31st July 1760. and hollows. The famous "Battle of Warburg,"-if you try to 'inquire in the Town itself, from your brief railway-station, 'it is much if some intelligent inhabitant, at last, remembers to have heard of it! The thing went thus: Chevalier Du Muy, 'who is Broglio's Rearguard or Reserve, 30,000 foot and horse, ' with his back to the Diemel, and eight bridges across it in case of accident, has his right flank leaning on Warburg, and his left on a Village of Ossendorf, some two miles to north-west of that. Broglio, Prince Xavier of Saxony, especially Duke Ferdinand, are all vehemently and mysteriously moving about, since that Fight of Korbach; Broglio intent to have Cassel besieged, Du Muy keeping the Diemel for him; Ferdinand eager to have the Diemel back from Du Muy and him. 'Two days ago (July 29th), the Erbprinz crossed over into "these neighbourhoods, with a strong Vanguard, nearly equal to Du Muy; and, after studious reconnoitering and survey had, means, this morning (July 31st), to knock him over the Diemel again, if he can. No time to be lost; Broglio near and in such 'force. Duke Ferdinand too, quitting Broglio for a moment, is on march this way; crossed the Diemel, about midnight, some 'ten miles farther down, or eastward; will thence bend south'ward, at his best speed, to support the Erbprinz, if necessary, ' and beset the Diemel when got;-Erbprinz not, however, in any wise, to wait for him; such the pressure from Broglio and 'others. A most busy swift-going scene, that morning;-hardly 'worth such describing at this date of time. 'The Erbprinz, who is still rather to north-eastward, that is 'to rightward, not directly frontward, of Du Muy's lines; and 'whose plan of attack is still dark to Du Muy, commences' (about 8 A.M., I should guess) 'by launching his British Legion 'so-called,—which is a composite body, of Free-Corps nature, 'British some of it ("Colonel Beckwith's people," for example), 'not British by much the most of it, but an aggregate of wild ' strikers, given to plunder too :-by launching his British Legion upon Warburg Town, there to take charge of Du Muy's right 'wing. Which Legion, "with great rapidity, not only pitched 'the French all out, but clean plundered the poor Town;" and 'is a sad sore on Du Muy's right, who cannot get it attended 31st July 1760. to, in the ominous aspects elsewhere visible. For the Erbprinz, 'who is a strategic creature, comes on, in the style of Friedrich, 'not straight towards Du Muy, but sweeps out in two columns 'round northward; privately intending upon Du Muy's left wing and front-left wing, right wing (by British Legion), 6 and front, all three;-and is well aided by a mist which now fell, and which hung on the higher ground, and covered his 'march, for an hour or more. This mist had not begun when 'he saw, on the knoll-tops, far off on the right, but indisputable ' as he flattered himself,—something of Ferdinand emerging! 'Saw this; and pours along, we can suppose, with still better step and temper. And bursts, pretty simultaneously, upon Du Muy's right wing and left wing, coercing his front the while; 'squelches both these wings furiously together; forces the co'erced centre, mostly horse, to plunge back into the Diemel, ' and swim. Horse could swim; but many of the Foot, who tried, got drowned. And, on the whole, Du Muy is a good 'deal wrecked' (1,500 killed, 2,200 prisoners, not to speak of cannon and flags), and, but for his eight bridges, would have 'been totally ruined. 'The fight was uncommonly furious, especially on Du Muy's 'left; "Maxwell's Brigade" going at it, with the finest bayonetpractice, musketry, artillery practice; obstinate as bears. On 'Du Muy's right, the British Legion, left wing, British too by name, had a much easier job. But the fight generally was of 'hot and stubborn kind, for hours, perhaps two or more;-and 'some say, would not have ended so triumphantly, had it not 'been for Duke Ferdinand's Vanguard, Lord Granby and the English Horse; who, warned by the noise ahead, pushed on ' at the top of their speed, and got in before the death. Granby ' and the Blues had gone at the high trot, for above five miles; ' and, I doubt not, were in keen humour when they rose to the 'gallop and slashed in. Mauvillon says, "It was in this attack "that Lord Granby, at the head of the Blues, his own regiment, "had his hat blown off; a big bald circle in his head rendering "the loss more conspicuous. But he never minded; stormed "still on," bare bald head among the helmets and sabres; "and "made it very evident that had he, instead of Sackville, led 31st July 1760. at Minden, there had been a different story to tell. The "English, by their valour," adds he, "greatly distinguished "themselves this day. And accordingly they suffered by far "the most; their loss amounting to 590 men:" or, as others 'count,—out of 1,200 killed and wounded, 800 were English." "20 This of Granby and the bald head is mainly what now renders Warburg memorable. For, in a year or two, the excellent Reynolds did a Portrait of Granby; and by no means forgot this incident; but gives him bare-headed, bare and bald; the oblivious British connoisseur not now knowing why, as perhaps he ought. The Portrait, I suppose, may be in Belvoir Castle; the artistic Why of the baldness is this Battle of Warburg, as above. An Affair otherwise of no moment. Ferdinand had soon to quit the Diemel, or to find it useless for him, and to try other methods,-fencing gallantly, but too weak for Broglio; and, on the whole, had a difficult Campaign of it, against that considerable Soldier with forces so superior. * Mauvillon, ii. 114. Or better, in all these three cases, as elsewhere, Tempelhof's specific Chapter on Ferdinand (Tempelhof, iv. 101-122). Ferdinand's Despatch (to King George), in Knesebeck, ii. 96-98;—or in the Old Newspapers (Gentleman's Magazine, xxx. 386, 387), where also is Lord Granby's Despatch. CHAPTER III. BATTLE OF LIEGNITZ. FRIEDRICH stayed hardly one day in Meissen Country; Silesia, in the jaws of destruction, requiring such speed from him. His new Series of Marches thitherward, for the next two weeks especially, with Daun and Lacy, and at last with Loudon too, for escort, are still more singular than the foregoing; a fortnight of Soldier History such as is hardly to be paralleled elsewhere. Of his inward gloom one hears nothing. But the Problem itself approaches to the desperate; needing daily new invention, new audacity, with imminent destruction overhanging it throughout. A March distinguished in Military Annals; but of which it is not for us to pretend treating. Military readers will find it in Tempelhof, and the supplementary Books from time to time cited here. And, for our own share, we can only say, that Friedrich's labours strike us as abundantly Herculean; more Alcides-like than ever, the rather as hopes of any success have sunk lower than ever. A modern Alcides, appointed to confront Tartarus itself, and be victorious over the Three-headed Dog. Daun, Lacy, Loudon coming on you simultaneously, open-mouthed, are a considerable Tartarean Dog! Soldiers judge that the King's resources of genius were extremely conspicuous on this occasion; and to all men it is in evidence that seldom in the Arena of this Universe, looked 1st-7th Aug. 1760. on by the idle Populaces and by the eternal Gods and Antigods (called Devils), did a Son of Adam fence better for himself, now and throughout. This, his Third march to Silesia in 1760, is judged to be the most forlorn and ominous Friedrich ever made thither; real peril, and ruin to Silesia and him, more imminent than even in the old Leuthen days. Difficulties, complicacies very many, Friedrich can foresee: a Daun's Army and a Lacy's for escort to us; and such a Silesia when we do arrive. And there is one complicacy more which he does not yet know of; that of Loudon waiting ahead to welcome him, on crossing the Frontier, and increase his escort thenceforth!—Or rather, let us say, Friedrich, thanks to the despondent Henri and others, has escaped a great Silesian Cala-mity; of which he will hear, with mixed emotions, on arriving at Bunzlau on the Silesian Frontier, six days after setting out. Since the loss of Glatz (July 26th), Friedrich has no news of Loudon; supposes him to be trying something upon Neisse, to be adjusting with his slow Russians; and, in short, to be out of the dismal account-current just at present. That is not the fact in regard to Loudon; that is far from the fact. Loudon is trying a Stroke-of-Hand on Breslau, in the Glatz Fashion, in the Interim (July 30thAugust 3d). Hardly above six hours after taking Glatz, swift Loudon, no Daun now tethering him (Daun standing, or sitting, "in relief of Dresden" far off), was on march for Breslau-Vanguard of him 'marched that same evening (July 26th):' in the liveliest hope of capturing |