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
About three weeks after this of Glogau, Leopold the Old Dessauer, over
in Brandenburg, does another thing which is important to Friedrich, and
of great rumor in the world. Steps out, namely, with a force of 36,000
men, horse, foot and artillery, completely equipped in all points; and
takes Camp, at this early season, at a place called Gottin, not far from
Magdeburg, handy at once for Saxony and for Hanover; and continues there
encamped,--"merely for review purposes." Readers can figure what an
astonishment it was to Kur-Sachsen and British George; and how it struck
the wind out of their Russian Partition-Dream, and awoke them to a sense
of the awful fact!--Capable of being slit in pieces, and themselves
partitioned, at a day's warning, as it were! It was on April 2d, that
Leopold, with the first division of the 36,000, planted his flag near
Gottin. No doubt it was the "detestable Project" that had brought him
out, at so early a season for tent-life, and nobody could then guess
why. He steadily paraded here, all summer; keeping his 36,000 well in
drill, since there was nothing else needed of him.
The Camp at Gottin flamed greatly abroad through the timorous
imaginations of mankind, that Year; and in the Newspapers are many
details of it. And, besides the important general fact, there is still
one little point worth special mention: namely, that old Field-marshal
Katte (Father of poor Lieutenant Katte whom we knew) was of it; and
perhaps even got his death by it: "Chief Commander of the Cavalry here,"
such honor had he; but died at his post, in a couple of months, "at
Rekahn, May 31st;" [_Militair-Lexikon,_ ii. 254.] poor old gentleman,
perhaps unequal to the hardships of field-life at so early a season of
the year.
FRIEDRICH TAKES THE FIELD, WITH SOME POMP; GOES INTO THE MOUNTAINS,--BUT
COMES FAST BACK.
At Glogau there was Homaging, on the very morrow after the storm; on the
second day, the superfluous regiments marched off: no want of vigorous
activity to settle matters on their new footing there. General Kalkstein
(Friedrich's old Tutor, whom readers have forgotten again) is to be
Commandant of Glogau; an office of honor, which can be done by
deputy except in cases of real stress. The place is to be thoroughly
new-fortified,--which important point they commit to Engineer Wallrave,
a strong-headed heavy-built Dutch Officer, long since acquired to the
service, on account of his excellence in that line; who did, now and
afterwards, a great deal of excellent engineering for Friedrich; but for
himself (being of deep stomach withal, and of life too dissolute) made a
tragic thing of it ultimately. As will be seen, if we have leisure.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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