History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 21Carlyle, Thomas
History
History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 21
Carlyle, Thomas
Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786; Prussia (Germany) -- History -- Frederick II, 1740-1786; Social problems
"JULY 2d, Galitzin slowly gets on the advance again: 150,000 Turks,
still slower, are at last across the Donau (sharp enough French
Officers among them, agents of Choiseul; but a mass incurably
chaotic);--furiously intending towards Poland and extermination of the
Giaour. Do not reach Dniester River till September, and look across
on Poland,--for the first time, and also for the last, in this War.
SEPTEMBER 17th: Weather has been rainy; Dniester, were Galitzin
nothing, is very difficult for Turks; who try in two places, but cannot.
[Hermann, v. 611-613.] In a third place (name not given, perhaps has
no name), about 12,000 of them are across; when Dniester, raging into
flood, carries away their one Bridge, and leaves the 12,000 isolated
there. Purblind Galitzin, on express order, does attack these 12,000
(night of September 17th-18th):--'Hurrah' of the devouring Russians
about midnight, hoarse shriek of the doomed 12,000, wail of their
brethren on the southern shore, who cannot, help:--night of horrors
'from midnight till 2 A.M.;' and the 12,000 massacred or captive, every
man of them; Russian loss 600 killed and wounded. Whereupon the Turk
Army bursts into unanimous insanity; and flows home in deliquium of
ruin. Choczim is got on the terms already mentioned (15 sick men and
women lying in it, and 184 bronze cannon, when we boat across); Turk
Army can by no effort be brought to halt anywhere; flows across the
Donau, disappears into Chaos:--and the whole of Moldavia is conquered
in this cheap manner. What, perhaps is still better, Galitzin (28th
September) is thrown out; Romanzow, hitherto Commander of a second
smaller Army, kind of covering wing to Galitzin, is Chief for Second
Campaign.
"In the Humber, this Winter, to the surprise of incredulous mankind,
a Russian Fleet drops anchor for a few days: actual Russian Fleet
intending for the Greek waters, for Montenegro and intermediate errands,
to conclude with 'Liberation of Greece next Spring,'--so grandiose is
this Czarina." [Hermann, v. 617.]
SECOND CAMPAIGN; 1770. "This is the flower of Anti-Turk
Campaigns,--victorious, to a blazing pitch, both by land and sea.
Romanzow, master of Moldavia, goes upon Wallachia, and the new or
rehabilitated Turk Army; and has an almost gratis bargain of both.
Romanzow has some good Officers under him ('Brigadier Stoffeln,' much
more 'General Tottlenen,' 'General Bauer,' once Colonel Bauer of the
Wesel Free-Corps,--many of the Superior Officers seem to be German,
others have Swedish or Danish names);--better Officers; and knows better
how to use them than Galitzin did. August 1st, Romanzow has a Battle,
called of Kaghul, in Pruth Country. That is his one 'Battle' this
Summer; and brings him Ismail, Akkerman, all Wallachey, and no Turks
left in those parts. But first let us attend to sea-matters, and the
Liberation of Greece, which precede in time and importance.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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