History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 20Carlyle, Thomas
History
History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 20
Carlyle, Thomas
Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786; Prussia (Germany) -- History -- Frederick II, 1740-1786; Social problems
"'As a counterbalance to this advantage, the Count de Lippe caused
Valencia d'Alcantara to be attacked, sword in hand, by the British
troops; who carried it, after an obstinate resistance. The loss of the
British troops, who had the principal share in this affair, is
luckily but inconsiderable: and consists in Lieutenant Burk of Colonel
Frederick's, one sergeant and three privates killed; two sergeants, one
drummer, 18 privates wounded; 10 horses killed and 2 wounded [loss not
at all considerable, in a War of such dimensions!]. The British troops
behaved upon this occasion with as much generosity as courage; and it
deserves admiration, that, in an affair of this kind, the town and
the inhabitants suffered very little; which is owing to the good order
Brigadier Burgoyne kept up even in the heat of the action. This success
would probably have been attended with more, if circumstances, that
could not well be expected, had not retarded the march of sixteen
Portuguese battalions, and three regiments of cavalry.' [Old Newspapers
(in _Gentleman's Magazine_ for 1762, p, 443).]
"Upon which--upon which, in fact, the War had to end. Rainy weather
came, deluges of rain; Burgoyne, with or without the sixteen battalions
of Portuguese, kept the grip he had. Valencia d'Alcantara and its
Magazine a settled business, roads round gone all to mire,--this Third
Division, and with it the 42,000 in general, finding they had nothing
to live upon, went their ways again." NOTE, The Burgoyne, who begins
in this pretty way at Valencia d'Alcantara, is the same who ended
so dismally at Saratoga, within twenty years:--perhaps, with other
War-Offices, and training himself in something suitabler than
Parliamentary Eloquence, he might have become a kind of General, and
have ended far otherwise than there?--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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