History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 18Carlyle, Thomas
History
History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 18
Carlyle, Thomas
Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786; Prussia (Germany) -- History -- Frederick II, 1740-1786; Social problems
Schweidnitz being done, and Daun deep in the Bohemian
problem,--Friedrich, in an unintelligible manner, breaks out from
Grussau and the Landshut region (April 19th-25th), not straight
southward, as Daun had been expecting, but straight southeastward
through Neisse, Jagerndorf: all gone, or all but Ziethen and Fouquet
gone, that way;--meaning who shall say what, when news of it comes to
Daun? In two divisions, from 30 to 40,000 strong; through Jagerndorf,
ever onward through Troppau, and not till THEN turning southward:
indubitable march of that cunning Enemy; rapidly proceeding, his 40,000
and he, along those elevated upland countries, watershed of the Black
Sea and the Baltic, bleakly illumined by the April sun; a march into the
mists of the future tense, which do not yet clear themselves to Daun.
Seeing the march turn southward at Troppau, a light breaks on Daun: "Ha!
coming round upon Bohemia from the east, then?" That is Daun's opinion,
for some time yet; and he immediately starts that way, to save a fine
magazine he has at Leutomischl over there. Daun, from Skalitz near
Konigsgratz where he is, has but some eighty miles to march, for the
King's hundred and fifty; and arrives in those parts few days after
the King; posts himself at Leutomischl, veiled in Pandours. Not for two
weeks more does he ascertain it to have been a march upon the Olmutz
Country, and the intricate forks of the Morawa River; with a view to
besieging Olmutz, by this wily Enemy! Upon which Daun did strive
to bestir himself thitherward, at last; and, though very slow and
hesitative, his measures otherwise were unexceptionable, and turned out
luckier than had been expected by some people.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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