登陆注册
5471200000005

第5章 CHAPTER II.(1)

In the beginning of September, 1744, war again broke out between the Houses of Austria and Prussia. We marched with all speed towards Prague, traversing Saxony without opposition. I will not relate in this place what the great Frederic said to us, with evident emotion, when surrounded by all his officers, on the morning of our departure from Potzdam.

Should any one be desirous of writing the lives of him and his opponent, Maria Theresa, without flattery and without fear, let him apply to me, and I will relate anecdotes most surprising on this subject, unknown to all but myself, and which never must appear under my own name.

All monarchs going to war have reason on their side; and the churches of both parties resound with prayers, and appeals to Divine Justice, for the success of their arms. Frederic, on this occasion, had recourse to them with regret, of which I was a witness.

If I am not mistaken, the King's army came before Prague on the 14th of September, and that of General Schwerin, which had passed through Silesia, arrived the next day on the other side of the Moldau. In this position we were obliged to wait some days for pontoons, without which we could not establish a communication between the two armies.

The height called Zischka, which overlooks the city, being guarded only by a few Croats, was instantly seized, without opposition, by some grenadiers, and the batteries, erected at the foot of that mountain, being ready on the fifth day, played with such success on the old town with bombs and red-hot balls that it was set on fire.

The King made every effort to take the city before Prince Charles could bring his army from the Rhine to its relief.

General Harsh thought proper to capitulate, after a siege of twelve days, during which not more than five hundred men of the garrison, at the utmost, were killed and wounded, though eighteen thousand men were made prisoners.

Thus far we had met with no impediment. The Imperial army, however, under the command of Prince Charles of Lorraine, having quitted the banks of the Rhine, was advancing to save Bohemia.

During this campaign we saw the enemy only at a distance; but the Austrian light troops being thrice as numerous as ours, prevented us from all foraging. Winter was approaching, dearth and hunger made Frederic determine to retreat, without the least hope from the countries in our rear, which we had entirely laid waste as we had advanced. The severity of the season, in the month of November, rendered the soldiers excessively impatient of their hardships; and, accustomed to conquer, the Prussians were ashamed of and repined at retreat: the enemy's light troops facilitated desertion, and we lost, in a few weeks, above thirty thousand men. The pandours of my kinsman, the Austrian Trenck, were incessantly at our heels, gave us frequent alarms, did us great injury, and, by their alertness, we never could make any impression upon them with our cannon. Trenck at length passed the Elbe, and went and burnt and destroyed our magazines at Pardubitz: it was therefore resolved wholly to evacuate Bohemia.

The King hoped to have brought Prince Charles to the battle between Benneschan and Kannupitz, but in vain: the Saxons, during the night, had entered a battery of three-and-twenty cannon on a mound which separated two ponds: this was the precise road by which the King meant to make the attack.

Thus were we obliged to abandon Bohemia. The dearth, both for man and horse, began to grow extreme. The weather was bad; the roads and ruts were deep; marches were continual, and alarms and attacks from the enemy's light troops became incessant. The discontent all these inspired was universal, and this occasioned the great loss of the army.

Under such circumstances, had Prince Charles continued to harass us, by persuading us into Silesia, had he made a winter campaign, instead of remaining indolently at ease in Bohemia, we certainly should not have vanquished him, the year following, at Strigau; but he only followed at a distance, as far as the Bohemian frontiers.

This gave Frederic time to recover, and the more effectually because the Austrians had the imprudence to permit the return of deserters.

This was a repetition of what had happened to Charles XII. when he suffered his Russian prisoners to return home, who afterwards so effectually punished his contempt of them at the battle of Pultawa.

Prague was obliged to be abandoned, with considerable loss; and Trenck seized on Tabor, Budweis, and Frauenberg, where he took prisoners the regiments of Walrabe Kreutz.

No one would have been better able to give a faithful history of this campaign than myself, had I room in this place, and had I at that time been more attentive to things of moment; since I not only performed the office of adjutant to the King, when he went to reconnoitre, or choose a place of encampment, but it was, moreover, my duty to provide forage for the headquarters. The King having only permitted me to take six volunteers from the body guard, to execute this latter duty, I was obliged to add to them horse chasseurs, and hussars, with whom I was continually in motion. Iwas peculiarly fortunate on two occasions, by happening to come after the enemy when they had left loaded waggons and forage bundles.

I seldom passed the night in my tent during this campaign, and my indefatigable activity obtained the favour and entire confidence of Frederic. Nothing so much contributed to inspire me with emulation as the public praises I received, and my enthusiasm wished to perform wonders. The campaign, however, but ill supplied me with opportunities to display my youthful ardour.

At length no one durst leave the camp, notwithstanding the extremity of the dearth, because of the innumerable clouds of pandours and hussars that hovered everywhere around.

No sooner were we arrived in Silesia, than the King's body guard were sent to Berlin, there to remain in winter quarters.

同类推荐
  • 郁迦罗越问菩萨行经

    郁迦罗越问菩萨行经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 孔子集语

    孔子集语

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 玉斗山人集

    玉斗山人集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 甲申闻见二录

    甲申闻见二录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Frivolous Cupid

    Frivolous Cupid

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 春山行

    春山行

    【江湖】【养成】这是一个女主杜韵女扮男装闯荡江湖,捡到个漂亮小少年,最后养成自己的亲亲奶狗相公的故事。这是个女主可颜可甜,偶尔神经大条一不小心撩到冷面男二的故事。文艺版简介:江湖远,与谁相遇,赔上了谁的一生相思。杜韵想十三岁那年发生了许多事,除了捡到未来相公,还有那个戴着白玉面具的黑衣少年,一牵扯便是多年,一思量便会疼痛。..............
  • 炎黄儿女之战争风云

    炎黄儿女之战争风云

    炎黄大陆,一个奇迹大陆!武者一瞬间飞天遁地,一念间移山倒海!武道修者吞天纳地,一滴血驰骋天下,一滴汗预知未来。面对异位面入侵,炎黄儿女誓死如归,在巨大危机下演绎了一场场悲欢离合,爱恨情仇,阴谋诡计纷至沓来,爱与恨,善与恶,美与丑,战略与才能,奏响时代的序歌。
  • 杀手,请莫醉了

    杀手,请莫醉了

    一个碌碌无为的平庸杀手,一个平平淡淡的卖酒少女。一个黯然的月夜,见证起二人命运的交错……
  • 追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    青涩蜕变,如今她是能独当一面的女boss,爱了冷泽聿七年,也同样花了七年时间去忘记他。以为是陌路,他突然向他表白,扬言要娶她,她只当他是脑子抽风,他的殷勤她也全都无视。他帮她查她父母的死因,赶走身边情敌,解释当初拒绝她的告别,和故意对她冷漠都是无奈之举。突然爆出她父母的死居然和冷家有丝毫联系,还莫名跳出个公爵未婚夫,扬言要与她履行婚约。峰回路转,破镜还能重圆吗? PS:我又开新文了,每逢假期必书荒,新文《有你的世界遇到爱》,喜欢我的文的朋友可以来看看,这是重生类现言,对这个题材感兴趣的一定要收藏起来。
  • 铃缘梦

    铃缘梦

    比鬼神更可怕的是人心。我们一直处在这个社会的邪恶面,看清人心,想要获得新生……
  • 你不必完美

    你不必完美

    活着是为了追求什么?什么才是自己想要的?怎样的一生才不后悔?几乎每个人都不止一次在心底叩问过自己这些问题。回答这些问题,既要了解社会,更需认识自我。一千个人眼中有一千个哈姆雷特,但标准答案永远只存于自己心中。涉江而过,芙蓉千朵。生命厚重漫长,却又似浮光掠影。在缤纷迷离的光影交错中,你望见自己的倒影了吗?打开《新语文课外读本:你不必完美》,看看那些名家们是如何看待时间与生命、思索自我与人生吧。
  • 兼职电竞大神

    兼职电竞大神

    纵观大大小小的电竞比赛,好像都没有女孩子的一席之地。她安好,以电竞男神“暗号”为信仰,誓要在这条荆棘路上所向披靡,登上真正的荣耀巅峰!
  • 时光与你,刚刚好

    时光与你,刚刚好

    欧雅诺没有想到的是这段时间,时队长各种奇怪的表现都是在追她。于是今天她撞枪口上了。“嗨”,时队长好。不好卧槽,队长不会失恋了吧,脸这么黑,我为什么还要嘴贱打招呼,现在还能收的回来吗?我就应该偷偷的溜走啊…刚刚哪儿去了?队长在问我话?没道理啊,我又没有惹他。出去吃饭了,不知道为什么现在突然特别紧张,但是没毛病啊,本来就是吃饭去了啊,只不过顺便相了个亲而已而已…感觉我要被她气死了,明明出去勾搭男人去了,还撒谎,我都追她这么久了不仅没有一点儿回应,还这样对我。看来是我的错,追的太含蓄了,于是第二天所以人都知道了…
  • 春之狩左岸天下

    春之狩左岸天下

    作为一名科技人员,以及要把爱人找回来的决心,她来到穿梭器显示的奇妙坐标点。要命的是任务还没完成,怎么遇到了一个超级大魔王?一口一个本王本王,请恕我直言,你在我眼里就只是个吉吉国王好吗?不过,他一次次的救自己?是为什么?明明最开始的时候怕自己泄露他的秘密恨不得把自己杀之而后快。这人有多想当皇帝?越接触越觉得……
  • 中国地理未解之谜

    中国地理未解之谜

    人类总是充满好奇心,富有求知欲望,不仅对历史积淀的文 化知识和日益发展的科学技术具有浓厚的兴趣,而且对世界上许 许多多的未解之谜都充满了好奇心。这是人类的心理特征,也是 人类社会进步的一种基本动因。从地球到宇宙,从自然到历史, 从科学到艺术,在这许许多多的领域中,无不存在着这样或那样 的“未解之谜”。