History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 15Carlyle, Thomas
History
History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 15
Carlyle, Thomas
Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786; Prussia (Germany) -- History -- Frederick II, 1740-1786; Social problems
Friedrich's head-quarter is at Jauernik: he goes daily riding hither,
thither; to the top of the Fuchsberg (FOXHILL at Stanowitz) with eager
spy-glass; daily many times looks with his spy-glass to the ragged peaks
about Bolkenhayn, Kauder, Rohnstock; expecting the throw of the dice
from that part. On Thursday, 3d June: Do you notice that cloud of dust
rising among the peaks over yonder? Dust-cloud mounting higher and
higher. There comes the big crisis, then! There are the combined
Weissenfels and Karl with their Austrian Saxons, issuing proudly from
their stone labyrinth; guns, equipments, baggages, all perfectly brought
through; rich Silesian plain country now fairly at their feet, Breslau
itself but a few marches off:--at sight of all which, the Austrian big
host bursts forth into universal field-music, and shakes out its banners
to the wind. Thursday, 3d June, 1745; a dramatic Entry of something
quite considerable on the Stage of History.
Friedrich, with Nassau and generals round, stands upon the
Fuchsberg,--his remarks not given, his looks or emotions not described
to us, his thought well known,--and looks at it through his TUBUS (or
spy-glass): There they are, then, and the big moment is come! Friedrich
had seen the dust and the manoeuvring of them, deeper in the Hills, from
this same Fuchsberg yesterday, and inferred what was coming; calculated
by what roads or hill-tracks they could issue: and how he, in each case,
was to deal with them; his march-routes are all settled, plank-bridges
repaired, all privately is ready for these proud Austrian musical
gentlemen, here in the hollow. Friedrich has been upon this Fuchsberg
with his TUBUS daily, many times since Monday last: it is our general
observatorium, says Stille, and commands a fine view into the interior
of these Hills. A Fuchsberg which has become notable in the Prussian
maps: "the Stanowitz Fuchsberg," east side of Striegau Water,--let
no tourist mistake himself; for there are two or even three other
Fuchsbergs, a mile or so northward on the western side of that Stream,
which need to be distinguished by epithets, as the Striegau Fuchsberg,
the Graben Fuchsberg, and perhaps still others: comparable to the FOUR
Neisse rivers, three besides the one we know, which occur in this piece
of Country! Our German cousins, I have often sorrowed to find, have
practically a most poor talent for GIVING NAMES; and indeed much,
for ages back, is lying in a sad state of confusion among them. Many
confused things, rotting far and wide, in contradiction to the plainest
laws of Nature; things as well as names! All the welcomer this Prussian
Army, this young Friedrich leading it; they, beyond all earthly entities
of their epoch, are not in a state of confusion, but of most strict
conformity to the laws of Arithmetic and facts of Nature: perhaps a very
blessed phenomenon for Germany in the long-run.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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