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
"AUGUST 1st, Romanzow has a 'Battle of Kaghul,' so they call it;
though it is a 'Slaughtery' or SCHLACHTEREI, rather than a 'Slaught' or
SCHLACHT, say my German friends. Kaghul is not a specific place, but a
longish river, a branch of the Pruth; under screen of which the Grand
Turk Army, 100,000 strong, with 100,000 Tartars as second line, has
finally taken position, and fortified itself with earthworks and
abundant cannon. AUGUST 1st, 1770, Romanzow, after study and advising,
feels prepared for this Grand Army and its earthworks: with a select
20,000, under select captains, Romanzow, after nightfall, bursts in
upon it, simultaneously on three different points; and gains, gratis or
nearly so, such a victory as was never heard of before. The Turks, on
their earthworks, had 140 cannons; these the Turk gunners fired off two
times, and fled, leaving them for Romanzow's uses. The Turk cavalry then
tried if they could not make some attempt at charging; found they could
not; whirled back upon their infantry; set it also whirling: and in
a word, the whole 200,000 whirled, without blow struck; and it was a
universal panic rout, and delirious stampede of flight, which never
paused (the very garrisons emptying themselves, and joining in it) till
it got across the Donau again, and drew breath there, not to rally or
stand, but to run rather slower. And had left Wallachia, Bessarabia,
Dniester river, Donau river, swept clear of Turks; all Romanzow's
henceforth. To such astonishment of an invincible Grand Turk, and of his
Moslem Populations, fallen on such a set of Giaours ["ALLAH KERIM, And
cannot we abolish them, then?" Not we THEM, it would appear!],--as every
reader can imagine." Which shall suffice every reader here in regard
to the Turk War, and what concern he has in the extremely brutish
phenomenon.
Tchesme fell out July 7th; Elphinstone has hardly done his tea in the
Dardanelles, when (August 1st) this of Kaghul follows: both would be
fresh news blazing in every head while the Dialogues between Friedrich
and Kaunitz were going on. For they "had many dialogues," Friedrich
says; "and one of the days" (probably September 6th) was mainly devoted
to Politics, to deep private Colloquy with Kaunitz. Of which, and of the
great things that followed out of it, I will now give, from Friedrich's
own hand, the one entirely credible account I have anywhere met with in
writing.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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