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
this, does begin to know,--that Russians too can have something of
heroic, and can recognize a hero when they see him! In this fine way
does Friedrich get the frightful chasm, or sudden gap of the ground
under him, bridged over for the moment; and proceeds upon Burkersdorf
all the same.
Of the Attack itself we propose to say almost nothing. It consists of
Two Parts, Wied and Mollendorf, which are intensely Real; and of a great
many more which are Scenic chiefly,--some of them Scenic to the degree
of Drury-Lane itself, as we perceive;--all cunningly devised, and
beautifully playing into one another, both the real and the scenic.
EVENING OF THE 20th, Friedrich is on his ground, according to Program.
Friedrich--who has now his Mollendorf and Wied beside him again, near
this Village of Burkersdorf; and has his completely scenic Czernichef,
and partly scenic Ziethen and others, all in their places behind
him--quietly crushes Daun's people out of Burkersdorf Village; and
furthermore, so soon as Night has fallen, bursts up, for his own uses,
Burkersdorf old Castle, and its obstinate handful of defenders, which
was a noisier process. Which done, he diligently sets to trenching,
building batteries in that part; will have forty formidable guns,
howitzers a good few of them, ready before sunrise. And so,
WEDNESDAY, 21st JULY, 1762, All Prussians are in motion, far and
wide; especially Mollendorf and Wied (VERSUS O'Kelly and Prince de
Ligne),--which Pair of Prussians may be defined rather as near and
close; these Two being, in fact, the soul of the matter, and all else
garniture and semblance. About 4 in the morning, Friedrich's Battery
of 40 has begun raging; the howitzers diligent upon O'Kelly and his
Burkersdorf Height,--not much hurting O'Kelly or his Height, so high was
it, but making a prodigious noise upon O'Kelly;--others of the cannon
shearing home on those palisades and elaborations, in the Weistritz
Valley in particular, and quite tearing up a Cavalry Regiment which was
drawn out there; so that O'Kelly had instantly to call it home, in a
very wrecked condition. Why O'Kelly ever put it there--except that
he saw no place for it in his rugged localities, or no use for it
anywhere--is still a mystery to the intelligent mind. [Tempelhof,
vi. 107.] The howitzers, their shells bursting mostly in the air, did
O'Kelly little hurt, nor for hours yet was there any real attack
on Burkersdorf or him; but the noise, the horrid death-blaze was
prodigious, and kept O'Kelly, like some others, in an agitated, occupied
condition till their own turn came.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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