history of friedrich ii of prussia v 19-第10部分
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ent a humor; this time!and in a day more; posts himself opposite to Crossen Bridge; five or six miles south; and again sits watchful of Soltikof there。 At Crossen; triumphant Soltikof has found no Austrian Junction; nor anything additional to live upon。 A very disappointing circumstance to Soltikof; 〃Austrian Junction still a problem; then; a thing in the air? And perhaps the King of Prussia taking charge of it now!〃 Soltikof; more and more impatient; after waiting some days; decided Not to cross Oder by that Bridge;〃shy of crossing anywhere 'think the French Gentlemen; Montazet; Montalembert'; to the King of Prussia's side!〃 'Stenzel; iv。 215 (indistinct; and giving a WRONG citation of 〃Montalembert; ii。 87〃)。' Which is not unlikely; though the King is above 100 miles off him; and has Daun on his hands。 Certain enough; keeping the River between him and any operations of the King; Soltikof set out for Frankfurt; forty or fifty miles farther down。 In the hope probably of finding something of human provender withal? July 30th; one week after his Battle; the vanguard of him is there。
Thus; in two days; or even in one; has Wedell's Dictatorship ended。 Easy to say scoffingly; 〃Would it had never begun!〃 Friedrich knows that; and Wedell knows it;AFTER the event everybody knows it! Friedrich said nothing of reproachful; the reverse rather; 〃I dreaded something of the kind; it is not your fault;〃 'TO WEDELL; FROM THE KING; 〃Schmottseifen; July 24th。 1759〃 (in Schoning; ii。 118)。'ordered Wedell to watch diligently at Crossen Bridge; and be ready on farther signal。 The Wedell Problem; in such ruined condition; has now fallen to Friedrich himself。
This is the BATTLE OF ZULLICHAU (afternoon of 23d July; 1759); the beginning of immense disasters in this Campaign。 Battle called also of KAY and of PALZIG; those also being main localities in it。 It was lost; not by fault of Wedell's people; who spent themselves nobly upon it; nor perhaps by fault of Wedell himself; but principally; if not solely; by those two paltry Brooks; or threads of Quagmire; one of which turns Kay…Mill; memorable Brooks in this Campaign; 1759。 'Tempelhof; iii。 125…131。'
Close in the same neighborhood; there is another equally contemptible Brook; making towards Oder; and turning the so…called Krebsmuhle; which became still more famous to the whole European Public twenty years hence。 KREBS…MUHLE (Crab…Mill); as yet quite undistinguished among Mills; belonging to a dusty individual called Miller Arnold; with a dusty Son of his own for Miller's Lad: was it at work this day? Or had the terrible sound from Palzig quenched its clacking?
Some three weeks ago (4th…6th JULY); there occurred a sudden sharp thing at Havre…de…Grace on the French Coast; worth a word from us in this place。 The Montazets; Montalemberts; watching; messaging about; in the Austrian…Russian Courts and Camps; assiduously keeping their Soltikofs in tune; we can observe how busy they are。 Soubise with his Invasion of England; all the French are very busy; they have conquered Hessen from Duke Ferdinand; and promise themselves a glorious Campaign; after that Seizure of Frankfurt。 Soubise; intent on his new Enterprise; is really making ardent preparations: at Vanues in the Morbihan; such rendezvousing and equipping;especially at Havre; no end of flat…bottomed boats getting built; and much bluster and agitation among the weaker sorts in both Nations。 Whereupon;
〃JULY 1st 'just in the days while Friedrich was first trying Horse Artillery'; Rear…Admiral Rodney sails from Portsmouth with a few Frigates; and Six Bomb…ketches 'FIREDRAKE; BASILISK; BLAST; and such nomenclatures 'List of him; in Beatson; Naval and Military Memoirs (London; 1804); ii。 241; his Despatch excellently brief; ib。 ii。 323''; and in the afternoon of Tuesday; 3d; arrives in the frith or bay of Havre。 Steers himself properly into 'the Channel of Honfleur' before dark; and therefrom; with his Firedrake; Basilisk and Company; begins such a bombardment of Havre and the flat…bottomed manufactories as was quite surprising。 Fifty…two incessant hours of it; before he thought poor Havre had enough。 Poor Havre had been on fire six times; the flat manufactory (unquenchable) I know not how many; all the inhabitants off in despair; and the Garrison building this battery to no purpose; then that; no salvation for them but in Rodney's 'mortars getting too hot。' He had fired of shells 1;900; of carcasses; 1;150: from Wednesday about sunrise till Friday about 8 A。M。;about time now for breakfast; which I hope everybody had; after such a stretch of work。 'No damage to speak of;' said the French Gazetteers; 'we will soon refit everything!' But they never did; and nothing came of Havre henceforth。 Vannes was always; and is now still more; to be the main place; only that Hawkemost unexpectedly; for one fancied all their ships employed in distant partsrides there with a Channel Fleet of formidable nature; and the previous question always is: 'Cannot we beat Hawke? Can we! Or will not he perhaps go; of himself; when the rough weather comes?'〃
Chapter III。
FRIEDRICH IN PERSON ATTEMPTS THE RUSSIAN PROBLEM; NOT WITH SUCCESS。
Before Wedell's catastrophe; the Affair of those Haddick…Loudon Detachments had become a little plainer to Friedrich。 The intention; he begins to suspect; is not for Berlin at all; but for junction with Soltikof;at Crossen; or wherever it may be。 This is in fact their real purpose; and this; beyond almost Berlin itself; it is in the highest degree important to prevent! Important; and now as if become impossible!
Prince Henri had come to Bautzen with his Army; specially to look after Loudon and Haddick; and he has; all this while; had Finck with some 10;000 diligently patrolling to westward of them; guarding Berlin; he himself watching from the southern side; where; as on the western; there was no danger from them。 Some time before Wedell's affair; Friedrich had pushed out Eugen of Wurtemberg to watch these people on the eastern side;suspicious that thitherward lay their real errand。 Eugen had but 6;000; and; except in conjunction with Finck and Henri; could do nothing; nor can; now when Friedrich's suspicion turns out to be fatally true。 Friedrich had always the angry feeling that Finck and Prince Henri were the blameworthy parties in what now ensued; that they; who were near; ought to have divined these people's secret; and spoiled it in time; not have left it to him who was far off; and so busy otherwise。 To the last; that was his fixed private opinion; by no means useful to utter;especially at present; while attempting the now very doubtful enterprise himself; and needing all about him to be swift and zealous。 This is one of Friedrich's famous labors; this of the Haddick…Loudon junction with Soltikof; strenuous short spasm of effort; of about a week's continuance; full of fiery insight; velocity; energy; still admired by judges; though it was unsuccessful; or only had half success。 Difficult to bring home; in any measure; to the mind of modern readers; so remote from it。
Friedrich got the news of Zullichau next day; July 24th;and instantly made ready。 The case is critical; especially this Haddick…Loudon part of it: add 30 or 36;000 Austrians to Soltikof; how is he then to be dealt with? A case stringently pressing:and the resources for it few and scattered。 For several days past; Haddick; and Loudon under him; whose motions were long enigmatic; have been marching steadily eastward through the Lausitz;with the evident purpose of joining Soltikof; unless Wedell could forbid。 Wedell ahead was the grand opposition;Finck; Henri; Wurtemberg; as good as useless;and Wedell being now struck down; these Austrians will go; especially Loudon will; at a winged rate。 They are understood to be approaching Sagan Country; happily; as yet; well to westward of it; and from Sagan Town well NORTH…westward;but all accounts of them are vague; dim: they are an obscure entity to Friedrich; but a vitally important one。 Sagan Town may be about 70 miles northward of where Friedrich now is: from Sagan; were they once in the meridian of Sagan; their road is free eastward and northward;to Crossen is about 60 miles north…by…east from Sagan; to Frankfurt near 100 north。 Sagan is on the Bober; Bober; in every event; is between the Austrians and their aim。
Friedrich feels that; however dangerous to quit Daun's neighborhood; he must; he in person; go at once。 And who; in the interim; will watch Daun and his enterprises? Friedrich's reflections are: 〃Well; in the crisis of the moment; Saxonythough there already are marauding Bodies of Reichsfolk in itmust still be left to itself for a time; or cannot Finck and his 10;000 look to it? Henri; with his Army; now useless at Bautzen; shall instantly rendezvous at Sagan; his Army to go with me; against the Russians and their Haddick…Loudons; Henri to Schmottseifen; instead of me; and attend to Daun; Henri; I have no other left! Finck and his 10;000 must take charge of Saxony; such charge as he can:how lucky those Spring Forays; which destroyed the Reichs Magazines! Whereby there is no Reichs Army yet got into Saxony (nothing but preliminary pulses and splashings of it); none yet; nor like to be quite at once。〃 That is Friedrich's swift plan。
Henri rose on the instant; as did everybody concerned: July 29th; Henri and Army were at Sagan; Army waiting for the King; Henri so far on his road to Schmottseifen。 He had come to Sagan 〃by almost the rapidest marches ever heard of;〃or ever till some others of Henri's own; which he made in that neighborhood soon。 Punctual; he; to his day; as are Eugen of Wurtemberg's people; and all Detachments and Divisions: Friedrich himself arrives at Sagan that same 29th; 〃about midnight;〃and finds plenty of work waiting: no sleep these two nights past; and none coming just yet! A most swift rendezvous。 The speed of everybody has been; and needs still to be; intense。
This rendezvous at Saganintersection of Henri and Friedrich; bound different roads (the Brothers; I think; did not personally meet; Henri having driven off for Schmottseifen by a shorter road) was SUNDAY; JULY 29th。 Following which; are six days of such a hunt for those Austrian reynards as seldom or neve