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
Next, about a month after, we have something to report of Loudon from
Silesia, or rather of the Enemies he meets there; for it is not a
victorious thing. But it means a starting of the Campaign by an
Austrian invasion of Silesia; long before sieging time, while all these
Montalembert-Soltikof pleadings and counter-pleadings hang dubious at
Petersburg, and Loudon's "Silesian Army" is still only in a nascent or
theoretic state, and only Loudon himself is in a practical one.
Friedrich has always Fouquet at Landshut, in charge of the Silesian
Frontier; whose outposts, under Goltz as head of these, stretch, by
Neisse, far eastward, through the Hills to utmost Mahren; Fouquet's own
head-quarter being generally Landshut, the main gate of the Country.
Fouquet, long since, rooted himself rather firmly into that important
post; has a beautiful ring of fortified Hills around Landshut; battery
crossing battery, girdling it with sure destruction, under an expert
Fouquet,--but would require 30,000 men to keep it, instead of 13,000,
which is Fouquet's allotment. Upon whom Loudon is fully intending a
stroke this Year. Fouquet, as we know, has strenuously managed to
keep ward there for a twelvemonth past; in spite, often enough, of
new violent invadings and attemptings (violent, miscellaneous, but
intermittent) by the Devilles and others;--and always under many
difficulties of his own, and vicissitudes in his employment: a
Fouquet coming and going, waxing and waning, according to the King's
necessities, and to the intermittency or constancy of pressures on
Landshut. Under Loudon, this Year, Fouquet will have harder times than
ever;--in the end, too hard! But will resist, judge how by the following
small sample:--
"Besides Fouquet and his 13,000," says my Note, "the Silesian Garrisons
are all vigilant, are or ought to be; and there are far eastward of
him, for guarding of the Jagerndorf-Troppau Border, some 4 or 6,000,
scattered about, under Lieutenant-General Goltz, in various Hill
Posts,--the chief Post of which, Goltz's own, is the little Town of
Neustadt, northward of Jagerndorf [where we have billeted in the
old Silesian Wars]: Goltz's Neustadt is the chief; and Leobschutz,
southwestward of it, under 'General Le Grand' [once the Major GRANT of
Kolin Battle, if readers remember him, "Your Majesty and I cannot take
the Battery ourselves!"] is probably the second in importance. Loudon,
cantoned along the Moravian side of the Border, perceives that he can
assemble 32,000 foot and horse; that the Prussians are 13,000 PLUS
6,000; that Silesia can be invaded with advantage, were the weather
come. And that, in any kind of weather, Goltz and his straggle of
posts might be swept into the interior, perhaps picked up and pocketed
altogether, if Loudon were sharp enough. Swept into the interior Goltz
was; by no means pocketed altogether, as he ought to have been!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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