History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 14Carlyle, Thomas
History
History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 14
Carlyle, Thomas
Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786; Prussia (Germany) -- History -- Frederick II, 1740-1786; Social problems
"Noailles politely bandaged the Wounded, buried the Dead. Noailles,
gathering his scattered battalions, found that he had lost 2,659 men;
no ruinous loss to him,--the Enemy's being at least equal, and all his
Wounded fallen Prisoners of War. No ruinous loss to Noailles, had it not
been the loss of Victory,--which was a sore blow to French feeling; and,
adding itself to those Broglio disgraces, a new discouragement to Most
Christian Majesty. Victory indisputably lost:--but is it not Grammont's
blame altogether? Grammont bears it, as we saw; and it is heavily laid
on him. But my own conjecture is, forty thousand enraged people, of
English and other Platt-Teutsch type, would have been very difficult to
pin up, into captivity or death instead of breakfast, in that manner:
and it is possible if poor Grammont had not mistaken, some other would
have done so, and the hungry Baresarks (their blood fairly up, as
is evident) would have ended in getting through." [Espagnac, i. 193;
_Guerre de Boheme,_ i. 231.]--_Gentleman's Magazine,_ vol. xiii. (for
1743), pp. 328-481;--containing Carteret's Despatch from the field;
followed by many other Letters and indistinct Narrations from Officers
present (p. 434, "Plan of the Battle," blotchy, indecipherable in
parts, but essentially rather true),--is worth examining. See likewise
Anonymous, _Memoirs of the late Duke of Cumberland_ (Lond. 1767; the
Author an ignorant, much-adoring military-man, who has made some study,
and is not so stupid as he looks), pp. 56-78; and Henderson (ignorant he
too, much-adoring, and not military), _Life of the Duke of Cumberland_
(Lond. 1766), pp. 32-48. Noailles's Official Account (ingenuously at a
loss what to say), in _ Campagnes,_ ii. B, 242-253, 306-310. _OEuvres de
Frederic,_ iii. 11-14 (incorrect in many of the DETAILS).
This was all the Fighting that King George got of his Pragmatic Army;
the gain from conquest made by it was, That it victoriously struggled
back to its bread-cupboard. Stair, about two months hence, in the
mere loitering and higgling that there was, quitted the Pragmatic;
magnanimously silent on his many wrongs and disgusts, desirous only
of "returning to the plough," as he expressed himself. The lofty man;
wanted several requisites for being a Marlborough; wanted a Sarah
Jennings, as the preliminary of all!--We will not attend the lazy
movements and procedures of the Pragmatic Army farther; which were of
altogether futile character, even in the temporary Gazetteer estimate;
and are to be valued at zero, and left charitably in oblivion by a pious
posterity. Stair, the one brightish-looking man in it, being gone, there
remain Majesty with his D'Ahrembergs, Neippergs, and the Martial Boy;
Generals Cope, Hawley, Wade, and many of leaden character, remain:--let
the leaden be wrapped in lead.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account