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
Grand-Duke Franz had seen war, under Seckendorf, under Wallis and
otherwise, in the disastrous Turk Countries; but, though willing
enough, was never much of a soldier: as to Neipperg, among his own men
especially, the one cry is, He ought to go about his business out of
Austrian Armies, as an imbecile and even a traitor. "Is it conceivable
that Friedrich could have beaten us, in that manner, except by buying
Neipperg in the first place? Neipperg and the generality of them, in
that luckless Silesian Business? Glogau scaladed with the loss of half
a dozen men; Brieg gone within a week; Neisse ditto: and Mollwitz, above
all, where, in spite of Romer and such Horse-charging as was never seen,
we had to melt, dissolve, and roll away in the glitter of the evening
sun!" The common notion is, they are traitors, partial-traitors, one
and all. [_Guerre de Boheme,_ saepius.] Poor Neipperg he has seen hard
service, had ugly work to do: it was he that gave away Belgrade to the
Turks (so interpreting his orders), and the Grand Vizier, calling him
Dog of a Giaour: spat in his face, not far from hanging him; and the
Kaiser and Vienna people, on his coming home, threw him into prison, and
were near cutting off his head. And again, after such sleety marchings
through the Mountains, he has had to dissolve at Mollwitz; float away in
military deluge in the manner we saw. And now, next winter, here is he
lodged among the upland bogs at Budweis, escorted by mere curses. What
a life is the soldier's, like other men's; what a master is the world!
Aulic Cabinet is not all-wise; but may readily be wiser than the vulgar,
and, with a Maria Theresa at his head, it is incapable of truculent
impiety like that. Neipperg, guilty of not being a Eugene, is not hanged
as a traitor; but placed quietly as Commandant in Luxemburg, spends
there the afternoon of his life, in a more commodious manner. Friedrich
had, of late, rather admired his movements on the Neisse River; and
found him a stiff article to deal with.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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