6

19th July 1760. "there instead. Many think the Town will not be taken; or that, if it should, it will cost very dear, so determined seems "Maguire." And, in effect, from this day onwards, the Siege 'became altogether fierce, and not only so, but fiery as well; 'and, though lasting in that violent form only four, or at the very utmost seven, days more, had near ruined Dresden from 'the face of the world.'

6

Friday 19th, Maguire, touched to the quick by these new 'artilleries of the Prussians this morning, found good to mount 'a gun or two on the leads of the Kreuz-Kirche' (Protestant High Church, where, before now, we have noticed Friedrich attending quasi-divine service more than once);-'that is to 6 say, on the crown of Dresden; from which there is view into 'the bottom of Friedrich's trenches and operations. Others say, 'it was only two or three old Saxon cannon, which stand there, 'for firing on gala-days; and that they hardly fired on Fried'rich more than once. For certain, this is one of the desirablest 'battery stations,-if only Friedrich will leave it alone. Which 'he will not for a moment; but brings terrific howitzers to bear 'on it; cannonballs, grenadoes; tears it to destruction, and the 'poor Kreuz-Kirche along with it. Kirche speedily all in flames, 'street after street blazing up round it, again and again for 'eight-and-forty hours coming; hapless Dresden, during two 'days and nights, a mere volcano henceforth.' "By mistake, all that, and without order of mine, says Friedrich once;-meaning, I think, all that of the Kreuz-Kirche: and perhaps wishing he could mean the bombardment altogether,5-who nevertheless got, and gets, most of the credit of the thing from a shocked outside world.

'This morning,' same Friday 19th, 'Daun is reported to have 'arrived; vanguard of him said to be at Schönfeld, over in 'Thirsty-Sweetheart Country yonder: which Friedrich, going to ' reconnoitre, finds tragically indisputable: "There, for certain; ' only five miles from Holstein's post at the White Hart, and no River between ;-as the crow flies, hardly five from our own

6

4 Mitchell, iii. 170, 171.

* Schöning, ii. 361: To Prince Henri at Giessen' (Frankfurt Country), 23d July 1760.'

10th-29th July 1760.

Camp. Perhaps it will be some days yet before he do any'thing?" So that Friedrich persists in his bombardment, only "the more: "By fire-torture, then! Let the bombarded Royal'ties assail Maguire, and Maguire give in;-it is our one chance 'left; and succeed we will and must!" Cruel, say you?—Ah, 6 yes, cruel enough, not merciful at all. The soul of Friedrich, 'I perceive, is not in a bright mood at this time, but in a black ' and wrathful, worn almost desperate against the slings and 6 arrows of unjust Fate: "Ahead, I say! If everybody will do 'miracles, cannot we perhaps still manage it, in spite of Fate?" 'Mitchell is very sorry; but will forget and forgive those inex'orable passages of war.'

"I cannot think of the bombardment of Dresden without hor"ror," says he; "nor of many other things I have seen. Misfor"tunes naturally sour men's temper" (even royal men's); "and "long continued, without interval, at last extinguish humanity.” "We are now in a most critical and dangerous situation, which "cannot long last: one lucky event, approaching to a miracle, "may still save all: but the extreme caution and circumspection "of Marshal Daun- !"6

If Daun could be swift, and end the miseries of Dresden, surely Dresden would be much obliged to him. It was ten days yet, after that of the KreuzKirche, before Dresden quite got rid of its Siege: Daun never was a sudden man. By a kind of accident, he got Holstein hustled across the River that first night (July 19th),—not annihilated, as was very feasible, but pushed home, out of his way. Whereby the North side of Dresden is now open; and Daun has free communication with Maguire.

Maguire rose thereupon to a fine pitch of spirits; tried several things, and wished Daun to try; but with next to no result. For two days after Holstein's departure, Daun sat still, on his safe Northern shore; stirring nothing but his own cunctations and investiga

• Mitchell, ii. 184, 185.

22d July 1760.

tions, leaving the bombardment, or cannonade, to take its own course. One attempt he did make in concert with Maguire (night of Monday 21st), and one attempt only, of a serious nature; which, like the rest, was unsuccessful. And would not be worth mentioning,except for the poor Regiment Bernburg's sake; Bernburg having got into strange case in consequence of it.

6

"This Attempt' (Night of 21st-22d July) was a combined 'sally and assault, Sally by Maguire's people, a General Nugent 'heading them, from the South or Plauen side of Dresden, and 'Assault by 4,000 of Daun's from the North side,―upon Fried'rich's Trenches. Which are to be burst in upon, in this double 'way, and swept well clear, as may be expected. Friedrich, however, was aware of the symptoms, and had people ready 'waiting,-especially, had Regiment Bernburg, Battalions 1st ' and 2d; a Regiment hitherto without stain.

of

'Bernburg accordingly, on General Nugent's entering their 'trenches from the south side, falls altogether heartily on Gene'ral Nugent; tumbles him back, takes 200 prisoners, Nugent himself one of them' (who is considered to have been the eye the enterprise, worth many hundreds this night): all this Bern'burg, in its usually creditable manner, does, as expected of it. 'But after, or during all this, when the Daun people from the ' north come streaming in, say four to one, both south and north, 'Bernburg looked round for support; and seeing none, had, 'after more or less of struggle, to retire as a defeated Bernburg, -Austrians taking the battery, and ruling supreme there for 'some time. Till Wedell, or somebody with fresh Battalions, 'came up; and, rallying Bernburg to him, retook their Battery, ' and drove out the Austrians, with a heavy loss of prisoners.7

'I did not hear that Bernburg's conduct was liable to the 'least fair censure. But Friedrich's soul is severe at this time; ' demanding miracles from everybody: "You runaway Bern'burg, shame on you!"-and actually takes the swords from them, and cuts off their Hat-tresses: "There!" Which excited

10th-29th July 1760. such an astonishment in the Prussian Army as was seldom 6 seen before. And affected Bernburg to the length almost of despair, and breaking of heart,-in a way that is not ridiculous 'to me at all, but beautiful and pathetic. Of which there is 'much talk, now and long afterwards, in military circles. The sorrows of these poor Bernburgers, their desperate efforts to 'wash out this stigma, their actual washing of it out, not many 'weeks hence, and their magnificent joy on the occasion,—these 'are the one distinguishing point in Daun's relief of Dresden, ' which was otherwise quite a cunctatory, sedentary matter.'

Daun built three Bridges, he had a broad stone one already, but did little or nothing with them; and never himself came across at all. Merely shot out noc-. turnal Pandour Parties, and ordered up Lacy and the Reichsfolk to do the like, and break the night's rest of his Enemy. He made minatory movements, one at least, down the River, by his own shore, on Friedrich's Ammunition Boats from Torgau, and actually intercepted certain of them, which was something; but, except this, and vague flourishings of the Pandour kind, left Friedrich to his own course.

Friedrich bombarded for a day or two farther; cannonaded, out of more or fewer batteries, for eight, think ten days more. Attacks from Daun there were to be, now on this side, now on that; many rumours of attack, but, except once only (midnight Pandours attempting the King's lodging, 'a Farmhouse near Gruna,' but to their astonishment rousing the whole Prussian Army 'in the course of three minutes'8), rumour was mainly all. For guarding his siege-lines, Friedrich has to alter his position; to shift slightly, now fronting this way, now the other way; is 'called always at midnight'

* Archenholz, ii. 81 (who is very vivid, but does not date); Rödenbeck, ii. 24 (quotes similar account by another Eye-witness, and guesses it to be 'night of July 22d-23d').

29th July 1760. (against these nocturnal disturbances), and 'never has his clothes off.' Nevertheless, continues his bombardment, and then his cannonading, till his own good time, which I think is till the 26th. His 'ricochet-battery,' which is good against Maguire's people, innocent to Dresden, he continued for three days more;—while gathering his furnitures about Plauen Country, making his arrangements at Meissen;-did not march till the night of June 29th. Altogether calmly; no Daun or Austrian molesting him in the least; his very sentries walking their rounds in the trenches, till daylight; after which they also marched, unmolested, Meissenward.

Unfortunate Friedrich has made nothing of Dresden, then. After such a June and July of it, since he left the Meissen Country; after all these intricate manoeuverings, hot fierce marchings and superhuman exertions, here is he returning to Meissen Country, poorer than if he had stayed. Fouquet lost, Glatz unrelieved-Nay, just before marching off, what is this new phenomenon? Is this by way of "Happy journey to you!" Towards sunset of the 29th, exuberant joyfiring rises far and wide from the usually quiet Austrian lines,-"Meaning what, once more?" Meaning that Glatz is lost, your Majesty; that, instead of a siege of many weeks (as might have been expected with Fouquet for Commandant), it has held out, under Fouquet's Second, only a few hours; and is gone without remedy! Certain, though incredible. Imbecile Commandant, treacherous Garrison (Austrian deserters mainly), with stealthy Jesuits acting on them: no use asking what. Here is the sad Narrative, in succinct form: