20th Aug.-9th Sept. 1761. the Army (half of it at once, or almost the whole of it, according to aspects) rests, goes to sleep if it can. By night there is vigilance, is work, and no sleep. It is felt to be a hard life, but a necessary.

Nor in these labours of detail is the King wanting; far from it; the King is there, as ear and eye of the whole. For the King alone there is, near the chief Battery, 'on the Pfarrberg, namely, in the clump of trees there,' a small Tent, and a bundle of straw where he can lie down, if satisfied to do so. If all is safe, he will do so; perhaps even still he soon awakens again; and strolls about among his guard-parties, or warms himself by their fires. One evening, among the orders, is heard this item: "And remember, a lock of straw, will you, that I may not have to sleep on the ground, as last night!"8 Many anecdotes are current to this day, about his pleasant homely ways and affabilities with the sentry people, and the rugged hospitalities they would show him at their watchfires. "Good evening, children." "The same to thee, Fritz." "What is that you are cooking?"-and would try a spoonful of it, in such company; while the rough fellows would forbid smoking, "Don't you know he dislikes it?" "No, smoke away!" the King would insist.

Mythical mainly, these stories; but the dialect of them true; and very strange to us. Like that of an Arab Sheik among his tribesmen; like that of a man whose authority needs no keeping up, but is a Law of Nature to himself and everybody. He permits a little bantering even; a rough joke against himself, if it spring sincerely from the complexion of the fact. The poor men are terribly tired of this work: such bivouacking, packing, unpacking; and continual waitSeyfarth, iii. 16 n.

8

9th-10th Sept. 1761. ing for the tug of battle, which never comes. Biscuits, meal are abundant enough; but flesh-meat wearing low; above all, no right sleep to be had. Friedrich's own table, I should think, is very sparingly beset ("A cup of chocolate is my dinner on marching-days," wrote he once, this Season); certainly his Lodging,-damp ground, and the straw sometimes forgotten,-is none of the best. And thus it has to last, night after night and day after day. On September 8th, General Bülow went out for a little butcher's-meat; did bring home ‘200 head of neat cattle' (I fear, not very fat) and 300 sheep."9

Loudon, all this while, is labouring, as man seldom did, to bring Butturlin to the striking place; who continues flaccid, Loudon screwing and rescrewing, altogether in vain. Loudon does not deny the difficulty; but insists on the possibility, the necessity: Councils of War are held, remonstrances, encouragements. "We will lend you a Corps," answers Butturlin; "but as to our Army coöperating, except in that far-off way, it is too dangerous!" Meanwhile provisions are running low; the time presses. A formal Plan, presented by the ardent Loudon,-Loudon himself to take the deadlier part,Mark it, noble Russian gentlemen; and you to have the easier!"-surely that is loyal, and not in the old cat's-paw way? But in that, too, there is an offence. Butturlin and the Russians grumble to themselves: "And you to take all the credit, as you did at Kunersdorf? A mere adjunct, or auxiliary, we:—and we are a Feldmarschall; and you, what is your rank and seniority?" In short, they will not do it; and in the end coldly answer: "A Corps, if you like; but the whole Army, positively no." Upon which Loudon goes home

10th Sept. 1761. half mad; and has a colic for eight-and-forty hours. This was September 2d; the final sour refusal ;-nearly heart-breaking to Loudon. Provisions are run so low withal; the Campaign season all but done; result, nothing: not even an attempt at a result.

เ

No Prussian, from Friedrich downwards, had doubted but the attack would be: the grand upshot and fiery consummation of these dark continual hardships and nocturnal watchings. Thrice over, on different nights, the Prussians imagined Loudon to have drawn out, intending actual business; and thrice over to have drawn in again,-instead of once only, as was the fact, and then taken colic.10 Friedrich's own notion, that over dinner, glass in hand,' the two Generals had, in the enthusiasm of such a moment, agreed to do it, but on sober inspection found it too dubious,11 appears to be ungrounded. Whether they could in reality have stormed him, had they all been willing, is still a question; and must continue one. Wednesday evening, 9th September, there was much movement noticeable in the Russian camp; also among the Austrian, there are regiments, foot and horse, coming down hitherward: Meaning to try it, then?" thought Friedrich, and got at once under arms. Suppositions were various; but about 10 at night, the whole Russian Camp went up in flame; and, next morning, the Russians were not there.

Russian main Army clean gone; already got to Jauer, as we hear; and Beck with a Division to see them safe across the Oder;-only Czernichef and 20,000 being left, as a Corps of Loudon's. Who, with all Austrians, are quiet in their Heights of Kunzendorf again. And thus, on the twentieth morning, September 10th, this strange Business terminated. Shot of Tempelhof, v. 170.

VOL. VI.

11 Euvres de Frédéric, v. 125.

10th-25th Sept. 1761.

those batteries is drawn again; powder of those mines lifted out again: no firing of your heavy Artillery at all, nor even of your light, after such elaborate charging and shoving of it hither and thither for the last three weeks. The Prussians cease their bivouacking, nightly striking of tents; and encamp henceforth in a merely human manner; their "Spanish Riders" (Frisian Horse, Chevaux-de-Frise, others of us call them), their Stormpales and elaborate wooden Engineerings, they gradually burn as fuel in the cold nights; finding Loudon absolutely quiescent, and that the thing is over, for the preOne huge peril handsomely staved away, though

sent.

so many others impend.

By way of accelerating Butturlin, Friedrich, next day, September 11th, despatched General Platen with some 8,000 (so I will guess them from Tempelhof's enumeration by battalions), to get round the flank of Butturlin, and burn his Magazines. Platen, a valiant skilful person, did this business, as he was apt to do, in a shining style; shot dextrously forward by the skirts of Butṭurlin; heard of a big Wagenburg or Travelling Magazine of his, at Gostyn over the Polish Frontier; in fact, his travelling breadbasket, arranged as "Wagon-fortress" in and round some Convent there, with trenches, brick-walls, cannon, and defence considered strong enough for so important a necessary of the road. September 15th, Platen, before cock-crow, burst out suddenly on this Wagon-fortress, with its cannons, trenches, brick-walls and defensive Russians; stormed into it with extraordinary fury: "Fixed bayonets," ordered he, at the main point of their defence, "not a shot till they are tumbled out!"-tumbled them out accordingly, into flight and ruin; took of prisoners

10th-25th Sept. 1761. 1,845, seven cannon, and burnt the 5,000 provender wagons, which was the soul of the adventure; and directly got upon the road again. 12 Detachments of him then fell on Posen, on Posen and other small Russian repositories in those parts,-hay-magazines, biscuit-stores, soldiers' uniforms; distributed or burnt the same;―completely destroying the travelling haversack or general road-bag of Butturlin: a Butturlin that will have to hasten forward or starve.

Which done, Platen (not waiting the King's new orders, but anticipating them, to the King's great contentment) marched instantly, with his best speed and skilfullest contrivance of routes and methods, not back to the King, but onward towards Colberg,-(which he knows, as readers shall anon, to be much in need of him at present);—and without injury, though begirt all the way by a hurricane of Cossacks and light people doing their utmost upon him, arrived there, September 25th; victoriously cutting in across the Besieging Party: and will again be visible enough when we arrive there. Indignant Butturlin chased violently, eager to punish Platen; but could get no hold: found Platen was clear off, to Pommern,—on what errand Butturlin knew well, if not so well what to do in consequence. "Reinforce our poor Besiegers there, and again reinforce" (to enormous amounts, 40,000 of them in the end);-"get bread from them withal:--and, before long, flow bodily thitherward, for bread to ourselves and for their poor sake!" That, on the whole, was what Butturlin did.

Friedrich stayed at Bunzelwitz above a fortnight after Butturlin. 66 Why did not Friedrich stay altogether, and wait here?" said some, triumphantly soon after. 12 Tempelhof, v. 281-293; Helden-Geschichte, vi. 643-649.