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
Sunday, 20th August, Friedrich, with his small Army, hardly above 15,000
I should guess, arrived at Frankfurt-on-Oder: "his Majesty," it seems,
"lodged in the Lebus Suburb, in the house of a Clergyman's Widow; and
was observed to go often out of doors, and listen to the cannonading,
which was going on at Custrin." [Rodenbeck, i. 347.] From Landshut
hither, he has come in nine days; the swiftest marching; a fiery spur
of indignation being upon all his men and him, for the last two days
fierier than ever,--longing all to have a blow at those incendiary
Russian gentlemen. Five days ago, the Russians, attempting blindly
on the Garrison of Custrin, had burnt,--nothing of the Garrison at
all,--but the poor little Town altogether. Which has filled everybody
with lamentation and horror. And, listen yonder, they are still busy on
the solitary Garrison of Custrin;--audible enough to Friedrich from his
northern or Lebus Suburb, which lies nearest the place, at a distance of
some twenty miles.
Of Fermor's red-hot savagery on Custrin, it is lamentably necessary we
should say something: to say much would he a waste of record; as the
thing itself was a waste of powder. A thing hideous to think of; without
the least profit to Fermor, but with total ruin to all the inhabitants,
and to the many strangers who had sought refuge there. One interior
circumstance is memorable and lucky to us. Artillery-Captain Tielcke
happened to be with these people; had come in the train of "two Saxon
Princes, serving as volunteers;" and, with a singular lucidity, and
faithful good sense, not scientific alone, he illuminates these black
Russian matters for such as have to do with them.
Tielcke's Book of _Contributions to the Art of War_ [_Beytrage zur
Kriege-Kunst und (ZUR) Geschichte des Krieges von 1756 bis 1763_ (six
thin vols. 4to, with many Plates); cited above.] is still in repute with
Soldiers, especially in the Artillery line; and indeed shows a sound
geometrical head, and contains bits of excellent Historical reading
interspersed among the scientific parts. This Tielcke, it appears, was
a common foot-soldier, one of those Pirna 14,000 made Prussian against
their will; but Tielcke had a milkmaid for sweetheart in those regions,
who, good soul, gave him her generous farewell, a suit of her clothes,
perhaps a pair of her pails; and in that guise he walked out of bondage.
Clear away; to Warsaw, to favor with the King and others (being of
real merit, an excellent, studious, modest little man); and here he
now reappears, in a higher capacity; as articulate Eye-witness of the
Custrin Business and the Zorndorf, among much other Russian darkness,
which shall remain comfortably blank to us.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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