17th-27th Aug. 1760. Swedish ships-of-war, big and little, blackening the waters of poor Colberg. August 26th' (the day before Friedrich's writing as above), 'they have got all things adjusted,—the landtroops covered by redoubts to rearward, ships moored in their battering-places;—and begin such a bombardment and firing of redhot balls, upon Colberg, as was rarely seen. To which, .C one can only hope old Heyde will set a face of gray-steel character, as usual; and prove a difficult article to deal with, till one get some relief contrived for him.'24 .6 24 Archenholtz, ii. 116: in Helden-Geschichte (vi. 73-83), 'Tagebuch of Siege, 26th August-18th September,' and other details. CHAPTER IV. DAUN IN WRESTLE WITH FRIEDRICH IN THE SILESIAN HILLS. In spite of Friedrich's forebodings, an extraordinary recoil, in all Anti-Friedrich affairs, ensued upon Liegnitz; everything taking the backward course, from which it hardly recovered, or indeed did not recover at all, during the rest of this Campaign. Details on the subsequent Daun-Friedrich movements,-which went all aback for Daun, Daun driven into the Hills again, Friedrich hopeful to cut off his bread, and drive him quite through the Hills, and home again,—are not permitted us. No human intellect in our day could busy itself with understanding these thousandfold marchings, manœuverings, assaults, surprisals, sudden facings about (retreat changed to advance); nor could the powerfullest human memory, not exclusively devoted to study the Art Military under Friedrich, remember them when understood. For soldiers, desirous not to be sham-soldiers, they are a recommendable exercise; for them I do advise Tempelhof and the excellent German Narratives and Records. But in regard to others-A sample has been given: multiply that by the ten, by the three-score and ten; let the ingenuous imagination get from it what will suffice. Our first duty here to poor readers, is to elicit from that sea of small things the fractions which are cardinal, or which give human physiognomy and memorability to it; and carefully suppress all the rest. 30th Aug. 18th Sept. 1760. Understand, then, that there is a general goingback on the Austrian and Russian part. Czernichef we already saw at once retire over the Oder. Soltikof bodily, the second day after, deaf to Montalembert, lifts himself to rearward; takes post behind bogs and bushy grounds more and more inaccessible; followed by Prince Henri with his best impressiveness for a week longer, till he seem sufficiently remote and peaceablyminded: "Making home for Poland, he," thinks the sanguine King; "leave Goltz with 12,000 to watch him. The rest of the Army over hither!" Which is done, August 27th; General Forcade taking charge, instead of Henri, who is gone, that day or next, to Breslau, for his health's sake. "Prince Henri really ill," say some; "Not so ill, but in the sulks," say others:-partly true, both theories, it is now thought; impossible to settle in what degree true. Evident it is, Henri sat quiescent in Breslau, following regimen, in more or less pathetic humour, for two or three months to come; went afterwards to Glogau, and had private theatricals; and was no more heard of in this Campaign. Greatly to his Brother's loss and regret; who is often longing for "your recovery" (and return hither), to no purpose. Soltikof does, in his heart, intend for Poland; but has to see the Siege of Colberg finish first; and, in decency even to the Austrians, would linger a little : "Willing I always, if only you prove feasible!" Which occasions such negotiating, and messaging across the Oder, for the next six weeks, as-as shall be omitted in this place. By intense suasion of Montalembert, Soltikof even consents to undertake some sham movement on Glogau, thereby to alleviate his Austrians across the 1 'August 18th, to Trebnitz, on the road to Militsch' (Tempelhof, iv. 167). 30th Aug. 1760. เ River; and staggers gradually forward a little in that direction:-sham merely; for he has not a siege-gun, nor the least possibility on Glogau; and Goltz with the 12,000 will sufficiently take care of him in that quarter. Friedrich, on junction with Forcade, has risen to perhaps 50,000; and is now in some condition against the Daun-Loudon-Lacy Armies, which cannot be double his number. These still hang about, in the BreslauParchwitz region; gloomy of humour; and seem to be aiming at Schweidnitz,-if that could still prove possible with a Friedrich present. Which it by no means does; though they try it by their best combinations;-by ‘a powerful Chain of Army-posts, isolating Schweidnitz, ' and uniting Daun and Loudon;' by 'a Camp on the Zobtenberg, as crown of the same;'-and put Friedrich on his mettle. Who, after survey of said Chain, executes (night of August 30th) a series of beautiful manœuvres on it, which unexpectedly conclude its existence :'with unaccountable hardihood' (as Archenholtz has it, physiognomically true to Friedrich's general style just now, if a little incorrect as to the case in hand), 'sees good to march direct, once for all, athwart said Chain; right across its explosive cannonadings and it,-coun'ter-cannonading, and marching rapidly on; such a 'march for insolence, say the Austrians!" Till, in this way, the insolent King has Schweidnitz under his protective hand again; and forces the Chain to coil itself wholly together, and roll into the Hills for a safe lodging. Whither he again follows it: with continual changes of position, vying in inaccessibility with your own; threatening your meal-wagons; trampling on your 2 Archenholtz (ii. 115-116); who is in a hurry, dateless, and rather confuses a subsequent day (September 18th) with this 'night of August 30th.' See Retzow, ii. 26; and still better, Tempelhof, iv. 203. 18th Sept. 1760. skirts in this or the other dangerous manner; marching insolently up to your very nose, more than once ('Dittmannsdorf, September 18th,' for a chief instance), and confusing your best schemes.3 This "insolent" style of management, says Archenholtz, was practised by Julius Cæsar on the Gauls; and since his time by nobody,-till Friedrich, his studious scholar and admirer, revived it 'against another enemy.' 'It is of excellent efficacy,' adds Tempelhof; 'it dis'heartens your adversary, and especially his common people, and has the reverse effect on your own; con6 fuses him in endless apprehensions, and details of self' defence; so that he can form no plan of his own, and 'his overpowering resources become useless to him.' Excellent efficacy,-only you must be equal to doing it; not unequal, which might be very fatal to you! For about five weeks, Friedrich, eminently practising this style, has a most complex multifarious Briarean wrestle with big Daun and his Lacy-Loudon satellites; who have a troublesome time, running hither, thither, under danger of slaps, and finding nowhere an available mistake made. The scene is that intricate Hill-Country between Schweidnitz and Glatz (kind of glacis from Schweidnitz to the Glatz Mountains): Daun, generally speaking, has his back on Glatz, Friedrich on Schweidnitz; and we hear of encampings at Kunzendorf, at Bunzelwitz, at Burkersdorf,-places which will be more famous in a coming Year. Daun makes no complaint of his Lacy-Loudon or other satellite people; who are diligently circumambient all of them, as bidden; but are unable, like Daun himself, to do the least good; and have perpetually, Daun and they, a bad Tempelhof, iv. 193-231 ; &c. &c. : in Anonymous of Hamburg, iv. 222235, Diary of the Austrian Army' (3d-8th September). |