1758. SIEGE OF OLMÜTZ BY THE KING OF PRUSSIA.

147

but not without some circumstances of strange and mysterious suspicion.*

The King of Prussia, after his great victory at Leuthen, had fixed his winter-quarters at Breslau. Even with the snow deep upon the ground he had kept Schweidnitz closely blockaded. He had besieged and reduced that important fortress at the first appearance of spring. Next, ever most ready where least expected, he suddenly burst into Moravia, and invested Olmutz, its capital. But he had now before him far different chiefs from Charles of Lorraine; the cool, cautious, far-sighted Daun, who has been surnamed the Austrian Fabius **; Laudon, gifted with enterprise and boldness almost equal to his own. While Daun remained securely intrenched, throwing in supplies to the Imperial garrison, or cutting off the Prussian outposts, but avoiding any general engagement, Laudon darted forward with his cavalry, and succeeded in capturing or destroying a train of 3,000 waggons from Silesia. It was on these that Frederick had depended for the food and ammunition of his troops. Thus, on the 1st of July, he found it necessary to raise the siege; but instead of retiring to his own dominions, as Daun imagined, he turned discomfiture into invasion, and struck across the bordering mountains into the heart of Bohemia. There he maintained himself in the strong position of Königinngratz, until called elsewhere to repel the advancing Russians.

The slow progress of the Russians up to that time had been a matter of surprise and speculation to the politicians of Europe. "Either," says Lord Chesterfield, "they have "had a sop from the King of Prussia, or they want an

* The extraordinary case of the threatening letters addressed to the Duke, and signed "Felton," will be found fully detailed in the Annual Register, 1758, p. 121-127. This was the case as it appeared in the Duke's life-time; his death so shortly afterwards gives great additional significance to the story.

** He is thus termed on the medal which was struck at Vienna in his praise: LEOPOLDUS COMES DE DAUN; GERMANORUM FABIUS MAXIMUS: CUNCTANDO VICISTI; CUNCTANDO VINCERE PERGE. 1758.

"animating dram from France and Austria." Now, however, they were quickened by fresh orders from Petersburg, and by a new commander, General Fermor. They occupied, almost without resistance, the city of Königsberg, and the whole Prussian territory beyond the Vistula, and they then pushed forward, at least 50,000 strong, towards the Oder. The barbarities committed on their march were worthy of their Scythian forefathers. Everywhere their track was marked by the smoke of the burning villages and the wail of the houseless peasants. Thus, also, when they arrived before Cüstrin, within a few marches of Berlin, they wantonly bombarded and destroyed the town before they proceeded to besiege the fortress. In this siege they were still engaged when Frederick appeared before them, having hastened from Bohemia by forced marches. He had brought with him about 14,000 soldiers; he had found about 20,000 more. On the 25th of August the two armies met on the plain of Zorndorf at no great distance from Cüstrin. The battle began at eight in the morning, and continued with little intermission till eight at night. The Prussians, exasperated by the sufferings of their countrymen around them, had resolved to give no quarter**,- and the Russians neither gave nor asked it. Both parties flew to the conflict, less like warring armies than as personal and rancorous foemen. Thus, for instance, a Prussian and a Russian were found on the plain locked in each other's arms, both grievously wounded, the Prussian unable to move, and the Russian maimed in both hands, but still endeavouring to tear asunder his prostrate opponent with his teeth. Few battles accordingly have been more bloody, considering the numbers engaged. At the close of the day there had fallen dead or wounded 11,000 of Frederick's army, and 20,000 of Fermor's. The victory had been decided for the Prussians, mainly by the heroic exertions of their horse, Letter to his son, May 30. 1758.

** It is owned by the Prussian writers that this order was given by Frederick himself: "Der König befahl, keinem Russen in der Schlacht "Pardon zu geben." (Archenholtz, vol. i. p. 169.)

1758.

VICTORY OVER THE RUSSIANS.

149

led on by General Seydlitz, one of the best cavalry officers whom the world has ever seen. Yet the Russians could still maintain through the night a part of the battle-field, and pretend to claim the honours of victory; they marched back with their columns diminished, but unbroken; nor was it until after attempting, though unsuccessfully, the siege of Colberg, that they retired for winter- quarters beyond the Vistula. Frederick himself hastened back to Saxony, where, during his absence, his brother, Prince Henry, had been closely pressed by the Austrians.

The Russian prisoners (for some prisoners were made on the day after the battle, and during the retreat,) were sent for safe custody to the fortress of Magdeburg. There the Royal Family of Prussia had ever since the preceding campaign sought shelter. There also were immured the captives of Rosbach and of Leuthen. We may well conceive how the inhabitants, secure behind their ramparts from the sufferings of war, were elated at its glory. We may yet trace the recollections of a German writer of some note, then a schoolboy at Magdeburg: "How my young "heart," says he, "used to bound when I heard couriers "arriving, in constant succession and amidst sounding "clarions, each with the news of some fortress taken, of "some victory won; when I saw companies of invalids "bringing in whole armies of prisoners from the furthest "points of the great nations banded against us, from the "borders of the gulf of Gascony to the roots of the moun"tains of Ural."*

Once again in Saxony, the King speedily reduced Daun to the defensive. His own camp was fixed at Hochkirchen in front of Bautzen, and close to the Bohemian lines. But in this exposed position he had neglected his usual care and vigilance before an enemy. Daun and Laudon, combining their movements, surprised his camp before daybreak on a winter morning. Starting from his rest, Frederick beheld

* Rötger, Rückblicke ins Leben, p. 12. Preuss, Lebens-Geschichte, vol. ii. p. 38.

his troops scattered or slaughtered all around him; and nothing but his presence of mind and intrepidity preserved them from utter ruin. As it was he lost 100 pieces of cannon, twenty-eight standards, and 9,000 men in killed and wounded. None among the slain were more deeply and more deservedly lamented than Field Marshal James Keith, brother of the exiled Earl Marischal of Scotland. His private virtues were not less conspicuous than his military talents. Some days previously he had warned Frederick of the danger of his unguarded position. "If the Austrians," said he, "leave us quiet here, they will deserve to be hanged!"* At the first sound of the hostile firing he had hastened to the head of his troops; seeing them disperse, he sought by beat of drum to rally them; even a wound could not make him quit the field, until another bullet laid the British hero (for as our's let us still claim him!) lifeless on the ground.

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The date of this disastrous battle was the 14th of October. "On the very day," writes Frederick, "that the King was defeated at Hochkirchen by the Austrians, his sister "the Margravine of Bareith expired. No doubt the ancient "Romans would have ascribed some fatal omen to that day "when two such grievous blows struck the King together."** Fatal indeed has been the omen of that day to the House of Hohen-zollern. On the 14th of October, forty-eight years afterwards, the whole heritage of Frederick, the whole monarchy of Prussia, was overwhelmed in the rout of Jena.

Had the Austrians followed up their success at Hochkirchen they might, perhaps, have ended the war. But Daun, whose own army had suffered severely, hesitated during several days, and these days enabled Frederick to repair his losses. Having by some skilful manoeuvres misled the

* Preuss, Lebens - Geschichte, vol. ii. p. 171. The King wittily answered, "I hope they are more afraid of us than of the gallows!" See also an interesting letter from Keith to his brother, Earl Marischal, dated the very day before the battle, and printed in Lord Dover's Life of Frederick II. (vol. ii. p. 140.)

**Euvres Posthumes, vol. ii. p. 268. ed. 1789. See also his letter to Voltaire, April 22. 1759.

1758.

MEETING OF PARLIAMENT.

151

enemy as to his designs, he suddenly marched into Silesia, and raised the siege of Neisse, which another Austrian division had for some time invested. Thence, darting back into Saxony, he rescued Dresden, which was already close pressed by Daun; and then, the winter having now set in, he closed this chequered campaign, fixing, as before, his own head-quarters at Breslau. Berlin he had resolved not to reenter so long as the war continued.

On this occa

In November the British Parliament met. sion, says a Member of the House of Commons, "Mr. Pitt "made the most artful speech he ever made, — provoked, "called for, defied, objections, - promised enormous ex"pense, demanded never to be judged by events. Uni"versal silence left him arbiter of his own terms." Nor did this unanimity and this silence prevail but for a single night; they endured throughout the Session. The general submission of the House to the Minister's measures seemed rather heightened and enhanced, as by contrast, from the stubborn resistance of a single Member, Mr. Vyner, who declaimed to empty benches against almost every thing proposed. A new Subsidy to Prussia, like the last of 670,000l., was readily voted. The total amount of the estimates for the year approached the hitherto unparalleled height of twelve millions and a half; an annual expenditure, which, moderate as it may be deemed by the present generation, appeared altogether incredible and ruinous to the last.** Pitt himself was startled at the sum. "I wish to God," — thus he writes to Newcastle, "I could see my way through this "mountain of expense!" ***

This wondrous unanimity, — this sudden stilling of the

H. Walpole to Sir H. Mann, November 27. 1758. It was in the course of this speech that Pitt, placing himself in an attitude of defiance, ex. claimed in his loudest tone: "Is there an Austrian among you? Let him "stand forward and reveal himself!". See Butler's Reminiscences, vol. i. p. 153.

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**The total expenditure in 1759 was 12,503,5641. (Sinclair's Public Re"A most venue, part iii. p. 69.) — about 200,0001. beyond the Estimates. "incredible sum!" writes Lord Chesterfield to his son, December 15. 1758, *** Letter, April 4. 1758. Chatham Correspondence, vol. i. p.

305.