history of friedrich ii of prussia v 18-第55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！




FRIEDRICH；　AS　INDEED　PITT'S　PEOPLE　AND　OTHERS　HAVE　DONE；　TAKES　THE　FIELD　UNCOMMONLY　EARLY：　FRIEDRICH　GOES　UPON　SCHWEIDNITZ；　SCHWEIDNITZ；　AS　THE　PREFACE　TO　WHATEVER　HIS　CAMPAIGN　MAY　BE。

While　this　Subsidy　Treaty　is　getting　settled　in　England；　Duke　Ferdinand　has　his　French　in　full　cackle　of　universal　flight；　and　before　the　signing　of　it　（April　11th）；　every　feather　of　them　is　over　the　Rhine；　Duke　Ferdinand　busy　preparing　to　follow。　Glorious　news；　day　after　day；　coming　in；　for　Pitt；　for　Miss　Barbara　and　for　all　English　souls；　Royal　Highness　of　Cumberland　hardly　excepted！　The　〃Descent　on　Rochefort；〃　last　Autumn；　had　a　good　deal　disappointed　Pitt　and　England；an　expensively　elaborate　Expedition；　military　and　naval；　which　could　not　〃descend〃　at　all；　when　it　got　to　the　point；　but　merely　went　groping　about；　on　the　muddy　shores　of　the　Charente；　holding　councils　of　war　yonder；　〃cannonaded　the　Isle　of　Aix　for　two　hours；〃　and　returned　home　without　result　of　any　kind；　Courts…martial　following　on　it；　as　too　usual。　This　was　an　unsuccessful　first…stroke　for　Pitt。　Indeed；　he　never　did　much　succeed　in　those　Descents　on　the　French　Coast；　though　never　again　so　ill　as　this　time。　Those　are　a　kind　of　things　that　require　an　exactitude　as　of　clockwork；　in　all　their　parts：　and　Pitt's　Generalcies　and　War…Offices；we　know　whether　they　were　of　the　Prussian　type　or　of　the　Swedish！　A　very　grievous　hindrance　to　Pitt；which　he　will　not　believe　to　be　quite　incurable。　Against　which　he；　for　his　part；　stands　up；　in　grim　earnest；　and　with　his　whole　strength；　and　is　now；　and　at　all　times；　doing　what　in　him　lies　to　abate　or　remedy　it：successfully；　to　an　unexpected　degree；　within　the　next　four　years。　From　America；　he　has　decided　to　recall　Lord　Loudon；　as　a　cunctatory　haggling　mortal；　the　reverse　of　a　General；　how　very　different　from　his　Austrian　Cousin！　＇Cousins　certainly　enough；　their　Progenitors　were　Brothers；　of　that　House；　about　1568；when　Matthew；　the　cadet；　went　〃into　Livonia；〃　into　foreign　Soldiering　（Papa　having　fallen　Prisoner　〃at　the　Battle　of　Langside；〃　1568；　and　the　Family　prospects　being　low）；　from　this　Matthew　comes；　through　a　scrips　of　Livonian　Soldiers；　the　famed　Austrian　Loudon。　Douglas；　　Peerage　of　Scotland；　　p。　425；　&c。　&c。　VIE　DE　LOUDON　（ill…informed　on　that　point　and　some　others）　says；　the　first　Livonian　Loudon　came　from　Ayrshire；　〃in　the　fourteenth　century〃。＇　〃Abercrombie　may　be　better；〃　hopes　he；was　better；　still　not　good。　But　already　in　the　gloomy　imbroglio　over　yonder；　Pitt　discerns　that　one　Amherst　（the　son　of　people　unimportant　at　the　hustings）　has　military　talent：　and　in　this　puddle　of　a　Rochefort　Futility；　he　has　got　his　eye　on　a　young　Officer　named　Wolfe；　who　was　Quartermaster　of　the　Expedition；　a　young　man　likewise　destitute　of　Parliamentary　connection；　but　who　may　be　worth　something。　Both　of　whom　will　be　heard　of！　In　a　four　years'　determined　effort　of　this　kind；　things　do　improve：　and　it　was　wonderful；　to　what　amount；out　of　these　chaotic　War…Offices　little　better　than　the　Swedish；　and　ignorant　Generalcies　fully　worse　than　the　Swedish；Pitt　got　heroic　successes　and　work　really　done。

On　Pitt；　amid　confused　clouds；　there　is　bright　dawn　rising；　and　Friedrich　too；　for　the　last　month；　in　Breslau；　has　a　cheerful　prospect　on　that　Western　side　of　his　horizon。　Here　is　one　of　his　Postscripts；　thrown　off　in　Autograph；　which　Duke　Ferdinand　will　read　with　pleasure：　〃I　congratulate　you；　MON　CHER；　with　my　whole　heart！　May　you　FLEUR…DE…LYS　every　French　skin　of　them；　cutting　out　on　their〃what　shall　we　say　（LEUR　IMPRIMANT　SUR　LE　CUE）！〃the　Initials　of　the　Peace　of　Westphalia；　and　packing　them　across　the　Rhine；〃　tattooed　in　that　latest　extremity　of　fashion！　＇Friedrich　to　Duke　Ferdinand；　〃Grussau；　19th　March；　1758：〃　in　Knesebeck；　　Herzog　Ferdinand；　　i。　64。　　Herzog　Ferdinand　wahrend　des　7…jahrigen　Krieges　　（〃from　the　English　aud　Prussian　Archives〃）　is　the　full　Title　of　Knesebeck's　Book：　LETTERS　altogether；　not　very　intelligently　edited；　but　well　worth　reading　by　every　student；　military　and　civil：　2　vols。　8vo。　Hannover；　1857。＇

Friedrich；　grounding　partly　on　those　Rhine　aspects；　has　his　own　scheme　laid　for　Campaign　1758。　It　is　the　old　scheme　tried　twice　already：　to　go　home　upon　your　Enemy　swiftly；　with　your　utmost　collective　strength；　and　try　to　strike　into　the　heart　of　him　before　he　is　aware。　Friedrich　has　twice　tried　this；　the　second　time　with　success；　respectable　though　far　short　of　complete。　Weakened　as　now；　but　with　Ferdinand　likely　to　find　the　French　in　employment；　he　means　to　try　it　again；　and　is　busy　preparing　at　Neisse　and　elsewhere；　though　keeping　it　a　dead　secret　for　the　time。　There　is；　in　fact；　no　other　hopeful　plan　for　him；　if　this　prove　feasible　at　all。　Double　your　velocity；　you　double　your　momentum。　One's　weight　is　given；weight　growing　less　and　less；but　not；　or　not　in　the　same　way　and　degree；　one's　velocity；　one's　rightness　of　aim。　Weight　given：　it　is　only　by　doubling　or　trebling　his　velocity　that　a　man　can　make　his　momentum　double　or　treble；　as　needed！　Friedrich　means　to　try　it；　readers　will　see　how；were　the　Fort　of　Schweidnitz　once　had；　for　which　object　Friedrich　watches　the　weather　like　a　very　D'Argens；　eager　that　the　frost　would　go。　Recapture　of　Schweidnitz；　the　last　speck　of　Austrianism　wiped　away　there；　that　is　evidently　the　preface　to　whatsoever　day's…work　may　be　ahead。

March　15th；　frost　being　now　off；　Friedrich　quits　Breslau　and　D'Argens；his　Head…quarter　thenceforth　Kloster…Grussau；　near　Landshut；　troops　all　getting　cantoned　thereabout；　to　keep　Bohemia　quiet；and　goes　at　once　upon　Schweidnitz。　With　the　top　of　the　morning；　so　to　speak；　means　to　have　Schweidnitz　before　campaigning　usually　can　begin；　or　common　laborers　take　their　tools　in　this　trade。　The　Austrian　Commandant　has　been　greatly　strengthening　the　works；　he　had；　at　first；　some　8；000　of　garrison；　but　the　three　months'　blockade　has　been　tight　upon　him　and　them；　and　it　is　hoped　the　thing　can　be　done。

APRIL　1st…2d；Siege…material　being　got　to　the　ground；　and　Siege　Division　and　Covering　Army　all　in　their　places；in　spite　of　the　heavy　rains；　we　open　our　first　parallel；　Austrian　Commandant　not　noticing　till　it　is　nearly　done。　April　8th；　we　have　our　batteries　built；　and　burst　out；　at　our　best　rate；　into　cannonade；　aiming　a　good　deal　at　〃Fort　No。　1；〃　called　also　〃GALGEN　or　Gallows　Fort；〃　which　we　esteem　the　principal。　Cannonade　continues　day　after　day；　prospers　tolerably　on　Gallows　Fort；〃though　the　wet　weather；　and　hardship　to　the　troops；　are　grievous　circumstances；　and　make　Friedrich　doubly　urgent。　〃Try　it　by　storm！〃　counsels　Balbi；　who　is　Engineer。　Night　of　APRIL　15th…16th　storm　takes　place；　with　such　vigor　and　such　cunning；　that　the　Gallows　Fort　is　got　for　almost　nothing　（loss　of　ten　men）；…and　few　hours　after；　Austria　beat　the　chamade。　＇Tempelhof；　ii。　21…25；　　Helden…Geschichte；　　v。　109…123：　above　all；　Tielcke；　　Beytrage　zur　Kriegs…Kunst　und　zur　Geschichte　des　Krieges　von　1756　bis　1763　　（6　vols。　4to；　Freyberg；　1775…1786）；　iv。　43…76。　Volume　iv。　is　wholly　devoted　to　Schweidnitz　and　its　successive　Sieges。＇　Fifty…one　new　Austrian　guns；　for　one　item；　and　about　7；000　pounds　of　money。　Prisoners　of　War　the　Garrison；　8；000　gone　to　4；900；　with　such　stores　as　we　can　guess；　of　ours　and　theirs　added：　Balbi　was　Prussian　Engineer…in…Chief；　Treskau　Captain　of　the　Siege；other　particulars　I　spare　the　reader。

Unfortunate　Schweidnitz　underwent　four　Sieges；　four　captures　or　recaptures；　in　this　War；upon　all　of　which　we　must　be　quite　summary；　only　the　results　of　them　important　to　us。　For　the　curious　in　sieges；　especiaIly　for　the　scientifically　curious；　there　is；　by　a　Captain　Tielcke；　excellent　account　of　all　these　Schweidnitz　Sieges；　and　of　others；Artillery…Captain　Tielcke；　in　the　Saxon　or　Saxon…Russian　service；　whom　perhaps　we　shall　transiently　fall　in　with；　on　a　different　field；　in　the　course　of　this　Year。



Chapter　XII。

SIEGE　OF　OLMUTZ。

Fouquet；　on　the　first　movement　towards　Schweidnitz；　had　been　detached　from　Landshut　to　sweep　certain　Croat　Parties　out　of　Glatz；　Ziethen；　with　a　similar　view；　into　Troppau　Country；　both　which　errands　were　at　once　perfectly　done。　Daun　lies　behind　the　Bohemian　Frontier　（betimes　in　the　field　he　too；　〃arrived　at　Konigsgratz；　March　13th〃）；　and　is；　with　all　diligence；　perfecting　his　new　levies；　intrenching　himself　on　all　points；　as　man　seldom　did；　〃felling　whole　forests；〃　they　say；　building　abatis　within　abatis；　not　doubting；　especially　on　these　Ziethen…Fouquet　symptoms；　but　Friedrich's　Campaign　is　to　be　an　Invasion　of　Bohemia　again。　〃Which　he　shall　not　do　gratis！〃　hopes　Daun；　and；　indeed；　judges　say　the　entrance　would　hardly　have　been　possible　on　that　side；　had　Friedrich　tried　it；　which　he　did　not。

Schweidnitz　being　done；　and　Daun　deep　in　the　Bohemian　problem；　Friedrich；　in　an　unintelligible　manner；　breaks　out　from　Grussau　and　the　Landshut　region　（April　19th…25th）；　not　straight　southward；　as　Daun　had　been　expecting；　but　straight　southeastward　through　Neisse；　Jagerndorf：　all　gone；　or　all　but　Ziethen　and　Fouquet　gone；　that　way；meaning　who　shall　say　what；　when　news　of　it　comes　to　Daun？　In　two　divisions；　from　30　to　40；000　strong；　through　Jagerndorf；　ever　onward　through　Troppau；　and　not　till　THEN　turning　southward：　indubitable　march　of　that　cunning　Enemy；　rapidly　proceeding；　his　40；000　and　he；　along　those　elevated　upland　countries；　watershed　of　the　Black　Sea　and　the　Baltic；　bleakly　illumined　by　the　April　sun；　a　march　into　the　mists　of　the　future　tense；　which　do　not　yet　clear　themselves　to　Daun。　Seeing　the　march　turn　southward　at　Troppau；　a　light　breaks　on　Daun：　〃Ha！　coming　round　upon　Bohemia　from　the　east；　then？〃　That　is　Daun's　opinion；　for　some　time　yet；　and　he　immediately　starts　that　way；　to　save　a　fine　magazine　he　has　at　Leutomischl　over　there。　Daun；　from　Skalitz　near　Konigsgratz　where　he　is；　has　but　some　eighty　miles　to　march；　for　the　King's　hundred　and　fifty；　and　arrives　in　those　parts　few　days　after　the　King；　posts　himself　at　Leutomischl；　veiled　in　Pandours。　Not　for　two　weeks　more　does　he　ascertain　it　to　have　been　a　march　upon　the　Olmutz　Country；　and　the　intricate　forks　of　the　Morawa　River；　with　a　view　to　besieging　Olmutz；　by　this　wily　Enemy！　Upon　which　Daun　did　strive