History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 19Carlyle, Thomas
History
History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 19
Carlyle, Thomas
Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786; Prussia (Germany) -- History -- Frederick II, 1740-1786; Social problems
of 1778,_ by the Feldmarschall's Son; ad this _Leben_ we have just been
citing, by the Lieutenant-General's.] But we must return.
On the very morrow, September 5th, Daun heard of the glorious success
at Dresden; had not expected it till about the 10th at soonest. From
Triebel he sends the news at gallop to Lieberose and Soltikof: "Rejoice
with us, Excellenz: did not I predict it? Silesia and Saxony both are
ours; fruits chiefly of your noble successes. Oh, continue them a very
little!" "Umph!" answers Soltikof, not with much enthusiasm: "Send us
meal steadily; and gain you, Excellenz's self, some noble success!"
Friedrich did not hear of it for almost a week later; not till Monday,
10th,--as a certain small Anecdote would of itself indicate.
Sunday Evening, 9th September, General Finck, with his new 6,000,
hastening on to join Wunsch for relief of Dresden, had got to
Grossenhayn; and was putting up his tents, when the Outposts brought him
in an Austrian Officer, who had come with a Trumpeter inquiring for
the General. The Austrian Officer "is in quest of proper lodgings for
General Schmettau and Garrison [fancy Finck's sudden stare!];--last
night they lodged at Gross-Dobritz, tolerably to their mind: but
the question for the Escort is, Where to lodge this night, if your
Excellency could advise me?" "Herr, I will advise you to go back to
Gross-Dobritz on the instant," answers Finck grimly; "I shall be obliged
to make you and your Trumpet prisoners, otherwise!" Exit Austrian
Officer. That same evening, too, Captain Kollas, carrying Schmettau's
sad news to the King, calls on Finck in passing; gives dismal details
of the Capitulation and the Austrian way of keeping it; filling Finck's
mind with sorrowful indignation. [Tempelhof, iii. 237.]
Finck--let us add here, though in date it belongs a little
elsewhere--pushes on, not the less, to join Wunsch at Torgau; joins
Wunsch, straightway recaptures Leipzig, garrison prisoners (September
13th): recaptures all those northwestern garrisons,--multitudinous
Reichsfolk trying, once, to fight him, in an amazingly loud, but
otherwise helpless way ("ACTION OF KORBITZ" they call it); cannonading
far and wide all day, and manoeuvring about, here bitten in upon,
there trying to bite, over many leagues of Country; principally under
Haddick's leading; [HOFBERICHT VON DER AM 21 SEPTEMBER BEY KORBITZ
(in Meissen Country, south of Elbe; Krogis too is a Village in this
wide-spread "Action") VORGEFALLENEN ACTION (Seyfarth, _Beylagen,_
ii. 621-630). Tempelhof, iii. 248, 258.] who saw good to draw off
Dresden-ward next day, and leave Finck master in those regions. To
Daun's sad astonishment,--in a moment of crisis,--as we shall hear
farther on! So that Saxony is not yet conquered to Daun; Saxony, no, nor
indeed will be:--but Dresden is. Friedrich never could recover Dresden;
though he hoped, and at intervals tried hard, for a long while to come.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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