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
AUGUST 11th, At daybreak, is back to his old ground; nothing now to
oppose him but Lacy, who is gone across from Goldberg, to linger as rear
of the Daun-Loudon march. Friedrich steps across on Lacy, thirsting
to have a stroke at Lacy; who vanishes fast enough, leaving the ground
clear. Could but our baggage have come as fast as we! But our baggage,
Quintus guarding and urging, has to groan on for five hours yet; and
without it, there is no stirring. Five mortal hours;--by which time,
Daun, Lacy, Loudon are all up again; between us and Jauer, between us
and everything helpful;--and Friedrich has to encamp in Seichau,--"a
very poor Village in the Mountains," writes Mitchell, who was painfully
present there, "surrounded on all sides by Heights; on several of which,
in the evening, the Austrians took camp, separated from us by a deep
ravine only." [Mitchell, ii. 194.]
Outlooks are growing very questionable to Mitchell and everybody. "Only
four days' provisions" (in reality six), whisper the Prussian Generals
gloomily to Mitchell and to one another: "Shall we have to make for
Glogau, then, and leave Breslau to its fate? Or perhaps it will be
a second Maxen to his Majesty and us, who was so indignant with poor
Finck?" My friends, no; a Maxen like Finck's it will never be: a very
different Maxen, if any! But we hope better things.
Friedrich's situation, grasped in the Three-lipped Pincers in this
manner, is conceivable to readers. Soltikof, on the other side of Oder,
as supplementary or fourth lip, is very impatient with these three. "Why
all this dodging, and fidgeting to and fro? You are above three to one
of your enemy. Why don't you close on him at once, if you mean it at
all? The end is, He will be across Oder; and it is I that shall have the
brunt to bear: Henri and he will enclose me between two fires!" And in
fact, Henri, as we know, though Friedrich does not or only half does,
has gone across Oder, to watch Soltikof, and guard Breslau from any
attempts of his,--which are far from HIS thoughts at this moment;--a
Soltikof fuming violently at the thought of such cunctations, and of
being made cat's-paw again. "Know, however, that I understand you,"
violently fumes Soltikof, "and that I won't. I fall back into the
Trebnitz Bog-Country, on my own right bank here, and look out for my
own safety."--"Patience, your noble Excellenz," answer they always; "oh,
patience yet a little! Only yesterday (Sunday, 10th the day after his
arrival in this region), we had decided to attack and crush him; Sunday
very early: [Tempelhof, iv. 137, 148-150.] but he skipped away to
Liegnitz. Oh, be patient yet a day or two: he skips about at such a
rate!" Montalembert has to be suasive as the Muses and the Sirens.
Soltikof gloomily consents to another day or two. And even, such
his anxiety lest this swift King skip over upon HIM, pushes out a
considerable Russian Division, 24,000 ultimately, under Czernichef,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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