按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
on him; has continued ever since; diligently recruiting himself; ranking the remains of the right wing defeated at Prag; drawing regiments out of Mahren; or whencesoever to be had。 Till; by these methods; he is grown 60;000 strong; nearly thrice superior to Bevern; though being a 〃Fabius Cunctator〃 (so called by and by); he as yet attempts nothing。 Forty thousand in Prag; with Sixty here in the Czaslau Quarter; 'Tempelhof; i。 196; Retzow (i。 107; 109) counts 46;000+66;000。' that makes 100;000; say his Prussian Majesty has two…thirds of the number: can the Fabius Cunctator attempt nothing; before Prag utterly famish?
Order comes to him from Vienna: 〃Rescue Prag; straightway go upon it; cost what it like!〃 Daun does go upon it; advances visibly towards Prag; Bevern obliged to fall back in front of him。 Sunday; 12th June; Daun despatches several Officers to Prince Karl at Prag; with notice that; 〃On the 20th; Monday come a week; he will be in the neighborhood of Prag with this view:they; of course; to sally out; and help from rearward。〃 〃Several Officers; under various disguises;〃 go with that message; June 12th; but none of them could get into the City; and some of them; I judge; must have fallen into the Prussian Hussar Parties:at any rate; the news they carried did get into the Prussian circuit; and produced an instant resolution there。 Early next morning; Monday 13th; King Friedrich; with what disposable force is on the spot;10;000 capable of being spared from siege…work; and 4;000 more that will be capable of following; under Prince Moritz; in two days;sets forth in all speed。 Joins Bevern that same night; at Kaurzim; thirty…five miles off; which is about midway from Prag to Czaslau; and only three miles or so from Daun's quarters that night;had the King known it; which he did not。
Daun must be instantly gone into; and shall;if he is there at all; and not fallen back at the first rumor of us; as Friedrich rather supposes。 In any case; there are preliminaries indispensable: the 4;000 of Prince Moritz still to come up; secondly; bread to be had for us; which is baking at Nimburg; across the Elbe; twenty miles off; lastly (or rather firstly; and most indispensable of all); Daun to be reconnoitred。 Friedrich reconnoitres Daun with all diligence; pushes on everything according to his wont; much obstructed in the reconnoitring by Pandour clouds; under which Daun has veiled himself; which far outnumber our small Hussar force。 Daun; as usual;showing always great skill in regard to camps and positions;has planted himself in difficult country: a little river with its boggy pools in front; behind and around; an intricate broken country of knolls and swamps; one ridge in it which they even call a BERG or Hill; Kamhayek Berg; not much of a Hill after all; but forming a long backbone to the locality; west end of it straight behind Daun's centre; at present。 Friedrich's position is from north to south; like Daun's; taking advantage of what heights and brooks there are; and edging northward to be near his bread…ovens: right wing still holds by Kaurzim; left wing looking down on Planian; a little Town on the High Road (KAISER…STRASSE) from Prag to Vienna。 Little Town destined to get up its name in a day or two;next little Town to which; twelve miles farther on; is Kolin; secretly destined to become and continue still more famous among mankind。 Kolin is close to the Elbe; left or south bank; Elbe hereabouts strikes into his long northwestern course (to Wittenberg all the way; Pirna; say 150 miles off; is his half…way house in that direction);strikes off northward hereabouts; making for Nimburg; among other places: Planian; right south of Nimburg; is already fifteen good miles from Elbe。
This is Friedrich's position; Wednesday; June 15th and the day following; somewhat nearer his ovens than yesterday。 Daun is yet parallel to him; has his centre behind Swoyschitz; an insignificant Village at the foot of those Kamhayek Heights; which is; ever since; to be found in Maps。 Friday; 17th; Friedrich's bread…wagons and 4;000 having come in; as doubtless the Pandours report in the proper place; Daun does not quite like his strong position any more; but would prefer a stronger。 Friday about sunset; 〃great clouds of dust〃 rise from Daun: changing his position; the Prussians see; if for Pandours and gathering darkness they can at present see little else。 Daun; truly; observing the King to have in that manner edged up; towards Planian; is afraid of his right wing from such a neighbor。 So that the reader must take his Map again。 Or; if he care not for such things; let him skip; and leave me solitary to my sad function; till we can meet on easier ground; and report the battle which ensued。 Daun hustles his right wing back out of that dangerous proximity; wheels his whole right wing and centre ninety degrees round; so as to reach out now towards Kolin; and lie on the north slope of the Kamhayek ridge; places his left wing EN POTENCE (gibbet…wise); hanging round the western end of said Kamhayek; its southern extremity at Swoyschitz; its northern at Hradenin; where (not a mile from Planian) his right wing had formerly been;with other intricate movements not worth following; under my questionable guidance; on a Map with unpronounceable names。 Enough to say that Daun's right wing is now far east at Krzeczhorz; well beyond Chotzemitz; whereabouts his centre now comes to stand (and most of his horse THERE; both the wings being hilly and rough; unfit for horse);and that; this being nearly the last of Daun's shiftings and hustlings for the present; or indeed in essential respects the very last; readers may as well note the above main points in it。
Hustled into this still stronger place; with wheeling and shoving; which lasted to a late hour; Daun composes himself for the night。 He lies now; with centre and right looking northward; pretty much parallel to the Planian…Kolin or Prag…Vienna Highway; and about a mile south of the same; extreme posts extending almost to Kolin on that side; left wing well planted EN POTENCE; Kamhayek ridge; north face and west end of it; completely his on both the exposed or Anti…Prussian faces。 Friedrich feels uncertain whether he has not gone his ways altogether; but proposes to ascertain by break of day。
By break of day Friedrich starts; having cleared off certain Pandour swarms visible in places of difficulty; who go on first notice; and without shot fired。 'Lloyd; i。 61 et seq。 (or Tempelhof's Translation; i。 151…164); Tempelhof's own Account is; i。 179…196; Retzow's; i。 120…149 (fewer errors of detail than usual); Kutzen; Der Tag von Kolin (Breslau; 1857); a useful little compilation from many sources。 Very incorrect most of the common accounts are; Kausler's Schlachten; Jomini; and the like。' Marches through Planian in two columns; along the Kolin Highway and to north of it; marches on; four or five miles farther; nothing visible but the skirts of retiring Pandours;〃Daun's rear…guard probably?〃 Friedrich himself is with Ziethen; who has the vanguard; as Friedrich's wont is; eagerly enough looking out; reaches a certain Inn on the wayside (WIRTHSHAUS 〃of Slatislunz or GOLDEN…SUN;〃