history of friedrich ii of prussia v 18-第69章

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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　to　bestir　himself　thitherward；　at　last；　and；　though　very　slow　and　hesitative；　his　measures　otherwise　were　unexceptionable；　and　turned　out　luckier　than　had　been　expected　by　some　people。

Olmutz　is　an　ancient　pleasant　little　City；　in　the　Plains　of　Mahren；　romantic；　indistinct　to　the　English　mind；　with　Domes；　with　Steeples　eminent　beyond　its　size；population　little　above　10；000　souls；　has　its　Prince…Archbishop　and　ecclesiastic　outfittings；　with　whom　Friedrich　has　lodged　in　his　time。　City　which　trades　in　leather；　and　Russian　and　Moldavian　droves　of　oxen。　Memorable　to　the　Slavic　populations　for　its　grand　Czech　Library；　which　was　carried　away　by　the　Swedes；　happily　into　thick　night；　＇To　Stralsund　（1645）；　〃and　has　not　since　been　heard　of。〃＇　also　for　that　poor　little　Wenzel　of　theirs　（last　heir　of　the　Bohemian　Czech　royalties；　whom　no　reader　has　the　least　memory　of）　being　killed　on　the　streets　here；　uncertain；　to　this　day；　by　whom；　though　for　whose　benefit　that　dagger…stroke　ended　is　certain　enough；　＇Supra；　vol。　v。　p。　118。＇　poor　little　Wenzel's　dust　lies　under　that　highest　Dome；　of　the　old　Cathedral　yonder；　if　anybody　thought　of　such　a　thing　in　hot　practical　times。　Poor　Lafayette；　too；　lodged　here　in　prison；　when　the　Austrians　seized　him。　City　trades　in　leather　and　live　stock；　we　said；　has　much　to　do　with　artillery；　much　with　ecclesiastry；and　Friedrich　besieged　it；　for　seven　weeks；　in　the　hot　summer　days　of　1758；　to　no　purpose。　Friedrich　has　been　in　Olmiitz　more　than　once　before；　his　Schwerin　once　took　it　in　a　single　day；　and　it　was　his　for　months；　in　the　old　Moravian…Foray　time：　but　the　place　is　changed　now；　become　an　arsenal　or　military　storehouse　of　Austria；　strongly　fortified；　and　with　a　Captain　in　it；　who　distinguishes　himself　by　valiant　skill　and　activity　on　this　occasion。

Friedrich's　Olmutz　Enterprise；　the　rather　as　it　was　unsuccessful；　has　not　wanted　critics。　And　certainly；　according　to　the　ordinary　rules　of　cautious　prudence；　could　these　have　been　Friedrich's　in　his　present　situation；　it　was　not　to　be　called　a　prudent　Enterprise。　But　had　Friedri