The History of Peter the Great, Emperor of Russia — Voltaire — John Shaqi
The History of Peter the Great, Emperor of Russia
Voltaire · en
The duke de Croi, general Alland, and the rest of the general officers,
dreading the Russians more than the Swedes, went in a body and
surrendered themselves prisoners to count Steinbock. The king of Sweden
now made himself master of all the artillery. Thirty thousand of the
vanquished enemy laid down their arms at his feet, and filed off
bare-headed and disarmed before him. Prince Dolgorouki, and all the
Russian generals, came and surrendered themselves, as well as the
Germans, but did not know till after they had surrendered, that they had
been conquered by eight thousand men. Amongst the prisoners, was the son
of a king of Georgia, whom Charles sent to Stockholm: his name was
Mittelesky Czarovits, or czar's son, an additional proof that the title
of czar, or tzar, had not its original from the Roman Cæsars.
Charles XII. did not lose more than one thousand two hundred men in this
battle. The czar's journal, which has been sent me from Petersburg,
says, that including those who died at the siege of Narva, and in the
battle, and those who were drowned in their flight, the Russians lost no
more than six thousand men. Want of discipline, and a panic that seized
the army, did all the work of that fatal day. The number of those made
prisoners of war, was four times greater than that of the conquerors;
and if we may believe Norberg,[59] count Piper, who was afterwards taken
prisoner by the Russians, reproached them, that the number of their
people made prisoners in the battle, exceeded by eight times the number
of the whole Swedish army. If this is truth, the Swedes must have made
upwards of seventy-two thousand prisoners. This shews how seldom writers
are well informed of particular circumstances. One thing, however,
equally incontestable and extraordinary, is, that the king of Sweden
permitted one half of the Russian soldiers to retire back, after having
disarmed them, and the other half to repass the river, with their arms;
by this unaccountable presumption, restoring to the czar troops that,
being afterwards well disciplined, became invincible.[60]
Charles had all the advantages that could result from a complete
victory. Immense magazines, transports loaded with provisions, posts
evacuated or taken, and the whole country at the mercy of the Swedish
army, were consequences of the fortune of this day. Narva was now
relieved, the shattered remains of the Russian army did not shew
themselves; the whole country as far as Pleskow lay open; the czar
seemed bereft of all resource for carrying on the war; and the king of
Sweden, victor in less than twelve months over the monarchs of Denmark,
Poland, and Russia, was looked upon as the first prince in Europe, at
an age when other princes hardly presume to aspire at reputation. But
the unshaken constancy that made a part of Peter's character, prevented
him from being discouraged in any of his projects.