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e afternoon does the Written Answer reach Schmettau: 'Such Terms never could be accepted。''Good;' answers Schmettau: 'To our last breath no others will be offered。' And commences cannonading again; not very violently; but with the order; 'Go on; then; night and day!'

〃About 10 at night; General Guasco; a truculent kind of man; whom I have met with up and down; but not admitted to memory; beats Appeal on the Bridge: 'Inform the Commandant that there will now straightway 13 batteries of cannon; and 5 ditto of howitzers open on him; unless he bethinks himself!' Which dreadful message is taken to Schmettau。 'Wish the gentleman good…evening;' orders Schmettau; 'and say we will answer with 100 guns。' Upon which Guasco vanishes;but returns in not many minutes; milder in tone; requests 'a sight of that Written Paper of Terms again。' 'There it still is;' answers Schmettau; 'not altered; nor ever shall be。' And there is Armistice again:and the Siege; as turns out; has fired its last shot; and is painfully expiring in paroxysms of negotiation; which continue a good many hours。 Schmettau strives to understand clearly that his terms (of the King's own suggesting; as Schmettau flatters himself) are accepted: nor does Durchlaucht take upon him to refuse in any point; but he is strangely slow to sign; still hoping to mend matters。

〃Much hithering and thithering there was; till 4 next morning (Durchlaucht has important news from Torgau; at that moment); till 11 next day; till 4 in the afternoon and later;Guasco and others coming with message after message; hasty and conciliatory: (Durchlaucht at such a distance; his signature not yet come; but be patient; all is right; upon my honor!' Very great hurry evident on the part of Guasco and Company; but; nothing suspected by Schmettau。 Till; dusk or darkness threatening now to supervene; Maguire and Schmettau with respective suites have a Conference on the Bridge;'rain falling very heavy。' Durchlaucht's signature; Maguire is astonished to say; has not yet come; hut Maguire pledges his honor 'that all shall be kept without chicane;' and adds 'what to some of us seemed not superfluous afterwards); 'I am incapable of acting falsely or with chicane。' In fact; till 9 in the evening there was no signature by Durchlaucht; but about 6; on such pledge by Maguire of his hand and his honor; the Siege entirely gave up the ghost; and Dresden belonged to Austria。 Tuesday Evening; 4th September; 1759; Sun just setting; could anybody see him for the rain。

〃Schmettau had been over…hasty; what need had Schmettau of haste? The terms had not yet got signature; perfection of settlement on every point; nor were they at all well kept; when they did! Considerable flurry; temporary blindness; needless hurry; and neglect of symptoms and precautions; must be imputed to poor Schmettau; whose troubles began from this moment; and went on increasing。 The Austrians are already besetting Elbe Bridge; rooting up the herring…bone balks; and approaching our Block… house;sooner than was expected。 But that is nothing。 On opening the Pirna Gate to share it with the Austrians; Friedrich's Spy (sooner had not been possible to the man) was waiting; who handed Schmettau that Second Letter of Friedrich's; 'Courage; there is relief on the road!' Poor Schmettau!〃

What Captain Kollas and the Prussian Garrison thought of all this; THEY were perhaps shy of saying; and we at such distance are not informed;except by one symptom: that; of Colonel Hoffman; Schmettau's Second; whose indignation does become tragically evident。 Hoffman; a rugged Prussian veteran; is indignant at the Capitulation itself; doubly and trebly indignant to find the Austrians on Elbe Bridge; busy raising our Balks and Battery: 〃How is this Sir?〃 inquires he of Captain Sydow; who is on guard at the Prussian end; 〃How dared you make this change; without acquainting the Second in Command? Order out your men; and come along with me to clear the Bridge again!〃 Sydow hesitates; haggles; indignant Hoffman; growing loud as thunder; pulls out a pistol; fatal…looking to disobedient Sydow; who calls to his men; or whose men spring out uncalled; and shoot Hoffman down;send two balls through him; so that he died at 8 that night。 With noise enough; then and afterwards。 Was drunk; said Schmettau's people。 Friedrich answered; on report of it: 〃I think as Hoffman did。 If he was 'drunk;' it is pity the Governor and all the Garrison had not been so; to have come to the same judgment; as he。〃 'P。S。 in Autograph of Letter to Schmettau; 〃Waldau; 11th September; 1759〃 (Preuss; ii。;  Urkundenbuch;  p。 45)。' Friedrich's unbearable feelings; of grief and indignation; in regard to all this Dresden matter;which are not expressed except coldly in business form;can be fancied by all readers。 One of the most tragical bits of ill…luck that ever befell him。 A very sore stroke; in his present condition; a signal loss and affront。 And most of all; unbearable to think how narrowly it has missed being a signal triumph;missed actually by a single hair's… breadth; which is as good as by a mile; or by a thousand miles!

Soon after 9 o'olock that evening; Durchlaucht in person came rolling through our battery and the herring…bone balks; to visit Electoral Highness;which was not quite the legal time either; Durchlaucht had not been half an hour with Electoral Highness; when a breathless Courier came in: 〃General Wunsch within ten miles 'took Torgau in no time; as Durchlaucht well knows; for a week past'; and will be here before we sleep!〃 Durchlaucht plunged out; over the herring…bone balks again (which many carpenters are busy lifting); and the Electoral Highnesses; in like manner; hurry off to Toplitz that same night; about an hour after。 What a Tuesday Night! Poor Hoffman is dead at 8 o'clock; the Saxon Royalties; since 11; are galloping for Pirna; for Toplitz; Durchlaucht of Zweibruck we saw hurry off an hour before them;Capitulation signature not yet dry; and terms of it beginning to be broken; and Wunsch reported to be within ten miles!

The Wunsch report is perfectly correct。 Wunsch is at Grossenhayn this evening; all in a fiery mood of swiftness; his people and he; and indeed it is; by chance; one of Wolfersdorf's impetuosities that has sent the news so fast。 Wunsch had been as swift with Torgau as he was with Wittenberg: he blew out the poor Reichs Garrison there by instant storm; and packed it off to Leipzig; under charge of 〃an Officer and Trumpet:〃he had; greatly against his will; to rest two days there for a few indispensable cannon from Magdeburg。 Cannon once come; Wunsch; burning for deliverance of Dresden; had again started at his swiftest; 〃Monday; 3d September 'death day of the Siege'; very early。〃

〃He is under 8;000; but he is determined to do it;and would have done it; think judges; half thinks Zweibruck himself: such a fire in that Wunsch and his Corps as is very dangerous indeed。 At 4 this morning; Zweibruck heard of his being on march: 'numbers uncertain' (numbers seemingly not the important point;blows any number of us about our business!)and since that moment Zweibruck has driven the capitulation at such a pace; though the flurried Schmettau suspected nothing。

〃Afternoon of TUESDAY; 4th; Wunsch; approaching Grossenhayn; had detached Wolfersdorf with 100 light horse rightwards to Grodel; a boating Village on Elbe shore; To seek news of Dresden; also to see if boats are procurable for carrying our artillery up thither。 At Grodel; Wolfersdorf finds no boats that will avail: but certain boat…people; new from Dresden; report that no capitulation had been published when they left; but that it was understood to be going on。 New spur to Wolfersdorf and Wunsch。 Wolfersdorf hears farther in this Village; That there are some thirty Austrian horse in Grossenhayn:'Possible these may escape General Wunsch!' thinks Wolfersdorf; and decides to have them。 Takes thirty men of his own; orders the other seventy to hold rightward; gather what intelligence is going; and follow more leisurely; and breaks off for the Grossenhayn…Dresden Highway; to intercept those fellows。

〃Getting to the highway; Wolfersdorf does see the fellows; sees also;with what degree of horror I do not know;that there are at least 100 of them against his 30! Horror will do nothing for Wolfersdorf; nor are his other 70 now within reach。 Putting a bold face on the matter; he commands; Stentor…like; as if it were all a fact: 'Grenadiers; march; Dragoons; to right forwards; WHEEL; Hussars; FORWARD: MARCH!'and does terrifically dash forward with the thirty Hussars; or last item of the invoice; leaving the others to follow。 The Austrians draw bridle with amazement; fire off their carbines; take to their heels; and do not stop for more。 Wolfersdorf captures 68 of them; for behoof of Grossenhayn; and sends the remaining 32 galloping home。 'Tempelhof; iii。 214。' Who bring the above news to Durchlaucht of Zweibruck: '12;000 of them; may it please your Durchlaucht; such the accounts we had!' Fancy poor Schmettau's feelings!

〃On the morrow Dresden was roused from its sleep by loud firing and battle; audible on the north side of the River: 'before daybreak; and all day。' It is Wunsch impetuously busy in the woody countries there。 Durchlaucht had shot out Generals and Divisions; Brentano; Wehla; this General and then that; to intercept Wunsch: these the fiery Wunschalmost as if they had been combustible material coming to quench firerepels and dashes back; in a wonderful manner; General after General of them。 And is lord of the field all day:but cannot hear the least word from Dresden; which is a surprising circumstance。

〃In the afternoon Wunsch summons Maguire in the Neustadt: 'Will answer you in two hours;' said Maguire。 Wunsch thereupon is for attacking their two Pontoon Elbe…Bridges; still resolute for Dresden;and orders Wolfersdorf on one of them; the Uebigau Bridge; who finds the enemy lifting it at any rate; and makes them do it faster。 But night is now sinking; from Schmettau not a word or sign。 'Silence over there; all day; not a single cannon to or from;' say Wunsch and Wolfersdorf to one another。 'Schmettau must have capitulated!' conclude they; and withdraw in the night…time; still thunderous if molested; bivoua

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