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
Archenholtz, a very young officer of fifteen, who came into it perhaps
an hour hence, describes it as a thing surpassable only by Doomsday:
clangorous rage of noise risen to the infinite; the boughs of the trees
raining down on you, with horrid crash; the Forest, with its echoes,
bellowing far and near, and reverberating in universal death-peal;
comparable to the Trump of Doom. Friedrich himself, who is an old hand,
said to those about him: "What an infernal fire (HOLLISCHES FEUER)! Did
you ever hear such a cannonade before? I never." [Tempelhof, iv.
304; Archenholtz, ii. 164.] Friedrich is between the Two Lines of his
Grenadiers, which is his place during the attack: the first Line of
Grenadiers, behind Prince Henri's Abatis, is within 800 yards of Daun;
Ramin's Brigade is to rear of the Second Line, as a Reserve. Horse they
have none, except the 800 Kleist Hussars; who stand to the left, outside
the Wood, fronted by Austrian Horse in hopeless multitude. Artillery
they have, in effect, none: their Batteries, hardly to be got across
these last woody difficulties of trees growing and trees felled, did
rank outside the Wood, on their left; but could do absolutely nothing
(gun-carriages and gunners, officers and men, being alike blown away);
and when Tempelhof saw them afterwards, they never had been fired at
all. The Grenadiers have their muskets, and their hearts and their
right-hands.
With amazing intrepidity, they, being at length all ready in rank
within 800 yards, rush into the throat of this Fire-volcano; in the
way commanded,--which is the alone way: such a problem as human bravery
seldom had. The Grenadiers plunge forward upon the throat of Daun; but
it is into the throat of his iron engines and his tearing billows of
cannon-shot that most of them go. Shorn down by the company, by the
regiment, in those terrible 800 yards,--then and afterwards. Regiment
STUTTERHEIM was nearly all killed and wounded, say the Books. You would
fancy it was the fewest of them that ever got to the length of selling
their lives to Daun, instead of giving them away to his 400 cannon. But
it is not so. The Grenadiers, both Lines of them, still in quantity, did
get into contact with Daun. And sold him their lives, hand to hand, at a
rate beyond example in such circumstances;--Daun having to hurry up new
force in streams upon them; resolute to purchase, though the price, for
a long while, rose higher and higher.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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