shrill Pythian vehemence trying the impossible. That a + Brother, and such a Brother, the most heroic now breathing, brave and + true, and the soul of honor in all things, should have the whole world + rise round him, like a delirious Sorcerer's-Sabbath, intent to hurl the + mountains on him,—seems such a horror and a madness to Wilhelmina. + Like the brood-hen flying in the face of wild dogs, and packs of hounds in + full trail! Most Christian Pompadour Kings, enraged Czarinas, implacable + Empress-Queens; a whole world in armed delirium rushes on, regardless of + Wilhelmina. Never mind, my noble one; your Brother will perhaps manage to + come up with this leviathan or that among the heap of them, at a good + time, and smite into the fifth rib of him. Your Brother does not the least + shape towards giving in; thank the Heavens, he will stand to himself at + least; his own poor strength will all be on his own side. + </p> + <p> + Wilhelmina's hopes of a Peace with France; mission of her Mirabeau, + missions and schemes not a few, we have heard of on Wilhelmina's part with + this view; but the notablest is still to mention: that of stirring up, by + Voltaire's means, an important-looking Cardinal de Tencin to labor in the + business. Eminency Tencin lives in Lyon, known to the Princess on her + Italian Tour;—shy of asking Voltaire to dinner on that fine + occasion,—but, except Officially, is not otherwise than + well-affected to Voltaire. Was once Chief Minister of France, and would + fain again be; does not like these Bernis novelties and Austrian + Alliances, had he now any power to overset them. Let him correspond with + Most Christian Majesty, at least; plead for a Peace with Prussia, Prussia + being so ready that way. Eminency Tencin, on Voltaire's suggestion, did + so, perhaps is even now doing so; till ordered to hold HIS peace on such + subjects. This is certain and well known; but nothing else is known, or to + us knowable, about it; Voltaire, in vague form, being our one authority, + through whom it is vain to hunt, and again hunt. [<i>OEuvres (Memoires),</i> + ii. 92, 93; IB. i. 143; Preuss, ii. 84.] The Dates, much more the features + and circumstances, all lie buried from us, and—till perhaps the + Lamentation-Psalms are well edited—must continue lying. As a fact + certain, but undeniably vague. + </p> + <p> + Voltaire's procedure, one can gather, is polite, but two-faced; not + sublime on this occasion. In fact, is intended to serve himself. To the + high Princess he writes devotionally, ready to obey in all things; and + then to his Eminency Cardinal Tencin, it rather seems as if the tone were: + "Pooh! yes, your Eminency; such are the poor Lady's notions. But does your + Eminency take notice how high my connections are; what service a poor + obscure creature might perhaps do the State some day?" Friedrich himself + is, in these ways, brought into correspondence with Voltaire again; and + occasionally writes to him in this War, and ever afterwards: Voltaire + responds with fine sympathy, always prettily, in the enthusiasm of the + moment;—and at other times he writes a good deal about Friedrich, + oftenest in rather a mischievous dialect. "The traitor!" exclaim some + Prussian writers, not many or important, in our time. In fact, there is a + considerable touch of grinning malice (as of Monkey VERSUS Cat, who had + once burnt HIS paw, instead of getting his own burnt), in those utterances + of Voltaire; some of which the reader will grin over too, without much + tragic feeling,—the rather as they did our Felis Leo no manner of + ill, and show our incomparable SINGE with a sparkle of the TIGRE in him; + theoretic sparkle merely and for moments, which makes him all the more + entertaining and interesting at the domestic hearth. + </p> + <p> + Of Friedrich's Lamentation-Psalms we propose to give the First and the + Last: these, with certain Prose Pieces, intermediate and connecting, may + perhaps be made intelligible to readers, and throw some light on these + tragic weeks of the King's History:— + </p> + <p> + 1. EPITRE A MA SOEUR (First of the Lamentation-Psalms).—This is the + famed "Epistle to Wilhelmina," already spoken of; which the King + despatched from Bernstadt "August 24th," just while quitting those parts, + on the Erfurt Errand;—though written before, in the tedium of + waiting for Keith. The Piece is long, vehement, altogether sincere; + lyrically sings aloud, or declaims in rhyme, what one's indignant thought + really is on the surrounding woes and atrocities. We faithfully abridge, + and condense into our briefest Prose;—readers can add water and the + jingle of French rhymes AD LIBITUM. It starts thus:— + </p> + <p> + "O sweet and dear hope of my remaining days; O Sister, whose friendship, + so fertile in resources, shares all my sorrows, and with a helpful arm + assists me in the gulf! It is in vain that the Destinies have overwhelmed + me with disasters: if the crowd of Kings have sworn my ruin; if the Earth + have opened to swallow me,—you still love me, noble and affectionate + Sister: loved by you, what is there of misfortune? [Branches off into some + survey of it, nevertheless.] + </p> + <p> + "Huge continents of thunder-cloud, plots thickening against me [in those + Menzel Documents], I watched with terror; the sky getting blacker, no + covert for me visible: on a sudden, from the deeps of Hell, starts forth + Discord [with capital letter], and the tempest broke. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Ce fut dans ton Senat, O fouqueuse Angleterre! + Ou ce monstre inhumain fit eclater la guerre: +</pre> + <p> + It was from thy Senate, stormful England, that she first launched out War. + In remote climates first; in America, far away;—between France and + thee. Old Ocean shook with it; Neptune, in the depths of his caves (SES + GROTTES PROFONDES), saw the English subjecting his waves (SES ONDES): the + wild Iroquois, prize of these crimes (FORFAITS), bursts out; detesting the + tyrants who disturb his Forests,"—and scalping Braddock's people, + and the like. + </p> + <p> + "Discord, charmed to see such an America, and feeble mortals crossing the + Ocean to exterminate one another, addresses the European Kings: 'How long + will you be slaves to what are called laws? Is it for you to bend under + worn-out notions of justice, right? Mars is the one God: Might is Right. A + King's business is to do something famous in this world.' + </p> + <p> + "O daughter of the Caesars," Maria Theresa, "how, at these words, + ambition, burning in thy soul, breaks out uncontrollable! Probity, honor, + treaties, duty: feeble considerations these, to a heart letting loose its + flamy passions; determining to rob the generous Germans of their + liberties; to degrade thy equals; to extinguish 'Schism' (so called), and + set up despotism on the wrecks of all." + </p> + <p> + "Huge project"—"FIER TRIUMVIRAT,"—what not: "From Roussillon + and the sunny Pyrenees to frozen Russia, all arm for Austria, and march at + her bidding. They concert my downfall, trample on my rights. + </p> + <p> + "The Daughter of the Caesars, proudly certain of victory,—'t is the + way of the Great, whose commonplace virtue, pusillanimous in reverses, + overbearing in success, cannot bridle their cupidity,—designates to + the Triumvirate what Kings are to be proscribed [Britannic George and me, + Reich busy on us both even now], and those ungrateful tyrants, by united + crime, immolate to each other, without remorse, their dearest allies." For + instance:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "O jour digne d'oubli! Quelle atroce imprudence! + Therese, c'est l'Anglais que tu vends a la France: +</pre> + <p> + Theresa! it is England thou art selling to France;"—Yes, a thing + worth noting. "Thy generous support in thy first adversities; thy one + friend then, when a world had risen to devour thee. Thou reignest now:—but + it was England alone that saved thee anything to reign over! + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Tu regnes, mats lui seul a sauve tes etats: + Les bienfaits chez les rois ne font que des ingrats. +</pre> + <p> + "And thou, lazy Monarch,"—stupid Louis, let us omit him:—"Pompadour, + selling her lover to the highest bidder, makes France, in our day, + Austria's slave!" We omit Kolin Battle, too, spoken of with a proud + modesty (Prag is not spoken of at all); and how the neighboring ravenous + Powers, on-lookers hitherto, have opened their throats with one accord to + swallow Prussia, thinking its downfall certain: "Poor mercenary Sweden, + once so famous under its soldier Kings, now debased by a venal Senate;"—Sweden, + "what say I? my own kindred [foolish Anspach and others], driven by + perverse motives, join in the plot of horrors, and become satellites of + the prospering Triumvirs. + </p> + <p> + "And thou, loved People [my own Prussians], whose happiness is my charge + [notable how often he repeats this] it is thy lamentable destiny, it is + the danger which hangs over thee, that pierces my soul. The pomps of my + rank I could resign without regret. But to rescue thee, in this black + crisis, I will spend my heart's blood. Whose IS that blood but thine? With + joy will I rally my warriors to avenge thy affront; defy death at the foot + of the ramparts [of Daun and his Eckartsberg, ahead yonder], and either + conquer, or be buried under thy ruins." Very well; but ah,— + </p> + <p> + "Preparing with such purpose, ye Heavens, what mournful cries are those + that reach us: 'Death haa laid low thy Mother!'—Hah, that was the + last stroke, then, which angry Fate had reserved for me.—O Mother, + Death flies my misfortunes, and spreads his livid horrors over thee! [Very + tender, very sad, what he says of his Mother; but must be omitted and + imagined. General finale is:] + </p> + <p> + "Thus Destiny with a deluge of torments fills the poisoned remnant of my + days. The present is hideous to me, the future unknown: what, you say I am + the creature of a BENEficent Being?— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Quoi serais-fe forme par un Dieu bienfaisati? + Ah! s'il etait si bon, tendre pour son ouvrage"— + —Husht, my little Titan! +</pre> + <p> + "And now, ye promoters of sacred lies, go on leading cowards by the nose, + in the dark windings of your labyrinth:—to me the enchantment is + ended, the charm disappears. I see that all men are but the sport of + Destiny. And that, if there do exist some Gloomy and Inexorable Being, who + allows a despised herd of creatures to go on multiplying here, he values + them as nothing; looks down on a Phalaris crowned, on a Socrates in + chains; on our virtues, our misdeeds, on the horrors of war, and all the + cruel plagues which ravage Earth, as a thing indifferent to him. + Wherefore, my sole refuge and only haven, loved Sister, is in the arms of + Death:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Ainsi mon seul asile et mon unique port + Se trouve, chere soeur, dans les bras de la mort." + [OEuvres, xii. 36-42; is sent off to Wilhelmina 24th August.] +</pre> + <p> + 2. WILHELMINA TO VOLTAIRE, WITH SOMETHING OF ANSWER (First of certain + intercalary Prose Pieces).—Wilhelmina has been writing to Voltaire + before, and getting consolations since Kolin; but her Letters are lost, + till this the earliest that is left us:— + </p> + <p> + BAIREUTH, 19th AUGUST, 1757 (TO VOLTAIRE).—"One first knows one's + friends when misfortunes arrive. The Letter you have written does honor to + your way of thinking. I cannot tell you how much I am sensible to what you + have done [set Cardinal Tencin astir, with result we will hope]. The King, + my Brother, is as much so as I. You will find a Note here, which he bids + me transmit to you [Note lost]. That great man is still the same. He + supports his misfortunes with a courage and a firmness worthy of him. He + could not get the Note transcribed. It began by verses. Instead of + throwing sand on it, he took the ink-bottle; that is the reason why it is + cut in two." —This Note, we say, is lost to us;—all but + accidentally thus: Voltaire, 12th September, writes twice to friends. + Writing to his D'Argentals, he says: "The affairs of this King [Friedrich] + go from bad to worse. I know not if I told you of the Letter he wrote to + me about three weeks ago [say August 17th-18th: this same Note through + Wilhelmina, evidently]: 'I have learned,' says he, 'that you had + interested yourself in my successes and misfortunes. There remains to me + nothing but to sell my life dear,' &c. His Sister writes me one much + more lamentable;" the one we are now reading:— + </p> + <p> + "I am in a frightful state; and will not survive the destruction of my + House and Family. That is the one consolation that remains to me. You will + have fine subjects for making Tragedies of. O times! O manners! You will, + by the illusory representation, perhaps draw tears; while all contemplate + with dry eyes the reality of these miseries: the downfall of a whole + House, against which, if the truth were known, there is no solid + complaint. I cannot write farther of it: my soul is so troubled that I + know not what I am doing. But whatever happen, be persuaded that I am more + than ever your friend,—WILHELMINA." [In <i>OEuvres de Frederic,</i> + lxxvii. 30.] + </p> + <p> + Friedrich, while Wilhelmina writes so, is at the foot of the Eckartsberg, + eagerly manoeuvring with the Austrians, in hopes of getting battle out of + them,—which he cannot. Friedrich, while he wrote that Note to + Voltaire, and instead of sand-box shook the ink-bottle over it, was just + going out on that errand. + </p> + <p> + VOLTAIRE, 12th SEPTEMBER (to a Lady whose Son is in the D'Estrees wars). + [Ib. lxxii. 55. 56.]—"Here are mighty revolutions, Madame; and we + are not at the end yet. They say there have 18,000 Hanoverians been + disposed of at Stade [Convention of Kloster-Zeven]. That is no small + matter. I can hope M. Richelieu [who is "MON HEROS," when I write to + himself] will adorn his head with the laurels they have stuck in his + pocket. I wish Monsieur your Son abundance of honor and glory without + wounds, and to you, Madame, unalterable health. The King of Prussia has + written me a very touching Letter [one line of which we have read]; but I + have always Madame Denis's adventure on my heart," at Frankfurt yonder. + "If I were well, I would take a run to Frankfurt myself on the business,"—now + that Soubise's reserves are in those parts, and could give Freytag and + Schmidt such a dusting for me, if they liked! Shall I write to Collini on + it? Does write, and again write, the second year hence, as still better + chances rise. [Collini, pp. 208-211 ("January-May, 1759").] + </p> + <p> + 3. WILHELMINA TO VOLTAIRE AGAIN, WITH ANSWER (Second of the Prose Pieces).—Not + a very zealous friend of Friedrich's, after all, this Voltaire! Poor + Wilhelmina, terrified by that EPITRE of her Brother's, and his fixed + purpose of seeking Death, has, in her despair (though her Letter is lost), + been urging Voltaire to write dissuading him;—as Voltaire does. Of + which presently. Her Letter to Voltaire on this thrice-important subject + is lost. But in the very hours while Voltaire sat writing what we have + just read, "always with Madame Denis's adventure on my heart," Wilhelmina, + at Baireuth, is again writing to him as follows:— + </p> + <p> + BAIREUTH, 12th SEPTEMBER, 1757 (TO VOLTAIRE).—"Your Letter has + sensibly touched me; that which you addressed to me for the King [both + Letters lost to us] has produced the same effect on him. I hope you will + be satisfied with his Answer as to what concerns yourself; but you will be + as little so as I am with the resolutions he has formed. I had flattered + myself that your reflections would make some impression on his mind. You + will see the contrary by the Letter adjoined. "To me there remains nothing + but to follow his destiny if it is unfortunate. I have never piqued myself + on being a philosopher; though I have made my efforts to become so. The + small progress I made did teach me to despise grandeurs and riches: but I + could never find in philosophy any cure for the wounds of the heart, + except that of getting done with our miseries by ceasing to live. The + state I am in is worse than death. I see the greatest man of his age, my + Brother, my friend, reduced to the frightfulest extremity. I see my whole + Family exposed to dangers and perhaps destruction; my native Country torn + by pitiless enemies; the Country where I am [Reichs Army, Anspach, what + not] menaced by perhaps similar misfortune. Would to Heaven I were alone + loaded with all the miseries I have described to you! I would suffer them, + and with firmness. + </p> + <p> + "Pardon these details. You invite me, by the part you take in what regards + me, to open my heart to you. Alas, hope is well-nigh banished from it. + Fortune, when she changes, is as constant in her persecutions as in her + favors. History is full of those examples:—but I have found none + equal to the one we now see; nor any War as inhuman and as cruel among + civilized nations. You would sigh if you knew the sad situation of Germany + and Preussen. The cruelties which the Russians commit in that latter + Country make nature shudder. [Details, horrible but authentic, in <i>Helden-Geschichte, + </i> already cited.] How happy you in your Hermitage; where you repose on + your laurels, and can philosophize with a calm mind on the deliriums of + men! I wish you all the happiness imaginable. If Fortune ever favor us + again, count on all my gratitude. I will never forget the marks of + attachment which you have given; my sensibility is your warrant; I am + never half-and-half a friend, and I shall always be wholly so of Brother + Voltaire.—WILHELMINA. + </p> + <p> + "Many compliments to Madame Denis. Continue, I pray you, to write to the + King." [In <i>Voltaire,</i> ii. 197-199; lxxvii. 57.] + </p> + <p> + VOLTAIRE TO WILHELMINA (Day uncertain: THE DELICES, SEPTEMBER, 1757).—"Madam, + my heart is touched more than ever by the goodness and the confidence your + Royal Highness deigns to show me. How can I be but melted by emotion! I + see that it is solely your nobleness of soul that renders you unhappy. I + feel myself born to be attached with idolatry to superior and sympathetic + minds, who think like you. "You know how much I have always, essentially + and at heart, been attached to the King your Brother. The more my old age + is tranquil, and come to renounce everything, and make my retreat here a + home and country, the more am I devoted to that Philosopher-King. I write + nothing to him but what I think from the bottom of my heart, nothing that + I do not think most true; and if my Letter [dissuasive of seeking Death; + wait, reader] appears to your Royal Highness to be suitable, I beg you to + protect it with him, as you have done the foregoing." [In <i>Voltaire,</i> + lxxvii. 37, 39.] + </p> + <p> + 4. FRIEDRICH TO WILHELMINA, AND, BY ANTICIPATION, HER ANSWER (Third of the + Prose Pieces).—"KIRSCHLEBEN, NEAR ERFURT, 17th SEPTEMBER, 1757.—My + dearest Sister, I find no other consolation but in your precious Letters. + May Heaven reward so much virtue and such heroic sentiments! + </p> + <p> + "Since I wrote last to you, my misfortunes have but gone on accumulating. + It seems as though Destiny would discharge all its wrath and fury upon the + poor Country which I had to rule over. The Swedes have entered Pommern. + The French, after having concluded a Neutrality humiliating to the King of + England and themselves [Kloster-Zeven, which we know], are in full march + upon Halberstadt and Magdeburg. From Preussen I am in daily expectation of + hearing of a battle having been fought: the proportion of combatants being + 25,000 against 80,000 [was fought, Gross-Jagersdorf, 30th August, and lost + accordingly]. The Austrians have marched into Silesia, whither the Prince + of Bevern follows them. I have advanced this way to fall upon the corps of + the allied Army; which has run off, and intrenched itself, behind + Eisenach, amongst hills, whither to follow, still more to attack them, all + rules of war forbid. The moment I retire towards Saxony, this whole swarm + will be upon my heels. Happen what may, I am determined, at all risks, to + fall upon whatever corps of the enemy approaches me nearest. I shall even + bless Heaven for its mercy, if it grant me the favor to die sword in hand. + </p> + <p> + "Should this hope fail me, you will allow that it would be too hard to + crawl at the feet of a company of traitors, to whom successful crimes have + given the advantage to prescribe the law to me. How, my dear, my + incomparable Sister, how could I repress feelings of vengeance and of + resentment against all my neighbors, of whom there is not one who did not + accelerate my downfall, and will not, share in our spoils? How can a + Prince survive his State, the glory of his Country, his own reputation? A + Bavarian Elector, in his nonage [Son of the late poor Kaiser, and left, + shipwrecked in his seventeenth year], or rather in a sort of subjection to + his Ministers, and dull to the biddings of honor, may give himself up as a + slave to the imperious domination of the House of Austria, and kiss the + hand which oppressed his Father: I pardon it to his youth and his + ineptitude. But is that the example for me to follow? No, dear Sister, you + think too nobly to give me such mean (LACHE) advice. Is Liberty, that + precious prerogative, to be less dear to a Sovereign in the eighteenth + century than it was to Roman Patricians of old? And where is it said, that + Brutus and Cato should carry magnanimity farther than Princes and Kings? + Firmness consists in resisting misfortune: but only cowards submit to the + yoke, bear patiently their chains, and support oppression tranquilly. + Never, my dear Sister, could I resolve upon such ignominy.... + </p> + <p> + "If I had followed only my own inclinations, I should have ended it (JE ME + SERAIS DEPECHE) at once, after that unfortunate Battle which I lost. But I + felt that this would be weakness, and that it behooved me to repair the + evil which had happened. My attachment to the State awoke; I said to + myself, It is not in seasons of prosperity that it is rare to find + defenders, but in adversity. I made it a point of honor with myself to + redress all that had got out of square; in which I was not unsuccessful; + not even in the Lausitz [after those Zittau disasters] last of all. But no + sooner had I hastened this way to face new enemies, than Winterfeld was + beaten and killed near Gorlitz, than the French entered the heart, of my + States, than the Swedes blockaded Stettin. Now there is nothing effective + left for me to do: there are too many enemies. Were I even to succeed in + beating two armies, the third would crush me. The enclosed Note [in + cipher] will show you what I am still about to try: it is the last + attempt. + </p> + <p> + "The gratitude, the tender affection, which I feel towards you, that + friendship, true as the hills, constrains me to deal openly with you. No, + my divine Sister, I shall conceal nothing from you that I intend to do; + all my thoughts, all my resolutions shall be open and known to you in + time. I will precipitate nothing: but also it will be impossible for me to + change my sentiments.... + </p> + <p> + "As for you, my incomparable Sister, I have not the heart to turn you from + your resolves. We think alike, and I cannot condemn in you the sentiments + which I daily entertain (EPROUVE). Life has been given to us as a benefit: + when it ceases to be such"—! "I have nobody left in this world, to + attach me to it, but you. My friends, the relations I loved most, are in + the grave; in short, I have lost, everything. If you take the resolution + which I have taken, we end together our misfortunes and our unhappiness; + and it will be the turn of them who remain in this world, to provide for + the concerns falling to their charge, and to bear the weight, which has + lain on us so long. These, my adorable Sister, are sad reflections, but + suitable to my present condition. + </p> + <p> + "The day before yesterday I was at Gotha [yes, see above;—and + to-morrow, if I knew it, Seidlitz with pictorial effects will be + there].... + </p> + <p> + "But, it is time to end this long, dreary Letter; which treats almost of + nothing but my own affairs. I have had some leisure, and have used it to + open on you a heart filled with admiration and gratitude towards you. Yes, + my adorable Sister, if Providence troubled itself about human affairs, you + ought to be the happiest person in the Universe. Your not being such, + confirms me in the sentiments expressed at the end of my EPITRE. In + conclusion, believe that I adore you, and that I would give my life a + thousand times to serve you. These are the sentiments which will animate + me to the last breath of my life; being, my beloved Sister, ever"—Your—F. + [<i>OEuvres,</i> xxvii. i, 303-307.] + </p> + <p> + WILHELMINA'S ANSWER,—by anticipation, as we said: written "15th + September," while Friedrich was dining at Gotha, in quest of Soubise. + </p> + <p> + "BAIREUTH, 15th SEPTEMBER, 1757. My dearest Brother, your Letter and the + one you wrote to Voltaire, my dear Brother, have almost killed me. What + fatal resolutions, great God! Ah, my dear Brother, you say you love me; + and you drive a dagger into my heart. Your EPITRE, which I did receive, + made me shed rivers of tears. I am now ashamed of such weakness. My + misfortune would be so great" in the issue there alluded to, "that I + should find worthier resources than tears. Your lot shall be mine: I will + not survive either your misfortunes or those of the House I belong to. You + may calculate that such is my firm resolution. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> +"But, after this avowal, allow me to entreat you to look back at what +was the pitiable state of your Enemy when you lay before Prag! It is + occur again, when one is least expecting it, Caesar was the slave of +Pirates; and he became the master of the world. A great genius like +yours finds resources even when all is lost; and it is impossible this +frenzy can continue. My heart bleeds to think of the poor souls in +Preussen [Apraxin and his Christian Cossacks there,—who, it is noted, +far excel the Calmuck worshippers of the Dalai-Lama]. What horrid +barbarity, the detail of cruelties that go on there! I feel all that you +feel on it, my dear Brother. I know your heart, and your sensibility for +your subjects. +</pre> + <p> + "I suffer a thousand times more than I can tell you; nevertheless hope + does not abandon me. I received your Letter of the 14th by W. [who W. is, + no mortal knows]. What kindness to think of me, who have nothing to give + you but a useless affection, which is so richly repaid by yours! I am + obliged to finish; but I shall never cease to be, with the most profound + respect (TRES-PROFOND RESPECT,"—that, and something still better, if + my poor pen were not embarrassed), + </p> + <p> + "your"—WILHELMINA. + </p> + <p> + 5. FRIEDRICH'S RESPONSE TO THE DISSUASIVES OF VOLTAIRE (Last of the + Lamentation-Psalms: "Buttstadt, October 9th").—Voltaire's Dissuasive + Letter is a poor Piece; [<i>OEuvres de Voltaire, </i> lxxvii. 80-85 (LES + DELICES, early in September, 1757: no date given).] not worth giving here. + Remarkable only by Friedrich's quiet reception of it; which readers shall + now see, as Finis to those Lamentation-Psalms. There is another of them, + widely known, which we will omit: the EPITRE TO D'ARGENS; [In <i> OEuvres + de Frederic,</i> xii. 50-56 ("Erfurt, 23d September, 1757 ").] passionate + enough, wandering wildly over human life, and sincere almost to + shrillness, in parts; which Voltaire has also got hold of. Omissible here; + the fixity of purpose being plain otherwise to Voltaire and us. Voltaire's + counter-arguments are weak, or worse: "That Roman death is not now + expected of the Philosopher; that your Majesty will, in the worst event, + still have considerable Dominions left, all that your Great-Grandfather + had; still plenty of resources; that, in Paris Society, an estimable + minority even now thinks highly of you; that in Paris itself your Majesty + [does not say expressly, as dethroned and going on your travels] would + have resources!" To which beautiful considerations Friedrich answers, not + with fire and brimstone, as one might have dreaded, but in this quiet + manner (REPONSE AU SIEUR VOLTAIRE):— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Je suis homme, il suffit, et ne pour la souffrance; + Aux rigueurs du destin j'oppose ma constance. +</pre> + <p> + ["I am a man, and therefore born to suffer; to destiny's rigors my + steadfastness must correspond."—Quotation from I know not whom.] + </p> + <p> + But with these sentiments, I am far from condemning Cato and Otho. The + latter had no fine moment in his life, except that of his death. [Breaks + off into Verse:] + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Croyez que si j'etais Voltaire, + Et particulier comme lui, + Me contentant du necessaire, + Je verrais voltiger la fortune legere," +</pre> + <p> + —Or,to wring the water and the jingle out of it, and give the + substance in Prose:— + </p> + <p> + "Yes, if I were Voltaire and a private man, I could with much composure + leave Fortune to her whirlings and her plungings; to me, contented with + the needful, her mad caprices and sudden topsy-turvyings would be amusing + rather than tremendous. + </p> + <p> + "I know the ennui attending on honors, the burdensome duties, the jargon + of grinning flatterers, those pitiabilities of every kind, those details + of littleness, with which you have to occupy yourself if set on high on + the stage of things. Foolish glory has no charm for me, though a Poet and + King: when once Atropos has ended me forever, what will the uncertain + honor of living in the Temple of Memory avail? One moment of practical + happiness is worth a thousand years of imaginary in such Temple.—Is + the lot of high people so very sweet, then? Pleasure, gentle ease, true + and hearty mirth, have always fled from the great and their peculiar pomps + and labors. + </p> + <p> + "No, it is not fickle Fortune that has ever caused my sorrows; let her + smile her blandest, let her frown her fiercest on me, I should sleep every + night, refusing her the least worship. But our respective conditions are + our law; we are bound and commanded to shape our temper to the employment + we have undertaken. Voltaire in his hermitage, in a Country where is + honesty and safety, can devote himself in peace to the life of the + Philosopher, as Plato has described it. But as to me, threatened with + shipwreck, I must consider how, looking the tempest in the face, I can + think, can live and can die as a King:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Pour moi, menace du naufrage, + Je dois, en affrontant l'orage, + Penser, vivre et mourir en roi." + [<i>OEuvres,</i> xxiii. 14.] +</pre> + <p> + This is of October 9th; this ends, worthily, the Lamentation-Psalms; work + having now turned up, which is a favorable change. Friedrich's notion of + suicide, we perceive, is by no means that of puking up one's existence, in + the weak sick way of FELO DE SE; but, far different, that of dying, if he + needs must, as seems too likely, in uttermost spasm of battle for self and + rights to the last. From which latter notion nobody can turn him. A + valiantly definite, lucid and shiningly practical soul,—with such a + power of always expectorating himself into clearness again. If he do + frankly wager his life in that manner, beware, ye Soubises, Karls and + flaccid trivial persons, of the stroke that may chance to lie in him!— + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0019" id="link2H_4_0019"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + III. RUMOR OF AN INROAD ON BERLIN SUDDENLY SETS FRIEDRICH ON MARCH + THITHER: INROAD TAKES EFFECT,—WITH IMPORTANT RESULTS, CHIEFLY IN A + LEFT-HAND FORM. + </h2> + <p> + October 11th, express arrived, important express from General Finck (who + is in Dresden, convalescent from Kolin, and is even Commandant there, of + anything there is to command), "That the considerable Austrian Brigade or + Outpost, which was left at Stolpen when the others went for Silesia, is + all on march for Berlin." Here is news! "The whole 15,000 of them," report + adds;—though it proved to be only a Detachment, picked Tolpatches + mostly, and of nothing like that strength; shot off, under a swift General + Haddick, on this errand. Between them and Berlin is not a vestige of + force; and Berlin itself has nothing but palisades, and perhaps a poor + 4,000 of garrison. "March instantly, you Moritz, who lie nearest; cross + Elbe at Torgau; I follow instantly!" orders Friedrich; [His Message to + Moritz, ORLICH, p. 73; Rodenbeck, p. 322 (dubious, or wrong).]—and + that same night is on march, or has cavalry pushed ahead for reinforcement + of Moritz. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich, not doubting but there would be captaincy and scheme among his + Enemies, considered that the Swedes, and perhaps the Richelieu French, + were in concert with this Austrian movement,—from east, from north, + from west, three Invasions coming on the core of his Dominions;—and + that here at last was work ahead, and plenty of it! That was Friedrich's + opinion, and most other people's, when the Austrian inroad was first heard + of: "mere triple ruin coming to this King," as the Gazetteers judged;—great + alarm prevailing among the King's friends; in Berlin, very great. + Friedrich, glad, at any rate, to have done with that dismal lingering at + Buttelstadt, hastens to arrange himself for the new contingencies; to post + his Keiths, his Ferdinands, with their handfuls of force, to best + advantage; and push ahead after Moritz, by Leipzig, Torgau, Berlin-wards, + with all his might. At Leipzig, in such press of business and interest,—judge + by the following phenomenon, what a clear-going soul this is, and how + completely on a level with whatever it may be that he is marching towards:— + </p> + <p> + "LEIPZIG, 15th OCTOBER, 1757 (Interview with Gottsched).—At 11 this + morning, Majesty came marching into Leipzig; multitudes of things to + settle there; things ready, things not yet ready, in view of the great + events ahead. Seeing that he would have time after dinner, he at once sent + for Professor Gottsched, a gigantic gentleman, Reigning King of German + Literature for the time being, to come to him at 3 P.M. Reigning King at + that time; since gone wholly to the Dustbins,—'Popular Delusion,' as + old Samuel defines it, having since awakened to itself, with scornful + ha-ha's upon its poor Gottsched, and rushed into other roads worse and + better; its poor Gottsched become a name now signifying Pedantry, + Stupidity, learned Inanity and the Worship of Colored Water, to every + German mind. + </p> + <p> + "At 3 precise, the portly old gentleman (towards sixty now, huge of + stature, with a shrieky voice, and speaks uncommonly fast) bowed himself + in; and a Colloquy ensued, on Literature and so forth, of the kind we may + conceive. Colloquy which had great fame in the world; Gottsched himself + having—such the inaccuracy of rumor and Dutch Newspapers, on the + matter—published authentic Report of it; [Next Year, in a principal + Leipzig Magazine, with name signed: given in <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> iv. + 728-739 (with multifarious commentaries and flourishings, denoting an + attentive world). Nicolai, <i>Anekdoten,</i> iii. 286-290.] now one of the + dullest bits of reading, and worth no man's bit of time. Colloquy which + lasted three hours, with the greatest vivacity on both sides; King + impugning, for one principal thing, the roughness of German speech; + Gottsched, in swift torrents (far too copious in such company), ready to + defend. 'Those consonants of ours,' said the King, 'they afflict one's + ear: what Names we have; all in mere K's and P's: KNAP-, KNIP-, KLOP-, + KROTZ-, KROK—;—your own Name, for example!'"—Yes, his + own Name, unmusical GottSCHED, and signifying God's-Damage (God's-SKAITH) + withal. "Husht, don't take a Holy Name in vain; call the man SCHED + ('Damage' by itself), can't we!" said a wit once. [Nicolai, <i>Anekdoten,</i> + iii. 287.]—"'Five consonants together, TTSCH, TTSCH, what a tone!' + continued the King. 'Hear, in contrast, the music of this Stanza of + Rousseau's [Repeats a stanza]. Who could express that in German with such + melody?' And so on; branching through a great many provinces; King's + knowledge of all Literature, new and ancient, 'perfectly astonishing to + me;' and I myself, the swift-speaking Gottsched, rather copious than + otherwise. Catastrophe, and summary of the whole, was: Gottsched undertook + to translate the Rousseau Stanza into German of moderate softness; and by + the aid of water did so, that very night; [Copied duly in <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> + iv. 726.] sent it next day, and had 'within an hour' a gracious Royal + Answer in verse; calling one, incidentally, 'Saxon Swan, CYGNE SAXON,' + though one is such a Goose! 'Majesty to march at 7 to-morrow morning,' + said a Postscript,—no Interviewing more, at present. + </p> + <p> + "About ten days after [not to let this thing interrupt us again], + Friedrich, on his return to Leipzig, had another Interview with Gottsched; + of only one hour, this time;—but with many topics: Reading of some + Gottsched Ode (ODE, very tedious, frothy, watery, of THANKS to Majesty for + such goodness to the Saxon Swan; reading, too, of 'some of Madam + Gottsched's Pieces'). Majesty confessed afterwards, Every hour from the + very first had lowered his opinion of the Saxon Swan, till at length + Goosehood became too apparent. Friedrich sent him a gold snuffbox by and + by, but had no farther dialoguing. + </p> + <p> + "A saying of Excellency Mitchell's to Gottsched—for Gottsched, on + that second Leipzig opportunity, went swashing about among the King's + Suite as well—is still remembered. They were talking of Shakspeare: + 'Genial, if you will,' said Gottsched, 'but the Laws of Aristotle; Five + Acts, unities strict!'—'Aristotle? What is to hinder a man from + making his Tragedy in Ten acts, if it suit him better?' 'Impossible, your + Excellency!'—'Pooh,' said his Excellency; 'suppose Aristotle, and + general Fashion too, had ordered that the clothes of every man were to be + cut from five ells of cloth: how would the Herr Professor like [with these + huge limbs of his] if he found there were no breeches for him, on + Aristotle's account?' Adieu to Gottsched; most voluminous of men;—who + wrote a Grammar of the German Language, which, they say, did good. I + remember always his poor Wife with some pathos; who was a fine, graceful, + loyal creature, of ten times his intelligence; and did no end of writing + and translating and compiling (Addison's CATO, Addison's SPECTATOR, + thousands of things from all languages), on order of her Gottsched, till + life itself sank in such enterprises; never doubting, tragically faithful + soul, but her Gottsched was an authentic Seneschal of Phoebus and the + Nine." [Her LETTERS, collected by a surviving Lady-Friend, "BRIEFE DER + FRAU LUISE ADELGUNDE VIKTORIE GOTTSCHED, born KULMUS (Dresden, 1771-1772, + 3 vols. 8vo)," are, I should suppose, the only Gottsched Piece which + anybody would now think of reading.]— + </p> + <p> + Monday, 17th, at seven, his Majesty pushed off accordingly; cheery he in + the prospect of work, whatever his friends in the distance be. Here, from + Eilenburg, his first stage Torgau-way, are a Pair of Letters in notable + contrast. + </p> + <p> + WILHELMINA TO THE KING (on rumor of Haddick, swoln into a Triple Invasion, + Austrian, Swedish, French). + </p> + <p> + BAIREUTH, "15th October, 1757. + </p> + <p> + "MY DEAREST BROTHER,—Death and a thousand torments could not equal + the frightful state I am in. There run reports that make me shudder. Some + say you are wounded; others, dangerously ill. In vain have I tormented + myself to have news of you; I can get none. Oh, my dear Brother, come what + may, I will not survive you. If I am to continue in this frightful + uncertainty, I cannot stand it; I shall sink under it, and then I shall be + happy. I have been on the point of sending you a courier; but [environed + as we are] I durst not. In the name of God, bid somebody write me one + word. + </p> + <p> + "I know not what I have written; my heart is torn in pieces; I feel that + by dint of disquietude and alarms I am losing my wits. Oh, my dear, + adorable Brother, have pity on me. Heaven grant I be mistaken, and that + you may scold me; but the least thing that concerns you pierces me to the + heart, and alarms my affection too much. Might I die a thousand times, + provided you lived and were happy! + </p> + <p> + "I can say no more. Grief chokes me; and I can only repeat that your fate + shall be mine; being, my dear Brother, your + </p> + <p> + "WILHELMINA." + </p> + <p> + What a shrill penetrating tone, like the wildly weeping voice of Rachel; + tragical, painful, gone quite to falsetto and above pitch; but with a + melody in its dissonance like the singing of the stars. My poor shrill + Wilhelmina!— + </p> + <p> + KING TO WILHELMINA (has not yet received the Above). + </p> + <p> + "EILENBURG, 17th October, 1757. + </p> + <p> + "MY DEAREST SISTER,—What is the good of philosophy unless one employ + it in the disagreeable moments of life? It is then, my dear Sister, that + courage and firmness avail us. + </p> + <p> + "I am now in motion; and having once got into that, you may calculate I + shall not think of sitting down again, except under improved omens. If + outrage irritates even cowards, what will it do to hearts that have + courage? + </p> + <p> + "I foresee I shall not be able to write again for perhaps six weeks: which + fails not to be a sorrow to me: but I entreat you to be calm during these + turbulent affairs, and to wait with patience the month of December; paying + no regard to the Nurnberg Newspapers nor to those of the Reich, which are + totally Austrian. + </p> + <p> + "I am tired as a dog (COMME UN CHIEN). I embrace you with my whole heart; + being with the most perfect affection (TENDRESSE), my dearest Sister, + your"— FRIEDRICH. + </p> + <p> + ... (AT SOME OTHER HOUR, SAME PLACE AND DAY.) "'No possibility of Peace,' + say your accounts [Letter lost]; 'the French won't hear my name + mentioned.' Well; from me they shall not farther. The way will be, to + speak to them by action, so that they may repent their impertinences and + pride." [<i>OEuvres de Frederic,</i> xxvii. i. 308, 309, 310.]' + </p> + <p> + The Haddick affair, after all the rumor about it, proved to be a very + small matter. No Swede or Richelieu had dreamt of co-operating; Haddick, + in the end, was scarce 4,000 with four cannon; General Rochow, Commandant + of Berlin, with his small garrison, had not Haddick skilfully slidden + through woods, and been so magnified by rumor, might have marched out, and + beaten a couple of Haddicks. As it was, Haddick skilfully emerging, at the + Silesian Gate of Berlin, 16th October, about eleven in the morning, + demanded ransom of 300,000 thalers (45,000 pounds); was refused; began + shooting on the poor palisades, on the poor drawbridge there; "at the + third shot brought down the drawbridge;" rushed into the suburb; and was + not to be pushed out again by the weak party Rochow sent to try it. + Rochow, ignorant of Haddick's force, marched off thereupon for Spandau + with the Royal Family and effects; leaving Haddick master of the suburb, + and Berlin to make its own bargain with him. Haddick, his Croats not to be + quite kept from mischief, remained master of the suburb, minatory upon + Berlin, for twelve hours or more: and after a good deal of bargaining,—ransom + of 45,000 pounds, of 90,000 pounds, finally of 27,000 pounds and "two + dozen pair of gloves to the Empress Queen,"—made off about five in + the morning; wind of Moritz's advance adding wings to the speed of + Haddick. [<i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> iv. 715-723 (Haddick's own Account, + and the Berlin one).] + </p> + <p> + Moritz did arrive next evening (18th); but with his tired troops there was + no catching of Haddick, now three marches ahead. Royal Family and effects + returned from Spandau the day following; but in a day or two more, removed + to Magdeburg till the Capital were safe from such affronts. Much grumbling + against Rochow. "What could I do? How could I know?" answered Rochow, + whose eyesight indeed had been none of the best. Berlin smarts to the + length of 27,000 pounds and an alarm; but asserts (not quite mythically, + thinks Retzow), that "the two dozen pair of gloves were all gloves for the + left hand,"—Berlin having wit, and a touch of ABSINTHE in it, + capable of such things! Friedrich heard the news at Annaburg, a march + beyond Torgau; and there paused, again uncertain, for about a week coming; + after which, he discovered that Leipzig would be the place; and returned + thither, appointing a general rendezvous and concentration there. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0020" id="link2H_4_0020"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + SCENE AT REGENSBURG IN THE INTERIM. + </h2> + <p> + Just while Haddick was sliding swiftly through the woods, Berlin now nigh, + there occurred a thing at Regensburg; tragic thing, but ending in farce,—Finale + of REICHS-ACHT, in short;—about which all Regensburg was loud, + wailing or haha-ing according to humor; while Berlin was paying its ransom + and left-hand gloves. One moment's pause upon this, though our haste is + great. + </p> + <p> + "Reichs Diet had got its Ban of the Reich ready for Friedrich; CITATIO + (solemn Summons) and all else complete; nothing now wanted but to serve + Citatio on him, or 'insinuate' it into him, as their phrase is;—which + latter essential point occasions some shaking of wigs. Dangerous, serving + Citatio in that quarter: and by what art try to smuggle it into the hands + of such a one? 'Insinuate it here into his, Plotho's, hand; that is the + method, and that will suffice!' say the wigs, and choose an unfortunate + Reichs Notary, Dr. Aprill, to do it; who, in ponderous Chancery-style, + gives the following affecting report,—wonderful, but intelligible + (when abridged):— + </p> + <p> + "Citatio" to come and receive your Ban,—a very solemn-sounding + Document, commencing (or perhaps it is Aprill himself that so commences, + no matter which), "'In the Name of the Most High God, the Father, Son and + Holy Ghost, Amen,'—was given, Wednesday, 12th October, in the Year + after Christ our dear Lord and Saviour's Birth, 1757 Years, To me Georgius + Mathias Josephus Aprill, sworn Kaiserlich Notarius Publicus; In my + Lodging, first-floor fronting south, in Jacob Virnrohr the Innkeeper's + House here at Regensburg, called the Red-Star," for insinuation into + Plotho: + </p> + <p> + With which solemn Piece, Aprill proceeded next day, Thursday, half-past 2 + P.M., to Plotho's dwelling-place, described with equal irrefragability; + and, continues Aprill, "did there, by a servant of the Herr Ambassador von + Plotho's, announce myself; adding that I had something to say to his + Excellency, if he would please to admit me. To which the Herr Ambassador + by the same servant sent answer, that he was ill with a cold, and that I + might speak to his Secretarius what I had to say. But, as I replied that + my message was to his Excellenz in person, the same servant came back with + intimation that I might call again to-morrow at noon." + </p> + <p> + To-morrow, at the stroke of noon, Friday, 14th October, Aprill punctually + appears again, with recapitulation of the pledge given him yesterday; and + is informed that he can walk up-stairs. "I proceeded thereupon, the + servant going before, up one pair of stairs, or with the appurtenances + (GEZEUGEN) rather more than one pair, into the Herr Ambassador Freiherr + von Plotho's Anteroom; who, just as we were entering, stept in himself, + through a side-door; in his dressing-gown, and with the words, 'Speak now + what you have to say.' + </p> + <p> + "I thereupon slipt into his hand CITATIO FISCALIS, and said"—said at + first nothing, Plotho avers; merely mumbled, looked like some poor + caitiff, come with Law-papers on a trifling Suit we happen to have in the + Courts here;—and only by degrees said (let us abridge; SCENE, Aprill + and Plotho, Anteroom in Regensburg, first-floor and rather higher):— + </p> + <p> + APRILL. "'I have to give your Excellenz this Writing,—[which + privately, could your Excellenz guess it, is] CITATIO FISCALIS from the + Reichstag, summoning his Majesty to show cause why Ban of the Reich should + not pass upon him!' His Excellenz at first took the CITATIO and adjuncts + from me; and looking into them to see what they were, his Excellenz's face + began to color, and soon after to color a little more; and on his looking + attentively at CITATIO FISCALIS, he broke into violent anger and rage, so + that he could not stand still any longer; but with burning face, and both + arms held aloft, rushed close to me, CITATIO and adjuncts in his right + hand, and broke out in this form:— + </p> + <p> + PLOTHO. "'What; insinuate (INSINUIEREN), you scoundrel!' + </p> + <p> + APRILL. "'It is my Notarial Office; I must do it.' In spite of which the + Freiherr von Plotho fell on me with all rage; grasped me by the front of + the cloak, and said:— + </p> + <p> + PLOTHO. "'Take it back, wilt thou!' And as I resisted doing so, he stuck + it in upon me, and shoved it down with all violence between my coat and + waistcoat; and, still holding me by the cloak, called to the two servants + who had been there, 'Fling him down stairs!'—which they, being + discreet fellows, and in no flurry, did not quite, nor needed quite to do + ('Must, sir, you see, unless!'), and so forced me out of the house; + Excellenz Plotho retiring through his Anteroom, and his Body-servant, who + at first had been on the stairs, likewise disappearing as I got under + way,"—and have to report, in such manner, to the Universe and Reichs + Diet, with tears in my eyes. [Preuss, ii. 397-401; in <i>Helden-Geschichte, + </i> iv. 745-749, Plotho's Account.] + </p> + <p> + What became of Reichs Ban after this, ask not. It fell dead by Friedrich's + victories now at hand; rose again into life on Friedrich's misfortunes + (August, 1758), threatening to include George Second in it; upon which the + CORPUS EVANGELICORUM made some counter-mumblement;—and, I have + heard, the French privately advised: "Better drop it; these two Kings are + capable of walking out of you, and dangerously kicking the table over as + they go!"—Whereby it again fell dead, positively for the last time, + and, in short, is worth no mention or remembrance more. + </p> + <p> + CORPUS EVANGELICORUM had always been against Reichs Ban: a few + Dissentients, or Half-Dissentients excepted,—as Mecklenburg wholly + and with a will; foolish Anspach wholly; and the Anhalts haggling some + dissent, and retracting it (why, I never knew);—for which + Mecklenburg and the Anhalts, lying within clutch of one, had to repent + bitterly in the years coming! Enough of all that. + </p> + <p> + The Haddick invasion, which had got its gloves, left-hand or not, and part + of its road-expenses, brought another consequence much more important on + the PER-CONTRA side. The triumphing, TE-DEUM-ing and jubilation over it,—"His + Metropolis captured; Royal Family in flight!"—raised the Dauphiness + Army, and especially Versailles, into such enthusiasm, that Dauphiness + came bodily out (on order from Versailles); spread over the Country, + plundering and insulting beyond example; got herself reinforced by a + 15,000 from the Richelieu Army; crossed the Saale; determined on taking + Leipzig, beating Friedrich, and I know not what. Keith, in Leipzig with a + small Party, had summons from Soubise's vanguard (October 24th): Keith + answered, He would burn the suburbs;—upon which, said vanguard, + hearing of Friedrich's advent withal, took itself rapidly away. And + Soubise and it would fain have recrossed Saale, I have understood, had not + Versailles been peremptory. + </p> + <p> + In a word, Friedrioh arrived at Leipzig October 26th; Ferdinand, Moritz + and all the others coming or already come: and there is something great + just at hand. Friedrich's stay in Leipzig was only four days. Cheering + prospect of work now ahead here;—add to this, assurance from + Preussen that Apraxin is fairly going home, and Lehwald coming to look + after the Swedes. Were it not that there is bad news from Silesia, things + generally are beginning to look up. Of the hour spent on Gottsched, in + these four days, we expressly take no notice farther; but there was + another visit much less conspicuous, and infinitely more important: that + of a certain Hanoverian Graf von Schulenburg, not in red or with plumes, + like a Major-General as he was, but "in the black suit of a Country + Parson,"—coming, in that unnoticeable guise, to inform Friedrich + officially, "That the Hanoverians and Majesty of England have resolved to + renounce the Convention of Kloster-Zeven; to bring their poor Stade Army + into the field again; and do now request him, King Friedrich, to grant + them Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick to be General of the same." [Mauvillon, + i. 256; Westphalen, i. 315: indistinct both, and with slight variations. + Mitchell Papers (in British Museum), likewise indistinct: Additional MSS. + 6815, pp. 96 and 108 ("Lord Holderness to Mitchell," doubtless on Pitt's + instigation, "10th October, 1757," is the beginning of it,—two days + before Royal Highness got home from Stade); see ib. 6806, pp. 241-252.] + </p> + <p> + Here is an unnoticeable message, of very high moment indeed. To which + Friedrich, already prepared, gives his cheerful consent; nominations and + practicalities to follow, the instant these present hurries are over. Who + it was that had prepared all this, whose suggestion it first was, + Friedrich's, Mitchell's, George's, Pitt's, I do not know,—I cannot + help suspecting Pitt; Pitt and Friedrich together. And certainly of all + living men, Ferdinand—related to the English and Prussian royalties, + a soldier of approved excellence, and likewise a noble-minded, prudent, + patient and invincibly valiant and steadfast man—was, beyond + comparison, the fittest for this office. Pitt is now fairly in power; and + perceives,—such Pitt's originality of view,—that an Army with + a Captain to it may differ beautifully from one without. And in fact we + may take this as the first twitch at the reins, on Pitt's part; whose + delicate strong hand, all England running to it with one heart, will be + felt at the ends of the earth before many months go. To the great and + unexpected joy of Friedrich, for one. "England has taken long to produce a + great man," he said to Mitchell; "but here is one at last!" + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0021" id="link2H_4_0021"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + BOOK XVIII (CONTINUED)—SEVEN-YEARS WAR RISES TO A HEIGHT. 1757-1759. + </h2> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter VIII.—BATTLE OF ROSSBACH. + </h2> + <p> + Friedrich left Leipzig Sunday, October 30th; encamped, that night, on the + famous Field of Lutzen, with the vanguard, he (as usual, and Mayer with + him, who did some brisk smiting home of what French there were); Keith and + Duke Ferdinand following, with main body and rear. + </p> + <p> + Movements on the Soubise-Hildburghausen part are all retrograde again;—can + Dauphiness Bellona do nothing, then, except shuttle forwards and then + backwards according to Friedrich's absence or presence? The + Soubise-Hildburghausen Army does immediately withdraw on this occasion, as + on the former; and makes for the safe side of the Saale again, rapidly + retreating before Friedrich, who is not above one to two of them,—more + like one to three, now that Broglio's Detachment is come to hand. Broglio + got to Merseburg October 26th,—guess 15,000 strong;—considerably + out of repair, and glad to have done with such a march, and be within + reach of Soubise. This is the Second Son of our old Blusterous Friend; a + man who came to some mark, and to a great deal of trouble, in this War; + and ended, readers know how, at the Siege of the Bastille thirty-two years + afterwards! + </p> + <p> + So soon as rested, Broglio, by order, moves leftwards to Halle, to guard + Saale Bridge there; Soubise himself edging after him to Merseburg, on a + similar errand; and leaving Hildburghausen to take charge of Weissenfels + and the Third Saale Bridge. That is Dauphiness's posture while Friedrich + encamps at Lutzen:—let impatient human nature fix these three places + for itself, and hasten to the catastrophe of wretched Dauphiness. Soubise, + it ought to be remembered, is not in the highest spirits; but his Officers + in over-high, "Doing this PETIT MARQUIS DE BRANDEBOURG the honor to have a + kind of War with him (DE LUI FAIRE UNE ESPECE DE GUERRE)," as they term + it. Being puffed up with general vanity, and the newspaper rumor about + Haddick's feat,—which, like the gloves it got, is going all to + left-hand in this way. Hildburghausen and the others overrule Soubise; and + indeed there is no remedy; "Provision almost out;—how retreat to our + magazines and our fastnesses, with Friedrich once across Saale, and + sticking to the skirts of us?" Here, from eye-witnesses where possible, + are the successive steps of Dauphiness towards her doom, which is famous + in the world ever since. + </p> + <p> + "Monday, 31st October, 1757," as the Town-Syndic of Weissenfels records, + "about eight in the morning, [Muller, SCHLACHT BEI ROSSBACH ("a Centenary + Piece," Berlin, 1857,—containing several curious Extracts), p. 44, + <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> iv. 643, 651-668.] the King of Prussia, with his + whole Army" (or what seemed to us the whole, though it was but a half; + Keith with the other half being within reach to northward, marching + Merseburg way), "came before this Town." Has been here before; as Keith + has, as Soubise and others have: a town much agitated lately by transit of + troops. It was from the eastern, or high landward side, where the + so-called Castle is, that Friedrich came: Castle built originally on some + "White Crag (WEISSE FELS" not now conspicuous), from which the town and + whilom Duchy take their name. + </p> + <p> + "We have often heard of Weissenfels, while the poor old drunken Duke + lived, who used to be a Suitor of Wilhelmina's, liable to hard usage; and + have marched through it, with the Salzburgers, in peaceable times. A solid + pleasant-enough little place (6,000 souls or so); lies leant against high + ground (White Crags, or whatever it once was) on the eastern or right bank + of the Saale; a Town in part flat, in part very steep; the streets of it, + or main street and secondaries, running off level enough from the River + and Bridge; rising by slow degrees, but at last rapidly against the high + ground or cliffs, just mentioned; a stiff acclivity of streets, till + crowned by the so-called Castle, the 'Augustus Burg' in those days, the + 'Friedrich-Wilhelm Barrack' in ours. It was on this crown of the cliffs + that his Prussian Majesty appeared. + </p> + <p> + "Saale is of good breadth here; has done perhaps two hundred miles, since + he started, in the Fichtelgebirge (PINE MOUNTAINS), on his long course + Elbe-ward; received, only ten miles ago, his last big branch, the + wide-wandering Unstrut, coming in with much drainage from the northern + parts:—in breadth, Saale may be compared to Thames, to Tay or + Beauley; his depth not fordable, though nothing like so deep as Thames's; + main cargo visible is rafts of timber: banks green, definite, scant of + wood; river of rather dark complexion, mainly noiseless, but of useful + pleasant qualities otherwise." + </p> + <p> + From this Castle or landward side come Friedrich and his Prussians, on + Monday morning about eight. "The garrison, some 4,000 Reichs folk and a + French Battalion or two, shut the Gates, and assembled in the + Market-place,"—a big square, close at the foot of the Heights; "on + the other hand, from the top of the Heights [KLAMMERK the particular + spot], the Prussians cannonaded Town and Gates; to speedy bursting open of + the same; and rushed in over the walls of the Castle-court, and by other + openings into the Town: so that the garrison above said had to quit, and + roll with all speed across the Saale Bridge, and set the same on fire + behind them." This was their remedy for all the Three Bridges, when + attacked; but it succeeded nowhere so well as here. + </p> + <p> + "The fire was of extreme rapidity; prepared beforehand:" Bridge all of dry + wood coated with pitch;—"fire reinforced too, in view of such event, + by all the suet, lard and oleaginous matter the Garrison could find in + Weissenfels; some hundredweights of tallow-dips, for one item, going up on + this occasion." Bridge, "worth 100,000 thalers," is instantly ablaze: some + 400 finding the bridge so flamy, and the Prussians at their skirts, were + obliged to surrender;—Feldmarschall Hildburghausen, sleeping about + two miles off, gets himself awakened in this unpleasant manner. Flying + garrison halt on the other side of the River, where the rest of their Army + is; plant cannon there against quenching of the Bridge; and so keep + firing, answered by the Prussians, with much noise and no great mischief, + till 3 P.M., when the Bridge is quite gone (Toll-keeper's Lodge and all), + and the enterprise of crossing there had plainly become impossible. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich quickly, about a mile farther down the River, has picked out + another crossing-place, in the interim, and founded some new adequate + plank or raft bridge there; which, by diligence all night, will be + crossable to-morrow. So that, except for amusing the enemy, the + cannonading may cease at Weissenfels. A certain Duc de Crillon, in command + at this Weissenfels Bridge-burning and cannonade, has a chivalrous + Anecdote (amounting nearly to zero when well examined) about saving or + sparing Friedrich's life on this interesting occasion: How, being now on + the safe side of the River, he Crillon with his staff taking some + refection of breakfast after the furious flurry there had been; there came + to him one of his Artillery Captains, stationed in an Island in the River, + asking, "Shall I shoot the King of Prussia, Monseigneur? He is down + reconnoitring his end of the Bridge: sha'n't I, then?" To whom Crillon + gives a glass of wine and smilingly magnanimous answer to a negative + effect. [<i>"Memoires militaires de Louis &c. Duc de Crillon </i> + (Paris, 1791), p. 166;"—as cited by Preuss, ii. 88.] Concerning + which, one has to remark, Not only, FIRST, that the Artillery Captain's + power of seeing Friedrich (which is itself uncertain) would indeed mean + the power of aiming at him, but differs immensely from that of hitting him + with shot; so that this "Shall I kill the King?" was mainly thrasonic wind + from Captain Bertin. But SECONDLY, that there is no "Island" in the River + thereabouts, for Captain Bertin to fire from! So that probably the whole + story is wind or little more: dreamlike, or at best some idle + thrasonic-theoretic question, on the part of Bertin; proper answer thereto + (consisting mainly in a glass of wine) from Monseigneur:—all which, + on retrospection, Monseigneur feels, or would fain feel, to have been not + theoretic-thrasonic but practical, and of a rather godlike nature. Zero + mainly, as we said; Friedrich thanks you for zero, Monseigneur. + </p> + <p> + "The Prussians were billeted in the Town that night," says our Syndic; + "and in many a house there came to be twenty men, and even thirty and + above it, lodged. All was quiet through the night; the French and the + Reichs folk were drawn back upon the higher grounds, about Burgwerben and + on to Tagwerben; and we saw their watch-fires burning." Friedrich's Bridge + meanwhile, unmolested by the enemy, is getting ready. + </p> + <p> + Keith, looking across to Merseburg on the morrow morning (Tuesday, Nov. + 1st), whither he had marched direct with the other Half of the Army, finds + Merseburg Bridge destroyed, or broken; and Soubise with batteries on the + farther side, intending to dispute the passage. Keith despatches Duke + Ferdinand to Halle, another twelve miles down, who finds Halle Bridge + destroyed in like manner, and Broglio intending to dispute; which, + however, on second thoughts, neither of them I did. Friedrich's new Bridge + at Herren-Muhle (LORDSHIPS' MILL) is of course an important point to them; + Friedrich's passage now past dispute! "Let us fall back," say they, "and + rank ourselves a little; we are 50 or 60,000 strong; ill off for + provisions; but well able to retreat; and have permission to fight on this + side of the River." + </p> + <p> + The combined Army, "Dauphiness," or whatever we are to call it, does on + Wednesday morning (November 2d) gather in its cannon and outskirts, and + give up the Saale question; retire landwards to the higher grounds some + miles; and diligently get itself united, and into order of battle better + or worse, near the Village of Mucheln (which means Kirk MICHAEL, and is + still written "SANCT MICHEL" by some on this occasion). There Dauphiness + takes post, leaning on the heights, not in a very scientific way; leaving + Keith and Ferdinand to rebuild their Bridges unmolested, and all Prussians + to come across at discretion. Which they have diligently done (2d-3d + November), by their respective Bridges; and on Thursday afternoon are all + across, encamped at Bedra, in close neighborhood to Mucheln; which + Friedrich has been out reconnoitring and finds that he can attack next + morning very early. + </p> + <p> + Next morning, accordingly, "by 2 o'clock, with a bright moon shining," + Friedrich is on horseback, his Army following. But on examining by + moonlight, the enemy have shifted their position; turned on their axis, + more or less, into new wood-patches, new batteries and bogs; which has + greatly mended their affair. No good attacking them so, thinks Friedrich; + and returns to his Camp; slightly cannonaded, one wing of him, from some + battery of the enemy; and immoderately crowed over by them: "Dare not, you + see! Tried, and was defeated!" cry their newspapers and they,—for + one day. Friedrich lodges again in Bedra this night, others say in + Rossbach; shifts his own Camp a little; left wing of it now at Rossbach + (HOME-BROOK, or BECK, soon to be a world-famous Hamlet): the effects of + hunger on the Dauphiness, so far from her supplies, will, he calculates, + be stronger than on him, and will bring her to better terms shortly. + Dauphiness needs bread; one may have fine clipping at the skirts of her, + if she try retreat. That Dauphiness would play the prank she did next + morning, Friedrich had not ventured to calculate. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0023" id="link2H_4_0023"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CATASTROPHE OF DAUPHINESS (Saturday, 5th November, 1757). + </h2> + <p> + Meandering Saale is on one of his big turns, as he passes Weissenfels; + turning, pretty rapidly here, from southeastward, which he was a dozen + miles ago, round to northeastward again or northward altogether, which he + gets to be at Merseburg, a dozen farther down. Right across from + Weissenfels, lapped in this crook of the Saale, or washed by it on south + side and on east, rises, with extreme laziness, a dull circular lump of + country, six or eight miles in diameter; with Rossbach and half a dozen + other scraggy sleepy Hamlets scattered on it;—which, till the + morning of Saturday, 5th November, 1757, had not been notable to any + visitor. The topmost point or points, for there are two (not discoverable + except by tradition and guess), the country people do call Hills, + JANUS-HUGEL, POLZEN-HUGEL—Hill sensible to wagon-horses in those bad + loose tracks of sandy mud, but unimpressive on the Tourist, who has to + admit that there seldom was so flat a Hill. Rising, let us guess, forty + yards in the three or four miles it has had. Might be called a perceptibly + pot-bellied plain, with more propriety; flat country, slightly puffed up;—in + shape not steeper than the mould of an immense tea-saucer would be. + Tea-saucer 6 miles in diameter, 100 feet in depth, and of irregular + contour, which indeed will sufficiently represent it to the reader's mind. + </p> + <p> + Saale, at four or five miles distance, bounds this scraggy lump on the + east and on the south. Westward and northward, springing about Mucheln on + each hand, and setting off to right and to left Saale-ward, are what we + take to be two brooks; at least are two hollows: and behind these, the + country rises higher; undulating still on lazy terms, but now painted + azure by the distance, not unpleasant to behold, with its litter all + lapped out of sight, and its poor brooks tinkling forward (as we judge) + into the Saale, Merseburg way, or reverse-wise into the Unstrut, the last + big branch of Saale. Southward from our Janus Height, eight or nine miles + off, may be seen some vestige of Freiburg; steeple or gilt weathercock + faintly visible, on the Unstrut yonder;—which I take to be Soubise's + bread-basket at present. And farther off, and opposite the MOUTH of the + Unstrut, well across the Saale, lies another namable Town (visible in + clear weather, as a smoke-cloud at certain hours, about meal-time, when + the kettles are on boil), the Town of Naumburg,—one of several + German Naumburgs,—the Naumburg of Gustaf Adolf; where his slain body + lay, on the night of Lutzen Battle, with his poor Queen and others weeping + over it. Naumburg is on the other side of Saale, not of importance to + Soubise in such posture. + </p> + <p> + This is the circular block or lump of country, on the north or northwest + side of which Friedrich now lies, and which will become, he little thinks + how memorable on the morrow. Over the heights, immediately eastward of + Friedrich, there is a kind of hollow, or scooped-out place; shallow valley + of some extent, which deserves notice against to-morrow: but in general + the ground is lazily spherical, and without noticeable hollows or valleys + when fairly away from the River. A dull blunt lump of country; made of + sand and mud,—may have been grassy once, with broom on it, in the + pastoral times; is now under poor plough-husbandry, arable or scratchable + in all parts, and looks rather miserable in winter-time. No vestige of + hedge on it, of shrub or bush; one tree, ugly but big, which may have been + alive in Friedrich's time, stands not far from Rossbach Hamlet; one, and + no more, discoverable in these areas. + </p> + <p> + Various Hamlets lie sprinkled about: very sleepy, rusty, irregular little + places; huts and cattle-stalls huddled down, as if shaken from a bag; much + straw, thick thatch and crumbly mud-brick; but looking warm and peaceable, + for the Four-footed and the Two-footed; which latter, if you speak to + them, are solid reasonable people, with energetic German eyes and hearts, + though so ill-lodged. These Hamlets, needing shelter and spring-water, + stand generally in some slight hollow, if well up the Height, as Rorschach + is; sometimes, if near the bottom, they are nestled in a sudden dell or + gash,—work of the primeval rains, accumulating from above, and + ploughing out their way. The rains, we can see, have been busy; but there + is seldom the least stream visible, bottom being too sandy and porous. On + the western slope, there is in our time a kind of coal, or coal-dust, dug + up; in the way of quarrying, not of mining; and one or two big chasms of + this sort are confusedly busy: the natives mix this valuable coal-dust + with water, mould it into bricks, and so use as fuel: one of the features + of these hamlets is the strange black bricks, standing on edge about the + cottage-doors, to drip, and dry in the sun. For this or for other reasons, + the westward slope appears to be the best; and has a major share of + hamlets on it: Rossbach is high up, and looks over upon Mucheln, and its + dim belfry and appurtenances, which lie safe across the hollow, perhaps + two miles off,—safe from Friedrich, if there were eatables and + lodging to be had in such a place. Friedrich's left wing is in Rossbach. + Bedra where Friedrich's right wing is; Branderode where the Soubise right + is; then Grost; Schevenroda, Zeuchfeld, Pettstadt, Lunstadt,—especially + Reichartswerben, where Soubise's right will come to be: these the reader + may take note of in his Map. Several of them lie in ashes just then; + plundered, replundered, and at last set fire to; so busy have Soubise's + hungry people been, of late, in the Country they came to "deliver." The + Freiburg road, the Naumburg road, both towards Merseburg, cross this + Height; straight like the string, Saale by Weissenfels being the bow. + </p> + <p> + The HERRENHAUS (Squire's Mansion) still stands in Rossbach, with the + littery Hamlet at its flank: a high, pavilion-roofed, and though + dilapidated, pretentious kind of House; some kind of court round it, some + kind of hedge or screen of brushwood and brick-wall: terribly in need of + the besom, it and its environment throughout. King, I suppose, did lodge + there overnight: certain it is the Squire was absent; and the Squire's + Man, three days afterwards, reported to him as follows:... "Saturday, the + 5th, about 8 A.M., his Majesty mounted to the roof of the Herrenhaus here, + some tiles having been removed [for that end, or by accident, is not + said], and saw how the French and Reichs Army were getting in movement"—wriggling + out of their Camp leftwards, evidently aiming towards Grost. "In about an + hour, near half their Army was through Grost, and had turned southward, + rather southeastward, from Grost, out in the Rossbach and Almsdorf region, + and proceeding still towards Pettstadt,"—towards Schevenroda more + precisely, not towards Pettstadt yet. "His Majesty looked always through + the perspective: and to me was the grace done to be ever at his side, and + to name for him the roads the French and Reichs Army was marching." + [Muller, p. 50; Rodenbeck, p. 326.] + </p> + <p> + The King had heard of this phenomenon hours before, and had sent out + Hussars and scouts upon it; but now sees it with his eyes:—"Going + for Freiburg, and their bread-cupboard," thinks the King; who does not as + yet make much of the movement; but will watch it well, and calculates to + have a stroke at the rear end of it, in due season. With which view, the + cavalry, Seidlitz and Mayer, are ordered to saddle; foot regiments, and + all else, to be in readiness. This French-Reichs Dauphiness is not rapid + in her field-exercise; and has a great deal of wriggling and unwinding + before she can fairly pick herself out, and get forward towards + Schevenroda on the Freiburg road. In three or in two parallel columns, + artillery between them, horse ahead, horse arear; haggling along there;—making + for their bread-baskets, thinks the King. A body of French, horse chiefly, + under St. Germain, come out, in the Schortau-Almsdorf part, with some + salvoing and prancing, as if intending to attack about Rossbach, where our + left wing is: but his Majesty sees it to be a pretence merely; and St. + Germain, motionless, and doing nothing but cannonade a little, seems to + agree that it is so. Dauphiness continues her slow movements; King, in + this Squire's Mansion of Rossbach, sits down to dinner, dinner with + Officers at the usual hour of noon,—little dreaming what the + Dauphiness has in her head. + </p> + <p> + Truth is, the Dauphiness is in exultant spirits, this morning; intending + great things against a certain "little Marquis of Brandenburg," to whom + one does so much honor. Generals looking down yesterday on the King of + Prussia's Camp, able to count every man in it (and half the men being + invisible, owing to bends of the ground), counted him to 10,000 or so; and + had said, "Pshaw, are not we above 50,000; let us end it! Take him on his + left. Round yonder, till we get upon his left, and even upon his rear + withal, St. Germain co-operating on the other side of him: on left, on + rear, on front, at the same moment, is not that a sure game?" A very + ticklish game, answers surly sagacious Lloyd: "No general will permit + himself to be taken in flank with his eyes open; and the King of Prussia + is the unlikeliest you could try it with!" + </p> + <p> + Trying it meanwhile they are; marching along by the low grounds here, + intending to sweep gradually leftwards towards Janus-Hill quarter; there + to sweep home upon him, coil him up, left and rear and front, in their + boa-constrictor folds, and end his trifle of an Army and him. "Why not, if + we do our duty at all, annihilate his trifle of an Army; take himself + prisoner, and so end it?" Report says, Soubise had really, in some moment + of enthusiasm lately, warned the Versailles populations to expect such a + thing; and that the Duchess of Orleans, forgetful of poor King Louis's + presence, had in HER enthusiasm, exclaimed: "TANT MIEUX, I shall at last + see a King, then!" But perhaps it is a mere French epigram, such as the + winds often generate there, and put down for fact.—Friedrich's + retreat to Weissenfels is cut off for Friedrich: an Austrian party has + been at the Herren-Muhle Bridge this morning, has torn it up and pitched + it into the river; planks far on to Merseburg by this time. And, in fact, + unless Friedrich be nimble—But that he usually is. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich's dinner had gone on with deliberation for about two hours, + Friedrich's intentions not yet known to any, but everybody, great and + small, waiting eagerly for them, like greyhounds on the slip,—when + Adjutant Gaudi, who had been on the House-top the while, rushes into the + Dining-room faster than he ought, and, with some tremor in his voice and + eyes, reports hastily: "At Schevenroda, at Pettstadt yonder! Enemy has + turned to left. Clearly for the left."—"Well, and if he do? No + flurry needed, Captain!" answered Friedrich,—(NOT in these precise + words; but rebuking Gaudi, with a look not of laughter wholly, and with a + certain question, as to the state of Gaudi's stomachic part, which is + still known in traditionary circles, but is not mentionable here);—and + went, with due gravity, himself to the roof, with his Officers. "To the + left, sure enough; meaning to attack us there:" the thing Friedrich had + despaired of is voluntarily coming, then;—and it is a thing of stern + qualities withal; a wager of life, with glorious possibilities behind. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich earnestly surveys the phenomenon for some minutes; in some + minutes, Friedrich sees his way through it, at least into it, and how he + will do it. Off, eastward; march! Swift are his orders; almost still + swifter the fulfillment of them. Prussian Army is a nimble article in + comparison with Dauphiness! In half an hour's time, all is packed and to + the road; and, except Mayer and certain Free-Corps or Light-Horse, to + amuse St. Germain and his Almsdorf people, there is not a Prussian visible + in these localities to French eyes. "At half-past two," says the Squire's + Man,—or let us take him a sentence earlier, to lose nothing of such + a Document: "At noon his Majesty took dinner; sat till about two o'clock; + then again went to the roof; and perceived that the Enemy's Army at + Pettstadt were turning about the little Wood there northeastward, as if + for Lunstadt [into the Lunstadt road];—such cannonading too," from + those Almsdorf people, "that the balls flew over our heads,"—or I + tremulously thought so. "At half-past two, the word was given, March! And + good speed they made about it, in this Herrenhaus, and out of doors too, + striking their tents, and cording up and trimly shouldering everything + with incredible brevity," as if machinery were doing it; "and at three, on + the Prussian part, all was packed and out into the court for being carried + off; and, in fact, the Prussian Army was on march at three." Seidlitz, + with all his Horse, vanishing round the corner of the Height; speeding + along, invisible on his northern slope there, straight for the + Janus-Polzen Hill part; the Infantry following, double-quick;—well + knowing, each, what he has got to do. + </p> + <p> + But at this interesting point, the Editors—small thanks to them, + authentic but thrice-stupid mortals—cut short our Eye-witness, not + so much as telling us his name, some of them not even his date or + whereabouts; and so the curtain tumbles down (as if its string had been + cut, or suddenly eaten by unwise animals), and we are left to gray hubbub, + and our own resources at second-hand. Except only that a French Officer—one + of those cannonading from Almsdorf, no doubt—declares that "it was + like a change of scene in the Opera (DECORATION D'OPERA)," [Letter in + MULLER: p. 60. In WESTPHALEN (ii. 128-133) is a much superior French + Letter, intercepted somewhere, and fallen to Duke Ferdinand; well worth + reading, on Rossbach and the previous Affairs.] so very rapid; and that + "they all rolled off eastward at quick time." At extremely quick time;—and + soon, in the slight hollow behind Janus Hugel, vanished from sight of + these Almsdorf French, and of the Soubise-Hildburghausen Army in general. + Which latter is agreeably surprised at the phenomenon; and draws a highly + flattering conclusion from it. "Gone, then; off at double-quick for + Merseburg; aha!" think the Soubise-Hildburghausen people: "Double-quick + you too, my pretty men, lest they do whisk away, and we never get a stroke + at them,!"— + </p> + <p> + Seidlitz meanwhile, with his cavalry (thirty-eight squadrons, about 4,000 + horse), is rapidly doing the order he has had. Seidlitz at a sharp + military trot, and the infantry at doublequick to keep up near him, which + they cannot quite do, are, as we have said, making right across for the + Polzen-Hill and Janus-Hill quarter; their route the string, French route + the bow; and are invisible to the French, owing to the heights between. + Seidlitz, when he gets to the proper point eastward, will wheel about, + front to southward, and be our left wing; infantry, as centre and right, + will appear in like manner; and—we shall see! + </p> + <p> + The exultant Dauphiness, or Soubise-Hildburghausen Army (let us call it, + for brevity's sake, Dauphiness or French, which it mainly was), on that + rapid disappearance of the Prussians, never doubted but the Prussians were + off on flight for Merseburg, to get across by the Bridge there. Whereat + Dauphiness, doubly exultant, mended her own pace, cavalry at a sharp trot, + infantry double-quick, but unable to keep up,—for the purpose of + capturing or intercepting the runaway Prussians. Speed, my friends,—if + you would do a stroke upon Friedrich, and show the Versailles people a + King at last! Thus they, hurrying on, in two parallel columns,—infantry, + long floods of it, coming double-quick but somewhat fallen behind; cavalry + 7,000 or so, as vanguard,—faster and faster; sweeping forward on + their southern side of the Janus-and-Polzen slope, and now rather climbing + the same. + </p> + <p> + Seidlitz has his hussar pickets on the top, to keep him informed as to + their motions, and how far they are got. Seidlitz, invisible on the south + slope of the Polzen Hugel, finds about half-past three P.M. that he is now + fairly ahead of Dauphiness; Seidlitz halts, wheels, comes to the top, "Got + the flank of them, sure enough!"—and without waiting signal or + farther orders, every instant being precious, rapidly forms himself; and + plunges down on these poor people. "Compact as a wall, and with an + incredible velocity (D'UNE VITESSE INCROYABLE)," says one of them. Figure + the astonishment of Dauphiness; of poor Broglio, who commands the horse + here. Taken in flank, instead of taking other people; intercepted, not in + the least needing to intercept! Has no time to form, though he tried what + he could. Only the two Austrian regiments got completely formed; the rest + very incompletely; and Seidlitz, in the blaze of rapid steel, is in upon + them. The two Austrian regiments, and two French that are named, made what + debate was feasible;—courage nowise wanting, in such sad want of + captaincy; nay Soubise in person galloped into it, if that could have + helped. But from the first, the matter was hopeless; Seidlitz slashing it + at such a rate, and plunging through it and again through it, thrice, some + say four times: so that, in the space of half an hour, this luckless + cavalry was all tumbling off the ground; plunging down-hill, in full + flight, across its own infantry or whatever obstacle, Seidlitz on the hips + of it; and galloping madly over the horizon, towards Freiburg as it + proved; and was not again heard of that day. + </p> + <p> + In about half an hour that bit of work was over; and Seidlitz, with his + ranks trimmed again, had drawn himself southward a little, into the Hollow + of Tageswerben, there to wait impending phenomena. For Friedrich with the + Infantry is now emerging over Janus Hill, in a highly thunderous manner,—eighteen + pieces of artillery going, and "four big guns taken from the walls of + Leipzig;" and there will be events anon. It is said, Hildburghausen, at + the first glimpse of Friedrich over the hill-top, whispered to Soubise, + "We are lost, Royal Highness!"—"Courage!" Soubise would answer; and + both, let us hope, did their utmost in this extremely bad predicament they + had got into. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich's artillery goes at a murderous rate; had come in view, over the + hill-top, before Seidlitz ended,—"nothing but, the muzzles of it + visible" (and the fire-torrents from it) to us poor French below. + Friedrich's lines; or rather his one line, mere tip of his left wing,—only + seven battalions in it, five of them under Keith from the second or + reserve line; whole centre and right wing standing "refused" in oblique + rank, invisible, BEHIND the Hill,—Friedrich's line, we say, the + artillery to its right, shoots out in mysterious Prussian rhythm, in + echelons, in potences, obliquely down the Janus-Hill side; straight, + rigid, regular as iron clock-work; and strides towards us, silent, with + the lightning sleeping in it:—Friedrich has got the flank of + Dauphiness, and means to keep it. Once and again and a third time, poor + Soubise, with his poor regiments much in an imbroglio, here heaped on one + another, there with wide gaps, halt being so sudden,—attempts to + recover the flank, and pushes out this regiment and the other, rightward, + to be even with Friedrich. But sees with despair that it cannot be; that + Friedrich with his echelons, potences and mysterious Prussian resources, + pulls himself out like the pieces of a prospect-glass, piece after piece, + hopelessly fast and seemingly no end to them; and that the flank is lost, + and that—Unhappy Generals of Dauphiness, what a phenomenon for them! + A terrible Friedrich, not fled to Merseburg at all; but mounted there on + the Janus Hill, as on his saddle-horse, with face quite the other way;—and + for holster-pistol, has plucked out twenty-two cannon. Clad verily in + fire; Chimera-like, RIDING the Janus Hill, in that manner; left leg (or + wing) of him spurning us into the abysses, right one ready to help at + discretion! + </p> + <p> + Hildburghausen, I will hope, does his utmost; Soubise, Broglio, for + certain do. The French line is in front, next the Prussians: poor Generals + of Dauphiness are panting to retrieve themselves. But with regiments + jammed in this astonishing way, and got collectively into the lion's + throat, what can be done? Steady, rigid as iron clock-work, the Prussian + line strides forward; at forty paces' distance delivers its first shock of + lightning, bursts into platoon fire; and so continues, steady at the rate + of five shots a minute,—hard to endure by poor masses all in a coil. + "The artillery tore down whole ranks of us," says the Wutenberg Dragoon; + [His Letter in MULLER, p. 83.] "the Prussian musketry did terrible + execution." + </p> + <p> + Things began %o waver very soon, French reeling back from the Prussian + fire, Reichs troops rocking very uneasy, torn by such artillery; when, to + crown the matter, Seidlitz, seeing all things rock to the due extent, + bursts out of Tageswerben Hollow, terribly compact and furious, upon the + rear of them. Which sets all things into inextricable tumble; and the + Battle is become a rout and a riding into ruin, no Battle ever more. + Lasted twenty-five minutes, this second act of it, or till half-past four: + after which, the curtains rapidly descending (Night's curtain, were there + no other) cover the remainder; the only stage-direction, EXEUNT OMNES. + Which for a 50 or 60,000, ridden over by Seidlitz Horse, was not quite an + easy matter! They left, of killed and wounded, near 3,000; of prisoners, + 5,000 (Generals among them 8, Officers 300): in sum, about 8,000; not to + mention cannon, 67 or 72; with standards, flags, kettle-drums and meaner + baggages AD LIBITUM in a manner. The Prussian loss was, 165 killed, 376 + wounded;—between a sixteenth and a fifteenth part of theirs: in + number the Prussians had been little more than one to three; 22,000 of all + arms,—not above half of whom ever came into the fire; Seidlitz and + seven battalions doing all the fighting that was needed, St. Germain tried + to cover the retreat; but "got broken," he says,—Mayer bursting in + on him,—and soon went to slush like the others. + </p> + <p> + Seldom, almost never, not even at Crecy or Poictiers, was any Army better + beaten. And truly, we must say, seldom did any better deserve it, so far + as the Chief Parties went. Yes, Messieurs, this is the PETIT MARQUIS DE + BRANDEBOURG; you will know this one, when you meet him again! The flight, + the French part of it, was towards Freiburg Bridge; in full gallop, long + after the chase had ceased; crossing of the Unstrut there, hoarse, + many-voiced, all night; burning of the Bridge; found burnt, when Friedrich + arrived next morning. He had encamped at Obschutz, short way from the + field itself. French Army, Reichs Army, all was gone to staves, to utter + chaotic wreck. Hildburghausen went by Naumburg; crossed the Saale there; + bent homewards through the Weimar Country; one wild flood of ruin, swift + as it could go; at Erfurt "only one regiment was in rank, and marched + through with drums beating." His Army, which had been disgustingly unhappy + from the first, and was now fallen fluid on these mad terms, flowed all + away in different rills, each by the course straightest home; and + Hildburghausen arriving at Bamberg, with hardly the ghost or mutilated + skeleton of an Army, flung down his truncheon,—"A murrain on your + Reichs Armies and regimental chaoses!"—and went indignantly home. + Reichs Army had to begin at the beginning again; and did not reappear on + the scene till late next Year, under a new Commander, and with slightly + improved conditions. + </p> + <p> + Dauphiness Proper was in no better case; and would have flowed home in + like manner, had not home been so far, and the way unknown. Twelve + thousand of them rushed straggling through the Eichsfeld; plundering and + harrying, like Cossacks or Calmucks: "Army blown asunder, over a circle of + forty miles' radius," writes St. Germain: "had the Enemy pursued us, after + I got broken [burst in upon by Mayer and his Free-Corps people] we had + been annihilated. Never did Army behave worse; the first cannon-salvo + decided our rout and our shame." [St. Germain to Verney: different + Excerpts of Letters in the two weeks after Rossbach and before (given in + Preuss, ii. 97).] + </p> + <p> + In two days' time (November 7th), the French had got to Langensalza, + fifty-five miles from the Battle-field of Rossbach; plundering, running, + SACRE-DIEU-ing; a wild deluge of molten wreck, filling the Eichsfeld with + its waste noises, making night hideous and day too;—in the villages + Placards were stuck up, appointing Nordhausen and Heiligenstadt for + rallying place. [Muller, p. 73.] + </p> + <p> + Soubise rode, with few attendants, all night towards Nordhausen,—eighty + miles off, foot of the Bracken Country, where the Richelieu resources are;—Soubise + with few attendants, face set towards the Brocken; himself, it is like, in + a somewhat hag-ridden condition. + </p> + <p> + "The joy of poor Teutschland at large," says one of my Notes, "and how all + Germans, Prussian and Anti-Prussian alike, flung up their caps, with + unanimous LEBE-HOCH, at the news of Rossbach, has often been remarked; and + indeed is still almost touching to see. The perhaps bravest Nation in the + world, though the least braggart, very certainly EIN TAPFERES VOLK (as + their Goethe calls them); so long insulted, snubbed and trampled on, by a + luckier, not a braver:—has not your exultant Dauphiness got a + beautiful little dose administered her; and is gone off in foul shrieks, + and pangs of the interior,—let no man ask whitherward! 'SI UN + ALLEMAND PEUT AVOIR DE L'ESPRIT (Can a German possibly have sharpness of + wits)?' Well, yes, it would seem: here is one German graduate who + understands his medicine-chest, and the quality of patients!—Dauphiness + got no pity anywhere; plenty of epigrams, and mostly nothing but laughter + even in Paris itself. Napoleon long after, who much admires Friedrich, + finds that this Victory of Rossbach was inevitable; 'but what fills me + with astonishment and shame,' adds he, 'is that it was gained by six + battalions and thirty squadrons [seven properly, and thirty-eight] over + such a multitude!' [Montholon, MEMOIRES &C. DE NAPOLEON (Napoleon's <i>Precis + des Guerres de Frederic II.,</i> vii. 210).]—It is well known, + Napoleon, after Jena, as if Jena had not been enough for him, tore down + the first Monument of Rossbach, some poor ashlar Pyramid or Pillar, raised + by the neighborhood, with nothing more afflictive inscribed on it than a + date; and sent it off in carts for Paris (where no stone of it ever + arrived, the Thuringen carmen slinking off, and leaving it scattered in + different places over the face of Thuringen in general); so that they had + the trouble of a new one lately." [Rodenbeck, <i>Beitrage,</i> i. 299; ib. + p. 385, Lithograph of the poor extinct Monument itself.] + </p> + <p> + From Friedrich the "Army of the Circles," that is, Dauphiness and Company,—called + HOOPERS or "Coopers" (TONNELIERS), with a desperate attempt at wit by pun,—get + their Adieu in words withal. This is the famed CONGE DE L'ARMEE DES + CERCLES ET DES TONNELIERS; a short metrical Piece; called by Editors the + most profane, most indecent, most &c.; and printed with asterisk veils + thrown over the worst passages. Who shall dare, searching and rummaging + for insight into Friedrich, and complaining that there is none, to lift + any portion of the veil; and say, "See—Faugh!" The cynicism, truly, + but also the irrepressible honest exultation, has a kind of epic + completeness, and fulness of sincerity; and, at bottom, the thing is + nothing like so wicked as careless commentators have given out. Dare to + look a little:— + </p> + <p> + "ADIEU, GRANDS ERASEURS DE ROIS," so it starts: "Adieu, grand crushers of + Kings; arrogant wind-bags, Turpin, Broglio, Soubise,—Hildburghausen + with the gray beard, foolish still as when your beard was black in the + Turk-War time:—brisk journey to you all!" That is the first stanza; + unexceptionable, had we room. The second stanza is,—with the veils + partially lifted; with probably "MOISE" put into the first blank, and into + the third something of or belonging to "CESAR,"— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Je vows ai vu comme... + Dans des ronces en certain lieu + Eut l'honneur de voir... + Ou comme au gre de sa luxure + Le bon Nicomede a l'ecart + Aiguillonnait sa flamme impure + Des..." +</pre> + <p> + Enough to say, the Author, with a wild burst of spiritual enthusiasm, + sings the charms of the rearward part of certain men; and what a royal + ecstatic felicity there sometimes is in indisputable survey of the same. + He rises to the heights of Anti-Biblical profanity, quoting Moses on the + Hill of Vision; sinks to the bottomless of human or ultra-human depravity, + quoting King Nicomedes's experiences on Caesar (happily known only to the + learned); and, in brief, recognizes that there is, on occasion, + considerable beauty in that quarter of the human figure, when it turns on + you opportunely. A most cynical profane affair: yet, we must say by way of + parenthesis, one which gives no countenance to Voltaire's atrocities of + rumor about Friedrich himself in this matter; the reverse rather, if well + read; being altogether theoretic, scientific; sings with gusto the glow of + beauty you find in that unexpected quarter,—while KICKING it + deservedly and with enthusiasm. "To see the"—what shall we call it: + seat of honor, in fact, "of your enemy:" has it not an undeniable charm? + "I own to you in confidence, O Soubise and Company, this fine laurel I + have got, and was so in need of, is nothing more or other than the sight + of your"—FOUR ASTERISKS. "Oblige me, whenever clandestine Fate + brings us together, by showing me that"—always that, if you would + give me pleasure when we meet. "And oh," next stanza says, "to think what + our glory is founded on,"—on view of that unmentionable object, I + declare to you!—And through other stanzas, getting smutty enough + (though in theory only), which we need not prosecute farther. [<i>OEuvres + de Frederic,</i> xii. 70-73 (WRITTEN at Freiburg, 6th November, when his + Majesty got thither, and found the Bridge burnt).] A certain heartiness + and epic greatness of cynicism, life's nakedness grown almost as if + innocent again; an immense suppressed insuppressible Haha, on the part of + this King. Strange TE-DEUM indeed. Coming from the very heart, truly, as + few of them do; but not, in other points, recommendable at all!—Here, + of the night before, is something better:— + </p> + <p> + TO WILHELMINA. + </p> + <p> + "NEAR WEISSENFELS [OBSCHUTZ, in fact; does not know yet what the Battle + will be CALLED], 5th November, 1757. + </p> + <p> + "At last, my dear Sister, I can announce you a bit of good news. You were + doubtless aware that the Coopers with their circles had a mind to take + Leipzig. I ran up, and hove them beyond Saale. The Duc de Richelieu sent + them a reinforcement of twenty battalions and fourteen squadrons [say + 15,000 horse and foot]; they then called themselves 63,000 strong. + Yesterday I went to reconnoitre them; could not attack them in the post + they held. This had rendered them rash. Today they came out with the + intention of attacking me; but I took the start of them (LES AI PREVENU). + It was a Battle EN DOUCEUR (soft to one's wish). Thanks to God I have not + a hundred men killed; the only General ill wounded is Meinecke. My Brother + Henri and General Seidlitz have slight hurts [gun-shots, not so slight, + that of Seidlitz] in the arm. We have all the Enemy's cannon, all the... I + am in full march to drive them over the Unstrut [already driven, your + Majesty; bridge burning]. + </p> + <p> + "You, my dear Sister, my good, my divine and affectionate Sister [faithful + to the bone, in good truth, poor Wilhelmina], who deign to interest + yourself in the fate of a Brother who adores you, deign also to share in + my joy. The instant I have time, I will tell you more. I embrace you with + my whole heart; Adieu. F." [<i>OEuvres de Frederic,</i> xxvii. i. 310.] + </p> + <p> + ULTERIOR FATE OF DAUPHINESS; FLIES OVER THE RHINE IN BAD FASHION: + DAUPHINESS'S WAYS WITH THE SAXON POPULATION IN HER DELIVERANCE-WORK. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich had no more fighting with the French. November 9th, at + Merseburg, in all stillness, Duke Ferdinand got his Britannic Commission, + his full Powers, from Friedrich and the parties interested; in all + stillness made his arrangements, as if for Magdeburg and his Governorship + there,—Friedrich hastening off for Silesia the while. Duke Ferdinand + did stay six days in Magdeburg, inspecting or pretending to inspect; very + pleasant with his Sister and the Royalties that, are now there; but, at + midnight of day sixth shot off silently on wider errand. And, in sum, on + Thursday, 24th November, 1757, appeared in Stade, on horseback at morning + parade there; intimating, to what joy of the poor Brunswick Grenadiers and + others, That he was come to take command; that Kloster-Zeven is abolished; + that we are not an "Observation Army," rotting here in the parish pound, + any longer, but an "Allied Army" (such now our title), intending to strike + for ourselves, and get out of pound straightway!— + </p> + <p> + "THURSDAY, 24th NOVEMBER-TUESDAY, 29th. Duke Ferdinand did accordingly + pick up the reins of this distracted Affair; and, in a way wonderful to + see, shot sanity into every fibre of it; and kept it sane and road-worthy + for the Five Years coming. With a silent velocity, an energy, an + imperturbable steadfastness and clear insight into cause and effect; which + were creditable to the school he came from; and were a very joyful sight + to Pitt and others concerned. So that from next Tuesday, 'November 29th, + before daylight,' when Ferdinand's batteries began playing upon Harburg + (French Fortress nearest to Stade), the reign of the French ceased in + those Countries; and an astonished Richelieu and his French, lying + scattered over all the West of Germany, in readiness for nothing but + plunder, had to fall more or less distracted in their turn; and do a + number of astonishing things. To try this and that, of futile, more or + less frantic nature; be driven from post after post; be driven across the + Aller first of all;—Richelieu to go home thereupon, and be succeeded + by one still more incompetent. + </p> + <p> + "DECEMBER 13th, a fortnight after Ferdinand's appearance, Richelieu had + got to the safe side of the Aller (burning of Zelle Bridge and Zelle Town + there, his last act in Germany); Ferdinand's quarters now wide enough; and + vigorous speed of preparation going on for farther chase, were the weather + mended. FEBRUARY 17th, 1758, Ferdinand was on foot again; Prince de + Clermont, the still more incompetent successor of Richelieu, gazing + wide-eyed upon him, but doing nothing else: and for the next six weeks + there was seen a once triumphant Richelieu-D'Estrees French Army, much in + rags, much in disorder, in terror, and here and there almost in despair,—winging + their way; like clouds of draggled poultry caught by a mastiff in the + corn. Across Weser, across Ems, finally across the Rhine itself, every + feather of them,—their long-drawn cackle, of a shrieky type, filling + all Nature in those months; the mastiff steadily following. [Mauvillon, i. + 252-284 ("9th November, 1757-1st April, 1758"); Westphalen, i. 316-503 + (abundantly explicit, authentic and even entertaining,—with the + ample Correspondences, ib. ii. 147-350); Schaper, <i>Vie militaire du + Marechal Prince Ferdinand</i> (2 tomes, 8vo, Magdebourg, 1796, 1799), i. + 7-100 (a careful Book; of an official exactitude, like Westphalen's,—and + appears to be left incomplete like his).] To the astonishment of Pitt and + mankind. Can this be the same Army that Royal Highness led to the Sea and + the Parish Pound? The same identically, wasted to about two-thirds by + Royal Highness; not a drum in it changed otherwise, only One Man + different,—and he is the important one! + </p> + <p> + "Pitt, when the news of Rossbach came, awakening the bonfires and + steeple-bells of England to such a pitch, had resolved on an emphatic + measure: that of sending English Troops to reinforce our Allied Army, and + its new General;—such an Ally as that Rossbach one being rare in the + eyes of Pitt. 'Postpone the meeting of Parliament, yet a few days, your + Majesty,' said Pitt, 'till I get the estimates ready!' [Thackeray, i. + 310.] To which Majesty assented, and all England with him: 'England's own + Cause,' thinks Pitt, with confidence: 'our way of Conquering America,—and, + in the circumstances, our one way!' English did land, accordingly; first + instalment of them, a 12,000 (in August next), increased gradually to + 20,000; with no end of furnishings to them and everybody; with results + again satisfactory to Pitt; and very famous in the England that then was, + dim as they are now grown." + </p> + <p> + The effect of all which was, that Pitt, with his Ferdinands and + reinforcements, found work for the French ever onwards from Rossbach; + French also turning as if exclusively upon perfidious Albion: and the + thing became, in Teutschland, as elsewhere, a duel of life and death + between these natural enemies,—Teutschland the centre of it,—Teutschland + and the accessible French Sea-Towns,—but the circumference of it + going round from Manilla and Madras to Havana and Quebec again. + Wide-spread furious duel; prize, America and life. By land and sea; + handsomely done by Pitt on both elements. Land part, we say, was always + mainly in Germany, under Ferdinand,—in Hessen and the Westphalian + Countries, as far west as Minden, as far east as Frankfurt-on-Mayn, + generally well north of Rhine, well south of Elbe: that was, for five + years coming, the cockpit or place of deadly fence between France and + England. Friedrich's arena lies eastward of that, occasionally playing + into it a little, and played into by it, and always in lively sympathy and + consultation with it: but, except the French subsidizings, diplomatizings. + and great diligenae against him in foreign Courts, Friedrich is, in + practical respects, free of the French; and ever after Rossbach, Ferdinand + and the English keep them in full work,—growing yearly too full. A + heavy Business for England and Ferdinand; which is happily kept extraneous + to Friedrich thenceforth; to him and us; which is not on the stage of his + affairs and ours, but is to be conceived always as vigorously proceeding + alongside of it, close beyond the scenes, and liable at any time to make + tragic entry on him again:—of which we shall have to notice the + louder occurrences and cardinal phases, but, for the future, nothing more. + </p> + <p> + Soubise, who had crept into the skirts of the Richelieu Army in Hanover or + Hessen Country, had of course to take wing in that general fright before + the mastiff. Soubise did not cross the Rhine with it; Soubise made off + eastward; [Westphalen, i. 501 ("end of March, 1758").]—found new + roost in Hanau-Frankfurt Country; and had thoughts of joining the + Austrians in Bohemia next Campaign; but got new order,—such the + pinches of a winged Clermont with a mastiff Ferdinand at his poor draggled + tail;—and came back to the Ferdinand scene, to help there; and never + saw Friedrich again. Both Broglio and he had a good deal of fighting + (mostly beating) from Ferdinand; and a great deal of trouble and sorrow in + the course of this War; but after Rossbach it is not Friedrich or we, it + is Ferdinand and the Destinies that have to do with them. Poor Soubise, + except that he was the creature of Generalissima Pompadour, which had + something radically absurd in it, did not deserve all the laughter he got: + a man of some chivalry, some qualities. As for Broglio, I remember always, + not without human emotion, the two extreme points of his career as a + soldier: Rossbach and the Fall of the Bastille. He was towards forty, when + Friedrich bestrode the Janus Hill in that fiery manner; he was turned of + seventy when, from the pavements of Paris, the Chimera of Democracy rose + on him, in fire of a still more horrible description. + </p> + <p> + Dauphiness-Bellona, in her special and in her widest sense, has made exit, + then. Gone, like clouds of draggled poultry home across the Rhine. She was + the most marauding Army lately seen, also the most gasconading, and had + the least capacity for fighting: three worse qualities no army could have. + How she fought, we have seen sufficiently. Before taking leave of her + forever, readers, as she is a paragon in her kind, would perhaps take a + glance or two at her marauding qualities,—by a good opportunity that + offers. Plotho at Regensburg, that a supreme Reichs Diet may know what a + "deliverance of Saxony" this has been, submits one day the following + irrefragable Documents, "which have happened," not without good industry + of my own, "to fall into my [Plotho's] hands." They are Documents partly + of epistolary, partly of a Petitionary form, presented to Polish Majesty, + out of that Saxon Country; and have an AFFIDAVIT quality about them, one + and all. + </p> + <p> + 1. BIG DAUPHINESS (that is, D'Estrees) IN THE WESEL COUNTRIES, AT AN EARLY + STAGE,—WHILE STILL ENDEAVORING WHAT SHE COULD TO BEHAVE WELL, + HANGING 1,000 MARAUDERS AND THE LIKE (A private Letter):— + </p> + <p> + "COUNTY MARK, 20th JUNE, 1757. The French troops are going on here in a + way to utterly ruin us. Schmidt, their President of Justice, whom they set + up in Cleve, has got orders to change all the Magistracies of the Country + [Protestant by nature], so as that half the members shall be Catholic. + Bielefeld was openly plundered by the French for three hours long. You + cannot by possibility represent to yourself what the actual state of + misery in these Countries is. A SCHEFFEL of rye costs three thalers + sixteen groschen [who knows how many times its natural price!]. And now we + are to be forced to eat the spoiled meal those French troops brought with + them; which is gone to such a state no animal would have it. This poisoned + meal we are to buy from them, ready money, at the price they fix; and that + famine may induce us, they are about to stop the mills, and forcibly take + away what little bread-corn we have left. God have pity on us, and deliver + us soon! Next week we are to have a transit of 6,000 Pfalzers [Kur-Pfalz, + foolish idle fellow, and Kur-Baiern too, are both in subsidy of France, as + usual; 6,000 Pfalzers just due here]; these, I suppose, will sweep us + clean bare." [<i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> iv. 399.]: + </p> + <p> + Wesel Fortress, Gate of the Rhine, could not be defended by Friedrich: and + the Hanover Incapables, and England still all in St. Vitus, would not hear + of undertaking it; left it wide open for the French; never could recover + it, or get the Rhine-Gate barred again, during the whole War. One hopes + they repented;—but perhaps it was only Pitt and Duke Ferdinand that + did so, instead! The Wesel Countries were at once occupied by the French; + "a conquest of her Imperial Majesty's;" continued to be administered in + Imperial Majesty's name,—and are thriving as above. + </p> + <p> + 2. DAUPHINESS PROPER (that is, Soubise) IN THURINGEN, AT A LATE STAGE:— + </p> + <p> + "LETTER FROM FREIBURG, SHORTLY AFTER ROSSBACH.—It was on the 23d + October, a Sunday, that we of Freiburg had our first billeting of French; + a body of Cavalry from different regiments [going to take Leipzig, take + Torgau, what not]: and from that day Freiburg never emptied of French, who + kept marching through it in extraordinary quantities. The marching lasted + fourteen days, namely, till the 6th November [day AFTER Rossbach; when + they burnt our poor Bridge, and marched for the last time]; and often the + billeting was so heavy, that in a single house there were forty or fifty + men. Who at all times had to be lodged and dieted gratis; nay many + householders, over and above the ordinary meal, were obliged to give them + money too; and many poor people, who can scarcely get their own bit of + bread, had to run and bring at once their sixteen or eighteen groschen + [pence] worth of wine, not to speak of coffee and sugar. And a great + increase of the mischief it was always, that the soldiers and common + people did not understand one another's language."—Heavy billeting; + but what was that?... "Vast, nearly impossible, quantities of forage and + provision," were wrung from us, as from all the other Towns and Villages + about, "under continual threatening to burn and raze us from the earth. + Often did our French Colonel threaten, 'He would have the cannon opened on + Freiburg straightway.' Nay, had it stood by foraging, we might have + reckoned ourselves lucky. But our straits increased day by day; and sheer + plundering became more and more excessive. + </p> + <p> + "The robbing and torturing of travellers, the plundering and burning of + Saxon Villages... Almost all the Towns and Villages hereabouts are so + plundered out, that many a one now has nothing but what he carries on his + body. Plundering was universal: and no sooner was one party away, than + another came, and still another; and often the same house was three or + four times plundered. Branderode, a Village two leagues from this [stands + on the Field of Rossbach, if we look], is so ruined out, that nobody + almost has anything left: Chief Inspector Baron von Bose's Schloss there, + with its splendid appointments, they ruined utterly; took all money, + victuals, valuables, furniture, clothes, linen and beds, all they could + carry; what could not be carried away, they cut, hewed and smashed to + pieces; broke the wine-casks; and even tore up the documents and letters + they found lying in the place. Branderode Dorf was twice set fire to by + them; and was, at last, with Zeuchfeld, which is an Amtsdorf,—after + both had been plundered,—reduced to ashes. The Churches of + Branderode and Zeuchfeld, with several other Churches, were plundered; the + altars broken, the altar-cloths and other vestures cut to pieces, and the + sacred vessels and cups carried away,—except [for we have a notarial + exactness, and will exaggerate nothing] that in the case of Branderode + they sent the cup back. Of the pollution of the altars, and of the + blasphemous songs these people sang in the churches, one cannot think + without horror. + </p> + <p> + "And it was merely our pretended Allies and Protectors that have + desecrated our divine service, utterly wasted our Country, reduced the + inhabitants to want and desperation, and, in short, have so behaved that + you would not know this region again. Truly these troops have realized for + us most of the infamies we heard reported of the Cossacks, and their + ravagings in Preussen lately. + </p> + <p> + "It is one of their smallest doings that they robbed a Saxon Clergyman + (name and circumstances can be given if required), three times over, on + the public Highway; shot at him, tied him to a horse's tail and dragged + him along with them; so that he is now lying ill, in danger of his life. + On the whole, it is our beloved Pastors, Clergymen most of all, that have + been plundered of everything they had. + </p> + <p> + "Balgart and Zschieplitz, both Villages half a league from this, have + likewise been heavily plundered; they have even left the Parson nothing + but what he wore on his back. Grost," another Rossbach place, "which + belongs to the Kammerjunker Heldorf, has likewise"... OHE, SATIS!—"All + this happened between the 23d and 31st October; consequently before the + Battle.... In many Villages you see the trees and fields sprinkled with + feathers from the beds that have been slit up. + </p> + <p> + "In several Villages belonging to the Royal Electoral privy Councillor von + Bruhl [who is properly the fountain of all this and of much other misery + to us, if we knew it!] the plundering likewise had begun; and a quantity + of about a hundred swine [so ho!] had been cut in pieces: but in the midst + of their work, the Allies heard that these were Bruhl estates, and ceased + their havoc of them. These accordingly are the only lands in all this + region whose fate has been tolerable. + </p> + <p> + "The appellation, every moment renewed, of 'Heretic!' was the courteous + address from these people to our fellow-Christians; 'heretic dogs + (KETZERISCHE HUNDE)' was a PRADICAT always in their mouth. + </p> + <p> + "In Weischutz," a mile or two from us, up the Unstrut, "a French Colonel + who wanted to ride out upon the works, made the there Pastor, Magister + Schren, stoop down by way of horse-block, and mounted into the saddle from + his back. [Messieurs, you will kindle the wrath of mankind some day, and + get a terrible plucking, with those high ways of yours!] + </p> + <p> + "Churches are all smashed; obscene songs were sung, in form of litany, + from the pulpits and altars; what was done with the communion-vessels, + when they were not worth stealing,"—is hideous to the religious + sense, and shall not be mentioned in human speech. + </p> + <p> + 3. THE BROGLIO REINFORCEMENT COMING ACROSS TO JOIN SOUBISE, AND PERFORM AT + ROSSBACH (Humble Petition from the Magistrates of Sangerhausen, To the + King of Poland's Majesty):— + </p> + <p> + SANGERHAUSEN, 23d OCTOBER, 1757.—"Scarcely had we, with profound + submission (ALLERUNTERTHANIGST), under date of the 13th current, + represented to your Royal Majesty and Electoral Translucency how heavily + we were pressed down by the forage requisitions and transits of troops, + and the consequent, expenditure in food, drinking, in oats and hay, which + no one pays,—when directly thereafter, on the 14th of October, a new + French party, of the Fischer Corps,"—Fischer is a mighty Hussar, + scarcely inferior to Turpin; and stands in astonishing authority with + Richelieu, and an Army whose object is plunder, [Ferdinand's + Correspondente, SOEPIUS (<i>Westphalen,</i> i. 40-127); &c. &c.]—"new + party of the Fischer Corps, of some sixty men and horse, arrived in the + Town; demanded meat, drink, oats and hay, and all things necessary; which + they received from us;—and not only paid not one farthing for all + this, but furthermore some of them, instead of thanks to their Landlord, + Rossold, forcibly broke up his press, drank his brandy, and carried off a + TOUTE (gather-all) with money in it. From a Tanner, Lindauer by name, they + bargained for a buckskin; and having taken, would not pay it. In the + RATHSKELLER (Town Public-house) they drank much wine, and gave nothing for + it: nay on marching off,—because no mounted guide (REITENDER BOTE) + was at hand, and though they had before expressly said none such would be + needed,—they rushed about like distracted persons (WIE RASENDE + LEUTE) in the market-place and in the streets; beat the people, tumbled + them about, and lugged them along, in a violent manner; using abusive + language to a frightful extent, and threatening every misfortune. + </p> + <p> + "Hardly were we rid of this confusion and astonishment when, on October + 21st, a whole swarm of horses, men, women, children and wagons, which + likewise all belonged to the Fischer Corps, and were commanded by + First-Lieutenant Schmidt, came into our Town. This troop consisted of 80 + men, part infantry, part cavalry; with some 80 work-horses, 10 + baggage-wagons, and about 100 persons, women, sick people and the like. + They stayed the whole night here; made meat, drink, corn, hay and whatever + they needed be brought them; and went off next day without paying + anything. + </p> + <p> + "Our Inns were now almost quite exhausted of forage in corn or hay; and we + knew not how we were to pay what had been spent,—when the thirty + French Light Cavalry, of whom we, with profound submission, on the 13th + HUJUS gave your Royal Majesty and Electoral Translucency account, renewed + their visit upon us; came, under the command of Rittmeister de Mocu, on + the 22d of October [while the baggage-wagons, work-horses, women, sick, + and so forth, were hardly gone], towards evening, into the Town; consumed + in meat and drink, oats and hay, and the like, what they could lay hold + of; and next morning early marched away, paying, as their custom is, + nothing. + </p> + <p> + "Not enough that,—besides the great forage-contribution (LIEFERUNG), + which we already, with profound submission, notified to your Royal Majesty + and Electoral Translucency as having been laid upon us; and that, by order + of the Duc de Broglio, a new requisition is now laid on us, and we have + had to engage for sixty-four more sacks of wheat, and thirty-two of rye + (as is noted under head A, in the enclosed copy),—there has farther + come on us, on the part of the Reichs Army, from Kreis-Commissarius + Heldorf [whose Schloss of Grost, we perceive, they have since burnt, by + way of thanks to him [Supra, No. 2.]], the simultaneous Order for instant + delivery of Forage (as under head B, here enclosed)! Thus are we, at the + appointed places, all at once to furnish such quantities, more than we can + raise; and know not when or where we shall, either for what has been + already furnished, or for what is still to be, receive one penny of money: + nay, over and above, we are to sustain the many marchings of troops, and + provide to the same what meat, drink, oats, hay and so on, they require, + without the least return of payment! + </p> + <p> + "So unendurable, and, taken all together, so hard (SIC) begins the conduct + of these troops, that profess being come as friends and helpers, to appear + to us. And Heaven alone knows how long, under a continuance of such + things, the subjects (whom the Hail-storm of last year had at any rate + impoverished) shall be able to support the same. We would, were a + reasonable delivery of forage laid upon us even at a low price, and the + board and billet of the marching troops paid to us even in part, lay out + our whole strength in helping to bear the burdens of the Fatherland; but + if such things go on, which will soon leave us only bare life and empty + huts, we can look forward to nothing but our ruin and destruction. But, as + it is not your Royal Majesty's and Electoral Translucency's most gracious + will that we, your Most Supreme Self's most faithful subjects, should + entirely perish, therefore we repeat our former most submissive prayer + once again with hot (SIC) sorrow of mind to Highest-the-Same; and sob most + submissively for that help which your Most Supreme Self, through most + gracious mediation with the Duc de Richelieu, with the Reichs Army or + wherever else, might perhaps most graciously procure for us. Who, in + deepest longing thitherwards, with the most deepest devotion, remain—" + [<i> Helden-Geschichte,</i> iv. 688-691.] (NAMES, unfortunately, not + given). + </p> + <p> + How many Saxons and Germans generally—alas, how many men universally—cry + towards celestial luminaries of the governing kind with the most deepest + devotion, in their extreme need, under their unsufferable injuries; and + are truly like dogs in the backyard barking at the Moon. The Moon won't + come down to them, and be eaten as green cheese; the Moon can't! + </p> + <p> + 4. DAUPHINESS AFTER ROSSBACH. "Excise-Inspector Neitsche, at Bebra, near + Weissenfels [Bebra is well ahead from Freiburg and the burnt Bridge, and a + good twenty-five miles west of Weissenfels], writes To the King of + Poland's Majesty, 9th NOVEMBER, 1757:— + </p> + <p> + "May it please your Royal Majesty and Electoral Translucency, out of your + highest grace, to take knowledge, from the accompanying Registers SUB + SIGNO MARTIS [sign unknown to readers here], of the things which, in the + name of this Township of Bebra, the Burgermeister Johann Adam, with the + Raths and others concerned, have laid before the Excise-Inspection here. + As follows:— + </p> + <p> + "It will be already well known to the Excise-Inspection that on the 7th of + November (A. C.) of the current year [day before yesterday, in fact!], the + French Army so handled this place as to have not only taken from the + inhabitants, by open force, all bread and articles of food, but likewise + all clothes, beds, linens (WASCHE), and other portable goods; that it has + broken, split to pieces, and emptied out, all chests, boxes, presses, + drawers; has shot dead, in the backyards and on the thatch-roofs, all + manner of feathered-stock, as hens, geese, pigeons; also carried forth + with it all swine, cow, sheep and horse cattle; laid violent hands on the + inhabitants, clapped guns, swords, pistols to their breast, and threatened + to kill them unless they showed and brought out whatever goods they had; + or else has hunted them wholly out of their houses, shooting at them, + cutting, sticking and at last driving them away, thereby to have the freer + room to rob and plunder: flung out hay and other harvest-stock from the + barns into the mud and dung, and had it trampled to ruin under the horses, + feet; nay, in fact, has dealt with this place in so unpermitted a way as + even to the most hard-hearted man must seem compassionable."—Poor + fellows: CETERA DESUNT; but that is enough! What can a Polish Majesty and + Electoral Translucency do? Here too is a sorrowful howling to the Moon. [<i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> + iv. 692.] + </p> + <p> + ... "For a hundred miles round," writes St. Germain, "the Country is + plundered and harried as if fire from Heaven had fallen on it; scarcely + have our plunderers and marauders left the houses standing.... I lead a + band of robbers, of assassins, fit for breaking on the wheel; they would + turn tail at the first gunshot, and are always ready to mutiny. If the + Government (LA COUR," with its Pompadour presiding, very unlikely for such + an enterprise!) "cannot lay the knife to the root of all this, we may give + up the notion of War." [St. Germain, after Rossbach and before (in Preuss, + UBI SUPRA).]... + </p> + <p> + Such a pitch have French Armies sunk to. When was there seen such a + Bellona as Dauphiness before? Nay, in fact, she is the same devil-serving + Army that Marechal de Saxe commanded with such triumph,—Marechal de + Saxe in better luck for opponents; Army then in a younger stage of its + development. Foaming then as sweet must, as new wine, in the hands of a + skilful vintner, poisonous but brisk; not run, as now, to the vinegar + state, intolerable to all mortals. She can now announce from her + camp-theatres the reverse of the Roucoux program, "To-morrow, Messieurs, + you are going to fight; our Manager foresees"—you will be beaten; + and we cannot say what or where the next Piece will be! Impious, + licentious, high-flaring efflorescence of all the Vices is not to be + redeemed by the one Quasi-Virtue of readiness to be shot;—sweet of + that kind, and sour of this, are the same substance, if you only wait. How + kind was the Devil to his Saxe; and flew away with him in rose-pink, while + it was still time! + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter IX.—FRIEDRICH MARCHES FOR SILESIA. + </h2> + <p> + The fame of Friedrich is high enough again in the Gazetteer world; all + people, and the French themselves, laughing at their grandiloquent + Dauphiness-Bellona, and writing epigrams on Soubise. But Friedrich's + difficulties are still enormous. One enemy coming with open mouth, you + plunge in upon, and ruin, on this hand; and it only gives you room to + attempt upon another bigger one on that. Soubise he has finished + handsomely, for this season; but now he must try conclusions with Prince + Karl. Quick, towards Silesia, after this glorious Victory which the + Gazetteers are celebrating. + </p> + <p> + The news out of Silesia are ominously doubtful, bad at the best. Duke + Bevern, once Winterfeld was gone, had, as we observed, felt himself free + to act; unchecked, but also unsupported, by counsel of the due heroism; + and had acted unwisely. Made direct for Silesia, namely, where are + meal-magazines and strong places. Prince Karl, they say, was also unwise; + took no thought beforehand, or he might have gained marches, disputed + rivers, Bober, Queiss, with Bevern, and as good as hindered him from ever + getting to Silesia. So say critics, Retzow and others; perhaps looking too + fixedly on one side of the question. Certain it is, Bevern marched in + peace to Silesia; found it by no means the better place it had promised to + be. + </p> + <p> + Prince Karl—Daun there as second, but Karl now the dominant hand—was + on the heels of Bevern, march after march. Prince Karl cut athwart him by + one cunning march, in Liegnitz Country; barring him from Schweidnitz, the + chief stronghold of Silesia, and to appearance from Breslau, the chief + city, too. Bevern, who did not want for soldiership, when reduced to his + shifts, now made a beautiful manoeuvre, say the critics; struck out + leftwards, namely, and crossed the Oder, as if making for Glogau, quite + beyond Prince Karl's sphere of possibility,—but turned to right, not + to left, when across, and got in upon Breslau from the other or east side + of the River. Cunning manoeuvre, if you will, and followed by cunning + manoeuvres: but the result is, Prince Karl has got Schweidnitz to rear, + stands between Breslau and it; can besiege Schweidnitz when he likes, and + no relief to it possible that will not cost a battle. A battle, thinks + Friedrich, is what Bevern ought to have tried at first; a well-fought + battle might have settled everything, and there was no other good + likelihood in such an expedition: but now, by detaching reinforcements to + this garrison and that, he has weakened himself beyond right power of + fighting. [<i>OEuvres de Frederic,</i> iv. 141, 159.] Schweidnitz is + liable to siege; Breslau, with its poor walls and multitudinous + population, can stand no siege worth mentioning; the Silesian strong + places, not to speak of meal-magazines, are like to go a bad road. Quite + dominant, this Prince Karl; placarding and proclaiming in all places, + according to the new "Imperial Patent," [In <i> Helden-Geschichte,</i> + (iv. 832, 833), Copy of it: "Absolved from all prior Treaties by Prussian + Majesty's attack on us, We" &c. &c. ("21st Sept. 1757").] That + Silesia is her Imperial Majesty's again! Which seems to be fast becoming + the fact;—unless contradicted better. Quick! + </p> + <p> + Bevern has now, October 1st, no manoeuvre left but to draw out of Breslau; + post himself on the southern side of it, in a safe angle there, marshy + Lohe in front, broad Oder to rear, Breslau at his right-hand with bread; + and there intrenching himself by the best methods, wait slowly, in a + sitting posture, events which are extensively on the gallop at present. + One fancies, Had Winterfeld been still there! It is as brave an Army, + 30,000, or more, as ever wore steel. Surely something could have been done + with it;—something better than sit watching the events on full + gallop all round! Bevern was a loyal, considerably skilful and valiant + man; in the Battle of Lobositz, and elsewhere, we have seen him brave as a + lion: but perhaps in the other kind of bravery wanted here, he—Well, + his case was horribly difficult; full of intricacy. And he sat, no doubt + in a very wretched state, consulting the oracles, with events (which are + themselves oracular) going at such a pace. + </p> + <p> + Schweidnitz was besieged October 26th. Nadasti, with 20,000, was set to do + it; Prince Karl, with 60,000, ready to protect him; Prince Bevern asking + the oracles:—what a bit of news for Friedrich; breaking suddenly the + effulgency of Rossbach with a bar of ominous black! Friedrich, still in + the thick of pure Saxon business, makes instant arrangement for Silesia as + well: Prince Henri, with such and such corps, to maintain the Saale, and + guard Saxony; Marshal Keith, with such and such, to step over into + Bohemia, and raise contributions at least, and tread on the tail of the + big Silesian snake: all this Friedrich settles within a week; takes + certain corps of his own, effective about 13,000; and on November 13th + marches from Leipzig. Round by Torgau, by Muhlberg, Grossenhayn; by + Bautzen, Weissenberg, across the Queiss, across the Bober; and so, with + long marches, strides continually forward, all hearts willing, and all + limbs, though in this sad winter weather, towards relief of Schweidnitz. + </p> + <p> + At Grossenhayn, fifth day of the march, Friedrich learns that Schweidnitz + is gone. November 12th-14th, Schweidnitz went by capitulation; contrary to + everybody's hope or fear; certainly a very short defence for such a + fortress. Fault of the Commandant, was everybody's first thought. Not + probably the best of Commandants, said others gradually; but his garrison + had Saxons in it;—one day "180 of them in a lump threw down their + arms, in the trenches, and went over to the Enemy." Owing to whatsoever, + the place is gone. Such towers, such curtains, star-ramparts; such an + opulence of cannons, stores, munitions, a 30,000 pounds of hard cash, one + item. All is gone, after a fortnight's siege. What a piece of news, as + heard by Friedrich, coming at his utmost towards the scene itself! As seen + by Bevern, too, in his questioning mood, it was an event of very oracular + nature. + </p> + <p> + On Monday, 14th, Schweidnitz fell; Karl, with Nadasti reunited to him, was + now 80,000 odd; and lost no time. On Tuesday next, NOVEMBER 22d, 1757, "at + three in the morning," long hours before daybreak, Karl, with his 60,000, + all learnedly arranged, comes rolling over upon hapless Bevern: with no + end of cannonading and storm of war: BATTLE OF BRESLAU, they call it; + ruinous to Bevern. Of which we shall attempt no description: except to + say, that Karl had five bridges on the Lohe, came across the Lohe by five + Bridges; and that Bevern stood to his arms, steady as the rocks, to + prevent his getting over, and to entertain him when over; that there were + five principal attacks, renewed and re-renewed as long as needful, with + torrents of shot, of death and tumult; over six or eight miles of country, + for the space of fifteen hours. Battle comparable only to Malplaquet, said + the Austrians; such a hurricane of artillery, strongly intrenched enemy + and loud doomsday of war. Did not end till nine at night; Austrians + victorious, more or less, in four of their attacks or separate + enterprises: that is to say, masters of the Lohe, and of the outmost + Prussian villages and posts in front of the Prussian centre and right + wing; victorious in that northern part;—but plainly unvictorious in + the southeast or Prussian left wing,—farthest off from Breslau, and + under Ziethen's command,—where they were driven across the Lohe + again, and lost prisoners and cannons, or a cannon. [In Seyfarth, Three + Accounts; <i> Beylagan,</i> ii. 198, 221, 234 et seq.] + </p> + <p> + Some of Bevern's people, grounding on this latter circumstance, and that + they still held the Battle-field, or most part of it, wrote themselves + victorious;—though in a dim brief manner, as if conscious of the + contrary. Which indeed was the fact. At the council of war, which he + summoned that evening, there were proposals of night-attack, and other + fierce measures; but Bevern, rejecting the plan for a night attack on the + Austrian camp as too dubious, did, in the dark hours, through the silent + streets of Breslau, withdraw himself across the Oder, instead; leaving 80 + cannon, and 5,000 killed and wounded; an evidently beaten man and Army. + And indeed did straightway disappear personally altogether, as no longer + equal to events. Rode out, namely, to reconnoitre in the gray of his + second sad morning, on this new Bank of the Oder; saw little except gray + mist; but rode into a Croat outpost, only one poor groom attending him; + and was there made prisoner:—intentionally, thought mankind; + intentionally, thinks Friedrich, who was very angry with the poor man. + [Preuss, ii. 102. More exact in Kutzen, DER TAG VON LEUTHEN (Breslau, + 1857,—an excellent exact little Compilation, from manifold sources + well studied), pp. 166-169, date "24th November."] + </p> + <p> + The poor man was carried to Vienna, if readers care to know; but being a + near Cousin there (second-cousin, no less, to the late Empress-Mother), + was by the high now-reigning Empress-Queen received in a charmingly + gracious manner, and sent home again without ransom. "To Stettin!" + beckoned Friedrich sternly from the distance, and would not see him at + all: "To Stettin, I say, your official post in time of peace! Command me + the invalid Garrison there; you are fit for nothing better!"—I will + add one other thing, which unhappily will seem strange to readers: that + there came no whisper of complaint from Bevern; mere silence, and loyal + industry with his poor means, from Bevern; and that he proved heroically + useful in Stettin two years hence, against the Swedes, against the + Russians in the Siege-of-Colberg time; and gained Friedrich's favor again, + with other good results. Which I observe was a common method with Prussian + Generals and soldiers, when, unjustly or justly, they fell into trouble of + this kind; and a much better one than that of complaining in the + Newspapers, and demanding Commissions of Inquiry, presided over by Chaos + and the Fourth-Estate, now is. + </p> + <p> + Bevern being with the Croats, the Prussian Army falls to General Kyau, as + next in rank; who (directly in the teeth of fierce orders that are + speeding hither for Bevern and him) marches away, leaving Breslau to its + fate; and making towards Glogau, as the one sure point in this wreck of + things. And Prince Karl, that same day, goes upon Breslau; which is in no + case to resist and be bombarded: so that poor old General Lestwitz, the + Prussian Commandant,—always thought to be a valiant old gentleman, + but who had been wounded in the late Action, and was blamably discouraged,—took + the terms offered, and surrendered without firing a gun. Garrison and he + to march out, in "Free Withdrawal;" these are the terms: Garrison was + 4,000 and odd, mostly Silesian recruits; but there marched hardly 500 out + with poor Lestwitz; the Silesian recruits—persuaded by conceivable + methods, that they were to be prisoners of war, and that, in short, + Austria was now come to be King again, and might make inquiry into men's + conduct—found it safer to take service with Austria, to vanish into + holes in Breslau or where they could; and, for instance, one regiment (or + battalion, let us hide the name of it), on marching through the Gate, + consisted only of nine chief officers and four men. [Muller, SCHLACHT BEI + LEUTHEN (Berlin, 1857,—professedly a mere abridgment and shadow of + Kutzen: unindexed like it), p. 12 (with name and particulars).] + </p> + <p> + There were lost 98 pieces of cannon; endless magazines and stores of war. + A Breslau scandalously gone;—a Breslau preaching day after next + (27th, which was Sunday), in certain of its churches, especially Cardinal + Schaffgotsch in the Dom Insel doing it, Thanksgiving Sermons, as per + order, with unction real or official, "That our ancient sovereigns are + restored to us:" which Sermons—except in the Schaffgotsch case, + Prince Karl and the high Catholic world all there in gala—were + "sparsely attended," say my authors. The Austrians are at the top of their + pride; and consider full surely that Silesia is theirs, though Friedrich + were here twice over. "What is Friedrich? We beat him at Kolin. His + Prussians at Zittau, at Moys, at Breslau in the new Malplaquet, were we + beaten by them? Hnh!"—and snort (in the Austrian mess-rooms), and + snap their fingers at Friedrich and his coming. + </p> + <p> + It was at Gorlitz (scene of poor Winterfeld's death) that Friedrich, "on + November 23d, the tenth day of his march," first got rumor of the Breslau + Malplaquet: "endless cannonading heard thereabouts all yesterday!" said + rumor from the east,—more and more steadily, as Friedrich hastened + forward;—and that it was "a victory for Bevern." Till, at Naumburg + on the Queiss, he gets the actual tidings: Bevern gone to the Croats, + Breslau going, Kyau marching vague; and what kind of victory it was. + </p> + <p> + Ever from Grossenhayn onwards there had been message on message, more and + more rigorous, precise and indignant, "Do this, do that; your Dilection + shall answer it with your head!"—not one message of which reached + his Dilection, till Dilection and Fate (such the gallop of events) had + done the contrary: and now Dilection and his head have made a finish of + it. "No," answers Friedrich to himself; "not till we are all finished!"—and + pushes on, he too, like a kind of Fate. "What does or can he mean, then?" + say the Austrians, with scornful astonishment, and think his head must be + turning: "Will he beat us out of Silesia with his Potsdam Guard-Parade + then?" "POTSDAMSCHE WACHT-PARADE:"—so they denominate his small + Army; and are very mirthful in their mess-rooms. "I will attack them, if + they stood on the Zobtenberg, if they stood on the steeples of Breslau!" + said Friedrich; and tramped diligently forward. Day after day, as the real + tidings arrive, his outlook in Silesia is becoming darker and darker: a + sternly dark march this altogether. Prince Karl has thrown a garrison into + Liegnitz on Friedrich's road; Prince Karl lies encamped with Breslau at + his back; has above 80,000 when fully gathered; and reigns supreme in + those parts. Darker march there seldom was: all black save a light that + burns in one heart, refusing to be quenched till death. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich sends orders that Kyau shall be put in arrest; that Ziethen + shall be general of the Bevern wreck, shall bring it round by Glogau, and + rendezvous with Friedrich at a place and day,—Parchwitz, 2d of + December coming;—and be steady, my old Ziethen. Friedrich brushes + past the Liegnitz Garrison, leaves Liegnitz and it a trifle to the right; + arrives at Parchwitz November 28th; and there rests, or at least his weary + troops do, till Ziethen come up; the King not very restful, with so many + things to prearrange; a life or death crisis now nigh. Well, it is but + death; and death has been fronted before now! We who are after the event, + on the safe sunny side of it, can form small image of the horrors and the + inward dubieties to him who is passing through it;—and how Hope is + needed to shine heroically eternal in some hearts. Fire of Hope, that does + not issue in mere blazings, mad audacities and chaotic despair, but + advances with its eyes open, measuredly, counting its steps, to the + wrestling-place,—this is a godlike thing; much available to mankind + in all the battles they have; battles with steel, or of whatever sort. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich, at Parchwitz, assembled his Captains, and spoke to them; it was + the night after Ziethen came in, night of December 3d, 1757; and Ziethen, + no doubt, was there: for it is an authentic meeting, this at Parchwitz, + and the words were taken down. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0025" id="link2H_4_0025"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + FRIEDRICH'S SPEECH TO HIS GENERALS (Parchwitz, 3d December, 1757). [From + </h2> + <p> + RETZOW, i. 240-242.] + </p> + <p> + "It is not unknown to you, MEINE HERREN, what disasters have befallen + here, while we were busy with the French and Reichs Army. Schweidnitz is + gone; Duke of Bevern beaten; Breslau gone, and all our war-stores there; + good part of Silesia gone: and, in fact, my embarrassments would be at the + insuperable pitch, had not I boundless trust in you, and your qualities, + which have been so often manifested, as soldiers and sons of your Country. + Hardly one among you but has distinguished himself by some nobly memorable + action: all these services to the State and me I know well, and will never + forget. + </p> + <p> + "I flatter myself, therefore, that in this case too nothing will be + wanting which the State has a right to expect of your valor. The hour is + at hand. I should think I had done nothing, if I left the Austrians in + possession of Silesia. Let me apprise you, then: I intend, in spite of the + Rules of Art, to attack Prince Karl's Army, which is nearly thrice our + strength, wherever I find it. The question is not of his numbers, or the + strength of his position: all this, by courage, by the skill of our + methods, we will try to make good. This step I must risk, or everything is + lost. We must beat the enemy, or perish all of us before his batteries. So + I read the case; so I will act in it. + </p> + <p> + "Make this my determination known to all Officers of the Army; prepare the + men for what work is now to ensue, and say that I hold myself entitled to + demand exact fulfilment of orders. For you, when I reflect that you are + Prussians, can I think that you will act unworthily? But if there should + be one or another who dreads to share all dangers with me, he,"—continued + his Majesty, with an interrogative look, and then pausing for answer,—"can + have his Discharge this evening, and shall not suffer the least reproach + from me."—Modest strong bass murmur; meaning "No, by the Eternal!" + if you looked into the eyes and faces of the group. Never will Retzow + Junior forget that scene, and how effulgently eloquent the veteran + physiognomies were. + </p> + <p> + "Hah, I knew it," said the King, with his most radiant smile, "none of you + would desert me! I depend on your help, then; and on victory as sure."—The + speech winds up with a specific passage: "The Cavalry regiment that does + not on the instant, on order given, dash full plunge into the enemy, I + will, directly after the Battle, unhorse, and make it a Garrison regiment. + The Infantry battalion which, meet with what it may, shows the least sign + of hesitating, loses its colors and its sabres, and I cut the trimmings + from its uniform! Now good-night, Gentlemen: shortly we have either beaten + the Enemy, or we never see one another again." + </p> + <p> + An excellent temper in this Army; a rough vein of heroism in it, steady to + the death;—and plenty of hope in it too, hope in Vater Fritz. "Never + mind," the soldiers used to say, in John Duke of Marlborough's time, + "Corporal John will get us through it!"—That same evening Friedrich + rode into the Camp, where the regiments he had were now all gathered, out + of their cantonments, to march on the morrow. First regiment he came upon + was the Life-Guard Cuirassiers: the men, in their accustomed way, gave him + good-evening, which he cheerily returned. Some of the more veteran sort + asked, ruggedly confidential, as well as loyal: "What is thy news, then, + so late?" "Good news, children (KINDER): to-morrow you will beat the + Austrians tightly!" "That we will, by—!" answered they.—"But + think only where they stand yonder, and how they have intrenched + themselves?" said Friedrich. "And if they had the Devil in front and all + round them, we will knock them out; only thou lead us on!"—"Well, I + will see what you can do: now lay you down, and sleep sound; and good + sleep to you!" "Good-night, Fritz!" answer all; [Muller, p. 21 (from + Kaltenhorn, of whom INFRA); Preuss, &c. &c.] as Fritz ambles on to + the next regiment, to which, as to every one, he will have some word. + </p> + <p> + Was it the famous Pommern regiment, this that he next spoke to,—who + answered Loudon's summons to them once (as shall be noticed by and by) in + a way ineffable, though unforgettable? Manteuffel of Foot; yes, no other! + [Archenholtz, ii. 61; and Kutzen, p. 35.] They have their own opinion of + their capacities against an enemy, and do not want for a good conceit of + themselves. "Well, children, how think you it will be to-morrow? They are + twice as strong as we." "Never thou mind that; there are no Pommerners + among them; thou knowest what the Pommerners can do!"—FRIEDRICH: + "Yea, truly, that do I; otherwise I durst not risk the battle. Now good + sleep to you! to-morrow, then, we shall either have beaten the Enemy or + else be all dead." "Yea," answered the whole regiment; "dead, or else the + Enemy beaten:" and so went to deep sleep, preface to a deeper for many of + them,—as beseems brave men. In this world it much beseems the brave + man, uncertain about so many things, to be certain of himself for one + thing. + </p> + <p> + These snatches of Camp Dialogue, much more the Speech preserved to us by + Retzow Junior, appear to be true; though as to the dates, the + circumstances, there has been debating. [Kutzen, pp. 175-181.] Other + Anecdotes, dubious or more, still float about in quantity;—of which + let us give only one; that of the Deserter (which has merit as a myth). + "What made thee desert, then?" "Hm, alas, your Majesty, we were got so + down in the world, and had such a time of it!"—"Well, try it one day + more; and if we cannot mend matters, thou and I will both desert." + </p> + <p> + A learned Doctor, one of the most recent on these matters, is astonished + why the Histories of Friedrich should be such dreary reading, and + Friedrich himself so prosaic, barren an object; and lays the blame upon + the Age, insensible to real greatness; led away by clap-trap Napoleonisms, + regardless of expense. Upon which Smelfungus takes him up, with a twitch:— + </p> + <p> + "To my sad mind, Herr Doctor, it seems ascribable rather to the Dryasdust + of these Ages, especially to the Prussian Dryasdust, sitting comfortable + in his Academies, waving sublimely his long ears as he tramples human + Heroisms into unintelligible pipe-clay and dreary continents of sand and + cinders, with the Doctors all applauding. + </p> + <p> + "Had the sacred Poet, or man of real Human Genius, been at his work, for + the thousand years last past, instead of idly fiddling far away from his + work,—which surely is definable as being very mainly, That of + INTERPRETING human Heroisms; of painfully extricating, and extorting from + the circumambient chaos of muddy babble, rumor and mendacity, some not + inconceivable human and divine Image of them, more and more clear, + complete and credible for mankind (poor mankind dumbly looking up to him + for guidance, as to what it shall think of God and of Men in this Scene of + Things),—I calculate, we should by this time have had a different + Friedrich of it; O Heavens, a different world of it, in so many respects! + </p> + <p> + "My esteemed Herr Doctor, it is too painful a subject. Godlike fabulous + Achilles, and the old Greek Kings of men, one perceives, after study, to + be dim enough Grazier Sovereigns, 'living among infinite dung,' till their + sacred Poet extricated them. And our UNsacred all-desecrating Dryasdust,—Herr + Doctor, I must say, it fills me with despair! Authentic human Heroisms, + not fabulous a whit, but true to the bone, and by all appearance very much + nobler than those of godlike Achilles and pious AEneas ever could have + been,—left in this manner, trodden under foot of man and beast; man + and beast alike insensible that there is anything but common mud under + foot, and grateful to anybody that will assure them there is nothing. Oh, + Doctor, oh, Doctor! And the results of it—You need not go + exclusively 'to France' to look at them. They are too visible in the + so-called 'Social Hierarchies,' and sublime gilt Doggeries, sltcred and + secular, of all Modern Countries! Let us be silent, my friend."— + </p> + <p> + "Prussian Dryasdust," he says elsewhere, "does make a terrible job of it; + especially when he attempts to weep through his pipe-clay, or rise with + his long ears into the moral sublime. As to the German People, I find that + they dimly have not wanted sensibility to Friedrich; that their multitudes + of Anecdotes, still circulating among them in print and VIVA VOCE, are + proof of this. Thereby they have at least made a MYTH of Friedrich's + History, and given some rhythmus, life and cheerful human substantiality + to his work and him. Accept these Anecdotes as the Epic THEY could not + write of him, but were longing to hear from somebody who could. Who has + not yet appeared among mankind, nor will for some time. Alas, my friend, + on piercing through the bewildering nimbus of babble, malignity, + mendacity, which veils seven-fold the Face of Friedrich from us, and + getting to see some glimpses of the Face itself, one is sorrowfully struck + dumb once more. What a suicidal set of creatures; commanding as with one + voice, That there shall be no Heroism more among them; that all shall be + Doggery and Common-place henceforth. 'ACH, MEIN LIEBER SULZER, you don't + know that damned brood!'—Well, well. 'Solomon's Temple,' the Moslems + say, 'had to be built under the chirping of ten thousand Sparrows.' Ten + thousand of them; committee of the whole house, unanimously of the + opposite view;—and could not quite hinder it. That too is + something!"— + </p> + <p> + More to our immediate purpose is this other thing: That the Austrians have + been in Council of War; and, on deliberation, have decided to come out of + their defences; to quit their strong Camp, which lies so eligibly, ahead + of Breslau and arear of Lissa and of Schweidnitz Water yonder; to cross + Schweidnitz Water, leave Lissa behind them; and meet this offensively + aggressive Friedrich in pitched fight. Several had voted, No, why stir?—Daun + especially, and others with emphasis. "No need of fighting at all," said + Daun: "we can defend Schweidnitz Water; ruin him before he ever get + across." "Defend? Be assaulted by an Army like his?" urges Lucchesi, the + other Chief General: "It is totally unworthy of us! We have gained the + game; all the honors ours; let us have done with it. Give him battle, + since he fortunately wishes it; we finish him, and gloriously finish the + War too!" So argued Lucchesi, with vivacity, persistency,—to his own + ill luck, but evidently with approval from Prince Karl. Everybody sees, + this is the way to Prince Karl's favor at present. "Have not I reconquered + Silesia?" thinks Prince Karl to himself; and beams applause on the high + course, not the low prudent one. [Kutzen, pp. 45-48.] In a word, the + Austrians decide on stepping out to meet Friedrich in open battle: it was + the first time they ever did so; and it was likewise the last. + </p> + <p> + Sunday, December 4th, at four in the morning, Friedrich has marched from + Parchwitz, straight towards the Austrian Camp; [Muller, p. 26.] he hears, + one can fancy with what pleasure, that the Austrians are advancing towards + him, and will not need to be forced in their strong position. His march is + in four columns, Friedrich in the vanguard; quarters to be Neumarkt, a + little Town about fourteen miles off. Within some miles of Neumarkt, early + in the afternoon, he learns that there are a thousand Croats in the place, + the Austrian Bakery at work there, and engineer people marking out an + Austrian Camp. "On the Height beyond Neumarkt, that will be?" thinks + Friedrich; for he knows this ground, having often done reviews here; to + Breslau all the way on both hands, not a rood of it but is familiar to + him. Which was a singular advantage, say the critics; and a point the + Austrian Council of War should have taken more thought of. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich, before entering Neumarkt, sends a regiment to ride quietly + round it on both sides, and to seize that Height he knows of. Height once + seized, or ready for seizing, he bursts the barrier of Neumarkt; dashes in + upon the thousand Croats; flings out the Croats in extreme hurry, musketry + and sabre acting on them; they find their Height beset, their retreat cut + off, and that they must vanish. Of the 1,000 Croats, "569 were taken + prisoners, and 120 slain," in this unexpected sweeping out of Neumarkt. + Better still, in Neumarkt is found the Austrian Bakery, set up and in full + work;—delivers you 80,000 bread-rations hot-and-hot, which little + expected to go such a road. On the Height, the Austrian stakes and + engineer-tools were found sticking in the ground; so hasty had the flight + been. + </p> + <p> + How Prince Karl came to expose his Bakery, his staff of life so far ahead + of him? Prince Karl, it is clear, was a little puffed up with high + thoughts at this time. The capture of Schweidnitz, the late "Malplaquet" + (poorish Anti-Bevern Malplaquet), capture of Breslau, and the low and lost + condition of Friedrich's Silesian affairs, had more or less turned + everybody's head,—everybody's except Feldmarschall Daun's alone:—and + witty mess-tables, we already said, were in the daily habit of mocking at + Friedrich's march towards them with aggressive views, and called his + insignificant little Army the "Potsdam Guard-Parade." [Cogniazzo, ii. + 417-422.] That was the common triumphant humor; naturally shared in by + Prince Karl; the ready way to flatter him being to sing in that tune. + Nobody otherwise can explain, and nobody in any wise can justify, Prince + Karl's ignorance of Friedrich's advance, his almost voluntary losing of + his staff-of-life in that manner. + </p> + <p> + MAP TO GO HERE—FACING PAGE 48, BOOK 18 continuation—— + </p> + <p> + Prince Karl's soldiers have each (in the cold form) three days, provision + in their haversacks: they have come across the Weistritz River (more + commonly called Schweidnitz Water), which was also the height of + contemptuous imprudence; and lie encamped, this night,—in long line, + not ill-chosen (once the River IS behind),—perpendicular to + Friedrich's march, some ten miles ahead of him. Since crossing, they had + learned with surprise, How their Bakery and Croats had been snapt up; that + Friedrich was not at a distance, but near;—and that arrangements + could not be made too soon! Their position intersects the Great Road at + right angles, as we hint; and has villages, swamps, woody knolls; + especially, on each wing, good defences. Their right wing leans on Nypern + and its impassable peat-bogs, a Village two or three miles north from the + Great Road; their centre is close behind another Village called Leuthen, + about as far south from it: length of their bivouac is about five miles; + which will become six or so, had Nadasti once taken post, who is to form + the left wing, and go down as far as Sagschutz, southward of Leuthen. + Seven battalions are in this Village of Leuthen, eight in Nypern, all the + Villages secured; woods, scraggy abatis, redoubts, not forgotten: their + cannon are numerous, though of light calibre. Friedrich has at least 71 + heavy pieces; and 10 of them are formidably heavy,—brought from the + walls of Glogau, with terrible labor to Ziethen; but with excellent + effect, on this occasion and henceforth. They got the name of "Boomers, + Bellowers (DIE BRUMMER)," those Ten. Friedrich was in great straits about + artillery; and Retzow Senior recommended this hauling up of the Ten + Bellowers, which became celebrated in the years coming. And now we are on + the Battle-ground, and must look into the Battle itself, if we can. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0010" id="link2HCH0010"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter X.—BATTLE OF LEUTHEN. + </h2> + <p> + From Neumarkt, on Monday, long before day, the Prussians, all but a small + party left there to guard the Bakery and Army Properties, are out again; + in four columns; towards what may lie ahead. Friedrich, as usual in such + cases, for obvious reasons, rides with the vanguard. To Borne, the first + Village on the Highway, is some seven or eight miles. The air is damp, the + dim incipiences of dawn struggling among haze; a little way on this side + Borne, we come on ranks of cavalry drawn across the Highway, stretching + right and left into the dim void: Austrian Army this, then? Push up to it; + see what it is, at least. + </p> + <p> + It proves to be poor General Nostitz, with his three Saxon regiments of + dragoons, famous since Kolin-day, and a couple of Hussar regiments, + standing here as outpost;—who ought to have been more alert; but + they could not see through the dark, and so, instead of catching, are + caught. The Prussians fall upon them, front and flank, tumble them into + immediate wreck; drive the whole outpost at full gallop home, through + Borne, upon Nypern and the right wing,—without news except of this + symbolical sort. Saxon regiments are quite ruined, "540 of them prisoners" + (poor Nostitz himself not prisoner, but wounded to death [Died in Breslau, + the twelfth day after (Seyfarth, ii. 362).]); and the ground clear in this + quarter. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich, on the farther side of Borne, calls halt, till the main body + arrive; rides forward, himself and staff, to the highest of a range or + suite of knolls, some furlongs ahead; sees there in full view, far and + wide, the Austrians drawn up before him. From Nypern to Sagschuitz yonder; + miles in length; and so distinct, while the light mended and the hazes + faded, "that you could have counted them [through your glasses], man by + man." A highly interesting sight to Friedrich; who continues there in the + profoundest study, and calls up some horse regiments of the vanguard to + maintain this Height and the range of Heights running south from it. And + there, I think, the King is mainly to be found, looking now at the + Austrians, now at his own people, for some three hours to come. His plan + of Battle is soon clear to him: Nypern, with its bogs and scrags, on the + Austrian right wing, is tortuous impossible ground, as he well remembers, + no good prospect for us there: better ground for us on their left yonder, + at Leuthen, even at Sagschutz farther south, whither they are stretching + themselves. Attempt their left wing; try our "Oblique Order" upon that, + with all the skill that is in us; perhaps we can do it rightly this time, + and prosper accordingly! That is Friedrich's plan of action. The four + columns once got to Borne shall fall into two; turn to the right, and go + southward, ever southward:—they are to become our two Lines of + Battle, were they once got to the right point southward. Well opposite + Sagschutz, that will be the point for facing to left, and marching up,—in + "Oblique Order," with the utmost faculty they have! + </p> + <p> + "The Oblique Order, SCHRAGE STELLUNG," let the hasty reader pause to + understand, "is an old plan practised by Epaminondas, and revived by + Friedrich,—who has tried it in almost all his Battles more or less, + from Hohenfriedberg forward to Prag, Kolin, Rossbach; but never could, in + all points, get it rightly done till now, at Leuthen, in the highest time + of need. "It is a particular manoeuvre," says Archenholtz, rather + sergeant-wise, "which indeed other troops are now [1793] in + the habit of imitating; but which, up to this present time, none but + Prussian troops can execute with the precision and velocity indispensable + to it. You divide your line into many pieces; you can push these forward + stairwise, so that they shall halt close to one another," obliquely, to + either hand; and so, on a minimum of ground, bring your mass of men to the + required point at the required angle. Friedrich invented this mode of + getting into position; by its close ranking, by its depth, and the manner + of movement used, it had some resemblance to the "Macedonian Phalanx,"—chiefly + in the latter point, I should guess; for when arrived at its place, it is + no deeper than common. "Forming itself in this way, a mass of troops takes + up in proportion very little ground; and it shows in the distance, by + reason of the mixed uniforms and standards, a totally chaotic mass of men + heaped on one another," going in rapid mazes this way and that. "But it + needs only that the Commander lift his finger; instantly this living coil + of knotted intricacies develops itself in perfect order, and with a speed + like that of mountain rivers when the ice breaks,"—is upon its + Enemy. [Archenholtz, i. 209.] + </p> + <p> + "Your Enemy is ranked as here, in long line, three or two to one. You + march towards him, but keep him uncertain as to how you will attack; then + do on a sudden march up, not parallel to him, but oblique, at an angle of + 45 degrees,—swift, vehement, in overpowering numbers, on the wing + you have chosen. Roll that wing together, ruined, in upon its own line, + you may roll the whole five miles of line into disorder and ruin, and + always be in overpowering number at the point of dispute. Provided, only, + you are swift enough about it, sharp enough! But extraordinary swiftness, + sharpness, precision is the indispensable condition;—by no means try + it otherwise; none but Prussians, drilled by an Old Dessauer, capable of + doing it. This is the SCHRAGE ORDNUNG, about which there has been such + commentating and controversying among military people: whether Friedrich + invented it, whether Caesar did it, how Epaminondas, how Alexander at + Arbela; how"—Which shall not in the least concern us on this + occasion. + </p> + <p> + The four columns rustled themselves into two, and turned southward on the + two sides of Borne;—southward henceforth, for about two hours; as if + straight towards the Magic Mountain, the Zobtenberg, far off, which is + conspicuous over all that region. Their steadiness, their swiftness and + exactitude were unsurpassable. "It was a beautiful sight," says Tempelhof, + an eye-witness: "The heads of the columns were constantly on the same + level, and at the distance necessary for forming; all flowed on exact, as + if in a review. And you could read in the eyes of our brave troops the + noble temper they were in." [Tempelhof, i. 288, 287.] I know not at what + point of their course, or for how long, but it was from the column nearest + him, which is to be first line, that the King heard, borne on the winds + amid their field-music, as they marched there, the sound of Psalms,—many-voiced + melody of a Church Hymn, well known to him; which had broken out, band + accompanying, among those otherwise silent men. The fact is very certain, + very strange to me: details not very precise, except that here, as + specimen, is a verse of their Hymn:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Grant that with zeal and skill, this day, I do + What me to do behooves, what thou command'st me to; + Grant that I do it sharp, at point of moment fit, + And when I do it, grant me good success in it." + + "Gieb dass ich thu' mit Fleiss was mir zu thun gebuhret, + Wozu mich dein Befehl in meinem Stande fuhret, + Gieb dass ich's thue bald, zu der Zeit da ich's soll; + Und wenn ich's thu', so gieb dass es gerathe wohl." +</pre> + <p> + ["HYMN-BOOK of Porst" (Prussian Sternhold-and-Hopkins), "p. 689:" cited in + Preuss, ii. 107.] + </p> + <p> + One has heard the voice of waters, one has paused in the mountains at the + voice of far-off Covenanter psalms; but a voice like this, breaking the + commanded silences, one has not heard. "Shall we order that to cease, your + Majesty?" "By no means," said the King; whose hard heart seems to have + been touched by it, as might well be. Indeed there is in him, in those + grim days, a tone as of trust in the Eternal, as of real religious piety + and faith, scarcely noticeable elsewhere in his History. His religion, and + he had in withered forms a good deal of it, if we will look well, being + almost always in a strictly voiceless state,—nay, ultra-voiceless, + or voiced the wrong way, as is too well known. "By no means!" answered he: + and a moment after, said to some one, Ziethen probably: "With men like + these, don't you think I shall have victory this day!" + </p> + <p> + The loss of their Saxon Forepost proved more important to the Austrians + than it seemed;—not computable in prisoners, or killed and wounded. + The Height named Scheuberg,—"Borne Rise" (so we might call it, which + has got its Pillar of memorial since, with gilt Victory atop [Not till + 1854 (Kutzen, pp. 194, 195).];—where Friedrich now is and where the + Austrians are not, is at once a screen and a point of vision to Friedrich. + By loss of their Nostitz Forepost, they had lost view of Friedrich, and + never could recover view of him; could not for hours learn distinctly what + he was about; and when he did come in sight again, it was in a most + unexpected place! On the farther side of Borne, edge of the big expanse of + open country there, Friedrich has halted; ridden with his adjutants to the + top of "the Scheuberg (Shy-HILL)," as the Books call it, though it is more + properly a blunt Knoll or "Rise,"—the nearest of a Chain of Knolls, + or swells in the ground, which runs from north to south on that part. + </p> + <p> + Except the Zobtenberg, rising blue and massive, on the southern horizon + (famous mythologic Mountain, reminding you of an ARTHUR'S SEAT in shape + too, only bigger and solitary), this Country, for many miles round, has + nothing that could be called a Hill; it is definable as a bare wide-waving + champaign, with slight bumps on it, or slow heavings and sinkings. Country + mostly under culture, though it is of sandy quality; one or two sluggish + brooks in it; and reedy meres or mires, drained in our day. It is dotted + with Hamlets of the usual kind; and has patches of scraggy fir. Your + horizon, even where bare, is limited, owing to the wavy heavings of the + ground; windmills and church-belfries are your only resource, and even + these, from about Leuthen and the Austrian position, leave the Borne + quarter mostly invisible to you. Leuthen Belfry, the same which may have + stood a hundred years before this Battle, ends in a small tile-roof, open + only at the gables:—"Leuthen Belfry," says a recent Tourist, "is of + small resource for a view. To south you can see some distance, Sagschutz, + Lobetintz and other Hamlets, amid scraggy fir-patches, and meadows, once + miry pools; but to north you are soon shut in by a swell or slow rise, + with two windmills upon it [important to readers at present]; and to + eastward [Breslau side and Lissa side], or to westward [Friedrich's side], + one has no view, except of the old warped rafters and their old mouldy + tiles within few inches; or, if by audacious efforts at each end, to the + risk of your neck, you get a transient peep, it is stopt, far short of + Borne, by the slow irregular heavings, with or without fir about them." + [Tourist's Note, PENES ME.] + </p> + <p> + In short, Friedrich keeps possession of that Borne ridge of Knolls, + escorted by Cavalry in good numbers; twinkling about in an enigmatic way:—"Prussian + right wing yonder," think the Austrians—"whitherward, or what can + they mean?"—and keeps his own columns and the Austrian lines in + view; himself and his movements invisible, or worse, to the Austrian + Generals from any spy-glass or conjecture they can employ. + </p> + <p> + The Austrian Generals are in windmills, on church-belfries, here, there; + diligently scanning the abstruse phenomenon, of which so little can be + seen. Daun, who had always been against this adventure, thinks it probable + the vanished Prussians are retiring southward: for Bohemia and our + Magazines probably. "These good people are smuggling off (DIE GUTEN LEUTE + PASCHEN AB)," said he: "let them go in peace." [Muller, p. 36.] Daun, that + morning, in his reconnoitrings, had asked of a peasant, "What is that, + then?" (meaning the top of a Village-steeple in the distance, but thought + by the peasant to be meaning something nearer hand). "That is the Hill our + King chases the Austrians over, when he is reviewing here!" Which Daun + reported at head-quarters with a grin. [Nicolai, <i>Anekdoten,</i> iv. + 34.] + </p> + <p> + Lucchesi, on the other hand, scanning those Borne Hills, and the cavalry + of Friedrich's escort twinkling hither and thither on them, becomes + convinced to a moral certainty, That yonder is the Prussian Vanguard, + probable extremity of left wing; and that he, Lucchesi, here at Nypern, is + to be attacked. "Attacked, you?" said one Montazet, French Agent or + Emissary here: "unless they were snipes, it is impossible!" But Lucchesi + saw it too well. + </p> + <p> + He sends to say that such is the evident fact, and that he, Lucchesi, is + not equal to it, but must have large reinforcement of Horse to his right + wing. "Tush!" answer Prince Karl and Daun; and return only argument, + verbal consolation, to distressed Lucchesi. Lucchesi sends a second + message, more passionately pressing, to the like effect; also with the + like return. Upon which he sends a third message, quite passionate: "If + Cavalry do not come, I will not be responsible for the issue!" And now + Daun does collect the required reinforcement; "all the reserve of Horse, + and a great many from the left wing;"—and, Daun himself heading + them, goes off at a swift trot; to look into Lucchesi and his distresses, + three or four miles to right, five or six from where the danger lies. Now + is Friedrich's golden moment. + </p> + <p> + Wending always south, on their western or invisible side of those Knolls, + Friedrich's people have got to about the level, or LATITUDE as we might + call it, of Nadasti's left. To Radaxdorf, namely, to Lobetintz, or still + farther south, and perhaps a mile to west of Nadasti. Friedrich has + mounted to Lobetintz Windmill; and judges that the time is come. Daun and + Cavalry once got to support their right wing, and our south latitude being + now sufficient, Friedrich, swift as Prussian manoeuvring can do it, falls + with all his strength upon their left wing. Forms in oblique order,—horse, + foot, artillery, all perfect in their paces; and comes streaming over the + Knolls at Sagschutz, suddenly like a fire-deluge on Nadasti, who had + charge there, and was expecting no such adventure! How Friedrich did the + forming in oblique order was at that time a mystery known only to + Friedrich and his Prussians: but soldiers of all countries, gathering the + secret from him, now understand it, and can learnedly explain it to such + as are curious. Will readers take a touch more of the DRILL-SERGEANT? + </p> + <p> + "You go stairwise (EN ECHELON)," says he: "first battalion starts, second + stands immovable till the first have done fifty steps; at the fifty-first, + second battalion also steps along; third waiting for ITS fifty-first step. + First battalion [rightmost battalion or leftmost, as the case may be; + rightmost in this Leuthen case] doing fifty steps before the next stirs, + and each battalion in succession punctually doing the same:" march along + on these terms,—or halt at either end, while you advance at the + other,—it is evident you will swing yourself out of the parallel + position into any degree of obliquity. And furthermore, merely by halting + and facing half round at the due intervals, you shove yourself to right or + to left as required (always to right in this Leuthen case): and so—provided + you CAN march as a pair of compasses would—you will, in the given + number of minutes, impinge upon your Enemy's extremity at the required + angle, and overlap him to the required length: whereupon, At him, in + flank, in front, and rear, and see if he can stand it! "A beautiful + manoeuvre" says Captain Archenholtz; "devised by Friedrich," by Friedrich + inheriting Epaminondas and the Old Dessauer; "and which perhaps only + Friedrich's men, to this day, could do with the requisite perfection." + </p> + <p> + Nadasti, a skilful War-Captain, especially with Horse, was beautifully + posted about Sagschutz; his extreme left folded up EN POTENCE there (elbow + of it at Sagschutz, forearm of it running to Gohlau eastward); POTENCE + ending in firwood Knolls with Croat musketeers, in ditches, ponds, + difficult ground, especially towards Gohlau. He has a strong battery, 14 + pieces, on the Height to rear of him, at the angle or elbow of his + POTENCE; strong abatis, well manned in front to rightwards: upon this, and + upon the Croats in the firwood, the Prussians intend their attack. General + Wedell is there, Prince Moritz as chief, with six battalions, and their + batteries, battery of 10 Brummers and another; Ziethen also and Horse: + coming on, in swift fire-flood, and at an angle of forty-five degrees. + Most unexpected, strange to behold! From southwest yonder; about one + o'clock of the day. + </p> + <p> + Nadasti, though astonished at the Prussian fire-deluge, stands to his + arms; makes, in front, vigorous defence; and even takes, in some sort, the + initiative,—that is, dashes out his Cavalry on Ziethen, before + Ziethen has charged. Ziethen's Horse, who are rightmost of the Prussians: + and are bare to the right,—ground offering no bush, no brook there + (though Ziethen, foreseeing such defect, has a clump of infantry near by + to mend it),—reel back under this first shock, coming downhill upon + them; and would have fared badly, had not the clump of infantry instantly + opened fire on the Nadasti visitors, and poured it in such floods upon + them, that they, in their turn, had to reel back. Back they, well out of + range;—and leave Ziethen free for a counter-attack shortly, on + easier terms, which was successful to him. For, during that first tussle + of his, the Prussian Infantry, to left of Ziethen, has attacked the + Sagschutz Firwood; clears that of Croats; attacks Nadasti's line, breaks + it, their Brummer battery potently assisting, and the rage of Wedell and + everybody being extreme. So that, in spite of the fine ground, Nadasti is + in a bad way, on the extreme left or outmost point of his POTENCE, or + tactical KNEE. Round the knee-pan or angle of his POTENCE, where is the + abatis, he fares still worse. Abatis, beswept by those ten Brummers and + other Batteries, till bullet and bayonet can act on it, speedily gives + way. "They were mere Wurtembergers, these; and could not stand!" cried the + Austrians apologetically, at a great rate, afterwards; as if anybody could + well have stood. + </p> + <p> + Indisputably the Wurtembergers and the abatis are gone; and the + Brandenburgers, storming after them, storm Nadasti's interior battery of + 14 pieces; and Nadasti's affairs are rapidly getting desperate in this + quarter. Figure Prince Karl's scouts, galloping madly to recall that Daun + Cavalry! Austrian Battalions, plenty of them, rush down to help Nadasti; + but they are met by the crowding fugitives, the chasing Prussians; are + themselves thrown into disorder, and can do no good whatever. They arrive + on the ground flurried, blown; have not the least time to take breath and + order: the fewest of them ever got fairly ranked, none of them ever stood + above one push: all goes rolling wildly back upon the centre about + Leuthen. Chaos come on us;—and all for mere lack of time: could + Nadasti but once stretch out one minute into twenty! But he cannot. + Nadasti does not himself lose head; skilfully covers the retreat, trying + to rally once and again. Not for the first few furlongs, till the ditches, + till the firwood, quagmires are all done, could Ziethen, now on the open + ground, fairly hew in; "take whole battalions prisoners;" drive the crowd + in an altogether stormy manner; and wholly confound the matter in this + part. + </p> + <p> + Prince Karl, his messengers flying madly, has struggled as man seldom did + to put himself in some posture about Leuthen, to get up some defences + there. Leuthen itself, the churchyard of it especially, is on the + defensive. Men are bringing cannon to the windmills, to the swelling + ground on the north side of Leuthen; they dig ditches, build batteries,—could + they but make Time halt, and Friedrich with him, for one quarter of an + hour. But they cannot. By the extreme of diligence, the Austrians have in + some measure swung themselves into a new position, or imperfect Line round + Leuthen as a centre,—Lucchesi, voluntarily or by order, swinging + southwards on the one hand; Nadasti swinging northwards by compulsion;—new + Line at an angle say of 75 degrees to the old one. And here, for an hour + more, there was stiff fighting, the stiffest of the day;—of which, + take one direct glimpse, from the Austrian side, furnished by a Young + Gentleman famous afterwards:— + </p> + <p> + Leuthen, let us premise, is a long Hamlet of the usual littery sort; with + two rows, in some parts three, of farm-houses, barns, cattle-stalls; with + Church, or even with two Churches, a Protestant and a Catholic; goes from + east to west above a mile in length. With the wrecks of Nadasti tumbling + into it pell-mell from the southeast, and Lucchesi desperately endeavoring + to swing round from the northwest, not quite incoherently, and the + Prussian fire-storm for accompaniment, Leuthen is probably the most + chaotic place in the Planet Earth during that hour or so (from half-past + two to half-past three) while the agony lasted. At one o'clock Nadasti was + attacked; at two he is tumbling in mid-career towards Leuthen: I guess the + date of this Excerpt, or testimony by a Notable Eye-witness, may be + half-past two; crisis of the agony just about to begin: and before four it + was all finished again. Eye-witness is the young Prince de Ligne, now + Captain in an Austrian Regiment of Foot; and standing here in this + perilous posture, having been called in as part of the Reserve. He says:— + </p> + <p> + "Cry had risen for the Reserve," in which was my regiment, "and that it + must come on as fast as possible,"—to Leuthen, west of us yonder. + "We ran what we could run. Our Lieutenant-Colonel fell killed almost at + the first; beyond this we lost our Major, and indeed all the Officers but + three,—three only, and about eleven or twelve of the Voluuteer or + Cadet kind. We had crossed two successive ditches, which lay in an orchard + to left of the first houses in Leuthen; and were beginning to form in + front of the Village. But there was no standing of it. Besides a general + cannonade such as can hardly be imagined, there was a rain of case-shot + upon this Battalion, of which I, as there was no Colonel left, had to take + command; and a third Battalion of the Royal Prussian Foot-guards, which + had already made several of our regiments pass that kind of muster, gave, + at a distance of eighty paces, the liveliest fire on us. It stood as if on + the parade-ground, that third Battalion, and waited for us, without + stirring. + </p> + <p> + "The Austrian regiment Andlau, at our right hand, could not get itself + formed properly by reason of the houses; it was standing thirty deep, and + sometimes its shot hit us on the back. On my left the Austrian regiment + Merci ran its ways; and I was glad of that, in comparison. By no method or + effort could I get the dragoons of Bathyani, who stood fifty yards in rear + of me, to cut in a little, and help me out,"—no good cutting + hereabouts, think the dragoons of Bathyani. "My soldiers, who were still + tired with running, and had no cannon (these either from necessity or + choice they had left behind), were got scattered, fewer in number, and + were fighting mainly out of sullenness. More our honor, than the notion of + doing good in the affair, prevented us from running off. An Ensign of the + regiment Arberg helped me awhile to form, from his and my own fragments, a + kind of line; but he was shot down. Two Officers of the Grenadiers brought + me what they still had. Some Hungarians, too, were luckily got together. + But at last, as, with all helps and the remnants of my own brave + Battalion, I had come down to at most 200, I drew back to the Height where + the Windmill is," [Kutzen p. 103 (from "Prince de Ligne's DIARY, i. 63, + German Translation").]—where many have drawn back, and are standing + in sheltered places, a hundred deep, say our Books. + </p> + <p> + Stiff fighting at Leuthen; especially furious till Leuthen Churchyard, a + place with high stone walls, was got. Leuthen Village, we observe, was + crammed with Austrians spitting fire from every coign of vantage; Church + and Churchyard especially are a citadel of death. Cannon playing from the + Windmill Heights, too;—moments are inestimable. The Prussian + Commander (name charitably hidden) at Leuthen Churchyard seems to hesitate + in the murderous fire-deluge: Major Mollendorf, namable from that day + forward, growling, "No time this for study," dashes out himself, "EIN + ANDRER MANN (Follow me, whoever is a man)!"—smashes in the + Church-Gate of the place, nine muskets blazing on him through it; smashes, + after a desperate struggle, the Austrians clean out of it, and conquers + the citadel. [Muller, p. 42.] + </p> + <p> + The Austrians, on confused terms, made stiff dispute in this second + position for about an hour. The Prussian Reserve was ordered up by + Friedrich; the Prussian left wing, which had stood "refused," about + Radaxdorf, till now: at one time nearly all the Prussians were in fire. + Friedrich is here, is there, wherever the press was greatest; "Prince + Ferdinand," whom we now and then find named, as a diligent little fellow, + and ascertain to be here in this and other Battles of Friedrich's,—"Prince + Ferdinand at one time pointed his cannon on the Bush or Fir-Clump of + Radaxdorf;—an aide-de-camp came to him with message: "You are firing + on the King; the King is yonder!" At which Ferdinand [his dear little + Brother] ERSCHRACK," or almost fainted with terror. [Kutzen, p. 110.] + </p> + <p> + Stiff dispute; and had the Austrians possessed the Prussian dexterity in + manoeuvring, and a Friedrich been among them,—perhaps? But on their + own terms, there was from the first little hope in it. "Behind the + Windmills they are a hundred men deep;" by and by, your Windmills, riddled + to pieces, have to be abandoned; the Prussian left wing rushing on with + bayonets, will not all of you have to go? Lucchesi, with his abundant + Cavalry, seeing this latter movement and the Prussian flank bare in that + part, will do a stroke upon them;—and this proved properly the + finale of the matter, finale to both Lucchesi and it. + </p> + <p> + The Prussian flank was to appearance bare in that leftward quarter; but + only to appearance: Driesen with the left wing of Horse is in a Hollow + hard by; strictly charged by Friedrich to protect said flank, and take + nothing else in hand. Driesen lets Lucchesi gallop by, in this career of + his; then emerges, ranked, and comes storming in upon Lucchesi's back,—entirely + confounding his astonished Cavalry and their career. Astonished Cavalry, + bullet-storm on this side of them, edge of sword on that, take wing in all + directions (or all except to west and south) quite over the horizon; + Lucchesi himself gets killed,—crosses a still wider horizon, poor + man. He began the ruin, and he ends it. For now Driesen takes the bared + Austrians in flank, in rear; and all goes tumbling here too, and in few + minutes is a general deluge rearward towards Saara and Lissa side. + </p> + <p> + At Saara the Austrians, sun just sinking, made a third attempt to stand; + but it was hopelessly faint this time; went all asunder at the first push; + and flowed then, torrent-wise, towards all its Bridges over the + Schweidnitz Water, towards Breslau by every method. There are four + Bridges, Stabelwitz below Lissa; Goldschmieden, Hermannsdorf, above; and + the main one at Lissa itself, a standing Bridge on the Highroad (also of + wood); and by this the chief torrent flows; Prussian horse pursuing + vigorously; Prussian Infantry drawn up at Saara, resting some minutes, + after such a day's work. [Archenholtz, i. 209; Seyfarth, <i> Beylagen,</i> + ii. 243-252 (by an eye-witness, intelligent succinct Account of the Battle + and previous March; ib. 252-272, of the Sieges &c. following); Preuss, + ii. 112, &c.; Tempelhof, i. 276.] + </p> + <p> + Truly a memorable bit of work; no finer done for a hundred years, or for + hundreds of years; and the results of it manifold, immediate and remote. + About 10,000 Austrians are left on the field, 3,000 of them slain; + prisoners already 12,000, in a short time 21,000; flags 51, cannon 116;—"Conquest + of Silesia" gone to water; Prince Karl and Austria fallen from their high + hopes in one day. The Prussians lost in killed 1,141, in wounded 5,118; 85 + had been taken prisoners about Sagschutz and Gohlau, in the first struggle + there. [Kutzen, pp. 118, 125.] There and at Leuthen Village had been the + two tough passages; about an hour each; in three hours the Battle was + done. "MEINE HERREN," said Friedrich that night at parole, "after such a + spell of work, you deserve rest. This day will bring the renown of your + name, and of the Nation's, to the latest posterity." + </p> + <p> + High and low had shone this day; especially these four: Ziethen, Driesen, + Retzow,—and above all Moritz of Dessau. Riding up the line, as night + fell, Friedrich, in passing Moritz and the right wing, drew bridle for an + instant: "I congratulate you on the Victory, Herr Feldmarschall!" cried he + cheerily, and with emphasis on the last word. Moritz, still very busy, + answered slightly; and Friedrich repeated louder, "Don't you hear that I + congratulate you, Herr FELDMARSCHALL!"—a glad sound to Moritz, who + ever since Kolin had stood rather in the shadow. "You have helped me, and + performed every order, as none ever did before in any battle," added the + grateful King. + </p> + <p> + Riding up the line, all now grown dusky, Friedrich asks, "Any battalion a + mind to follow me to Lissa?" Three battalions volunteering, follow him; + three are plenty. At Saara, on the Great Road, things are fallen utterly + dark. "Landlord, bring a lantern, and escort." Landlord of the poor Tavern + at Saara escorts obediently; lantern in his right hand, left hand holding + by the King's stirrup-leather,—King (Excellency or General, as the + Landlord thinks him) wishing to speak with the man. Will the reader + consent to their Dialogue, which is dullish, but singular to have in an + authentic form, with Nicolai as voucher? [<i>Anekdoten</i>, iii. 231-235.] + Like some poor old horse-shoe, ploughed up on the field. Two farthings + worth of rusty old iron; now little other than a curve of brown rust: but + it galloped at the Battle of Leuthen; that is something!— + </p> + <p> + KING. "Come near; catch me by the stirrup-leather [Landlord with lantern + does so]. We are on the Breslau Great Road, that goes through Lissa, are + n't we?" + </p> + <p> + LANDLORD. "Yea, Excellenz." + </p> + <p> + KING. "Who are you?" + </p> + <p> + LANDLORD. "Your Excellenz, I am the KRATSCHMER [Silesian for Landlord] at + Saara." + </p> + <p> + KING. "You have had a great deal to suffer, I suppose." + </p> + <p> + LANDLORD. "ACH, your Excellenz, had not I! For the last eight-and-forty + hours, since the Austrians came across Schweidnitz Water, my poor house + has been crammed to the door with them, so many servants they have; and + such a bullying and tumbling:—they have driven me half mad; and I am + clean plundered out." + </p> + <p> + KING. "I am sorry indeed to hear that!—Were there Generals too in + your house? What said they? Tell me, then." + </p> + <p> + LANDLORD. "With pleasure, your Excellenz. Well; yesterday noon, I had + Prince Karl in my parlor, and his Adjutants and people all crowding about. + Such a questioning and bothering! Hundreds came dashing in, and other + hundreds were sent out: in and out they went all night; no sooner was one + gone, than ten came. I had to keep a roaring fire in the kitchen all + night; so many Officers crowding to it to warm themselves. And they talked + and babbled this and that. One would say, That our King was coming on, + then, 'with his Potsdam Guard-Parade.' Another answers, 'OACH, he dare n't + come! He will run for it; we will let him run.' But now my delight is, our + King has paid them their fooleries so prettily this afternoon!" + </p> + <p> + KING. "When got you rid of your high guests?" + </p> + <p> + LANDLORD. "About nine this morning the Prince got to horse; and not long + after three, he came past again, with a swarm of Officers; all going full + speed for Lissa. So full of bragging when they came; and now they were + off, wrong side foremost! I saw how it was. And ever after him, the flood + of them ran, Highroad not broad enough,—an hour and more before it + ended. Such a pell-mell, such a welter, cavalry and musketeers all + jumbled: our King must have given them a dreadful lathering. That is what + they have got by their bragging and their lying,—for, your + Excellenz, these people said too, 'Our King was forsaken by his own + Generals, all his first people had gone and left him:' what I never in + this world will believe." + </p> + <p> + KING (not liking even rumor of that kind). "There you are right; never can + such a thing be believed of my Army." + </p> + <p> + LANDLORD (whom this "MY" has transfixed). "MEIN GOTT, you are our + GNADIGSTER KONIG (most gracious King) yourself! Pardon, pardon, if, in my + stupidity, I have—" + </p> + <p> + KING. "No, you are an honest man:—probably a Protestant?" + </p> + <p> + LANDLORD. "JOA, JOA, IHR MAJESTAT, I am of your Majesty's creed!" + </p> + <p> + Crack-crack! At this point the Dialogue is cut short by sudden + musket-shots from the woody fields to right; crackle of about twelve shots + in all; which hurt nothing but some horse's feet,—had been aimed at + the light, and too low. Instantly the light is blown out, and there is a + hunting out of Croats; Lissa or environs not evacuated yet, it seems; and + the King's Entrance takes place under volleyings and cannonadings. + </p> + <p> + King rides directly to the Schloss, which is still a fine handsome house, + off the one street of that poor Village,—north side of street; well + railed off, and its old ditches and defences now trimmed into + flower-plots. The Schloss is full of Austrian Officers, bustling about, + intending to quarter, when the King enters. They, and the force they still + had in Lissa, could easily have taken him: but how could they know? + Friedrich was surprised; but had to put the best face on it. [In Kutzen + (pp. 121, 209 et seq.) explanation of the true circumstances, and source + of the mistake.] "BON SOIR, MESSIEURS!" said he, with a gay tone, stepping + in: "Is there still room left, think you?" The Austrians, bowing to the + dust, make way reverently to the divinity that hedges a King of this sort; + mutely escort him to the best room (such the popular account); and for + certain make off, they and theirs, towards the Bridge, which lies a little + farther east, at the end of the Village. + </p> + <p> + Weistritz or Schweidnitz Water is a biggish muddy stream in that part; + gushing and eddying; not voiceless, vexed by mills and their weirs. Some + firing there was from Croats in the lower houses of the Village, and they + had a cannon at the farther bridge-end; but they were glad to get away, + and vanish in the night; muddy Weistritz singing hoarse adieu to their + cannon and them. Prussian grenadiers plunged indignant into the houses; + made short work of the musketries there. In few minutes every Croat and + Austrian was across, or silenced otherwise too well; Prussian cannon now + going in the rear of them, and continuing to go,—such had been the + order, "till the powder you have is done." Fire of musketry and occasional + cannon lasts all night, from the Lissa or Prussian side of the River,—"lest + they burn this Bridge, or attempt some mischief." A thing far from their + thoughts, in present circumstances. + </p> + <p> + The Prussian host at Saara, hearing these noises, took to its arms again; + and marched after the King. Thick darkness; silence; tramp, tramp:—a + Prussian grenadier broke out, with solemn tenor voice again, into + Church-Music; a known Church-Hymn, of the homely TE-DEUM kind; in which + five-and-twenty thousand other voices, and all the regimental bands, soon + join:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Nun dunket alle Gott + Mit Herzen, Mund und Handen, + Der grosse Dinge thut + An uns und allen Enden." [Muller, p. 48.] + + "Now thank God, one and all, + With heart, with voice, with hands-a, + Who wonders great hath done + To us and to all lands-a." +</pre> + <p> + And thus they advance; melodious, far-sounding, through the hollow Night, + once more in a highly remarkable manner. A pious people, of right Teutsch + stuff, tender though stout; and, except perhaps Oliver Cromwell's handful + of Ironsides, probably the most perfect soldiers ever seen hitherto. + Arriving at the end of Lissa, and finding all safe as it should be there, + they make their bivouac, their parallelogram of two lines, miles long + across the fields, left wing resting on Lissa, right on Guckerwitz; and—having, + I should think, at least tobacco to depend on, with abundant stick-fires, + and healthy joyful hearts—pass the night in a thankful, comfortable + manner. + </p> + <p> + Leuthen was the most complete of all Friedrich's victories; two hours more + of daylight, as Friedrich himself says, and it would have been the most + decisive of this century. [<i>OEuvres de Frederic,</i> iv. 167.] As it + was, the ruin of this big Army, 80,000 against 30,000, ["89,200 was the + Austrian strength before the Battle" (deduct the Garrisons of Schweidnitz + and Liegnitz): Preuss, ii. 109 (from the STAFF-OFFICERS).] was as good as + total; and a world of Austrian hopes suddenly collapsed; and all their + Silesian Apparatus, making sure of Silesia beyond an IF, was tumbled into + wreck,—by this one stroke it had got, smiting the corner-stone of it + as if with unexpected lightning. On the morrow after Leuthen, Friedrich + laid siege to Breslau; Karl had left a garrison of 17,000 in it, and a + stout Captain, one Sprecher, determined on defence: such interests hung on + Breslau, such immensities of stores were in it, had there been nothing + else. Friedrich, pushing with all his strength, in spite of bad weather + and of Sprecher's industrious defence, got it in twelve days. [7th-19th + December: DIARIUM, &c. of it in <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> iv. + 955-961.] Sprecher had posted placards on the gallows and up and down, + terrifically proclaiming that any man convicted of mentioning surrender + should be instantly hanged: but Friedrich's bombardment was strong, his + assaults continual; and the ditches were threatening to freeze. On the + seventh day of the siege, a Laboratorium blew up; on the ninth, a + Powder-Magazine, carrying a lump of the rampart away with it. Sprecher had + to capitulate: Prisoners of War, we 17,000; our cannons, ammunitions (most + opulent, including what we took from Bevern lately); these, we and Breslau + altogether, alas, it is all yours again. Liegnitz Garrison, seeing no + hope, consented to withdraw on leave. [26th December: <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> + iv. 1016.] Schweidnitz cannot be besieged till Spring come: except + Schweidnitz, Maria Theresa, the high Kaiserinn, has no foot of ground in + Silesia, which she thought to be hers again. Gone utterly, Patents and + all; Schweidnitz alone waiting till spring. To the lively joy of Silesia + in general; to the thrice-lively sorrow and alarm of certain individuals, + leading Catholic Ecclesiastics mainly, who had misread the signs of the + times in late months! There is one Schaffgotsch, Archbishop or head-man of + them, especially, who is now in a bad way. Never was such royal favor; + never such ingratitude, say the Books at wearisome length. Schaffgotsch + was a showy man of quality, nephew of the quondam Austrian Governor, whom + Friedrich, across a good deal of Papal and other opposition, got pushed + into the Catholic Primacy, and took some pains to make comfortable there,—Order + of the Black Eagle, guest at Potsdam, and the like;—having a kind of + fancy for the airy Schaffgotsch, as well as judging him suitable for this + Silesian High-Priesthood, with his moderate ideas and quality ways,—which + I have heard were a little dissolute withal. To the whole of which + Schaffgotsch proved signally traitorous and ingrate; and had plucked off + the Black Eagle (say the Books, nearly breathless over such a sacrilege) + on some public occasion, prior to Leuthen, and trampled it under his feet, + the unworthy fellow. Schaffgotsch's pathetic Letter to Friedrich, in the + new days posterior to Leuthen, and Friedrich's contemptuous inexorable + answer, we could give, but do not: why should we? O King, I know your + difficulties, and what epoch it is. But, of a truth, your airy dissolute + Schaffgotsch, as a grateful "Archbishop and Grand-Vicar," is almost uglier + to me than as a Traitor ungrateful for it; and shall go to the Devil in + his own way! They would not have him in Austria; he was not well received + at Rome; happily died before long. [Preuss, ii. 113, 114; Kutzen, pp. 12, + 155-160, for the real particculars.] Friedrich was not cruel to + Schaffgotsch or the others, contemptuously mild rather; but he knew + henceforth what to expect of them, and slightly changed this and that in + his Silesian methods in consequence. + </p> + <p> + Of Prince Karl let us add a word. On the morrow after Leuthen, Captain + Prince de Ligne and old Papa D'Ahremberg could find little or no Army; + they stept across to Grabschen, a village on the safe side of the Lohe, + and there found Karl and Daun: "rather silent, both; one of them looking, + 'Who would have thought it!' the other, 'Did n't I tell you?'"—and + knowing nothing, they either, where the Army was. Army was, in fact, as + yet nowhere. "Croat fellows, in this Farmstead of ours," says De Ligne, + "had fallen to shooting pigeons." The night had been unusually dark; the + Austrian Army had squatted into woods, into office-houses, farm-villages, + over a wide space of country; and only as the day rose, began to dribble + in. By count, they are still 50,000; but heart-broken, beaten as men + seldom were. "What sound is that?" men asked yesterday at Brieg, forty + miles off; and nobody could say, except that it was some huge Battle, + fateful of Silesia and the world. Breslau had it louder; Breslau was still + more anxious. "What IS all that?" asked somebody (might be Deblin the + Shoemaker, for anything I know) of an Austrian sentry there: "That? That + is the Prussians giving us such a beating as we never had." What news for + Deblin the Shoemaker, if he is still above ground!— + </p> + <p> + "Prince Karl, gathering his distracted fragments, put 17,000 into Breslau + by way of ample garrison there; and with the rest made off circuitously + for Schweidnitz; thence for Landshut, and down the Mountains, home to + Konigsgratz,—self and Army in the most wrecked condition. Chased by + Ziethen; Ziethen (sticking always to the hocks of them,' as Friedrich + eagerly enjoins on him; or sometimes it is, 'sitting on the breeches of + them:' for about a fortnight to come. [Eleven Royal Autographs: in + Blumenthal, <i>Life of De Ziethen</i> (ii. 94-111), a feeble incorrect + Translation of them.] Ziethen took 2,000 prisoners; no end of baggages, of + wagons left in the difficult places: wild weather even for Ziethen, still + more for Karl, among the Silesian-Bohemian Hill-roads: heavy rains, deep + muds, then sudden glass, with cutting snow-blasts: 'An Army not a little + dilapidated,' writes Prince Karl, almost with tears in his eyes; (Army + without linens, without clothes; in condition truly sad and pitiable; and + has always, so close are the enemy, to encamp, though without tents.' + [Kutzen, p. 134 ("Prince Karl to the Kaiser, December 14th").]. Did not + get to Konigsgratz, and safe shelter, for ten days more. Counted, at + Konigsgratz in the Christmas time, 37,000 rank and file,—'22,000 of + whom are gone to hospital,' by the Doctor's report. + </p> + <p> + "Universal astonishment, indignation, even incredulity, is the humor at + Vienna: the high Kaiserinn herself, kept in the dark for some time, + becomes dimly aware; and by Kaiser Franz's own advice she relieves Prince + Karl from his military employments, and appoints Daun instead. Prince Karl + withdrew to his Government of the Netherlands; and with the aid of + generous liquors, and what natural magnanimity he had, spent a noiseless + life thenceforth; Sword laid entirely on the shelf; and immortal Glory, as + of Alexander and the like, quite making its exit from the scene, convivial + or other. 'The first General in the world,' so he used to be ten years + ago, in Austria, in England, Holland, the thrice-greatest of Generals: but + now he has tried Friedrich in Five pitched Battles (Czaslau, + Hohenfriedberg, Sohr, then Prag, then Leuthen);—been beaten every + time, under every form of circumstance; and now, at Leuthen, the fifth + beating is such, no public, however ignorant, can stand it farther. The + ignorant public changes its long-eared eulogies into contumeliously horrid + shrieks of condemnation; in which one is still farther from joining. 'That + crossing of the Rhine,' says Friedrich, 'was a BELLE CHOSE; but flatterers + blew him into dangerous self-conceit; besides, he was ill-obeyed, as + others of us have been.' ["Prince de Ligne, <i>Memoires sur Frederic</i> + (Berlin, 1789), p. 38" (Preuss, ii. 112).] Adieu to him, poor red-faced + soul;—and good liquor to him,—at least if he can take it in + moderation!" + </p> + <p> + The astonishment of all men, wise and simple, at this sudden oversetting + of the scene of things, and turning of the gazetteer-diplomatic theatre + bottom uppermost, was naturally extreme, especially in gazetteer and + diplomatic circles; and the admiration, willing or unwilling, of + Friedrich, in some most essential points of him, rose to a high pitch. + Better soldier, it is clear, has not been heard of in the modern ages. + Heroic constancy, courage superior to fate: several clear features of a + hero;—pity he were such a liar withal, and ignorant of common + honesty; thought the simple sort, in a bewildered manner, endeavoring to + forget the latter features, or think them not irreconcilable. Military + judges of most various quality, down to this day, pronounce Leuthen to be + essentially the finest Battle of the century; and indeed one of the + prettiest feats ever done by man in his Fighting Capacity. Napoleon, for + instance, who had run over these Battles of Friedrich (apparently somewhat + in haste, but always with a word upon them which is worth gathering from + such a source), speaks thus of Leuthen: "This Battle is a masterpiece of + movements, of manoeuvres, and of resolution; enough to immortalize + Friedrich, and rank him among the greatest Generals. Manifests, in the + highest degree, both his moral qualities and his military." [Montholon, <i> + Memoires &c., de Napoleon,</i> vii. 211. This Napoleon SUMMARY OF + FRIEDRICH'S CAMPAIGNS, and these brief Bits of Criticism, are pleasant + reading, though the fruit evidently of slight study, and do credit to + Napoleon perhaps still more than to Friedrich.] + </p> + <p> + How the English Walpoles, in Parliament and out of it; how the Prussian + Sulzers, D'Argenses, the Gazetteer and vague public, may have spoken and + written at that time, when the matter was fresh and on everybody's tongue,—judge + still by two small symptoms which we have to show:— + </p> + <p> + 1. A LETTER OF FRIEDRICH'S TO D'ARGENS (Durgoy, near Breslau, 19th + December, 1757).—"Your friendship seduces you, MON CHER; I am but a + paltry knave (POLISSON) in comparison with 'Alexander,' and not worthy to + tie the shoe-latchets of 'Caesar'! Necessity, who is the mother of + industry, has made me act, and have recourse to desperate remedies in + evils of a like nature. + </p> + <p> + "We have got here [this day, by capitulation of Breslau] from fourteen to + fifteen thousand prisoners: so that, in all, I have above twenty-three + thousand of the Queen's troops in my hands, fifteen Generals, and above + seven hundred Officers. 'T is a plaster on my wounds, but it is far enough + from healing them. + </p> + <p> + "I am now about marching to the Mountain region, to settle the chain of + quarters there; and if you will come, you will find the roads free and + safe. I was sorry at the Abbe's treason,"—paltry De Prades, of whom + we heard enough already. [<i>OEuvres de Frederic,</i> xix. 47.] + </p> + <p> + 2. A POTTERY-APOTHEOSIS OF FRIEDRICH.—"There stands on this + mantel-piece," says one of my Correspondents, the amiable Smelfungus, in + short, whom readers are acquainted with, "a small China Mug, not of bad + shape; declaring itself, in one obscure corner, to be made at Worcester, + 'R. I., Worcester, 1757' (late in the season, I presume, demand being + brisk); which exhibits, all round it, a diligent Potter's-Apotheosis of + Friedrich, hastily got up to meet the general enthusiasm of English + mankind. Worth, while it lasts unbroken, a moment's inspection from you in + hurrying along. + </p> + <p> + "Front side, when you take our Mug by the handle for drinking from it, + offers a poor well-meant China Portrait, labelled KING OF PRUSSIA: Copy of + Friedrich's Portrait by Pesne, twenty years too young for the time, + smiling out nobly upon you; upon whom there descends with rapidity a small + Genius (more like a Cupid who had hastily forgotten his bow, and goes + headforemost on another errand) to drop a wreath on this deserving head;—wreath + far too small for ever getting on (owing to distance, let us hope), though + the artless Painter makes no sign; and indeed both Genius and wreath, as + he gives them, look almost like a big insect, which the King will be apt + to treat harshly if he notice it. On the opposite side, again, separated + from Friedrich's back by the handle, is an enormous image of Fame, with + wings filling half the Mug, with two trumpets going at once (a bass, + probably, and a treble), who flies with great ease; and between her eager + face end the unexpectant one of Friedrich (who is 180 degrees off, and + knows nothing of it) stands a circular Trophy, or Imbroglio of drums, + pikes, muskets, cannons, field-flags and the like; very slightly tied + together,—the knot, if there is one, being hidden by some fantastic + bit of scroll or escutcheon, with a Fame and ONE trumpet scratched on it;—and + high out of the Imbroglio rise three standards inscribed with Names, which + we perceive are intended to be names of Friedrich's Victories; standards + notable at this day, with Names which I will punctually give you. + </p> + <p> + "Standard first, which flies to the westward or leftward, has 'Reisberg' + (no such place on this distracted globe, but meaning Bevern's REICHENBERG, + perhaps),—'Reisberg,' 'Prague,' 'Collin.' Middle standard curves + beautifully round its staff, and gives us to read, 'Welham' (non-extant, + too; may mean WELMINA or Lobositz), 'Rossbach' (very good), 'Breslau' + (poor Bevern's, thought a VICTORY in Worcester at this time!). Standard + third, which flies to eastward or right hand, has 'Neumark' (that is, + NEUMARKT and the Austrian Bread-ovens, 4th December); 'Lissa' (not yet + LEUTHEN in English nomenclature); and 'Breslau' again, which means the + capture of Breslau CITY this time, and is a real success, 7th-19th + December;—giving us the approximate date, Christmas, 1757, to this + hasty Mug. A Mug got up for temporary English enthusiasm, and the + accidental instruction of posterity. It is of tolerable China; holds a + good pint, 'To the Protestant Hero, with all the honors;'—and + offers, in little, a curious eyehole into the then England, with its then + lights and notions, which is now so deep-hidden from us, under volcanic + ashes, French Revolutions, and the wrecks of a Hundred very decadent + Years." + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0011" id="link2HCH0011"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter XI.—WINTER IN BRESLAU: THIRD CAMPAIGN OPENS. + </h2> + <p> + Friedrich, during those grand victories, is suffering sadly in health, + "COLIQUE DEPUIS HUIT JOURS, neither sleep nor appetite;" "eight months of + mere anguishes and agitations do wear one down." He is tired too, he says, + of the mere business-talk, coarse and rugged, which has been his allotment + lately; longs for some humanly roofed kind of lodging, and a little talk + that shall have flavor in it. [Letters of his to Prince Henri (December + 26th, &c.: <i> OEuvres,</i> xxvi. 167, 169; Stenzel, v: 123).] The + troops once all in their Winter-quarters, he sits down in Breslau as his + own wintering-place: place of relaxation,—of rest, or at least of + changed labor,—no man needing it more. There for some three months + he had a tolerable time; perhaps, by contrast, almost a delightful. + Readers must imagine it; we have no details allowed us, nor any time for + them even if we had. + </p> + <p> + There come various visitors, various gayeties,—King's Birthday + (January 24th); quality Balls, "at which Royal Majesty sometimes deigned + to show himself." A lively Breslau, in comparison. Sister Amelia paid a + beautiful visit of a fortnight or more: Sister Amelia, and along with her, + two married Cousins (once Margravines of Schwedt), whose Husbands, little + Brother Ferdinand, and Eugen of Wurtemberg, are wintering here. The + Marquis d'Argens, how exquisitely treated we shall see, is a principal + figure; Excellency Mitchell, deep in very important business just now, is + another. Reader de Catt (he who once, in a Dutch River-Boat, got into + conversation with the snuffy gentleman in black wig) made his new + appearance, this Winter,—needed now, since De Prades is off. "Should + you have known me again?" asked Friedrich. "Hardly, in that dress; + besides, your Majesty looks thinner." "That I can believe, with the cursed + life I have been leading!" [Rodenbeck, i. 285.] There came also, day not + given, a Captain Guichard ("Major Quintus Icilius" that is to be) with his + new Book on the Art Military of the Ancients, MEMOIRES MILITAIRES SUR LES + GRECS ET LES ROMAINS; [a La Haye, 2 tomes, 4to, 1757 (Nicolai, <i>Anekdoten,</i> + vi. 134)] which cannot but be welcome to Friedrich. A solid account of + that matter, by the first man who ever understood both War and Greek. Far + preferable to Folard's, a man without Greek at all, and with military + ideas not a little fantastic here and there. Of Captain Guichard, were his + Book once read, and himself a little known, there will be more to say. For + the present, fancy him retained as supernumerary:—and in regard to + Friedrich's Winter generally, accept the following small hints, small but + direct:— + </p> + <p> + FRIEDRICH TO D'ARGENS (three different times). + </p> + <p> + 1. ON THE ROAD TO LEUTHEN "(Torgau, 15th November 1757).... I have been + obliged to have the Abbe arrested [De Prades, of whom enough, long since]; + he has been playing the spy, and I have many evident proofs of it. That is + very infamous and very ungrateful.—I have made a prodigious quantity + of verses (PRODIGIEUSEMENT DE VERS). If I live, I will show them you in + Winter-quarters: if I perish, they are bequeathed to you, and I have + ordered that they be put into your hand.... + </p> + <p> + "Adieu, my dear Marquis. I fancy you to be in bed: don't rot there;—and + remember you have promised to join me in Winter-quarters;"—on this + latter point Friedrich is very urgent, amiably eager; prepared to wrap the + poor Marquis in cotton, and carry him and lodge him, like glass with care. + [<i>OEuvres de Frederic,</i>] xix, 43.] For example:— + </p> + <p> + 2. WHILE SETTLING THE WINTER-QUARTERS ("Striegau, 26th December, 1757:" + Siege of Breslau done ten days ago).... "What a pleasure to hear you are + coming! Your travelling you can do in your own way. I have chosen a party + of Light Horse (JAGER), who will appear at Berlin to conduct you. You can + make short journeys: the first to Frankfurt, the second to Crossen, the + third to Grunberg, fourth to Glogau, fifth to Parchwitz, sixth to Breslau. + I have directed that horses be ordered for you, that your rooms be warmed + everywhere, and good fowls ready on all roads. Your apartment in this + House [Royal House in Breslau, which the King has built for himself years + ago] is carpeted, hermetically shut. You shall suffer nothing from + draughts or from noise." [Ib. xix. 48.]—Lucky Marquis; what a + Landlord! Came accordingly; stayed till deep in April,—waiting + latterly for weather, I perceive; long after the King himself was off. + Thus:— + </p> + <p> + 3. FRIEDRICH ON THE FIELD AGAIN FOR FIVE WEEKS PAST ("Munsterberg, 23d + April, 1758"). "Adieu, dear Marquis; I fancy you are now in Berlin again. + Go to Charlottenburg whenever and how you like; take care of yourself; and + be ready for the beginning of October next!—As to me, MON CHER, I am + off to fight windmills and ostriches (AUTRUCHES), that is, Russians and + Austrians (AUTRICHIENS). Adieu, MON CHER." [<i>OEuvres de Frederic,</i> + xix. 49.] + </p> + <p> + There circulated in the Newspapers, this Winter, something of what was + called a LETTER from Friedrich to Maria Theresa, formally proposing Peace, + after these magnificent successes. And certainly, of all things in the + Earth, Friedrich would have best liked Peace, this year, last year, and + for the next five years: "Go home, then, good neighbors; don't break into + my house, don't cut my poor throat, and we will be friends again!" + Friedrich, it appears, had actually, finding or making opportunity, sent + some polite Letter, of pacific tenor, in his light clever way, to that + address;—not without momentary hopes of perhaps getting good from + it. [In PREUSS, ii. 130 (Friedrich's Letter mostly given;—bearer a + Prince van Lobkowitz, prisoner at Leuthen, now going home on handsome + terms) Stenzel, v. 124 (for the PER-CONTRA feeling).] And the Kaiserinn + herself, Austria's high Mother, did, they say, after such a Leuthen coming + on the back of such a Rossbach, feel discouraged; but the Pompadour (not + France's Mother, whatever she might be to France) was of far other mind: + "Do not speak of it, MA REINE! Double or quits, that is our game: can we + yield for a little ill-luck? Never!" + </p> + <p> + France dismisses its D'Argenson, "What Armies are these of his; flying + home on us, like draggled poultry, across the Rhine!"—summons the + famed Belleisle to be War-Minister, and give things an eagle-quality: + ["26th February, 1758" (BARBIER, iv. 258).] France engages to pay its + subsidies better (France now the general paying party, Austria, Sweden, + Russia itself, all looking to France,—would she were as punctual as + England used to be!),—in a word, engages to be magnanimous + extremely, and will hear of nothing but persistence. "Shall not we reap, + then, where there is such a harvest standing white to us?" Kaunitz admits + that there never will again be such a chance.—Peace, it is clear + enough, will not be got of these people by any Letter, or human device + whatever, except simply by uttermost, more or less miraculous fighting for + it. Friedrich is profoundly aware of this fact;—is busy completing + his Army: 145,000 for the field, this Year, 53,000 the Silesian part, "a + good many of them Austrian deserters;" [Stenzel, v. 155.] and is closing + an important Subsidy Treaty with England,—of which more anon. + </p> + <p> + And if this is the mood in France and Austria, think what Russia's will + be! The Czarina is not dead of dropsy, as some had expected, but, on the + contrary, alive, and fiercer than ever; furious against Apraxin, and + determined that Fermor, his successor, shall defy Winter, and begin work + at once. She has indignantly dismissed Apraxin (to be tried by + Court-Martial, he); dismisses Bestuchef the Chancellor; appoints a new + General, Fermor by name; orders Fermor to go and lose not a moment, now in + the depth of Winter since it was not done in the crown of Summer, and take + possession of East Preussen in her name. + </p> + <p> + Which Fermor does; 16th January, crosses the border again, 31,000 in all, + without opposition except from the frost; plants himself up and down,—only + two poor Prussian battalions there; who retire, with their effects, + especially "with seven wagons of money." January 22d, Fermor enters + Konigsberg; publishes no end of proclamations, manifestoes, rescripts, to + inform the poor people, trembling at the Cossack atrocities of last Year, + "That his august Sovereign Elizabeth of All the Russias has now become + Proprietress of East Preussen, which shall be perfectly protected and + exquisitely well-governed henceforth; and that all men of official or + social position have, accordingly, to come and take the oath to her, with + the due alacrity and punctuality, at their peril." + </p> + <p> + No man is willing for the operation, most men shudder at it; but who can + help them? Surely it was an unblessed operation. Poor souls, one pities + them; for at heart they were, and continued, loyal to their own King; + thoroughly abhorrent of becoming Russian, as Czarish Majesty has + thoroughly resolved they shall. Some few absconded, leaving their property + as spoil; the rest swore, with mental reservation, with shifts, such as + they could devise:—for example, some were observed to swear with + gloves on; the right hand, which they held up, was a mere right FIST with + a stuffed glove at the end of it,—SO help me Beelzebub (or whoever + is the recording Angel here)! [<i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> v. 141-149: + Preuss, ii. 145, iii. 578, iv. 477, &c.] And thus does Preussen, with + astonishment, as by the spell of a Czarina Circe, find itself changed + suddenly to Russian: and does not recover the old human form till four + years hence,—when, again suddenly, as we shall see, the Circe and + her wand chance to get broken. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich could not mend or prevent this bad Business; but was so + disgusted with it, he never set foot in East Preussen again,—never + could bear to behold it, after such a transformation into temporary + Russian shape. I cannot say he abhorred this constrained Oath as I should + have done: on the contrary, in the first spurt of indignation, he not only + protested aloud, but made reprisals,—"Swear ME those Saxons, then!" + said he; and some poor magistrates of towns, and official people, had to + make a figure of swearing (if not allegiance altogether, allegiance for + the time being), in the same sad fashion, till one's humor cooled again. + [Preuss, ii. 163: Oath given in <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> v. 631.] East + Preussen, lost in this way, held by its King as before, or more + passionately now than ever; still loved Friedrich, say the Books; but it + is Russia's for the present, and the mischief is done. East Preussen + itself, Circe Czarina cherishing it as her own, had a much peaceabler + time: in secret it even sent moneys, recruits, numerous young volunteers + to Friedrich; much more, hopes and prayers. But his disgust with the late + transformation by enchantment was inexpiable. + </p> + <p> + It was May or June, as had been anticipated, before the Russian main Army + made its practical appearance in those parts. Fermor had, in the interim, + seized Thorn, seized Elbing ("No offence, magnanimous Polacks, it is only + for a time!"),—and would fain have had Dantzig too, but Dantzig + would n't. Not till June 16th did the unwieldy mass (on paper 104,000, and + in effect, and exclusive of Cossack rabble, about 75,000) get on way; and + begin slowly staggering westward. Very slowly, and amid incendiary fire + and horrid cruelty, as heretofore;—and in August coming we shall be + sure to hear of it. + </p> + <p> + Lehwald was just finishing with the Swedes,—had got them all bottled + up in Stralsund again, about New-Year's time, when these Russians crossed + into Preussen. We said nothing of the Swedish so-called Campaign of last + Year;—and indeed are bound to be nearly silent of that and of all + the others. Five Campaigns of them, or at least Four and a half; such + Campaigns as were never made before or since. Of Campaign 1757, the + memorable feature is, that of the whole "Swedish Division," as the + laughing Newspapers called it, which was "put to flight by five Berlin + Postilions;"—substantially a truth, as follows:— + </p> + <p> + "Night of September 12th-13th, 1757, the Swedes, 22,000 strong, did at + last begin business; crossed Peene River, the boundary between their + Pommern and ours; and, having nothing but some fractions of Militia to + oppose them, soon captured the Redoubts there; spread over Prussian + Pommern, and on into the Uckermark; diligently raising contributions, to a + heavy amount. No less than 90,000 pounds in all for this poor Province; + though, by a strange accident, 60,000 pounds proved to be the actual sum. + </p> + <p> + "Towards the end of October they had got as much as 60,000 pounds from the + northern parts of Uckermark, Prentzlow being their head-quarter during + that operation; and they now sent out a Detachment of 200 grenadiers and + 100 dragoons towards Zehdenick, another little Town, some forty miles + farther south, there to wring out the remaining sum. The Detachment + marched by night, not courting notice; but people had heard of its coming; + and five Prussian Postilions,—shifty fellows, old hussars it may be, + at any rate skilful on the trumpet, and furnished with hussar jackets and + an old pistol each, determined to do something for their Country. The + Swedish Detachment had not marched many miles, when,—after or before + some flourishes of martial trumpeting,—there verily fell on the + Swedish flank, out of a clump of dark wood, five shots, and wounded one + man. To the astonishment and panic of the other two hundred and + ninety-nine; who made instant retreat, under new shots and trumpet-tones, + as if it were from five whole hussar regiments; retreat double-quick, to + Prentzlow; alarm waxing by the speed; alarm spreading at Prentzlow itself: + so that the whole Division got to its feet, recrossed the Peene; and + Uckermark had nothing more to pay, for that bout! This is not a fable, + such as go in the Newspapers," adds my Authority, "but an accurate fact:" + [<i> Helden-Geschichte,</i> iv. 764, 807; Archenholtz, i. 160.]—probably, + in our day, the alone memorable one of that "Swedish War." + </p> + <p> + "The French," says another of my Notes, "who did the subsidying all round + (who paid even the Russian Subsidy, though in Austria's name), had always + an idea that the Swedes—22,000 stout men, this year, 4,000 of them + cavalry—might be made to co-operate with the Russians; with them or + with somebody; and do something effective in the way of destroying + Friedrich. And besides their subsidies and bribings, the French took + incredible pains with this view; incessantly contriving, correspondencing, + and running to and fro between the parties: [For example: M. le Marquis de + Montalembert, CORRESPONDANCE AVEC &c., ETANT EMPLOYE PAR LE ROI DE + FRANCE A L'ARMEE SUEDOISE, 1757-1761 ("with the Swedish Army," yes, and + sometimes with the Russian,—and sometimes on the French Coasts, + ardently fortifying against Pitt and his Descents there:—a very + intelligent, industrious, observant man; still amusing to read, if one + were idler), A LONDRES (evidently Paris), 1777, 3 vols. small 8vo. Then, + likewise very intelligent, there is a Montazet, a Mortaigne, a + Caulaiucourt; a CAMPAGNE DES RUSSES EN 1757; &c. &c.,—in + short, a great deal of fine faculty employed there in spinning ropes from + sand.] but had not, even from the Russians and Czarish Majesty, much of a + result, and from the Swedes had absolutely none at all. By French industry + and flagitation, the Swedish Army was generally kept up to about 20,000: + the soldiers were expert with their fighting-tools, knew their + field-exercise well; had fine artillery, and were stout hardy fellows: but + the guidance of them was wonderful. 'They had no field-commissariat,' says + one Observer, 'no field-bakery, no magazines, no pontoons, no light + troops; and,' among the Higher Officers, 'no subordination.' [Archenholtz, + i. 158.] Were, in short, commanded by nobody in particular. Commanded by + Senator Committee-men in Stockholm; and, on the field, by Generals anxious + to avoid responsibility; who, instead of acting, held continual Councils + of War. The history of their Campaigns, year after year, is, in summary, + this:— + </p> + <p> + "Late in the season (always late, War-Offices at home, and Captaincies + here, being in such a state), they emerged from Stralsund, an impregnable + place of their own,—where the men, I observe, have had to live on + dried fishy substances, instead of natural boiled oatmeal; [Montalembert, + i. 32-37, 335. 394, &c. (that of the demand for Neise PORRIDGE, which + interested me, I cannot find again).] and have died extensively in + consequence:—they march from Stralsund, a forty or thirty miles, + till they reach the Swedish-Pommern boundary, Peene River; a muddy sullen + stream, flowing through quagmire meadows, which are miles broad, on each + shore. River unfordable everywhere; only to be crossed in four or five + places, where paved causeways are. The Swedes, with deliberation, cross + Peene; after some time, capture the bits of Redoubts, and the one or two + poor Prussian Towns upon it; Anklam Redoubt, PEENE-MUNDE (Peene-mouth) + Redoubt; and rove forward into Prussian Pommern, or over into the + Uckermark, for fifty, for a hundred miles; exacting contributions; + foraging what they can; making the poor country-people very miserable, and + themselves not happy,—their soldiers 'growing yearly more + plunderous,' says Archenholtz, 'till at length they got, though much shyer + of murder, to resemble Cossacks,' in regard to other pleas of the crown. + </p> + <p> + "There is generally some fractional regiment or two of Prussian force, + left under some select General Manteuffel, Colonel Belling; who hangs + diligently on the skirts of them, exploding by all opportunities. There + have been Country Militias voluntarily got on foot, for the occasion; five + or six small regiments of them; officered by Prussian Veterans of the + Squirearchy in those parts; who do excellent service. The Governor of + Stettin, Bevern, our old Silesian friend, strikes out now and then, always + vigilant, prompt and effective, on a chance offering. This, through + Summer, is what opposition can be made: and the Swedes, without magazines, + scout-service, or the like military appliances, but willing enough to + fight [when they can see], and living on their shifts, will rove inward, + perhaps 100 miles; say southwestward, say southeastward [towards Ruppin, + which we used to know],—they love to keep Mecklenburg usually on + their flank, which is a friendly Country. Small fights befall them, + usually beatings; never anything considerable. That is their success + through Summer. + </p> + <p> + "Then, in Autumn, some remnant more of Prussian regulars arrive, + disposable now for that service; upon which the Swedes are driven over + Peene again (quite sure to be driven, when the River with its quagmires + freezes); lose Anklam Redoubt, Peene-munde Redoubt; lose Demmin, Wollin; + are followed into Swedish Pommern, oftenest to the gates of Stralsund, and + are locked up there, there and in Rugen adjoining, till a new season + arrive."—This year (1757-1758), Lehwald, on turning the key of + Stralsund, might have done a fine feat; frost having come suddenly, and + welded Rugen to mainland. "What is to hinder you from starving them into + surrender?" signifies Friedrich, hastily: "Besiege me Stralsund!" Which + Lehwald did; but should have been quicker about it; or the thaw came too + soon, and admitted ships with provision again. Upon which Lehwald + resigned, to a General Graf von Dohna; and went home, as grown too old: + and Dohna kept them bottled there till the usual Russian Advent (deep in + June); by which time, what with limited stockfish diet, what with sore + labor (breaking of the ice, whenever frost reappeared) and other hardship, + more than half of them had died.—"Every new season there was a new + General tried; but without the least improvement. There was mockery + enough, complaint enough; indignant laughter in Stockholm itself; and the + Dalecarlians thought of revolting: but the Senator Committee-men held + firm, ballasted by French gold, for four years. + </p> + <p> + "The Prussian Militias are a fine trait of the matter; about fifteen + regiments in different parts;—about five in Pommern, which set the + example; which were suddenly raised last Autumn by the STANDE themselves, + drilled in Stettin continually, while the Swedes were under way, and which + stood ready for some action, under veterans of the squirearchy, when the + Swedes arrived. They were kept up through the War. The STANDE even raised + a little fleet, [Archenholtz, i. 110.] river fleet and coast fleet, twelve + gunboats, with a powerful carronade in each, and effective men and + captain; a great check on plundering and coast mischief, till the Swedes, + who are naval, at last made an effort and destroyed them all." + </p> + <p> + Friedrich was very sensible of these procedures on the part of his STANDE; + and perhaps readers are not prepared for such, or for others of the like, + which we could produce elsewhere, in a Country without Constitution to + speak of. Friedrich raises no new taxes,—except upon himself + exclusively, and these to the very blood:—Friedrich gets no + Life-and-Fortune Addresses of the vocal or printed sort, but only of the + acted. Very much the preferable kind, where possible, to all parties + concerned. These poor militias and flotillas one cheerfully puts on + record; cheerfully nothing else, in regard to such a Swedish War;—nor + shall we henceforth insult the human memory by another word upon it that + is not indispensable. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0028" id="link2H_4_0028"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + OF THE ENGLISH SUBSIDY. + </h2> + <p> + One of Friedrich's most important affairs, at present,—vitally + connected with his Army and its furnishings, which is the all-important,—was + his Subsidy Treaty with England. It is the third treaty he has signed with + England in regard to this War; the second in regard to subsidy for it; and + it is the first that takes real practical effect. It had cost difficulty + in adjusting, not a little correspondence and management from Mitchell; + for the King is very shy about subsidy, though grim necessity prescribes + it as inevitable; and his pride, and his reflections on the last Subsidy + Treaty, "One Million sterling, Army of Observation, and Fleet in the + Baltic," instead of which came Zero and Kloster-Zeven, have made him very + sensitive. However, all difficulties are got over; Plenipotentiary + Knyphausen, Pitt, Britannic Majesty and everybody striving to be rational + and practical; and at London, 11th April, 1758, Subsidy Treaty, admirably + brief and to the point, is finished: [In four short Articles; given in <i> + Helden-Geschichte,</i> v. 16, 17.] "That Friedrich shall have Four Million + Thalers, that is, 670,000 pounds; payable in London to his order, in + October, this Year; which sum Friedrich engages to spend wholly in + maintenance and increase of his Army for behoof of the common object;—neither + party to dream of making the least shadow of peace or truce without the + other." Of Baltic Fleet, there is nothing said; nor, in regard to that, + was anything done, this year or afterwards; highly important as it would + have been to Friedrich, with the Navies so called of both Sweden and + Russia doing their worst upon him. "Why not spare me a small English + squadron, and blow these away?" Nor was the why ever made clear to him; + the private why being, that Czarish Majesty had, last year, intimated to + Britannic, "Any such step on your part will annihilate the now old + friendship of Russia and England, and be taken as a direct declaration of + War!"—which Britannic Majesty, for commercial and miscellaneous + reasons, hoped always might be avoided. Be silent, therefore, on that of + Baltic Fleet. + </p> + <p> + In all the spoken or covenanted points the Treaty was accurately kept: + 670,000 pounds, two-thirds of a million very nearly, will, in punctual + promptitude, come to Friedrich's hand, were October here. And in regard to + Ferdinand (a point left silent, this too), Friedrich's expectations were + exceeded, not the contrary, so long as Pitt endured. This is the Third + English-Prussian Treaty of the Seven-Years War, as we said above; and it + is the First that took practical effect: this was followed by three + others, year after year, of precisely the same tenor, which were likewise + practical and punctually kept,—the last of them, "12th December, + 1760," had reference to Subsidy for 1761:—and before another came, + Pitt was out. So that, in all, Friedrich had Four Subsidies; 670,000 + pounds x4=2,680,000 pounds of English money altogether:—and it is + computed by some, there was never as much good fighting otherwise had out + of all the 800,000,000 pounds we have funded in that peculiar line of + enterprise. [First Treaty, 16th January, 1756 (is in <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> + iii. 681), "We will oppose by arms any foreign Armament entering Germany;" + Second Treaty, 11th January, 1757 (never published till 1802), is in + Scholl, iii. 30-32: "one million subsidy, a Fleet &c." (not KEPT at + all); after which, Third Treaty (the FIRST really issuing in subsidy and + performance) is 11th April, 1758 (given in <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> v. + 17); Fourth (really SECOND), 7th December, 1758 (Ib. v. 752); Fifth + (THIRD), 9th November, 1759; Sixth (FOURTH), 12th December, 1760. See + PREUSS, ii. 124 n.] + </p> + <p> + Pitt had no difficulty with his Parliament, or with his Public, in regard + to this Subsidy; the contrary rather. Seldom, if ever, was England in such + a heat of enthusiasm about any Foreign Man as about Friedrich in these + months since Rossbach and what had followed. Celebrating this "Protestant + Hero," authentic new Champion of Christendom; toasting him, with all the + honors, out of its Worcester and other Mugs, very high indeed. Take these + Three Clippings from the old Newspapers, omitting all else; and rekindle + these, by good inspection and consideration, into feeble symbolic lamps of + an old illumination, now fallen so extinct. + </p> + <p> + No. 1. REVEREND MR. WHITFIELD AND THE PROTESTANT HERO. "Monday, January + 2d," 1758, "was observed as a Day of Thanksgiving, at the Chapel in + Tottenham-Court Road [brand-new Chapel, still standing and acting, though + now in a dingier manner], by Mr. Whitfield's people, for the signal + Victories gained by the King of Prussia over his Enemies. [<i>Gentleman's + Magazine,</i> xxviii. (for 1758), p. 41.]—'Why rage the Heathen; why + do the people imagine a vain thing? Sinful beings we, perilously sunk in + sin against the Most High:—but they, do they think that, by earthly + propping and hoisting, their unblessed Chimera, with his Three Hats, can + sweep away the Eternal Stars!'"—In this strain, I suppose: + Protestant Hero and Heaven's long-suffering Patiences and Mercies in + raising up such a one for a backsliding generation; doubtless with much + unction by Mr. Whitfield. + </p> + <p> + No. 2. KING OF PRUSSIA'S BIRTHDAY (Tuesday, January 24th). "This being the + Birthday of the King of Prussia, who then entered into the forty-seventh + year of his age, the same was observed with illuminations and other + demonstrations of joy;"—throughout the Cities of London and + Westminster, "great rejoicings and illuminations," it appears, [<i>Gentleman's + Magazine,</i> xxviii. (for 1758), p. 43; and vol. xxix. p. 42, for next + year's birthday, and p. 81 for another kind of celebration.]—now + shining so feebly at a century's distance!—No. 3 is still more + curious; and has deserved from us a little special inquiring into. + </p> + <p> + No. 3. MISS BARBARA WYNDHAM'S SUBSIDY. "March 13th, 1758,"—while + Pitt and Knyphausen are busy on the Subsidy Treaty, still not out with it, + the Newspapers suddenly announce,— + </p> + <p> + "Miss Bab. Wyndham, of Salisbury, sister of Henry Wyndham, Esq., of that + City, a maiden lady of ample fortune, has ordered her banker to prepare + the sum of 1,000 pounds to be immediately remitted, in her own name, as a + present to the King of Prussia." [<i> London Chronicle,</i> March + 14th-16th, 1758; <i> Lloyd's Evening Post;</i> &c. &c.] Doubtless + to the King of Prussia's surprise, and that of London Society, which would + not want for commentaries on such a thing! + </p> + <p> + Before long, the Subsidy Treaty being now out, and the Wyndham topic new + again, London Society reads, in the same Newspaper, a Documentary Piece, + calculated to help in its commentaries. There is good likelihood of guess, + though no certainty now attainable, that the "English Lady" referred to + may be Miss Bab. herself;—of whose long-vanished biography, and + brisk, airy, nomadic ways, we catch hereby a faint shadow, momentary, but + conceivable, and sufficient for us:— + </p> + <p> + "TO THE AUTHORS OF THE LONDON CHRONICLE. <i>London Chronicle,</i> of + 13th-15th April, 1758. + </p> + <p> + "The following Account, which is a real fact, will serve to show with what + punctuality and exactness the King of Prussia attends to the most minute + affairs, and how open he is to applications from all persons. + </p> + <p> + "An English Lady being possessed of actions [shares] in the Embden + Company, and having occasion to raise money on them, repaired to Antwerp + [some two years ago, as will be seen], and made application for that + purpose to a Director of the Company, established there by the King of + Prussia for the managing all affairs relative thereto. This person," Van + Erthorn the name of him, "very willingly entered into treaty with her; but + the sum he offered to lend being far short of what the actions would + bring, and he also insisting on forfeiture of her right in them, if not + redeemed in twelve months,—she broke off with him, and had recourse + to some merchants at Antwerp, who were inclinable to treat with her on + much more equitable terms. The proceeding necessarily brought the parties + before this Director for receiving his sanction, which was essential to + the solidity of the agreement; and he, finding he was like to lose the + advantage he had flattered himself with, disputed the authenticity of the + actions, and thereby threw her into such discredit, as to render all + attempts to raise money on them ineffectual. Upon this the Lady wrote a + Letter by the common post to his Majesty of Prussia, accompanied with a + Memorial complaining of the treatment she had received from the Director; + and she likewise enclosed the actions themselves in another letter to a + friend at Berlin. By the return of the post, his Majesty condescended to + answer her Letter; and the actions were returned authenticated; which so + restored her credit, that in a few hours all difficulties were removed + relating to the transaction she had in hand; and it is more than probable + the Director has felt his Majesty's resentment for his ill-behavior.—The + Lady's Letter was as follows:— + </p> + <p> + "'ANTWERP, 19th February, 1756. + </p> + <p> + "'SIR,—Having had the happiness to pay my court to your Majesty + during a pretty long residence at Berlin [say in Voltaire's time; Miss + Barbara's "Embden Company," I observe, was the first of the two, date + 1750; that of 1753 is not hers], and to receive such marks of favor from + their Majesties the Queens [a Barbara capable of shining in the Royal + soirees at Monbijou, of talking to, or of, your Voltaires and lions, and + investing moneys in the new Embden Company] as I shall ever retain a + grateful sense of,—I presume to flatter myself that your Majesty + will not be offended at the respectful liberty I have taken in laying + before you my complaints against one Van Erthorn, a Director of the Embden + China Company, whose bad behavior to me, as set forth in my Memorial, hath + forced me to make a very long and expensive stay at this place; and, as + the considerable interest I have in that Company may farther subject me to + his caprices, I cannot forbear laying my grievances at the foot of your + Majesty's throne; most respectfully supplicating your Majesty that you + would be graciously pleased to give orders that this Director shall not + act towards me for the future as he hath done hitherto. + </p> + <p> + "'I hope for this favor from your Majesty's sovereign equity; and I shall + never cease offering up my ardent prayers for the prosperity of your + glorious reign; having the honor to be, with the most respectful zeal, + Sir, your Majesty's most humble, most obedient, and most devoted servant, + * * *' + </p> + <p> + "THE KING OF PRUSSIA'S ANSWER. + </p> + <p> + "'POTSDAM, 26th February, 1756. + </p> + <p> + "'MADAM,—I received the Letter of the 19th instant, which you + thought proper to write to me; and was not a little displeased to hear of + the bad behavior of one of the Directors of the Asiatic Company of Embden + towards you, of which you were forced to complain. I shall direct your + grievances to be examined, and have just now despatched my orders for that + purpose to Lenz, my President of the Chamber of East Friesland,' Chief + Judge in those parts. [Seyfarth, ii. 139.] 'You may assure yourself the + strictest justice shall be done you that the case will admit. God keep you + in his holy protection. FRIEDRICH.'" + </p> + <p> + Whether this refers to Miss Barbara or not, there is no affirming. But the + interesting point is, Friedrich did receive and accept Miss Barbara's + 1,000 pounds. The Prussian account, which calls her "an English JUNGFRAU, + LADY SALISBURY, who actually sent a sum of money," [Preuss, ii. 124, whose + reference is merely <i> "Gentleman's Magazine</i> for 1758." Both in the + ANNUAL REGISTER of that Year (i. 86),and in the <i>Gentleman's Magazine,</i> + pp. 142, 177, the above Paragraph and Letters are copied from the + Newspapers, but without the smallest commentary (there or elsewhere), or + any mention of a "Lady Salisbury."] would not itself be satisfactory: but, + by good chance, there is still living, in Salisbury City, a very aged + Gentleman, well known for his worth, and intelligence on such matters, + who, being inquired of, makes reply at once: That the First Earl of + Malmesbury (who was of his acquaintance, and had many anecdotes and + reminiscences of Friedrich, all noted down, it was understood, with + diplomatic exactitude, but never yet published or become accessible) did, + as "I well remember, among other things, mention the King's telling him + that he," the King, "had received a Thousand Pounds from Miss Wyndham; + with a part of which he had bought the Flute then in his hand." [Letter + from John Fowler, Esq., "Salisbury, 2d April, 1860," to a Friend of mine + (PENES ME): of Barbara's identity, or otherwise, with the Antwerp Embden + Lady, Mr. F. can say nothing.] Which latter circumstance, too, is curious. + For, at all times, however straitened Friedrich's Exchequer might be, it + was his known habit, during this War, to have always, before the current + year ended, the ways and means completely settled and provided for the + year coming; so that everything could be at once paid in money (good money + or bad,—good still up to this date);—And nothing was observed + to fall short, so much as the customary liberality of his gifts to those + about him. I infer, therefore: Friedrich had decided to lay out this 1,000 + pounds in what he would call luxuries, chiefly gifts,—and, among + other things, had said to himself, "I will have a new flute, too!" + Probably one of his last; for I understand he had, by this time + (Malmesbury's time, 1772), ceased much playing, and ceased altogether not + long after. [Preuss, i. 371-373.] + </p> + <p> + James Harris, First Earl of Malmesbury, was Resident at Berlin, 1772: that + is all the date we have for the King's saying, "And with part of it I + bought this Flute!" Date of Lord Malmesbury's mention of it at Salisbury, + we have none,—likeliest there might be various dates; a thing + mentioned more than once, and not improvable by dating. The Wyndhams still + live in the Close of Salisbury; a respected and well-known Family; record + of them (none of Barbara there, or elsewhere except here) to be found in + the County Histories. [Britton's <i>Beauties of England and Wales,</i> <i>xv. + part ii. p. 118; Hoare's </i>Salisbury (mistaken, p. 815); &c.] I only + know farther, Barbara died May, 1765, "aged and wealthy," and "with the + bulk of her fortune endowed a Charity, to be called 'Wyndham College,'" + [ANNUAL REGISTER (for 1765), viii. 86.]—which I hope still + flourishes. Enough on this small Wyndham matter; which is nearly + altogether English, but in which Friedrich too has his indefeasible + property. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0029" id="link2H_4_0029"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + FRIEDRICH, AS INDEED PITT'S PEOPLE AND OTHERS HAVE DONE, TAKES THE FIELD + UNCOMMONLY EARLY: FRIEDRICH GOES UPON SCHWEIDNITZ, SCHWEIDNITZ, AS THE + PREFACE TO WHATEVER HIS CAMPAIGN MAY BE. + </h2> + <p> + While this Subsidy Treaty is getting settled in England, Duke Ferdinand + has his French in full cackle of universal flight; and before the signing + of it (April 11th), every feather of them is over the Rhine; Duke + Ferdinand busy preparing to follow. Glorious news, day after day, coming + in, for Pitt, for Miss Barbara and for all English souls, Royal Highness + of Cumberland hardly excepted! The "Descent on Rochefort," last Autumn, + had a good deal disappointed Pitt and England;—an expensively + elaborate Expedition, military and naval; which could not "descend" at + all, when it got to the point; but merely went groping about, on the muddy + shores of the Charente, holding councils of war yonder; "cannonaded the + Isle of Aix for two hours;" and returned home without result of any kind, + Courts-martial following on it, as too usual. This was an unsuccessful + first-stroke for Pitt. Indeed, he never did much succeed in those Descents + on the French Coast, though never again so ill as this time. Those are a + kind of things that require an exactitude as of clockwork, in all their + parts: and Pitt's Generalcies and War-Offices,—we know whether they + were of the Prussian type or of the Swedish! A very grievous hindrance to + Pitt;—which he will not believe to be quite incurable. Against which + he, for his part, stands up, in grim earnest, and with his whole strength; + and is now, and at all times, doing what in him lies to abate or remedy + it:—successfully, to an unexpected degree, within the next four + years. From America, he has decided to recall Lord Loudon, as a cunctatory + haggling mortal, the reverse of a General; how very different from his + Austrian Cousin! [Cousins certainly enough; their Progenitors were + Brothers, of that House, about 1568,—when Matthew, the cadet, went + "into Livonia," into foreign Soldiering (Papa having fallen Prisoner "at + the Battle of Langside," 1568, and the Family prospects being low); from + this Matthew comes, through a scrips of Livonian Soldiers, the famed + Austrian Loudon. Douglas, <i>Peerage of Scotland,</i> p. 425; &c. + &c. VIE DE LOUDON (ill-informed on that point and some others) says, + the first Livonian Loudon came from Ayrshire, "in the fourteenth + century".] "Abercrombie may be better," hopes he;—was better, still + not good. But already in the gloomy imbroglio over yonder, Pitt discerns + that one Amherst (the son of people unimportant at the hustings) has + military talent: and in this puddle of a Rochefort Futility, he has got + his eye on a young Officer named Wolfe, who was Quartermaster of the + Expedition; a young man likewise destitute of Parliamentary connection, + but who may be worth something. Both of whom will be heard of! In a four + years' determined effort of this kind, things do improve: and it was + wonderful, to what amount,—out of these chaotic War-Offices little + better than the Swedish, and ignorant Generalcies fully worse than the + Swedish,—Pitt got heroic successes and work really done. + </p> + <p> + On Pitt, amid confused clouds, there is bright dawn rising; and Friedrich + too, for the last month, in Breslau, has a cheerful prospect on that + Western side of his horizon. Here is one of his Postscripts, thrown off in + Autograph, which Duke Ferdinand will read with pleasure: "I congratulate + you, MON CHER, with my whole heart! May you FLEUR-DE-LYS every French skin + of them; cutting out on their"—what shall we say (LEUR IMPRIMANT SUR + LE CUE)!—"the Initials of the Peace of Westphalia, and packing them + across the Rhine," tattooed in that latest extremity of fashion! + [Friedrich to Duke Ferdinand, "Grussau, 19th March, 1758:" in Knesebeck, + <i> Herzog Ferdinand,</i> i. 64. <i>Herzog Ferdinand wahrend des + 7-jahrigen Krieges</i> ("from the English and Prussian Archives") is the + full Title of Knesebeck's Book: LETTERS altogether; not very intelligently + edited, but well worth reading by every student, military and civil: 2 + vols. 8vo. Hannover, 1857.] + </p> + <p> + Friedrich, grounding partly on those Rhine aspects, has his own scheme + laid for Campaign 1758. It is the old scheme tried twice already: to go + home upon your Enemy swiftly, with your utmost collective strength, and + try to strike into the heart of him before he is aware. Friedrich has + twice tried this; the second time with success, respectable though far + short of complete. Weakened as now, but with Ferdinand likely to find the + French in employment, he means to try it again; and is busy preparing at + Neisse and elsewhere, though keeping it a dead secret for the time. There + is, in fact, no other hopeful plan for him, if this prove feasible at all. + Double your velocity, you double your momentum. One's weight is given,—weight + growing less and less;—but not, or not in the same way and degree, + one's velocity, one's rightness of aim. Weight given: it is only by + doubling or trebling his velocity that a man can make his momentum double + or treble, as needed! Friedrich means to try it, readers will see how,—were + the Fort of Schweidnitz once had; for which object Friedrich watches the + weather like a very D'Argens, eager that the frost would go. Recapture of + Schweidnitz, the last speck of Austrianism wiped away there; that is + evidently the preface to whatsoever day's-work may be ahead. + </p> + <p> + March 15th, frost being now off, Friedrich quits Breslau and D'Argens,—his + Head-quarter thenceforth Kloster-Grussau, near Landshut, troops all + getting cantoned thereabout, to keep Bohemia quiet,—and goes at once + upon Schweidnitz. With the top of the morning, so to speak; means to have + Schweidnitz before campaigning usually can begin, or common laborers take + their tools in this trade. The Austrian Commandant has been greatly + strengthening the works; he had, at first, some 8,000 of garrison; but the + three months' blockade has been tight upon him and them; and it is hoped + the thing can be done. + </p> + <p> + APRIL 1st-2d,—Siege-material being got to the ground, and Siege + Division and Covering Army all in their places,—in spite of the + heavy rains, we open our first parallel, Austrian Commandant not noticing + till it is nearly done. April 8th, we have our batteries built; and burst + out, at our best rate, into cannonade; aiming a good deal at "Fort No. 1," + called also "GALGEN or Gallows Fort," which we esteem the principal. + Cannonade continues day after day, prospers tolerably on Gallows Fort,"—though + the wet weather, and hardship to the troops, are grievous circumstances, + and make Friedrich doubly urgent. "Try it by storm!" counsels Balbi, who + is Engineer. Night of APRIL 15th-16th storm takes place; with such vigor + and such cunning, that the Gallows Fort is got for almost nothing (loss of + ten men);-and few hours after, Austria beat the chamade. [Tempelhof, ii. + 21-25; <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> <i>v. 109-123: above all, Tielcke, </i>Beytrage + zur Kriegs-Kunst und zur Geschichte des Krieges von 1756 bis 1763 (6 vols. + 4to, Freyberg, 1775-1786), iv. 43-76. Volume iv. is wholly devoted to + Schweidnitz and its successive Sieges.] Fifty-one new Austrian guns, for + one item, and about 7,000 pounds of money. Prisoners of War the Garrison, + 8,000 gone to 4,900; with such stores as we can guess, of ours and theirs + added: Balbi was Prussian Engineer-in-Chief, Treskau Captain of the Siege;—other + particulars I spare the reader. + </p> + <p> + Unfortunate Schweidnitz underwent four Sieges, four captures or + recaptures, in this War;—upon all of which we must be quite summary, + only the results of them important to us. For the curious in sieges, + especially for the scientifically curious, there is, by a Captain Tielcke, + excellent account of all these Schweidnitz Sieges, and of others;—Artillery-Captain + Tielcke, in the Saxon or Saxon-Russian service; whom perhaps we shall + transiently fall in with, on a different field, in the course of this + Year. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0012" id="link2HCH0012"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter XII.—SIEGE OF OLMUTZ. + </h2> + <p> + Fouquet, on the first movement towards Schweidnitz, had been detached from + Landshut to sweep certain Croat Parties out of Glatz; Ziethen, with a + similar view, into Troppau Country; both which errands were at once + perfectly done. Daun lies behind the Bohemian Frontier (betimes in the + field he too, "arrived at Konigsgratz, March 13th"); and is, with all + diligence, perfecting his new levies; intrenching himself on all points, + as man seldom did; "felling whole forests," they say, building abatis within + abatis;—not doubting, especially on these Ziethen-Fouquet symptoms, + but Friedrich's Campaign is to be an Invasion of Bohemia again. "Which he + shall not do gratis!" hopes Daun; and, indeed, judges say the entrance + would hardly have been possible on that side, had Friedrich tried it; + which he did not. + </p> + <p> + Schweidnitz being done, and Daun deep in the Bohemian problem,—Friedrich, + in an unintelligible manner, breaks out from Grussau and the Landshut + region (April 19th-25th), not straight southward, as Daun had been + expecting, but straight southeastward through Neisse, Jagerndorf: all + gone, or all but Ziethen and Fouquet gone, that way;—meaning who + shall say what, when news of it comes to Daun? In two divisions, from 30 + to 40,000 strong; through Jagerndorf, ever onward through Troppau, and not + till THEN turning southward: indubitable march of that cunning Enemy; + rapidly proceeding, his 40,000 and he, along those elevated upland + countries, watershed of the Black Sea and the Baltic, bleakly illumined by + the April sun; a march into the mists of the future tense, which do not + yet clear themselves to Daun. Seeing the march turn southward at Troppau, + a light breaks on Daun: "Ha! coming round upon Bohemia from the east, + then?" That is Daun's opinion, for some time yet; and he immediately + starts that way, to save a fine magazine he has at Leutomischl over there. + Daun, from Skalitz near Konigsgratz where he is, has but some eighty miles + to march, for the King's hundred and fifty; and arrives in those parts few + days after the King; posts himself at Leutomischl, veiled in Pandours. Not + for two weeks more does he ascertain it to have been a march upon the + Olmutz Country, and the intricate forks of the Morawa River; with a view + to besieging Olmutz, by this wily Enemy! Upon which Daun did strive to + bestir himself thitherward, at last; and, though very slow and hesitative, + his measures otherwise were unexceptionable, and turned out luckier than + had been expected by some people. + </p> + <p> + Olmutz is an ancient pleasant little City, in the Plains of Mahren, + romantic, indistinct to the English mind; with Domes, with Steeples + eminent beyond its size,—population little above 10,000 souls;—has + its Prince-Archbishop and ecclesiastic outfittings, with whom Friedrich + has lodged in his time. City which trades in leather, and Russian and + Moldavian droves of oxen. Memorable to the Slavic populations for its + grand Czech Library, which was carried away by the Swedes, happily into + thick night; [To Stralsund (1645), "and has not since been heard of."] + also for that poor little Wenzel of theirs (last heir of the Bohemian + Czech royalties, whom no reader has the least memory of) being killed on + the streets here;—uncertain, to this day, by whom, though for whose + benefit that dagger-stroke ended is certain enough; [Supra, vol. v. p. + 118.]—poor little Wenzel's dust lies under that highest Dome, of the + old Cathedral yonder, if anybody thought of such a thing in hot practical + times. Poor Lafayette, too, lodged here in prison, when the Austrians + seized him. City trades in leather and live stock, we said; has much to do + with artillery, much with ecclesiastry;—and Friedrich besieged it, + for seven weeks, in the hot summer days of 1758, to no purpose. Friedrich + has been in Olmiitz more than once before; his Schwerin once took it in a + single day, and it was his for months, in the old Moravian-Foray time: but + the place is changed now; become an arsenal or military storehouse of + Austria; strongly fortified, and with a Captain in it, who distinguishes + himself by valiant skill and activity on this occasion. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich's Olmutz Enterprise, the rather as it was unsuccessful, has not + wanted critics. And certainly, according to the ordinary rules of cautious + prudence, could these have been Friedrich's in his present situation, it + was not to be called a prudent Enterprise. But had Friedrich's + arrangements been punctually fulfilled, and Olmutz been got in fair time, + as was possible or probable, the thing might have been done very well. + Duke Ferdinand, in these early May days, is practically making + preparations to follow the French across the Rhine; no fear of French + Armies interfering with us this year. Dohna has the Swedes locked in + Stralsund (capable of being starved, had not the thaw come); and in + Hinter-Pommern he has General Platen, with a tolerable Detachment, + watching Fermor and his Russians; Dohna, with Platen, may entertain the + Russians for a little, when they get on way,—which we know will be + at a slow pace, and late in the season. Prince Henri commands in Saxony, + say with 30,000;—King's vicegerent and other self there, "Do YOUR + wisest and promptest; hold no councils of war!" Prince Henri, altogether + on the aggressive as yet, is waiting what Reichs Army there may be;—has + already had Mayer and Free Corps careering about in Franken Country once + and again, tearing up the incipiencies and preparations, with the usual + emphasis; and is himself intending to follow thither, in a still more + impressive manner. Friedrich's calculation is, Prince Henri will have his + hands free for a good few weeks yet. Which proved true enough, so far as + that went. + </p> + <p> + And now, supposing Olmutz ours, and Vienna itself open to our insults, + does not, by rapid suction, every armed Austrian flow thitherward; Germany + all drained of them: in which case, what is to hinder Prince Henri from + stepping into Bohmen, by the Metal Mountains; capturing Prag; getting into + junction with us here, and tumbling Austria at a rate that will astonish + her! Her, and her miscellaneous tagraggery of Confederates, one and all. + Konigsberg, Stralsund, Bamberg; Russians, Swedes, Reichsfolk,—here, + in Mahren, will be the crown of the game for all these. Prosper in Mahren, + all these are lamed; one right stroke at the heart, the limbs become + manageable quantities! This was Friedrich's program; and had not + imperfections of execution, beyond what was looked for, and also a good + deal of plain ill-luck, intervened, this bold stroke for Mahren might have + turned out far otherwise than it did. + </p> + <p> + The march thither (started from Neisse April 27th) was beautiful: + Friedrich with vanguard and first division; Keith with rear-guard and + second, always at a day's distance; split into proper columns, for + convenience of road and quarter in the hungry countries; threading those + silent mountain villages, and upper streamlets of Oder and Morawa: Ziethen + waving intrusive Croateries far off; Fouquet, in thousands of wagons, + shoving on from Neisse, "in four sections," with the due intervals, under + the due escorts, the immensity of stores and siege-furniture, through + Jagerndorf, through Troppau, and onwards; [Table of his routes and stages + in TEMPELHOF, ii. 46.]—punctual everybody; besiegers and siege + materials ready on their ground by the set day. Daun too had made speed to + save his Magazine. Daun was at Leutomischl, May 5th,—a forty miles + to west of the Morawa,—few days after Friedrich had arrived in those + countries by the eastern or left bank, by Troppau, Gibau, Littau, + Aschmeritz, Prossnitz; and a week before Friedrich had finished his + reconnoitrings, campings, and taken position to his mind. Camps, four or + more (shrank in the end to three), on both banks of the River; a matter of + abstruse study; so that it was May 12th before Friedrich first took view + of Olmutz itself, and could fairly begin his Problem,—Daun, with his + best Tolpatcheries, still unable to guess what it was. + </p> + <p> + Of the Siege I propose to say little, though the accounts of it are ample, + useful to the Artillerist and Engineer. If the reader can be made to + conceive it as a blazing loud-sounding fact, on which, and on Friedrich in + it, the eyes of all Europe were fixed for some weeks, it may rest now in + impressive indistinctness to us. Keith is Captain of the Siege, whom all + praise for his punctual firmness of progress; Balbi as before, is + Engineer, against whom goes the criticism, Keith's first of all, that he + "opened his first parallel 800 yards too far off,"—which much + increased the labor, and the expenditure of useless gunpowder, shot having + no effect at such a distance. There were various criticisms: some real, as + this; some imaginary, as that Friedrich grudged gunpowder, the fact being + that he had it not, except after carriage from Neisse, say a hundred and + twenty miles off,—Troppau, his last Silesian Town, or safe place + (his for the moment), is eighty miles;—and was obliged to waste none + of it. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich is not thought to shine in the sieging line as he does in the + fighting; which has some truth in it, though not very much. When Friedrich + laid himself to engineering, I observe, he did it well: see Neisse, + Graudenz, Magdeburg. His Balbi went wrong with the parallels, on this + occasion; many things went wrong: but the truly grievous thing was his + distance from Silesia and the supplies. A hundred and twenty miles of + hill-carriage, eighty of them disputable, for every shot of ammunition and + for every loaf of bread; this was hard to stand:—and perhaps no + War-apparatus but a Prussian, with a Friedrich for sole chief-manager, + could have stood it so long. Friedrich did stand it, in a wonderfully + tolerable manner; and was continuing to stand it, and make fair progress; + and it is not doubted he would have got Olmutz, had not there another fact + come on him, which proved to be of unmanageable nature. The actual loss, + namely, of one Convoy, after so many had come safe, and when, as appears, + there was now only one wanted and no more!—Let us attend to this a + little. + </p> + <p> + Had Daun, at Olmutz, been as a Duke of Cumberland relieving Tournay, + rushing into fight at Fontenoy, like a Hanover White-Horse, neck clothed + with thunder, and head destitute of knowledge,—how lucky had it been + for Friedrich! But Daun knows his trade better. Daun, though superior in + strength, sits on his Magazine, clear not to fight. By no art of + manoeuvring, had Friedrich much tried it, or hoped it, this time, could + Daun have been brought to give battle. As Fabins Cunctator he is here in + his right place; taking impregnable positions, no man with better skill in + that branch of business; pushing out parties on the Troppau road; and + patiently waiting till this dangerous Enemy, with such endless shifts in + him, come in sight perhaps of his last cartridge, or perhaps make some + stumble on the way towards that consummation. Daun is aware of Friedrich's + surprising qualities. Bos against Leo, Daun feels these procedures to be + altogether feline (FELIS-LEONINE); such stealthy glidings about, deceptive + motions, appearances; then such a rapidity of spring upon you, and with + such a set of claws,—destructive to bovine or rhinoceros nature: in + regard to all which, Bos, if he will prosper, surely cannot be too + cautious. It was remarked of Daun, that he was scrupulously careful; + never, in the most impregnable situations, neglecting the least + precaution, but punctiliously fortifying himself to the last item, even to + a ridiculous extent, say Retzow and the critics. It was the one resource + of Daun: truly a solid stubborn patience is in the man; stubborn courage + too, of bovine-rhinoceros type;—stupid, if you will, but doing at + all times honestly his best and his wisest without flurry; which character + is often of surprising value in War; capable of much mischief, now and + then, to quicker people. Rhinoceros Daun did play his Leo a bad prank more + than once; and this of barring him out from Olmutz was one of them, + perhaps the worst after Kolin. + </p> + <p> + Daun's management of this Olmutz business is by no means reckoned + brilliant, even in the Fabius line; but, on the contrary, inert, + dim-minded, inconclusive; and in reality, till almost the very last, he + had been of little help to the besieged. For near three weeks (till May + 23d) Daun sat at Leutomischl, immovable on his bread-basket there, forty + or more miles from Olmutz; and did not see that a Siege was meant. May + 27th-28th, Balbi opened his first parallel, in that mistaken way; four + days before which, Daun does move inwards a march or so, to Zwittau, to + Gewitsch (still thirty miles to west of Olmutz); still thinking of + Bohemia, not of any siege; still hanging by the mountains and the + bread-basket. And there,—about Gewitsch, siege or no siege, Daun + sits down again; pretty much immovable, through the five weeks of + bombardment; and,—except that Loudon and the Light Horse are very + diligent to do a mischief, "attempting our convoys, more than once, to no + purpose, and alarming some of our outposts almost every night, but every + night beaten off,"—does, in a manner, nothing; sits quiet, behind + his impenetrable veil of Pandours, and lets the bombardment take its + course. Had not express Order come from Vienna on him, it is thought Daun + would have sat till Olmutz was taken; and would then have gone back to + Leutomischl and impregnable posts in the Hills. On express order, he—But + gather, first, these poor sparks in elucidation:— + </p> + <p> + "The 'destructive sallies' and the like, at Olmutz, were principally an + affair of the gazetteers and the imagination: but it is certain, Olmutz + this time was excellently well defended; the Commandant, a vigorous + skilful man, prompt to seize advantages; and Garrison and Townsfolk + zealously helping: so that Friedrich's progress was unusually slow. + Friedrich's feelings, all this while, and Balbi's (who 'spent his first + 1,220 shots entirely in vain,' beginning so far off), may be judged of,—the + sound of him to Balbi sometimes stern enough! As when (June 9th) he + personally visits Balbi's parallels (top of the Tafelberg yonder); and + inquires, 'When do you calculate to get done, then?' West side of Olmutz + and of the River (east side lies mostly under water), there is the + bombarding; seventy-one heavy guns; Keith, in his expertest manner, doing + all the captaincies: Keith has about 8,000 of foot and horse, busy and + vigilant, with their faces to the east. In a ring of four camps, or + principally three (Prossnitz, Littau, and Neustadt, which is across the + River), all looking westward or northwestward, some, ten or twenty miles + from Keith, Friedrich (head-quarters oftenest Prossnitz, the chief camp) + stands facing Daun; who lies concentric to him, at the distance of another + ten or twenty miles, in good part still thirty or forty miles from Olmutz, + veiled mostly under a cloud of Pandours. + </p> + <p> + "Of Friedrich's impatiences we hear little, though they must have been + great. Prince Henri is ready for Prag; many things are ready, were Olmutz + but done! May 22d, Prince Henri had followed Mayer in person, with a + stronger corps, to root out the Reichsfolk,—and is now in Bamberg + City and Country. And is even in Baireuth itself, where was lately the + Camp of the new Reichs General, Serene Highness of Zweibruck, and his + nascent Reichs Army; who are off bodily to Bohemia, 'to Eger and the + Circle of Saatz,' a week before. [<i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> v. 206-209. + Wilhelmina's pretty Letter to Friedrich ("Baireuth, 10th May"); + Friedrich's Answer ("Olmutz, June, 1758"); in <i>OEuvres de Frederic,</i> + xxvii. i. 313-315.] Fancy that visit of Henri's to a poor Wilhelmina; the + last sight she ever had of a Brother, or of the old Prussian uniforms, + clearing her of Zweibrucks and sorrowful guests! Our poor Wilhelmina, alas + she is sunk in sickness this year more than ever; journeying towards + death, in fact; and is probably the most pungent, sacredly tragic, of + Friedrich's sorrows, now and onwards. June 12th, Friedrich's pouting + Brother, the Prince of Prussia, died; this also he had to hear in Camp at + Olmutz. 'What did he die of?' said Friedrich to the Messenger, a Major + Something. 'Of chagrin,' said the Major, 'AUS GRAM.' Friedrich made no + answer.— + </p> + <p> + "On the last night of May, by beautiful management, military and other, + Duke Ferdinand is across the Rhine; again chasing the French before him; + who, as they are far more numerous, cannot surely but make some stand: so + that a Battle there may be expected soon,—let us hope, a Victory; as + indeed it beautifully proved to be, three weeks after. [Battle of Crefeld, + 23d June.] On the other hand, Fermor and his Russians are astir; + continually wending towards Brandenburg, in their voluminous manner, since + June 16th, though at a slow rate. How desirable the Siege of Olmutz were + done!" + </p> + <p> + On express from Vienna, Daun did bestir himself; cautiously got on foot + again; detached, across the River, an expert Hussar General ("Be busy all + ye Loudons, St. Ignons, Ziskowitzes, doubly now!"),—expert Hussar + General, one item of whose force is 1,100 chosen grenadiers;—and + himself cautiously stept southward and eastward, nearer the Siege Lines. + The Hussar General's meaning seemed to be some mischief on our Camp of + Neustadt and the outposts there; but in reality it was to throw his 1,100 + into Olmutz (useful to the Commandant); which—by ingenious + manoeuvring, and guidance from the peasants "through bushy woods and + by-paths" on that east side of the River—the expert Hussar General, + though Ziethen was sent over to handle him, did perfectly manage, and + would not quit for Ziethen till he saw it finished. Which done, Daun keeps + stepping still farther southward, nearer the Siege Lines; and, at + Prossnitz, morning of June 22d, Friedrich, with his own eyes, sees Daun + taking post on the opposite heights; says to somebody near him, "VOILA LES + AUTRICHIENS, ILS APPRENNENT A MARCHER, There are the Austrians; they are + learning to march, though!"—getting on their feet, like infants in a + certain stage ("MARCHER" having that meaning too, though I know not that + the King intended it);—they have learned a great many things, since + your Majesty first met them. Friedrich took Daun to be, now at last, + meaning Battle for Olmutz, and made some slight arrangements accordingly; + but that is not Daun's intention at all; as Friedrich will find to his + cost, in few days. That very day, Daun has vanished again, still in the + southerly direction, again under veil of Pandours. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile, in spite of all things, the Siege makes progress; "June 22d, + Balbi's sap had got to their glacis, and was pushing forward there,"—June + 22d, day when Daun made momentary appearance, and the reinforcement stole + in:—within a fortnight more, Balbi promises the thing shall be done. + But supplies are indispensable: one other convoy from Troppau, and let it + be a big one, "between 3 and 4,000 wagons," meal, money, iron, powder; + Friedrich hopes this one, if he can get it home, will suffice. Colonel + Mosel is to bring this Convoy; a resolute expert Officer, with perhaps + 7,000 foot and horse: surely sufficient escort: but, as Daun is astir, and + his Loudons, Ziskowitzes and light people are gliding about, Friedrich + orders Ziethen to meet this important Convoy, with some thousands of new + force, and take charge of bringing it in. Mosel was to leave Troppau June + 26th; Ziethen pushes out to meet him from the Olmutz end, on the second + day after; and, one hopes, all is now safe on that head. + </p> + <p> + The driving of 3,000 four-horse wagons, under escort, ninety miles of + road, is such an enterprise as cannot readily be conceived by sedentary + pacific readers;—much more the attack of such! Military science, + constraining chaos into the cosmic state, has nowhere such a problem. + There are twelve thousand horses, for one thing, to be shod, geared, kept + roadworthy and regular; say six thousand country wagoners, thick-soled + peasants: then, hanging to the skirts of these, in miscellaneous crazy + vehicles and weak teams, equine and asinine, are one or two thousand + sutler people, male and female, not of select quality, though on them, + too, we keep a sharp eye. The series covers many miles, as many as twenty + English miles (says Tempelhof), unless in favorable points you compress + them into five, going four wagons abreast for defence's sake. Defence, or + escort, goes in three bulks or brigades; vanguard, middle, rear-guard, + with sparse pickets intervening;—wider than five miles, you cannot + get the parts to support one another. An enemy breaking in upon you, at + some difficult point of road, woody hollow or the like, and opening + cannon, musketry and hussar exercise on such an object, must make a + confused transaction of it! Some commanders, for the road has hitherto + been mainly pacific, divide their train into parts, say four parts; moving + with their partial escorts, with an interval of one day between each two: + this has its obvious advantages, but depends, of course, on the road being + little infested, so that your partial escort will suffice to repel + attacks. Toiling forward, at their diligent slow rate, I find these trains + from Troppau take about six days (from Neisse to Olmutz they take eleven, + but the first five are peaceable [Tempelhof, ii. 48.]);—can't be + hurried beyond that pace, if you would save your laggards, your + irregulars, and prevent what we may call RAGGERY in your rearward parts; + the skirts of your procession get torn by the bushes if you go faster. + This time Colonel Mosel will have to mend his pace, however, and to go in + the lump withal; the case being critical, as Mosel knows, and MORE than he + yet knows. + </p> + <p> + Daun, who has friends everywhere, and no lack of spies in this country, + generally hears of the convoys. He has heard, in particular, of this + important one, in good time. Hitherto Daun had not attempted much upon + convoys, nor anything with success: King's posted corps and other + precautions are of such a kind, not even Loudon, when he tried his best, + could do any good; and common wandering hussar parties are as likely to + get a mischief as to do one, on such service. Cautious Daun had been busy + enough keeping his own Camp safe, and flinging a word of news or + encouragement, at the most a trifle of reinforcement, into Olmutz. when + possible. But now it becomes evident there must be one of two things: this + convoy seized, or else a battle risked;—and that in defect of both + these, the inevitable third thing is, Olmutz will straightway go. + </p> + <p> + Major-General Loudon, the best partisan soldier extant, and ripening for + better things, has usually a force of perhaps 10,000 under him, four + regiments of them regular grenadiers; and has been active on the convoys, + though hitherto unsuccessful. Let an active Loudon, with increased force, + try this, their vitally important convoy, from the west side of the River; + an active Ziskowitz co-operating on the east side, where the road itself + is; and do their uttermost! That is Daun's plan,—now in course of + execution. Daun, instead of meaning battle, that day when Friedrich saw + him, was cautiously stealing past, intending to cross the River farther + down; and himself support the operation. Daun has crossed accordingly, and + has doubled up northward again to the fit point; Ziskowitz is in the fit + point, in the due force, on this east side too. Loudon, on the west side, + goes by Muglitz, Hof; making a long deep bend far to westward and hillward + of all the Prussian posted corps and precautions, and altogether hidden + from them; Loudon aims to be in Troppau neighborhood, "Guntersdorf, near + Bautsch," by the proper day, and pay Mosel an unexpected visit in the + passage there. + </p> + <p> + Colonel Mosel, marshalling his endless Trains with every excellent + precaution, and the cleverest dispositions (say the Books), against the + known and the unknown, had got upon the road, and creaked forward, + many-wheeled, out of Troppau, Monday, 26th June. [Tempelhof, ii. 89-94.] + The roads, worn by the much travelling and wet weather, were utterly bad; + the pace was perhaps quicker than usual; the much-jolting Train got + greatly into a jumble:—Mosel, to bring up the laggards, made the + morrow a rest-day; did get about two-thirds of his laggards marshalled + again; ordered the others to return, as impossible. They say, had it not + been for this rest-day, which seemed of no consequence, Loudon would not + have been at Guntersdorf in time, nor have attempted as he did at + Guntersdorf and afterwards. At break of day (Wednesday, 28th), Mosel is + again on the road; heavily jumbling forward from his quarters in Bautsch. + Few miles on, towards Guntersdorf, he discovers Loudon posted ahead in the + defiles. What a sight for Mosel, in his character of Wagoner up with the + dawn! But Mosel managed the defiles and Loudon this time; halted his + train, dashed up into the woody heights and difficult grounds; stormed + Loudon's cannon from him, smote Loudon in a valiant tempestuous manner; + and sent him travelling again for the present. + </p> + <p> + Loudon, I conjecture, would have struggled farther, had not he known that + there would be a better chance again not very many miles ahead. London has + studied this Convoy; knows of Ziethen coming to it with so many; of + Ziskowitz coming to him, Loudon, with so many; that Ziethen cannot send + for more (roads being all beset by our industry yesterday), that Ziskowitz + can, should it be needful;—and that at Domstadtl there is a defile, + or confused woody hollow, of unequalled quality! Mosel jumbles on all day + with his Train, none molesting; at night gets to his appointed quarters, + Village of Neudorff; [The L, or EL, is a diminutive in these Names: + (NEUDORFL) "New-ThorpLET," (DOMSTADTL) "Cathedral-TownLET," and the like.] + and there finds Ziethen: a glad meeting, we may fancy, but an anxious one, + with Domstadtl ahead on the morrow. Loudon concerts with Ziskowitz this + day; calls in all reinforcements possible, and takes his measures. + Thursday morning, Ziethen finds the Train in such a state, hardly half of + it come up, he has to spend the whole day, Mosel and he, in rearranging + it: Friday morning, June 30th, they get under way again;—Friday, the + catastrophe is waiting them. + </p> + <p> + The Pass of Domstadtl, lapped in the dim Moravian distance, is not known + to me or to my readers; nor indeed could the human pen or intellect, aided + by ocular inspection or whatever helps, give the least image of what now + took place there, rendering Domstadtl a memorable locality ever since. + Understand that Ziethen and Mosel, with their waste slow deluge of wagons, + come jumbling in, with anxiety, with precautions,—precautions + doubled, now that the woody intricacies about Domstadtl rise in sight. + "Pooh, it is as we thought: there go Austrian cannon-salvos, + horse-charges, volleying musketries, as our first wagons enter the Pass;—and + there will be a job!" Indecipherable to mankind far off, or even near. Of + which only this feature and that can be laid hold of, as discernible, by + the most industrious man. Escort, in three main bodies, vanguard, middle, + rear-guard, marches on each side; infantry on the left, cavalry on the + right, as the ground is leveller there. Length of the Train in statute + miles, as it jumbles along at this point, is not given; but we know it was + many miles; that horses and wagoners were in panic hardly restrainable; + and we dimly descry, here especially, human drill-sergeantcy doing the + impossible to keep chaos plugged down. The poor wagoner, cannon playing + ahead, whirls homeward with his vehicle, if your eye quit him,—still + better, and handier, cuts his traces, mounts in a good moment, and is off + at heavy-footed gallop, leaving his wagon. Seldom had human + drill-sergeantcy such a problem. + </p> + <p> + The Prussian Vanguard, one Krockow its commander, repulsed that first + Austrian attack; swept the Bass clear for some minutes; got their section + of the carriages, or some part of it, 250 in all, hurried through; then + halted on the safe side, to wait what Ziethen would do with the remainder. + Ziethen does his best and bravest, as everybody does; keeps his + wagon-chaos plugged down; ranks it in square mass, as a wagon fortress + (WAGENBURG); ranks himself and everybody, his cannon, his platoon + musketry, to the best advantage round it; furiously shoots out in all + manner of ways, against the furious Loudon on this flank, and the furious + Ziskowitz on that; takes hills, loses them; repels and is repelled + (wagon-chaos ever harder to keep plugged); finally perceives himself to be + beaten; that the wagon-chaos has got unplugged (fancy it!)—and that + he, Ziethen, must retreat; back foremost if possible. He did retreat, + fighting all the way to Troppau; and the Convoy is a ruin and a prey. + </p> + <p> + Krockow, with the 250, has got under way again; hearing the powder-wagons + start into the air (fired by the enemy), and hearing the cannon and + musketry take a northerly course, and die away in that ominous direction. + These 250 were all the carriages that came in:—happily, by Ziethen's + prudence, the money, a large sum, had been lodged in the vanmost of these. + The rest of the Convoy, ball, powder, bread, was of little value to + Loudon, but beyond value to Friedrich at this moment; and it has gone to + annihilation and the belly of Chaos and the Croats. Among the tragic + wrecks of this Convoy there is one that still goes to our heart. A + longish, almost straight row of young Prussian recruits stretched among + the slain, what are these? These were 700 recruits coming up from their + cantons to the Wars; hardly yet six months in training: see how they have + fought to the death, poor lads, and have honorably, on the sudden, got + manumitted from the toils of life. Seven hundred of them stood to arms, + this morning; some sixty-five will get back to Troppau; that is the + invoice account. They lie there, with their blond young cheeks and light + hair; beautiful in death;—could not have done better, though the + sacred poet has said nothing of them hitherto,—nor need, till times + mend with us and him. Adieu, my noble young Brothers; so brave, so modest, + no Spartan nor no Roman more; may the silence be blessed to you! + </p> + <p> + Contrary to some current notions, it is comfortably evident that there was + a considerable fire of loyalty in the Prussians towards their King, during + this War; loyalty kept well under cover, not wasting itself in harangues + or noisy froth; but coming out, among all ranks of men, in practical + attempts to be of help in this high struggle, which was their own as well + as his. The STANDE, landed Gentry, of Pommern and other places, we heard + of their poor little Navy of twelve gunboats, which were all taken by the + Swedes. Militia Regiments too, which did good service at Colberg, as may + transiently appear by and by:—in the gentry or upper classes, a + respectable zeal for their King. Then, among the peasantry or lower class—Here + are Seven Hundred who stood well where he planted them. And their Mothers—Be + Spartan also, ye Mothers! In peaceable times, Tempelhof tells us the + Prussian Mother is usually proud of having her son in this King's service: + a country wife will say to you: "I have three of them, all in the + regiment," Billerbeck, Itzenplitz, or whatever be the Canton regiment; + "the eldest is ten inches [stands five feet ten], the second is eleven, + the third eight, for indeed he is yet young." + </p> + <p> + Daun, on the day of this Domstadtl business, and by way of masking it, + feeling how vital it was, made various extensive movements, across the + River by several Bridges; then hither, thither, on the farther side of + Olmutz, mazing up and down: Friedrich observing him, till he should ripen + to something definite, followed his bombarding the while; perhaps having + hopes of wager of battle ensuing. Of the disaster at Domstadtl Friedrich + could know nothing, Loudon having closed the roads. Daun by no means + ripens into battle: news of the disaster reached Friedrich next day + (Saturday, July 1st),—who "immediately assembled his Generals, and + spoke a few inspiring words to them," such as we may fancy. Friedrich + perceives that Olmutz is over; that his Third Campaign, third lunge upon + the Enemy's heart, has prospered worse, thus far, than either of the + others; that he must straightway end this of Olmutz, without any success + whatever, and try the remaining methods and resources. No word of + complaint, they say, is heard from Friedrich in such cases; face always + hopeful, tone cheery. A man in Friedrich's position needs a good deal of + Stoicism, Greek or other. + </p> + <p> + That Saturday night the Prussian bombardment is quite uncommonly furious, + long continuing; no night yet like it:—the Prussians are shooting + off their superfluous ammunition this night; do not quite end till Sunday + is in. On Sunday itself, packings, preparations, all completed; and, + "Keith, with above 4,000 wagons, safe on the road since 2 A.M."—the + Prussians softly vanish in long smooth streams, with music playing, + unmolested by Daun; and leaving nothing, it is boasted, but five or three + mortars, which kept playing to the last, and one cannon, to which + something had happened. + </p> + <p> + Of the retreat there could be much said, instructive to military men who + were studious; extremely fine retreat, say all judges;—of which my + readers crave only the outlines, the results. Daun, it was thought, should + have ruined Friedrich in this retreat; but he did nothing of harm to him. + In fact, for a week he could not comprehend the phenomenon at all, and did + not stir from his place,—which was on the other, or wrong, side of + the River. Daun had never doubted but the retreat would be to Silesia; and + he had made his detachments, and laid himself out for doing something upon + it, in that direction: but, lo, what roads are these, what motions + whitherward? In about a week it becomes manifest that the retreat, which + goes on various roads, sometimes three at once, has converged on + Leutomischl; straight for Bohemia instead of Silesia; and that Daun is + fallen seven days behind it; incapable now to do anything. Not even the + Magazine at Leutomischl could be got away, nor could even the whole of it + be burnt. + </p> + <p> + Keith and the baggage once safe in Leutomischl (July 8th), all goes in + deliberate long column; Friedrich ahead to open the passages. July 14th, + after five more marches, Friedrioh bursts up Konigsgratz; scattering any + opposition there is; and sits down there, in a position considered, he + knows well how inexpugnable; to live on the Country, and survey events. + The 4,000 baggage-wagons came in about entire. Fouquet had the first + division of them, and a secondary charge of the whole; an extremely + strict, almost pedantic man, and of very fiery temper: "HE, D'OU + VENEZ-VOUS?" asked he sharply of Retzow senior, who had broken through his + order, one day, to avert great mischief: "How come you here, MON GENERAL?" + "By the Highway, your Excellency!" answered Retzow in a grave stiff tone. + [Retzow, i. 302.] + </p> + <p> + Keith himself takes the rear-guard, the most ticklish post of all, and + manages it well, and with success, as his wont is. Under sickness at the + time, but with his usual vigilance, prudence, energy; qualities apt to be + successful in War. Some brushes of Croat fighting he had from Loudon; but + they did not amount to anything. It was at Holitz, within a march of + Konigsgratz, that Loudon made his chief attempt; a vehement, well-intended + thing; which looked well at one time. But Keith heard the cannonading + ahead; hurried up with new cavalry, new sagacity and fire of energy; + dashed out horse-charges, seized hill-tops, of a vital nature; and quickly + ended the affair. A man fiery enough, and prompt with his stroke when + wanted, though commonly so quiet. "Tell Monsieur,"—some General who + seemed too stupid or too languid on this occasion,—"Tell Monsieur + from me," said Keith to his Aide-de-camp, "he may be a very pretty thing, + but he is not a man (QU'IL PEUT ETRE UNE BONNE CHOSE, MAIS QU'IL N'EST PAS + UN HOMME)!" [Varnhagen, <i>Leben des &c. Jakob von Keith,</i> p. 227.] + The excellent vernacular Keith;—still a fine breadth of accent in + him, one perceives! He is now past sixty; troubled with asthma; and I + doubt not may be, occasionally, thinking it near time to end his + campaigns. And in fact, he is about ending them; sooner than he or anybody + had expected. + </p> + <p> + Daun, picking his steps and positions, latterly with threefold precaution, + got into Konigsgratz neighborhood, a week after Friedrich; and looked down + with enigmatic wonder upon Friedrich's new settlement there. Forage + abundant all round, and the corn-harvest growing white;—here, + strange to say, has Friedrich got planted in the inside of those + innumerable Daun redoubts, and "woods of abatis;" and might make a very + pretty "Bohemian Campaign" of it, after all, were Daun the only adversary + he had! Judges are of opinion, that Daun, with all his superiority of + number, could not have disrooted Friedrich this season. [Tempelhof, ii. + 170-176, 185;—who, unluckily, in soldier fashion, here as too often + elsewhere, does not give us the Arithmetical Numbers of each, but counts + by "Battalions" and "Squadrons," which, except in time of Peace, are a + totally uncertain quantity:—guess vaguely, 75,000 against 30,000.] + Daun did try him by the Pandour methods, "1,000 Croats stealing in upon + Konigsgratz at one in the morning," and the like; but these availed + nothing. By the one effectual method, that of beating him in battle, Daun + never would have tried. What did disroot Friedrich, then?—Take the + following dates, and small hints of phenomena in other parts of the big + Theatre of War. "Konitz" is a little Polish Town, midway between Dantzig + and Friedrich's Dominions:— + </p> + <p> + "KONITZ, 16th JUNE, 1758. This day Feldmarschall Fermor arrives in his + principal Camp here. For many weeks past he has been dribbling across the + Weichsel hitherward, into various small camps, with Cossack Parties flying + about, under check of General Platen. But now, being all across, and + reunited, Fermor shoots out Cossack Parties of quite other weight and + atrocity; and is ready to begin business,—still a little uncertain + how. His Cossacks, under their Demikows, Romanzows; capable of no good + fighting, but of endless incendiary mischief in the neighborhood;—shoot + far ahead into Prussian territory: Platen, Hordt with his Free-Corps, are + beautifully sharp upon them; but many beatings avail little. 'They burn + the town of Driesen [Hordt having been hard upon them there]; town of + Ratzebuhr, and nineteen villages around;'—burn poor old women and + men, one poor old clergyman especially, wind him well in straw-roping, + then set fire, and leave him;—and are worse than fiends or hyenas. + Not to be checked by Platen's best diligence; not, in the end, by Platen + and Dohna together. Dohna (18th June) has risen from Stralsund in check of + them,—leaving the unfortunate Swedes to come out [shrunk to about + 7,000, so unsalutary their stockfish diet there],—these + hyena-Cossacks being the far more pressing thing. Dohna is diligent, gives + them many slaps and checks; Dohna cannot cut the tap-root of them in two; + that is to say, fight Fermor and beat him: other effectual check there can + be none. [<i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> v. 149 et seq.; Tempelhof, ii. 135 + &c.] + </p> + <p> + "TSCHOPAU (in Saxony), 21st JUNE. Prince Henri has quitted Bamberg + Country; and is home again, carefully posted, at Tschopau and up and down, + on the southern side of Saxony; with his eye well on the Passes of the + Metal Mountains,—where now, in the turn things at Olmutz have taken, + his clear fate is to be invaded, NOT to invade. The Reichs Army, fairly + afoot in the Circle of Saatz, counts itself 35,000; add 15,000 Austrians + of a solid quality, there is a Reichs Army of 50,000 in all, this Year. + And will certainly invade Saxony,—though it is in no hurry; does not + stir till August come, and will find Prince Henri elaborately on his + guard, and little to be made of him, though he is as one to two. + </p> + <p> + "CREFELD (Rhine Country), 23d JUNE. Duke Ferdinand, after skilful shoving + and advancing, some forty or fifty miles, on his new or French side of the + Rhine, finds the French drawn up at Crefeld (June 23d); 47,000 of them + VERSUS 33,000: in altogether intricate ground; canal-ditches, + osier-thickets, farm-villages, peat-bogs. Ground defensible against the + world, had the 47,000 had a Captain; but reasonably safe to attack, with + nothing but a Clermont acting that character. Ferdinand, I can perceive, + knew his Clermont; and took liberties with him. Divided himself into three + attacks: one in front; one on Clermont's right flank, both of which + cannonaded, as if in earnest, but did not prevent Clermont going to + dinner. One attack on front, one on right flank; then there was a third, + seemingly on left flank, but which winded itself round (perilously + imprudent, had there been a Captain, instead of a Clermont deepish in wine + by this time), and burst in upon Clermont's rear; jingling his + wine-glasses and decanters, think at what a rate;—scattering his + 47,000 and him to the road again, with a loss of men, which was counted to + 4,000 (4,000 against 1,700), and of honor—whatever was still to + lose!" [Mauvillon, i. 297-309; Westphalen, i. 588-604; Tempelhof; &c. + &c.] + </p> + <p> + Ferdinand, it was hoped, would now be able to maintain himself, and push + forward, on this French side of the Rhine: and had Wesel been his (as some + of us know it is not!), perhaps he might. At any rate, veteran Belleisle + took his measures:—dismissal of Clermont Prince of the Blood, and + appointment of Contades, a man of some skill; recall of Soubise and his + 24,000 from their Austrian intentions; these and other strenuous measures,—and + prevented such consummation. A gallant young Comte de Gisors, only son of + Belleisle, perished in that disgraceful Crefeld:—unfortunate old + man, what a business that of "cutting Germany in four" has been to you, + first and last! + </p> + <p> + "LOUISBURG (North America), JULY 8th. Landing of General Amherst's people + at Louisburg in Cape Breton; with a view of besieging that important + place. Which has now become extremely difficult; the garrison, and their + defences, military, naval, being in full readiness for such an event. + Landing was done by Brigadier Wolfe; under the eye of Amherst and Admiral + Boscawen from rearward, and under abundant fire of batteries and + musketries playing on it ahead: in one of the surfiest seas (but we have + waited four days, and it hardly mends), tossing us about like corks;—so + that 'many of the boats were broken;' and Wolfe and people 'had to leap + out, breast-deep,' and make fight for themselves, the faster the better, + under very intricate circumstances! Which was victoriously done, by Wolfe + and his people; really in a rather handsome manner, that morning. As were + all the subsequent Siege-operations, on land and on water, by them and the + others:—till (August 8th) the Siege ended: in complete surrender,—positively + for the last time (Pitt fully intends); no Austrian Netherlands now to put + one on revoking it! [General Amherst's DIARY OF THE SIEGE (in <i>Gentleman's + Magazine,</i> xxviii. 384-389).] + </p> + <p> + "These are pretty victories, cheering to Pitt and Friedrich; but the + difficult point still is that of Fermor. Whose Cossacks, and their + devil-like ravagings, are hideous to think of:—unrestrainable by + Dohna, unless he could cut the root of them; which he cannot. JUNE 27th + [while Colonel Mosel, with his 3,000 wagons, still only one stage from + Troppau, was so busy], slow Fermor rose from Konitz; began hitching + southward, southward gradually to Posen,—a considerably stronger + Polish Town; on the edge both of Brandenburg and of Silesia;—and has + been sitting there, almost ever since our entrance into Bohemia; his + Cossacks burning and wasting to great distances in both Countries; no + deciding which of them he meant to invade with his main Army. Sits there + almost a month, enigmatic to Dohna, enigmatic to Friedrich: till Friedrich + decides at last that he cannot be suffered longer, whichever of them he + mean; and rises for Silesia (August 2d). Precisely about which day Fermor + had decided for Brandenburg, and rolled over thither, towards Custrin and + the Frankfurt-on-Oder Country, heralded by fire and murder, as usual." + </p> + <p> + Friedrich's march to Landshut is, again, much admired. Daun had beset the + three great roads, the two likeliest especially, with abundant Pandours, + and his best Loudons and St. Ignons: Friedrich, making himself enigmatic + to Daun, struck into the third road by Skalitz, Nachod; circuitous, steep, + but lying Glatz-ward, handy for support of various kinds. He was + attempted, once or more, by Pandours, but used them badly; fell in with + Daun's old abatis (well wind-dried now), in different places, and burnt + them in passing. And in five days was in Kloster-Grussau, safe on his own + side of the Mountains again. One point only we will note, in these Pandour + turmoilings. From Skalitz, the first stage of his march, he answers a + Letter of Brother Henri's:— + </p> + <p> + TO PRINCE HENRI (at Tachopau in Saxony). "What you write to me of my + Sister of Baireuth [that she has been in extremity, cannot yet write, and + must not be told of the Prince of Prussia's death lest it kill her] makes + me tremble! Next to our Mother, she is what I have the most tenderly loved + in this world. She is a Sister who has my heart and all my confidence; and + whose character is of price beyond all the crowns in this universe. From + my tenderest years, I was brought up with her: you can conceive how there + reigns between us that indissoluble bond of mutual affection and + attachment for life, which in all other cases, were it only from disparity + of ages, is impossible. Would to Heaven I might die before her;—and + that this terror itself don't take away my life without my actually losing + her!" [<i>OEuvres de Frederic,</i> xxvi. 179, "Klenny, near Skalitz, 3d + August, 1758;" Henri's Letter is dated "Camp of Tschopau, 28th July" (ib. + 277).]... + </p> + <p> + At Grussau (August 9th) he writes to his dear Wilhelmina herself: "O you, + the dearest of my family, you whom I have most at heart of all in this + world,—for the sake of whatever is most precious to you, preserve + yourself, and let me have at least the consolation of shedding my tears in + your bosom! Fear nothing for US, and"—O King, she is dying, and I + believe knows it, though you will hope to the last! There is something + piercingly tragical in those final Letters of Friedrich to his Wilhelmina, + written from such scenes of wreck and storm, and in Wilhelmina's beautiful + ever-loving quiet Answers, dictated when she could no longer write. ["July + 18th" is the last by her hand, and "almost illegible;"—still extant, + it seems, though withheld from us. Was received at Grussau here, and + answered at some length (<i>OEuvres,</i> xxvii. i. 316), according to the + specimen just given. Two more of hers follow, and four of the King's (ib. + 317-322). Nearly meaningless, as printed there, without commentary for the + unprepared reader.] + </p> + <p> + Friedrich had last left Grussau April 18th; he has returned to it August + 8th: after sixteen weeks of a very eventful absence. In Grussau he stayed + two whole days;—busy enough he, probably, though his people were + resting! August 10th he draws up, for Prince Henri, "under seal of the + most absolute secrecy," and with admirable business-like strictness, + brevity and clearness, forgetting nothing useful, remembering nothing + useless, a Paper of Directions in case of a certain event: "I march + to-morrow against the Russians: as the events of War may lead to all sorts + of accidents, and it may easily happen to me to be killed, I have thought + it my duty to let you know what my plans were," and what you are to do in + that event,—"the rather as you are Guardian of our Nephew [late + Prince of Prussia's Son] with an unlimited authority." Oath from all the + armies the instant I am killed: rapid, active, as ever; the enemy not to + notice that there is any change in the command. I intend to "beat the + Russians utterly [A PLATE COUTURE, splay-seam], if it be possible;" then + to &c.:—gives you his "itinerary," too, or probable address, + till "the 25th" (notably enough); in short, forgets nothing useful, nor + remembers anything that is not, in spite of his hurry. ["DISPOSITION + TESTAMENTAIRE" (so they have labelled it); given in <i>OEuvres,</i> iv. + (APPENDICE) 261, 262. Friedrich's TESTAMENT proper is already made, and + all in order, years ago ("11th January 1752"): of this there followed Two + new Redactions (new EDITIONS with slight improvements, "7th November, + 1768," and "8th January, 1769" the FINALLY valid one); and various + Supplements, or summary Enforcements (as here), at different times of + crisis. see PREUSS, iv. 277, 401, and <i>OEuvres de Frederic,</i> vi. p. + 13 (of Preface), for some confused account of that matter.] For Mlnlster + Finck also there went a Paper; seal lzot needing to be opened for the + moment. + </p> + <p> + With Margraf Karl, and Fouquet under him, who are to guard Silesia, he + leaves in two Divisions about Half the late Olmutz Army:—added to + the other force, this will make about 40,000 for that service. [Stenzel, + v. 163.] Keith has the chief command here; but is ordered to Breslau, in + the mean time, for a little rest and recovery of health. Friday, 11th + August, Friedrich himself, with the other Half, pushes off towards Fermor + and the Cossack demons; through Liegnitz, through Hohenfriedberg Country, + straight for Frankfurt, with his best speed. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0013" id="link2HCH0013"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter XIII.—BATTLE OF ZORNDORF. + </h2> + <p> + Sunday, 20th August, Friedrich, with his small Army, hardly above 15,000 I + should guess, arrived at Frankfurt-on-Oder: "his Majesty," it seems, + "lodged in the Lebus Suburb, in the house of a Clergyman's Widow; and was + observed to go often out of doors, and listen to the cannonading, which + was going on at Custrin." [Rodenbeck, i. 347.] From Landshut hither, he + has come in nine days; the swiftest marching; a fiery spur of indignation + being upon all his men and him, for the last two days fierier than ever,—longing + all to have a blow at those incendiary Russian gentlemen. Five days ago, + the Russians, attempting blindly on the Garrison of Custrin, had burnt,—nothing + of the Garrison at all,—but the poor little Town altogether. Which + has filled everybody with lamentation and horror. And, listen yonder, they + are still busy on the solitary Garrison of Custrin;—audible enough + to Friedrich from his northern or Lebus Suburb, which lies nearest the + place, at a distance of some twenty miles. + </p> + <p> + Of Fermor's red-hot savagery on Custrin, it is lamentably necessary we + should say something: to say much would he a waste of record; as the thing + itself was a waste of powder. A thing hideous to think of; without the + least profit to Fermor, but with total ruin to all the inhabitants, and to + the many strangers who had sought refuge there. One interior circumstance + is memorable and lucky to us. Artillery-Captain Tielcke happened to be + with these people; had come in the train of "two Saxon Princes, serving as + volunteers;" and, with a singular lucidity, and faithful good sense, not + scientific alone, he illuminates these black Russian matters for such as + have to do with them. + </p> + <p> + Tielcke's Book of <i>Contributions to the Art of War</i> [<i>Beytrage zur + Kriege-Kunst und (ZUR) Geschichte des Krieges von 1756 bis 1763</i> (six + thin vols. 4to, with many Plates); cited above.] is still in repute with + Soldiers, especially in the Artillery line; and indeed shows a sound + geometrical head, and contains bits of excellent Historical reading + interspersed among the scientific parts. This Tielcke, it appears, was a + common foot-soldier, one of those Pirna 14,000 made Prussian against their + will; but Tielcke had a milkmaid for sweetheart in those regions, who, + good soul, gave him her generous farewell, a suit of her clothes, perhaps + a pair of her pails; and in that guise he walked out of bondage. Clear + away; to Warsaw, to favor with the King and others (being of real merit, + an excellent, studious, modest little man); and here he now reappears, in + a higher capacity; as articulate Eye-witness of the Custrin Business and + the Zorndorf, among much other Russian darkness, which shall remain + comfortably blank to us. + </p> + <p> + Up to Custrin, the Journal of the Operations of the Russian Army, which I + could give from day to day, ["TAGEBUCH BEYDER &c. (Diary of both + Armies from the beginning of the Campaign till Zorndorf"), in Tielcke, ii. + 1-75; Tempelhof, ii. 136, 216-224; <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> v.; &c. + &c.] is of no interest except to the Nether Powers of this Universe; + the Russian Operations hitherto having consisted in slow marches, sluttish + cookeries, cantonings, bivouackings, with destruction of a poor innocent + Country, and arson, theft and murder done on the great scale by inhuman + vagabonds, Cossacks so called, not tempered on this occasion by the mercy + of Calmucks. The regular Russian Army, it appears, participates in the + common horror of mankind against such a method of making war; but neither + Feldmarschall Fermor, nor General Demikof (properly THEMICOUD, a Swiss, + deserving little thanks from us, who has taken in hand to command these + Missionaries of the Pit), can help the results above described. Which are + justly characterized as abominable, to gods and men; and not fit to be + recorded in human Annals; execration, and, if it were possible, oblivion, + being the human resource with them., The Russian Officers, it seems, + despise this Cossack rabble incredibly; for their fighting qualities + withal are close on zero, though their talent for arson and murder is so + considerable. And contrariwise, the Cossacks, for their part, have no + objection to plunder, or even, if obstreperous, to kill, any regular + Officer they may meet unescorted in a good place. Their talent for arson + is great. They do uncountable damage to the Army itself; provoking all the + Country people to destroy by fire what could be eaten or used, the + foraging, food and equipments of horse and man; so that horse and man have + to be fed by victual carted hundreds of miles out of Poland; and the + Russian Army sticks, as it were, tethered with a welter of broken + porridge-pots and rent meal-bags hung to every foot it has. + </p> + <p> + East Preussen is quiet from the storms of War; holds its tongue well, and + hopes better days: but the Russians themselves are little the better for + it, a country so lately burned bare; they are merely flung so many scores + of miles forward, farther from home and their real resources, before they + can begin work, They have no port on the Baltic: poor blockheads, they are + aware how desirable, for instance, Dantzig would be; to help feeding them + out of ships; but the Dantzigers won't. Colberg, a poor little place, with + only 700 militia people in it, would be of immense service to them as a + sea-haven: but even this they have not yet tried to get; and after trying, + they will find it a job. "Why not unite with the Swedes and take Stettin + (the finest harbor in the Baltic), which would bring Russia, by ships, to + your very hand?" This is what Montalembert is urgent upon, year after + year, to the point of wearying everybody; but he can get no official soul + to pay heed to him,—the difficulties are so considerable. "Swedes, + what are they?" say the Russians: "Russians what?" say the Swedes. "Sweden + would be so handy for the Artilleries," urges Montalembert; "Russians for + the Soldiery, or covering and fighting part."—"Can't be done!" + Officiality shakes its head: and Montalembert is obliged to be silent. + </p> + <p> + The Russians have got into the Neumark of Brandenburg, on those bad terms; + and are clearly aware that, without some Fortress as a Place of Arms, they + are an overgrown Incompetency and Monstrosity in the field of War; doing + much destruction, most of which proves self-destructive before long. But + how help it? If the carrying of meal so far be difficult what will the + carrying of siege-furniture be? A flat impossibility. Fermor, aware of + these facts, remembers what happened at Oczakow,—long ago, in our + presence, and Keith's and Munnich's, if the reader have not quite forgot. + Munnich, on that occasion, took Oczakow without any siege-furniture + whatever, by boldly marching up to it; nothing but audacity and good luck + on his side. Fermor determines to try Custrin in the like way,—if + peradventure Prussian soldiery be like Turk?— + </p> + <p> + Fermor rose from Posen August 2d, almost three weeks ago; making daily for + the Neumark and those unfortunate Oder Countries; nobody but Dohna to + oppose him,—Dohna in the ratio of perhaps one against four. Dohna + naturally laid hold of Frankfurt and the Oder Bridge, so that Fermor could + not cross there; whereupon Fermor, as the next best thing, struck + northward for the Warta (black Polish stream, last big branch of Oder); + crossed this, at his ease, by Landsberg Bridge, August 10th [Tempelhof, + ii. 216.] and after a day or two of readjustment in Landsberg, made for + Custrin Country (his next head-quarter is at Gross Kamin); hoping in some + accidental or miraculous way to cross Oder thereabouts, or even get hold + of Custrin as a Place of Arms. If peradventure he can take Custrin without + proper siege-artillery, in the Oczakow or Anti-Turk way? Fermor has been + busy upon Custrin since August 15th;—in what fashion we partly + heard, and will now, from authentic sources, see a little for ourselves. + </p> + <p> + The Castle of Custrin, built by good Johann of Custrin, and "roofed with + copper," in the Reformation times,—we know it from of old, and + Friedrich has since had some knowledge of it. Custrin itself is a rugged + little Town, with some moorland traffic, and is still a place of great + military strength, the garrison of those parts. Its rough pavements, its + heavy stone battlements and barriers, give it a guarled obstinate aspect,—stern + enough place of exile for a Crown-Prince fallen into such disfavor with + Papa! A rugged, compact, by no means handsome little Town, at the meeting + of the Warta and the Oder; stands naturally among sedges, willows and + drained mire, except that human industry is pleasantly busy upon it, and + has long been. So that the neighborhood is populous beyond expectation; + studded with rough cottages in white-wash; hamlets in a paved condition; + and comfortable signs of labor victoriously wrestling with the wilderness. + Custrin, an arsenal and garrison, begirt with two rivers, and with awful + bulwarks, and bastions cased in stone,—"perhaps too high," say the + learned,—is likely to be impregnable to Russian engineering on those + terms. Here, with brevity, is the catastrophe of Custrin. + </p> + <p> + TUESDAY, 15th AUGUST, 1758. At two in the morning, several thousand + Russians, grenadiers, under Quartermaster General Stoffeln, whom the + readers of Mannstein know from old Oczakow times, are astir; pushing along + from Gross Kamin, through the scraggy firwoods, and flat peat countries; + intending a stroke on Custrin, if perhaps they can get it: [Tempelhof, ii. + 217; but Tielcke, ii. 69 et seq., the real source.]—not the + slightest chance to get Custrin; Prussian soldiership and Turkish being + two quite different things! The pickeering and manoeuvring of Stoffeln + shall not detain us. Stoffeln came along by the Landsberg road (course of + the now Konigsberg-Custrin Railway); and drove in the Prussian + out-parties, who at first took him for Cossacks. Stoffeln set himself down + on the north side of the place; planted cannon in certain clay-pits + thereabouts, and about nine o'clock began firing shells and incendiary + grenadoes at a great rate. Tielcke saw everything,—and had the honor + to take luncheon, that evening, with certain chief Officers, sitting on + the ground, after all was over, and only a few shots from the Garrison + still dropping. [Tielcke, ii. 75 n.] + </p> + <p> + At the third grenade, which, it seems, fell into a straw magazine, Custrin + took fire; could not be quenched again, so much dry wood in it, so much + disorder too, the very soldiers some of them disorderly (a bad deserter + set); so that it soon flamed aloft,—from side to side one sea of + flame: and man, woman and child, every soul (except the Garrison, which + sat enclosed in strong stone), had to fly across the River, under penalty + of death by fire. Of Custrin, by five in the evening, there was nothing + left but the black ashes; the Garrison standing unharmed, and the Church, + School-house and some stone edifices in a charred skeleton condition. "No + life was lost, except that of one child in arms." All Neumark had lodged + its valuables in this place of strength; all are fled now in horror and + terror across the Oder, by the Bridge, before it also unquenchably takes + fire, at the western or non-Russian end of the place. Such a day as was + seldom seen in human experience;—Fermor responsible for it, happily + not we. + </p> + <p> + Fermor, in the evening, said to his Artillery People: "Why have you ceased + to fire grenadoes?" "Excellency, the Town is out; nothing now but ashes + and stone." "Never mind; give them the rest, one every quarter of an hour. + We shall not need the grenadoes again. The cannon-balls we shall; them, + therefore, do not waste." On the morrow morning, after this performance on + the Town, Fermor sends a Trumpeter: "Surrender or else—!" rather in + the tremendous style. "Or else?" answers the Commandant, pointing to the + ashes, to the black inconsumable stones; and is deaf to this EX-POST-FACTO + Trumpeter. The Russians say they sent one yesterday morning, not + EX-POST-FACTO, but he was killed in the pickeerings, and never heard of + again. A mile or so to rear of Custrin, on the westward or Berlin side of + the River, lies Dohna for the last four days; expecting that the Laws of + Nature will hold good, and Custrin prove tenable against such sieging. So + stands it on Friedrich's arrival. + </p> + <p> + We left Friedrich in the Lebus Suburb of Frankfurt, Sunday, August 20th, + listening to the distant cannonade. Next morning, he is here himself; at + Dohna's Camp of Gorgast, taking survey of affairs; came early, under rapid + small escort, leaving his Army to follow; scorn and contemptuous + indignation the humor of him, they say; resolution to be swiftly home upon + that surprising Russian armament, and teach it new manners. The black + skeleton of Custrin stares hideously across the River; "Custrin Siege" so + called still going on;—had better make despatch now, and take itself + away! He greatly despises Russian soldiership: "Pooh, pooh," he would + answer, if Keith from experience said, "Your Majesty does not do it + justice;"—and Keith has been known to hint, "If the trial ever come, + your Majesty will alter that opinion." A day or two hence, amid these + hideous Russian fire-traceries, the Hussars bring him a dozen of Cossacks + they have made prisoners: Friedrich looks at the dirty green vagabonds; + says to one of his Staff: "And this is the kind of Doggery I have to + bother with!"—The sight of the poor country-people, and their tears + of joy and of sorrow on his reappearance among them, much affected him. + Taking inspection of Dohna, he finds Dohna wonderfully clean, pipe-clayed, + complete: "You are very fine indeed, you;—I bring you a set of + fellows, rough as GRASTEUFELN ["grass-devils," I never know whether + insects or birds]; but they can bite,"—hope you can! + </p> + <p> + Tuesday, August 32d, at five in the morning our Army has all arrived, the + Frankfurt people just come in; 30,000 of us now in Camp at Gorgast. + Friedrich orders straightway that a certain Russian Redoubt on the other + side of the River, at Schaumburg, a mile or two down stream, be well + cannonaded into ruin,—as if he took it for some incipiency of a + Russian Bridge, or were himself minded to cross here, under cover of + Custrin. Friedrich's intention very certainly is to cross,—here or + not just here;—and that same night, after some hours of rest to the + Frankfurt people,—night of Tuesday-Wednesday, Friedrich, having + persuaded the Russians that his crossing-place will be their Redoubt at + Schaumburg, marches ten or twelve miles down the River, silently his + 30,000 and he, till opposite the Village of Gustebiese; rapidly makes his + Bridges there, unmolested: Fermor, with his eye on the cannonaded Redoubt + only, has expected no such matter; and is much astonished when he hears of + it, twenty hours after. Friedrich, across with the vanguard, at an early + hour of Wednesday, gets upon the knoll at Gustebiese for a view; and all + Gustebiese, hearing of him, hurries out, with low-voiced tremulous + blessings, irrepressible tears: "God reward your Majesty, that have come + to us!"—and there is a hustling and a struggling, among the women + especially, to kiss the skirts of his coat. Poor souls: one could have + stood tremendous cheers; but this is a thing I forgive Friedrich for being + visibly affected with. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich leaves his baggage on the other side of the Oder, and the Bridge + guarded; our friend Hordt, with his Free-Corps, doing it, Friedrich + marches forward some ten miles that night; eastward, straight for Gross + Kamin, as if to take the Russians in rear; encamps at a place called + Klossow, spreading himself obliquely towards the Mutzel (black sluggish + tributary of the Oder in those parts), meaning to reach Neu Damm on the + Mutzel to-morrow, there almost within wind of the Russians, and be ready + for crossing on them. It was at Klossow (23d August, evening), that the + Hussars brought in their dozen or two of Cossacks, and he had his first + sight of Russian soldiery; by no means a favorable one, "Ugh, only look!"—As + we are now approaching Zorndorf, and the monstrous tug of Battle which + fell out there, readers will be glad of the following:— + </p> + <p> + "From Damm on the Mutzel, where Friedrich intends crossing it to-morrow + night, south to Gross Kamin, not far from the Warta, where Fermor's + head-quarter lately was, may be about five miles. From Custrin, Kamin lies + northeast about eight or ten miles: Zorndorf, the most considerable + Village in this tract, lies—little dreaming of the sad glory coming + to it—pretty much in the centre between big Warta and smaller + Mutzel. The Country is by nature a peat wilderness, far and wide; but it + has been tamed extensively; grows crops, green pastures; is elsewhere + covered with wood (Scotch fir, scraggy in size, but evidently under forest + management); perhaps half the country is in Fir tracts, what they call + HEIDEN (Heaths); the cultivated spaces lying like light-green islands with + black-green channels and expanses of circumambient Fir. The Drewitz Heath, + the Massin or Zither Heath, and others about Zorndorf, will become notable + to us. The Country is now much drier than in Friedrich's time; the human + spade doing its duty everywhere: so that much of the Battle-ground has + become irrecognizable, when compared with the old marshy descriptions + given of it. Zorndorf, a rough substantial Hamlet, has nothing of boggy + now visible near by; lies east to west, a firm broad highway leading + through: a sea of forest before it, to south; to north, good dry + barley-grounds or rye-grounds, sensibly rising for half a mile, then + waving about in various slow slight changes of level towards Quartschen, + Zicher, &c.: forming an irregular cleared 'island,' altogether of + perhaps four miles by three, with unlimited circumambiencies of wood. It + was here, on this island as we call it, that the Battle, which has made + Zorndorf famous, was fought. + </p> + <p> + "Zorndorf (or even the open ground half a mile to north of it, which will + be more important to us) is probably not 50 feet above the level of the + Mutzel, nor 100 above Warta and Oder, six miles off; but it is the crown + of the Country;—the ground dropping therefrom every way, in lazy + dull waves or swells; towards Tamsel and Gross Kamin on southeast; towards + Birken-Busch, Quartschen, Darmutzel [DAR of the Mutzel, whatever "DAR" may + be.] on northwest; as well as towards Damm and its Bridge northeast, where + Friedrich will soon be, and towards Custrin southwest, where he lately + was, each a five or six miles from Zorndorf. + </p> + <p> + "Such is the poor moorland tract of Country; Zorndorf the centre of it,—where + the battle is likely to be:—Zorndorf and environs a bare + quasi-island among these woods; extensive bald crown of the landscape, + girt with a frizzle of firwoods all round. Boggy pools there are, + especially on the western side (all drained in our time). Mutzel, or north + side, is of course the lowest in level: and accordingly," what is much to + be marked by readers here, "from the south, or Zorndorf side, at wide + intervals, there saunter along, in a slow obscure manner, Three miserable + continuous Leakages, or oozy Threads of Water, all making for Quartschen, + to north or northwest, there to disembogue into the Mutzel. Each of these + has its little Hollow; of which the westernmost, called Zabern Hollow + (ZABERNGRUND), is the most considerable, and the most important to us + here: GALGENGRUND (Gallows-Hollow) is also worth naming in this Battle; + the third Leakage, though without importance, invites us to name it, + HOSEBRUCH, quasi STOCKING-quagmire,—because you can use no stockings + there, except with manifest disadvantage."—Take this other + concluding trait:— + </p> + <p> + ... "Inexpressible fringe of marsh, two or three miles broad, mostly + bottomless, woven with sluggish creeks and stagnant pools, borders the + Warta for many miles towards Landsberg; Custrin-Landsberg Causeway the + alone sure footing in it; after which, the country rises insensibly, but + most beneficially, and is mainly drier till you get to the Mutzel again, + and find the same fringe of mud lace-work again, Zorndorf we called the + crown of it. Tamsel, Wilkersdorf, Klein Kamin, Gross Kamin, and other + places known to us, lie on the dry turf-fuel country, but looking over + close upon the hem of that marsh-fringe, and no doubt getting peats, wild + ducks, pike-fishes, eels, and snatches of summer pasture and cow-hay out + of it." + </p> + <p> + Thursday, August 24th, Friedrich is again speeding on; occupying Darmutzel + and other crossing-places of the Mutzel; [Mitchell to Holderness, + "DErmItzel, 24th August, 1758" (MEMOIRS AND PAPERS, i. 425; Ib. ii. 40-47, + Mitchell's Private Journal).]—by no means himself crossing there; on + the contrary, carefully breaking all the Bridges before he go ("No retreat + for those Russian vagabonds, only death or surrender for them!")—himself + not intending to cross till he be up at Damm, Neu Damm, well eastward of + his Russians, and have got them all pinfolded between Mutzel and Oder in + that way. In the evening, he reaches Damm and the Mill of Damm, some three + or four miles higher up the Mutzel;—and there pushes partly across + at once. That is to say, his vanguard at once, and takes a defensive + position; his Artillery and other Divisions by degrees, in the silent + night hours; and, before daybreak to-morrow, every soul will be across, + and the Bridge broken again;—and Fermor had better have his accounts + settled. + </p> + <p> + Fermor's roving Cossack clouds seldom bring him in intelligence; but only + return stained with charcoal grime and red murder: up to late last night, + he had not known where Friedrich was at all; had idly thought him busy + with the Schaumburg Redoubt, on the other side of Oder, fencing and + precautioning: but now (night of the 23d), these Cossacks do come in with + news, "Indisputable to our poor minds, the Prussians are at Klossow + yonder,—captured a dozen green vagabonds of us, and have sent us + galloping!"—which news, with the night closing in on him, was + astonishing, thrice and four times important to Fermor. + </p> + <p> + Instantly he raises the siege of Custrin, any siege there was; gets his + immense baggage-train shoved off that night to Klein Kamin, Landsberg way; + summons the force from Landsberg to join him without loss of a moment;—and + in the meanwhile pitches himself in long bivouac in the Drewitz Wood or + Fir-Heath, with the quaggy Zaberngrund in front. Quaggy Zaberngrund,—do + readers remember it; one of those "Three continuous Leakages," very + important, to Fermor and us at present? This is the safest place Fermor + can find for himself; scraggy firs around, good quagmires and Zabern + Hollow in front; looking to the east, waiting what a new day will bring. + That was Fermor's posture, while Friedrich quitted Klossow in the dawn of + the 24th. Be busy, ye Cossack doggeries; return with news, not with mere + grime and marks of blood on your mouths! + </p> + <p> + Evening of the 24th, Cossacks report that Friedrich has got to Damm Mill; + has hold of the Bridge there; and may be looked for, sure as the daylight, + to-morrow. Fermor is 50,000 odd, his Landsberg forces all coming in; one + Detachment out Stettin way, which cannot come in; Fermor finds that his + baggage-train is fairly on the road to Klein Kamin;—and that he will + have to quit this bosky bivouac, and fight for himself in the open ground, + or do worse. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0032" id="link2H_4_0032"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + THESEUS AND THE MINOTAUR OVER AGAIN,—THAT IS TO SAY, FRIEDRICH AT + HAND-GRIPS WITH FERMOR AND HIS RUSSIANS (25TH AUGUST, 1758). + </h2> + <p> + Artless Fermor draws out to the open ground, north of Zorndorf, south of + Quartschen; arranges himself in huge quadrilateral mass, with his + "staff-baggage" (lighter baggage) in the centre, and his front, so to + speak, everywhere. [Excellent Plan of him, or rather Plans, in his + successive shapes, in Tielcke, ii. (PLATES 4, 5, 6, 7, 8).] Mass, say two + miles long by one mile broad; but it is by no means regular, and has many + zigzags according to the ground, and narrows and droops southward on the + eastern end: one of the most artless arrangements; but known to Fermor, + and the readiest on this pinch of time. Munnich devised this quadrilateral + mode; and found it good against the Turks, and their deluges of raging + horse and foot: Fermor could perhaps do better; but there is such a press + of hurry. Fermor's western flank, or biggest breadth of quadrilateral, + leans on that Zabern Hollow, with its fine quagmires; his eastern, + narrowest part, droops down on certain mud-pools and conveniences towards + Zicher. Gallows Hollow, a slighter than the Zabern, runs through the + centre of him; and with his best people he fronts towards the Mutzel + Bridges, especially towards Damm-Mill Bridge whence Friedrich will emerge, + sure as the sunrise, one knows not with what issue. Artless Fermor is + nothing daunted; nor are his people; but stand patiently under arms, + regardless of future and present, to a degree not common in soldiering. + </p> + <p> + Friday, August 25th, by half-past three in the morning, Friedrich is + across the Mutzel; self and Infantry by Damm-Mutzel Bridge, cavalry by + another Bridge (KERSTEN-BRUGGE, means "Christian Bridge," in the dialect + of Charlemagne's time, a very old arrangement of Successive Logs up + there!) some furlongs higher up. The Bridge at Damm is perhaps some three + miles from the nearest Russians about Zicher; but Friedrich has no thought + of attacking Fermor there; he has a quite other program laid, and will + attack Fermor precisely on the side opposite to there. Friedrich's + intention is to sweep quite round this monstrous Russian quadrilateral; to + break in upon it on the western flank, and hurl it back upon Mutzel and + its quagmires. He has broken his two bridges after passing, all bridges + are gone there, and the country is bottomless: surrender at discretion if + once you are driven thither! And Friedrich's own retreat, if he fail, is + short and open to Custrin. "Admirable," say the Critics, "and altogether + in Friedrich's style!"—Friedrich, adds one Critic, was not aware + that the Russian Heavy-Baggage Train, which is their powder-flask and + bread-basket and staff of life, lies at Klein Kamin, within few miles on + his left just now, Russians themselves on his right; that the Russians + could have been abolished from those countries without fighting at all! + [Retzow, i. 305-329.] This is very true. Friedrich's haste is great, his + humor hot; and he has not heard of this Klein-Kamin fact, which in common + times he would have done, and of which in a calmer mood he would, with a + fine scientific gusto, have taken his advantage. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich pours incessant southward; cavalry parallel to infantry and a + certain distance beyond it, eastward of it; and they have burnt the + Bridges; which is a curious fact! Continually southward, as if for Tamsel:—poor + old Tamsel, do readers recollect it at all, does Friedrich at all? No + pleasant dinner, or lily-and-rose complexions, there for one to-day!—Some + distance short of Tamsel, Friedrich, emerging, turns westward;—intending + what on earth? thinks Fermor. Friedrich has been mostly hidden by the + woods all this while, and enigmatic to Fermor. Fermor does now at last see + the color of the facts;—and that one's chief front must change + itself to southward, one's best leg and arm be foremost, or towards + Zorndorf, not towards the Mutzel as hitherto. Fermor stirs up his + Quadrilateral, makes the required change, "You, best or northern line, + step across, and front southward; across to southward, I say; second-best + go northward in their stead:" and so, with some other slight polishings, + suggested by the ground and phenomena, we anew await this Prussian Enigma + with our best leg foremost. The march or circular sweep of these Prussian + lines, from Damm Bridge through the woods and champaign to their appointed + place of action, is seven or eight miles; lines when halted in + battle-order will be two miles long or more. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich pours steadily along, horse and foot, by the rear cf + Wilkersdorf, of Zorndorf,—Russian Minotaur scrutinizing him in that + manner with dull bloodshot eyes, uncertain what he will do. It is eight in + the morning, hot August; wind a mere lull, but southernly if any. Small + Hussar pickets ride to right of the main Army March; to keep the Cossacks + in check: who are roving about, all on wing; and pert enough, in spite of + the Hussar pickets, Desperado individuals of them gallop up to the + Infantry ranks, and fire off their pistols there,—without reply; + reply or firing, till the word come, is strictly forbidden. Infantry pours + along, like a ploughman drawing his furrow, heedless of the circling + crows. Crows or Cossacks, finding they are not regarded, set fire to + Zorndorf, and gallop off. Zorndorf goes up readily, mainly wood and straw; + rolls in big clouds of smoke far northward in upon the Russian Minotaur, + making him still blinder in the important moments now coming. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich rides up to view the Zabern Hollow: "Beyond expectation deep; + very boggy too, with its foul leakage or brook: no attacking of their + western flank through this Zaberngrund;—attack the corner of them, + then; here on the southwest!" That is Friedrich's rapid resource. The + lines halt, accordingly; make ready. Behind flaming Zorndorf stands his + extreme left, which is to make the attack; infantry in front; horse to + rear and farther leftwards,—and under the command of Seidlitz in + this quarter, which is an important circumstance. Right wing, reaching to + behind Wilkersdorf, is to refuse itself; whole force of centre is to push + upon that Russian corner, to support the left in doing it;—according + to the Leuthen or LEUCTRA principle, once more. May no mistakes occur in + executing it this day!— + </p> + <p> + The first division of the Prussian Infantry, or extreme Left, marches + forward by the west end of flaming Zorndorf; next division, which should + stand close to right of it, or even behind it in action, and follow it + close into the Russian fire, has to march by the east end of Zorndorf; + this is a farther road, owing to the flames; and not a lucky one. Second + division could never get into fair contact with that first division again: + that was the mistake: and it might have been fatal, but was not, as we + shall see. First division has got clear of Zorndorf, in advancing towards + its Russian business;—is striding forward, its left flank safe + against the Zaberngrund; steadily by fixed stages, against the fated + Russian Corner, which is its point of attack. First division, second + division, are clear of Zorndorf, though with a wide gap between them; are + steadily striding forward towards the Russian Corner. Two strong + batteries, wide apart, have planted themselves ahead; and are playing upon + the Russian Quadrilateral, their fires crossing at the due Corner yonder, + with terrible effect; Russian artillery, which are multitudinous and all + gathered down to this southwestern corner, are responding, though with + their fire spread, and far less effectual. The Prussian line steps on, + extreme left perhaps in too animated a manner; their cannon batteries + enfilade the thick mass of Russians at a frightful rate ("forty-two men of + a certain regiment blown away by a single ball," in one instance + [Tielcke.]), drive the interior baggage-horses to despair: a very agitated + Quadrilateral, under its grim canopy of cannon smoke, and of straw smoke, + heaped on it from the Zorndorf side here. Manteuffel, leader of that first + or leftmost division, sees the internal simmering; steps forward still + more briskly, to firing distance; begins his platoon thunder, with the due + steady fury,—had the second division but got up to support + Manteuffel! The second division is in fire too; but not close to + Manteuffel, where it should be. + </p> + <p> + Fermor notices the gap, the wavering of Manteuffel unsupported; plunges + out in immense torrent, horse and foot, into the gap, into Manteuffel's + flank and front; hurls Manteuffel back, who has no support at hand: "ARAH, + ARAH (Hurrah, Hurrah)! Victory, Victory!" shout the Russians, plunging + wildly forward, sweeping all before them, capturing twenty-six pieces of + cannon, for one item. What a moment for Friedrich; looking on it from some + knoll somewhere near Zorndorf, I suppose; hastily bidding Seidlitz strike + in: "Seidlitz, now!" The hurrahing Russians cannot keep rank at that rate + of going, like a buffalo stampede; but fall into heaps and gaps: Seidlitz, + with a swiftness, with a dexterity beyond praise, has picked his way + across that quaggy Zabern Hollow; falls, with say 5,000 horse, on the + flank of this big buffalo stampede; tumbles it into instant ruin;—which + proves irretrievable, as the Prussian Infantry come on again, and back + Seidlitz. + </p> + <p> + In fifteen minutes more (I guess it now to be ten o'clock), the Russian + Minotaur, this end of it, on to the Gallows Ground, is one wild mass. + Seldom was there seen such a charge; issuing in such deluges of wreck, of + chaotic flight, or chaotic refusal to fly. The Seidlitz cavalry went + sabring till, for very fatigue, they gave it up, and could no more. The + Russian horse fled to Kutzdorf,—Fermor with them, who saw no more of + this Fight, and did not get back till dark;—had not the Bridges been + burnt, and no crossing of the Mutzel possible, Fermor never would have + come back, and here had been the end of Zorndorf. Luckier if it had! But + there is no crossing of the Mutzel, there is only drowning in the + quagmires there:—death any way; what can be done but die? + </p> + <p> + The Russian infantry stand to be sabred, in the above manner, as if they + had been dead oxen. More remote from Seidlitz, they break open the + sutlers' brandy-casks, and in few minutes get roaring drunk. Their + officers, desperate, split the brandy-casks; soldiers flap down to drink + it from the puddles; furiously remonstrate with their officers, and "kill + a good many of them" (VIELE, says Tielcke), especially the foreign sort. + "A frightful blood-bath," by all the Accounts: blood-bath, brandy-bath, + and chief Nucleus of Chaos then extant aboveground. Fermor is swept away: + this chaos, the very Prussians drawing back from it, wearied with + massacring, lasts till about one o'clock. Up to the Gallows-ground the + Minotaur is mere wreck and delirium: but beyond the Gallows-ground, the + other half forms a new front to itself; becomes a new Minotaur, though in + reduced shape. This is Part First of the Battle of Zorndorf; Friedrich—on + the edge of great disaster at one moment, but miraculously saved—has + still the other half to do (unlucky that he left no Bridges on the + Mutzel), and must again change his program. + </p> + <p> + Half of the Minotaur is gone to shreds in this manner; but the attack upon + it, too, is spent: what is to be done with the other half of the monster, + which is again alive; which still stands, and polypus-like has arranged a + new life for itself, a new front against the Galgengrund yonder? Friedrich + brings his right wing into action. Rapidly arranges right wing, centre, + all of the left that is disposable, with batteries, with cavalry; for an + attack on the opposite or southeastern end of his monster. If your + monster, polypus-like, come alive again in the tail-part, you must fell + that other head of him. Batteries, well in advance, begin work upon the + new head of the monster, which was once his tail; fresh troops, long lines + of them, pushing forward to begin platoon-volleying:—time now, I + should guess, about half-past two. Our infantry has not yet got within + musket-range,—when torrents of Russian Horse, Foot too following, + plunge out; wide-flowing, stormfully swift; and dash against the coming + attack. Dash against it; stagger it; actually tumble it back, in the + centre part; take one of the batteries, and a whole battalion prisoners. + Here again is a moment! Friedrich, they say, rushed personally into this + vortex; rallied these broken battalions, again rallied and led them up; + but it was to no purpose: they could not be made to stand, these centre + battalions;—"some sudden panic in them, a thing unaccountable," says + Tempelhof; "they are Dohna's people, who fought perfectly at Jagersdorf, + and often elsewhere" (they were all in such a finely burnished state the + other day; but have not biting talent, like the grass-devils): enough, + they fairly scour away, certain disgraceful battalions, and are not got + ranked again till below Wilkersdorf, above a mile off; though the + grass-devils, on both hands of them, stand grimly steady, left in this + ominous manner. + </p> + <p> + What would have become of the affair one knows not, if it had not been + that Seidlitz once more made his appearance. On Friedrich's order, or on + his own, I do not know; but sure it is, Seidlitz, with sixty-one + squadrons, arriving from some distance, breaks in like a DEUS EX MACHINA, + swift as the storm-wind, upon this Russian Horse-torrent; drives it again + before him like a mere torrent of chaff, back, ever back, to the shore of + Acheron and the Stygian quagmires (of the Mutzel, namely); so that it did + not return again; and the Prussian infantry had free field for their + platoon exercise. Their rage against the Russians was extreme; and that of + the Russians corresponded. Three of these grass-devil battalions, who + stood nearest to Dohna's runaways, were natives of this same burnt-out + Zorndorf Country; we may fancy the Platt-Teutsch hearts of them, and the + sacred lightning, with a moisture to it, that was in their eyes. + Platt-Teutsch platooning, bayonet-charging,—on such terms no Russian + or mortal Quadrilateral can stand it. The Russian Minotaur goes all to + shreds a second time; but will not run. "No quarter!"—"Well, then, + none!" + </p> + <p> + "Shortly after four o'clock," say my Accounts, "the firing," regular + firing, "altogether ceased; ammunition nearly spent, on both sides; + Prussians snatching cartridge-boxes of Russian dead;" and then began a tug + of deadly massacring and wrestling man to man, "with bayonets, with butts + of muskets, with hands, even with teeth [in some Russian instances], such + as was never seen before." The Russians, beaten to fragments, would not + run: whither run? Behind is Mutzel and the bog of Acheron;—on Mutzel + is no bridge left; "the shore of Mutzel is thick with men and horses, who + have tried to cross, and lie there swallowed in the ooze"—"like a + pavement," says Tielcke. The Russians,—never was such VIS INERTIAE + as theirs now. They stood like sacks of clay, like oxen already dead; not + even if you shot a bullet through them, would they fall at once, says + Archenholtz, but seem to be deliberate about it. + </p> + <p> + Complete disorder reigned on both sides; except that the Prussians could + always form again when bidden, the Russians not. This lasted till + nightfall,—Russians getting themselves shoved away on these horrid + terms, and obstinate to take no other. Towards dark, there appeared, on a + distant knoll, something like a ranked body of them again,—some + 2,000 foot and half as many horse; whom Themicoud (superlative Swiss + Cossack, usually written Demikof or Demikow) had picked up, and persuaded + from the shore of Acheron, back to this knoll of vantage, and some cannon + with them. Friedrich orders these to be dispersed again: General Forcade, + with two battalions, taking the front of them, shall attack there; you, + General Rauter, bring up those Dohna fellows again, and take them in + flank. Forcade pushes on, Rauter too,—but at the first taste of + cannon-shot, these poor Dohna-people (such their now flurried, disgraced + state of mind) take to flight again, worse than before; rush quite through + Wilkersdorf this time, into the woods, and can hardly be got together at + all. Scandalous to think of. No wonder Friedrich "looked always askance on + those regiments that had been beaten at Gross Jagersdorf, and to the end + of his life gave them proofs of it:" [Retzow;—and still more + emphatically, <i>Briefe eines alten Preussischen Officiers</i> + (Hohenzollern, 1790), i. 34, ii. 52, &c.] very natural, if the rest + were like these! + </p> + <p> + Of poor General Rauter, Tempelhof and the others, that can help it, are + politely silent; only Saxon Tielcke tells us, that Friedrich dismissed + him, "Go, you, to some other trade!"—which, on Prussian evidence + too, expressed in veiled terms, I find to be the fact: <i>Militair-Lexikon,</i> + obliged to have an article on Rauter, is very brief about it; hints + nothing unkind; records his personal intrepidity; and says, "in 1758 he, + on his request, had leave to withdraw,"—poor soul, leave and more! + </p> + <p> + Forcade, left to himself, kept cannonading Themicoud; Themicoud + responding, would not go; stood on his knoll of vantage, but gathered no + strength: "Let him stand," said Friedrich, after some time; and Themicoud + melted in the shades of night, gradually towards the hither shore of + Acheron,—that is, of Acheron-Mutzel, none now attempting to PAVE it + farther, but simmering about at their sad leisure there. Feldmarschall + Fermor is now got to his people again, or his people to him; reunited in + place and luck: such a chaos as Fermor never saw before or after. No + regiment or battalion now is; mere simmering monads, this fine Army; + officers doing their utmost to cobble it into something of rank, without + regard to regiments or qualities. Darkness seldom sank on such a scene. + </p> + <p> + Wild Cossack parties are scouring over all parts of the field; robbing the + dead, murdering the wounded; doing arson, too, wherever possible; and even + snatching at the Prussian cannon left rearwards, so that the Hussars have + to go upon them again. One large mass of them plundering in the Hamlet of + Zicher, the Hussars surrounded: the Cossacks took to the outhouses; + squatted, ran, called in the aid of fire, their constant friend: above 400 + of them were in some big barn, or range of straw houses; and set fire to + it,—but could not get out for Hussars; the Hussars were at the + outgate: Not a devil of you! said the Hussars; and the whole four hundred + perished there, choked, burnt, or slain by the Hussars,—and this + poor Planet was at length rid of them. [<i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> v. 166.] + </p> + <p> + Friedrich sends for his tent-equipages; and the Army pitches its camp in + two big lines, running north and south, looking towards the Russian side + of things; Friedrich's tent in front of the first line; a warrior King + among his people, who have had a day's work of it. The Russian loss turns + out, when counted, to have been 21,529 killed, wounded and missing, 7,990 + of them killed; the Prussian sum-total is 11,390 (above the Prussian third + man), of whom 3,680 slain. And on the shores of Acheron northward yonder, + there still is a simmering. And far and wide the country is alight with + incendiary fires,—many devils still abroad. Excellency Mitchell, + about eight in the evening, is sent for by the King; finds various chief + Generals, Seidlitz among them, on their various businesses there; + congratulates "on the noble victory [not so conclusive hitherto] which + Heaven has granted your Majesty." "Had it not been for him," said + Friedrich,—"Had it not been for him, things would have had a bad + look by this time!" and turned his sun-eyes upon Seidlitz, with a fine + expression in them. [Preuss, ii. 153. Mitchell (ii. 432) mentions the + Interview, nothing of Seidlitz.] To which Seidlitz's reply, I find, was an + embarrassed blush and of articulate only, "Hm, no, ha, it was your + Majesty's Cavalry that did their duty,—but Wakenitz [my second] does + deserve promotion!"—which Wakenitz, not in a too overflowing + measure, got. + </p> + <p> + Fermor, during the night-watches, having cobbled himself into some kind of + ranks or rows, moves down well westward of Zabern Hollow; to the Drewitz + Heath, where he once before lay, and there makes his bivouac in the wood, + safe under the fir-trees, with the Zabern ground to front of him. By the + above reckoning, 28 or 29,000 still hang to Fermor, or float vaporously + round him; with Friedrich, in his two lines, are some 18,000:—in + whole, 46,000 tired mortals sleeping thereabouts; near 12,000 others have + fallen into a deeper sleep, not liable to be disturbed;—and of the + wounded on the field, one shudders to imagine. + </p> + <p> + Next day, Saturday, 26th, Fermor, again brought into some kind of rank, + and safe beyond the quaggy Zabern ground, sent out a proposal, "That there + be Truce of Three Days for burying the dead!"—Dohna, who happened to + be General in command there, answers, "That it is customary for the Victor + to take charge of burying the slain; that such proposal is surprising, and + quite inadmissible, in present circumstances." Fermor, in the mean while, + had drawn himself out, fronting his late battle-field and the morning sun; + and began cannonading across the Zabern ground; too far off for hitting, + but as if still intending fight: to which the Prussians replied with + cannon, and drew out before their tents in fighting order. In both armies + there was question, or talk, of attacking anew; but in both "there was + want of ammunition," want of real likelihood. On Fermor's side, that of + "attacking" could be talk only, and on Friedrich's, besides the scarcity + of ammunition, all creatures, foot and especially horse, were so worn out + with yesterday's work, it was not judged practically expedient. A while + before noon, the Prussians retired to their Camp again; leaving only the + artillery to respond, so far as needful, and bow-wow across the Zabern + ground, till the Russians lay down again. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich's Hussars knew of the Russian WAGENBURG, or general baggage + reservoirs, at Klein Kamin, by this time. The Hussars had been in it, last + night; rummaging extensively, at discretion for some time; and had brought + away much money and portable plunder. Why Friedrich, who lay direct + between Fermor and his Wagenburg, did not, this day, extinguish said + Wagenburg, I do not know; but guess it may have been a fault of omission, + in the great welter this was now grown to be to the weary mind. Beyond + question, if one had blown up Fermor's remaining gunpowder, and carried + off or burnt his meal-sacks, he must have cowered away all the faster + towards Landsberg to seek more. Or perhaps Friedrich now judged it + immaterial, and a question only of hours? + </p> + <p> + About midnight of Saturday-Sunday, there again rose bow-wowing, bellowing + of Russian cannon; not from beyond the Zabern ground this time, nor + stationary anywhere, but from the south some transient part of it, and not + far off;—one ball struck a carriage near the King's tent, and + shattered it. Thick mist mantles everything, and it is difficult to know + what the Russians have on hand in their sylvan seclusions. After a time, + it becomes manifest the Russians are on retreat; winding round, through + the southern woods, behind Zorndorf and the charred Villages, to Klein + Kamin, Landsberg way. Friedrich, following now on the heel of them, finds + all got to Klein Kamin, to breakfast there in their Wagenburg refectory,—sharply + vigilant, many FLECHES (little arrow-shaped redoubts, so named) and much + artillery round them. Nothing considerable to be done upon them, now or + afterwards, except pick up stragglers, and distress their rear a little. + The King himself, in the first movement, was thought to be in alarming + peril, such a blaze of case-shot rose upon him, as he went reconnoitring + foremost of all. [Tempelhof, ii. 216-238; Tielcke, ii. 79-154; + Archenholtz, i. 253-264; <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> v. 156-179 (with many + LISTS, private LETTERS and the like details); &c. &c.] + </p> + <p> + And this was, at last, the end of Zorndorf Battle; on the third day this. + Was there ever seen such a fight of Theseus and the Minotaur! Theseus, + rapid, dexterous, with Heaven's lightning in his eyes, seizing the + Minotaur; lassoing him by the hinder foot, then by the right horn; pouring + steel and destruction into him, the very dust darkening all the air. + Minotaur refusing to die when killed; tumbling to and fro upon its + Theseus; the two lugging and tugging, flinging one another about, and + describing figures of 8 round each other for three days before it ended. + Minotaur walking off on his own feet, after all. It was the bloodiest + battle of the Seven-Years War; one of the most furious ever fought; such + rage possessing the individual elements; rage unusual in modern wars. Must + have altered Friedrich's notion of the Russians, when he next comes to + speak with Keith. It was not till the fourth day hence (August 31st), so + unattackably strong was this position at Klein Kamin, that the Russian + Minotaur would fairly get to its feet a second time, and slowly stagger + off, in real earnest, Landsberg way and Konigsberg way;—Friedrich + right glad to leave Dohna in attendance on it; and hasten off (September + 2d) towards Saxony and Prince Henri, where his presence is now become very + needful. + </p> + <p> + MAP GOES HERE FACING PAGE 138, BOOK XVIII—— + </p> + <p> + Fermor, walking off in this manner,—not till the third day, nay not + conclusively till the seventh day, after Zorndorf,—strove at first + to consider himself victorious. "I passed the night on the field of battle + [or NOT far from it, for good reasons, Mutzel being bridgeless]: may not + I, in the language of enthusiasm, be considered conqueror? Here are 26 of + their cannon, got when I cried 'Arah' prematurely. (Where the 103 pieces + of my own are, and my 27 flags, and my Army-chest and sundries? Dropped + somewhere; they will probably turn up again!)" thinks Fermor,—or + strives to think, and says. So that, at Petersburg, at Paris and Vienna, + in the next three weeks, there were TE-DEUMS, Ambrosian chantings, + fires-of-joy; and considerable arguing among the Gazetteers on both parts,—till + the dust settled, and facts appeared as they were. To the effect: "TE DEUM + non LAUDAMUS; alas no, we must retract; and it was good gunpowder thrown + after bad!" + </p> + <p> + On always homewards, but at its own pace, waited on by Dohna, goes the + Russian Monster: violently case-shotting if you prick into its rearward + parts. One Palmbach,—under Romanzow, I think, who had not taken part + in the Battle, being out Stettin way, and unable to join till now,—Palmbach, + with a Detachment of 15,000, which was thought sufficient for the object, + did try to make a dash on Colberg,—how happy had we any port on the + Baltic, to feed us in this Country! But though Colberg is the paltriest + crow's-nest (BICOQUE), according to all engineers, and is defended only by + 700 militia (the Colonel of them, one Heyde, a gray old Half-pay, not yet + renowned in the soldier world, as he here came to be), Palmbach, with his + best diligence, could make nothing of it; but, after battering, + bombarding, even scalading, and in all ways blurting and blazing at a + mighty rate for four weeks, and wasting a great deal of gunpowder and + 2,000 Russian lives, withdrew on those remarkable terms. [In <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> + v. 349-365 ("3d-31st October, 1758"), a complete and minute JOURNAL of + this First Siege of Colberg, which is interesting to read of, as all the + Three of them are.] And did then, as tail of Fermor, what Fermor and the + Russian Monster was universally doing, make off at a good pace,—having + nothing to live upon farther,—and vanish from those Countries, to + the relief of Dohna and mankind. + </p> + <p> + September 2d, Friedrich, leaving all that, had marched for Saxony; his + presence urgently required there. Daun ought to be far on with the + conquest of that Country? Might have had it, say judges, if he had been as + swift as some.—At Zorndorf, among the Russian Prisoners were certain + Generals, Soltikof, Czernichef, Sulkowski the Pole, proud people in their + own eyes: no lodging for them but the cellars of Custrin. Russian Generals + complained, "Is this a lodging for Field-Officers of rank!" Friedrich was + not used to profane swearing, or vituperative outbursts; but he answered + to the effect: "Silence, ye incendiary individuals. Is there a choice left + of lodgings, and for you above others!" Upon which they lay silent for + some days, till better suited; in fact, till exchanged,—and perhaps + will soon turn up on us again. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0014" id="link2HCH0014"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter XIV.—BATTLE OF HOCHKIRCH. + </h2> + <p> + So soon as Friedrich quitted Bohemia and Silesia for his Russian + Enterprise, there rose high question at Vienna, "To what shall our Daun + now turn himself?" A Daun, a Reichs Army, free for new employment; in + Saxony not much to oppose them, in Silesia almost nothing in comparison. + "Recapture of Silesia?" Yes truly; that is the steady pole-star at Vienna. + But they have no Magazines in Silesia, no Siege-furnitures; and the season + is far spent. They decide that there shall be a stroke upon Dresden, and + recovery of Saxony, in Friedrich's absence. Nothing there at present but a + Prince Henri, weak in numbers, say one to two of the Reichs Army by + itself. Let the Reichs Army rise now, and advance through the Metal + Mountains from southeast on Prince Henri; let Daun circle round on him, + through the Lausitz from northeast: cannot they extinguish Henri between + them; snatch Dresden, a weak ill-fortified place, by sudden onslaught, and + recapture Saxony? That will be magnanimous to our august Allies;—and + that will be an excellent scaffolding for recapture of Silesia next year. + And cannot Daun leave a Force in the Silesian vicinities,—Deville + with so many thousands, Harsch with so many,—to besiege one of their + Frontier Places; Neisse, for example? Siege-furnitures to come from + Mahren: Neisse is not farther from Olmutz than Olmutz was from it. + </p> + <p> + That was the scheme fallen upon; now getting executed while Friedrich is + at Zorndorf well away. And that, if readers fix it intelligently in their + memory, will suffice to introduce to them the few words more that can be + allowed us here upon it. A very few words, compressed to the utmost,—merely + as preface to Hochkirch, whither we must hasten; Hochkirch being the one + incident which, except to studious soldiers, has now and here any + interest, out of the very many incidents which, then and there, were so + intensely interesting to all mankind. To readers who are curious, and will + take with them any poorest authentic Outline of the Localities concerned, + the following condensed Note will not be unintelligible. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0034" id="link2H_4_0034"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + DAUN AND THE REICHS ARMY INVADE SAXONY, IN FRIEDRICH'S ABSENCE. + </h2> + <p> + "Daun, pushing out with his best speed, along the Bohemian-Silesian + border, had got to Zittau AUGUST 17th; which poor City is to be his basis + and storehouse; the greatest activity and wagoning now visible there,"—among + the burnt walls getting rebuilt. And in the same days, Zweibruck and his + Reichs Army are vigorously afoot; Zweibruck pushing across the Metal + Mountains, the fastest he can; intending to plant himself in Pirna + Country. Not to mention General Dombale, Zweibruck's Austrian Second; who + has the Austrian 15,000 with him; and, by way of preface, has emerged to + westward, in Zwickau-Tschopau Country; calculating that Prince Henri will + not be able to attend to him just now. And in effect Prince Henri, intent + upon Zweibruck and the Pirna Country, takes position in the old Prussian + ground there ('head-quarter Gross Seidlitz,' as in 1756); and can only + leave a Detachment in Tschopau Country to wait upon Dombale; who does at + least shoot out Croat parties, 'quite across Saxony, to Halle all the + way,' and entertain the Gazetteers, if he can do little real mischief. + </p> + <p> + "AUGUST 19th, from Zittau, Daun, after short pause, again pushes forward,—nothing + but Ziethen attending him in the distance, till we see whitherward;—Margraf + Karl waiting impatient, at Grussau, till Ziethen see. [Tempelhof, ii. 258, + 260 et seq.] Daun, soon after Zittau, shoots out Loudon, Brandenburg way, + as if magnanimously intending 'co-operation with the Russians;' which + would give Daun pleasure, could it be done without cost. Loudon does + despatch a 500 hussars to Frankfurt [Friedrich now gone for Custrin], who, + I think, carry a Letter for Fermor there; but lose it by the way,"—for + the benefit of readers, if they will wait. "Loudon captures a poor little + place in Brandenburg itself; bullies it into surrender, after a day (the + very day of Zorndorf Battle, 'August 25th'):—place called Peitz, + garrisoned by forty-five invalids; who go on 'free withdrawal,' poor old + souls, and leave their exiguous stock of salt-victual and military + furnitures to Loudon. [In <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> v. 229-232, the + "Capitulation" IN EXTENSO.] Upon which Loudon whirls back out of those + Countries; finding his skirts trodden on by Ziethen,—who now sees + what Daun and he are at; and warns Margraf Karl [properly Keith, who has + now joined again, as real president or chief] That HITHER is the way. + Margraf Karl, on the slip for some time past, starts from Grussau + instantly (I should guess, not above 25,000 of all arms); leaving Fouquet + with perhaps 10,000 to do his utmost, when Generals Harsch and Deville + with their 20 or 30,000 come upon Silesia and him,—as indeed they + are already doing; already blockading Neisse, more or less, with an eye to + besieging it so soon as possible. + </p> + <p> + "Meanwhile, Serene Highness of Zweibruck, the Reichsfolk and some + Austrians with him, prefaced by Dombale more to westward, is wending into + Pirna Country; and, in spite of what Prince Henri can do (Mayor and the + Free Corps shining diligent, and Henri one of the watchfulest of men), + Zweibruck does get in; sets Maguire with Austrians upon besieging Pirna, + that is to say, the Sonnenstein of Pirna; 3d-5th SEPTEMBER, gets the + Sonnenstein, a thought sooner than was counted on; [In <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> + v. 223-228, account of this poor Siege, and of the movements before and + after.] and roots himself there,—'head-quarters in Struppen' again, + 'bridge at Ober-Raden' again, all as in 1756; which, if nothing else can + well do it, may give his Highness a momentary interest with some readers + here. Prince Henri is at Gross Seidlitz, alive every fibre of him: but + with Daun circling round to northward on his left, intending evidently to + take him in flank or rear; with Dombale already to rear, in the above + circumstances, on his right; and Zweibruck himself lying here in front + free to act, and impregnable if acted upon: what is Prince Henri to do? It + is for Henri's rear, not his flank, that Daun aims: AUGUST 26th, Daun, who + had got to Gorlitz, a march or two from Zittau, started again at his best + step by the Bautzen Highway towards Meissen Bridge, a 70 or 80 miles down + the Elbe: there Daun intends to cross, and to double back upon Dresden and + Prince Henri; who will thus find himself enclosed between THREE fires,—if + two were not enough, or even if one (the Daun one itself, or the Zweibruck + itself, not to count the Dombale), in such strength as Prince Henri has! + </p> + <p> + "A lost Prince Henri,—if there be not shift in him, if there be not + help coming to him! Prince Henri, seeing how it was, drew back from Gross + Seidlitz; with beautiful suddenness, one night; unmolested: in the + morning, Zweibruch's hussars find him posted— inexpugnable on the + Heights of Gahmig,—which is nearer Dresden a good step; nearer + Dombale; and not so ready to be enclosed by Daun, without enclosure of + Dresden too. Prince Henri's manoeuvring, in this difficult situation, is + the admiration of military men: how he stuck by Gahmig; but threw out, in + the vital points, little camps,—'camp of Kesselsdorf' (a place + memorable), on the west of Dresden; and on the east, in the north suburb + of Dresden itself across the River (should we have to go across the River + for Daun's sake), a 'strong abatis;' and neglected nothing; self and + everybody under him, lively as eagles to make themselves dangerous, Mayer + in particular distinguishing himself much. Prince Henri would have been a + hard morsel for Daun. But beyond that, there is help on the road." + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0035" id="link2H_4_0035"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + FRIEDRICH INTERVENING, DAUN DRAWS BACK; INTRENCHES HIMSELF IN NEIGHBORHOOD + TO DRESDEN AND PIRNA; FRIEDRICH FOLLOWING HIM. FOUR ARMIES STANDING THERE, + IN DEAD-LOCK, FOR A MONTH; WITH ISSUE, A FLANK-MARCH ON THE PART OF + FRIEDRICH'S ARMY, WHICH HALTS AT HOCH + </h2> + <p> + KIRCH (September 12th-October 10th, 1758). + </p> + <p> + Daun, since August 26th, is striding towards Meissen Bridge; without rest, + day after day, at the very top of his speed,—which I find is "nine + miles a day;" [Tempelhof, ii. 261.] Bos being heavy of foot, at his best. + September 1st, Daun has got within ten miles of Meissen Bridge, when—Here + is news, my friends; King of Prussia has beaten our poor Russians; will + soon be in full march this way! King of Prussia and Margraf Karl both + bending hitherward; at the rate, say, of "nineteen miles a day," instead + of nine:—Meissen Bridge is not the thing we shall want! Daun + instantly calls halt, at this news; waits, intrenches; and, in a day or + two, finding the news true, hurries to rearward all he can. From the + Russian side too, Daun has heard of Zorndorf, and the grand "Victory" of + Fermor there; but knows well, by this sudden re-emergence of the + Anti-Fermor, what kind of Victory it is. + </p> + <p> + Was it here while waiting about Meissen, or where was it, that Daun got + his Letter to Fermor answered in that singular way? The Letter of two + weeks ago,—carried by Loudon's Hussars, or by whomsoever,—for + certain, it was retorted or returned upon Daun; not as if from the + Dead-Letter Office, but with an Answer he little expected! Here is what + record I have; very vague for a well-known little fact of sparkling + nature:— + </p> + <p> + "A curious Letter fell into Friedrich's hands [Bearer, I always guess, the + Loudon Hussar-Captain with his 500, pretending to form junction with + Fermor], Prussian Hussars picking it up somewhere,—date, place, + circumstances, blurred into oblivion in those poor Books; Letter itself + indisputable enough, and Answer following on it; Letter and Answer + substantially to this effect:— + </p> + <p> + "DAUN TO FERMOR [Probably from Zittau, by Loudon's Hussars]. + </p> + <p> + "Your Excellenz does not know that wily Enemy as I do. By no means get + into battle with such a one. Cautiously manoeuvre about; detain him there, + till I have got my stroke in Saxony done: don't try fighting him. + </p> + <p> + DAUN." + </p> + <p> + "ANSWER AS FROM FERMOR (Zorndorf once done, Daun by the first opportunity + got his Answer, duly signed 'Fermor,' but evidently in a certain King's + handwriting):— + </p> + <p> + "Your Excellenz was in the right to warn me against a cunning Enemy, whom + you knew better than I. Here have I tried fighting him, and got beaten. + Your unfortunate "FERMOR." [Muller, <i>Kurzgefasste Beschreibung der drei + Schlesischen Kriege</i> (Berlin, 1755); in whom, alone of all the + reporters, is the story given in an intelligible form. This Muller's Book + is a meritoriously brief Summary, incorrect in no essential particular, + and with all the Battle-Plans on one copperplate: LIEUTENANT Muller, this + one; not PROFESSOR Muller, ALIAS Schottmuller by any means!] + </p> + <p> + September 9th, Friedrich and Margraf Karl, correct to their appointment, + meet at Grossenhayn, some miles north of Meissen and its Bridge; by which + time Daun is clean gone again, back well above Dresden again, strongly + posted at Stolpen (a place we once heard of, in General Haddick's time, + last Year), well in contact with Daun's Pirna friends across the River, + and out of dangerous neighborhoods. Friedrich and the Margraf have + followed Daun at quick step; but Daun would pause nowhere, till he got to + Stolpen, among the bushy gullets and chasms. September 12th, Friedrich had + speech of Henri, and the pleasure of dining with him in Dresden. Glad to + meet again, under fortunate management on both parts; and with much to + speak and consult about. + </p> + <p> + A day or two before, there had lain (or is said to have lain) a grand + scheme in Daun: Zweibruck to burst out from Pirna by daybreak, and attack + the Camp of Gahmig in front (35,000 against 20,000); Daun to cross the + River on pontoons, some hours before, under cloud of night, and be ready + on rear and left flank of Gahmig (with as many supplemental thousands as + you like): what can save Prince Henri? Beautiful plan; on which there were + personal meetings and dinings together by Zweibruck and Daun; but nothing + done. [Tempelhof, ii. 262-265.] At the eleventh hour, say the Austrian + accounts, Zweibruck sent word, "Impossible to-morrow; cannot get in my + Out-Parties in time!"—and next day, here is Friedrich come, and a + collapse of everything. Or perhaps there never seriously was such a plan? + Certain it is, Daun takes camp at Stolpen, a place known to him, one of + the strongest posts in Germany; intrenches himself to the teeth,—good + rear-guard towards Zittau and the Magazines; River and Pirna on our left + flank; Loudon strong and busy on our right flank, barring the road to + Bautzen;—and obstinately sits there, a very bad tooth in the jaw of + a certain King; not to be extracted by the best kinds of forceps and the + skilfulest art, for nearly a month to come. Four Armies, Friedrich's, + Henri's, Daun's, Zweibruck's, all within sword-stroke of each other,—the + universal Gazetteer world is on tiptoe. But except Friedrich's eager + shiftings and rubbings upon Stolpen (west side, north, and at length + northeast side), all is dead-lock, and nothing comes of it. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich has his food convenient from Dresden; but a road to Bautzen + withal is what he cannot do without;—and there lies the sorrow, and + the ACHING, as this tooth knows well, and this jaw well! Harsch and + Deville are busy upon Neisse, have Neisse under blockade, perhaps upon + Kosel too, for some time past, [Neisse "blockaded more and more" since + August 4th (Kosel still earlier, but only by Pandour people); not + completely so till September 30th, or even till October 26th: <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> + v. 268-270.] and are carting the siege-stock to begin bombardment: a road + to Silesia, before very long, Friedrich must and will have. Friedrich's + operations on Daun in this post are patiently artful, and curious to look + upon, but beyond description here: enough to say, that in the second week + he makes his people hut themselves (weather wet and bad); and in the + fourth week, finding that nothing contrivable would provoke Daun into + fighting,—he loads at Dresden provisions for I think nine days; + makes, from two or from three sides, a sudden spurt upon Loudon, who is + Daun's northern outpost; brushes Loudon hastily away; and himself takes + the road for Bautzen, by Daun's right flank, thrown bare in this manner. + [Tempelhof, ii. 278.] + </p> + <p> + Road for Bautzen; which is the road for Zittau withal, for Daun's + bread-basket, as well as for Neisse and Harsch! Nine days' provision; that + is our small outfit, that and our own right-hands; and the waste world + lies all ahead. OCTOBER 1st, Retzow, as vanguard, sweeps out the few + Croats from Bautzen, deposits his meal-wagons there; occupies Hochkirch, + and the hilly environs to east; is to take possession of Weissenberg + especially, and of the Stromberg Hill and other strong points: which + Retzow punctually does, forgetting nothing,—except perhaps the + Stromberg, not quite remembered in time; a thing of small consequence in + Retzow's view, since all else had gone right. + </p> + <p> + Hearing of which, Daun, with astonishment, finds that he must quit those + beautifully chasmy fastnesses of Stolpen, and look to his bread; which is + getting to lie under the enemy's feet, if Zittau road be left yonder as it + is. OCTOBER 5th, after councils of war and deliberation enough, Daun gets + under way; [Ib. ii. 279.] cautiously, favored by a night very dark and + wet, glides through to right of Friedrich's people, softly along between + Bautzen and the Pirna Country; nobody molesting him, so dark and wet: and + after one other march in those bosky solitudes, sits down at Kittlitz,—ahead + or to east of Bautzen, of Hochkirch, of Retzow and all Friedrich's people;—and + again sets to palisading and intrenching there. Kittlitz, near Lobau, + there is Daun's new head-quarter; Lobau Water, with its intricate hollows, + his line of defence: his posts going out a mile to north and to south of + Kittlitz. And so sits; once more blocking Zittau road, and quietly waiting + what Friedrich will do. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich is at Bautzen since the 7th; impatient enough to be forward, but + must not till a second larger provision-convoy from Dresden come in. + Convoy once in, Friedrich hastens off, Tuesday, 10th October, towards + Weissenberg Country, where Retzow is; some ten or twelve miles to + eastward,—Zittau-ward, if that chance to suit us; Silesia-ward, as + is sure to suit. At the "Pass of Jenkowitz," short way from Bautzen, + Pandours attempt our baggage; need to be battered off, and again off: + which apprises Friedrich that Daun's whole Army is ahead in the + neighborhood somewhere. Marching on, Friedrich, from the knoll of + Hochkirch, shoulder of the southern Hills, gets complete view of Daun,—stretching + north and south, at right angles to the Zittau roads and to Friedrich, in + the way we described;—and is a little surprised, and I could guess + piqued, at seeing Daun in such a state of forwardness. "Encamp here, + then!" he says,—here, on this row of Heights parallel to Daun, + within a mile of Daun: just here, I tell you! under the very nose of Daun, + who is above two to one of us; and see what Daun will do. Marwitz, his + favorite Adjutant, one of those free-spoken Marwitzes, loyal, skilful, but + liable to stiff fits, takes the liberty to remonstrate, argue; says at + length, He, Marwitz, dare not be concerned in marking out such an + encampment; not he, for his poor part! And is put under arrest; and + another Adjutant does it; cannon playing on his people and him while + engaged in the operation. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich's obstinate rashness, this Tuesday Evening, has not wanted its + abundant meed of blame,—rendered so emphatic by what befell on + Saturday morning next. His somewhat too authoritative fixity; a certain + radiancy of self-confidence, dangerous to a man; his sovereign contempt of + Daun, as an inert dark mass, who durst undertake nothing: all this is + undeniable, and worth our recognition in estimating Friedrich. One + considerably extenuating circumstance does at last turn up,—in the + shape of a new piece of blame to the erring Friedrich; his sudden anger, + namely, against the meritorious General Retzow; his putting Retzow under + arrest that Tuesday Evening: "How, General Retzow? You have not taken hold + of the Stromberg for me!" That is the secret of Retzow: and on studying + the ground you will find that the Stromberg, a blunt tabular Hill, of good + height, detached, and towering well up over all that region, might have + rendered Friedrich's position perfectly safe. "Seize me the Stromberg + to-morrow morning, the first thing!" ordered Friedrich. And a Detachment + went accordingly; but found Daun's people already there,—indisposed + to go; nay determined not to go, and getting reinforced to unlimited + amounts. So that the Stromberg was left standing, and remained Daun's; + furnished with plenty of cannon by Daun. Retzow's arrest, Retzow being a + steady favorite of Friedrich's, was only of a few hours: "pardonable that + oversight," thinks Friedrich, though it came to cost him dear. For the + rest, I find, Friedrich's keeping of this Camp, without the Stromberg, was + intended to end, the third day hence: "Saturday, 14th, then, since Friday + proves impossible!" Friedrich had settled. And it did end Saturday, 14th, + though at an earlier HOUR, and with other results than had been expected. + Keith said, "The Austrians deserve to be hanged if they don't attack us + here." "We must hope they are more afraid of us than even of the gallows," + answered Friedrich. A very dangerous Camp; untenable without the + Stromberg. Let us try to understand it, and Daun's position to it, in some + slight degree. + </p> + <p> + "Hochkirch (HIGHkirk) is an old Wendish-Saxon Village, standing pleasantly + on its Hill-top, conspicuous for miles round on all sides, or on all but + the south side, where it abuts upon other Heights, which gradually rise + into Hills a good deal higher than it. The Village hangs confusedly, a + jumble of cottages and colegarths, on the crown and north slope of the + Height; thatched, in part tiled, and built mostly of rough stone blocks, + in our time,—not of wood, as probably in Friedrich's. A solid, + sluttishly comfortable-looking Village; with pleasant hay-fields, or long + narrow hay-stripes (each villager has his stripe), reaching down to the + northern levels. The Church is near the top; Churchyard, and some little + space farther, are nearly horizontal ground, till the next Height begins + sloping up again towards the woody Hills southward. The view from this + little esplanade atop, still better from the Church belfry, is wide and + pretty. Free on all sides except the south: pleasant Heights and Hollows, + of arable, of wood, or pasture; well watered by rushing Brooks, all making + northward, direct for Spree (the Berlin Spree), or else into the Lobau + Water, which is the first big branch of Spree. + </p> + <p> + "The place is still partly of Wendish speech; the Parson has to preach one + half of the Sunday in Wend, the other in German. Among the Hills to + south," well worth noting at present, "is one called CZARNABOG, or + 'Devil's Hill;' where the Wendish Devil and his Witches (equal to any + German on his Blocksberg, or preternatural Bracken of the Harz) hold their + annual WITCHES'-SABBATH,—a thing not to be contemplated without a + shudder by the Wendish mind. Thereabouts, and close from Hochkirch + southward, all is shadowy intricacy of thicket and wild wood. Northward + too from Hochkirch, and all about, I perceive the scene was woodier then + than now;—and must have looked picturesque enough (had anybody been + in quest of that), with the multifarious uniforms, and tented people + sprinkled far and wide among the leafy red-and-yellow of October, 1758." + [Tourist's Note, September, 1858.] + </p> + <p> + In the Village of Wuischke, precisely at the northern base of that shaggy + Czarnabog or Devil's Hill, stand Loudon and 3,000 Croats and grenadiers, + as the extreme left of Daun's position. Wuischke is nearly straight south + of Hochkirch; so far westward has Loudon pushed forward with his Croats, + hidden among the Hills; though Daun's general position lies a good mile to + east of Friedrich's:—irregularly north and south, both Friedrich and + Daun; the former ignorant what Croats and Loudonries, there may be among + those Devil's Hills to his right; the latter not ignorant. Friedrich's + right wing, Keith in command of it, stretches to Hochkirch and a little + farther: beyond Hochkirch, it has Four flank Battalions in potence form, + with proper vedettes and pickets; and above all, with a strong Battery of + Twenty Guns, which it maintains on the next Height immediately adjoining + Hochkirch, and perceptibly higher than Hochkirch. This is the finis of + Keith on his right; and—except those vedettes, and pickets of + Free-corps people, thrown out a little way ahead into the bushes, on that + side—Friedrich's right wing knows nothing of the shaggy elevations + horrent with wood, which lie to southward; and merely intends to play its + Twenty Cannon upon them, should they give birth to anything. This is + Friedrich's posture on his right or south wing. + </p> + <p> + From Hochkirch northward or nearly so, but sprinkled about in all the + villages and points of strength, as far up as Drehsa and beyond Drehsa, to + near Kotitz, a less important village, Friedrich extends about four miles; + centre at Rodewitz, where his own head-quarter is, above two miles north + of Hochkirch. Not far from Rodewitz, but a little to left and ahead, + stands his second and best Battery, of Thirty Guns; ready to play upon + Lauska, a poor village, and its roadway, should the Austrians try anything + there, or from their Stromberg post, which is a good mile behind Lauska. + His strength, in these lines, some count to be only 28,000, or less. Four + or five miles to northeast, in and behind Weissenberg (which we used to + know last summer), lies Retzow, with perhaps 10 or 12,000, which will + bring him up to 40,000, were they properly joined with him as a left wing. + Daun's force counts 90,000; with Friedrich lying under his nose in this + insolent manner. + </p> + <p> + Daun's head-quarter, as we said, is Kittlitz; a Village some two miles + short of Lobau, in the direction southeast of Friedrich; perhaps five + miles to southeast of Rodewitz, Friedrich's lodging. It is close upon the + Bautzen-Zittau Highway; Zittau some twenty miles to south of it, Herrnhuth + and the pacific Brethren about half-way thither. Kittlitz lies more to + south than Hochkirch itself; and Daun's outposts, as we saw, circle quite + round among those Devil's Hills, and envelop Friedrich's right flank. But + Daun's main force lies chiefly northward, and well to west, of Kittlitz; + parallel to Friedrich, and eastward of him; with elaborate intrenchments; + every village, brook, bridge, height and bit of good ground, Stromberg to + end with, punctually secured. Obliquely over the Stromberg, holding the + Stromberg and certain Villages to southeast and to northwest of it, lies + D'Ahremberg, as right wing: about 20,000 he, put into oblique potence; + looking into Kotitz, which is Friedrich's extreme left; and in a good + measure dividing Friedrich from the Retzow 10,000. And lastly, as reserve, + in front of Reichenbach, eight or nine miles to east of all that, lies the + Prince of Baden-Durlach, 25,000 or so; barring Retzow on that side, and + all attempts on the Silesian Road there. Daun's lines, not counting in the + southern outposts or Devil's-Hill parties, are considerably longer than + Friedrich's, and also considerably deeper. The two head-quarters are about + five miles apart: but the two fronts—divided by a brook and good + hollow running here (one of many such, making all for Lobau Water)—are + not half a mile apart. Towards Hochkirch and the top of this brook, the + opposing posts are quite crammed close on one another; divided only by + their hollow. Many brooks, each with a definite hollow, run tinkling about + here, swift but straitened to get out; especially Lobau Water, which + receives them all, has to take a quite meandering circling course (through + Daun's quarters and beyond them) before it can disembogue in Spree, and + decidedly set out for Berlin under that new name. The Landscape—seen + from Hochkirch Village, still better from the Church-steeple which lifts + you high above it, and commands all round except to the south, where + Friedrich's battery-height quite shuts you in, and hides even those + Devil's Hills beyond—is cheerful and pretty. Village belfries, + steeples and towers; airy green ridges of heights, and intricate greener + valleys: now rather barer than you like. The Tourist tells me, in + Friedrich's time there must have been a great deal more of wood than now. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0036" id="link2H_4_0036"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + WHAT ACTUALLY BEFELL AT HOCHKIRCH (Saturday, 14th October, 1758). + </h2> + <p> + Friedrich, for some time,—probably ever since Wednesday morning, + when he found the Stromberg was not to be his,—had decided to be out + of this bad post. In which, clearly enough, nothing was to be done, unless + Daun would attempt something else than more and more intrenching and + palisading himself. Friedrich on the second day (Thursday, 12th) rode + across to Weissenberg, to give Retzow his directions, and take view of the + ground: "Saturday night, Herr Retzow, sooner it cannot be [Friedrich had + aimed at Friday night, but finds the Provision-convoy cannot possibly be + up]; Saturday night, in all silence, we sweep round out of this,—we + and you;—hurl Baden-Durlach about his business; and are at Schops + and Reichenbach, and the Silesian Highway open, next morning, to us!" + [Tempelhof, ii. 320.] Quietly everything is speeding on towards this + consummation, on Friedrich's part. But on Daun's part there is—started, + I should guess, on the very same Thursday—another consummation + getting ready, which is to fall out on Saturday MORNING, fifteen hours + before that other, and entirely supersede that other!— + </p> + <p> + Keith's opinion, that the Austrians deserve to be hanged if they don't + attack us here, is also Loudon's opinion and Lacy's, and indeed + everybody's,—and at length Daun's own; who determines to try + something here, if never before or after. This plan, all judges admit, was + elaborate and good; and was well executed too,—Daun himself + presiding over the most critical part of the execution. A plan to have + ruined almost any Army, except this Prussian one and the Captain it + chanced to have. A universal camisado, or surprisal of Friedrich in his + Camp, before daylight: everybody knows that it took effect (Hochkirch, + Saturday, 14th October, 1758, 5 A.M. of a misty morning); nobody expects + of an unassisted fellow-creature much light on so doubly dark a thing. But + the truth is, there are ample accounts, exact, though very chaotic; and + the thing, steadily examined, till its essential features extricate + themselves from the unessential, proves to be not quite so unintelligible, + and nothing like so destructive, overwhelming and ruinous as was supposed. + </p> + <p> + Daun's plan is very elaborate, and includes a great many combinations; all + his 90,000 to come into it, simultaneously or in succession. But the first + and grandly vital part, mainspring and father to all the rest, is this: + That Daun, in person, after nightfall of Friday, shall, with the pick of + his force, say 30,000 horse and foot, with all their artilleries and + tools, silently quit his now position in front of Hochkirch, Friedrich's + right wing. Shall sweep off, silently to southward and leftward, by + Wuischke; thence westward and northward, by the northern base of those + Devil Mountains, through the shaggy hollows and thick woods there, + hitherto inhabited by Croats only, and unknown to the Prussians: forward, + ever forward, through the night-watches that way; till he has fairly got + to the flank of Hochkirch and Friedrich: Daun to be standing there, all + round from the southern environs of Hochkirch, westward through the Woods, + by Meschwitz, Steindorfel, and even north to Waditz (if readers will + consult their Map), silently enclosing Friedrich, as in the bag of a net, + in this manner;—ready every man and gun by about four on Saturday + morning. Are to wait for the stroke of five in Hochkirch steeple; and + there and then to begin business,—there first; but, on success + THERE, the whole 90,000 everywhere,—and to draw the strings on + Friedrich, and bag and strangle his astonished people and him. + </p> + <p> + The difficulty has been to keep it perfectly secret from so vigilant a man + as Friedrich: but Daun has completely succeeded. Perhaps Friedrich's eyes + have been a little dimmed by contempt of Daun: Daun, for the last two days + especially, has been more diligent than ever to palisade himself on every + point; nothing, seemingly, on hand but felling woods, building abatis, + against some dangerous Lion's-spring. They say also, he detected a traitor + in his camp; traitor carrying Letters to Friedrich under pretence of fresh + eggs,—one of the eggs blown, and a Note of Daun's Procedures + substituted as yolk. "You are dead, sirrah," said Daun; "hoisted to the + highest gallows: Are not you? But put in a Note of my dictating, and your + beggarly life is saved." Retzow Junior, though there is no evidence except + of the circumstantial kind, thinks this current story may be true. + [Retzow, i. 347.] Certain it is, neither Friedrich nor any of his people + had the least suspicion of Daun's project, till the moment it exploded on + them, when the clock at Hochkirch struck five. Daun, in the last two days, + had been felling even more trees than they are aware of,—thousands + of trees in those Devil's wildernesses to Friedrich's right; and has + secretly hewn himself roads, passable by night for men and + ammunition-wagons there:—and in front of Friedrich, especially + Hochkirch way, Daun seems busier than ever felling wood, this Friday + night; numbers of people running about with axes, with lanterns over + there, as if in the push of hurry, and making a great deal of noise. + "Intending retreat for Zittau to-morrow!" thinks Friedrich, as the false + egg-yolk had taught him; or merely, "That poor precautionary fellow!" + supposing the false yolk a myth. In short, Daun has got through his + nocturnal wildernesses with perfect success. And stands, dreamt of by no + enemy, in the places appointed for his 30,000 and him; and that poor old + clock of Hochkirch, unweariedly grunting forward to the stroke of five, + will strike up something it is little expecting!— + </p> + <p> + The Prussians have vedettes, pickets and small outposts of Free-corps + people scattered about within their border of that Austrian Wood, the body + of which, about Hochkirch as everywhere else, belongs wholly to Croats. Of + course there are guard-parties, sentries duly vigilant, in the big Battery + to southeast of Hochkirch,—and along southwestward in that POTENCE, + or fore-arm of Four Battalions, which are stationed there. Four good + Battalions looking southward there, with Cavalry to right; Ziethen's + Cavalry,—whose horses stand saddled through the night, ready always + for the nocturnal "Pandourade," which seldom fails them. There, as + elsewhere, are the due vigilances, watchmen, watch-fires. The rest of the + Prussian Army is in its blankets, wholly asleep, while Daun stands waiting + for the stroke of five. + </p> + <p> + That Daun, bursting in with his chosen 30,000, will trample down the + sleeping Prussian POTENCE at Hochkirch; capture its big Battery to left, + its Village of Hochkirch to rear, and do extensive ruin on the whole right + wing of Friedrich; rendering Friedrich everywhere an easy conquest to the + rest of Daun's people, who stand, far and wide, duly posted and prepared, + waiting only their signal from Hochkirch: much of this, all of it that had + regard to Hochkirch Battery and Village, and the Prussians stationed + there, Daun did execute. And readers, from the data they have got, must + conceive the manner of it,—human description of the next Two Hours, + about Hochkirch, in the thick darkness there, and stormful sudden inroad, + and stormful resistance made, being manifestly an impossible thing. Nobody + was "massacred in his bed" as the sympathetic gazetteers fancied; nobody + was killed, that I hear of, without arms, in his hand: but plenty of + people perished, fierce of humor, on both sides; and from half-past five + till towards eight, there was a general blaze of fiery chaos pushing out + ever and anon, swallowed in the belly of Night again, such as was seldom + seen in this world. Instead of confused details, and wearisome enumeration + of particulars, which nobody would listen to or understand, we will give + one intelligent young gentleman's experience, our friend Tempelhof's, who + stood in this part of the Prussian Line; experience distinct and + indubitable to us; and which was pretty accurately symbolical, I otherwise + see, of what befell on all points thereabouts. Faithfully copied, and in + the essential parts not even abridged, here it is:— + </p> + <p> + Tempelhof, at that time a subaltern of artillery, was stationed with a + couple of 24-pounders in attendance on the Battalion Plothow, which with + three others and some cavalry lay to the south side of Hochkirch, forming + a kind of fore-arm or POTENCE there to right of the big Battery, with + their rear to Hochkirch; and keeping vedettes and Free-corps parties + spread out into the woods and Devil's Hills ahead. Tempelhof had risen + about three, as usual; had his guns and gunners ready; and was standing by + the watch-fire, "expecting the customary Pandourade," and what form it + would take this morning. "Close on five o'clock; and not a mouse stirring! + We are not to have our Pandourade, then?" On a sudden, noise bursts out; + noise enough, sharp fire among the Free-corps people; fire growing ever + sharper, noisier, for the next half-hour, but nothing whatever to be seen. + "Battalion Plothow had soon got its clothes on, all to the spatterdashes; + and took rank to right and left of the FLECHE, and of my two guns, in + front of its post: but on account of the thick fog everything was totally + dark. I fired off my cannons [shall we say straight southward?] to learn + whether there was anything in front of us. No answer: 'Nothing there—Pshaw, + a mere crackery (GEKNACKER) of Pandours and our Free-corps people, after + all!' But the noise grew louder, and came ever nearer; I turned my guns + towards it [southward, southeastward, or perhaps a gun each way?]—and + here we had a salvo in response, from some battalions who seemed to be two + hundred yards or so ahead. The Battalion Plothow hereupon gave fire; I too + plied my cannons what I could,—and had perhaps delivered fifteen + double shots from them, when at once I tumbled to the ground, and lost all + consciousness" for some minutes or moments. + </p> + <p> + Awakening with the blood running down his face, poor Tempelhof concluded + it had been a musket-shot in the head; but on getting to his hands and + knees, he found the place "full of Austrian grenadiers, who had crept in + through our tents to rear; and that it had been a knock with the butt of + the musket from one of those fellows, and not a bullet" that had struck + him down. Battalion Plothow, assailed on all sides, resisted on all sides; + and Tempelhof saw from the ground,—I suppose, by the embers of + watch-fires, and by rare flashes of musketry, for they did not fire much, + having no room, but smashed and stabbed and cut,—"an infantry fight + which in murderous intensity surpasses imagination. I was taken prisoner + at this turn; but soon after got delivered by our cavalry again." + [Tempelhof, ii. 324 n.] + </p> + <p> + This latter circumstance, of being delivered by the Cavalry, I find to be + of frequent occurrence in that first act of the business there: the + Prussian Battalion, surprised on front and rear, always makes murderous + fight for itself: is at last overwhelmed, obliged to retire, perhaps + opening its way by bayonet charge;—upon which our Cavalry + (Ziethen's, and others that gathered to him) cutting in upon the + disordered surprisers, cut them into flight, rescue the prisoners, and for + a time reinstate matters. The Prussian battalions do not run (nobody + runs); but when repulsed by the endless odds, rally again. The big Battery + is not to be had of them without fierce and dogged struggle; and is + retaken more than once or twice. Still fiercer, more dogged, was the + struggle in Hochkirch Village; especially in Hochkirch Church and + Churchyard,—whither the Battalion Margraf-Karl had flung themselves; + the poor Village soon taking fire about them. Soon taking fire, and + continuing to be a scene of capture and recapture, by the flame-light; + while Battalion Margraf-Karl stood with invincible stubbornness, pouring + death from it; not to be compulsed by the raging tide of Austrian + grenadiers; not by "six Austrian battalions," by "eight," or by never so + many. Stood at bay there; levelling whole masses of them,—till its + cartridges were spent, all to one or two per man; and Major Lange, the + heroic Captain of it, said, "We shall have to go, then, my men; let us cut + ourselves through!"—and did so, in an honorably invincible manner; + some brave remnant actually getting through, with Lange himself wounded to + death. + </p> + <p> + I think it was not till towards six o'clock that the right wing generally + became aware what the case was: "More than a Pandourade, yes;"—though + what it might be, in the thick fog which had fallen, blotting out all + vestiges of daylight, nobody could well say. Rallied Battalions, + reinforced by this or the other Battalion hurrying up from leftward, + always charge in upon the enemy, in Hochkirch or wherever he is busy; + generally push him back into the Night; but are then fallen upon on both + flanks by endless new strength, and obliged to draw back in turn. And + Ziethen's Horse, in the mean while, do execution; breaking in on the + tumultuous victors; new Cuirassiers, Gens-d'Armes dashing up to help, so + soon as saddled, and charging with a will: so that, on the whole, the + enemy, variously attempting, could make nothing of us on that western, or + rearward side,—thanks mainly to Ziethen and the Horse. "Had we but + waited till three or four of our Battalions had got up!" say the Prussian + narrators. But it is thick mist; few yards ahead you cannot see at all, + unless it be flame; and close at hand, all things and figures waver + indistinct,—hairy outlines of blacker shadows on a ground of black. + </p> + <p> + It must have been while Lange was still fighting, perhaps before Lange + took to the Church of Hochkirch, scarcely later than half-past six (but + nobody thought of pulling out his watch in such a business!)—about + six, or half-past six, when Keith, who has charge of this wing, and lodges + somewhere below or north of Hochkirch, came to understand that his big + Battery was taken; that here was such a Pandourade as had not been before; + and that, of a surety, said Battery must be retaken. Keith springs on + horseback; hastily takes "Battalion Kannacker" and several remnants of + others; rushes upwards, "leaving Hochkirch a little to right; direct upon + the big Battery." Recaptures the big Battery. But is set upon by + overwhelming multitudes, bent to have it back;—is passionate for new + assistance in this vital point; but can get none: had been "DISARTED by + both his Aide-de-camps," says poor John Tebay, a wandering English + horse-soldier, who attends him as mounted groom; "asked twenty times, and + twenty more, 'Where are my Aide-de-camps!'" ["Captens Cockcey and Goudy" + he calls them—(COCCEJI whose Father the Kanzler we have seen, and + GAUDI whose self),—who both had, in succession, struck into + Hochkirch as the less desperate place, according to Tebay: see TEBAY'S + LETTER to Mitchell, "Crossen, October 29th" (in MEMOIRS AND PAPERS, ii. + 501-505);—which is probably true every word, allowing for Tebay's + temper; but is highly indecipherable, though not entirely so after many + readings and researehings.]—but could get no response or + reinforcement; and at length, quite surrounded and overwhelmed, had to + retire; opening his way by the bayonet; and before long, suddenly stopping + short,—falling dead into Tebay's arms; shot through the heart. Two + shots on the right side he had not regarded; but this on the left side was + final: Keith's fightings are suddenly all done. Tebay, in distraction, + tried much to bring away the body; but could by no present means; + distractedly "rid for a coach;" found, on return, that the Austrians had + the ground, and the body of his master; Hochkirch, Church and all, now + undisputedly theirs. + </p> + <p> + To appearance, it was this news of Keith's repulse (I know not whether of + Keith's DEATH as yet) that first roused Friedrich to a full sense of what + was now going on, two miles to south of him. Friedrich, according to his + habits, must have been awake and afoot when the Business first broke out; + though, for some considerable time, treating it as nothing but a common + crackery of Pandours. Already, finding the Pandourade louder than usual, + he had ordered out to it one battalion and the other that lay handy: but + now he pushes forward several battalions under Franz of Brunswick (his + youngest Brother-in-law), with Margraf Karl and Prince Moritz: "Swift you, + to Hochkirch yonder!"—and himself springs on horseback to deal with + the affair. Prince Franz of Brunswick, poor young fellow, cheerily coming + on, near Hochkirch had his head shorn off by a cannon-ball. Moritz of + Dessau, too, "riding within twenty yards of the Austrians," so dark was + it, he so near-sighted, got badly hit,—and soon after, driving to + Bautzen for surgery, was made prisoner by Pandours; [In ARCHENHOLTZ (i. + 289, 290) his dangerous adventures on the road to Bautzen, in this wounded + condition.] never fought again, "died next year of cancer in the lip." + Nothing but triumphant Austrian shot and cannon-shot going yonder; these + battalions too have to fall back with sore loss. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich himself, by this time, is forward in the thick of the tumult, + with another body of battalions; storming furiously along, has his horse + shot under him; storms through, "successfully, by the other side of + Hochkirch" (Hochkirch to his left):—but finds, as the mist gradually + sinks, a ring of Austrians massed ahead, on the + </p> + <p> + —MAP GOES HERE, FACING PAGE 160, BOOK XVIII——— + </p> + <p> + Heights; as far as Steindorfel and farther, a general continent of + Austrians enclosing all the south and southwest; and, in fact, that here + is now nothing to be done. That the question of his flank is settled; that + the question now is of his front, which the appointed Austrian parties are + now upon attacking. Question especially of the Heights of Drehsa, and of + the Pass and Brook of Drehsa (rearward of his centre part), where his one + retreat will lie, Steindorfel being now lost. Part first of the Affair is + ended; Part second of it begins. + </p> + <p> + Rapidly enough Friedrich takes his new measures. Seizes Drehsa Height, + which will now be key of the field; despatches Mollendorf thither + (Mollendorf our courageous Leuthen friend); who vigorously bestirs + himself; gets hold of Drehsa Height before the enemy can; Ziethen + co-operating on the Heights of Kumschutz, Canitz and other points of + vantage. And thus, in effect, Friedrich pulls up his torn right skirt (as + he is doing all his other skirts) into new compact front against the + Austrians: so that, in that southwestern part especially; the Austrians do + not try it farther; but "retire at full gallop," on sight of this swift + seizure of the Keys by Mollendorf and Ziethen. Friedrich also despatches + instant order to Retzow, to join him at his speediest. Friedrich + everywhere rearranges himself, hither, thither, with skilful rapidity, in + new Line of Battle; still hopeful to dispute what is left of the field;—longing + much that Retzow could come on wings. + </p> + <p> + By this time (towards eight, if I might guess) Day has got the upper hand; + the Daun Austrians stand visible on their Ring of Heights all round, + behind Hochkirch and our late Battery, on to westward and northward, as + far as Steindorfel and Waditz;—extremely busy rearranging themselves + into something of line; there being much confusion, much simmering about + in clumps and gaps, after such a tussle. In front of us, to eastward, the + appointed Austrian parties are proceeding to attack: but in daylight, and + with our eyes open, it is a thing of difficulty, and does not prosper as + Hochkirch did. Duke D'Ahremberg, on their extreme right, had in charge to + burst in upon our left, so soon as he saw Hochkirch done: D'Ahremberg does + try; as do others in their places, near Daun; but with comparatively + little success. D'Ahremberg, meeting something of check or hindrance where + he tried, pauses, for a good while, till he see how others prosper. Their + grand chance is their superiority of number; and the fact that Friedrich + can try nothing upon THEM, but must stand painfully on the defensive till + Retzow come. To Friedrich, Retzow seems hugely slow about it. But the + truth is, Baden-Durlach, with his 20,000 of Reserve, has, as per order, + made attack on Retzow, 20,000 against 12: one of the feeblest attacks + conceivable; but sufficient to detain Retzow till he get it repulsed. + Retzow is diligent as Time, and will be here. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile, the Austrians on front do, in a sporadic way, attack and again + attack our batteries and posts; especially that big Battery of Thirty + Guns, which we have to north of Rodewitz. The Austrians do take that + Battery at last; and are beginning again to be dangerous,—the rather + as D'Ahremberg seems again to be thinking of business. It is high time + Retzow were here! Few sights could be gladder to Friedrich, than the first + glitter of Retzow's vanguard,—horse, under Prince Eugen of + Wurtemberg,—beautifully wending down from Weissenberg yonder; + skilfully posting themselves, at Belgern and elsewhere, as thorns in the + sides of D'Ahremberg (sharp enough, on trial by D'Ahremberg). Followed, + before long, by Retzow himself; serenely crossing Lobau Water; and, with + great celerity, and the best of skill, likewise posting himself,—hopelessly + to D'Ahremberg, who tries nothing farther. The sun is now shining; it is + now ten of the day. Had Retzow come an hour sooner;—efore we lost + that big Battery and other things! But he could come no sooner; be + thankful he is here at last, in such an overawing manner. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich, judging that nothing now can be made of the affair, orders + retreat. Retreat, which had been getting schemed, I suppose, and planned + in the gloom of the royal mind, ever since loss of that big Battery at + Rodewitz. Little to occupy him, in this interim; except indignant waiting, + rigorously steady, and some languid interchange of cannon-shot between the + parties. Retreat is to Klein-Bautzen neighborhood (new head-quarter + Doberschutz, outposts Kreckwitz and Purschwitz); four miles or so to + northwest. Rather a shifting of your ground, which astonishes the military + reader ever since, than a retreating such as the common run of us + expected. Done in the usual masterly manner; part after part mending off, + Retzow standing minatory here, Mollendorf minatory there, in the softest + quasi-rhythmic sequence; Cavalry all drawn out between Belgern and + Kreckwitz, baggage-wagons filing through the Pass of Drehsa;—not an + Austrian meddling with it, less or more; Daun and his Austrians standing + in their ring of five miles, gazing into it like stone statues; their + regiments being still in a confused state,—and their Daun an + extremely slow gentleman. [Tempelhof, ii. 319-336; Seyfarth, <i>Beylagen,</i> + i. 432-453; <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> v. 241-257; Archenholtz, &c. + &c.] + </p> + <p> + And in this manner Friedrich, like a careless swimmer caught in the + Mahlstrom, has not got swallowed in it; but has made such a buffeting of + it, he is here out of it again, without bone broken,—not, we hope, + without instruction from the adventure. He has lost 101 pieces of cannon, + most of his tents and camp-furniture; and, what is more irreparable, above + 8,000 of his brave people, 5,381 of them and 119 Officers (Keith and + Moritz for two) either dead or captive. In men the Austrian loss, it + seems, is not much lower, some say is rather a shade higher; by their own + account, 325 Officers, 5,614 rank and file, killed and wounded,—not + reckoning 1,000 prisoners they lost to us, and "at least 2,000" who took + that chance of deserting in the intricate dark woods. [Tempelhof, ii. 336; + but see Kausler, p. 576.] + </p> + <p> + Friedrich, all say, took his punishment in a wonderfully cheerful manner. + De Catt the Reader, entering to him that evening as usual, the King + advanced, in a tragic declamatory attitude; and gave him, with proper + voice and gesture, an appropriate passage of Racine:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Enfin apres un an, tu me revois, Arbate, + Non plus comme autrefois cet heureux Mithridate, + Qui, de Rome toujours balancant le destin, + Tenait entre elle et moi l'univers incertain. + Je suis vaincu; Pompee a saisi l'avantage + D'une nuit qui laissait peu de place au courage; + Mes soldats presque nus, dans"... +</pre> + <p> + Not a little to De Catt's comfort. [Rodenbeck, i. 354.] During the retreat + itself, Retzow Junior had come, as Papa's Aide-de-Camp, with a message to + the King; found him on the heights of Klein Bautzen, watching the + movements. Message done with, the King said, in a smiling tone, "Daun has + played me a slippery trick to-day!" "I have seen it," answered Retzow; + "but it is only a scratch, which your Majesty will soon manage to heal + again."—"GLAUBT ER DIES, Do you think so?" "Not only I, but the + whole Army firmly believe it of your Majesty."—"You are quite + right," added the King, in a confidentially candid way: "We will manage + Daun. What I lament is, the number of brave men that have died this + morning." [Retzow, i. 359 n.] On the morrow, he was heard to say publicly: + "Daun has let us out of check-mate; the game is not lost yet. We will rest + ourselves here, a few days; then go for Silesia, and deliver Neisse." The + Anecdote-Books (perhaps not mythically) add this: "Where are all your + guns, though?" said the King to an Artilleryman, standing vacant on + parade, next day. "IHRO MAJESTAT, the Devil stole them all, last night!"—"Hm, + well, we must have them back from him." [Archenholtz, i. 299.] + </p> + <p> + Nothing immoderately depressive in Hochkirch, it appears;—though, + alas, on the fourth day after, there came a message from Baireuth; which + did strike one down: "My noble Wilhelmina dead; died in the very hours + while we were fighting here!" [On a common Business-Letter to Prince + Henri, "Doberschutz, 18th October, 1758," is this sudden bit of Autograph: + "GRAND DIEU, MA SOEUR DE BAREITH!"—(Schoning, <i>Der siebenjahrige + Krieg, nach der Original-Correspondens &c. aus den Staats-Archiven:</i> + Potsdam, 1851: i. 287.)] Readers must conceive it: coming unexpected more + or less, black as sudden universal hurricane, on the heart of the man; a + sorrow sacred, yet immeasurable, irremediable to him; as if the sky too + were falling on his head, in aid of the mean earth and its ravenings:—of + all this there can nothing be said at present. Friedrich's one relief + seems to have been the necessity laid on him of perpetual battling with + outward business;—we may fancy, in the rapid weeks following, how + much was lying at all times in the background of his mind suppressed into + its caves. + </p> + <p> + Daun, it appears, was considerably elated; spent a great deal of his time, + so precious just at present, in writing despatches, in congratulating and + being congratulated;—did an elaborate TE-DEUM, or Ambrosian Song, in + Artillery and VOX HUMANA,—which with the adjuncts, say splenetic + people, as at Kolin, sensibly assisted Friedrich's affairs. Daun was by no + means of braggart turn; but the recognition of his matchless achievement + by the gazetteer public, whether in exultation or in lamentation, was loud + and universal; and the joy, in Vienna and the cognate quarters, knew no + bounds for the time being. Thus, among other tokens, the Holiness of our + Lord the Pope, blessing Heaven for such success against the Heretic, was + pleased to send him "a Consecrated Hat and Sword,"—such as the old + Popes were wont, very long ago, to bestow on distinguished Champions + against the Heathen,—(much jeered at, and crowed over, by a profane + Friedrich [<i>OEuvres de Frederic,</i> xv. 122, 124, 126, &c. &c.: + in PREUSS, ii. 196, complete List of these poor Pieces; which are hearty, + not hypocritical, in their contemptuous hilarity, but have little other + metit.]): "the effect of which miraculous furnishings," says Tempelhof, + "turned out to be that the Feldmarschall never gained any success more;" + in fact, except that small thing on Finck next Year, never any, as it + chanced. Daun had withdrawn to his old Camp, on the day of Hochkirch; + leaving only a detachment on the field there: it was not for six or seven + days more that he stept out to the Kreckwitz and Purschwitz neighborhood; + more within sight of his vanquished enemy,—but nothing like vigilant + enough of what might still be in him, after such vanquishing!—We + must spare this Note, for the sake of a heroic kind of man, who had not + too much of reward in the world:— + </p> + <p> + "Tebay could not recover Keith's body: Croats had the plundering of Keith; + other Austrians, not of Croat kind, carried the dead General into + Hochkirch Church: Lacy's emotion on recognizing him there,—like a + tragic gleam of his own youth suddenly brought back to him, as in + starlight, piercing and sad, from twenty years distance,—is well + known in Books. On the morrow, Sunday, October 15th, Keith had honorable + soldier's-burial there,—'twelve cannon' salvoing thrice, and 'the + whole Corps of Colloredo' with their muskets thrice; Lacy as chief + mourner, not without tears. Four months after, by royal order, Keith's + body was conveyed to Berlin; reinterred in Berlin, in a still more solemn + public manner, with all the honors, all the regrets; and Keith sleeps now + in the Garnison-Kirche:—far from bonnie Inverugie; the hoarse + sea-winds and caverns of Dunottar singing vague requiem to his honorable + line and him, in the imaginations of some few. 'My Brother leaves me a + noble legacy,' said the old Lord Marischal: 'last year he had Bohemia + under ransom; and his personal estate is 70 ducats, (about 25 pounds). + [Varnhagen, p. 261.] + </p> + <p> + "In Hochkirch Church there is still, not in the Churchyard as formerly, a + fine, modestly impressive Monument to Keith; modest Urn of black marble on + a Pedestal of gray,—and, in gold letters, an Inscription not easily + surpassable in the lapidary way:... 'DUM IN PRAELIO NON PROCUL HINC + INCLINATAM SUORUM ACIEM MENTE MANU VOCE ET EXEMPLO RESTITUERAT PUGNANS UT + HEROAS DECET OCCUBUIT. D. XIV. OCTOBRIS' These words go through you like + the clang of steel. [In RODENBECK, i. 149. Given also (very nearly + correct) in CORRESPONDENCE OF SIR ROBERT MURRAY KEITH (London, 1849), i. + 151. This is the junior of the two Diplomatic Roberts, genealogical + cousins of Keith; by this one (in 1771, not 1776 as German Guide-books + have it) the Hochkirch Monument was set up. A very interesting Collection + of LETTERS those of his;—edited with the usual darkness, or rather + more.] Friedrich's sorrow over him ('tears,' high eulogies, 'LOUA + EXTREMEMENT') is itself a monument. Twenty years after, Keith had from his + Master a Statue, in Berlin. One of Four; to the Four most deserving: + Schwerin (1771), Winterfeld (1777), Seidlitz (1779, Keith (when?), + [Nicolai <i> (Beschreibung der Residenzstadte,</i> i. 193, 194) gives + these dates for the Three, and for Keith's no date.]—which still + stand in the Wilhelm Platz there. + </p> + <p> + "Hochkirch Church has been rebuilt in late years: a spacious airy Church, + with galleries, and requisites, especially with free air, light and + cleanliness. Capable perhaps of 1,500 sitters: half of them Wends. 'Above + 700 skeletons, in one heap, were dug out, in cutting the new foundations. + The strong outer Door of the old Church, red oak, I should think, is still + retained in that capacity; still shows perhaps half a dozen rough big + quasi-KEYHOLES, torn through it in different parts, and daylight shining + in, where the old bullets passed. The Keith Monument, perhaps four feet + high, is on the flagged floor, left side of the pulpit, close by the wall,—'the + bench where Keith's body lay has had to be cased in new plank [zinc would + be better] against the knives of tourists.'" + </p> + <p> + Old Lord Marischal—George, "MARECHAL D'ECOSSE" as he always signs + himself—was by this time seventy-two; King's Governor of Neufchatel, + for a good while past and to come (1754-1763). In "James," the junior, but + much the stronger and more solid, he has lost, as it were, a FATHER and + younger brother at once; father, under beautiful conditions; and the tears + of the old man are natural and affecting. Ten years older than his + Brother; and survived him still twenty years. An excellent cheery old + soul, he too; honest as the sunlight, with a fine small vein of gayety, + and "pleasant wit," in him: what a treasure to Friedrich at Potsdam, in + the coming years; and how much loved by him (almost as one BOY loves + another), all readers would be surprised to discover. Some hints of him + will perhaps be allowed us farther on. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0037" id="link2H_4_0037"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + SEQUEL OF HOCHKIRCH; THE CAMPAIGN ENDS IN A WAY SURPRISING TO AN ATTENTIVE + PUBLIC (22d October-20th November, 1758). + </h2> + <p> + There followed upon Hochkirch five weeks of rapid events; such as nobody + had been calculating on. To the reader, so weary of marchings, + manoeuvrings, surprisals, campings and details of war, not many words, we + hope, may render these results conceivable. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich stayed ten days, refitting himself, in that Camp of + Klein-Bautzen, on one of the branches of the Spree. Daun, who had retired + to his old strong place, on the 14th, scarcely occupying Hochkirch Field + at all, came out in about a week; and took a strong post near Friedrich; + not attempting anything upon him, but watching him, now better within + sight. Friedrich's fixed intention is, to march to Neisse all the same; + what probably Daun, under the shadow of his laurels and his new Papal Hat, + may not have considered possible, with the road to Neisse blocked by + 80,000 men. Friedrich has refitted himself with the requisite new cannon + and furnitures, from Dresden; especially with Prince Henri and 6,000 foot + and horse,—led by Prince Henri in person; so Prince Henri would have + it, the capricious little man; and that Finck should be left in Saxony + instead of him. All which weakens Saxony not a little. But Friedrich hopes + the Reichs Army is a feeble article; ill off for provision in those parts, + and not likely to attempt very much on the sudden. Accordingly:— + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0038" id="link2H_4_0038"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + FRIEDRICH MARCHES, ENIGMATICALLY, NOT ON GLOGAU, BUT ON REICHENBACH AND + GORLITZ; TO DAUN'S ASTONISHMENT. + </h2> + <p> + SUNDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 22d, Convoy of many wagons quit Bautzen (Bautzen + Proper, not the Village, but the Town), laden with all the wounded of + Hochkirch; above 3,000 by count, to carry them to Dresden for deliberate + surgery. Keith's Tebay, I perceive, is in this Convoy; not ill hurt, but + willing to lie in Hospital a little, and consider. These poor fellows + cannot get to Dresden: on the second day, a Daun Detachment, hussaring + about in those parts, is announced ahead; and (by new order from + head-quarters) the Convoy turns northwards for Hoyerswerda,—(to + Tebay's disgust with the Commandant; "shied off," says Tebay, "for twelve + hussars!" [Second LETTER from Tebay, in Mitchell, ubi supra.])—and, + I think, in the end, went on to Glogau instead of Dresden. Which was very + fortunate for Tebay and the others. The poor wounded being thus disposed + of, Friedrich next night, at 10 o'clock, Monday, 23d, in the softest + manner, pushes off his Bakery and Army Stores a little way, northward down + the Spree Valley, on the western fork of the Spree (fork farthest from + Daun); follows, himself, with the rest of the Army, next evening, down the + eastern fork, also northward. "Going for Glogau," thinks Daun, when the + hussars report about it (late on Tuesday night): "Let him go, if he fancy + that a road TO Neisse! But, indeed, what other shift has he," considers + Daun, "but to try rallying at Glogau yonder, safe under the guns?"—and + is not in the slightest haste about this new matter. [Tempelhof, ii. + 341-347.] + </p> + <p> + United with his baggage-column, Friedrich proceeds northeastward; crosses + Spree still northward or northeastward; encamps there, in the dark hours + of Tuesday; no Daun heeding him. Before daylight, however, Friedrich is + again on foot; in several columns now, for the bad country-roads ahead;—and + has struck straight SOUTHeastward, if Daun were noting him. And, in the + afternoon of Wednesday, Daun is astonished to learn that this wily Enemy + is arrived in Reichenbach vicinity; sweeping in our poor posts + thereabouts; immovably astride of the Silesian Highway, after all! An + astonished Daun hastens out, what he can, to take survey of the sudden + Phenomenon. Tries it, next day and next, with his best Loudons and + appliances; finds that this Phenomenon can actually march to Neisse ahead + of him, indifferent to Pandours, or giving them as good as they bring;—and + that nothing but a battle and beating (could we rashly dream of such a + thing, which we cannot) will prevent it. "Very well, then!" Daun strives + to say. And lets the Phenomenon march (FROM Gorlitz, OCTOBER 30th); Loudon + harassing the rear of it, for some days; not without counter harassment, + much waste of cannonading, and ruin to several poor Lausitz Villages by + fire,—"Prussians scandalously burn them, when we attack!" says + Loudon. Till, at last, finding this march impregnably arranged, "split + into two routes," and ready for all chances, Loudon also withdraws to more + promising business. Poor General Retzow Senior was of this march; + absolutely could not be excused, though fallen ill of dysentery, like to + die;—and did die, the day after he got to Schweidnitz, when the + difficulties and excitement were over. [Retzow, i. 372.] + </p> + <p> + Of Friedrich's march, onward from Gorlitz, we shall say nothing farther, + except that the very wind of it was salvatory to his Silesian Fortresses + and interests. That at Neisse, on and after November 1st,—which is + the third or second day of Friedrich's march,—General Treskow, + Commandant of Neisse, found the bombardment slacken more and more ("King + of Prussia coming," said the Austrian deserters to us); and that, on + November 6th, Treskow, looking out from Neisse, found the Austrian + trenches empty, Generals Harsch and Deville hurrying over the Hills + homewards,—pickings to be had of them by Treskow,—and Neisse + Siege a thing finished. [TAGEBUCH, &c. ("Diary of the Siege of + Neisse," 4th August, 26th October, 6th November, 1758, "1 A.M. suddenly"), + in Seyfarth, <i>Beylagen,</i> ii. 468-472: of Treskow's own writing; brief + and clear. <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> v. 268-270.] It had lasted, in the + way of blockade and half-blockade, for about three months; Deville, for + near one month, half-blockading, then Harsch (since September 30th) wholly + blockading, with Deville under him, and an army of 20,000; though the + actual cannonade, very fierce, but of no effect, could not begin till + little more than a week ago,—so difficult the getting up of + siege-material in those parts. Kosel, under Commandant Lattorf, whose + praises, like Treskow's, were great,—had stood four months of + Pandour blockading and assaulting, which also had to take itself away on + advent of Friedrich. Of Friedrich, on his return-journey, we shall hear + again before long; but in the mean while must industriously follow Daun. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0039" id="link2H_4_0039"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + FELDMARSCHALL DAUN AND THE REICHS ARMY TRY SOME SIEGE OF DRESDEN (9th-16th + November). + </h2> + <p> + OCTOBER 30th, Daun, seeing Neisse Siege as good as gone to water, decided + with himself that he could still do a far more important stroke: capture + Dresden, get hold of Saxony in Friedrich's absence. Daun turned round from + Reichenbach, accordingly; and, at his slow-footed pace, addressed himself + to that new errand. Had he made better despatch, or even been in better + luck, it is very possible he might have done something there. In Dresden, + and in Governor Schmettau with his small garrison, there is no strength + for a siege; in Saxony is nothing but some poor remnant under Finck, much + of it Free-corps and light people: capable of being swallowed by the + Reichs Army itself,—were the Reichs Army enterprising, or in good + circumstances otherwise. It is true the Russians have quitted Colberg as + impossible; and are flowing homewards dragged by hunger: the little Dohna + Army will, therefore, march for Saxony; the little Anti-Swedish Army, + under Wedell, has likewise been mostly ordered thither; both at their + quickest. For Daun, all turns on despatch; loiter a little, and Friedrich + himself will be here again! + </p> + <p> + Daun, I have no doubt, stirred his slow feet the fastest he could. + NOVEMBER 7th, Daun was in the neighborhood of Pirna Country again, had his + Bridge at Pirna, for communication; urged the Reichs Army to bestir + itself, Now or never. Reichs Army did push out a little against Finck; + made him leave that perpetual Camp of Gahmig, take new camps, Kesselsdorf + and elsewhere; and at length made him shoot across Elbe, to the northwest, + on a pontoon bridge below Dresden, with retreating room to northward, and + shelter under the guns of that City. Reichs Army has likewise made + powerful detachments for capture of Leipzig and the northwestern towns; + capture of Torgau, the Magazine town, first of all: summon them, with + force evidently overpowering, "Free withdrawal, if you don't resist; and + if you do—!" At Torgau there was actual attempt made (November + 12th), rather elaborate and dangerous looking; under Haddick, with near + 10,000 of the "Austrian-auxiliary" sort: to whom the old Commandant—judging + Wedell, the late Anti-Swedish Wedell, to be now near—rushed out with + "300 men and one big gun;" and made such a firing and gesticulation as was + quite extraordinary, as if Wedell were here already: till Wedell's self + did come in sight; and the overpowering Reichs Detachment made its best + speed else-whither. [Tempelhof, &c.; "Letter from a Prussian Officer," + in <i>Helden-Geschichte</i>, v. 286.] The other Sieges remained things of + theory; the other Reichs Detachments hurried home, I think, without + summoning anybody. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile, Daun, with the proper Artilleries at last ready, comes flowing + forward (NOVEMBER 8th-9th); and takes post in the Great Garden, or south + side of Dresden; minatory to Schmettau and that City. The walls, or works, + are weak; outside there is nothing but Mayer and the Free Corps to resist, + who indeed has surpassed himself this season, and been extraordinarily + diligent upon that lazy Reichs Army. Commandant Schmettau signifies to + Daun, the day Daun came in sight, "If your Excellenz advance farther on + me, the grim Rules of War in besieged places will order That I burn the + Suburbs, which are your defences in attacking me,"—and actually + fills the fine houses on the Southern Suburb with combustible matter, + making due announcements, to Court and population, as well as to Dann. + "Burn the Suburbs?" answers Daun: "In the name of civilized humanity, you + will never think of such thing!" "That will I, your Excellenz, of a + surety, and do it!" answers Schmettau. So that Dresden is full of pity, + terror and speculation. The common rumor is, says Excellency Mitchell, who + is sojourning there for the present, "That Bruhl [nefarious Bruhl, born to + be the death of us!] has persuaded Polish Majesty to sanction this + enterprise of Daun's,"—very careless, Bruhl, what become of Dresden + or us, so the King of Prussia be well hurt or spited! + </p> + <p> + Certain enough, NOVEMBER 9th, Daun does come on, regardless of Schmettau's + assurances; so that, "about midnight:" Mayer, who "can hear the enemy + busily building four big batteries" withal, has to report himself driven + to the edge of those high Houses (which are filled with combustibles), and + that some Croats are got into the upper windows. "Burn them, then!" + answers Schmettasu (such the dire necessity of sieged places): and, "at 3 + A.M." (three hours' notice to the poor inmates), Mayer does so; hideous + flames bursting out, punctually at the stroke of 3: "whole Suburb seemed + on blaze [about a sixth part of it actually so], nay you would have said + the whole Town was environed in flames." Excellency Mitchell climbed a + steeple: "will not describe to your Lordship the horror, the terror and + confusion of this night; wretched inhabitants running with their furniture + [what of it they had got flung out, between 12 o'clock and 3] towards the + Great Garden; all Dresden, to appearance, girt in flames, ruins and + smoke." Such a night in Dresden, especially in the Pirna Suburb, as was + never seen before. [Mitchell, <i>Memoirs and Papers,</i> i. 459. In <i>Helden-Geschichte,</i> + v. 295-302, minute account (corresponding well with Mitchell's); ib. + 303-333, the certified details of the damage done: "280 houses lost;" "4 + human lives."] This was the sad beginning, or attempt at beginning, of + Dresden Siege; and this also was the end of it, on Daun's part at present. + For four days more, he hung about the place, minatory, hesitative; but + attempted nothing feasible; and on the fifth day,—"for a certain + weighty reason," as the Austrian Gazettes express it,—he saw good to + vanish into the Pirna Rock-Country, and be out of harm's way in the mean + while! + </p> + <p> + The Truth is, Daun's was an intricate case just now; needing, above all + things, swiftness of treatment; what, of all things, it could not get from + Daun. His denunciations on that burnt Suburb were again loud; but + Schmettau continues deaf to all that,—means "to defend himself by + the known rules of war and of honor;" declares, he "will dispute from + street to street, and only finish in the middle of Polish Majesty's Royal + Palace." Denunciation will do nothing! Daun had above 100,000 men in those + parts. Rushing forward with sharp shot and bayonet storm, instead of + logical denunciation, it is probable Daun might have settled his + Schmettau. But the hour of tide was rigorous, withal;—and such an + ebb, if you missed it in hesitating! NOVEMBER 15th, Daun withdrew; the + ebbing come. That same day, Friedrich was at Lauban in the Lausitz, within + a hundred miles again; speeding hitherward; behind him a Silesia brushed + clear, before him a Saxony to be brushed. "Reason weighty" enough, think + Daun and the Austrian Gazettes! But such, since you have missed the + tide-hour, is the inexorable fact of ebb,—going at that frightful + rate. Daun never was the man to dispute facts. + </p> + <p> + November 20th, Friedrich arrived in Dresden; heard, next day, that Daun + had wheeled decisively homeward from Pirna Country; that the Reichs Army + and he are diligently climbing the Metal Mountains; and that there is not + in Saxony, more than in Silesia, an enemy left. What a Sequel to + Hochkirch! "Neisse and Dresden both!" we had hoped as sequel, if lucky: + "Neisse OR Dresden" seemed infallible. And we are climbing the Metal + Mountains, under facts superior to us. + </p> + <p> + And Campaign Third has closed in this manner;—leaving things much as + it found them. Essentially a drawn match; Contending Parties little + altered in relative strength;—both of them, it may be presumed, + considerably weaker. Friedrich is not triumphant, or shining in the light + of bonfires, as last Year; but, in the mind of judges, stands higher than + ever (if that could help him much);—and is not "annihilated" in the + least, which is the surprising circumstance. + </p> + <p> + Friedrich's marches, especially, have been wonderful, this Year. In the + spring-time, old Marechal de Belleisle, French Minister of War, consulting + officially about future operations, heard it objected once: "But if the + King of Prussia were to burst in upon us there?" "The King of Prussia is a + great soldier," answered M. de Belleisle; "but his Army is not a shuttle + (NAVETTE),"—to be shot about, in that way, from side to side of the + world! No surely; not altogether. But the King of Prussia has, among other + arts, an art of marching Armies, which by degrees astonishes the old + Marechal. To "come upon us EN NAVETTE," suddenly "like a shuttle" from the + other side of the web, became an established phrase among the French + concerned in these unfortunate matters. [Archenholtz, i. 316; + Montalembert, SAEPIUS, for the phrase "EN NAVETTE."] + </p> + <p> + "The Pitt-and-Ferdinand Campaign of 1758," says a Note, which I would fain + abridge, "is more palpably victorious than Friedrich's, much more an + affair of bonfires than his; though it too has had its rubs. Loss of honor + at Crefeld; loss of Louisburg and Codfishery: these are serious blows our + enemy has had. But then, to temper the joy over Louisburg, there was, at + Ticonderoga, by Abercrombie, on the small scale (all the extent of scale + he had), a melancholy Platitude committed: that of walking into an enemy + without the least reconnoitring of him, who proves to be chin-deep in + abatis and field-works; and kills, much at his ease, about 2,000 brave + fellows, brought 5,000 miles for that object. And obliges you to walk away + on the instant, and quit Ticonderoga, like a—surely like a very + tragic Dignitary in Cocked-hat! To be cashiered, we will hope; at least to + be laid on the shelf, and replaced by some Wolfe or some Amherst, fitter + for the business! Nor were the Descents on the French Coast much to speak + of: 'Great Guns got at Cherbourg,' these truly, as exhibited in Hyde-Park, + were a comfortable sight, especially to the simpler sort: but on the other + hand, at Morlaix, on the part of poor old General Bligh and Company, there + had been a Platitude equal or superior to that of Abercrombie, though not + so tragical in loss of men. 'What of that?' said an enthusiastic Public, + striking their balance, and joyfully illuminating.—Here is a + Clipping from Ohio Country, 'LETTER of an Officer [distilled essence of + Two Letters], dated, FORT-DUQUESNE, 28th NOVEMBER, 1758:— + </p> + <p> + "'Our small Corps under General Forbes, after much sore scrambling through + the Wildernesses, and contending with enemies wild and tame, is, since the + last four days, in possession of Fort Duquesne [PITTSBURG henceforth]: + Friday, 24th, the French garrison, on our appearance, made off without + fighting; took to boats down the Ohio, and vanished out of those + Countries,'—forever and a day, we will hope. 'Their Louisiana-Canada + communication is lost; and all that prodigious tract of rich country,'—which + Mr. Washington fixed upon long ago, is ours again, if we can turn it to + use. 'This day a detachment of us goes to Braddock's field of battle [poor + Braddock!], to bury the bones of our slaughtered countrymen; many of whom + the French butchered in cold blood, and, to their own eternal shame and + infamy, have left lying above ground ever since. As indeed they have done + with all those slain round the Fort in late weeks;'—calling + themselves a civilized Nation too!" [Old Newspapers (in <i>Gentleman's + Magazine</i> for 1759, pp. 41, 39).] + </p> + <p> + LOWER RHINE, JULY-NOVEMBER, 1758. "Ferdinand's manoeuvres, after Crefeld, + on the France-ward side of Rhine, were very pretty: but, without Wesel, + and versus a Belleisle as War-Minister, and a Contades who was something + of a General, it would not do. Belleisle made uncommon exertions, diligent + to get his broken people drilled again; Contades was wary, and + counter-manoeuvred rather well. Finally, Soubise" (readers recollect him + and his 24 or 30,000, who stood in Frankfurt Country, on the hither or + north side of Rhine), famed Rossbach Soubise,—"pushing out, at + Belleisle's bidding, towards Hanover, in a region vacant otherwise of + troops,—became dangerous to Ferdinand. 'Making for Hanover?' thought + Ferdinand: 'Or perhaps meaning to attack my 12,000 English that are just + landed? Nay, perhaps my Rhine-Bridge itself, and the small Party left + there?' Ferdinand found he would have to return, and look after Soubise. + Crossed, accordingly (August 8th), by his old Bridge at Rees,—which + he found safe, in spite of attempts there had been; ["Fight of Meer" + (Chevert, with 10,000, beaten off, and the Bridge saved, by Imhof, with + 3,000;—both clever soldiers; Imhof in better luck, and favored by + the ground: "5th August, 1758"): MAUVILLON, i. 315.]—and never + recrossed during this War. Judges even say his first crossing had never + much solidity of outlook in it; and though so delightful to the public, + was his questionablest step. + </p> + <p> + "On the 12,000 English, Soubise had attempted nothing. Ferdinand joined + his English at Soest (August 20th); to their great joy and his; [Duke of + Marlborough's heavy-laden LETTER to Pitt, "Koesfeld, August 15th:" + "Nothing but rains and uncertainties;" "marching, latterly, up to our + middles in water;" have come from Embden, straight south towards Wesel + Country, almost 150 miles (Soest still a good sixty miles to southeast of + us). CHATHAM CORRESPONDENCE (London, 1838), i. 334, 337. The poor Duke + died in two months hence; and the command devolved on Lord George + Sackville, as is too well known.] 10 to 12,000 as a first instalment:—Grand-looking + fellows, said the Germans. And did you ever see such horses, such splendor + of equipment, regardless of expense? Not to mention those BERGSCHOTTEN + (Scotch Highlanders), with their bagpipes, sporrans, kilts, and exotic + costumes and ways; astonishing to the German mind. [Romantic view of the + BERGSCHOTTEN (2,000 of them, led by the Junior of the Robert Keiths above + mentioned, who is a soldier as yet), in ARCHENHOLTZ, i. 351-353: IB. and + in PREUSS, ii. 136, of the "uniforms with gold and silver lace," of the + superb horses, "one regiment all roan horses, another all black, another + all" &c.] Out of all whom (BERGSCHOTTEN included), Ferdinand, by + management,—and management was needed,—got a great deal of + first-rate fighting, in the next Four Years. + </p> + <p> + "Nor, in regard to Hanover, could Soubise make anything of it; though he + did (owing to a couple of stupid fellows, General Prince von Ysenburg and + General Oberg, detached by Ferdinand on that service) escape the lively + treatment Ferdinand had prepared for him; and even gave a kind of Beating + to each of those stupid fellows, [1. "Fight of Sandershausen" (Broglio, as + Soubise's vanguard, 12,000; VERSUS Ysenburg, 7,000, who stupidly would not + withdraw TILL beaten: "23d July, 1758," BEFORE Ferdinand had come across + again). 2. Fight of Lutternberg (Soubise, 30,000; VERSUS Oberg, about + 18,000, who stupidly hung back till Soubise was all gathered, and THEN + &c., still more stupidly: "10th October, 1758"). See MAUVILLON, i. 312 + (or better, ARCHENHOLTZ, i. 345); and MAUVILLON, i. 327. Both Lutternberg + and Sandershausen are in the neighborhood of Cassel;—as many of + those Ferdinand fights were.]—one of which, Oberg's one, might have + ruined Oberg and his Detachment altogether, had Soubise been alert, which + he by no means was! 'Paris made such jeering about Rossbach and the Prince + de Soubise,' says Voltaire, [<i>Histoire de Louis XV.</i> ] 'and nobody + said a word about these two Victories of his, next Year!' For which there + might be two reasons: one, according to Tempelhof, that 'the Victories + were of the so-so kind (SIC WAREN AUCH DARNACH);' and another, that they + were ascribed to Broglio, on both occasions,—how justly, nobody will + now argue! + </p> + <p> + "Contades had not failed, in the mean while, to follow with the main Army; + and was now elaborately manoeuvring about; intent to have Lippstadt, or + some Fortress in those Rhine-Weser Countries. On the tail of that second + so-so Victory by Soubise, Contades thought, Now would be the chance. And + did try hard, but without effect. Ferdinand was himself attending + Contades; and mistakes were not likely. Ferdinand, in the thick of the + game (October 21st-30th), 'made a masterly movement'—that is to say, + cut Contades and his Soubise irretrievably asunder: no junction now + possible to them; the weaker of them liable to ruin,—unless + Contades, the stronger, would give battle; which, though greatly + outnumbering Ferdinand, he was cautious not to do. A melancholic cautious + man, apt to be over-cautious,—nicknamed 'L'APOTHECAIRE' by the + Parisians, from his down looks,—but had good soldier qualities + withal. Soubise and he haggled about, a short while,—not a long, in + these dangerous circumstances; and then had to go home again, without + result, each the way he came; Contades himself repassing through Wesel, + and wintering on his own side of the Rhine." + </p> + <p> + How Pitt is succeeding, and aiming to succeed, on the French Foreign + Settlements: on the Guinea Coast, on the High Seas everywhere; in the West + Indies; still more in the East,—where General Lally (that fiery + O'MuLLALLY, famous since Fontenoy), missioned with "full-powers," as they + call them, is raging up and down, about Madras and neighborhood, in a + violent, impetuous, more and more bankrupt manner:—Of all this we + can say nothing for the present, little at any time. Here are two facts of + the financial sort, sufficiently illuminative. The much-expending, + much-subsidying Government of France cannot now borrow except at 7 per + cent Interest; and the rate of Marine Insurance has risen to 70 per cent. + [Retzow, ii. 5.] One way and other, here is a Pitt clearly progressive; + and a long-pending JENKINS'S-EAR QUESTION in a fair way to be settled! + </p> + <p> + Friedrich stays in Saxony about a month, inspecting and adjusting; thence + to Breslau, for Winter-quarters. His Winter is like to be a sad and silent + one, this time; with none of the gayeties of last Year; the royal heart + heavy enough with many private sorrows, were there none of public at all! + This is a word from him, two days after finishing Daun for the season:— + </p> + <p> + FRIEDRICH TO MYLORD MARISCHAL (at Colombier in Neufchatel). + </p> + <p> + "DRESDEN, 23d November, 1758. + </p> + <p> + "There is nothing left for us, MON CHER MYLORD, but to mingle and blend + our weeping for the losses we have had. If my head were a fountain of + tears, it would not suffice for the grief I feel. + </p> + <p> + "Our Campaign is over; and there has nothing come of it, on one side or + the other, but the loss of a great many worthy people, the misery of a + great many poor soldiers crippled forever, the ruin of some Provinces, the + ravage, pillage and conflagration of some flourishing Towns. Exploits + these which make humanity shudder: sad fruits of the wickedness and + ambition of certain People in Power, who sacrifice everything to their + unbridled passions! I wish you, MON CHER MYLORD, nothing that has the + least resemblance to my destiny; and everything that is wanting to it. + Your old friend, till death."—F. [<i>OEuvres de Frederic,</i> xx. + 273.] + </p> + <div style="height: 6em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, +Vol. XVIII. 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