友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!
history of friedrich ii of prussia v 18-第16部分
快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完,想下次继续接着阅读,可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能!
wing still holds by Kaurzim; left wing looking down on Planian; a little Town on the High Road (KAISER…STRASSE) from Prag to Vienna。 Little Town destined to get up its name in a day or two;next little Town to which; twelve miles farther on; is Kolin; secretly destined to become and continue still more famous among mankind。 Kolin is close to the Elbe; left or south bank; Elbe hereabouts strikes into his long northwestern course (to Wittenberg all the way; Pirna; say 150 miles off; is his half…way house in that direction);strikes off northward hereabouts; making for Nimburg; among other places: Planian; right south of Nimburg; is already fifteen good miles from Elbe。
This is Friedrich's position; Wednesday; June 15th and the day following; somewhat nearer his ovens than yesterday。 Daun is yet parallel to him; has his centre behind Swoyschitz; an insignificant Village at the foot of those Kamhayek Heights; which is; ever since; to be found in Maps。 Friday; 17th; Friedrich's bread…wagons and 4;000 having come in; as doubtless the Pandours report in the proper place; Daun does not quite like his strong position any more; but would prefer a stronger。 Friday about sunset; 〃great clouds of dust〃 rise from Daun: changing his position; the Prussians see; if for Pandours and gathering darkness they can at present see little else。 Daun; truly; observing the King to have in that manner edged up; towards Planian; is afraid of his right wing from such a neighbor。 So that the reader must take his Map again。 Or; if he care not for such things; let him skip; and leave me solitary to my sad function; till we can meet on easier ground; and report the battle which ensued。 Daun hustles his right wing back out of that dangerous proximity; wheels his whole right wing and centre ninety degrees round; so as to reach out now towards Kolin; and lie on the north slope of the Kamhayek ridge; places his left wing EN POTENCE (gibbet…wise); hanging round the western end of said Kamhayek; its southern extremity at Swoyschitz; its northern at Hradenin; where (not a mile from Planian) his right wing had formerly been;with other intricate movements not worth following; under my questionable guidance; on a Map with unpronounceable names。 Enough to say that Daun's right wing is now far east at Krzeczhorz; well beyond Chotzemitz; whereabouts his centre now comes to stand (and most of his horse THERE; both the wings being hilly and rough; unfit for horse);and that; this being nearly the last of Daun's shiftings and hustlings for the present; or indeed in essential respects the very last; readers may as well note the above main points in it。
Hustled into this still stronger place; with wheeling and shoving; which lasted to a late hour; Daun composes himself for the night。 He lies now; with centre and right looking northward; pretty much parallel to the Planian…Kolin or Prag…Vienna Highway; and about a mile south of the same; extreme posts extending almost to Kolin on that side; left wing well planted EN POTENCE; Kamhayek ridge; north face and west end of it; completely his on both the exposed or Anti…Prussian faces。 Friedrich feels uncertain whether he has not gone his ways altogether; but proposes to ascertain by break of day。
By break of day Friedrich starts; having cleared off certain Pandour swarms visible in places of difficulty; who go on first notice; and without shot fired。 'Lloyd; i。 61 et seq。 (or Tempelhof's Translation; i。 151…164); Tempelhof's own Account is; i。 179…196; Retzow's; i。 120…149 (fewer errors of detail than usual); Kutzen; Der Tag von Kolin (Breslau; 1857); a useful little compilation from many sources。 Very incorrect most of the common accounts are; Kausler's Schlachten; Jomini; and the like。' Marches through Planian in two columns; along the Kolin Highway and to north of it; marches on; four or five miles farther; nothing visible but the skirts of retiring Pandours;〃Daun's rear…guard probably?〃 Friedrich himself is with Ziethen; who has the vanguard; as Friedrich's wont is; eagerly enough looking out; reaches a certain Inn on the wayside (WIRTHSHAUS 〃of Slatislunz or GOLDEN…SUN;〃 say the Modern Books;though I am driven to think it Novomiesto; nearer Planian; but will not quarrel on the subject); Inn of good height for one thing; and there; mounting to the top…story or perhaps the leads; descries Daun; stretching far and wide; leant against the Kamhayek; in the summer morning。 What a sight for Friedrich: 〃Big game SHALL be played; then; death sure; this day; to thousands of men: and to me? Well!〃
Friedrich calls halt: rest here a little; to consider; examine; settle how。 A hot close morning; rest for an hour or two; till our rear from Kaurzim come up: horses and men will be the better for it;horses can have a mouthful of grass; mouthful of water; some of them 〃had no drink last night; so late in getting home。〃 Poor quadrupeds; they also have to get into a blaze of battle…rage this day; and be blown to pieces a great many of them;in a quarrel not of their seeking! Horse and rider are alike satisfied on that latter point; silently ready for the task THEY have; and deaf on questions that are bottomless。
At this Hostelry of Novomiesto (not of Slatislunz or 〃GOLDEN…SUN〃 at all; which is a 〃Sun〃 fallen dismally eclipsed in other ways '〃The Inn of Slati…Slunz was burnt; about twenty years ago; nothing of it but the stone walls now dates from Friedrich's time。 It is a biggish solid…looking House of two stories (whether ever of three; I could not learn); stands pleasantly; at the crown of a long rise from Kolin;and inwardly; alas; in our day; offers little but bad smells and negative quantities! Only the ground… floor is now inhabited。 From the front; your view northward; Nimburg way; across the Elbe Valley; is fertile; wide…waving; pretty: but rearward; upstairs;having with difficulty got permission;you find bare balks; tattered feathers; several hundredweight of pigeon's dung; and no outlook at all; except into walls of office…houses and the overhanging brow of Heights;fatal; clearly; to any view of Daun; even from a third story!〃 (TOURIST'S NOTE; 1858。)Tempelhof (UBI SUPRA) seems to have known the right; place; not; Retzow; or almost anybody since: and indeed the question; except for expressly Military people; is of no moment。'); Friedrich halted for three hours and more; saw Daun developing himself into new Order of Battle; 〃every part of his position visible;〃 considered with his whole might what was to be tried upon him;and about noon; having made up his mind; called his Generals; in sight of the phenomenon itself there; to give them their various orders and injunctions in regard to the same。 The Plan of Fight; which was thought then; and is still thought by everybody; an excellent one;resting on the 〃oblique order of attack;〃 Friedrich's favorite mode;was; if the reader will take his Map; conceivable as follows。
Daun has by this time deployed himself; in three lines; or two lines and a reserve; on the high…lying Champaign south of the Planian…Kolin Great Road; south; say a mile; and over the crests of the rising ground; or Kamhayek ridge; so that from the Great Road you can see nothing of him。 His line; swaying here and there a little; to take advantage of its ground; extends nearly five miles; from east to west; pointing towards Planian side; the left wing of it; from Planian; eastward; the way Friedrich has marched; Daun's left wing may be four miles distant。 On the other side; Daun's right wingmain line always pretty parallel to the Highway; and pointing rather southward of Kolinreaches to the small Hamlet of Krzeczhorz; which is two miles off Kolin。 In front of his centre is a Village called Chotzemitz (from which for a while; in those months; the Battle gets its name; 〃Battle of Chotzemitz;〃 by Daun's christening): in front of him; to right or to left of Chotzemitz; are some four or even six other Villages (dim rustic Hamlets; invisible from the High Road); every Village of which Daun has well beset with batteries; with good infantry; not to speak of Croat parties hovering about; or dismounted Pandours squatted in the corn。 That easternmost Village of his is spelt 〃Krzeczhorz〃 (unpronounceable to mankind); a dirty little place; in and round which the Battle had its hinge or cardinal point: the others; as abstruse of spelling; all but equally impossible to the human organs; we will forbear to name; except in case of necessity。 Half a mile behind Krzeczhorz (let us write it Kreczor; for the future: what can we do?); is a thin little Oak…wood; bushes mainly; but with sparse trees too; which is now quite stubbed out; though it was then important enough; and played a great part in the result of this day's work。 Radowesnitz; a pronounceable little Village; half a mile farther or southward of the Oak…bush; is beyond the extremity of Daun's position; low down on a marshy little Brook; which oozes through lakes and swamps towards Kolin; in the northerly direction。
Most or all of these Villages are on little Brooks (natural thirst so leading them): always some little runlet of water; not so swampy when there is any fall for it; in general lively when it gets over the ridge; and becomes visible from this Highway。 And it is curious to see what a considerable dell; or green ascending chasm; this little thread of water; working at all moments for thousands of years; has hollowed out for itself in the sloping ground; making a great military obstacle; if you are mounting to attack there。 Poor Czech Hamlets all of them; dirty; dark; mal…odorous; ignorant; abhorrent of German speech;in what nook those inarticulate inhabitants; diving underground at a great rate this morning; have hidden themselves to…day; I know not。 The country consists of knolls and slopes; with swamps intermediate; rises higher on the Planian side; but except the top of that Kamhayek ridge on the Planian side; and 〃Friedrich's…Berg〃 on the Kolin side; there is nothing that you could think of calling a Hill; though many Books (and even Friedrich's Book) rashly say otherwise。 Friedrich's…Berg; now so called; is on the north side of the Highway: half a mile northeastward of Slatislunz; the mal…odorous Inn。 A conical height of perhaps a hundr
快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!