History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 12Carlyle, Thomas
History
History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 12
Carlyle, Thomas
Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786; Prussia (Germany) -- History -- Frederick II, 1740-1786; Social problems
Monday morning, the Prussians are up betimes; King Friedrich, as above
noted, had not, or had hardly at all, slept during those two nights,
such his anxieties. This morning, all is calm, sleeked out into spotless
white; Pogarell and the world are wrapt as in a winding-sheet, near two
feet of snow on the ground. Air hard and crisp; a hot sun possible
about noon season. "By daybreak" we are all astir, rendezvousing,
ranking,--into Four Columns; ready to advance in that fashion for
battle, or for deploying into battle, wherever the Enemy turn up. The
orders were all given overnight, two nights ago; were all understood,
too, and known to be rhadamanthine; and, down to the lowest pioneer, no
man is uncertain what to do. If we but knew where the Enemy is; on which
side of us; what doing, what intending?
Scouts, General-Adjutants are out on the quest; to no purpose hitherto.
One young General-Adjutant, Saldern, whose name we shall know again, has
ridden northward, has pulled bridle some way north of Pogarell; hangs,
gazing diligently through his spy-glass, there;--can see nothing but
a Plain of silent snow, with sparse bearding of bushes (nothing like
a hedge in these countries), and here and there a tree, the miserable
skeleton of a poplar:--when happily, owing to an Austrian Dragoon--Be
pleased to accept (in abridged form) the poor old Schoolmaster's account
of a small thing:--
"Austrian Dragoon of the regiment Althan, native of Kriesewitz in this
neighborhood, who was billeted in Christopher Schonwitz's, had been
much in want of a clean shirt, and other interior outfit; and had, last
night, imperatively despatched the man Scholzke, a farm-servant of the
said Christopher's, off to his, the Dragoon's, Father in Kriesewitz, to
procure such shirt or outfit, and to return early with the same; under
penalty of--Scholzke and his master dare not think under what penalty.
Scholzke, floundering homewards with the outfit from Kriesewitz,
flounders at this moment into Saldern's sphere of vision: 'Whence,
whither?' asks Saldern: 'Dost thou know where the Austrians are?'
(RECHT GUT: in Mollwitz), whither I am going!' Saldern takes him to
the King,--and that was the first clear light his Majesty had on the
matter." [Fuchs, pp. 6, 7.] That or something equivalent, indisputably
was; Saldern and "a Peasant," the account of it in all the Books.
The King says to this Peasant, "Thou shalt ride with me to-day!" And
Scholzke, Ploschke others call him,--heavy-footed rational biped knowing
the ground there practically, every yard of it,--did, as appears, attend
the King all morning; and do service, that was recognizable long years
afterwards. "For always," say the Books, "when the King held review
here, Ploschke failed not to make appearance on the field of Pogarell,
and get recognition and a gift from his Majesty."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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