History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 13Carlyle, Thomas
History
History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 13
Carlyle, Thomas
Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786; Prussia (Germany) -- History -- Frederick II, 1740-1786; Social problems
This is the battle of Chotusitz, called also of Czaslau: Thursday, 17th
May, 1742. Vehemently fought on both sides;--calculated, one may hope,
to end this Silesian matter? The results, in killed and wounded,
were not very far from equal. Nay, in killed the Prussians suffered
considerably the worse; the exact Austrian cipher of killed being 1,052,
while that of the Prussians was 1,905,--owing chiefly to those fierce
ineffectual horse-charges and bickerings, on the right wing and left;
"above 1,200 Prussian cavalry were destroyed in these." But, in fine,
the general loss, including wounded and missing, amounted on the
Austrian side (prisoners being many, and deserters very many) to near
seven thousand, and on the Prussian to between four and five. [Orlich,
i. 255; _Feldzuge der Preussen,_ p. 113; Stille, pp. 62-71; Friedrich
himself, _OEuvres,_ ii. 121-126; and (ib. pp. 145-150) the Newspaper
"RELATION," written also by him.] Two Generals Friedrich had lost, who
are not specially of our acquaintance; and several younger friends
whom he loved. Rothenburg, who was in that first charge of horse with
Buddenbrock, or in rescue of Buddenbrock, and did exploits, got badly
hurt, as we saw,--badly, not fatally, as Friedrich's first terror
was,--and wore his arm in a sling for a long while afterwards.
Buddenbrock's charge, I since hear, was ruined by the DUST; [_OEuvres
de Frederic,_ ii. 121.] the King's vanguard, under Rothenburg, a
"new-raised regiment of Hussars in green," coming to the rescue, were
mistaken for Austrians, and the cry rose, "Enemy to rear!" which brought
Rothenburg his disaster. Friedrich much loved and valued the man;
employed him afterwards as Ambassador to France and in places of trust.
Friedrich's Ambassadors are oftenest soldiers as well: bred soldiers, he
finds, if they chance to have natural intelligence, are fittest for all
kinds of work.--Some eighteen Austrian cannon were got; no standards,
because, said the Prussians, they took the precaution of bringing none
to the field, but had beforehand rolled them all up, out of harm's
way.--Let us close with this Fraction of topography old aud new:--
"King Friedrich purchased Nine Acres of Ground, near Chotusitz, to
bury the slain; rented it from the proprietor for twenty-five years.
[_Helden-Geschichte,_ ii. 634.] I asked, Where are those nine acres;
what crop is now upon them? but could learn nothing. A dim people, those
poor Czech natives; stupid, dirty-skinned, ill-given; not one in twenty
of them speaking any German;--and our dragoman a fortuitous Jew Pedler;
with the mournfulest of human faces, though a head worth twenty of those
Czech ones, poor oppressed soul! The Battle-plain bears rye, barley,
miscellaneous pulse, potatoes, mostly insignificant crops;--the nine
hero-acres in question, perhaps still of slightly richer quality, lie
indiscriminate among the others; their very fence, if they ever had one,
now torn away.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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