history of friedrich ii of prussia v 18-第22节
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ection 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。
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; Geschichte der Feldzuge des Herzogs Ferdinand (and a Private Journal of W。's there); ii。 13…19; Retzow; &c。'
〃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。
〃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。〃
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:
〃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。
〃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。
〃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。〃
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; Militair…Lexikon; iii。 10。'
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。'〃
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!
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。
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 diseas