3d May 1761. Feldmarschall Butturlin, not under sulky Soltikof, this Year; junction to be in Upper Silesia, in Neisse neighbourhood. "We take that Fortress," say the Vienna people; "it is next on the file after Glatz. Neisse taken; thence northward, cleaning the Country as we go: Brieg, Schweidnitz, Glogau, probably Breslau itself in some good interim: there are but Four Fortresses to do; and the thing is finished. Let the King, one to three, and Loudon in command against him, try if he can hinder it!" This is the Program in Vienna and in Petersburg. And, accordingly, the Russians have got on march about the end of May; plodding on ever since, due hereabouts before June end: "junction to be as near Neisse as you can: and no fighting of the King, on any terms, till the Russians come." Never were the Vienna people so certain before. Daun is to do nothing "rash" in Saxony (a Daun not given that way, they can calculate), but is to guard Loudon's game; carefully to reinforce, comfort, and protect the brave Loudon and his Russians till they win;-after which, Saxony as rash as you like. This is the Program of the Season:-readers feel what an immensity of preliminary higglings, hitchings and manœuverings will now demand to be suppressed by us! Read these essential Fractions, chiefly chronological ;and then, at once, To Bunzelwitz, and the time of close grips in Silesia here. 'Last Year,' says a loose Note, which we may as well take with us, 'Tottleben did not go home with the rest, but kept 'hovering about, in eastern Pommern, with a 10,000, all Winter; ' attempting several kinds of mischief in those Countries, espe'cially attempting to do something on Colberg; which the Rus'sians mean to besiege next Summer, with more intensity than ever, for the Third, and, if possible, the last time. "Storm "their outposts there," thinks Tottleben, "especially Belgard, 6 30th June 1761. "the chief outpost; girdle tighter and tighter the obstinate little "crow's-nest of a Colberg, and have it ready for besieging in "good time." Tottleben did try upon the outposts, especially Belgard the chief one (January 18th, 1761), but without the 'least success at Belgard; with a severe reproof instead, Wer'ner's people being broad awake:2 upon which Tottleben and they made a truce, "Peaceable till May 12th;" till June 1st, it proved, about which time' (which time, or afterwards, as the Silesian crisis may admit!) we will look in on them again.' 6 May 3d, as above intimated, Friedrich hastened off for Silesia, quitted Meissen that day, with an Army of some 50,000; pressingly intent to relieve Goltz from his dangerous predicament there. This is one of Friedrich's famed marches, done in a minimum of time and with a maximum of ingenuity; concerning which I will remember only that, one night, 'he lodged again at Rodewitz, near Hochkirch, in the same house as on 'that Occasion' (what a thirty months to look back upon, as you sink to sleep!) and that no accident anywhere befel the March, though Daun's people, all through Saxony and the Lausitz, were hovering on the flank,-apprehensive chiefly lest it might mean a plunge into Bohemia, for relief of Goltz, instead of 'what it did.' For six weeks after that hard March, the King's people got Cantonments again, and rested. Prince Henri is left in Saxony, with Daun in huge force against him, Daun and the Reich; between whom and Henri,— Seidlitz being in the field again with Henri, Seidlitz and others of mark, there fell out a great deal of exquisite manœuvering, rapid detaching, and occasional sharp cutting on the small scale; but nothing of moment to detain us here, or afterwards. We shall say only that Henri, to a wonderful extent, maintained himself against the heavy overwhelming Daun and his Austrian and Reichs masses; and that Napoleon, I know not after what degree of study, pronounced this Campaign of 1761 to be the masterpiece of Henri, and really a considerable thing, 'La campagne de 1761 est celle où ce Prince a vraiment montré 'des talents supérieurs; the Battle of Freyberg' (wait till next 2 Account of it, Helden-Geschichte, vi. 670. 22d July-11th Aug. 1761. Year) nothing in comparison."3 Which may well detain soldierpeople upon it; but must not us, in any measure. The result of Henri being what we said,-a drawn game, or nearly so,-we will, without interference from him, follow Friedrich and Goltz. Friedrich and Goltz,-or, alas, it is very soon Friedrich alone; the valiant Goltz soon perishing from his hand! After brief junction in Schwiednitz Country, Friedrich detached Goltz to his old fortified Camp at Glogau, there to be on watch. Goltz watching there, lynx-eyed, skilful, volunteered a Proposal (June 22d): "Reinforce me to 20,000, your Majesty; I will attack so and so of those advancing Russians!" Which his Majesty straightway approved of, and set going. Goltz thereupon tasked all his energies, perhaps overmuch; and it was thought might at last really have done something for the King, in this matter of the Russians still in separate Divisions,—a thing feasible if you have energy and velocity; always unfeasible otherwise. But, alas, poor Goltz, just when ready to march, was taken with sudden violent fever, the fruit probably of overwork; and, in that sad flame, blazed away his valiant existence in three or four days:-gone forever, June 30th, 1761; to the regret of Friedrich and of many. Old Ziethen was at once pushed on, from Glogau over the frontier, to replace Goltz; but, I doubt, had not now the requisite velocity: Ziethen merely manoeuvered about, and came home "attending the Russians," as Henri, Dohna and others had done. The Russians entered Silesia, from the north-east or Polish side, without difficulty; and (July 15th-20th) were within reach of Breslau and of an open road to southward, and to junction with Loudon, who is astir for them there. About Breslau, they linger and higgle, at their leisure, for three weeks longer: and if their junction with the Austrians "in Neisse neighbourhood" is to be prevented or impeded, it is Friedrich, not Ziethen, that will have to do it. Junction in Neisse neighbourhood (Oppeln, where it should have been, which is some 35 miles from Neisse), Friedrich did, * Montholon, Mémoires de Napoléon, vii. 324. • Goltz's Letter to the King, 'Glogau, 22d June 1761,' is in Tempelhof (v. 88-90), who thinks the plan good. 19th Aug. 1761. by velocity and dexterity, contrive to prevent; but junction somewhere he probably knows to be inevitable. These are among Friedrich's famed marches and manoeuverings, these against the swift Loudon and his slow Russians; but we will not dwell on them. My readers know the King's manner in such cases; have already been on two Marches with him, and even in these same routes and countries. We will say only, that the Russians were and had been very dilatory; Loudon much the reverse; and their and Loudon's Adversary still more. That, for five days, the Russians, at length close to Breslau (August 6th-11th), kept vaguely cannonading and belching noise and apprehension upon the poor City, but without real damage to it, and as if merely to pass the time; and had gradually pushed out fore-posts, as far as Oppeln, towards Loudon, up their safe right bank of Oder. That Loudon, on the first glimpse of these, had made his best speed Neisse-ward; and did a march or two with good hope; but at Münsterberg (July 22d), on the morning of the third or fourth day's march, was astonished to see Friedrich ahead of him, nearer Neisse than he; and that in Neisse Country there was nothing to be done, no Russian junction possible there. "Try it in Schweidnitz Country, then!" said Loudon. The Russians leave off cannonading Breslau; cross Oder, about Auras or Leubus (August 11th-12th); and Loudon, after some finessing, marches back Schweidnitz-way, cautiously, skilfully; followed by Friedrich, anxious to prevent a junction here too, or at lowest to do some stroke before it occur. A great deal of cunning marching, shifting and manoeuvering there is, for days round Schweidnitz on all sides; encampings by Friedrich, now Liegnitz headquarter, now Wahlstadt, now Schönbrunn, Striegau ;-without the least essential harm to Loudon, or likelihood increasing that the junction can be hindered. No offer of battle either; Loudon is not so easy to beat as some. The Russians come on at a snail's pace, so Loudon thinks it, who is extremely impatient; but makes no mistakes in consequence, keeps himself safe (Kunzendorf, on the edge of the Glatz Hills, his main post), and the roads open for his heavy-footed friends. In Nicolstadt, a march from Wahlstadt, 16th August, there 19th Aug. 1761. are 60,000 Russians in front of Friedrich, 72,000 Austrians in rear: what can he, with at the very utmost 57,000, do against them? Now was the time to have fallen upon the King, and have consumed him between two fires, as it is thought might have been possible, had they been simultaneous, and both of them done it with a will. But simultaneity was difficult, and the will itself was wanting, or existed only on Loudon's side. Nothing of the kind was attempted on the confederate part, still less on Friedrich's,-who stands on his guard, and, from the Heights about, has at last to witness what he cannot hinder. Sees both Armies on march; Austrians from the south-east or Kunzendorf-Freyberg side, Russians from the north-east or Kleinerwitz side, wending in many columns by the back of Jauer and the back of Liegnitz respectively; till (August 18th) they join hands,' as it is termed, or touch mutually by their light troops; and on the 19th (Friedrich now off on another scheme, and not witnessing), fall into one another's arms, ranked all in one line of posts. "Can the Reichshofrath say our junction is not complete?" And so ends what we called the Prefatory part; and the time of Close Gripes seems to be come! 5 Friedrich has now nothing for it but to try if he cannot possibly get hold of Kunzendorf (readers may look in their Map*), and cut off Loudon's staff of bread; Loudon's, and Butturlin's as well; for the whole 130,000 are now to be fed by Loudon, and no slight task he will find it. By rushing direct on Kunzendorf with such a velocity as Friedrich is capable of, it is thought he might have managed Kunzendorf; but he had to mask his design, and march by the rear or east side of Schweidnitz, not by the west side: "They will think I am making off in despair, intending for the strong post of Pilzen there, with Schweidnitz to shelter me in front!" hoped Friedrich (morning of the 19th), as he marched |