History of Friedrich II of Prussia V 18

T >> Thomas Carlyle >> History of Friedrich II of Prussia V 18

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"On the 12,000 English, Soubise had attempted nothing.
Ferdinand joined his English at Soest (August 20th); to their great
joy and his; [Duke of Marlborough's heavy-laden LETTER to Pitt,
"Koesfeld, August 15th:" "Nothing but rains and uncertainties;"
"marching, latterly, up to our middles in water;" have come from
Embden, straight south towards Wesel Country, almost 150 miles
(Soest still a good sixty miles to southeast of us).
CHATHAM CORRESPONDENCE (London, 1838), i. 334, 337. The poor Duke
died in two months hence; and the command devolved on Lord George
Sackville, as is too well known.] 10 to 12,000 as a first
instalment:--Grand-looking fellows, said the Germans. And did you
ever see such horses, such splendor of equipment, regardless of
expense? Not to mention those BERGSCHOTTEN (Scotch Highlanders),
with their bagpipes, sporrans, kilts, and exotic costumes and ways;
astonishing to the German mind. [Romantic view of the BERGSCHOTTEN
(2,000 of them, led by the Junior of the Robert Keiths above
mentioned, who is a soldier as yet), in ARCHENHOLTZ, i. 351-353:
IB. and in PREUSS, ii. 136, of the "uniforms with gold and silver
lace," of the superb horses, "one regiment all roan horses, another
all black, another all" &c.] Out of all whom (BERGSCHOTTEN
included), Ferdinand, by management,--and management was needed,--
got a great deal of first-rate fighting, in the next Four Years.

"Nor, in regard to Hanover, could Soubise make anything of it;
though he did (owing to a couple of stupid fellows, General Prince
von Ysenburg and General Oberg, detached by Ferdinand on that
service) escape the lively treatment Ferdinand had prepared for
him; and even gave a kind of Beating to each of those stupid
fellows, [1. "Fight of Sandershausen" (Broglio, as Soubise's
vanguard, 12,000; VERSUS Ysenburg, 7,000, who stupidly would not
withdraw TILL beaten: "23d July, 1758," BEFORE Ferdinand had come
across again). 2. Fight of Lutternberg (Soubise, 30,000;
VERSUS Oberg, about 18,000, who stupidly hung back till Soubise was
all gathered, and THEN &c., still more stupidly: "10th October,
1758"). See MAUVILLON, i. 312 (or better, ARCHENHOLTZ, i. 345);
and MAUVILLON, i. 327. Both Lutternberg and Sandershausen are in
the neighborhood of Cassel;--as many of those Ferdinand fights
were.]--one of which, Oberg's one, might have ruined Oberg and his
Detachment altogether, had Soubise been alert, which he by no means
was! 'Paris made such jeering about Rossbach and the Prince de
Soubise,' says Voltaire, [ Histoire de Louis XV. italic>] 'and nobody said a word about these two Victories of his,
next Year!' For which there might be two reasons: one, according to
Tempelhof, that 'the Victories were of the so-so kind (SIC WAREN
AUCH DARNACH);' and another, that they were ascribed to Broglio, on
both occasions,--how justly, nobody will now argue!

"Contades had not failed, in the mean while, to follow with the
main Army; and was now elaborately manoeuvring about; intent to
have Lippstadt, or some Fortress in those Rhine-Weser Countries.
On the tail of that second so-so Victory by Soubise, Contades
thought, Now would be the chance. And did try hard, but without
effect. Ferdinand was himself attending Contades; and mistakes were
not likely. Ferdinand, in the thick of the game (October 21st-
30th), 'made a masterly movement'--that is to say, cut Contades and
his Soubise irretrievably asunder: no junction now possible to
them; the weaker of them liable to ruin,--unless Contades, the
stronger, would give battle; which, though greatly outnumbering
Ferdinand, he was cautious not to do. A melancholic cautious man,
apt to be over-cautious,--nicknamed 'L'APOTHECAIRE' by the
Parisians, from his down looks,--but had good soldier qualities
withal. Soubise and he haggled about, a short while,--not a long,
in these dangerous circumstances; and then had to go home again,
without result, each the way he came; Contades himself repassing
through Wesel, and wintering on his own side of the Rhine."

How Pitt is succeeding, and aiming to succeed, on the French
Foreign Settlements: on the Guinea Coast, on the High Seas
everywhere; in the West Indies; still more in the East,--where
General Lally (that fiery O'MulLALLY, famous since Fontenoy),
missioned with "full-powers," as they call them, is raging up and
down, about Madras and neighborhood, in a violent, impetuous, more
and more bankrupt manner:--Of all this we can say nothing for the
present, little at any time. Here are two facts of the financial
sort, sufficiently illuminative. The much-expending, much-
subsidying Government of France cannot now borrow except at 7 per
cent Interest; and the rate of Marine Insurance has risen to 70 per
cent. [Retzow, ii. 5.] One way and other, here is a Pitt clearly
progressive; and a long-pending JENKINS'S-EAR QUESTION in a fair
way to be settled!

Friedrich stays in Saxony about a month, inspecting and adjusting;
thence to Breslau, for Winter-quarters. His Winter is like to be a
sad and silent one, this time; with none of the gayeties of last
Year; the royal heart heavy enough with many private sorrows, were
there none of public at all! This is a word from him, two days
after finishing Daun for the season:--

FRIEDRICH TO MYLORD MARISCHAL (at Colombier in Neufchatel).

"DRESDEN, 23d November, 1758.

"There is nothing left for us, MON CHER MYLORD, but to mingle and
blend our weeping for the losses we have had. If my head were a
fountain of tears, it would not suffice for the grief I feel.

"Our Campaign is over; and there has nothing come of it, on one
side or the other, but the loss of a great many worthy people, the
misery of a great many poor soldiers crippled forever, the ruin of
some Provinces, the ravage, pillage and conflagration of some
flourishing Towns. Exploits these which make humanity shudder:
sad fruits of the wickedness and ambition of certain People in
Power, who sacrifice everything to their unbridled passions! I wish
you, MON CHER MYLORD, nothing that has the least resemblance to mv
destiny; and everything that is wanting to it. Your old friend,
till death."--F. [ OEuvres de Frederic,
xx. 273.]

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