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SEVEN  WEEKS'  WAR 


THE 


SEVEN    WEEKS'   WAR 


ITS   ANTECEDENTS   AND    ITS    INCIDENTS 


H.  M.  HOZIER,  F.C.S.,  F.G.S., 


{BASED    UPON  LETTERS   REPRINTED   BY  PERMISSION  FROM   "THE   TIMES."] 


"  Unaque  hora,  quaclringentorum  annorum  opus  quibus 
Alba  steterat  excidio  ac  minis  dedit." — Livy. 


SECOND    EDITION 
WITH   NEW   PREFACE   AND   MAPS 


SLontfon  anil  Ncfo  Horfc: 

MACMILLAN     AND     CO. 

1871. 

[The  Right  of  Translation  is  Reserved.} 


H7 


LONDON : 
iKADBURY,   EVANS,    AND   CO.,    PRINTERS,   WHITEFRIARS. 


HEN"  ~  3TEFHESJI 


<*c 


TO 

COLONEL    EDWARD    BRUCE    HAMLEY, 

ROYAL    ARTILLERY, 

LATELY   PROFESSOR  OF  MILITARY  HISTORY,  STRATEGY,  AND 
TACTICS  AT  THE  STAFF  COLLEGE, 

NOW  COMMANDANT  OF  THE   STAFF   COLLEGE, 

THIS   FAINT  ATTEMPT  TO  CHRONICLE  THE  EVENTS 
OF  THE  GERMAN  WAR  OF    1 866   IS 


gtbieateir 


A   FORMER  PUPIL. 


9375 


PREFACE  TO   THE    FIRST  EDITION. 

The  only  claim  to  consideration  that  the  following  pages 
can  present  is  that  for  the  most  part  they  are  the  product  of  a 
personal  eye-witness  of  some  of  the  most  interesting  incidents 
of  a  war  which,  for  rapidity  and  decisive  results,  may  claim  an 
almost  unrivalled  position  in  history. 

The  Author  has  attempted  to  ascertain  and  to  advance  facts. 
His  object  has  been  impartiality,  his  aim  truth.  Criticism 
from  one  so  feebly  competent  to  criticise  would  have  been 
entitled  to  no  respect,  and  has  therefore  been  avoided.  A 
few  observations  occasionally  introduced  are  the  results  not  of 
original  thought  so  much  as  of  communication  with  some 
whose  positive  abilities  and  experience  entitle  their  opinions 
to  be  attentively  weighed. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 
PREFATORY   CHAPTER  XV 


BOOK   I. 
CHAPTER   I. 


INTRODUCTORY 


CHAPTER   II. 

FRUITLESSNESS   OF   THE   GASTEIN    CONVENTION   .  .  .  .  1 4 

CHAPTER    III. 

COMMENCEMENT   OF   THE   PREPARATIONS   FOR  WAR  l8 

CHAPTER   IV. 

PRUSSIA'S    MOTION    FOR   REFORM   OF   GERMANIC    CONFEDERATION     .  30 

CHAPTER  V. 

BREACH   OF   CONVENTION    OF   GASTEIN 32 

BOOK   II. 
CHAPTER    I. 

FIRST    BLOODLESS   CONFLICT   IN    HOLSTEIN 40 

CHAPTER   II. 

FINAL   RUPTURE   BETWEEN    PRUSSIA   AND   AUSTRIA  ...         44 


COXTEXTS. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

PRUSSIAN   OCCUPATION    OF   SAXONY     . 


PAGE 


CHAPTER    III. 

BREAK-UP   OF   THE   GERMANIC   CONFEDERATION  .  .  .       .         46 


BOOK    III. 
CHAPTER    I. 

THE   WAR   STRENGTH    OF    PRUSSIA   . 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE    WAR   STRENGTH    OF   AUSTRIA 93 

CHAPTER    III. 

WAR   STRENGTH    OF   THE    REMAINING   STATES    OF    GERMANY    .  .       IOO 

CHAPTER    IV. 

WAR    STRENGTH    OF    THE    KINGDOM    OF    ITALY 107 


BOOK    IV. 
CHAPTER    I. 

PRELUDE   OF   THE    WAR 112 

CHAPTER    II. 

PRUSSIAN    OCCUPATION    OF    HANOVER IlS 

CHAPTER    III. 

PRUSSIAN    OCCUPATION    OF   HESSE-CASSEL 122 


CONTENTS.  xi 

BOOK   V. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER    I. 

THEATRE   OF   GERMAN    WAR 134 

CHAPTER   II. 

PASSAGE   OF   THE    FIRST   ARMY   THROUGH   THE   MOUNTAINS  .       .       145 

CHAPTER   III. 


ACTION    OF    G1TSCHIN 


[80 


BOOK   VI. 
CHAPTER    I. 

PASSAGE   OF   THE   ARMY    OF    SILESIA   THROUGH   THE   MOUNTAINS     .       1 89 

CHAPTER   II. 

PASSAGE   OF   THE   RIGHT   AND     CENTRAL    COLUMNS     OF    THE   ARMY 

OF   SILESIA  THROUGH   THE    MOUNTAINS  ....       I97 

CHAPTER   III. 

ADVANCE   OF   THE   LEFT   COLUMN    OF   THE   ARMY   OF   SILESIA       .       .       207 


BOOK  VII. 
CHAPTER   I. 

OPERATIONS  PRECEDING  THE  BATTLE  OF  KONIGGRATZ      .     .221 

CHAPTER   II. 

BATTLE   OF    KONIGGRATZ 230 


xii  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER    III. 

DEFENCE  OF  SILESIA 266 


BOOK  VIII. 
CHAPTER   I. 

OPERATIONS    IN   THE   WESTERN   THEATRE   OF   THE   GERMAN   WAR   .       268 

CHAPTER    II. 

CAMPAIGN    ON    THE    MAINE 283 

CHAPTER    III. 

THE  ACTIONS   ON   THE   MAINE 302 

CHAPTER    IV. 

THE   CAMPAIGN   SOUTH   OF   THE   MAINE 313 

CHAPTER  V. 

OCCUPATION    OF   FRANCONIA   BY   THE   SECOND    RESERVED   CORPS  324 


BOOK   IX. 
CHAPTER   I. 

PRUSSIAN  ADVANCE  FROM  KONIGGRATZ  TO  BRUNN     .     .     .   33O 

CHAPTER    II. 

TOBITSCHAU 368 

CHAPTER    III. 

FURTHER   ADVANCE     OF     THE     PRUSSIAN   ARMIES    FROM    BRUNN   TO 

THE  DANUBE 379 


CONTENTS. 


xin 


THE   TRUCE 


PAGE 

CHAPTER   IV. 


411 


CHAPTER   V. 

PEACE   WITH   THE   SOUTH-GERMAN    STATES 467 

CHAPTER  VI. 

FORMATION    OF   THE    NORTH-GERMAN    CONFEDERATION         .  .       .      473 


BOOK   X. 

CHAPTER   I. 

THE  WAR  IN   ITALY 476 

CHAPTER   II. 

NAVAL  OPERATIONS     .                       490 

CHAPTER   III. 

PEACE   BETWEEN   ITALY  AND  AUSTRIA 498 

APPENDIX   T 499 

APPENDIX    II. 505 

APPENDIX  III 506 

APPENDIX   IV. 519 

APPENDIX  V 520 


LIST    OF    MAPS. 

OPERATIONS    OF   THE   ARMY   OF   THE   MAINE  .  .       To  face  page   I 

OPERATIONS   FROM    KONIGGRATZ  ....       To  face  page  330 


MAPS. 

The  main  features  of  the  campaign  of  1866  can  be  easily 
traced  in  any  ordinary  maps  of  Bohemia,  Saxony  or  Moravia. 
Those  who  wish  to  study  the  details  of  the  war,  will  find  the 
maps  published  by  the  Prussian  Staff  at  Berlin,  in  1868,  most 
lucid  and  serviceable.  They  are  to  be  found  in  any  large 
military  library,  and  can  be  consulted  at  the  Royal  United 
Service  Institution. 


PREFATORY   CHAPTER. 

The  results  of  the  war  of  1866  in  Germany  were  the 
aggrandizement  of  Prussia,  the  formation  of  new  Confedera- 
tions and  the  disappearance  of  Austria  as  a  Germanic  power. 
To  the  eight  provinces  of  which  Prussia  consisted  in  the  spring 
of  1866  were  added  Hesse-Cassel,  Nassau,  Hanover,  Schleswig- 
Holstein  and  Lauenburg.  These  were  incorporated  in  the 
Prussian  kingdom  and  raised  its  population  to  about  23,500,000. 

At  the  same  time  arose  under  the  leadership  of  Prussia  the 
new  North  German  Confederation,  the  harbinger  of  an  united 
German  Empire.  It  was  sixty  years  almost  to  a  day  when  the 
treaty  of  Prague  was  signed  in  1866,  since  the  Emperor 
Francis  II.  had  announced  to  the  Diet  his  resignation  of  the 
Imperial  Crown.  By  that  act,  due  to  the  victories  of  Napoleon 
I.  over  Germans,  the  oldest  political  institution  in  the  world  was 
extinguished,  for  this  Empire  was  that  which  the  nephew  of 
Julius  won  for  himself  from  the  powers  of  the  East  at  the 
battle  of  Actium,  and  which  had  preserved  almost  unaltered 
through  eighteen  centuries  of  time  and  through  the  greatest 
changes  in  extent,  in  power,  and  in  character,  a  title  and  pre- 
tensions from  which  all  meaning  had  long  since  departed.* 
On  the  fall  of  Napoleon  I.  this  Empire  was  to  a  certain  extent 
reconstituted  by  the  treaty  of  Vienna  as  a  Confederation  of 
thirty-nine  States.  This  Confederacy  was  extinguished  in  the 
war  of  1866,  and  the  treaty  of  Prague  established  the  Con- 
federation of  the  North  German  States,  and  led  to  the  reestab- 

*  Bryce,  Holy  Roman  Empire. 


xvi  PREFATORY  CHAPTER. 

lishment  of  the  Germanic  Empire  on  a  purer,  more  natural, 
and  more  homogeneous  basis  than  it  had  ever  possessed  from 
the  days  of  the  Caesars.  The  treaty  of  Prague,  however,  was 
but  the  stepping-stone,  not  the  key-stone  of  German  Unity. 
North  Germany  numbering  twenty-one  States  was  indeed  linked 
by  that  treaty  into  a  close  connection  with  Prussia,  who  held 
the  undivided  leadership,  the  command  of  the  German  armies, 
and  the  power  of  peace  and  war  north  of  the  Maine.  South 
Germany  did  not  hold  itself  together.  Austria  stood  aloof, 
and  appeared  resolved  henceforth  to  meddle  no  more  in 
German  affairs.  Bavaria,  Wiirtemburg,  and  Baden  remained 
almost  independent  of  each  other,  but  each,  on  its  own  footing, 
concluded  important  treaties  with  Prussia.  By  that  between 
Prussia  and  Bavaria,  concluded  on  the  22nd  August,  1866,  these 
two  powers  mutually  guaranteed  the  integrity  of  their  respective 
territories  with  all  the  military  forces  at  their  disposal;  and  it 
was  also  established,  that  in  case  of  war  the  King  of  Prussia 
should  have  the  command-in-chief  of  the  Bavarian  army.  The 
treaties  between  Prussia,  Baden,  and  Wiirtemburg,  were  of  the 
same  tenour ;  they  provided  a  strict  military  alliance  and 
submission  of  the  armies  in  time  of  war  to  the  King  of 
Prussia. 

In  Northern  Germany,  in  the  spring  of  1867,  a  representative 
assembly  elected  by  universal  suffrage  at  the  rate  of  one 
member  for  every  100,000  of  the  population,  met  at  Berlin  in 
February,  and  by  the  16th  April,  had  discussed  and  adopted  a 
constitutional  charter  by  which  the  whole  of  the  States  of 
North  Germany  were  definitively  united  into  a  federal  body. 
This  charter,  entitled  the  Constitution  of  the  North  German 
Confederation,  consists  of  fifteen  chapters,  comprising  seventy- 
nine  articles,  with  a  preamble  declaring  that  the  Governments 
of  the  States  enumerated,  formed  themselves  into  a  perpetual 
Confederation  for  the  protection  of  the  territory  and  institutions 
of  the  union,  and  for  the  guardianship  of  the  welfare  of  the 
German  people.  The  twenty-one  States  incorporated  in  this 
Confederation  were,  Prussia,  Saxony,  Mecklenburg-Schwerin, 


PREFATORY  CHAPTER.  xvli 

Mecklenburg-Strelitz,  Oldenburg,  Brunswick,  Saxe  -Weimar, 
Saxe-Meiningen,  Anhalt,  Saxe-Coburg-Gotha,  Saxe-Altenburg, 
Waldeck,  Lippe-Detmold,  Reuss-Schleiz,  Reuss-Greiz,  Schwarz- 
burg-Sondershausen,  Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt,  Schaumburg- 
Lippe,  Hamburg,  Liibeck,  and  Bremen.  The  executive  power 
of  the  Confederation  was  vested  in  the  Sovereign  of  Prussia : 
this  ruler  also,  as  the  Lord  President,  managed  the  diplomatic 
intercourse  of  the  Confederation  with  foreign  powers  ;  was  the 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Army  and  Navy,  and  had  the 
prerogative  of  nominating  Ambassadors,  of  declaring  war,  and 
of  concluding  peace.  It  was  his  duty  to  enforce  the  obser- 
vance of  federal  laws,  and  to  compel  negligent  or  disobedient 
members  to  fulfil  their  federal  obligations,  and  to  appoint  all 
officers  and  civil  functionaries.  The  contributions  of  the 
various  States  to  the  cost  of  the  general  administration  of  the 
Confederation,  was  regulated  in  proportion  to  the  numbers  of 
their  population.  The  King  of  Prussia  had  also  to  appoint  a 
Chancellor  of  the  Confederation  who  should  preside  over  the 
Federal  Council.  The  Chancellor  selected  was  naturally  the 
Count  von  Bismarck. 

By  the  terms  of  the  Constitution  of  the  North  German  Con- 
federation, the  legislative  power  of  the  Union  was  vested  in 
two  representative  bodies.  One  of  these  bodies  is  elected  by 
the  Governments  of  the  Confederate  States,  and  is  termed  the 
Bundesrath,  the  other  is  elected  by  the  population,  and  is  termed 
the  Reichstag.  In  the  Bundesrath  sit  deputies  from  the 
Governments  of  each  State  of  the  Confederation ;  the  repre- 
sentative of  Prussia  has  seventeen  votes,  that  of  Saxony  four, 
and  those  from  Mecklenburg-Schwerin  and  Brunswick  two  each. 
Besides  smaller  German  estates  and  the  three  free-towns  with 
one  vote  each.  All  together  forty-two  votes.  The  Reichstag 
is  elected  by  universal  suffrage  for  the  term  of  three  years  and 
meets  in  annual  session.  To  the  Reichstag  belongs  the  initia- 
tive of  legislative  acts ;  it  is  independent  of  the  Bundesrath, 
but  the  members  of  the  latter  have  the  privilege  of  being  present 
at  its  sittings  to  expose  the  views  of  their  respective  Governments. 


rviii  PREFATORY  CHAPTER. 

On  account  of  the  representations  of  the  Emperor  of  the 
French,  Saxony  was  not,  on  the  conclusion  of  the  war  of  1866, 
so  completely  absorbed  into  the  North  German  Confederation 
as  her  more  northern  neighbours.  The  King  of  Saxony, 
although  a  member  of  the  Union,  still  retained  the  power  of 
nominating  officers,  civil  and  military,  in  his  kingdom,  and  the 
Saxon  Army  was  not  merged  in  that  of  the  Confederation. 
It  was,  however,  to  be  held  under  the  supreme  orders  of  the 
King  of  Prussia  in  case  of  war. 

The  conclusion  of  the  war  in  1866,  and  the  treaty  of  Prague, 
were  due  in  a  great  measure  to  the  Emperor  of  the  French, 
whose  offer  to  mediate  between  the  contending  Powers,  Austria 
hastily  accepted,  probably  erroneously,  as  Count  Bismarck  had 
already  made  proposals  for  direct  negotiations,  in  which  no 
mention  of  the  payment  of  a  war  indemnity  was  made.  France 
was,  however,  only  too  eager  to  mediate ;  for  French  diplo- 
matists for  decades  previous  to  1870  held  the  creed,  that  the 
privilege  of  France  was  to  arrange,  and  mould,  to  her  own 
advantage,  the  domestic  commotions  of  Germany.  Prussia 
could  not  without  folly  at  the  close  of  a  victorious  campaign, 
risk  all  its  glorious  results  by  throwing  down  the  gauntlet  to 
France,  and  raising  up  on  the  Rhine  a  new  army  of  enemies, 
while  unfriendly  divisions  were  still  frowning  on  the  banks  of 
the  Danube  and  the  Maine.  She  was  perforce  obliged  to 
consent  to  French  mediation,  and  French  mediation  was  not 
disinterested.  It  was  the  aim  and  object  of  France  to  oppose 
the  unity  of  Germany,  and  to  prevent  the  rise  of  a  great  and  united 
nation  on  her  own  border.  For  this  reason  she  stipulated  for  the 
semi-independence  of  Saxony,  and  caused  a  clause  to  be 
inserted  in  the  treaty  of  Prague  by  which  Prussia  consented 
to  cede  to  Denmark  the  northern  portion  of  Schleswig.  Austria, 
who  at  the  time  of  the  negotiation  of  the  treaty  of  Prague  was 
but  the  mouth-piece  of  France,  stipulated  when  she  retired 
from  the  German  Confederacy,  that  the  remaining  Southern 
States  should  be  formed  into  a  Southern  Confederacy.  It  was 
thus   hoped   to  prevent  the  ultimate  fusion   of  the  Southern 


PREFATORY  CHAPTER.  xix 

States  with  Northern  Germany  and  Prussia,  and  to  establish  a 
power  in  Germany  which  jealousy  of  Prussia  and  the  bitter- 
ness of  defeat,  might  in  an  European  conflict  range  upon  the 
side  of  Prussia's  enemies.  But  the  man  who  guided  the  foreign 
policy  of  Prussia  was  competent  to  foil  the  diplomatists  of 
France.  Confident  of  the  difficulties  which  would  defer  the 
formation  of  the  Southern  Confederation,  he  assented  to  the 
Austro-French  proposal,  organized  the  Northern  Confederation, 
which  speedily  acquired  strength  and  consistency,  and  con- 
cluded between  each  of  the  Southern  States  individually, 
offensive  and  defensive  alliances  with  Prussia.  France,  really 
by  an  attitude  of  desire  to  interfere  in  the  internal  arrangement 
of  Germany,  facilitated  the  conclusion  of  these  treaties  ;  and 
the  fact  that  on  the  6th  August,  1866,  she  demanded  the 
fortress  of  Mainz  from  Prussia  under  threat  of  war,  though 
known  but  to  a  few  men,  had  doubtless  an  important  effect. 
The  cession  of  the  fortress  was  refused,  and  when  it  was  seen 
that  Prussia  was  resolute  the  threat  was  not  carried  out,  but 
an  excuse  made,  which  averred  that  the  demand  was  wrung 
from  the  Emperor  when  labouring  under  illness.  The  French 
army  was  then  far  from  prepared  for  war,  as  it  was  not 
thoroughly  completed  with  men,  nor  armed  with  a  breech- 
loading  weapon ;  and  France  failed  to  obtain  after  the  war  of 
1866,  territorial  concessions  from  Germany,  as  signally  as 
when  before  that  war  she  proffered  to  declare  against  Austria, 
and  attack  her  with  300,000  men,  provided  that  Prussia  would 
cede  territory  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Rhine. 

While  after  the  campaign  of  1866  the  North  German  Con- 
federation almost  daily  increased  in  power  and  united  senti- 
ment, no  progress  was  made  in  the  formation  of  a  Southern 
Bund.  The  States  lying  south  of  the  Maine  were  too  equal 
in  size  and  resources.  None  was  clearly  preeminent,  and  to 
none  would  the  others  consent  to  accord  preeminence.  An 
attempt  was  made  at  a  conference  held  at  Nordlingen  in  1868, 
to  form  an  agreement  among  the  Southern  States  as  to  a  very 
minor  question, — the  management  of  the  federal  fortresses  of 

b  2 


xx  PREFATORY  CHAPTER. 

the  South :  yet  even  on  this  subject  there  was  no  concord,  and 
the  conference  separated  with  the  sole  result  of  showing  that 
it  was  almost  impossible  on  any  point  to  establish  an  harmo- 
nious understanding  between  the  States  of  Southern  Germany. 
At  first,  however,  the  relations  between  these  States  and  Prussia 
were  not  quite  satisfactory,  for  there  were  political  parties  who 
feared  the  preponderance  of  Prussia,  and  the  probable  absorp- 
tion of  the  Southern  States,  but  the   attitude  of  France  gradu- 
ally forced  the  clear-sighted  patriotism  of  the  South  to  regard 
Prussia  with   friendly    eyes,    and   the  deep-seated    desire    of 
German  unity  swayed  all  except  a  few  selfish  and  protectionist 
•  factions.     Austria  at  first  seemed  inclined  to  harbour  a  desire 
of  vengeance  for  the  defeat  of  1866,  and  to  look  upon  France 
as  a  probable  future  ally.      But  the  publication  of  the  fact  that 
France  had  been  willing  to  declare  against  her  at  the  outbreak 
of  the  German  war,  did  much  to  modify  that  feeling,  and  to 
turn  her  population,  as  well  as  her  Government,  to  the  neces- 
sary task  of  internal,   financial,  and    military   reorganization. 
The  Prussian  victories  in  1866  were  at  the  time  looked  upon 
in  France  with  jealousy  and  disfavour.     The  crowning  triumph 
of  Koniggratz  was  regarded  by  the  exciteable  population  of 
that  Empire  as  a  direct  step  towards  German  unity,  the  aggran- 
dizement of  Prussia,  and  consequently  as  a  menace  to  the 
ascendancy  and  control  which  for  years  the  French  had  tacitly 
claimed  in  the   internal  affairs  of   Germany.       In   1866   the 
claims  of  France  to  German  territory  were  withdrawn;  but  in 
1867  they  were  renewed  in  a  form  which,  although  less  sum- 
mary, still  for  a  short  time,  threatened  to  disturb  the  peace  of 
Europe.     By  the  treaty  of  Vienna  in  18 15,  the  Grand  Duchy 
of  Luxemburg  was  given  to  the  King  of  the  Belgians,  but  at 
the  same  time  was  included  in  the  Germanic  Confederation. 
On   the  separation  of  Belgium  from  the  Netherlands,  it  was 
arranged  by  the  treaty  of  London  that  Eastern  Luxemburg  and 
Limburg,  to  which  the  federal  obligations  of  Western  Luxem- 
burg were  transferred,  should  be  handed  over  to  the  King  of 
the  Netherlands,  while  the  King  of  the  Belgians  received  full 


PREFATORY  CHAPTER.  xxi 

sovereignty  over  the  western  portion  of  Luxemburg.  The 
King  of  the  Netherlands  refused  to  accede  to  this  treaty,  but 
after  the  French  siege  of  Antwerp,  Austria  and  Prussia,  in 
behalf  of  the  Germanic  Confederation,  enforced  the  provisions 
of  the  treaty,  and  the  eastern  portion  of  Luxemburg  was 
formally  included  in  the  Confederation.  The  town  of  Luxem- 
burg was  a  most  important  fortress  of  Germany  towards  France, 
and  from  1815  to  1867  was  garrisoned  by  a  Prussian  garrison. 
In  1867,  the  King  of  Holland,  Sovereign  of  Luxemburg,  who 
had  been  excluded  from  the  North  German  Confederation 
on  its  formation  in  1866,  made  overtures  for  the  sale  of  the 
fortress  and  territory  to  France.  To  these  the  Emperor 
Napoleon  lent  a  willing  ear.  The  arrangement  soon  became 
publicly  known,  and  war  between  France  and  Prussia  for  the 
moment  seemed  imminent.  The  public  feeling  of  Germany 
was  allowed  to  become  excited,  although,  had  the  leaders  of 
Prussia  desired,  it  is  almost  certain,  that  at  the  beginning  of 
the  complication,  they  could  have  yielded  Luxemburg  to  France 
without  being  forced  into  war  by  the  pressure  of  public  opinion. 
Such  was  not,  however,  their  desire  ;  war  with  France  was  the 
readiest  mode  of  completing  German  unity ;  and  although 
Count  von  Bismark  did  not  push  forward  such  a  war,  he  did 
not  shrink  from  taking  up  the  gauntlet  if  it  were  thrown  down 
to  him.  He  accordingly  refused  to  abandon  the  defence  of  a 
fortress  which  had  been  confided  to  the  guardianship  of  Prussia 
for  half  a  century,  and  which  was  really  situated  on  German 
ground,  although  not  formally  included  in  the  North  German 
Confederation.  Some  day  the  real  history  of  the  exclusion  of 
Luxemburg  from  that  Confederation  in  1866  may  be  known. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Emperor  of  the  French  having  once 
expressed  his  readiness  to  purchase  Luxemburg,  could  not 
withdraw,  at  the  mere  dictate  of  Prussia,  without  grievously 
wounding  the  sensitive  pride  of  the  French  people,  and 
raising  into  a  storm  the  national  jealousy  of  Prussia,  which 
had  been  hardly  concealed  since  the  battle  of  Koniggratz. 
Thus  rulers   seemed   about   to  be  forced   into   a  war,  which 


xxii  PREFATORY  CHAPTER. 

neither  desired,  by  the  populations  over  which  they  ruled  ; 
and  this  fact  may  well  be  considered  by  that  hysterical  school 
of  politicians  which  maintains  that  wars  are  the  work  of  rulers, 
and  that  in  Republican  institutions  lies  the  best  guarantee  of 
enduring  peace.  To  ward  off  the  danger  of  war  a  conference 
was  arranged.  It  was  proposed  by  the  King  of  Holland, 
sanctioned  by  the  neutral  Powers,  and  met  in  London  under 
the  presidency  of  Lord  Stanley,  who  was  then  the  Minister  for 
Foreign  Affairs.  As  the  result  of  its  deliberations  the  duchy 
was  declared  neutral,  and  its  neutrality  guaranteed  by  all  the 
Powers  represented  at  the  conference.  Prussia  withdrew  her 
garrison  from  the  fortress,  and  the  fortifications  were  to  be 
demolished.  The  concessions  on  the  part  of  Prussia  were  not 
very  material,  as  the  fortifications  had  been  erected  prior  to 
the  introduction  of  rifled  ordnance,  and  the  great  strength  of 
the  fortress  lies  in  its  natural  position.  Still  war  was  for  the 
moment  averted,  and  many  men  believed  that  all  difficulties 
were  arranged  between  these  two  powers,  that  Austria  was 
crippled,  Russia  unprepared,  and  that  a  lasting  peace  was 
really  about  to  dawn  upon  Europe. 

Those  who  looked  below  the  surface  could,  however,  per- 
ceive that  France  was  but  brooding  over  the  insult  which  she 
chose  to  conceive  had  been  offered  to  her,  by  the  fact  that 
Germany  had  shaken  off  her  leading-strings,  and  that  Germans 
chose  to  manage  their  own  affairs  without  foreign  interference. 
Those  could  also  see  that,  in  the  apparent  calm,  not  only  was 
France  pushing  forward  armaments  and  military  organization, 
but  that  Prussian  administrators  were  quietly  taking  all  neces- 
sary precautions  in  case  of  war,  and  studiously  followed  move 
with  move.  The  war,  which  had  been  for  long  foreseen  by 
these,  broke  out  indeed  suddenly,  and  surprised  the  world  at 
large ;  but  a  few  men  in  England  had  carefully  watched  how, 
in  the  spring  of  1870,  French  agents  were  engaged  in  all  our 
southern  markets  buying  corn  and  forage.  The  excuses  given 
for  enormous  purchases  of  this  description  were,  that  the  sea- 
son had  been  so  dry  in  France  that  no  harvest  was  expected  ; 


PREFATORY  CHArTER.  xxiii 

but  this  excuse  was  transparent,  for  had  forage  been  so  very 
scarce  in  France,  French  dealers  would  not  have  cared,  simul- 
taneously with  an  enormous  rise  in  the  price  of  forage,  to  have 
largely  exported  horses  to  France.  At  the  same  time,  too,  a 
flotilla  was  secretly  collected  in  the  northern  French  ports 
capable  of  transporting  40,000  men  and  12,000  horses.  These 
things  were,  perhaps,  known  to  and  noticed  by  Prussian 
agents,  but  the  British  Government,  against  which  the  arrange- 
ments might  have  been  equally  directed,  remained  in  a  happy 
ignorance  of  any  danger  of  war,  and  on  the  outbreak  of 
hostilities,  the  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs,  in  his  place  in  Par- 
liament, stated  that  a  few  hours  previously  the  British  Foreign 
Office  believed  that  there  was  not  a  cloud  on  the  political 
horizon  of  Europe.  Yet  still,  many  Utopian  Englishmen,  in 
the  face  of  these  facts,  contentedly  argue  that  no  preparations 
for  the  invasion  of  our  country  could  be  made  without  the 
Government  being  fully  aware  of  them. 

During  the  years  between  the  treaty  of  Prague  and  the  out- 
break of  war  with  France,  the  Prussian  military  organization 
had  been  extended  to  the  troops  of  all  the  Northern  States. 
The  Prussian  army,  which  fought  in  1866,  was  increased  by 
three  corps  d'armee.  Of  these  the  9th  was  that  of  Schleswig- 
Holstein,  the  10th  that  of  Hanover,  the  nth  that  of  Hesse. 
The  Grand  Ducal  Hessian,  or  25th  division,  was  placed  in 
intimate  connection  with  the  last  corps,  while  the  semi-inde- 
pendent army  of  the  kingdom  of  Saxony  formed  the  12th 
corps  of  the  Confederation.  The  broad  principles  of  the 
Prussian  organization,  as  far  as  regarded  infantry,  were  proved 
so  satisfactory  in  1866,  that  they  were  extended  after  the  Austrian 
war  without  alteration  to  the  new  corps  d'armee.  In  the  organi- 
zation of  the  cavalry,  however,  which  was  largely  increased,  the 
experience  of  1866  dictated  the  necessity  of  a  vital  change. 
Hitherto  the  Prussian  regiments  of  cavalry  had  always  con- 
sisted of  four  squadrons  in  time  of  peace  ;  on  the  outbreak 
of  war  the  four  squadrons  took  the  field,  and  a  depot  was 
formed  to  supply  the  necessary  reinforcements   of  men  and 


PREFATORY  CHAPTER. 


horses.      This    system   was    found  decidedly  faulty  during  the 
Austrian  war,   and  after  the    treaty  of  Prague    the    Prussian 
regiments    were  increased    to    five  squadrons,    of  which    four 
take   the   field,  and  one  remains  as  a  depot   to   supply   im- 
mediately the  quick  necessities  of  horses  and  men.     To  this 
change,   and  to  the  large  increase  of  cavalry,  is  due,  in  no 
slight  degree,  the  wonderful  successes  of  the  Prussian  armies  in 
1870—71;  for,  as  the  Emperor  of  the  French  himself  stated, 
the  Prussian  cavalry  formed  an  impenetrable  screen,  through 
which  it  was  impossible  for  the  enemy  to  discover  the  move- 
ments of  the  main  armies,  while  every  movement  of  the  French 
armies   was    accurately   and    faithfully   reported   by   the    now 
famous   Uhlans    to    the  Prussian    head-quarters.     In   the    im- 
portant arm  artillery,   the    Prussians,  directly  after   the    cam- 
paign of  1866,  laid  aside  all  muzzle-loading  guns  and  adopted 
for  their  whole  field-artillery  breech-loading  steel  -pieces  made 
on  Krupp's  system.     Towards  the  end  of  1869  some  breech- 
loading  bronze  guns  were  turned  out,  took  part  in  the  subse- 
quent war,   and  were  so   satisfactory  that  it  is   probable    the 
whole  field-artillery  will    be  armed  with   bronze   guns.      The 
system  of  Prussian  Intendantur,  which  had  given  such  excellent 
earnest  of  efficiency  in  1866,  was  naturally   extended   to   the 
newly-formed    corps    d'armee.       The   Intendantur   of    Prussia 
must  be  clearly  distinguished  from  the  Intendance  of  France  ; 
the  names  are  similar,  but  the  systems  are  almost  reverse  :  the 
Prussian  system  was  proved  excellent  in  two  great  wars,  the 
French  was  paralysed  under  the  first  pressure  of  active  sendee. 
It  is  fortunate  that  our  country  has  adopted  much  more  the 
Prussian    than    the    French    system    of  supply    in    the    lately 
established  department  of  Control. 

When  the  French  Empire  was  threatened  with  war  on 
account  of  the  Luxemburg  question  in  1867,  the  nominal 
strength  of  the  army  was  600,000  men  ;  but  it  was  found  that 
it  would  have  been  impossible,  after  providing  for  depots  and 
necessary  detachments,  to  place  much  more  than  150,000  men 
in  line  of  battle.     It  was   evident  that  the  military  system  re- 


PREFATORY  CHAPTER.  xxv 

quired  reorganization,  and  in  1868  the  system  of  reorganization 
elaborated  by  Marshal  Niel  became  law.  By  this  new  system, 
which  was,  as  its  predecessor,  based  upon  conscription,  the 
forces  of  the  empire  were  divided  into  three  classes ;  the  active 
army,  the  reserve,  and  the  National  Guard.  The  service  under 
the  colours  was  fixed  at  five  years,  after  which  the  soldier  was 
to  enter  the  reserve  for  four  years  more.  Young  men  who 
were  not  drawn  for  the  active  army  were  to  serve  four  years  in 
the  reserve  and  five  in  the  National  Guard.  This  system  was 
inferior  to  the  Prussian,  because  part  of  the  reserve  were  not 
trained  at  all  in  the  regular  army,  and  the  service  in  the  ranks 
being  five  years  instead  of  three,  a  smaller  force  of  trained  men 
could  be  annually  passed  into  the  reserve.  Another  distinction 
of  great  importance  existed  between  the  two  military  systems. 
In  Prussia  no  man  required  for  military  service  could  purchase 
a  substitute ;  in  France  any  one  liable  to  military  service,  by 
payment  to  the  State  of  a  sum  of  2500  francs,  was  exempted, 
and  the  State  undertook  with  the  money  so  paid  to  replace  him 
by  another  soldier.  It  is  doubtful,  however,  whether  the 
fund  thus  created  was  judiciously  administered,  and  it  is  be- 
lieved that  the  real  strength  of  the  French  battalions  was  con- 
siderably inferior  to  the  paper  strength  on  the  outbreak  of  the 
war.  Nor  was  the  system  as  laid  down  literally  carried  out, 
for  it  was  objectionable  to  the  people,  and  in  such  an  excite- 
able  and  feverish  population,  it  was  not  advisable  to  train  the 
National  Guard  to  a  perfect  knowledge  of  weapons  and  drill. 
The  result  was,  that  although  the  reorganization  of  1868  theo- 
retically placed  more  than  800,000  combatants  at  the  disposal 
of  the  Emperor,  and  raised  the  military  forces  of  France  to 
more  than  1,200,000*  men,  the  army  fit  to  take  the  field  at 
the  commencement  of  the  war  mustered  barely  400,000 
soldiers.  Of  these  40,000  were  at  Cherbourg,  preparing  to 
embark  on  the  flotilla  which  had  been  collected  at  the  northern 
ports;    5,000  were  at  Rome,    10,000   in   Algeria,    35,000    in 

*  Active  Army,  400,000  men  ;  Reserve,  430,000  men;  National  Guard, 
408,000  men. 


xxvi  PREFATORY  CHAPTER. 

Paris  and  at  Chalons,  10,000  at  Lyons,  and  about  30,000  at 
Marseilles,  Toulouse,  Rochefort,  L'Orient,  Bordeaux,  Toulon, 
and  in  hospital.  The  force  which  could  be  sent  towards  the 
Rhine  mustered  thus  barely  270,000  men.  It  was  divided  into 
eight  corps  and  the  Guards. 

Against  it  there  were  ready  to  take  the  field  on  the  German 
side,  as  soon  as  the  rapid  mobilization  of  the  army  was  com- 
pleted, the  twelve  corps  of  the  North  German  Confederation, 
mustering  at  least  360,000  men,  and  the  armies  of  Bavaria, 
Wiirtemburg,  Darmstadt,  and  Baden,  which  were  under  the 
supreme  command  of  the  King  of  Prussia  in  virtue  of  the 
separate  treaties  concluded  after  the  campaign  of  1866, 
raised  the  field  forces  of  that  sovereign  to  over  500,000  com- 
batants. These  were  well  sustained  by  an  effective  and 
organized  system  of  depots  and  reserves,  administered  by  an 
elastic  and  proved  machinery,  and  handled  by  abstemious  and 
well-trained  officers.  An  iron  discipline  knit  the  Prussian 
soldiery  together,  previous  victories  gave  entire  confidence  in 
the  leaders,  and  a  high  sense  of  duty  and  self-denial  pervaded 
the  ranks. 

In  the  French  army,  on  the  other  hand,  there  was  much 
enthusiasm  and  great  gallantry,  but  discipline  had  been 
allowed  to  lapse,  the  luxurious  ideas  which  a  rapid  increase 
of  wealth  had  fostered,  pervaded  some  portion  of  the  officers, 
while  many  of  the  others,  raised  from  the  ranks,  were  wanting 
in  the  high  military  education  which  alone  gives  to  a  leader  the 
confidence  of  his  followers,  or  fits  him  for  the  rapid  decision 
and  quick  judgment  that  are  every  hour  necessary  in  war.  In 
armament  thei  French  troops  were  superior  to  the  Prussians, 
for  they  were  provided  with  the  Chassepot  rifle,  which,  with 
the  common  advantage  of  being  a  breech-loading  arm,  was 
superior  in  range  and  accuracy  to  the  needle-gun.  The  latter 
had  been  early  adopted  by  the  Prussian  government,  which 
had  been  averse  to  incur  the  inconveniencies  of  a  change  of 
armament,  except  to  secure  a  very  clearly-defined  advantage, 
and  had  apparently  underrated  the  excellence  of  the  Chassepot. 


PREFATORY  CHAPTER.  xxvii 

Still  the  French  advantage  in  this  respect  was  more  than  com- 
pensated for  by  the  hurried  and  excited  manner  in  which  the 
French  troops,  on  more  than  one  occasion,  handled  their 
weapons.  On  the  other  hand  the  Prussian  soldier  was  more 
suitably  equipped  for  European  war  than  the  French.  Dis- 
carding the  cumbrous  equipment  necessary  for  the  formation 
of  camps,  or  the  refinements  of  cooking,  the  Prussian  troops 
were  willing  to  trust  during  a  campaign  to  the  shelter  which 
villages  nearly  always  afforded  in  Western  Europe,  or,  in  case 
of  necessity,  to  bivouac  in  the  open  air,  while  a  small  mess-tin 
carried  by  each  soldier  sufficed  for  his  culinary  wants.  The 
French  soldier,  on  the  contrary,  was  weighed  down  with  tcntes 
d\ibri,  heavy  cooking  apparatus,  and  an  enormous  kit.  These 
were  generally  useless,  frequently  lost,  always  encumbrances ; 
but  an  army  accustomed  to  African  or  tropical  war  clings  per- 
tinaciously to  the  idea  of  canvas  covering,  fails  to  realize  the 
different  conditions  under  which  campaigns  must  be  conducted 
in  Europe,  and  shudders  at  the  idea  of  an  exposure  in  war  to 
which  every  true  sportsman  will  willingly  consent  for  pleasure. 
The  French  army  was  heavily  equipped  on  the  experience  of 
Africa,  China,  and  Mexico,  and  it  suffered  heavily  from  this 
cause  among  others  in  France. 

The  actual  declaration  of  war  showed  that,  nevertheless,  the 
men  who  administered  the  army  and  directed  the  policy  of  the 
Empire,  were  of  opinion  that  not  only  were  the  French  forces 
able  to  cope  with  the  Prussian  in  the  field,  but  that  they  could 
be  more  rapidly  placed  upon  the  theatre  of  war. 

In  September,  1868,  an  insurrection  broke  out  in  the  kingdom 
of  Spain,  which,  joined  by  General  Prim  and  Marshal  Serrano, 
quickly  developed  into  a  revolution.  At  the  end  of  that  month 
Queen  Isabella  fled  from  the  country  to  Biarritz.  At  the  be- 
ginning of  October  Marshal  Serrano  entered  Madrid  at  the 
head  of  the  revolutionary  army,  and  a  Provisional  Government 
was  established,  and  General  Prim  named  commander-in-chief 
of  the  army.  The  Provisional  Government,  in  concert  with 
the    national    representatives,    decided   that   a   constitutional 


xxviii  PREFATORY  CHAPTER. 

monarchy  should  be  the  future  form  of  Spanish  government ; 
but  there  was  some  difficulty  in  finding  any  man  eligible  to 
become  King  of  Spain  who  would  accept  the  position,  and, 
till  such  a  man  could  be  found,  Marshal  Serrano  was  elected 
Regent  of  the  Kingdom,  with  General  Prim  as  his  Prime 
Minister.  Several  proposed  monarchs  had  been  named,  but 
the  throne  remained  vacant  till,  in  the  summer  of  1870,  Gene- 
ral Prim,  in  the  name  of  the  Spanish  Ministry,  offered  the 
Crown  to  the  amiable  and  accomplished  Prince  Leopold  of 
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen,  eldest  son  of  the  reigning  Prince 
of  Hohenzollern,  who  had  in  1849  surrendered  his  sovereign 
rights  to  the  King  of  Prussia.  This  Prince,  who  had  married 
in  1 86 1  the  sister  of  the  King  of  Portugal,  was  in  his  thirty- 
sixth  year,  and  a  Roman  Catholic  by  religion.  He  accepted 
the  offer  of  the  Crown,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  Cortes, 
which  was  certain.  The  news  of  this  acceptance  was  published 
in  Paris  on  the  5  th  July,  and  the  greatest  excitement  arose,  as 
the  nomination  of  Prince  Leopold  was  there  held  to  be  the 
handiwork  of  Count  von  Bismarck,  who  contemplated  to  create 
in  Spain  a  Prussian  dependency  which  should  threaten  France 
from  the  south  of  the  Pyrenees.  French  ministers  declared  in  the 
Chambers  that  France  could  not  tolerate  such  a  result  to  nego- 
tiations which  they  said  had  been  kept  secret  from  the  Emperor 
of  the  French,  and  seemed  by  their  expressions  to  have  already 
made  up  their  minds  to  war.  It  may  be  correctly  true  that 
the  negotiations  with  Prince  Leopold  were  not  officially  notified 
by  the  Spanish  Government  to  the  Emperor  Napoleon ;  but  it 
is  known  that  the  French  ambassador  at  Madrid  had  known  of 
the  probable  election  of  this  Prince  for  many  months,  and  that 
the  surprise  which  the  French  Government  professed  on  the 
arrival  of  the  official  intimation  was  at  the  least  disingenuous, 
or  due  to  the  neglect  of  their  own  agent.  The  public  mind  in 
Paris,  which  had  been  secretly  for  a  long  time  eager  for  war 
with  Prussia,  was  only  too  glad  to  seize  upon  the  Hohenzollern 
question  and  to  urge  the  Imperial  Government  to  hostilities  ; 
but  the  King  of  Prussia  would  not  involve  Europe  in  war  for 


PREFATORY  CHAPTER.  xxix 

the  sake  of  a  family  question  ;  and  by  his  influence,  it  is  said, 
as  head  of  the  Hohenzollern  family,  and  through  the  inter- 
vention of  England,  the  candidature  of  Prince  Leopold  for  the 
Spanish  Crown  was  withdrawn,  first  by  the  Prince's  father,  and 
afterwards  by  himself.  The  danger  of  war  seemed  averted ; 
but  the  desire  for  war  ran  high  at  Paris,  and  M.  Benedetti,  the 
French  ambassador  at  Berlin,  was  directed  to  wait  upon  the 
King  of  Prussia,  who  was  then  at  Ems,  and  obtain  from  him  a 
pledge  that  his  Majesty  would  never  at  any  future  time  accede 
to  the  candidature  of  the  Prince.  This  the  King  refused  to 
give,  as  he  naturally  reserved  to  himself  freedom  of  action 
under  future  circumstances.  The  French  ambassador  being 
desirous  of  a  further  interview,  the  King  sent  an  aide-de-camp 
to  tell  him  that  he  could  add  nothing  to  what  he  had  already 
said,  and  for  further  discussion  referred  him  to  Count  von 
Bismarck.  M.  Benedetti  naturally  telegraphed  the  result  of 
this  interview  to  his  own  Government.  By  the  French  Govern- 
ment the  result  of  this  interview  was  seized  upon  as  an  insult 
offered  by  the  King  of  Prussia  to  the  French  ambassador, 
although  the  ambassador  was  ignorant  himself  of  any  insult. 
The  news  was  published  in  Paris,  and  the  war  excitement  rose 
to  frenzy.  The  King  of  Prussia,  on  the  other  hand,  tele- 
graphed to  Count  von  Bismarck  the  account  of  the  interview 
at  Ems,  who  seemed  quite  ready  to  accept  the  French  chal- 
lenge, for  he  viewed  the  action  of  M.  Benedetti  as  an  insult  to 
the  King  of  Prussia;  as  such  it  was  announced  in  Berlin.  The 
mind  of  Germany  was  deeply  incensed.  * 

The  interview  at  Ems  took  place  on  the  13th  July.  On  the 
morning  of  the  14th  a  cabinet  council  was  held  at  St.  Cloud 
under  the  presidency  of  the  Emperor,  and  the  two  Chambers 
expected  a  communication.  None  was  however  made;  but 
on  the  15th  July  a  declaration  was  made  in  the  Corps  Le'gis- 
latif  and  Senate  simultaneously  of  war  against  Prussia,  which 
was  rapturously  applauded  in  both  houses. 

*  The  Franco-Prussian  War,  edited  by  Captain  H.  M.  Hozier,  where 
full  details  of  these  various  incidents  will  be  found. 


xxx  PREFATORY  CHAPTER. 

The  same  day  the  King  of  Prussia  travelling  from  Ems  was 
met  by  the  Crown  Prince  at  Brandenburg.  They  travelled 
together  to  Berlin,  where  they  were  met  at  the  railway  station 
by  Herr  von  Thile,  the  Under  Secretary  of  State  for  Foreign 
Affairs,  with  the  telegraphed  account  of  the  speech  made  that 
day  by  M.  Olivier,  the  French  Prime  Minister,  in  the  Cham- 
bers at  Paris.  The  King,  on  reading  the  telegram,  issued 
orders  to  General  von  Roon  and  General  von  Moltke,  who 
had  also  come  to  receive  his  Majesty,  that  the  whole  army  of 
the  North  German  Confederation  should  be  at  once  mobilized. 
These  officers  drove  direct  from  the  station  to  their  offices, 
and  that  night  orders  for  mobilization  were  telegraphed  to 
every  part  of  the  country.  From  the  frontiers  of  Belgium  to 
the  Vistula,  from  the  Baltic  to  the  mountains  of  Silesia,  that 
night  the  summons  was  sent  out,  and  early  next  day  the 
reserve  and  Landwehr  men  of  Prussia  were  swarming  to  join 
their  ranks.  At  the  same  time  continuous  trains  of  troops 
were  hurrying  towards  Lorraine  and  Alsatia  from  all  parts  of 
France ;  troops  were  being  conveyed  from  Algeria,  and  within 
a  few  days  the  French  army,  available  to  take  the  field,  was  in 
the  vicinity  of  Metz  and  Strasburg. 

The  French  Government  at  the  outbreak  of  the  campaign 
had  apparently  hopes  that  some  of  the  States  of  South  Ger- 
many would  separate  from  Prussia  and  join  with  France  in  the 
war.  These  hopes  were  speedily  disappointed,  for  the  whole 
of  the  German  Powers  rallied  round  Prussia,  and  so  perfect  was 
the  machinery  of  mobilization  and  the  railway  transport  of 
troops,  that  in  twenty  days  more  than  500,000  men  were 
close  down  to  the  French  frontier,  and  ready  to  advance  to 
battle.  The  7th  and  8th  corps  were  already  on  the  frontier  in 
a  little  more  than  ten  days,  and  the  3rd  corps  was  fully 
equipped,  completed,  and  ready  to  move  in  eight  days. 

During  the  twenty  days  which  the  German  armies  required 
to  mobilize  the  French  lost  all  advantage  which  the  hasty 
declaration  of  war  ought  to  have  given.  The  army,  instead  of 
having  been  ready  before  the  declaration  of  war,  was  unpre- 


PREFATORY  CHAPTER.  xxxi 

pared  to  advance,  and  instead  of  dashing  boldly  into  Germany, 
disturbing  the  mobilization  of  the  various  corps,  and,  perhaps, 
subduing  the  South  before  the  North  could  come  to  its  aid, 
lay  inactive  on  the  frontier,  with  detachments  scattered  from 
Thionville  and  Sierk  to  Belfort,  with  strong  reserves  at  Metz. 
Had  the  war  between  France  and  Germany  taken  place  before 
the  events  of  1866,  their  remissness  might  have  not  cost  the 
French  so  dear ;  but  the  consolidation  of  the  North  German 
Confederation  and  the  command-in-chief  of  the  other  German 
armies,  which  was  vested  in  the  King  of  Prussia,  allowed  the 
mobilization  of  the  whole  German  armies  to  be  immediately 
undertaken  without  any  of  the  diplomatic  negotiations  which 
would  have  been  necessary  before  1866. 

In  the  first  week  of  July  the  German  armies  concentrated. 
On  the  right  was  General  Steinmetz  with  the  1st  Army  in  the 
direction  of  Birkenfeld:  this  army  was  composed  of  the  1st, 
7th,  and  8th  Prussian  corps.  In  the  centre  was  Prince  Fre- 
derick Charles  with  the  2nd  Army,  composed  of  the  2nd,  3rd, 
4th,  9th,  10th  corps,  and  the  corps  of  the  Prussian  Guards,  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Kaiserslautern.  This  Prince  had  also 
under  his  command  the  12th,  or  Saxon  corps.  On  the  left 
was  the  Crown  Prince  with  the  two  Bavarian  corps,  the  Wiir- 
temburg  division,  the  Baden  division,  and  the  5th  and  nth 
Prussian  corps  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Speyer.  The  6th 
corps  was  also  moving  up  from  Silesia  to  join  the  3rd  Army. 
It  showed  excellent  taste  and  tact  on  the  part  of  the  advisers 
of  the  King  of  Prussia  to  counsel  the  Commander-in-Chief  of 
the  whole  German  forces  to  place  the  amiable,  popular,  and 
competent  Crown  Prince  in  command  of  the  army  in  which 
the  South  German  troops  were  enrolled. 

The  Prussian  plan  of  the  campaign  was  that  the  three 
armies  should  advance  simultaneously  in  a  south-easterly 
direction ;  the  Crown  Prince  marching  to  the  east  of  the 
Vosges  mountains,  the  other  two  armies  to  the  west  of  them. 
If  the  French  army  concentrated  to  hold  the  Vosges  against 
the  Crown  Prince,  the  1st  and  2nd  Armies  would  threaten  its 


xxxii  PREFATORY  CHAPTER. 

position  in  flank  and  rear;  if,  on  the  other  hand,  it  concen- 
trated against  the  ist  and  2nd  Armies,  the  Crown  Prince, 
bearing  to  his  right,  and  pushing  through  the  Vosges,  would 
in  his  turn  threaten  his  flank  and  rear.  As  the  Crown  Prince 
was  to  be  engaged  in  a  difficult  and  mountainous  country,  his 
army  was  accompanied  only  by  one  cavalry  division  in  addition 
to  the  regiments  of  cavalry  attached  to  infantry  divisions.  The 
other  divisions  of  cavalry  were  attached  to  Prince  Frederic 
Charles  and  General  Steinmetz. 

On  the  3rd  July,  the  general  Prussian  advance  commenced. 
On  the  4th,  the  French  corps  which  occupied  St.  Avoid,  a 
small  town  on  the  road  from  Metz  to  the  frontier  line  of  the 
Saar  at  Saarbriick,  made  a  movement  towards  the  latter  place. 
The  Emperor  and  the  Prince  Imperial  were  present,  and  the 
French  soldiery  thought  that  the  advance  had  at  last  really 
begun,  and  that  they  were  upon  the  high  road  to  Berlin.  The 
movement  was  not,  however,  pushed ;  the  supplies  and  pro- 
visions necessary  for  a  campaign  were  not  yet  even  collected  in 
the  rear  of  the  army,  and  no  proper  system  of  issuing  them  to  the 
troops,  if  the  latter  advanced,  was  yet  in  working  order; 
the  most  necessary  articles  of  field  equipment  were  in  some 
cases  wanting,  for  the  centralized  system  of  military  adminis- 
tration, which  was  the  bane  of  the  French  army,  prevented 
any  rapid  distribution  of  stores  at  the  outbreak  of  a  war.  The 
French  corps  which  advanced  from  St.  Avoid  did  not  even 
cross  the  frontier  in  force,  but  confined  itself  to  throwing  some 
shells  into  the  town  of  Saarbriick,  and  occupying  the  strong 
position  of  the  heights  of  Spicheren,  in  front  of  Forbach. 

Meanwhile,  the  German  troops  were  swiftly,  though  silently, 
drawing  down  to  the  frontier,  and  in  the  early  morning  of  the 
6th  the  Crown  Prince  had  massed  his  forces  which  he  had 
marched  from  Landau  by  way  of  Schweighofen  behind  the 
dark  woods  that  lie  north  of  Weissenburg.  Thence,  soon 
after  daybreak,  he  sprang  upon  the  unsuspecting  troops  of 
General  Douay,  which  formed  the  advanced  guard  of  the 
corps  of  Marshal  Macmahon,  and  drove  them  back  with  great 


PREFATORY  CHAPTER.  xxxiii 

loss  on  the  main  body  at  Worth.  The  same  day  the  right  division 
of  the  army  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles,  who  advanced  by 
Homburg  and  Zweibriicken,  together  with  the  left  division  of 
General  Steinmetz,  stormed  the  heights  of  Spicheren,  and 
drove  the  French  occupants  of  that  position  in  full  retreat 
towards  Metz. 

On  the  8th  July,  the  Crown  Prince,  having  marched  by  way 
of  Sulz  sous  Forets,  came  upon  Marshal  Macmahon  at  Worth, 
and  after  a  severe  battle  there,  in  which  the  French  leader 
showed  great  tactical  resource,  overthrew  him  completely,  and 
the  marshal  retreated  in  great  disorder  on  Nancy. 

The  battle  of  Worth  virtually  decided  the  campaign.  The 
heir  to  the  crown  of  Prussia  there  tore  from  the  brows  of  the 
French  army  those  laurels  which  a  too  credulous  world  had  too 
uncritically  accorded  to  it,  and  proved  beyond  doubt,  that  the 
army  of  France,  however  much  animated  with  enthusiasm  and 
gallantry,  was  unable  to  withstand  the  stern  onset  of  the 
soldiery  of  Germany,  directed  with  judgment  and  conducted 
with  skill. 

Three  days  after  the  battle  of  Worth,  the  general  advance  of 
the  German  armies  was  continued.  General  Steinmetz  moved 
by  St.  Avoid,  Prince  Frederick  Charles  by  w7ay  of  Saar  Union, 
and  the  Crown  Prince  by  Merzweiler,  Ingweiler,  and  Saarburg. 
At  this  place  the  right  of  the  army  of  the  Crown  Prince  united 
with  the  left  of  that  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles,  and  the 
strategical  junction  of  the  German  armies  on  French  soil  was 
assured. 

General  Steinmetz  then  moved  upon  Metz,  Prince  Frederick 
Charles  on  Pont-a-Mousson,  and  the  Crown  Prince  on  Nancy. 
On  the  14th,  General  Steinmetz  came  up  with  the  French  rear- 
guard at  Courcelles,  and  after  a  sharp  action  at  that  place 
forced  it  to  seek  shelter  under  the  guns  and  within  the  out- 
works of  the  fortress  of  Metz.  At  the  same  time,  Prince 
Frederick  Charles  threw  bridges  over  the  Moselle  at  Pont-a- 
Mousson,  Noveant,  and  Corny. 

On  the  15  th,  he  crossed  the  Moselle,  and,  with  the  heads  oi 


xxxiv  PREFATORY  CHAPTER. 

the  3rd  (Alvensleben)  and  10th  (Voigt  Rhetz)  corps,  occupied 
Gorze  and  Nove'ant. 

On  the  1 6th,  the  Crown  Prince  reached  Nancy,  and  halted 
there,  having  detached  a  force  to  invest  and  besiege  the  fortress 
of  Strasburg.*     General  Steinmetz  was  in  front  of  Metz,  on  the 
eastern  side.     Marshal  Bazaine,  who  commanded  the  whole 
French  army  which  had  been  assembled,   partly  by   design, 
partly  by  force  of  circumstance,  within  the  forts  of  Metz,  de- 
signed to  move  from  that  fortress  with  all  his  available  strength 
towards  Chalons.    It  was  believed  in  the  German  camp  that  the 
French  retreat  had  commenced  on  the  previous  day,  and  that 
some  of  the  French  army  had  already  got  beyond  the  striking  dis- 
tance of  Prince  Frederick  Charles.    On  the  morning  of  the  1 6th, 
however,  when  the  head  of  the  3rd  Prussian  corps  debouched 
from  the  defile  of  Gorze  on  the  elevated  plateau,  which  to  the 
west  of  Metz  rises  above  the  valley  of  the  Moselle,  with  the  in- 
tention of  pursuing  or  attacking  in  flank  the  retreating  French,  it 
found  the  whole  of  Marshal  Bazaine's  army  marching  in  retreat 
from  Metz  towards  Vionville,  and  that  the  heads  of  its  columns 
had  not  yet  reached  that  place.    General  Stulpnagel,  who  com- 
manded the  leading  Prussian  division,  immediately  engaged 
the  army  of  Marshal  Bazaine ;  he  was  supported  by  the  6th 
division,  which  was  following  him,    and  these   two   divisions 
checked   the    whole    French    army,  until    Prince   Frederick 
Charles  brought  up  the  10th  corps  to  their  aid.     The  Prince 
threw   the    10th  corps  across  the  road  by  which  the   French 
sought  to  retreat,  and  all  through   the   long  summer  day  a 
terrific  battle  was  fought  near  Vionville.     The  French  leader 
made  one  desperate  attempt  after  another  to  break  through ; 
but  the  Prussian  soldiers,  though  suffering  frightful  loss,  sternly 
stood  their  ground,  and  at  nightfall  the  Germans  still  held  the 
road  from  Metz  to  Mars-la-Tour,  and  the  French  marshal  was 
forced  to  fall  back  on  Gravelotte.     The  remaining  corps    of 
Prince  Frederick  Charles  were  too  far  to  the  south  to  allow  of 


*  The  Baden  Division, 


and  the  division  of  Landwehr  of  the  Guard. 


PREFATORY  CHAPTER.  xxxv 

their  taking  part  in  the  battle  of  the  16th;  but  two  German 
corps,  with  two  divisions  of  cavalry,  which  were  aided  late  in 
the  evening  by  one  division  from  General  Steinmetz,  held  their 
ground  against  the  180,000  men  that  were  marching  under 
Marshal  Bazaine. 

On  the  17th,  the  whole  of  the  army  of  Prince  Frederick 
Charles  came  up,  and  the  bulk  of  the  army  of  Steinmetz.  The 
German  troops  took  up  a  position  extending  from  the  head 
of  the  Gorze  defile  to  St.  Marie  aux  Chenes,  and  the  King 
of  Prussia  arrived  upon  the  field.  Marshal  Bazaine,  after 
falling  back  on  Gravelotte  on  the  16th,  took  up  a  strong 
position  there,  which  on  the  17th  he  partly  entrenched.  Here 
on  the  1 8th  he  was  attacked  by  the  German  army,  and  after  a 
bloody  battle  was  wholly  cut  off  from  the  northern  road  to 
Verdun,  and  driven  into  Metz. 

The  army  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles,  under  whose  orders 
General  Steinmetz  was  now  placed,  immediately  invested  the 
fortress  and  the  army  within  it ;  and  in  spite  of  bad  weather, 
sickness,  hardship,  and  numerous  sorties,  prevented  the  enemy 
from  breaking  out  until  the  fortress  and  army  capitulated  on 
the  28th  October. 

After  the  battle  of  Worth,  the  disorganized  remains  of  the 
French  troops  which  had  been  there  defeated  retreated  in 
confusion  to  Chalons.  Here  they  were  reorganized  as  rapidly 
as  possible  by  Marshal  Macmahon,  and  were  reinforced  by  all 
the  levies  which  could  be  hurried  up  to  their  aid.  The  Em- 
peror in  person,  after  leaving  Metz,  also  retired  to  Chalons  by 
way  of  Verdun.  Counsel  was  then  taken  in  the  French  camp, 
and  it  seems  to  have  been  decided  that  for  military  reasons 
the  army  should  retreat  upon  Paris.  But  political  circum- 
stances would  not  permit  the  adoption  of  this  course.  On  the 
departure  of  the  Emperor  Napoleon  for  the  war,  the  Empress 
had  been  nominated  Regent,  and  after  the  first  disasters  of  the 
campaign  a  cabinet  had  been  formed,  of  which  Count  de  Palikao 
was  president.  This  cabinet  did  not  venture  to  allow  the  Em- 
peror to  return  to  Paris  except  as  victorious  \  for  popular  feeling 

c  2 


xxx vi  PREFATORY  CHAPTER. 

was  running  high,  and  a  revolution  might  at  any  moment  be 
provoked.  It  was,  therefore,  underpressure  of  political  circum- 
stances, determined  that  the  army  at  Chalons  should  make  a 
movement  by  way  of  Rheims,  Me'zieres,  and  Sedan,  with  the 
object  of  reaching  Metz  by  way  of  Thionville,  and  of  aiding 
the  escape  of  Marshal  Bazaine  from  the  toils  cast  around  him 
by  Prince  Frederick  Charles.  With  many  raw  troops,  and  an 
improvised  transport,  this  was  a  desperate  cast ;  but  the  tardi- 
ness of  French  movements  was  not  then  appreciated,  the 
rapidity  of  Prussian  marching  not  yet  thoroughly  recognized, 
and  the  stake  to  be  won  by  success  possibly  justified  the 
hazard  of  the  venture. 

On  the  other  side,  as  soon  as  the  army  of  Marshal  Bazaine 
was  securely  invested  in  Metz  by  the  army  of  Prince  Frederick 
Charles,  the  Crown  Prince  advanced  in  pursuit  of  Macmahon 
towards  Chalons,  from  Nancy,  by  way  of  Vaucoureurs  and 
Ligny.  Avoiding  the  fortress  of  Toul,  he  left  a  force  to 
besiege  it.  When  the  Crown  Prince  reached  Ligny,  the  King 
arrived  at  Bar-le-Duc.  Here  it  was  ascertained  by  the  advanced 
cavalry  of  the  Crown  Prince,  chiefly  through  the  medium  of 
captured  letters,  that  Marshal  Macmahon  was  making  a  move- 
ment from  Chalons  and  Rheims,  to  gain  the  northern  .line  ot 
railway  by  Mezieres  and  Sedan  in  order  to  relieve  Marshal 
Bazaine. 

The  direction  of  march  which  had  been  ordered  for  St. 
Dizier  was  immediately  altered,  and  the  Crown  Prince  began 
to  move  by  St.  Meneliould  and  Grand  Pre  on  Sedan,  with  the 
view  of  there  falling  upon  the  flank  of  the  marching  columns  of 
the  French  marshal. 

When  Metz  was  invested,  the  2nd,  4th.  5th,  and  6th  divi- 
sions of  cavalry  were  detached  from  the  army  of  Prince  Fre- 
derick Charles,  and  attached  to  that  of  the  Crown  Prince.  Now 
the  Guards,  the  Saxon  corps,  and  the  4th  corps  were  also 
detached  from  the  2nd  army,  and  formed  into  a  fourth  army, 
which  was  placed  under  the  command  of  the  Crown  Prince  on 
Saxony,  and  ordered  to  move  from   Metz  by  way  of  Verdun 


PREFATORY  CHAPTER.  xxxvii 

on  Sedan,  in  order  to  head  the  French  columns  and  check 
their  advance  into  Lorraine. 

These  movements  brought  on  the  battle  of  Sedan.  On  the 
30th  of  August  the  Crown  Prince  of  Saxony,  moving  down 
the  right  bank  of  the  Meuse,  surprised  the  French  at  Mouzon 
and  drove  them  back ;  for  the  French  army,  instead  of  making 
forced  marches  of  about  twenty  miles  a  day,  on  account  of 
want  of  discipline  among  the  new  levies  and  the  failure  of 
transport  arrangements,  was  only  able  to  make  about  six.  On 
the  same  day  the  Crown  Prince  also  engaged  the  heads  of 
Marshal  Macmahon's  columns  at  Beaumont  and  Donchery, 
and  drove  them  in. 

The  French  retired  upon  Sedan,  and  took  up  a  position 
resting  on  that  fortress,  with  their  front  upon  the  Meuse,  and 
their  flanks  refused  towards  the  Belgian  frontier.  It  was  anti- 
cipated in  the  German  camp  that  they  might  possibly  retreat 
into  Belgian  territory.  Accordingly,  Count  von  Bismarck  sent 
a  communication  to  the  Belgian  government  to  say,  that  if  the 
French  crossed  the  frontier  and  were  not  disarmed,  the  German 
troops  would  be  forced  to  follow ;  but  the  Belgian  army  had 
been  already  placed  on  a  war  footing,  and  with  detachments 
was  watching  the  frontier.  These  disarmed  and  made  prisoner 
any  isolated  bodies  which  either  purposely  or  accidentally 
entered  armed  upon  Belgian  soil. 

On  the  1  st  September  the  armies  of  the  Crown  Princes  of 
Prussia  and  Saxony  attacked,  under  the  eyes  of  the  King  of 
Prussia,  the  position  which  the  French  had  taken  up  at  Sedan. 
The  army  of  the  Crown  Prince  of  Saxony,  crossing  the  Meuse 
by  bridges  which  it  threw  during  the  previous  night,  extended 
its  right  towards  the  Belgian  frontier,  and  drove  in  the  French 
left.  The  Bavarian  corps  of  the  army  of  the  Crown  Prince 
of  Prussia  assailed  the  French  centre  at  Bazeilles,  while  the 
Crown  Prince,  pushing  the  5th  and  nth  corps  across  the  Meuse 
lower  down  the  stream,  not  only  drove  in  the  French  right,  but 
extended  his  own  flank  so  far  as  to  touch  the  flank  of  the 
Guards  who  formed  the  right  of  the  Saxon  battle,  surrounded 


xxxviii  PREFATORY  CHAPTER. 

the  French  completely,  and  entirely  cut  off  their  retreat  from 
Belgium.  At  the  very  commencement  of  the  battle  Marshal 
Macmahon  was  severely  wounded,  and  the  command  devolved 
upon  General  Wimpfen,  who  had  only  just  arrived  on  the 
theatre  of  war.  All  day  the  battle  raged,  the  French  fought 
gallantly — even  desperately ;  but,  pressed  upon  by  the  better- 
disciplined  legions  of  Germany,  they  were  pushed  closer  and 
closer  to  the  ramparts  of  Sedan,  while  their  adversaries  gained 
a  firm  footing  on  all  the  heights  which  command  and  overlook 
the  basin  in  which  the  fortress  is  situated.  At  last,  hemmed  in, 
surrounded,  and  exposed  to  the  commanding  fire  of  a  numerous 
and  superior  artillery,  no  resource  was  left  to  the  French  army 
but  capitulation.  A  general  of  the  Emperor's  staff  was  sent 
to  the  King  of  Prussia  to  propose  terms  for  the  army,  and  at 
the  same  time  the  Emperor  wrote  a  letter  to  the  King,  and 
proposed  to  surrender  his  sword.  The  terms  announced  were 
the  unconditional  surrender  of  the  army  and  the  fortress ;  but 
the  officers  were  allowed  to  retain  their  swords,  and  to  give  their 
parole  not  to  serve  against  Germany  during  the  war.  These 
terms  were  agreed  to  next  day,  and  the  whole  French  army 
was  marched  prisoner  to  Germany. 

On  the  2nd  September  the  Emperor  had  an  interview  with 
the  King  of  Prussia  and  the  Crown  Prince,  after  which  he  went 
by  way  of  Belgium  to  the  chateau  of  Wilhelmshohe,  near 
Cassel,  where  he  remained  a  prisoner  on  parole  until  the  ter- 
mination of  the  war. 

After  the  halt  of  a  few  days,  necessary  for  the  completion  of 
arrangements  at  Sedan,  the  armies  of  the  Crown  Princes,  that 
of  Prussia  on  the  left  and  of  Saxony  on  the  right,  marched  for 
Paris  by  way  of  Attigny,  Reims,  Montmirail,  and  Coulom- 
miers.  There  was  no  French  army  worthy  of  mention  now  in 
the  field.  Bazaine  was  invested  with  the  bulk  of  the  army  of 
the  Rhine  in  Metz;  the  Emperor  and  Macmahon  were  prisoners 
on  the  road  to  Germany.  The  few  troops  who  escaped  from 
the  general  catastrophe  at  Sedan,  or  had  been  on  the  way  to 
reinforce  Marshal  Macmahon,  were  hurried  back  to  Paris  to 


PREFATORY  CHAPTER.  xxxix 

man  the  defences  of  the  capital,  which  the  cabinet  had  already 
taken  vigorous  measures  to  provision. 

As  soon  as  the  news  of  the  capture  of  the  Emperor  and  his 
army  became  known  at  Paris,  revolution  broke  out.  It  might 
have  been  more  prudent  had  the  French  nation  deferred  a 
change  of  government  which  must  necessarily  delay  the  pro- 
gress of  public  business.  It  was  not  so.  The  change  was 
made  in  the  very  face  of  the  enemy.  M.  Gambetta  and  M. 
Jules  Favre  proclaimed  the  Republic  in  the  Gorps  Legislatif. 
The  excited  population,  as  if  eager  to  drown  the  sense  of 
national  calamity  in  the  storm  of  domestic  politics,  shouted 
rapturous  applause.  The  imperial  government  was  dissolved  : 
the  members  of  the  cabinet  fled  the  country,  and  the  Empress, 
hastily  escaping  from  the  palace  of  the  Tuileries  into  which  the 
mob  broke,  reached  a  sea-port,  and  was  conveyed  to  England 
in  the  yacht  of  an  English  private  gentleman. 

As  there  was  no  foe  in  the  field  to  encounter,  the  German 
armies  marched  straight  upon  the  capital.  At  Coulommiers 
they  separated,  that  of  the  Crown  Prince  of  Saxony  moving 
towards  the  north-east  of  Paris,  that  of  the  Prince  of  Prussia 
towards  the  south-west.  The  latter  approached  Versailles  on 
the  19th  September,  encountered  the  garrison  of  the  city  that 
day  at  the  strengthened  posts  of  Villejuif,  Chatillon,  Plessis- 
Piquet,  and  Clamart,  and  after  a  tolerably  sharp  action  drove 
it  under  the  forts  which  surround  the  enceinte. 

The  3rd  and  4th  armies  then  invested  Paris,  and  encircled 
the  city  of  luxury  and  light  within  a  band  of  iron  and  of  fire, 
which  was  not  relaxed  until  the  forts  and  guns  of  the  defenders 
were  surrendered  to  Prussian  custody. 

On  the  instalment  of  the  Republic  in  Paris,  M.  Gambetta  was 
appointed  Minister  of  War,  and  General  Trochu  Governor  of 
the  city.  Every  exertion  was  made  to  raise  armies  to  resist 
the  invader,  and  if  possible  to  drive  him  from  French  soil,  and 
the  republican  leaders  were  not  lacking  in  energy.  A  large 
force  was  raised  within  the  city,  which  at  the  termination  of 
the  siege  mustered  over  350,000  combatants.     Conscripts  were 


xl  PREFATORY  CHAPTER. 

raised,  arms  and  ammunition  imported  from  abroad,  clothing 
and  stores  purchased,  and  an  army  rapidly  collected  in  the 
south-west,  which  obtained  the  name  of  the  Army  of  the  Loire. 
On  the  1 9th  of  October  the  army  in  Paris  was  so  far  equipped 
and  organised  that  General  Trochu  attempted  to  make  a  sortie 
and  sally  out  of  Paris ;  but  the  troops  of  the  Crown  Prince 
drove  him  back,  and  the  siege  continued.  The  Prussians  at 
first  did  not  attempt  any  active  operations,  but  were  content 
with  strongly  entrenching  themselves,  and  trusting  to  hunger 
to  enforce  the  capitulation  of  the  place. 

Early  in  November  the  French  Army  of  the  Loire  had 
gained  some  consistency,  and  on  the  9th  of  that  month  its  van- 
guard drove  the  Bavarians,  who  had  been  sent  to  observe  it,  out 
of  the  city  of  Orleans.  These  fell  back  and  took  up  a 
position  in  the  vicinity  of  Toury ;  but  had  General  d'Aurelles 
de  Paladine,  who  commanded  the  French  army,  been  in  a  posi- 
tion to  immediately  follow  up  his  success,  he  might  have  raised 
the  siege  of  Paris,  as  the  Crown  Prince  would  have  had  to  call 
his  troops  together  in  order  to  oppose  a  French  advance  from 
the  south.  But  the  troops  of  the  French  general  were  too 
raw,  and  he  was  forced  to  wait  in  Orleans,  where  he  threw  up 
strong  intrenchments,  to  organize  them.  He  thus  lost  his 
opportunity. 

Towards  the  end  of  October  Metz  capitulated,  and  the 
army  of  Marshal  Bazaine  was  made  prisoner.  The  army  of 
Prince  Frederick  Charles  was  thus  released  for  active  service 
in  the  field.  His  army  was  divided:  the  1st,  7th,  and  8th 
corps  were  placed  under  the  command  of  General  Manteuffel, 
and  sent  to  the  north  of  France  to  repulse  and  break  up 
French  troops,  which  were  being  raised  under  cover  of  the 
various  fortresses.  Prince  Frederick  Charles  himself,  with  the 
3rd,  9th,  and  10th  corps,  moved  rapidly  from  Metz  by  way  of 
Fontainebleau  towards  Toury,  and,  joining  the  Duke  of  Meck- 
lenburg, who  commanded  at  that  place,  formed  a  screen 
between  the  Prussian  armies  round  Paris  and  the  Army  of  the 
Loire. 


PREFATORY  CHAPTER.  xli 

At  first  Prince  Frederick  Charles  was  retained  in  observa- 
tion ;  but  the  King  decided  towards  the  end  of  November  that 
he  should  assume  the  offensive  and  advance  upon  Orleans. 
At  the  same  time  the  French  leaders  came  to  a  similar  deter- 
mination. M.  Gambetta  ordered  General  d'Aurelles  de  Pala- 
dine,  who  had  now  collected  an  army  of  180,000  men,  to 
advance  upon  Paris,  and  at  the  same  time  the  garrison  of  Paris 
made  a  vigorous  sortie  towards  the  south.  This  sortie,  which 
was  at  first  partially  successful,  was  subsequently  repulsed  with 
great  loss,  and  all  hopes  of  communicating  with  the  Army  of 
the  Loire  from  Paris  had  to  be  abandoned.  The  failure  of 
this  sortie  was  not,  however,  known  to  General  de  Paladine ; 
on  the  contrary,  he  believed  that  the  Paris  garrison  had  burst 
through  the  investing  line,  and  he  hastened  to  its  assistance. 
On  the  28th  November  he  moved  a  considerable  force  from 
his  right  flank  on  the  village  of  Beaune-la-Rolande,  where  he 
fell  upon  the  left  flank  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles.  The 
Hanoverians,  who  formed  the  garrison  of  Beaune,  were  for 
some  time  severely  pressed,  and  at  one  period  almost  sur- 
rounded. They  held  firm,  however,  in  the  town,  and  repeated 
efforts  on  the  part  of  the  French  storming-columns  failed  to 
carry  the  houses.  In  the  afternoon  Prince  Frederick  Charles 
himself  came  up  with  the  3rd  corps  to  their  aid ;  the  French 
assailants  of  the  town  were  taken  in  flank  and  reverse,  and 
although  they  were  commanded  by  General  Bourbaki,  were 
driven  off  with  loss. 

After  his  failure  to  penetrate  the  Prussian  position  at  Beaune- 
la-Rolande,  General  de  Paladine  transferred  the  bulk  of  his 
army  during  the  next  few  days  to  his  left  flank,  and  attempted, 
on  the  1  st  December  to  advance  by  the  main  road  from 
Orleans  to  Paris  by  way  of  Toury.  A  little  to  the  north  of 
Arthenay  his  advanced  guard  fell  in  with  the  corps  of  the  Duke 
of  Mecklenburg,  and  a  severe  action  took  place.  Prince  Fre- 
derick Charles  also  moved  in  this  direction,  and  the  whole 
forces  of  the  two  armies  became  engaged  in  front  of  Orleans. 
The  French  were  everywhere  pressed   back,   their   entrench- 


x  PREFATORY  CHAPTER. 

ments  were  stormed  with  the  loss  of  many  guns,  and,  after 
several  days'  righting,  Orleans  was  occupied  by  the  Prussians 
on  the  4th  December. 

The  broken  army  of  General  de  Paladine  retired  partly  to 
the  south  and  partly  down  the  Loire.  The  columns  which 
followed  the  latter  route  were  under  the  command  of  General 
Chanzy,  who  stood  to  fight,  and  sustained  for  three  days 
severe  conflicts  round  Beaugency.  He  then  retired  towards 
Le  Mans  :  the  army  of  the  Loire  was  dispersed,  and,  the 
covering  army  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles  took  up  a  position 
around  Orleans. 

While  these  events  were  taking  place  on  the  south-west  of 
Paris,  Prussian  generals  on  the  other  hand  occupied  Amiens, 
and  had  repulsed  the  French  troops  in  that  direction.  The 
sieges  of  fortresses  in  Alsace  were  being  prosecuted,  and  many 
had  surrendered.  Prussian  forces  were  also  pushed  towards 
Dijon  to  watch  some  hostile  masses  which  were  gathering  in 
that  direction. 

The  investment  of  Paris  was  steadily  maintained,  and  pre- 
parations made  for  more  active  measures.  Batteries  were  dug 
and  armed,  ammunition  and  ordnance  brought  up,  and  at  the 
end  of  December  a  bombardment  of  the  forts  and  city  com- 
menced. 

Shortly  afterwards  the  French  armies  of  the  provinces  made 
another  and  a  final  attempt  to  relieve  the  metropolis.  General 
Chanzy  advanced  from  Le  Mans,  at  the  same  time  as  General 
Bourbaki,  moving  rapidly  towards  the  fortress  of  Belfort  in 
Upper  Alsatia,  which  was  being  besieged  by  a  Prussian  con- 
tingent, appeared  to  desire  to  raise  the  siege  of  that  place,  and 
then  to  strike  against  the  great  line  of  the  Prussian  communi- 
cations with  Germany. 

At  the  same  time  as  General  Chanzy  advanced  from  Le 
Mans,  Prince  Frederick  Charles  moved  from  Orleans  with  the 
intention  of  attacking  him  at  Le  Mans.  The  heads  of  the  two 
annies,  moving  in  opposite  directions,  came  into  collision 
accidentally  at  Vendome.      The    French  were   defeated,  and 


PREFATORY  CHAPTER.  xliii 

were  pushed  back,  fighting  hard,  however,  as  they  retreated. 
After  five  days,  however,  of  constant  battle,  they  were  pushed 
through  Le  Mans,  and  that  important  strategical  point  captured 
with  large  supplies  of  food,  arms,  ammunition,  rolling-stock, 
artillery,  and  many  prisoners. 

The  battle  of  Le  Mans  decided  the  fate  of  Paris.  Provisions 
had  already  been  getting  very  short,  and  the  bombardment, 
although  it  did  not  appear  to  do  much  damage  to  the  works, 
harassed  the  garrison.  It  was  perceived  that  assistance  from 
without  could  no  longer  be  hoped  for ;  for  Bourbaki  had  been 
headed  towards  Belfort  and  defeated  by  General  Werder,  and 
General  Manteuffel  hurried  across  France  to  fall  upon  his  flank. 
The  greater  part  of  the  army  of  General  Bourbaki  was  driven 
across  the  Swiss  frontier  and  disarmed,  after  having  suffered 
many  privations  and  hardships.  One  more  sortie  was  indeed 
made  by  the  garrison  of  Paris,  but  more  apparently  with  the 
idea  of  demonstrating  the  inutility  of  further  resistance  than 
with  any  serious  ideas  of  success.  On  the  27th  January  an 
armistice  was  agreed  to,  which  was  prolonged  in  February,  and 
ultimately  led  to  the  peace  signed  between  Prussia  and  France 
at  Frankfort  in  May,  187 1. 

A  short  time  before  the  conclusion  of  hostilities  a  most 
important  event  in  the  history  of  the  world  took  place  at 
Versailles.  The  battle  of  Sedan  was  the  corner-stone  of  Ger- 
man unity.  After  that  victory  diplomatic  negotiations  were 
entered  into  between  the  Southern  States  and  Prussia,  which 
resulted  in  the  entrance  of  the  former  into  the  North-German 
Confederation.  But  it  was  necessary  for  the  solidity  and 
stability  of  this  augmented  fabric,  that  some  guide  and  supe- 
rior should  be  raised  who  should  stand  before  the  world  as  the 
avowed  and  recognised  head  of  the  amalgamated  German  nation. 
Who  could  be  so  fit  to  sustain  so  august  a  post  as  the  warrior- 
king — the  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  German  forces,  who  had 
led  those  forces  from  victory  to  victory  over  the  enemy  of  Ger- 
man unity  ?  and  where  could  his  inauguration  to  the  restored 
and  emblazoned  dignity  of  Emperor  of  Germany  be  so  well 


xliv  PREFATORY  CHAPTER. 

conducted  as  in  the  palace  associated  with  the  memory  of  the 
rape  of  Strasburg  and  the  commencement  of  a  settled  French 
interference  in  Germany  ? 

On  the  21st  January,  187 1,  King  William  of  Prussia  was 
proclaimed  Emperor  of  Germany  in  the  palace  of  Versailles, 
amid  the  cheers  of  the  assembled  German  chieftains,  and 
within  the  sound  of  the  guns  engaged  in  the  bombardment  of 
Paris. 

This  event  was  hailed  throughout  Germany  as  of  equal  im- 
portance with  the  result  of  the  war,  and  well  it  might  be,  for  it 
was  the  most  certain  guarantee  of  the  future  independence  of 
Germany.  It  is  possible  that  France  may  again  rise  to  a  high 
military  position  ;  the  enthusiasm  and  gallantry  of  her  soldiery 
may  again  carry  her  colours  to  her  old  frontier;  she  may  become 
more  powerful  in  arms  than  her  late  rival,  and  may  even  tear 
from  Germany  the  left  bank  of  the  Rhine.  This  may  be  pos- 
sible ;  but  it  is  impossible  that  she  ever  again  will  be  able  to 
exert  that  ascendancy  and  interference  in  the  internal  affairs  of 
the  country  which  was  more  galling  to  the  proud  Germanic 
people  than  loss  of  provinces  or  disastrous  defeats.  From  that 
the  declaration  of  the  Empire  of  United  Germany  has  saved 
Germany  for  ever,  and  that  declaration  could  not  have  been 
made  in  187 1  but  for  the  war  which  occurred  in  1866. 


SKETCH   OF  THE 

operation: 

o*  inK 

ARMTqftbeMAU 


. 


'•/i  -c  spy  %      -       -.  \v  -  ^> 

;>     -IT  /? 


Ltndrn  &  Grrno 


SEVEN    WEEKS'   WAR. 


BOOK  I. 


CHAPTER   I. 

"  Who  cares  with  foemen  when  we  deal, 
If  craft  or  courage  guide  the  steel  ?  " — CONINGTON. 

Although  the  animosity  between  Prussia  and  Austria  which 
led  to  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  in  1866  had  been  the  gradual 
growth  of  many  years,  the  immediate  causes  of  collision  were 
the  consequences  of  the  war  waged  by  Germany  against  Den- 
mark in  1864.  The  results  of  this  contest  were  embodied  in 
the  Treaty  of  Vienna  of  that  year,  by  which  King  Christian  of 
Denmark  surrendered  all  his  rights  to  the  Elbe  duchies  of 
Schleswig  and  Holstein,  and  the  duchy  of  Lauenburg,  in  favour 
of  the  Emperor  of  Austria  and  of  the  King  of  Prussia.* 

The  Danish  war  had  been  undertaken  in  the  first  instance 
by  the  Germanic  Confederation,  in  consequence  of  a  decree  of 
Federal  execution  against  the  King  of  Denmark  as  Duke  of 
Holstein,  and,  in  virtue  of  that  duchy,  a  prince  and  member  of 
the  Confederation.  The  Diet  which  passed  this  decree  had 
intended  that  the  execution  should  be  carried  out  by  amalga- 
mated detachments  of  such  troops  of  all  the  States  included  in 
the  Confederation  as  might  be  determined  by  the  Diet.  Some 
of  these  troops  actually  marched  into  Holstein.  But  the  occu- 
pation of  the  Elbe  duchies  by  troops  of  the  Confederation,  and 
the  consequent  establishment  of  these  districts   as  an  inde- 

*  For  translation  of  Treaty  of  Vienna  of  30th  October,  1864,  see 
Appendix  I. 


2  'SEVEN  WEEKS    WAR.  [Book  I. 

pendent  State,  would  not  have  suited  the  political  purposes  of 
Prussia.  The  object  of  this  Power  was  not  so  much  to  free 
.Holstein  from  the  dominion  of  the  Dane  as  to  secure  the 
1  harbour  of  Kiel  for  the  new  fleet  which  was  to  be  formed  in 
order  to  carry  the  black  eagle  of  Brandenburg  into  a  forward 
place  among  the  naval  ensigns  of  the  world :  but  the  Diet  was 
determined  to  carry  out  the  execution ;  and,  if  the  troops  of 
the  Federal  powers  were  once  allowed  to  declare  Schleswig- 
Holstein  independent,  the  subjection  of  the  duchies  to  the 
domination  of  Prussia  would  require  a  display  of  force  and  a 
violation  of  public  opinion  for  which  Count  Bismark  did  not 
at  that  time  consider  himself  strong  enough.  To  annex  an 
independent  community,  established  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Diet,  with  a  popular  and  chosen  prince,  would  have  roused  all 
Germany.  The  policy  of  the  Cabinet  of  Berlin  demanded  that 
Schleswig-Holstein  should  not  become  independent  yet. 

Prussia  was  not,  however,  sufficiently  confident  in  her  strength 
to  set  aside  at  this  time,  with  her  own  hand  alone,  the  decrees 
of  the  Diet.  To  have  done  so  would  have  raised  a  storm 
against  which  she  had  no  reason  to  suppose  that  she  could 
successfully  bear  up.  England  was  excited,  and  the  warlike 
people  of  that  country  eager  to  rush  to  arms  in  the  cause  of  the 
father  of  the  young  Princess  of  Wales.  France  was  discon- 
tented with  the  insolence  of  the  English  Cabinet,  but  might 
have  accepted  a  balm  for  her  wounded  pride  in  a  free  permis- 
sion to  push  her  frontier  up  to  the  Rhine.  Austria  would  have 
i  opposed  the  aggrandizement  of  Prussia,  and  all  Germany  would 
have  at  that  time  supported  the  great  Power  of  the  South  in  the 
battle  for  the  liberation  of  Holstein  from  the  supremacy  of  the 
Hohenzollerns  as  eagerly  as  from  that  of  the  House  of  Den- 
mark. The  independence  of  Holstein,  which  could  not  be 
opposed  by  open  force,  had  to  be  thwarted  by  stratagem. 
Prussia  sought  the  alliance  of  Austria  with  a  proposal  that 
those  two  great  Powers  should  constitute  themselves  the 
executors  of  the  Federal  decree,  and  put  aside  the  troops  of 
the  minor  States.  Austria  agreed,  and  rues  at  this  hour  the 
signature  of  that  convention.  Yet  she  had  much  cause  of 
excuse.  To  allow  Prussia  to  step  forward  alone  as  the 
champion  of  German  national  feeling  would  have  been  for 


Chap.  I.]  SEVEN   WEEKS'    WAR.  3 

Austria  to  resign  for  ever  the  supremacy  of  Germany  into  the 
hands  of  her  rival.  Old  traditions,  chivalrous  feeling,  and 
inherited  memories,  caused  Austrians  to  look  upon  their  Em- 
peror as  the  head  of  Germany,  the  modern  representative  of 
the  elected  tenant  of  the  Holy  Roman  Empire's  crown  and 
sceptre.  Prussia  was  rapidly  approaching  to  that  supremacy  with 
gigantic  strides.  Austria  was  already  reduced  to  the  position 
of  being  the  advocate  of  German  division  and  of  small  States, 
purely  because  amalgamation  and  union  would  have  drawn  the 
scattered  particles  not  towards  herself,  but  within  the  boundaries 
of  her  northern  neighbour.  To  permit  Prussia  to  act  alone  in 
the  matter  of  the  Elbe  duchies  would  have  been  to  see  her 
certainly  obtain  an  important  territorial  aggrandizement,  and 
also  to  lose  the  opportunity  of  creating  another  independent 
minor  German  State,  which,  if  not  a  source  of  strength  to 
Austria,  might  be  a  slight  obstacle  in  the  path  of  Prussia. 

The  war  against  Denmark  was  undertaken.  The  Danes, 
terribly  inferior  in  numbers,  organization,  equipment,  arma- 
ment, and  wealth,  after  a  most  gallant  resistance,  lost  their  last 
strongholds ;  while  a  Western  Power,  which  had  certainly  by 
insinuations,  if  not  by  facts  or  words,  encouraged  the  Cabinet 
of  Copenhagen  into  the  delusion  that  other  soldiers  than  Danes 
would  be  opposed  to  the  German  invaders  of  Schleswig,  calmly 
looked  on,  and  sacrificed  in  a  few  weeks  the  reputation  which, 
fortuitously  won  on  the  plains  of  Belgium,  had  lived  through 
half  a  century.  The  Danish  war  terminated  in  the  treaty 
signed  at  Vienna  on  the  30th  October,  1864,  and  the  duchies 
of  Schleswig,  Holstein,  and  Lauenburg  were  handed  over  to  the 
sovereigns  of  Austria  and  Prussia. 

At  this  time  the  troops  of  Hanover  and  Saxony,  which  had 
been  ordered  by  the  Diet  to  carry  out  the  decree  of  Federal 
execution  against  the  King  of  Denmark,  were  in  Holstein.  The 
next  step  in  the  policy  of  the  great  German  Powers  was  to  rid 
the  Duchies  of  their  presence.  On  the  29th  November,  1864, 
Austria  and  Prussia  laid  the  treaty  of  peace  with  Denmark 
before  the  Germanic  Diet,  and  proposed  that,  since  the  decree 
of  Federal  execution  had  been  carried  out,  the  presence  of  the 
Hanoverians  and  Saxons  was  no  longer  necessary  in  the  duchies, 
and  that  both  the  troops  and  Civil  Commissioners  of  these 

B  2 


4  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  '[Book  I. 

States  should  be  required  to  vacate  their  position.  This  motion 
was  opposed  by  the  representative  of  Bavaria,  and  was  negatived 
by  a  majority  of  one  vote.     On  the  30th  November,  however, 
the  representative  of  Prussia  announced  in  the  Diet  that  the 
claims  of  the  Prince  of  Augustenburg  to  the  duchies  would  be 
settled  by  treaties  between  Austria  and  Prussia,  and  that  these 
two  Powers  would  enter  into  negotiations  with  the  pretender 
on  the  subject,   but  that,   in  the  meantime,  the  Saxons  and 
Hanoverians  must  retire  from  the  disputed  ground,  and  that 
notes  had  been  sent  by  the  Cabinet  of  Berlin  to  Dresden  and 
Hanover,  to  demand  the  withdrawal  of  the  contingents  of  those 
States.      The   representative    of  Hanover   declared   that    his 
government  was  ready  to  withdraw  its  troops :  the  deputy  of 
Saxony  appealed  to  the  decision  of  the   Diet.     On  the  5th 
December,   1864,  the  Diet  passed  the  motion  proposed   by 
Austria   and   Prussia,   in   opposition   to   a    protest   from    the 
Bavarian  representative.     In  consequence  the  troops  and  Civil 
Commissioners  of  Hanover  and  Saxony  were  recalled  from  the 
duchies  by  their  respective  Courts,  and  Austria  and  Prussia 
took  upon  themselves  the  military  and  civil  administration  of 
Schleswig-Holstein.  . 

Prussia  stationed  in  the  duchies  six  regiments  of  infantry, 
two  of  cavalry,  and  three  batteries  of  artillery.  Austria  left 
there  only  the  brigade  Kalik,  which  was  composed  of  two 
regiments  of  infantry,  one  battalion  of  rifles,  two  squadrons  of 
cavalry,  and  one  battery  of  artillery.* 

The  Austrian  Government  appointed  Herr  Von  Lederer  as 
Civil  Commissioner,  who  was  shortly  afterwards  recalled  to 
Vienna,  and  replaced  by  Herr  Von  Hahlhuber.  The  Prussian 
Civil  Commissioner  was  Herr  Von  Zedlitz.  The  Hanoverian 
and  Saxon  Commissioners  gave  over  the  government  of  the 
duchies  to  the  Commissioners  of  the  great  Powers  on  the  5th 
of  December,  who  immediately  entered  upon  their  duties,  and 
established  the  seat  of  government  at  Schleswig.  The  expulsion 
of  the  Civil  Commissioners  of  the  minor  States,  from  the  Elbe 
duchies  was  the  last  act  of  the  Schleswig-Holstein  drama  in 

*  The  strength  of  the  forces  left  would  thus  amount  to  about  12,000 
Prussians  and  5"  200  Austrians,  as  troops  left  here  were  maintained  on  a 
peace  establishment. 


Chap.  I.]  SEVEN  WEEKS"    WAR. 

which  Austria  co-operated  with  Prussia.  From  this  time  shel 
drew  near  again  to  the  smaller  States,  which  were  now  em- 
bittered against  Prussia. 

The  administration  of  the  duchies  by  the  great  Powers  was 
openly  announced  as  only  a  temporary  measure,  and  was  re- 
garded in  this  light  by  the  whole  world.  Austria  wished  to  give 
up  what  she  considered  only  a  temporary  trusteeship  as  soon  as 
possible,  and  proposed  to  place  the  Duke  of  Augustenburg  pro- 
visionally at  the  head  of  the  duchies,  while  the  rival  claims  of 
the  Houses  of  Augustenburg  and  Oldenburg  to  permanent 
occupation  should  be  investigated.  In  Prussia,  however,  mean- 
while the  lust  for  increase  of  territory  had  been  developed.  It 
was  discovered  that  the  House  of  Brandenburg  had  itself  claims 
to  succession.  In  a  despatch  of  the  13th  December,  Count 
Bismark  informed  the  Austrian  Cabinet  that  Prussia  could  not 
accept  the  proposal  to  place  the  Prince  of  Augustenburg  at  the 
head  of  the  duchies  ;  and  that  such  an  act  would  forestall  the 
claims  of  other  pretendants,  and  would  be  viewed  with  disfavour 
by  the  Courts  of  Oldenburg,  Hanover,  and  Russia ;  that  an  I 
annexation  of  the  duchies  to  Prussia  could  not  indeed  be  carried 
out  without  the  concurrence  of  Austria,  but  that  such  a  step 
would  be  very  advantageous  to  the  interests  of  Germany  in 
general,  and  would  not  be  antagonistic  to  those  of  Austria  in 
particular;  while  Prussia's  geographical  position  made  it  her 
special  duty  to  insure  the  duchies  against  the  recurrence  of 
revolutionary  disturbances.  In  this  despatch  the  Cabinet  of 
Berlin  also  proposed  that  in  furtherance  of  this  scheme  the 
military  organization  of  the  duchies  should  be  assimilated  to 
that  of  Prussia,  and  that  their  maritime  population  should  be 
made  available  for  recruiting  the  Prussian  marines  and  navy. 

By  a  despatch  of  the  21st  December  Count  Mensdorf,  the 
Austrian  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs,  answered  the  above  des- 
patch from  Berlin,  and  said  that  Austria  had  undertaken  the 
solution  of  the  question  in  the  interests  of  Germany  j  that  the 
Austrian  Cabinet  was  upon  as  friendly  a  footing  with  the  Courts 
of  Oldenburg,  Hanover,  and  Russia,  as  was  that  of  Prussia ; 
that  Hanover  made  no  definite  claims,  but  only  expressed  ideas 
of  doing  so  \  that  the  Austrian  Cabinet  would  also  investigate 
the  claims  of  Oldenburg ;  but  that  Russia  had  lately  declared 


6  SEVEN  WEEKS"    WAR.  [Book  I. 

that  she  would  accept  as  authoritative  only  the  decision  of  the 
Germanic  Confederation  on  the  question  of  succession  ;  that  if 
Prussia  had  wished  to  advance  claims  to  the  inheritance  of  the 
duchies,  she  ought  to  have  done  so  before  she  made  the  de- 
claration of  the  28th  May,  in  common  with  Austria,  at  the 
Conference  in  London  in  favour  of  the  Prince  of  Augustenburg. 
As  had  already  been  remarked  in  Berlin  through  Count  Karolyi,* 
^Austria  could  agree  to  an  incorporation  of  the  duchies  in  Prussia 
only  as  an  equivalent  for  an  increase  of  her  own  German  terri- 
tory ;  that  if  Count  Bismark  spoke  of  the  obligations  of  his  own 
country,  the  Austrian  Cabinet  might  say  the  same  of  itself;  that 
Austrian  blood  had  not  been  spilt  to  destroy  the  balance  of 
power  of  the  two  great  German  States  by  a  one-sided  aggran- 
dizement of  Prussia.  The  despatch,  in  conclusion,  let  the 
Prussian  Government  understand  that  it  ought  to  place  no 
difficulties  in  the  way  of  the  rapid  solution  of  this  important 
question. 

The  Austrian  Government  was  now  in  error.  This  despatch 
demonstrated  that  the  avowed  champion  of  the  smaller  States 
was  about  to  betray  their  cause  for  the  sake  of  individual  ad- 
vantage, and  threw  a  trump  card  into  the  hand  of  Count 
Bismark.  By  some  means  this  despatch  was  communicated  to 
an  Austrian  newspaper,  the  Prcsse,  and  appeared  openly  in 
public  print.  The  Vienna  police  failed  to  discover  from  what 
sources  the  editor  of  the  Presse  had  been  supplied  with  a  copy 
of  the  official  document,  but  strong  suspicions  have  ever  since 
prevailed  that  the  publication  was  due  to  Prussian  agency, 
which  had  acted  with  the  object  of  shaking  the  confidence  of 
the  minor  States  in  the  leading  Power.  In  effect,  several  of  the 
representatives  of  the  smaller  States  sought  from  Count  Mens- 
dorf  a  declaration  of  what  portion  of  territory  the  Austrian 
Government  had  in  view  in  making  the  demand  for  an  equi- 
valent^ During  the  winter  several  addresses  were  got  up  by 
Prussian  partisans  in  the  duchies,  with  the  object  of  soliciting 
the  Cabinets  of  Berlin  and  Vienna  to  agree  to  the  incorporation 
of  the  duchies  with  the  kingdom  of  Prussia.      These  were 

*  Austrian  Ambassador  at  Berlin. 

+  It  is  now  supposed  that  the  equivalent  Austria  wished  to  obtain  was 
the  county  of  Glatz,  in  Prussian  Silesia. 


Chap.  I.]  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  7 

strongly  negatived  by  protests  directed  to  the  Prussian  House 
of  Commons,  and  were  generally  considered  to  be  due  more  to 
the  electioneering  tactics  of  Prussian  agents  than  to  any  popular 
desire  for  annexation.  Such  of  the  late  parliamentary  repre- 
sentatives of  the  duchies  as  could  meet  together  energetically 
protested  against  the  addresses  as  exponents  of  the  national 
will,  but  no  means  were  taken  for  gauging  the  true  desires  of 
the  population.  No  parliamentary  estates  were  assembled  to 
act  as  the  mouth-piece  of  the  influential  and  educated  classes  ; 
no  popular  vote  was  allowed  to  declare  the  wishes  of  the  people. 
Either  step  might  have  shown  that  the  standard  of  Prussia  was 
waving  over  a  nation  which  aspired  to  hoisting  the  flag  of  inde- 
pendence. 

Prussia,  unable  without  a  public  violation  of  decency  to 
monopolise  the  Elbe  duchies,  appeared  in  the  early  spring  of 
1865  desirous  to  lay  aside  the  idea  of  annexation,  and,  instead, 
to  pave  the  way  for  the  accession  of  a  prince  to  the  govern- 
ment of  the  country,  who  might  be  a  feudatory  at  least  of  the 
Court  of  Berlin.  On  the  21st  of  February,  1865,  a  despatch 
was  sent  by  the  Prussian  Ministry  to  the  Cabinet  of  Vienna, 
which  professed  to  propose  the  measures  which  the  Prussian 
Cabinet  desired  to  see  carried  out  in  the  duchies  for  the  security 
of  the  interests  of  Prussia  and  of  Germany,  as  well  as  what 
restraints  should  be  placed  upon  the  future  sovereign  of  Schles- 
wig-Holstein,  both  in  his  own  and  the  general  interest.  The 
substance  of  this  despatch  was,*  that  Prussia  desired  the 
following  guarantees  from  the  new  State  of  Schleswig-Holstein, 
which  was  about  to  be  established. 

i.  That  this  State  should  conclude  a  perpetual  offensive  and 
defensive  alliance  with  Prussia,  by  which  Prussia  would  gua- 
rantee the  protection  and  defence  of  the  duchies  against  every 
hostile  attack,  while  the  whole  naval  and  military  power  of  the 
duchies  should  form  an  integral  portion  of  the  Prussian  fleet 
and  army. 

2.  The  Prussian  fleet — reinforced  in  the  manner  mentioned 
in  Article  1 — is  to  be  entitled  to  the  right  of  freely  circulating 
and  being  stationed  in  all  Schleswig-Holstein  waters ;  and  the 
Prussian  Government  is  to  have  the  control  on  the  Schleswig- 

*  For  literal  translation  of  this  despatch  see  Appendix  II.  B. 


8  SEVEN  WEEKS'   WAR.  [Book  T. 

Holstein  coasts  of  pilot  dues,  tonnage-dues,  and  lighthouse- 
dues. 

3.  Schleswig-Holstein  is  to  pay  Prussia  a  tribute,  which  is  to 
be  settled  on  an  equitable  basis,  for  the  support  of  its  army  and 
navy,  of  which  Prussia  will  undertake  the  whole  administration. 
The  Prussian  Government  will  contract  for  the  transport  of 
war  material,  &c,  with  the  Schleswig-Holstein  railways,  on  the 
same  terms  as  it  does  at  present  with  the  private*  railway 
companies  of  Prussia. 

4.  The  fortresses  of  the  duchies  are  to  be  regulated  according 
to  agreement  between  the  Prussian  and  ducal  Governments, 
and,  according  to  the  requirements  of  the  former,  for  general 
military  purposes. 

5.  The  duties  of  the  new  sovereign  of  Schleswig-Holstein 
with  regard  to  the  German  Confederation  remain  the  same  as 
those  of  the  former  for  Holstein.  Prussia  will  find  the  Holstein 
Federal  contingent  out  of  parts  of  her  army  which  do  not  form 
her  own  contingent. 

6.  Rendsburg,  in  accordance  with  the  wishes  of  all  con- 
cerned, is  to  be  declared  a  Federal  fortress.  Until  that  is  done, 
it  is  to  be  occupied  by  Prussia. 

7.  Inasmuch  as  Prussia  takes  upon  herself  the  duties  of  the 
military  and  maritime  protection  of  the  duchies,  she  requires 
that  certain  territories  should  be  given  up  to  her  for  the  cost  of 
fortifications,  with  full  rights  of  sovereignty  over  them.  The 
territories  required  would  be  at  least — 

a.  Sonderburg,  with  as  much  territory  on  both  banks  of  the 
Sound  of  Alsen  as  may  be  necessary  for  a  naval  harbour  at 
Hjorupshaff,  and  the  security  of  the  same. 

b.  The  territory  necessary  for  the  security  of  the  harbour  of 
Kiel,  near  the  fort  of  Friedericsort. 

c.  Territories  at  both  mouths  of  the  proposed  North  Sea 
and  Baltic  Canal,  and,  besides,  the  right  of  free  navigation 
along  this  canal. 

d.  Schleswig-Holstein  is  to  enter  into  the  Zollverein,f  and  the 

*  Railways  not  in  the  hands  of  the  Government. 

f  The  Zollverein,  or  General  Customs  Union,  was  entered  into  by  most 
of  the  German  States  under  the  guidance  of  Prussia.  The  object  of  this 
union  was  to  free  the  trade  of  Germany  from  the  restrictions  under  which  it 


Chap.  I.]  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  9 

administration  of  the  railways  and  telegraphs  of  the  duchies  is 
to  be  amalgamated  with  that  of  Prussia. 

These  propositions  showed  that  the  Government  of  Prussia 
was  determined  to  attempt  to  establish  Prussian  supremacy  in 
the  Elbe  duchies.  The  aims  of  the  Cabinet  of  Berlin  were 
clear  to  the  Austrian  Government;  and  Count  Mensdorf,  in 
the  name  of  the  latter,  by  a  despatch  of  the  5th  March,  1865, 
informed  Count  Bismark  that  a  Duke  of  Schleswig-Holstein, 
under  such  restrictions  as  would  be  entailed  by  an  acceptance 
of  the  Prussian  proposals,  could  not  enter  the  Confederation  of 
German  princes  on  terms  of  equality,  and  with  the  power  of  a 
free  vote  in  the'  Diet ;  that  the  Prussian  propositions  were  cal- 
culated to  forward  the  special  interests  of  Prussia  alone,  but 
that  Austria  and  the  whole  Germanic  Confederation  had  a 
claim  to  the  disposition  of  Schleswig-Holstein.  Austria  in  the 
same  despatch,  however,  declared  herself  willing  to  concede 
to  Prussia  the  right  of  occupation  of  Kiel  harbour,  and 
would  agree  to  Rendsburg  being  declared  a  Federal  fortress,  to 
the  commencement  of  a  North  Sea  and  Baltic  Canal,  and  to  the 
entrance  of  Schleswig-Holstein  into  the  Zollverein.  Further, 
Austria  would  not  go  \  and  she  declared  that  treaties  to  settle 
the  details  of  the  above  concessions  could  be  entered  into  with 
profit  only  after  the  question  of  the  sovereignty  of  the  duchies 
was  decided.  Austria  also  expressed  a  wish  to  terminate 
negotiations  from  which  there  could  be  little  hope  that  an 
agreement  would  result. 

Prussia  and  Austria  had  both  spoken  out  their  designs.  That 
i  of  Prussia  was  now  manifestly  the  annexation  of  Schleswig- 
i   Holstein,  that  of  Austria  to  thwart,   hinder,  and  prevent  the 

lay  from  the  conflicting  interests  and  custom-house  regulations  of  so  many 
independent  States.     By  the  Zollverein  Treaty,  which  was  re-established 
!    on  the  1st  January,  1854,  tolls  or  customs  were  collected  once  for  all  at  the 
common  frontier  of  the  united  States,  and  the  produce  divided  among  them 
!    in  equitable  proportions.     The  Zollverein  included  Prussia,   and  all  the 
minor  German   States  except  Holstein,  Lauenburg,  and  the  principality  of 
I    Lichtenstein.     Austria  was  not  included  in  the  Zollverein,  but  became  con- 
:    nected  with  it  in  1853  by  a  commercial  treaty  with  Prussia,  by  which  both 
1    sides  contracted  to  do  nothing  to  prevent  the  free  circulation  of  articles  of 
I    trade   in    their  respective  territories,   or  the  transit  of  any  article  of  mer- 
chandise,  except  tobacco,  salt,   gunpowder,    playing-cards,  and  almanacs  ; 
the  principal  of  these  exceptions,  tobacco,  being  a  Government  monopoly 
.    in  Austria,  and  not  in  the  other  States. 


io  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  I. 

execution  of  Prussia's  intention.  Austria  wished  to  carry  out 
the  project  of  establishing  the  duchies  as  a  separate  German 
State,  under  an  independent  prince,  and  thus  to  fulfil  the  object 
with  which  the  German  war  against  Denmark  had  been  under- 
taken, and  to  satisfy  the  unanimous  sympathy  of  Germany 
evoked  for  that  war.  This  was  doubly  Austria's  interest,  in 
order  to  both  impede  the  aggrandizement  of  her  rival,  and  to 
raise  up  another  small  State,  a  fresh  unit  of  German  nationality, 
a  fresh  obstacle  to  the  German  unity  which  she  had  found  could 
not  be  effected  under  her  own  supremacy.  But  the  question 
of  the  Elbe  duchies  could  not  have  been  laid  to  rest  in  this 
condition,  even  if  Austria  and  Prussia  had  both  earnestly 
desired  such  a  consummation.  The  whole  Germanic  people 
was  nervously  interested  in  its  solution.  In  April,  1865,  a 
motion  brought  forward  in  the  Diet  at  Frankfort  by  the  re- 
presentatives of  Bavaria,  Saxony,  and  Hesse  Darmstadt,  which 
proposed  that  Holstein  should  be  given  over  to  the  Prince  of 
Augustenburg,  was  accepted  by  the  majority.*  This  vote  could, 
under  the  circumstances,  have  no  practical  result,  but  it  showed 
that  the  current  of  feeling  of  the  small  States  was  setting 
strongly  against  the  threatened  preponderance  of  Prussia,  and 
made  Prussia  feel  that  henceforth  her  policy  must  be  antago- 
nistic to,  and  subversive  of,  the  dynasties  of  the  minor  Germanic 
States. 

Another  element  of  discord  had  been  in  existence  ever  since 
Austria  and  Prussia  had  undertaken  the  joint  government  of 
the  duchies,  but  it  was  not  till  the  summer  of  1865  that  the 
quarrels  between  the  Commissioners  of  the  two  Powers  be- 
came so  frequent  and  so  stormy  that  they  threatened  to  lead 
to  a  German  war,  through  which  the  results  of  the  conflict  of 
1866  might  have  been  anticipated  by  a  year.  The  Austrian 
Hahlhuber  and  the  Prussian  Zedlitz,  engaged  in  a  joint 
government,  and  primed  by  their  own  Cabinets  to  support 
diametrically  opposite  lines  of  policy,  could  not  fail  often  and 
seriously  to  disagree.  The  Austrian  wished  to  encourage  the 
expression  of  popular  feeling  in  the  duchies,  and  to  support 

*  This  motion  was  brought  forward  on  the  27th  March,  by  Barons  Von 
der  Pfordten,  Beust,  and  Dalwigk,  the  representatives  of  Bavaria,  Saxony, 
and  Hesse  Darmstadt. 


Chap.  I.]  SEVEN   WEEKS'    WAR.  n 

the  manifestation  of  popular  sympathy  for  the  Prince  of 
Augustenburg  :  the  Prussian  desired  to  repress  all  expressions 
of  political  feeling,  except  such  as  emanated  from  the  partisans 
of  incorporation  with  Prussia.  These  difficulties  in  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  German  provinces  at  the  mouth  of  the  Elbe 
were  reflected  in  the  society  of  Vienna  and  Berlin.  Feelings 
rose  high,  and  an  appeal  to  arms  seemed  more  than  probable, 
when  Prussia  deemed  it  prudent  to  re- open  negotiations  with 
Austria.  The  celebrated  personal  meeting  of  the  sovereigns 
of  the  two  countries  was  arranged.  The  Emperor  Francis 
Joseph  and  King  William  met  at  the  little  town  of  Gastein,  on 
the  banks  of  the  Achen,  about  forty  miles  south  of  Salzburg, 
and  from  their  interview  originated  the  Convention  of  Gastein, 
which  was  concluded  on  the  14th,  ratified  on  the  20th  August, 
1865. 

This  convention  consisted  of  the  following  heads  : 

1.  Both  Powers,  Prussia  and  Austria,  reserved  to  themselves 
the  common  sovereignty  over  the  duchies  Schleswig  and 
Holstein,  but  Austria  takes  upon  herself  the  provisional  ad- 
ministration of  Holstein,  Prussia  takes  upon  herself  that  of 
Schleswig. 

2.  Prussia  and  Austria  will  propose  that  a  German  fleet 
should  be  established,  and  Kiel  declared  a  Federal  harbour. 
Until  the  resolutions  of  the  Germanic  Confederation  are  carried 
out  the  navies  of  Prussia  and  Austria  are  to  use  the  harbour  of 
Kiel ;  but  Prussia  is  to  have  the  command  in  that  harbour,  to 
regulate  the  police  there,  and  to  acquire  all  territorial  rights 
necessary  for  the  security  of  this  harbour. 

3.  Austria  and  Prussia  will  propose  at  Frankfort*  that  Rends- 
burg  be  declared  a  Federal  fortress  ;  until  Rendsburg  is  recog- 
nised as  a  Federal  fortress,  it  will  be  occupied  by  Austria  and 
Prussia  in  common. 

4.  As  long  as  the  division  of  the  administration  of  Schleswig 
and  Holstein  between  Austria  and  Prussia  endures,  Prussia  is 
to  retain  two  high  roads  through  Holstein,  one  from  Liibeck  to 
Kiel,  the  other  from  Hamburg  to  Rendsburg. 

5.  Prussia,  on  her  side,  takes  upon  herself  the  care  of  a  tele- 

*  The  Parliament  of  the  Germanic  Confederation  assembled  at  Frankfort. 


12  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  I. 

graphic  communication  and  postal  line  to  Kiel  and  to  Rends- 
burg,  and  also  the  construction  of  a  direct  railway  from  Liibeck 
by  Kiel  through  Holstein.  without  raising  claims  to  sovereign 
rights  over  the  line. 

6.  Schleswig-Holstein  is  to  enter  the  Zollverein. 

7.  The  construction  of  the  North  Sea  and  Baltic  Canal, 
with  the  results  naturally  accruing  therefrom,  is  given  over  to 
Prussia. 

8.  With  reference  to  the  financial  arrangements  established 
by  the  Treaty  of  Vienna  of  the  30th  October,  1864,  all  remains 
as  of  old.  Only  the  duchy  of  Lauenburg  is  to  pay  no  share  in 
the  expenses  of  the  war,  and  the  tributes  of  Schleswig  and 
Holstein  are  to  be  divided  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of  their 
populations. 

9.  The  Emperor  of  Austria  gives  up  the  duchy  of  Lauenburg, 
with  all  rights  as  gained  by  the  treaty  of  Vienna,  to  the  King  of 
Prussia,  who  will  pay  for  this  2,500,000  Danish  dollars  in  the 
Prussian  silver  currency,  four  weeks  after  the  ratification  of  this 
Convention. 

Thus  by  the  Convention  of  Gastein  the  administration  of  the 
duchies  was  territorially  divided  between  Prussia  and  Austria  : 
Prussia  obtained  certain  proprietary  and  administrative  rights 
of  great  importance  in  Holstein  ;  and,  what  is  most  notable, 
Austria  sold  her  rights  to  the  duchy  of  Lauenburg,  which  she 
had  acquired  by  conquest  in  common  with  Prussia,  and  thus 
tacitly  recognised  the  validity  of  the  Austro-Prussian  conquest 
of  the  Danish  duchies,  and  of  the  right  of  either  Power  to  dis- 
pose of  the  conquest  as  it  might  desire,  were  the  concurrence  of 
the  other  obtained. 
/  The  Convention  of  Gastein  was  opposed  on  many  sides. 
The  princes  of  the  small  Thuringian  states  of  Weimar,  Meinin- 
gen,  and  Coburg  protested  against  the  clause  by  which  Lauen- 
burg was  ceded  to  Prussia.  The  national  party  in  Germany 
expressed  loud  disapprobation  of  the  severance  of  Schleswig 
from  Holstein.  The  French  and  English  Ministers  for  Foreign 
Affairs  in  confidential  notes  expressed  unfavourable  opinions  of 
the  Convention.  The  Prussian  House  of  Commons  was  loud 
in  its  censure  of  the  Convention,  and  of  the  Government  which 
by  concluding  it  menaced  a  heavy  demand  from  the  Prussian 


Chap.  I.]  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  13 

finances  for  the  purchase  of  Lauenburg.  The  King  ot  Prussia, 
however,  paid  for  the  ceded  rights  of  Austria  over  the  duchy 
out  of  his  own  private  purse ;  the  protestations  of  foreigners 
were  disregarded  ;  and,  on  the  15th  September,  Lauenburg  was 
occupied  by  the  Prussians. 

In  the  few  succeeding  days  the  Prussian  troops,  except  those 
whose  retention  in  that  duchy  had  been  specially  agreed  to, 
withdrew  from  Holstein  into  Schleswig  and  Lauenburg.  The 
Austrian  force  which  had  been  in  the  two  duchies  concentrated 
itself  in  Holstein,  under  the  command  of  General  Gablenz,  who 
was  made  Governor  of  Holstein  b>  the  Emperor  Francis 
Joseph.  General  Gablenz  retained  Herr  Von  Hahlhuber  as 
Civil  Commissioner,  but  after  a  short  time  the  latter  was 
replaced  by  Herr  Von  Hofman. 

The  King  of  Prussia  nominated  General  Von  Manteuffel  as 
Governor  of  Schleswig,  to  whom  Herr  Von  Zedlitz  was  attached 
as  Civil  Commissioner. 


CHAPTER    II. 

FRUITLESSNESS    OF    THE    GASTEIN    CONVENTION. 

The  Convention  of  Gastein  silenced  that  portion  of  the  German 
Press  which  had,  during  the  summer  of  1865,  openly  anticipated 
a  rupture  between  Prussia  and  Austria,  and  had  indulged  in 
calculations  as  to  which  side  Bavaria,  Saxony,  Hesse,  and 
Hanover  would  be  forced  to  espouse.  It  seemed  that  civil  war 
between  divisions  of  the  Germanic  people  would  be  avoided  ; 
and  for  a  time  the  two  great  Powers  of  Central  Europe,  by 
acting  cordially  in  common,  led  many  men  to  believe  that  com- 
munity of  interests  and  unity  of  policy  was  secured  between 
them.  Thus,  when  the  Diet  assembled  at  Frankfort  declared 
against  the  Convention  of  Gastein,  the  Governments  of  Austria 
and  Prussia  alike  sent  warning  notes  to  the  Frankfort  Senate. 
Again,  when  in  November,  1865,  the  representatives  of  Bavaria, 
Saxony,  and  Hesse  brought  a  motion  before  the  Diet  which 
proposed  that  Austria  and  Prussia  should  now  call  an  assembly 
of  the  estates  of  Schleswig  and  Holstein,  which  might  partici- 
pate in  the  solution  of  the  question  of  the  duchies,  Austria  and 
Prussia  alike  protested  against  this  motion.  Still,  those  who 
looked  forward  into  the  future  foresaw  that  there  were  latent 
circumstances  which  foretold  an  approaching  dissolution  of  the 
cordiality  of  the  great  Powers.  One  of  these  circumstances  was 
the  rising  amity  between  Prussia  and  Italy  ;  but  more  impor- 
tant was  the  jealousy  for  supremacy  in  Germany  which  the 
present  position  of  affairs  in  the  duchies  was  only  too  well  cal- 
culated to  rouse  to  action. 

Prussia  published,  in  the  beginning  of  October,  1865,  the 
opinion  of  the  law  officers  of  the  Crown  with  respect  to  the 
question  of  the  duchies.     This  opinion  was  practically  that  all 


Chap.  II.]  THE   G A  STEIN  CONVENTION.  15 

rights  over  the  duchies  originated  in  the  Treaty  of  Vienna  of 
the  30th  October,  1864,  and  that  all  rightful  claims  of  the 
House  of  Augustenburg  to  the  crown  of  these  provinces  would 
have  been  annulled  by  this  treaty,  even  if  such  claim  had 
ever  existed;  but  that,  in  fact,  no  rightful  claim  ever  had 
existed. 

The  Austrian  administration  in  Holstein,  notwithstanding 
this  publication,  allowed  the  rights  of  the  Prince  of  Augusten- 
burg to  be  continually  treated  of  by  the  press,  and  at  public 
assemblies,  as  a  matter  on  which  no  doubt  could  be  entertained, 
and  suffered  considerable  agitation  to  take  place  in  favour  of 
his  rights.  The  Prussian  administration  in  Schleswig,  on  the 
other  hand,  allowed  it  to  be  understood  that  all  such  agitation 
would  be  regarded  as  treasonable,  since  it  was  calculated  to 
thwart  the  aims  of  the  temporary  sovereign. 

Nor  was  the  Prussian  Government  disposed  to  look  on 
calmly  while  the  duchy  of  Holstein  was  permitted  the  right  of 
free  opinion  and  free  discussion,  the  tide  of  which  invariably 
seemed  to  set  against  the  idea  of  incorporation  with  Prussia. 
On  the  30th  January,  1866,  Count  Bismark  despatched  a  note 
to  Vienna,  in  which  he  pointed  out  to  the  Austrian  Cabinet 
how  the  conduct  of  its  administration  in  Holstein  must  infal- 
libly complicate  the  general  relations  between  the  two  Govern- 
ments. This  note  was  hardly  despatched  when  a  monster 
meeting  of  the  Schleswig- Holstein  Unions*  at  Altona  gave  the 
Prussian  Minister  occasion  to  despatch  a  second,  which  is  of 
peculiar  interest. 

In  this  note  Count  Bismark  recalled  to  mind  the  happy  days 
of  Gastein  and  Salzburg,  and  expressed  his  belief,  that  Austria 
would  be  united  with  Prussia,  not  only  in  a  conviction  of  the 
necessity  of  withstanding  revolutionary  ideas,  but  also  in  the 
plan  of  the  campaign  against  such  ideas  ;  that  affairs  were  now 
assuming  a  very  serious  aspect ;  that  the  bearing  of  the  Govern- 
ment of  Holstein  must  be  regarded  as  directly  aggressive  ;  and 
that  the  Austrian  Government  ought  not  to  carry  on  against 
Prussia  in  the  provinces  the  same  agitation  which  it  had  united 
with  the  Prussian  to  quell  at  Frankfort.  The  note  went  on  to 
say  that  the  Convention  of  Gastein  had  treated  of  the  adminis- 

*  Vereine. 


1 6  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  I. 

tration  of  the  two  duchies  as  only  a  provisional  measure;  but 
that  Prussia  had  the  right  to  advance  that  Austria,  during  the 
epoch  of  the  provisional  government,  should  maintain  in  Hol- 
stein  the  status  quo  in  which  she  had  received  the  province,  in 
the  same  manner  as  Prussia  felt  herself  bound  to  preserve  this 
status  in  Schleswig.  The  Prussian  Government  requested  the 
Austrian  to  ponder  upon  the  matter,  and  then  to  negotiate. 
Were  a  negative  or  evasive  answer  returned,  Prussia  would  be 
forced  to  adopt  the  conviction  that  Austria,  prompted  by  a 
traditional  antagonism,  no  longer  wished  to  act  harmoniously 
in  union  with  her.  This  conviction  would  be  painful,  but 
Prussia  must  finally  see  her  way  clearly.  If  it  were  made  im- 
possible for  her  to  act  in  concert  with  Austria,  she  must  obtain 
full  freedom  for  her  own  policy  in  order  to  contract  closer 
alliances  in  other  directions  for  the  advancement  of  her  own 
immediate  interests. 

The  negative  and  evasive  answer  was  returned  in  a  note 
from  Count  Mensdorf,  on  the  9th  of  February,  in  which  this 
Minister,  in  the  name  of  Austria,  declined  the  responsibility 
for  the  national  assemblies,  because  the  duchies  were  only 
under  a  provisional  government.  The  Count  added,  that 
Austria  was  well  aware  she  did  not  occupy  Holstein  as  an 
acquisition,  but  that  so  long  as  the  provisional  government 
might  last,  she  considered  herself  perfectly  free  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  duchy,  and  could  admit  no  control  from  any 
quarter. 

This  despatch  from  Vienna  was  the  first  step  towards  the 
development  in  a  crisis  of  the  political  circumstances  which 
\  now  followed  rapidly,  one  after  the  other.  Austria  saw  in  the 
/  Prussian  declaration  a  hidden  threat  of  war,  and  an  open 
reference  to  an  intended  alliance  with  her  mortal  foe,  Italy, 
and  believed  that  she  was  threatened  with  an  imminent  and 
simultaneous  attack  on  both  her  northern  and  southern 
frontiers.  This  belief  was  strengthened  by  the  apparent  fact, 
that  a  council  was  held  at  Berlin,  on  the  28th  of  February, 
under  the  presidency  of  the  King,  to  which  the  chief  of  the 
staff  of  the  army,  General  Von  Moltke,  and  the  military 
Governor  of  Schleswig,  General  Von  Manteuffel,  were  sum- 
moned.    Austria  accorded  no  faith  to  the  most  pacific  assur- 


Chap.  II.]  THE   GASTEIN  CONVENTION.  17 

ances  on  the  part  of  Prussia  that  these  fears  were  groundless. 
Nor  was  her  confidence  in  the  peaceful  intentions  of  her  rival 
established  by  the  denial  of  a  rumour  which  had  gained  public 
credence,  and  which  asserted  that  the  question  discussed  at 
this  council  had  been  whether,  under  the  aspect  of  political 
circumstances,  Prussia  ought  to  prepare  herself  for  the  war 
which  might  be  the  result  of  their  development  \  nor  by  the 
assertion  that  no  preparations  for  war  of  any  kind  had  been 
made  in  Prussia.  Austria,  anxious  at  the  same  time  for  her 
position  in  Germany  and  Italy,  full  of  mistrust  and  anger 
against  Prussia,  badly  directed  and  counselled,  perhaps  also 
instigated  by  the  embittered  enemies  of  Prussia  in  Germany, 
began  early  in  the  month  of  March  her  preparations  not  only 
for  a  war,  but  also  for  a  struggle  of  which  the  intended  object 
was  to  support  the  Germanic  Confederation  against  Prussia. 


CHAPTER    III. 

COMMENCEMENT   OF   THE   PREPARATIONS    FOR   WAR. 

Open  antagonism  between  Prussia  and  Austria  was  declared 
by  the  exchange  of  notes  which  was  mentioned  towards  the 
end  of  the  last  chapter. 

Prussia  had  acquired  full  freedom  for  her  own  policy  by  the 
Austrian  answer  to  her  declaration  of  the  26th  of  January,  and 
men  in  Germany  looked  around  anxiously  to  see  what  use 
Count  Bismark  would  make  of  this  liberty.  For  a  time  the 
wary  Minister  gave  no  signal  of  what  he  was  about  to  do. 
Many  expected  that,  face  to  face  with  the  strong  military  power 
of  Austria,  and  with  the  sentiment  of  all  Germany  hostile  to 
]  him,  he  would  be  obliged  to  treat  with  Vienna. 

The  solution  of  a  conflict  between  different  States  depends 
ultimately  always  upon  strength.  Prussia,  therefore,  naturally 
desired  to  reinforce  her  strength,  and  to  replace  the  alliance 
which  had  been  broken  by  some  new  alliance. 

But  where  to  turn  for  the  new  alliance  ?  In  Germany  there 
was  no  hope  of  finding  friends  among  the  Governments,  for 
these  were  all  interested  in  the  maintenance  of  small  States, 
-and  naturally  antagonistic  to  national  community.  Nor  were 
the  people  of  Germany  at  this  time  at  all  disposed  to  regard 
Count  Bismark  as  their  champion,  or  accept  him  as  the  leader 
of  a  national  party.  The  late  quarrels  between  the  Prussian 
Minister  and  the  Prussian  Commons,  the  press  prosecutions  in 
Prussian  territory  instigated  by  the  Government  over  which  he 
presided,  the  conservative  tendencies  of  his  views  on  taxation, 
marked  him  out  more  as  the  enemy  than  the  harbinger  of  a 
free  national  unity.     The  people  of  Germany  were  at  this  time 


Chap  III.]  PREPARATIONS  FOR    WAR.  19 

no  allies  of  the  counsellor  of  the  head  of  the  House  of  Hohen- 
zollern. 

As  no  alliance  could  be  found  in  Germany,  the  Prussian 
Minister  looked  abroad,  and  there  saw,  in  the  south-western 
frontier  of  the  territories  of  the  Kaiser,  a  natural  ally  to  join 
hand-in-hand  with  Prussia  against  Austria.  This  was  the 
newly  formed,  hardly  consolidated  kingdom  of  Italy.  This 
ally  could  boast  no  long  list  of  victories  borne  on  the  banners 
of  its  soldiery,  its  traditions  did  not  reach  seven  years  back,  its 
army  was  composed  of  raw  levies ;  but  its  people  were  feverish, 
eager,  and  covetous  to  gain  Venetia,  and  to  inflict  a  blow  upon 
the  detested  Austrian. 

Before  the  conclusion  of  the  Convention  of  Gastein,  in  the 
middle  of  the  year  1865,  when  at  that  time  a  rupture  of  the 
alliance  between  Austria  and  Prussia  appeared  possible,  the 
latter  power  had  drawn  near  to  the  young  kingdom  of  Italy, 
and  had  entered  into  negotiations  for  the  conclusion  of  a 
commercial  treaty  between  the  Zollverein  and  that  kingdom. 
The  larger  number  of  the  minor  States  which  belong  to  the 
Zollverein*  had  not  yet  recognised  the  kingdom  of  Italy,  and 
their  rulers  had  no  desire  now  to  do  so,  for  the  recognition  of 
a  sole  sovereign  of  the  united  peninsula  would  be  tantamount 
to  a  recognition  of  the  advantage  of  the  concentration  of  the 
small  States  which  had,  previously  to  1859,  been  independent 
portions  of  Italy,  and  of  the  superfluous  character  of  their 
reigning  dynasties.  On  the  other  side,  Italy  would  not  enter 
into  negotiations  with  a  Confederation  of  which  most  of  the 
component  States  still  denied  her  title-deeds  of  kingdom. 
Prussia  stepped  in  as  mediator.  Italy  was  happy  to  be  recog- 
nised. The  small  States  of  the  Zollverein  were  forced  into 
agreement  with  the  proposals  of  Prussia.  Count  Bismark 
threatened  to  dissolve  the  Zollverein.  The  mere  threat  drove 
a  probe  into  the  mercantile  classes  of  all  Germany;  the 
interests  of  the  monied  aristocracy  was  brought  to  bear  on  the 
Governments;  and  on  the  31st  December,  1865,  a  commercial 
treaty  between  the  newly  recognised  kingdom  of  Italy  and  the 
Zollverein  was  signed. 


*  See  p.  8. 

c  2 


20  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  I. 

When  the  prospect  of  a  war  between  Prussia  and  Austria 
arose  in  the  spring  of  1866,  came  Italy's  opportunity  to  com- 
plete the  work  which  had  been  commenced  at  Magenta,  to 
secure  and  unite  to  herself  the  only  province  which,  still  under 
the  rule  of  the  foreigner,  prevented  her  from  being  free  from  the 
Alps  to  the  Adriatic.  Italy  naturally  drew  as  close  to  Prussia 
as  she  possibly  could.  Austria  requires  a  long  time  to  mobilize 
her  army,  and  had  begun  her  preparations  for  war  in  the  middle 
of  February.      Public  attention  was  directed  to  them  by  a 

.council  of  war  held  at  Vienna  on  the  10th  March,  to  which 
Feldzeugmeister  Benedek  was  summoned  from  Verona.  At 
this  council  the  party  in  favour  of  war  was  strongly  predomi- 
nant ;  and  decided  that  Austria  was  strong  enough  to  take  the 
field  against  Prussia  and  Italy  at  the  same  time,  provided  that 
measures  were  taken  to  isolate  Prussia  in  Germany,  and  to 
draw  the  States  of  the  Confederation  to  the  Austrian  side.  At 
this  council  too  high  an  estimate  appears  to  have  been  formed 
of  the  strength  of  Austria,  and  far  too  low  a  calculation  made 
of  the  powers  of  Prussia ;  for  the  opinion  of  the  council  seems 
to  have  been  that  Austria  could  only  emerge  from  such  a  war  as 
a  decisive  victor.  Italy  was  so  detested,  that  all  Austrians  wished 
for   an    Italian  war;    and,   with  justice,  among  the  Austrian 

1  soldiery  a  proud  contempt  was  entertained  for  the  Italian  army. 
It  was  considerd  that  Prussia,  weakened  by  an  internal  political 
conflict,  could  not  unite  her  contending  parties  in  a  common 

'foreign  policy.  Nor  was  a  high  opinion  entertained  of  her 
military  resources  and  organization.  The  professional  papers 
and  periodicals  of  Austria  ingeniously  demonstrated  that 
Prussia,  however  hardly  pressed,  could  not  place  her  normal 
irmy  on  a  complete  war-footing,  because  trained  men  would 
)e  wanting.  The  writers  of  these  articles  calculated  that  the 
Jattalions  of  infantry  could  only  be  brought  into  the  field  with 
a  muster-roll  of  eight  hundred  men  ;  no  consideration  was  paid 
to  the  Landwehr, — in  fact,  doubts  were  in  some  cases  thrown 
upon  the  existence  of  Landwehr  soldiers  at  all,  and  those  who 
believed  in  their  existence  entertained  no  doubts  of  their  certain 
disloyalty.  It  was  also  calculated  that  the  Prussian  army  would 
have  to  make  such  strong  detachments  for  the  garrisons  of 
fortresses  that  a  very  small  force  would  be  left  for  operations 


Chap.  III.]  PREPARATIONS  FOR    WAR.  21 

in  the  field.  These  false  calculations,  the  first  step  and  perhaps 
the  most  certain  to  the  bitter  defeat  which  ensued,  were  due  to 
defective  information,  and  to  the  absence  from  the  War  Office 
of  Vienna  of  those  detailed  accounts  of  foreign  military  statis- 
tics, deprived  of  which  any  country  that  undertakes  a  military 
measure  of  any  kind  necessarily  gropes  in  the  dark.  To  isolate 
Prussia  from  Germany,  and  to  entangle  her  in  a  strife  against 
overwhelming  numbers,  the  plan  of  Austria  was  to  draw  the 
Germanic  Confederation  into  a  decisive  action  against  Prussia, " 
in  order  that  the  Confederation  might  be  implicated  in  the 
question  in  dispute  between  Austria  and  Prussia  concerning 
Schleswig-Holstein.  Austria  was  certain  of  gaining,  by  the  vote 
of  the  minor  States,  a  majority  in  the  Germanic  Diet  against 
the  aims  and  objects  of  Prussia.  If  Prussia  bowed  to  the 
decision  of  this  majority,  her  position  of  power  in  the  Con- 
federation would  for  a  long  time  be  shaken,  but  if  she  refused 
to  accept  this  decision,  then  would  arise  a  favourable  opportu- 
nity to  declare  Federal  execution  against  Prussia,  and  to  crush 
her  with  the  whole  forces  of  the  Confederation. 

After  this  council  of  war,  the  Austrian  preparations  were 
secretly  pushed  forward.  The  fortresses,  especially  Cracow, 
were  strengthened  and  prepared  for  defence,  and  the  troops  in 
Bohemia  were  reinforced.  These  armaments  and  military 
movements  excited  the  attention  of  Prussia.  Questions  were 
asked :  Austria  answered  that  the  population  of  Bohemia  had 
broken  out  in  riots  against  the  Jews,  and  that  the  Imperial 
Government  was  necessarily  obliged  to  send  troops  into  the 
disturbed  districts  for  the  protection  of  its  Jewish  subjects. 
The  Prussians  averred  that,  by  a  singular  coincidence,  the  care 
and  protection  of  the  Jewish  subjects  drew  the  troops  sus- 
piciously close  to  the  frontier,  while  the  Jews  chiefly  resided  in 
Prague,  the  capital  and  almost  the  central  point  of  the  province 
of  Bohemia. 

The  Austrian  army  in  a  mobilization,  before  the  war  of  1866,* 
had  to  be  increased  from  the  269,000  men,  whom  it  mustered 


*  The  Austrian  army,  in  consequence  of  the  disastrous  results  of  the 
campaign  of  1866,  has  been  reorganized.  The  text  alludes  to  the  former 
organization  of  the  army. 


22  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  I. 

on  a  peace  footing,  to  620,000.  It  therefore  required  the 
recall  of  over  350,000  men  on  furlough,  or  soldiers  of  reserve, 
to  complete  its  strength.  This  increase  of  force  could  only 
conveniently  be  made  in  the  recruiting  districts  of  each  regi- 
ment, because  the  men  who  were  called  in  for  each  regiment 
must  be  clothed  and  armed  by  the  fourth  battalion,  which  was 
always  stationed  in  time  of  peace  as  a  weak  depot  in  the 
recruiting  district.  In  March,  1866,  the  quarters  of  many 
regiments  of  the  Austrian  army  were  changed,  so  as  to  bring 
the  battalions  into  the  vicinity  of  their  recruiting  depots ;  and 
several  regiments  from  Italy,  Gallicia,  and  Hungary,  which 
could  conveniently  receive  their  full  complement  of  men  only 
in  Bohemia,  Moravia,  or  Austrian  Silesia,  were  moved  into 
those  provinces.  By  these  means  the  Austrian  forces  in 
Bohemia  were,  by  the  end  of  March,  reinforced  by  about 
twenty  battalions  of  infantry  and  several  regiments  of  cavalry, 
which  were,  however,  to  avoid  suspicion,  still  retained  upon  a 
peace  footing ;  while  the  purchase  of  horses,  and  the  comple- 
tion of  fourth  battalions  to  full  strength,  commenced  in  various 
parts  of  the  Imperial  dominions. 

At  the  same  time  the  Austrian  Government  took  steps  to 
strengthen  the  fortresses  in  Italy,  and  to  protect,  in  case  of 
war,  the  coasts  of  Istria  and  Dalmatia.  In  the  same  month  an 
extraordinary  but  very  secret  military  activity  commenced  in 
Wurtemberg  and  Saxony.  All  ideas  of  armament  were  officially 
denied  by  Austria,  but  the  Prussian  agents  did  not  fail  to 
observe  their  existence.  The  King  of  Prussia  had  already 
taken  action,  and  issued  a  decree  by  which  the  authors  of  any 
attempts  to  subvert  his  own  authority  or  that  of  the  Emperor 
of  Austria  in  the  Elbe  duchies,  were  threatened  with  imprison- 
ment. This  decree  was  published  by  General  Von  ManteufTel 
in  the  duchy  of  Schleswigon  the  13th  March,  and  gave  occasion 
for  the  Austrian  Ambassador  at  the  Court  of  Berlin  to  ask 
Count  Bismark,  on  the  16th  March,  whether  Prussia  seriously 
intended  to  break  the  Convention  of  Gastein.  Count  Bismark 
answered  No,  and  added  that  he  could  make  no  further  answer 
by  word  of  mouth,  as  oral  conversations  were  easily  liable  to 
be  misunderstood,  and  that,  if  the  Austrian  Ambassador  desired 
any  further  information  on  the  subject,  it  would  be  better  that 


Chap.  III.]  PREPARATIONS  FOR    WAR.  23 

he  should  put  his  interrogations  in  writing.      This  was  not, 
however,  done. 

Directly  after  the  council  of  war  at  Vienna,  on  the  10th 
March,  Austria  had  taken  steps  to  array  the  minor  States 
against  Prussia,  and  to  secure  their  co-operation.  In  a  circular 
despatch  of  the  16th  March,  the  States  of  the  Germanic  Con- 
federation which  were  inclined  towards  Austria  were  warned 
of  the  warlike  attitude  of  Prussia,  and  were  cautioned  to  take 
heed  to  the  armament  of  their  contingents  and  to  their  com- 
pletion to  war  strength,  since  Austria  had  an  intention  to  soon 
bring  before  the  Germanic  Diet  a  motion  for  the  mobilization 
of  the  Federal  army. 

The  movement  of  troops  in  Bohemia  daily  excited  the  appre- 
hensions of  Prussia.  There  still  rankled  in  that  country,  the 
memory  of  1850,  when  she,  unprepared,  suddenly  found  herself 
opposed  to  Austria  fully  armed,  and  was  forced  to  submit  to 
the  terms  dictated  to  her  at  Olmiitz.  Count  Bismark  had,? 
however,  provided  that  no  such  fate  should  befall  her  in 
1866. 

Although  he  knew  well  the  position  in  which  he  stood  with 
regard  to  the  minor  States,  he  considered  it  advisable  to  force 
from  them  a  declaration  of  their  policy.  In  a  despatch  of  the 
24th  March  he  declared  that,  on  account  of  the  armaments  of 
Austria,  Prussia  was  also  at  last  obliged  to  take  measures  for 
the  protection  of  Silesia;  for,  although  Austria  at  present 
spoke  in  peaceful  terms,  it  was  to  be  feared  that  these  would 
alter  as  soon  as  her  preparations  for  war  were  completed. 
Prussia,  he  added,  could  not,  however,  remain  content  with 
measures  calculated  for  her  momentary  safety  alone ;  she  must 
look  into  the  future,  and  seek  there  guarantees  for  that  security 
which  she  had  in  vain  anticipated  from  her  alliance  with 
Austria.  Prussia,  of  course,  under  these  circumstances,  looked 
in  the  first  place  towards  the  other  German  States ;  but  her 
perception  ever  became  clearer  that  the  Germanic  Confedera- 
tion in  its  present  form  did  not  fulfil  its  aim,  not  even  did  it  do 
so  when  Austria  and  Prussia  were  united,  much  less  would  it 
when  these  two  Powers  were  disunited.  If  Prussia  now  were 
attacked  by  Austria,  she  could  not  expect  the  support  of  the 
Germanic  Confederation :  she  could  only  rely  upon  the  good- 


24  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  I. 

will  of  the  single  States  which  had  promised  her  their  help 
without  reference  to  the  bonds  of  the  Confederation.  In  this 
despatch,  therefore,  Prussia  wished  to  ask  with  what  feelings 
she  was  regarded  by  individual  States ;  and,  that  she  might 
prove  their  sincerity  towards  her,  she  would  in  any  case  desire 
a  reform  of  the  political  and  military  constitution  of  the  Con- 
federation. 

(This  despatch  of  Count  Bismark,  which  was  really  only  a 
question  to  the  minor  States  of  how  they  would  act  in  case  of  a 
war  between  Prussia  and  Austria,  was  answered  by  their  re- 
spective Governments  in  almost  identical  terms.  With  one 
accord  they  pointed  to  the  Eleventh  Article  of  the  Charter  of 
Constitution  of  the  Germanic  Confederation,  by  which  all 
States  members  of  the  Confederation  bound  themselves  never 
^  to  make  war  against  each  other,  but  to  bring  their  differences 
before  the  Germanic  Diet,  which  was  to  be  the  mediator  and 
arbiter  between  the  disputants.  How  worthless  any  such 
article  can  be  to  restrain  physical  by  moral  force  was  never 
more  clearly  demonstrated  than  in  the  late  struggle,  when  the 
Germanic  Confederation  was  shivered  to  pieces  in  the  shock  of 
battle  of  its  contending  members. 

Prussia  now  saw  it  was  time  to  make  her  preparations  for 
war.  Austria  had  earlier  begun  to  arm,  but  the  more  elastic 
military  organization  of  Prussia,  the  constant  attention — sprung 
from  the  knowledge  of  her  statesmen  that,  sooner  or  later,  a 
German  war  would  take  place — which  had  for  many  years  been 
devoted  to  her  army,  more  than  compensated  for  the  start  of  a 
few  weeks  which  Austria  had  gained. 

By  decrees  of  the  27  th  and  29th  of  March  the  first  arma- 
ments were  ordered  in  the  provinces  most  exposed  to  attack 
from  Austria.  The  battalions  of  the  five  divisions  which  garri- 
soned the  provinces  contingent  with  the  Austrian  and  Saxon 
frontiers  were  placed  on  the  highest  peace  footing,  but  not  yet 
increased  to  war  strength.  Five  brigades  of  field  artillery  were, 
however,  fully  completed ;  and  the  armament  of  the  fortresses  of 
Glatz,  Cosel,  Neisze,  Torgau,  "Wittemberg,  Spandau,  and  Mag- 
deburg commenced.  Prussia,  confident  in  the  rapidity  with 
which  her  whole  army  could  be  mobilized,  was  able  to  limit 
herself  to  these  purely  defensive  augmentations,  which  entailed 


Chap.  III.]  PREPARATIONS  FOR   WAR.  25 

an  increase  of  only  about  20,000  men  to  the  army  always 
maintained  in  time  of  peace.  She  deferred  till  the  last  neces- 
sary moment  the  raising  of  the  army  to  war  strength,  in  order 
as  long  as  possible  to  leave  the  men,  who  must  be  called  into 
the  ranks,  to  their  trades,  professions,  and  labours.  Of  this 
increase  of  the  army  no  secret  was  made;  the  decree  which 
ordered  it  was  openly  published  and  commented  upon  in  the 
daily  press. 

On  the  31st  March,  Count  Mensdorf,  the  Austrian  Minister 
for  Foreign  Affairs,  announced  to  the  Cabinet  of  Berlin  that  all 
movements  of  troops  in  Bohemia  had  really  taken  place  only 
in  consequence  of  the  riots  against  the  Jews,  and  that  the 
Emperor  Francis  Joseph  had  never  contemplated  an  attack  on 
Prussia. 

On  the  6th  April  Prussia  announced  in  answer  that  she  had 
not  been  the  first  to  arm,  and  that  now  she  only  had  taken 
defensive  measures.  The  Austrian  Government  replied  on  the 
following  day  that  no  overwhelming  concentration  of  troops  had 
taken  place  in  Bohemia,  in  fact  nothing  to  approach  what  the 
Austrian  organization  could  place  in  the  field  if  a  great  war 
were  in  prospect ;  that  no  extraordinary  purchase  of  horses  had 
been  made,  and  that  the  number  of  men  who  had  been  on 
furlough  recalled  to  the  ranks  was  not  worthy  of  mention ;  that 
any  discussion  as  to  priority  of  armament  was  rendered  super- 
fluous by  the  declaration  of  the  Emperor,  that  he  had  never 
contemplated  an  attack  on  Prussia;  that  the  Cabinet  of  Vienna 
desired  only  a  similar  declaration  on  the  part  of  King  William  ; 
and  that,  since  no  preparation  for  war  had  been  made  in 
Austria,  it  was  only  necessary  that  Prussia  should  repeal  the 
armaments  which  had  been  decreed  at  the  end  of  March. 

On  the  15th  April,  Count  Bismark  sent  a  note  to  Vienna,  in 
which,  without  argument,  he  assumed  that  Austria  had  armed, 
and  had  commenced  to  arm  before  Prussia,  and  expressed  his 
opinion  that  Austria  should  be  the  first  to  commence  to  disarm. 

On  the  1 8th  Count  Mensdorf  replied,  and  promised  that 
Austria  would  move  the  troops  quartered  in  Bohemia  from 
those  positions  in  which  Prussia  had  considered  that  they  were 
intended  for  an  attack  upon  Silesia. 

Count  Bismark,  on  the  21st  April,  remarked  in  reply  that,  on 


26  SEVEN  WEEKS"    WAR.  [Book  I. 

authentic  news  being  received  of  the  disarming  of  Austria, 
Prussia  would  follow  step  by  step  in  the  same  course.  Scarcely, 
however,  had  Austria  named  the  25th  of  April  as  the  termina- 
tion of  all  military  proceedings  which  might  be  supposed  to  be 
intended  against  Prussia,  than  the  promise  of  disarmament  was 
stultified  by  the  announcement  that,  although  Austria  would 
disarm  in  Bohemia,  she  was  compelled  to  take  decisive  measures 
for  the  defence  of  Venetia  against  Italy. 

Prussian  partisans  argue  that  the  armament  of  Venetia  was 
an  equal  threat  against  Prussia  as  the  armament  of  Bohemia, 
but  this  was  not  necessarily  the  case.  Six  hundred  thousand 
Austrian  soldiers  south  of  the  Danube  would  require  as  long  a 
time  to  be  moved  to  Saxony  as  would  suffice  to  mobilize  the 
whole  Prussian  army.  But  Prussia  was  allied  with  Italy,  and 
although  she  chose  to  fancy  that  Austrian  troops  in  the  Tyrol 
might  be  intended  to  act  upon  the  Elbe,  in  reality  she  saw  in 
them  the  means  given  to  Austria  to  crush  an  army  allied  to 
Prussia,  after  the  defeat  of  which  Austria  might  turn  her  undis- 
tracted  forces  against  her  German  enemies. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  Italy  had  already  armed,  and  was 
fully  prepared  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity  of  a  war 
between  Prussia  and  Austria  to  attack  Venetia.  The  open 
threat  that  Venetia  would  be  assailed  at  the  first  favourable 
moment  would  alone  have  been  ground  sufficient  for  Austria 
to  declare  war  against  Italy,  and  to  sweep  away  an  army  which 
was  avowedly  maintained  only  to  strike  her  in  the  hour  of 
trouble.  On  the  22nd  April  the  soldiers  of  reserve  and  men 
on  furlough  were  called  up  for  the  regiments  in  Venetia,  and 
measures  were  taken  to  prepare  for  the  field  an  army  to  act 
against  the  Italians. 

These  steps  called  forth  a  despatch  from  Count  Bismark,  in 
which  Prussia  took  her  new  ally  under  her  protectorate,  and 
demanded  that  Austria  should  not  only  disarm  in  Bohemia  and 
Moravia,  but  also  in  Venetia.  To  this  Austria  did  not  consent, 
and  Prussia  made  an  advance  in  her  armaments.  This  was 
accelerated  by  the  discovery  that  some  of  the  minor  States  were 
secretly  treating  at  Bamberg,  which  aroused  the  suspicion  that 
a  coalition  was  being  formed  against  Prussia.  On  the  24th 
April,  the  infantry  of  five  Prussian  corps  d'armee,  as  well  as  the 


Chap.  III.]  PREPARATIONS  FOR    WAR.  27 

whole  of  the  cavalry  and  artillery,  were  increased  to  war  strength, 
but  as  yet  were  not  mobilized.* 

On  the  26th  April,  Austria  again  reverted  to  the  Schleswig- 
Holstein  question,  and  proposed  to  submit  the  definitive  deci- 
sion of  this  question  to  the  Germanic  Confederation,  and  to 
hand  over  the  duchies  to  the  Prince  of  Augustenburg.  Both 
these  propositions  were  declined  by  Prussia  on  the  7th  May, 
when  Count  Bismark  remarked  that  the  competency  of  the 
Confederation  to  decide  in  these  international  questions  could 
not  be  recognised,  and  that  the  whole  question  could  be  most 
simply  and  easily  settled  by  coming  to  an  understanding  with 
Austria,  for  the  reform  of  the  Constitution  of  the  Confederation 
by  the  speedy  assembly  of  a  German  Parliament,  as  had  already 
been  proposed  by  Prussia  on  the  9th  April,  t 

Matters  were  daily  approaching  a  crisis,  and  Prussia  was  de- 
termined to  be  ready  for  the  conflict  which  would  probably 
soon  break  out.  The  King  of  Prussia,  on  the  4th  May,  had 
already  ordered  the  five  corps  d'armee,  which  had  been  aug- 
mented to  war  strength,  to  be  mobilized ;  and  ordered  the 
soldiers  of  reserve  of  the  other  J  four  corps  d'arme'e  to  be  called 
in,  so  as  to  place  these  also  upon  a  war  strength.  On  the  7th 
May,  these  four  corps  also  received  orders  to  be  mobilized ;  so 
that  now  the  whole  of  the  war  army,  as  provided  for  by  the 
regulations  of  the  Prussian  service,  were  called  under  arms. 
The  mobilization  was  effected  with  wonderful  rapidity  and  pre- 
cision. At  the  end  of  fourteen  days,  the  490,000  men  who 
formed  the  strength  of  this  army  stood  on  parade,  armed, 
clothed,  equipped  with  all  necessities  for  a  campaign,  and  fully 
provided  with  the  necessary  transport  trains,  provision  and  am- 
munition columns,  as  well  as  field  hospitals.  The  rapidity  with 
which  these  trains  were  provided  might  almost  be  accepted  as 
proof  that,  for  several  years,  Prussia  had  foreseen  that  her  policy 
would  not,  for  any  great  length  of  time,  conduct  her  along  the 
paths  of  peace. 


*  The  term  mobilization  is  applied  to  the  administrative  acts  which  sup- 
ply a  collection  of  soldiers  with  the  transport,  commissariat,  &c,  which 
render  them  fit  to  be  moved  into  and  act  in  the  field. 

f  See  page  30. 

J  See  Military  Organization,  p.  61. 


iS  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  I. 

On  the  19th  May,  the  concentration  of  the  Prussian  army 
might  have  commenced,  and  actually  by  the  end  of  May  the 
troops  had  taken  up  their  positions  in  the  frontier  provinces,  a 
triumph  for  the  Prussian  machinery  of  mobilization.  The  rapi- 
dity with  which  this  army  was  called  together,  equipped,  and 
transported  to  its  positions  on  the  frontier  cannot  be  too  highly 
admired,  especially  when  it  is  considered  that  more  than 
250,000  of  the  soldiers  had  been  suddenly  called  in  from  the 
reserve  and  Landwehr.  Prussian  authors,  with  complacency, 
point  to  the  army  collected  upon  the  frontier  at  the  very  begin- 
ning of  June,  and  indignantly  demand  how  Europe  can  suppose 
that  Prussia  incited  the  war,  when,  if  she  wished  to  make  an 
attack  upon  Austria,  she  could  have  done  so  at  this  moment 
with  such  a  great  advantage.  For,  although  the  Austrian  arma- 
ments had  been  commenced  ten  weeks  earlier  than  the  Prus- 
sians, they  were  still  in  a  very  backward  state,  and  the  Austrian 
army  was  still  far  from  ready  to  open  the  campaign.  But  was 
Prussia  really  so  moderate  as  her  advocates  would  have  the 
world  believe  ?  "Was  it  desire  of  peace  or  fear  of  failure  which 
stayed  her  hand,  and  held  her  marshalled  corps  on  the  north  of 
the  mountain  frontier  of  Bohemia  ?  -It  may  have  been  both, 
but  the  results  of  the  war  show  that  the  latter  entered  into  the 
calculations  of  those  who  planned  the  Prussian  strategy.  The 
army  was  ready,  and  might  have  attacked  Austria,  but  it  would 
in  its  advance  have  exposed  its  communications  to  the  assault  of 
the  minor  States,  and,  until  forces  were  prepared  to  quell  these, 
the  main  army  could  not  assume  the  offensive.  This  appears* 
to  have  been  the  probable  cause  why  the  troops  were  not  at! 
once  concentrated,  and  pushed  immediately  into  Bohemia. 

As  it  was,  at  the  very  beginning  the  Prussian  army  confined-} 
itself  to  taking  up  defensive  positions  to  cover  the  provinces 
most  exposed  to  attack,  especially  towards  Bohemia.  Thel 
Austrian  Army  of  the  North  had  commenced  its  concentration 
in  Bohemia  on  the  13th  May,  and  Feldzeugmeister*  Benedek: 
had  there  taken  over  the  command-in-chief  of  it  on  the  18th. 
The  1  st,  5th,  and  6th  Prussian  corps  d'armeet  were  posted  inl 
Silesia,  the  2d  and  3d  corps  in  Lusatia,  and  the  4th  corps  rounc'j 

*  General  of  Artillery.  t  See  p.  53. 


Chap.  III.]  PREPARATIONS  FOR    WAR.  29 

Erfurt.  The  Guards  corps  was  still  left  at  Berlin,  and  the  7th 
and  8th  corps  were  retained  in  Westphalia  and  the  Rhine  pro- 
vinces respectively. 

Several  of  the  minor  States — such  as  Bavaria,  Hesse  Darm- 
stadt, and  Nassau — had  also  ordered  their  armies,  and  their 
contingents  of  Federal  troops,  to  be  mobilized  during  the  month 
of  May ;  others — as  Saxony,  Electoral  Hesse,  Wurtemburg,  and 
Hanover — had  commenced  the  augmentation  of  the  military 
peace  establishments  by  the  recall  of  men  on  furlough,  or 
soldiers  of  the  reserve. 

Italy  had  early  in  the  year  commenced  preparations  for  an 
attack  against  Venetia  as  soon  as  war  might  break  out  between 
Austria  and  Prussia.  At  the  beginning  of  May  the  Italian 
armaments  assumed  a  more  definite  form;  and,  in  order  to 
enlist  more  closely  national  feeling  in  the  probable  struggle,  on 
the  8th  of  that  month  a  decree  was  published  at  Florence  for 
the  formation  of  twenty  volunteer  battalions,  to  be  placed  under 
the  immediate  command  of  General  Garibaldi.  All  party  con- 
tests, all  political  animosities,  in  Italy  were  silenced.  The  whole 
nation  drew  together  for  a  common  assault  upon  its  traditional 
enemy  when  he  should  be  encumbered  by  the  heavy  pressure 
of  Prussia  upon  his  northern  frontier.  The  crowds  of  volun- 
teers that  flocked  to  Garibaldi's  standard  were  so  great  that,  at 
the  end  of  May,  the  number  of  battalions  had  to  be  doubled. 
On  this  Austria  raised  a  compulsory  loan  in  Venetia  of  twelve 
million  gulden,  which  so  embittered  and  excited  Italian  feelino- 
that  it  seemed  doubtful  whether  King  Victor  Emanuel  would 
be  able  to  keep  his  people  in  hand,  or  prevent  excitable  indi- 
viduals from  precipitating  a  contest  for  which  the  moment  had 
not  yet  arrived. 

Thus  the  nations  were  making  ready  for  war,  each,  with  its 
hand  on  its  sword,  moving  heavy  masses  of  troops  to  convenient 
positions  near  the  frontiers  of  its  probable  antagonist.  Before 
detailing  the  positions  these  masses  assumed,  or  attempting  to 
show  how  they  were  guided  into  the  shock  of  battle,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  cast  a  glance  over  the  diplomatic  sparring  which  pre- 
ceded the  military  conflict. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

Prussia's  motion  for  reform  of  Germanic  confederation. 

As  was  referred  to  in  a  previous  chapter,  Prussia  brought  for- 
ward, on  the  9th  April,  in  the  Germanic  Diet  a  motion  for  the 
reform  of  the  Confederation.  The  essence  of  this  motion  con- 
sisted in  a  desire  that  a  German  Parliament  should  be  assembled 
by  means  of  universal  and  direct  suffrage,  in  order  to  introduce 
that  unity  into  the  central  power  which  naturally  must  be 
wanting  to  the  Diet, — an  assembly  of  delegates  of  the  various 
States,  who  acted  in  accordance  with  the  instructions  of  their 
Cabinets.  Prussia  desired  that  the  day  for  the  assembly  of  this 
Parliament  should  be  at  once  fixed  ;  and  declared  that  when 
this  point  was  settled  she  would  bring  forward  special  motions. 
She  wished  also  to  employ  the  time  which  must  intervene  before 
the  assembly  of  this  Parliament  in  taking  measures  to  secure 
the  accord  of  the  other  Governments  to  the  measures  which  she 
would  bring  forward. 

The  Prussian  motion  was  not  very  agreeable  to  the  other 
Governments  ;  but  it  would  not  have  been  prudent  to  reject  it 
altogether.  The  constitution  of  the  Administrative  Assembly 
of  the  Germanic  Confederation  was  notoriously  and  avowedly 
imperfect,  and  few  men  in  Germany,  either  among  sovereigns 
or  subjects,  would  not  -have  rejoiced  in  its  reform  and  re- 
organization. But  very  few  Germans  desired  that  the  ideas  of 
this  reform,  and  the  projects  for  its  completion,  should  emanate 
from  Prussia,  and  still  less  from  Count  Bismark. 

The  Diet,  on  the  21st  April,  decided  that  the  motion  should 
be  referred  to  a  specially-chosen  Committee.  And  on  the  26th 
this  Committee  was  elected. 

The  object  of  many  of  the  German  Governments  was  now 


Chap.  IV.]  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  31 

to  put  off  indefinitely  the  calling  together  of  the  Parliament. 
Count  Bismark,  in  a  despatch  of  the  27th,  recognised  that  this 
was  the  aim  of  many,  and  expressed  his  opinion  that  the  step 
the  Diet  had  already  taken  in  referring  the  motion  to  a  Com- 
mittee could  hardly  have  any  other  result  than  to  postpone  a 
solution  of  the  question  until  the  Greek  Kalends.  He  said 
that  at  this  time  growing  animosities  required  the  completion 
of  the  work  of  reform ;  and  that  on  this  work  depended  the 
maintenance  of  peace,  and  the  dissolution  of  the  uneasiness 
which  at  present  penetrated  all  minds. 

On  the  nth  May  the  President  of  the  Prussian  Cabinet 
communicated  confidentially  to  the  Committee  of  the  Diet  the 
ground-plan  of  the  changes  which  he  considered  ought  to  be 
made  in  the  constitution  of  the  Confederation.  These  were : 
the  completion  of  the  central  power  by  means  of  a  German 
Parliament,  extension  of  the  legislative  competency  of  the  new 
central  power,  removal  of  all  restrictions  on  trade  and  com- 
merce of  every  sort  which  then  separated  the  Germanic  States 
from  one  another,  the  organization  of  a  common  system  for  the 
guardianship  of  German  trade  abroad,  the  foundation  of  a 
German  navy,  an  improved  establishment  of  the  German  land- 
forces,  so  that  their  general  efficiency  might  be  improved,  while 
the  expenses  of  individual  States  might  be  diminished.  These 
proposals  were,  doubtless,  good  and  worthy  of  regard  ;  but 
there  were  too  many  interests  which  would  be  affected  by  their 
adoption  to  allow  such  measures  to  be  immediately  accepted 
by  the  Diet.  Long  time  would  have  been  required  to  pass  a 
motion  entailing  such  great  alterations  through  the  Diet ;  and 
the  demand  of  Count  Bismark  for  a  speedy  reform  of  the 
constitution  of  the  Confederation,  far  from  removing,  aggravated 
the  chances  of  war.  While  the  steps  for  the  reform  of  the 
Federal  Constitution  dragged  slowly  along,  the  preparations  for 
war  were  rapidly  developed,  and,  a  few  days  after  the  despatch 
of  Count  Bismark's  confidential  communication  to  the  Com- 
mittee of  the  Diet,  the  decree  was  issued  for  the  mobilization 
of  the  whole  Prussian  army.* 

*  Riistow,  Der  Krieg  von  1866  in  Deutschlanc1 


CHAPTER   V. 

BREACH    OF   CONVENTION    OF    GASTEIX. 

"  Oh  what  a  tangled  web  we  weave, 
When  first  we  venture  to  deceive. " 

It  was  after  Prussia  proposed  a  reform  of  the  Federal  Con- 
stitution that  Austria  re-opened  the  Schleswig-Holstein  ques- 
tion, after  a  long  silence  had  been  maintained  on  that  subject 
between  the  two  great  Powers.* 

On  the  26th  April,  Count  Mensdorf  sent  a  despatch  to 
Count  Karolyi,  the  Austrian  Ambassador  at  Berlin,  the  contents 
of  which  were  to  be  communicated  to  Count  Bismark,  which 
earnestly  pressed  Prussia  again  to  turn  her  attention  to  the 
matter  of  the  Elbe  duchies.  This  despatch  was  naturally  not 
agreeable  to  the  Prussian  Government,  for  in  it  Austria  assumed 
that  Schleswig-Holstein  should  be  given  over  to  the  Prince  of 
Augustenburg,  which  solution  of  the  question  would  have  been 
the  most  unfavourable  of  all  to  the  interests  and  intentions  of 
Prussia.  In  a  letter  of  the  1st  May,  Count  Bismark  expressed 
anew  his  views  on  the  question  to  Baron  Werther,  the  Prussian 
Ambassador  at  Vienna,  and  endorsed  the  contents  of  this  letter 
by  a  note  of  the  7th  May,  in  which  he  expressed  the  strong 
desire  of  Prussia  to  hold  fast  to  the  Treaty  of  Vienna  and  the 
Convention  of  Gastein,  by  which  the  introduction  of  any  third 
party,  as  for  instance  of  the  Germanic  Confederation,  into  the 
government  of  Schleswig-Holstein  was  prohibited.  Count 
Bismark  further  declared  that  Prussia  had  no  intention  to  re- 
nounce the  rights  she  had  acquired  over  Schleswig-Holstein  to 
a  third  party  without  consideration  for  her  own  interests,  or  for 
those  of  Germany  in  general :    but  that  she  was  always  ready 

*  See  p.  15. 


Chap.  V.]     BREACH  OF  CONVENTION  OF  G A  STEIN         33 

to  treat  with  Austria  as  to  the  conditions  on  which  she  would 
renounce  the  question  of  the  rights  to  the  duchies  of  the  Elbe 
which  she  had  acquired  by  the  Treaty  of  Vienna.  In  con- 
clusion, the  Prussian  Minister  added  the  wish  that  Austria 
might  act  in  harmony  with  Prussia  in  the  question  of  the 
reform  of  the  Federal  Constitution. 

For  the  first  time  in  the  diplomatic  proceedings  Prussia  had 
new  openly  repudiated  the  idea  that  her  hold  upon  Schleswig 
was  temporary  or  provisional.  She  now  insisted  upon  the 
right  of  conquest  to  that  duchy,  as  sealed  by  the  Peace  of 
Vienna  of  October,  1864. 

To  this  despatch  Austria  returned  no  answer.  The  din  of 
armaments  on  all  sides  rose  every  day  more  loudly.  All  Ger- 
many, Austria,  and  Italy  were  hurrying  on  their  harness,  and 
rapidly  becoming  great  camps  ;  and  men  foresaw  that  almost 
any  attempt  to  secure  peace  would  probably  only  precipitate  a 
conflict. 

Austria  had,  on  the  4th  May,  entirely  broken  off  negotiations 
with  Prussia  on  the  subject  of  disarmament*  Count  Mensdorf 
had  declared  that  it  was  superfluous  to  argue  the  question  of 
priority  of  argument ;  that  it  was  impossible  for  Austria  to 
disarm  in  Venetia,  on  account  of  the  agitation  in  Italy ;  and 
that  Austria,  by  preparing  to  resist  an  attack  on  her  south- 
eastern frontier,  was  protecting  not  only  her  own  individual 
interests,  but  those  of  all  Germany,  and  that  no  German  State 
should  look  askance  at  preparations  made  in  such  a  cause. 

The  Government  of  Saxony  was  much  disturbed  by  the 
Prussian  interrogation  as  to  why  that  country  was  arming,  and 
the  concomitant  demand  that  these  armaments  should  cease. 
Fearful  of  an  attack,  Saxony,  on  the  5  th  May,  proposed  a 
motion  in  the  Frankfort  Diet,  the  object  of  which  was  that  the 
Diet  should  promptly  decree,  with  reference  to  the  proceedings 
of  the  Prussian  Government,  that  the  internal  peace  of  the 
Confederation  was  to  be  preserved. 

On  the  introduction  of  this  motion,  the  Prussian  representa- 
tive declared  that  Prussia  had  no  intention  to  attack  Saxony, 
and   that  all  the  armament   which   had   taken  place   in  his 

*  See  p.  27. 


34  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  I. 

country  had  only  been  prompted  by  purely  defensive  considera- 
tions. 

Nevertheless,  on  the  9th  May,  the  Diet  passed  the  Saxon 
motion  by  a  majority  of  ten  over  five  votes. 

The  middle  States,  at  the  head  of  which  stood  Bavaria,  under 
this  threatening  aspect  of  affairs,  earnestly  desired  to  effect  a 
compromise.  They  felt  that,  since  Prussia  had  not  been  the 
only  State  to  arm,  it  would  be  unfair  if  she  only  were  required 
to  declare  the  object  of  her  armament.  They  therefore  pro- 
posed a  motion  in  the  Diet  to  the  effect  that  all  Governments 
which  had  armed  should  be  required  to  state  their  reasons  for 
having  done  so.  This  motion  was  passed  on  the  24th  May, 
and  on  the  1st  June  the  statements  were  to  have  been  received. 

The  1  st  June  was  an  important  landmark  in  the  development 
of  the  diplomatic  crisis ;  but,  before  reviewing  its  incidents,  it 
is  necessary  to  glance  at  external  influences  which  were  exerted 
in  the  vain,  and  perhaps  only  apparent,  endeavour  to  preserve 
peace  in  Germany.  While  in  Italy  the  whole  population  were 
clamorous  for  war ;  while  Prussia,  the  author  and  originator  of 
the  whole  disturbance,  by  her  disregard  of  the  rights  of  the 
Prince  in  whose  nominal  cause  she  had  taken  up  arms  in  1864, 
was  pointing  out  her  increased  battalions  as  purely  a  defensive 
police  for  the  security  of  her  territory ;  and  while  the  war  party 
in  Austria,  eager  to  wipe  out  on  the  Mincio  the  memory  of 
Solferino,  and  proudly  confident  of  the  power  of  the  military 
empire  to  sweep  away  with  one  hand  the  feverish  soldiery  of 
Victor  Emanuel,  while  with  the  other  it  shattered  the  legions  of 
Prussia,  urged  the  Cabinet  of  Vienna  not  to  yield  an  item :  Russia 
and  England,  led  and  accompanied  by  France,  entered  upon  the 
diplomatic  theatre.  These  three  great  Powers  made  a  common 
attempt  to  avert  the  war  by  despatching,  on  the  28th  May, 
almost  identical  notes  to  Austria,  Prussia,  Italy,  and  the 
Germanic  Confederation.  In  these  notes  it  was  proposed  that 
the  five  great  Powers  should  join  in  a  Conference,  at  which  the 
Germanic  Confederation  should  also  be  represented,  in  order 
to  settle  by  treaty  the  three  main  questions  which  menaced  the 
peace  of  Europe.  These  questions  were  that  of  the  Elbe 
duchies,  of  the  tranquillity  of  Italy,  and  of  the  reform  of  the 
Eederal  Constitution  of  Germany. 


Chap  V.]    BREACH  OF  CONVENTION  OF  GASTEIN.  35 

The  possibility  of  peace  being  maintained  by  these  means 
was  from  the  beginning  extremely  doubtful :  even  in  the  event 
of  all  the  parties  interested  consenting  to  submit  their  causes  to 
this  European  jury.  Almost  the  utmost  that  could  be  expected 
from  a  Conference  would  be  that  the  points  of  dispute  might 
be  denned,  and  in  this  manner  that  the  theatre  of  war  might  be 
limited. 

On  the  29th  May,  Prussia  accepted  the  proposal  for  the  Con- 
ference. Italy  followed  this  example  ;  also  the  Germanic  Con- 
federation. Of  what  validity  these  acceptances  were,  may 
however  be  calculated  from  the  fact  that  at  the  time  of  the 
acceptance  the  Confederation  informed  its  representative,  Herr 
Von  der  Pfordten,  that  the  project  had  already  practically  fallen 
to  the  ground.* 

Austria  was  only  willing  to  join  the  Conference  on  condition 
that  no  territorial  alterations  should  be  there  discussed.  This 
proviso  was  absolutely  necessary  for  Austria.  If  territorial 
changes  were  to  be  discussed,  few  could  doubt  but  that  a  pro- 
posal would  be  made  for  the  cession  of  Venetia  to  Italy,  and  of 
the  Elbe  duchies  to  Prussia.  If  these  cessions  took  place, 
Austria  would  lose  as  much  without  a  blow,  in  her  own  dimi- 
nution and  the  aggrandizement  of  her  German  rival,  as  could  at 
that  time  have  been  anticipated  from  the  most  disastrous  issue 
of  the  imminent  war.  It  does  not  appear  that  it  was  any  desire 
of  war  on  the  part  of  Austria  which  made  her  couple  her  ex- 
pressions of  readiness  to  join  the  Conference  with  this  condi- 
tion, which  appears  on  the  contrary  to  have  been  advanced  from 
a  perhaps  too  honest  desire  to  meet  the  wishes  of  the  great 
Powers. 

To  this  communication  of  Austria  the  mediating  Powers 
replied  that,  in  their  opinion,  the  disputant  Governments  should 
be  allowed  full  freedom  for  the  discussion,  and  if  possible  for 
the  solution,  of  every  relevant  question  at  the  Conference. 

Thus  matters  stood  on  the  1st  June,  the  day  appointed  by 
the  Federal  Decree  of  the  24th  May  as  that  on  which  the 
German  Powers  were  to  make  their  declarations  concerning 
their  armaments. 

*  Rustow,  Der  Krieg  von  1866  in  Deutschland  und  Italien. 

D   2 


36  SEVEN   WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  I. 

The  Diet  was  assembled  at  Frankfort.  The  Austrian  repre- 
sentative rose,  and  declared  that  Austria  could  look  back  with  a 
calm  conscience  on  her  steady  endeavours  to  preserve  an  unity 
with  Prussia  in  the  question  of  the  Elbe  duchies.  The  Emperor 
Francis  Joseph  had  conceded  the  uttermost  tittle  that  the  dig- 
nity of  Austria  and  the  rights  of  the  Germanic  Confederation 
would  allow.  Prussia  had  made  unjust  proposals,  and  had  ex- 
pressed the  intention  of  prosecuting  and  carrying  out  these  pro- 
posals by  force.  As  Prussia  had  threatened,  after  the  peace  of 
Vienna,  to  compel  the  Federal  troops  to  evacuate  Holstein,  so 
she  had  also  threatened  Austria  concerning  the  question  of  the 
duchies  with  force,  and  had  relied  on  the  support  of  foreign 
opponents  of  the  Imperial  State.  At  the  time  of  the  Convention 
of  Gastein  Prussia  had  renewed  this  attempt,  because  Austria 
would  not  consent  to  administer  Schleswig-Holstein  according 
to  the  policy  of  annexation.  Threatened  on  two  sides,  Austria 
had  been  compelled  to  place  herself  in  an  attitude  of  defence. 
The  preparations  against  Italy  might  rest  unchallenged  at 
Frankfort.  Austria  would  recall  her  troops  that  had  been  raised 
against  Prussia,  provided  that  the  latter  did  not  intend  to  make 
an  attack  on  Austrian  territory,  or  on  any  State  allied  to 
Austria,  and  would  give  security  against  the  recurrence  of  the 
danger  of  war.  This  security  would  depend  for  Germany,  as 
for  Austria,  on  the  fact  that  in  Germany  not  force,  but  treaties 
and  right  ruled,  and  that  Prussia  also,  although  an  European 
Power,  should  respect  the  peace  and  the  decrees  of  the  Con- 
federation, and  further  that  the  Schleswig-Holstein  question 
should  be  settled,  not  for  the  interest  of  an  individual  claimant, 
but  according  to  the  rights  of  those  provinces  and  Federal  rule. 
On  the  24th  August,  1865,  Austria  and  Pnissiahad  promised  to 
communicate  to  the  Confederation  the  result  of  their  negotia- 
tions in  reference  to  Schleswig-Holstein.  Austria  now  was  ful- 
filling this  promise.  That  she  must  now  declare  that  all  her 
endeavours  to  obtain  a  solution  of  the  question  of  the  duchies 
which  would  be  agreeable  to  the  Confederation  had  been  of  no 
avail,  and  that  now,  in  the  first  place,  Austria  yielded  up  every- 
thing further  on  this  point  to  the  decree  of  the  Confederation, 
and  in  the  second  place  had  already  ordered  her  Commissioner 
in  Holstein  to  assemble  the  Estates  of  that  duchy  in  order  to 


Chap.  V.]    BREACH  OF  CONVENTION  OF  G A  STEIN.         37 

obtain  an  expression  of  the  wishes  of  the  people  as  to  their 
future  fate. 

Austria  thus  attempted  to  undo  what  she  had  assisted  in 
doing  by  the  Treaty  of  Vienna  and  the  convention  of  Gastein. 
But,  in  order  to  make  restitution  for  her  disregard  of  right  in 
these  two  agreements,  she  was  now  obliged  to  break  the  Con- 
vention of  Gastein,  in  handing  over  to  the  Confederation,  which 
she  had  declared  incompetent  in  this  international  question,  the 
decision  of  the  future  fate  of  the  duchies.  Her  second  step,  by 
which  she  ordered  her  Commissioner,  Field  Marshal  Gablenz, 
to  convene  the  Holstein  Estates,  was  also,  if  not  an  actual 
breach  of  the  Convention,  a  virtual  one,  because  by  the  Con- 
vention, although  the  administration  of  the  duchies  was  divided, 
the  rights  of  the  two  sovereigns  to  the  common  supremacy  were 
still  as  much  extant  as  ever.* 

After  the  Austrian  declaration,  the  representative  of  Prussia 
at  the  Diet  rose,  and  said  that  the  mobilization  of  the  Prussian 
army  had  only  taken  place  in  consequence  of  the  Austrian 
armaments  ;  only  if  these  armaments  were  annulled,  and  if  at 
the  same  time  the  other  Germanic  States  which  were  allied 
with  Austria  restored  amicable  relations  between  themselves 
and  Prussia,  could  Prussia  herself  disarm.  On  these  condi- 
tions she  would  disarm  immediately.  Prussia  had  only  taken 
defensive  measures.  If  the  Germanic  Confederation  was  not 
in  a  position  to  give  Prussia  guarantees  for  the  maintenance  of 
peace,  if  the  members  of  the  Confederation  resisted  those 
reforms  of  the  Federal  Constitution  which  were  universally 
recognised  as  necessary,  the  Prussian  Government  must  accept 
the  conclusion  that  the  Confederation  did  not  attain  its  object, 
and  could  not  fulfil  the  most  important  of  its  aims,  and  that 
with  regard  to  further  Federal  revolutions,  Prussia  would  act  on 
this  conviction. 

The  Prussian  representative  further  defended  his  Govern- 
ment against  the  Austrian  conception  of  the  circumstances  con- 
nected with  the  Schleswig-Holstein  question,  and  advanced  in 
support  of  his  assertion  the  many  declarations  which  Prussia 
had  made  with  reference  to  this  question. 

*  See  page  II. 


38  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  I. 

The  speeches  of  the  two  representatives  of  the  great  German 
Powers  were  the  main  events  of  the  assembly  of  the  Diet  of  the 
Germanic  Confederation  at  Frankfort  on  the  ist  June,  1866. 
The  reports  of  these  speeches  were  immediately  telegraphed  to 
every  town  in  Germany,  and  caused  great  excitement.  Men 
foresaw  that  a  war  would  result  by  the  shock  of  which  the 
political  circumstances  and  peculiar  constitution  of  the  Father- 
land would  be  shaken  to  their  very  foundations ;  but  no  one 
almost  supposed  the  outbreak  of  war  to  be  so  near.  It  was 
believed  that  Austria  was  much  superior  as  a  military  Power, 
certainly  at  the  outbreak  of  a  war,  to  Prussia,  but  she  was  not 
yet  ready,  and  it  could  not  be  supposed  that  she  would  urge 
matters  on  till  her  preparations  were  complete.  Nor  did  sage 
men,  who,  wondering  by  what  fatuous  madness  Count  Bismark 
was  driving  his  Government  into  a  one-sided  struggle,  looked 
impartially  upon  the  course  of  events,  ever  imagine  that  Prus- 
sian temerity  would  be  wild  enough  to  anticipate  the  necessity 
of  defence  through  bearding  a  more  than  respected  adversary 
by  commencing  the  attack. 

Count  Bismark  saw,  however,  in  the  steps  that  Austria  had 
lately  taken,  in  her  summons  to  the  Holstein  Estates,  and  in 
the  publication  of  her  intentions  with  regard  to  the  Elbe 
duchies,  the  final  severence  of  the  Cabinet  of  Vienna  from  his 
policy.  No  longer  could  Austria  be  persuaded  to  stand  beside 
him  in  a  common  slight  against,  or  oppression  of,  the  body  of 
/the  Germanic  Confederation.  Austria  had  resumed  her  posi- 
tion as  the  champion  of  the  individuality  of  small  States.  The 
spoilers  had  ultimately  quarrelled  over  the  allotment  of  their 
prey.  The  Convention  of  Gastein  was  broken  through  and 
trampled  upon. 

Against  the  breach  of  this  Convention,  Count  Bismark  sent 
a  protest  to  Vienna;  but,  in  anticipation  of  the  answer  he 
would  receive  to  this  protest,  signed  on  the  4th  June  a  despatch 
to  the  Prussian  plenipotentiaries  at  foreign  Courts.  This 
despatch  accused  Austria  of  giving  provocation  to  war;  and 
attributed  to  the  Austrian  Government  the  intention  of  recruit- 
ing  its  finances  by  forced  contributions  from  Prussia,  or  by  an 
honourable  bankruptcy. 

Count  Bismark  at  the  same  time  took  a  step  more  likely  to 


Chap.  V.]    BREACH  OF  CONVENTION  OF  G 'A STEIN         39 

be  productive  of  important  results  than  either  protests  or  pro- 
tocols. The  concentration  of  the  Prussian  army  was  resumed. 
The  corps  d'armee  of  the  Guard  was  sent  to  Silesia,  the  eighth 
corps  d'armee  and  one  division  of  the  seventh  corps  were  for- 
warded by  railway  from  the  banks  of  the  Rhine  to  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Halle.*  In  Berlin  a  reserve  corps  d'armee  was 
formed  of  the  four  regiments  of  the  Landwehr  of  the  Guard, 
and  of  four  other  Landwehr  regiments,  while  all  available  artil- 
lery and  cavalry  was  drawn  together,  organised,  and  mobilized 
as  quickly  as  possible. 

*  How  it  came  that  Prussia  was  able  to  leave  the  frontier  of  the  Rhine 
totally  undefended  during  the  campaign,  when  it  was  evident  from  the  sub- 
sequent demand  made  by  France  that  the  Government  of  the  Tuileries  had 
a  jealous  eye  upon  Rheinland,  has  remained  one  of  the  mysteries  of  the 
war.  The  explanation  as  far  as  yet  can  be  discovered  appears  to  be  as 
follows: — In  1865  Count  Bismark  paid  a  visit  to  the  Emperor  of  the 
French  at  Biarritz,  and  there  hinted  broadly  that  in  case  France  would 
stand  aloof,  and  allow  Prussia  to  work  her  way  in  Germany,  compensation 
might  be  given. for  France's  tranquillity  by  the  cession  of  the  Rhine  pro- 
vinces. The  Emperor,  who  expected,  like  every  one  else,  that  the  con- 
test would  be,  if  not  favourable  to  Austria,  certainly  long  and  doubtful, 
anticipated  that  at  a  certain  stage  he  would  be  able  to  step  upon  the  theatre 
of  war,  and  demand,  from  whichever  side  he  espoused,  the  possession  of 
the  Rhine  provinces  of  Prussia.  He  gave  no  distinct  assurance  to  Count 
Bismark  of  neutrality,  but  the  Count  left  Biarritz  with  a  tolerable  certainty 
that  France  would  not  interfere,  at  least  at  the  commencement  of  a  war,  and 
without  giving  any  distinct  promise  to  the  Emperor  of  territorial  compen- 
sation. When  the  campaign  terminated  as  abruptly  as  it  did,  the  Emperor 
of  the  French  wished  to  claim  the  price  of  his  neutrality,  but  Prussia  was 
then  in  a  condition  to  enter  on  a  campaign  with  France,  whose  armies  were 
not  armed  with  breech-loaders,  and  refused  to  entertain  any  ideas  of  terri- 
torial cession. 


BOOK  II. 
CHAPTER   I. 

FIRST    BLOODLESS    CONFLICT    IN    HOLSTEIN, 

"  The  good  old  rule  sufhceth  me, 
The  stern  and  simple  plan — 
Let  those  take  who  have  the  power, 
And  let  those  keep  who  can." 

Notwithstanding  the  protests  of  Count  Bismark,  the 
Austrian  Civil  Commissioner  of  Holstein,  General  Von  Gablenz, 
issued  a  decree  on  the  5th  June,  1866,  by  which  the  Estates  of 
Holstein  wrere  summoned  to  meet  on  the  nth  of  that  month  at 
Itzehoe.  It  was,  however,  known  at  Berlin  (on  the  same  day 
as  that  on  which  the  despatch  to  the  plenipotentiaries  of 
Prussia  at  foreign  Courts  was  signed)  that  Austria  was  about  to 
bring  forward  a  motion  in  the  Diet  for  Federal  execution 
against  Prussia.  Accordingly,  on  the  6th  June,  Prussia  pub- 
lished a  more  special  protest  against  the  assembly  of  the  Hol- 
stein Estates,  as  well  as  a  declaration  that  Prussia  would  con- 
sider such  an  encroachment  on  the  Convention  of  Gastein  as  a 
direct  breach  of  that  agreement,  and  that  in  consequence  not 
only  was  the  Convention  a  dead  letter,  but  that  the  common 
occupation  and  administration  of  the  duchies  must  be  resumed 
as  before  that  Convention.  Orders  were  accordingly  despatched 
from  Berlin  to  General  Manteuffel,  the  Prussian  Commissioner 
in  Schleswig,  that  as  soon  as  General  Gablenz  summoned  the 
Holstein  Estates  to  meet,  he  should  enter  Holstein  with  his 
Prussian  troops  in  order  to  again  resume  the  common  adminis- 
tration of  the    two    duchies.     Orders  were  given  to  General 


Chap.  I.]  FIRST  BLOODLESS  CONFLICI  IN  IIOLSTEIN.    4r 

Manteuffel  to  avoid  any  conflict  with  the  Austrian  troops ;  and 
to  assure  General  Gablenz  that  the  inruption  of  Prussian  troops 
into  the  duchy  over  which  he  was  appointed  to  represent  the 
Austrian  Emperor,  was  undertaken  quite  in  a  friendly  spirit. 
General  Manteuffel  accordingly  informed  General  Gablenz 
beforehand  of  his  intention  of  invading  Holstein,  and  issued 
this  proclamation  to  the  people  of  the  duchy  of  Schleswig : — 

"Gottorp,  June  7. 
"Inhabitants  of  the  Duchy  of  Schleswig, — 

"  Since  my  assumption  of  office  here  I  have  always  acted  towards  you 
with  frankness.  Never  have  I  had  any  reason  to  repent  of  that  course,  and 
I  now  address  myself  to  you  again  with  the  same  frankness.  The  rights  of 
sovereignty  which  His  Majesty  my  King  and  master  has  over  the  duchy  of 
Holstein  have  been  endangered  by  proceedings  with  which  you  are  all 
acquainted.  The  most  sacred  interests  of  your  country  are  placed  in 
jeopardy,  for  never  have  the  Estates  of  either  of  the  duchies  been  called 
together  except  in  view  of  an  assembly  of  the  general  representation  of  an 
undivided  Schleswig-Holstein.  I  am  charged  by  His  Majesty  the  King 
with  the  protection  of  those  menaced  rights,  and  for  that  reason  I  have  to- 
day ordered  the  entry  of  troops  into  Holstein,  as  I  have  announced  to  the 
Imperial  Governor  of  the  duchy  of  Holstein  that  this  military  measure  has 
only  a  purely  defensive  character. 

"  Inhabitants  of  the  Duchy  of  Schleswig, — I  have  learnt  to  know  and 
to  esteem  the  spirit  of  order  and  legality  with  which  you  are  animated,  and 
I  now  give  you  a  proof  of  this  esteem.  At  this  moment  Schleswig  is  being 
almost  denuded  of  troops.  You  will  prove  that  the  attitude  which  you 
have  hitherto  maintained  has  not  been  induced  by  fear,  but  by  the  loyalty 
of  your  character.  But  you,  too,  in  your  turn  have  learnt  to  know  me,  and 
you  know  that  I  am  faithfully  and  heartily  devoted  to  the  interests  of  this 
country.  You  will  with  confidence  accept  my  word.  No  doubt  of  the 
power  or  of  the  will  of  Prussia  could  find  root  in  your  minds.  Let  us  have 
faith  in  each  other. 

"  The  Governor  of  the  duchy  of  Schleswig, 

"  E.  MANTEUFFEL, 
' '  Lieutenant-  General, 
"  Aide-de-camp  to  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Prussia." 

General  Gablenz  did  not  wait  for  the  inruption  at  Kiel, 
where  his  head-quarters  had  hitherto  been,  but  suddenly  left 
that  town,  and  concentrated  the  whole  of  his  forces,  which 
consisted  of  the  infantry  brigade  of  Kalik  and  one  regiment 
of  dragoons,  at  Altona.  The  Government  of  Holstein  and 
the  Prince  of  Augustenburg  followed  him  quickly. 

On    the    morning    of  the    8th  June    the    Prussian   troops 


42  SEVEN  WEEKS1    WAR.  [Book  II. 

crossed  the  Eider,  without  paying  any  attention  to  a  protest 
launched  against  their  proceedings  by  General  Gablenz,  and 
moved  slowly  southwards.  General  Manteuffel  had  under  his 
command  in  Schleswig  two  brigades  of  infantry  and  one 
brigade  of  cavalry,  and  he  crossed  the  frontier  of  Holstein 
with  all  his  disposable  force.  Austria  was  naturally  unwilling 
to  resume  the  common  administration  of  the  two  duchies  as  it 
had  existed  previous  to  the  Convention  of  Gastein,  and  accord- 
ingly, by  order  of  his  Government,  General  Gablenz  concen- 
trated his  troops  in  the  south-western  corner  of  the  duchy. 
General  Manteuffel,  who  had  marched  into  Holstein  on  the 
8th  June,  on  the  nth  prevented  the  assembly  of  the  Holstein 
Estates  at  Itzhoe  by  taking  military  possession  of  that  town, 
closing  the  House  of  Assembly,  and  placing  a  guard  over  the 
door  with  fixed  bayonets.  General  Gablenz,  assailed  by  far 
superior  numbers,  and  unable  to  be  of  any  more  use  in  Hol- 
stein, on  the  night  between  the  nth  and  the  12th  June  with- 
drew his  troops  to  Hamburg,  and  thence  despatched  them  by 
railway  through  Hanover,  Cassel,  and  Frankfort  to  the  Austrian 
army  of  the  north  in  Bohemia.  From  this  bloodless  conflict  in 
Holstein  arose  the  first  Prussian  victory,  gained  by  the  know- 
ledge of  the  great  rule  of  war,  which  teaches  that  to  reap 
success  great  numbers  must  be  hurled  upon  the  decisive  point, 
and  that  in  order  that  these  superior  numbers  may  be  forth- 
coming, rapidity  of  concentration,  organization,  and  locomo- 
tion of  troops  are  vitally  required.  This  bloodless  victory, 
and  the  consequent  evacuation  of  Holstein  by  the  Austrians, 
had  an  important  effect  on  the  subsequent  incidents  of  the 
war.  The  abandonment  of  Holstein  added  only  five  bat- 
talions of  infantry,  two  squadrons  of  cavalry,  and  one  battery 
of  artillery  to  the  Austrian  army  in  the  field  ;  while  the  same 
event  left  the  whole  of  the  Prussian  division  of  General  Man- 
teuffel— which  consisted  of  twelve  battalions  of  infantry,  eight 
squadrons  of  cavalry,  and  six  batteries  of  artillery — free  and  at 
the  disposition  of  the  Prussians  for  the  further  prosecution  of 
operations. 

The  assembly  of  the  Holstein  Estates,  and  the  delivery  ot 
the  opinion  of  the  southern  Elbe  duchy  with  regard  to  its 
future  fate,  was  prevented  by  the  inroad  of  the  Prussians.    Th? 


Chap.  I.]  FIRST  BLOODLESS  CONFLICT  IN  HOLSTEIN.  43 

Prince  of  Augustenburg  departed  from  the  province.  The 
Prussian  Government  appointed  Herr  Von  Scheel-Plessen  as 
Supreme  President  of  Schleswig-Holstein.  Supreme  President 
is  the  title  of  the  highest  civil  administrator  of  a  Prussian 
province.  Scheel-Plessen  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  new 
office  on  the  nth  June;  while  the  non-consulted  duchies 
looked  on  sulkily  upon  the  Prussian  assertions  of  right.  The 
duchies  came  under  Prussian  rule  when  Scheel-Plessen  as- 
sumed his  office.  This  was  all  very  arbitrary,  forcible,  and 
dependent  upon  main  strength,  but  the  Prussian  virtual  an- 
nexation of  Schleswig-Holstein  had  one  good  effect.  It 
settled  the  question  of  the  Elbe  duchies;  and,  as  far  as 
the  Seven  Weeks'  War  is  concerned,  neither  reader  nor  author 
will  be  again  troubled  with  the  intricate  problem  of  the  true 
rights  of  succession  to  "  Schleswig-Holstein  sea-surrounded." 


CHAPTER   II. 

FINAL    RUPTURE    BETWEEN    PRUSSIA   AND   AUSTRIA. 

On  the  nth  June,  1866,  an  Extraordinary  Assembly  of  the 
Diet  was  summoned. 

The  representative  of  Austria  advanced  the  proposition  at 
this  sitting,  that  Prussia  had  broken  the  Convention  of 
Gastein,  and  threatened  the  peace  of  the  Germanic  Con- 
federation, by  marching  her  troops  into  Holstein.  He 
proposed  in  consequence  for  the  restoration  of  peace,  that 
the  whole  of  the  army  of  the  Confederation,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  the  three  corps  d'armee*  which,  by  the  Federal  Con- 
stitution, Prussia  was  bound  to  put  into  the  field,  should  be 
mobilized  in  such  form  of  principal,  contingents,  and  reserves 
within  fourteen  days,  that  the  troops  should  be  able  then  to 
march  within  fourteen  hours,  t  That  care  was  to  be  taken  for 
depot  contingents,  and  that  the  appointment  of  a  commander- 
in-chief  was  to  take  place  as  soon  as  the  decree  was  passed ; 
and  that  the  supervision  of  all  these  matters  was  to  be  given 
over  to  the  Diet,  which  was  to  act  in  concert  with  the  military 
commissioner  of  the  Germanic  Confederation. 

The  representative  of  Prussia  at  the  Diet  declared  that  he 
was  not  authorized  to  make  any  statement  upon  the  motion 
which  had  been  brought  forward,  the  purport  of  which  was 
entirely  new  to  him. 

The  Austrian  representative,  who  filled  the  post  of  President 
of  the  Diet,  urged  an  immediate  decree  in  favour  of  the  mo- 

*  The  4th,  5th,  and  6th  corps  d'armee  of  the  Federal  army. 

t  Could  a  British  army  be  mobilized  and  be  placed  in  such  a  state  within 
fourteen  days  as  to  be  able  to  march  in  twenty-four-hours  ?  Yet  this 
rapidity  of  mobilization  was  not  sufficient  to  oppose  the  Prussian  or- 
ganization. 


Chap.  II.]  RUPTURE  BETWEEN  PRUSSIA  AND  AUSTRIA.  45 

tion ;  and  the  Assembly,  although  the  representative  of  Meck- 
lenburg brought  to  notice,  that  even  on  the  most  unimportant 
questions,  when  for  instance  only  the  disbursement  of  one 
hundred  gulden*  was  under  consideration,  three  sittings  were 
required,  one  for  the  introduction  of  the  motion,  one  for  the 
discussion,  and  one  for  the  final  vote,  the  majority  of  the  Diet 
decreed  that  the  final  vote  on  the  Austrian  motion  should  be 
taken  on  the  14th  June.  Whoever  recalls  to  mind  the  many 
pears  which  the  Diet  consumed  ere  it  passed  the  vote  of 
Federal  execution  against  Denmark,  can  hardly  doubt  that  the 
deeds  of  Prussia  had  been  replete  with  some  peculiar  enormity 
in  the  eyes  of  the  princes  of  the  small  states  to  arouse  so 
enthusiastic  a  zeal  in  such  an  usually  torpid  body  as  the 
Germanic  Diet. 

*  Equal  to  about  10/. 


CHAPTER    III. 


BREAK-UP   OF   THE   GERMANIC   CONFEDERATION. 

"  Destruction  hangs  o'er  yon  devoted  wall, 
And  nodding  Ilion  waits  th'  impending  fall." 

Pope. 

"  The  history  of  mankind  informs  us  that  a  single  power  is  very  seldom 
broken  by  a  confederacy." — Johnson. 

Before  the  14th  June  arrived,  Count  Bismark  sent  a  definite 
and  final  project  to  the  Governments  of  the  various  States 
which  were  members  of  the  Germanic  Confederation.  The 
first  article  of  this  project  of  reform  expressed  "  That  the 
territory  of  the  Confederation  was  to  consist  of  those  States 
which  had  hitherto  been  included  in  the  Confederation,  with 
the  exception  of  the  dominions  of  the  Emperor  of  Austria, 
and  of  the  King  of  the  Netherlands."  While,  then,  Austria 
wished  to  enlist  the  Governments  of  the  Germanic  Confedera- 
tion in  war  against  Prussia,  Prussia  desired  to  exclude  Austria 
from  the  Confederation.  As  for  the  Government  of  the 
Netherlands,  it  had  wished  for  nothing  more  for  a  long  time 
than  to  be  allowed  to  withdraw  from  the  Confederation  its  two 
duchies  which  were  included  within  that  political  league.* 

The  next  article  treated  of  the  Parliament,  the  common  con- 
cerns of  Germany,  and  of  the  privileges  of  the  new  Confedera- 
tion. The  German  war  navy,  with  a  common  German  budget, 
with  the  Federal  harbour  of  Kiel  and  of  the  Bay  of  the  Jahde, 
were  proposed  to  be  placed  under  the  supreme  command  of 
Prussia,  while  the  land  forces  of  the  new  Confederation  were 
to  be  divided  into  two  Federal  armies,  an  army  of  the  north, 

*  The  duchies  of  Luxembourg  and  Limburg. 


Chap.  III.]      BREAK-UP  OF   THE    CONFEDERATION.  47 

and  an  army  of  the  south.  The  King  of  Prussia  was  to  be 
commander-in-chief  of  the  northern  army,  the  King  of  Bavaria 
that  of  the  southern,  both  in  peace  and  war.  In  peace  the 
commander-in-chief  of  either  army  was  to  superintend  the 
efficient  organization  and  administration  of  his  own  army ;  and, 
in  urgent  cases,  he  was  to  be  able  to  call  out  his  army  within 
the  boundaries  of  his  own  part  of  the  Federal  territory,  condi- 
tionally with  the  subsequent  approval  of  the  Confederation. 
For  each  of  the  two  Federal  armies  there  was  to  be  a  common 
budget.  The  administration  of  either  army  was  to  be  con- 
ducted under  the  superintendence  of  the  commander-in-chief, 
and  to  either  army  the  States  included  in  its  portion  of  the 
Federal  territory  were  each  to  contribute  their  proportionate 
quota  of  soldiers.  Each  Government  was  to  pay  the  expenses 
of  its  own  contingent  of  the  Federal  army.  All  expenses  of 
the  military  budget  were  to  fall  on  the  military  chest  of  that 
army  to  which  the  budget  was  specially  applied.  The  relations 
of  the  new  Confederation  with  the  empire  of  Austria  were  to 
be  settled  by  special  treaties. 

These  were  the  principal  points  of  the  project  of  reform 
proposed  by  Count  Bismark  on  the  10th  June.  This  project 
surprised  the  majority  of  the  German  States  in  a  very  un- 
pleasant manner.  The  14th  June  arrived,  the  day  for  the  final 
vote  in  the  Diet  upon  the  Austrian  motion. 

The  representative  of  Prussia  in  the  Diet  protested  against 
the  motion  being  entertained,  and  declared  that  both  in  form 
and  substance  the  motion  was  subversive  of  the  ideas  of  the 
Confederation. 

The  votes  were,  however,  taken,  and  the  Austrian  represen- 
tative carried  his  motion  by  a  majority  of  nine  over  six  votes. 

The  details  of  the  voting  were  as  follows  : — 

For  the  Austrian  motion  there  voted, — 
The  first  Curia,  Austria. 
The  third,  Bavaria. 
The  fourth,  Saxony. 
The  fifth,  Hanover. 
The  sixth,  Wurtemburg. 
The  eighth,  Electoral  Hesse  (Hesse-Cassel). 
The  ninth,  Hesse-Darmstadt. 


4S  SEVEN  WEEKS"    WAR.  [Book  II. 

The  sixteenth  (Lichtenstein,  Waldech,  the  two  Reusze, 

Lippe,  Lippe-Schaunburg,  Hesse-Homburg). 
Of  the  thirteenth  Curia  (Brunswick  and  Nassau),  Nassau. 
Of  the  twelfth  Curia  (Saxe  Weimar,  Saxe  Altenburg,  Saxe 

Coburg,  and  Saxe  Meiningen),  Saxe  Meiningen. 
Of  the  seventeenth  Curia  (the  four  free  towns,  Hamburg, 
Lubeck,  Bremen,  and  Frankfort),  Frankfort. 
Against  the  Austrian  motion  there  voted, — 
The  seventh  Curia,  Baden. 
The  eleventh  Curia,  Luxembourg  and  Limburg  (belonging 

to  the  Netherlands). 
The  twelfth  Curia,  with  the  exception  of  Saxe  Meiningen. 
Of  the  thirteenth  Curia,  Brunswick. 
The  fourteenth  Curia,  the  two  Mecklenburghs. 
The   fifteenth    Curia,    Oldenburg,   Anhalt,    and   the   two 

Schwurzburgs. 
The  seventeenth  Curia,  with  the  exception  of  Frankfort. 
In  this  voting,  Prussia  did  not  give  a  voice,  as  her  represen- 
tative had  protested  against  any  entertainment  of  the  motion, 
and  did  not  vote  :  and  the  tenth  Curia,  Holstein  Lauenburg, 
had  no  representative.  The  vote  of  the  thirteenth  Curia  was 
cancelled,  because  Brunswick  voted  against  Nassau,  and  thus 
there  was  no  majority  in  this  Curia. 

Thus  the  results  were  that  the  7th,  nth,  12th,  14th,  15th, 
and  17th  Curias,  therefore  six  Curiae,  voted  against  Austria; 
the  3rd,  4th,  5th,  6th,  8th,  and  9th,  besides  the  representative 
of  Austria  himself,  for  the  Austrian  motion.  The  vote  of  the 
1 6th  Curia  was  recorded  in  favour  of  the  motion,  but,  as 
appeared  afterwards,  accidentally.  Each  of  the  seven  small 
States  which  composed  this  Curia  had  an  equal  voice  within 
the  Curia,  and  the  vote  of  the  Curia  was  that  of  the  majority 
of  the  component  members.  On  the  14th  June,  the  represen- 
tative of  this  Curia  who  voted  in  the  Diet,  and  who  was  the 
delegate  of  Schaunburg-Lippe,  declared  that  Lippe-Detwold, 
Waldeck,  and  Reusz  of  the  younger  line,  therefore  three- 
sevenths  of  the  total,  wished  to  vote  against  the  Austrian 
motion  ;  that  he  had  not  received  full  instructions  from  his  own 
Government,  and  must,  consequently,  give  the  vote  of  the 
Curia  for  the  Austrian  motion.     As  soon  as  this  was  known, 


Chap.  III.]        BREAK-UP  OF  THE   CONFEDERATION.        49 

however,  the  Government  of  Schaunburg-Lippe  notified  to  the 
Prussian  Government  that  it  had  also  intended  to  vote  against 
the  Austrian  motion,  and  thus  disowned  the  act  of  its  own 
delegate.  It  was  then  too  late,  for  the  vote  had  been  given, 
and  the  motion  passed.  But  had  the  Government  of  Schaun- 
burg-Lippe been  a  little  more  careful  in  sending  definite 
instructions  to  its  representative,  and  had  Prussia  voted,  the 
Austrian  motion  would  have  been  thrown  out  by  a  majority  of 
eight  over  seven  votes,  and  the  event  which  plunged  Central 
Europe  into  immediate  war  might  have  been  certainly  post- 
poned, possibly  evaded.  On  such  tiny  circumstances  do  the 
destinies  of  nations  hang. 

As  the  votes  were  actually  recorded,  the  Austrian  motion  was 
carried  by  a  majority  of  nine  over  six  voices. 

After  the  Austrian  representative,  the  president  of  the  Diet, 
had  declared  the  result  of  the  voting,  nine  votes  for  Austria 
against  six,  the  Prussian  representative  stated  that  it  was  now 
his  duty  to  publish  to  the  Diet  the  resolutions  of  Prussia.  The 
Austrian  motion  was  in  itself  a  negation  of  the  Federal  Consti- 
tution, and  must  necessarily  be  regarded  by  Prussia  as  a  breach 
of  the  community  of  the  Confederation.  The  Federal  Con- 
stitution recognised  Federal  execution  against  members  of  the 
Confederation  only  in  particular  cases,  which  were  clearly 
defined.  These  cases  were  entirely  neglected  in  the  Austrian 
motion.  The  position  which  Austria  had  assumed  with  regard 
to  Holstein  came  in  no  manner  under  the  protection  of  Federal 
treaties.  On  this  account  Prussia  had  refused  in  any  way  to 
take  action  on  the  Austrian  motion,  and  not  taken  any  precau- 
tions to  oppose  the  Austrian  intention.  According  to  the  ideas 
of  Prussia,  the  Diet  would  not  have  for  a  moment  listened  to 
the  Austrian  proposals,  but  would  have  cast  out  the  motion 
without  any  second  thought  upon  the  matter.  Since  the  Diet 
had,  however,  acted  in  a  manner  so  contrary  to  all  expectation  ; 
since  Austria  had  been  actually  arming  for  three  months,  and 
had  called  the  other  members  of  the  Confederation  to  her  aid, 
and  since  hereby  the  Act  of  Confederation,  the  chief  object  of 
which  was  to  secure  the  internal  tranquillity  of  Germany,  was 
entirely  invalidated,  Prussia  must  consider  the  rupture  of  the 
Germanic  Confederation  as  completed,  and  must  view  that 

E 


50  SEVEN   WEEKS'    WAR.  TBook  II. 

Confederation  as  dissolved  and  abrogated.  Prussia  did  not, 
however,  despise  the  national  necessities  for  which  that  Con- 
federation was  instituted,  nor  did  she  wish  to  unsettle  the  unity 
of  the  Germanic  nationality;  therefore  she  wished  to  declare 
herself  ready  and  desirous  to  form  a  new  Confederation  with 
those  States  which  might  be  willing  to  unite  with  her  in  a 
Federal  union  on  the  basis  of  the  reform  proposed  for  the 
Confederation  on  the  ioth  June.  In  conclusion,  the  Prussian 
delegate  asserted  the  claims  of  his  Government  to  a  share  of 
all  rights  which  sprang  from  the  former  Constitution,  and, 
having  protested  against  the  disbursement  of  any  Federal 
moneys  without  the  consent  of  Prussia,  quitted  the  as- 
sembly. 

The  Germanic  Confederation,  established  in  1815,  was  broken 
up  at  this  moment.  The  declaration  of  internal  war  had  vir- 
tually been  proclaimed  among  its  members. 

The  first  action  of  Prussia  in  consequence  of  the  decree  of 
the  Diet  of  the  14th  June,  was  to  send  a  summons  to  the  three 
States  the  territories  of  which  lay  within  or  close  to  the  Prussian 
provinces,  and  which  had  voted  against  Prussia  on  the  14th 
June.  These  States  were  Hanover,  Saxony,  and  the  Electorate 
of  Hesse.  This  summons  required  that  the  Governments  of 
these  States  should  immediately  reduce  their  troops  to  the 
peace  establishment,  which  had  existed  on  the  1st  March,  and 
should  agree  to  join  the  new  Prussian  Federation  on  the  basis 
of  the  reform  proposed  on  the  ioth  June.  If  these  Govern- 
ments declared,  within  twelve  hours,  their  agreement  to  these 
demands,  Prussia  undertook  to  guarantee  their  sovereign  rights 
within  the  boundaries  of  the  proposed  Federation ;  otherwise, 
Prussia  announced  her  intention  to  declare  war. 

The  three  Governments  hesitated,  and  made  no  reply.  On 
the  evening  of  the  15th  June,  Prussia  declared  war  against 
these  three  countries.  No  formal  declaration  of  war  was  made 
against  Austria,  but  at  a  later  date  the  intention  to  commence 
hostilities  was  communicated  to  the  Austrian  outposts. 

On  the  17th  June,  the  Austrian  war  manifesto  was  published; 
on  the  1 8th,  the  Prussian ;  on  the  20th,  Italy,  who  had  entered 
into  an  offensive  and  defensive  alliance  with  Prussia,  declared 
war  against  Austria  and  Bavaria.     Diplomacy  had  now  done 


Chap.  III.]        BREAK-UP  OF  THE   CONFEDERATION.        51 

its  work,  and  the  conflict  was  removed  from  the  field  of  politics 
to  the  theatre  of  war. 

Subjoined,  for  facility  of  reference,  is  a  tabular  list  of  the 
principal  features  of  the  political  prologue. 

October  20th,  1864.     Treaty  of  Vienna. 

August  14th,  1865.     Convention  of  Gastein. 

March  12th,  1866.  First  preparations  of  Austria  for  war  in 
Bohemia  and  Moravia. 

March  30th,  1866.     First  preparations  of  Prussia. 

April,  1866.     Negotiations  concerning  these  armaments. 

April  23rd,  1866.     Great  armament  of  Austria  in  Venetia. 

April  26th,  1866.  Proposal  of  Austria  to  submit  the  ques- 
tions in  dispute  to  the  Diet. 

May  7th,  1866.  Declaration  of  Prussia  of  the  Diet  to  decide 
in  international  questions,  and  suggestion  of  the  desirability  of 
the  reform  of  the  Confederation. 

Until  May  28th,  1866.  Armaments  in  all  Germany  and 
Italy. 

May  28th,  1866.  Proposal  of  a  Conference  by  the  three 
great  non-Germanic  European  Powers. 

May  29th,  1866.     Prussian  acceptance  of  this  proposal. 

June  1st,  1866.  Austrian  acceptance  under  conditions  which 
render  the  Conference  impossible. 

June  1st,  1866.  Submission  of  Schleswig-Holstein  question 
to  the  Diet 

June  $th,  1866.  Summons  by  General  Gablenz  for  assembly 
of  Holstein  Estates. 

June  10th,  1866.  Prussian  proposal  for  the  reform  of  the 
Federal  Constitution. 

June  11th,  1866.  Austrian  motion  for  the  decree  of  Federal 
execution  against  Prussia. 

June  14th,  1866.  Acceptance  of  the  Austrian  motion  by  the 
Diet. 

June  i$th,  1866.  Declaration  of  war  by  Prussia  against 
Hanover,  Electoral  Hesse,  and  Saxony. 

June  20th,  1866.  Declaration  of  war  by  Italy  against  Austria 
and  Bavaria. 


BOOK  Illr 
CHAPTER   I. 

THE    WAR   STRENGTH    OF   PRUSSIA.t 

Before  it  is  possible  to  enter  upon  a  review  of  the  military 
operations  of  the  war,  it  is  necessary  to  glance  at  the  organiza- 
tion, administration,  and  numbers  of  the  forces  which  were  at 
the  disposal  of  the  belligerent  Powers.  The  question  of  the 
numerical  strength  of  an  army  in  the  field  is  always  an 
extremely  difficult  one.  Before  a  campaign,  sometimes  the 
demands  of  strategy  require  that  the  strength  of  troops  should 
be  exaggerated,  sometimes  the  contrary.  The  casualties  of 
every  skirmish,  the  sickness  incident  to  every  day's  march  and 
every  night's  exposure,  reduces  the  number  of  soldiers  under 
arms.  Hazy  distinctions  between  combatants  and  non-com- 
batants, different  modes  of  reckoning,  the  exclusion  or  inclusion 
of  artillery  and  administrative  services  in  returns,  the  non- 
completion  of  battalions  up  to  their  normal  strength,  all  throw 
great  difficulties  in  the  way  of  gaining  an  accurate  appreciation 
of  the  number  of  men  engaged  on  either  side  in  particular 
actions.  It  appears,  therefore,  advisable  to  sketch  here  the 
organization  and  regulated  normal  strength  of  the  armies 
engaged  in  the  war,  and  to  attempt,  at  necessary  points  in  the 

*  It  may  be  a  relief  to  the  general  and  not  professional  reader  to  be  made 
aware  that  an  omission  to  read  this  Book,  which  is  almost  entirely  techni- 
cal, will  not  interrupt  the  continuity  of  the  narrative. 

+  In  the  prefatory  chapter  to  the  second  edition,  will  be  found  a  sketch  of 
the  changes  made  in  the  Prussian  military  system  between  the  termination  of 
the  campaign  of  1866  and  the  commencement  of  the  late  war  with  France. 


Chap.  I.]         THE    WAR  STRENGTH  OF  PRUSSIA.  53 

narrative,  to  calculate  and  compute  from  the  most  trustworthy 
authorities  the  actual  numbers  present  on  particular  occasions. 

The  kingdom  of  Prussia  before  the  war  of  1866  had,  with  an 
area  of  about  127,350  square  miles,  a  population  of  over  nine- 
teen million  souls.  The  yearly  revenues,  according  to  the 
latest  budgets,  amounted  to  about  21,600,000/.,  and  the 
expenditure  of  the  Government  was  always  confined  within 
its  income.  The  National  Debt  in  1864  amounted  to  about 
42,000,000/.  The  State  chest  in  1862  contained,  from  the 
surplus  of  estimated  over  actual  annual  expenditure,  and  from 
some  other  minor  sources,  a  sum  of  about  2,500,000/.  The 
financial  economy  of  Prussia  is  superior  to  that  of  any  nation 
in  Europe.  The  army  has  lately  cost  in  time  of  peace  about 
6,300,000/.  annually,  the  navy  about  6,450,000/. 

The  Prussian  army  which  took  the  field  in  the  war  of  1866 
consisted  of  eight  corps  d'arme'e  of  troops  of  the  Line,  and  of 
the  corps  d'arme'e  of  the  Guard.  Each  corps  d'arme'e  is 
organized  with  the  intention  of  being  a  perfectly  complete 
little  army  of  itself,  so  that  without  inconvenience  it  can  be 
detached  from  the  main  army  at  any  time.  Each  corps  d'arme'e 
of  the  Line  in  time  of  war  consists  of  two  divisions  of  infantry, 
one  division  of  cavalry,  sixteen  batteries  of  artillery,  and  a 
military  train.  Each  division  of  infantry  is  composed  of  two 
brigades,  each  of  which  has  two  regiments,  and,  as  each 
regiment  contains  three  battalions,  in  a  division  of  infantry 
there  are  twelve  battalions ;  to  every  infantry  division  is  also 
attached  one  regiment  of  cavalry,  of  four  squadrons,  and  one 
division  of  artillery,  of  four  batteries,  making  the  total  strength 
of  the  force  under  the  command  of  every  infantry  divisional 
General  twelve  battalions,  four  squadrons,  and  four  batteries. 

A  cavalry  division  consisted  of  two  brigades,  each  containing 
two  regiments,  and,  as  every  regiment  had  four  squadrons,  the 
division  contained  sixteen  squadrons ;  it  had  also  two  batteries 
of  horse  artillery  attached  to  it. 

The  reserve  of  artillery  consisted  of  one  division  of  field 
artillery,  which  formed  four  batteries,  and  of  two  batteries  of 
horse  artillery,  besides  an  artillery  train  for  the  supply  of 
ammunition. 

This  gives  the  strength  of  a  corps  d'arme'e  as  twenty-four 


54  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  III. 

battalions  of  infantry,  twenty-four  squadrons  01  cavalry,  and 
sixteen  batteries  of  artillery.  Besides  this,  however,  each  corps 
has  one  battalion  of  rifles  and  one  battalion  of  engineers, 
besides  an  engineer  train  for  the  transport  of  materials  for 
making  bridges,  and  a  large  military  train,  which  carries  food, 
hospitals,  medicines,  fuel  for  cooking,  bakeries,  and  all  the 
other  necessaries  of  not  only  life,  but  of  the  life  of  an  army, 
the  members  of  which  require  not  only  the  same  feeding, 
clothing,  and  warming  as  other  members  of  the  human  race, 
but  who  will  not  be  denied  bullets,  powder,  shot  and  shells, 
saddlery  for  their  horses,  and  who  from  the  nature  of  their  life 
are  more  liable  to  require  medicines,  bandages,  splints,  and  all 
hospital  accessories  than  other  men. 

If  we  do  not  consider  the  train  when  we  are  calculating  the 
number  of  combatants  who  actually  fall  in,  in  the  line  of  battle, 
every  battalion  may  be  considered  to  consist  of  1,002  men. 
Thus  the  force  of  infantry  and  engineers  in  a  corps  d'armee 
numbers  over  26,000,  and  on  account  of  men  absent  through 
sickness  may  in  round  numbers  be  calculated  at  this  figure. 
Each  squadron  of  cavalry  may  be  calculated  at  140  mounted 
men,  which  makes  the  whole  cavalry  force  about  3,300  men. 
Each  division  of  four  batteries  of  horse  artillery  brings  into  the 
field  590  actual  combatants,  and  each  of  field  artillery  the 
same,  so  that  the  whole  artillery  force  of  a  corps  d'arme'e  is 
about  2,350  men.  The  actual  number  of  combatants  with  a 
corps  d'arme'e  is  in  this  way  seen  to  be  31,650  men,  which  may 
be  stated  in  broad  numbers  at  31,000.  The  Guard  corps 
d'armee  differs  chiefly  from  the  Line  corps  in  having  one 
additional  rifle  battalion,  one  additional  Fusilier  regiment,  and 
two  additional  cavalry  regiments,  which  increase  its  strength 
by  about  5,150  actual  combatants;  the  total  number  of  com- 
batants in  this  corps  may  be  safely  assumed  as  36,000  men,  in 
round  numbers.* 

If  we  turn,  however,  to  the  list  furnished  by  the  military 
authorities,  we  find  that  the  army  was  said  to  consist  of 
335,000  men,  with  106,500  horses,  of  which  only  about  70,000 

*  This  paragraph  is  still  correct,  except  that  the  squadron  now  always 
musters  150  mounted  men. 


Chap.  I.]         THE    WAR  STRENGTH  OF  PRUSSIA.  55 

belonged  to  the  cavalry  and  artillery,  and  that  it  was  accom- 
panied by  a  waggon  train  of  8,950  carriages,  of  which  only 
3,500  belonging  to  the  artillery  performed  any  service  on  the 
field  of  battle. 

What  has  then  become  of  these  55,000  men,  36,500  horses, 
and  5,450  carriages  which  form  the  difference  between  the 
returns  we  find  of  an  army  on  paper  and  the  actual  number  of 
men  engaged  on  the  field  of  battle  ?  This  difference  represents 
the  moving  power  of  the  combatant  branches ;  it  is  this  differ- 
ence that  feeds  the  warriors  when  they  are  well,  that  tends 
them  when  wounded,  and  nurses  them  when  struck  down  with 
disease.  Nor  are  these  the  only  duties  of  the  non-combatant 
branches.  An  army  on  a  campaign  is  a  little  world  of  itself, 
and  has  all  the  requirements  of  ordinary  men  moving  about 
the  world,  besides  having  an  enemy  in  its  neighbourhood,  who 
attempts  to  oppose  its  progress  in  every  way  possible.  When 
the  line  of  march  leads  to  a  river,  over  which  there  is  either  no 
bridge  or  where  the  bridge  has  been  destroyed,  a  bridge  must 
be  immediately  laid  down,  and,  accordingly,  a  bridge  train  is 
necessarily  always  present  with  the  army.  When  a  camp  is 
pitched,  field  bakeries  have  to  be  immediately  established  to 
feed  the  troops ;  field  telegraphs  and  field  post-offices  must  be 
established  for  the  rapid  transmission  of  intelligence.  A  large 
staff  must  be  provided  for,  which  is  the  mainspring  that  sets  all 
the  works  in  motion.  And  these  are  only  ordinary  wants,  such 
as  any  large  picnic  party  on  the  same  scale  would  require. 
When  we  consider  that  200  rounds  of  ammunition  can  easily 
be  fired  away  by  each  gun  in  a  general  action,  that  every 
infantry  soldier  canon  the  same  occasion  dispose  of  120  rounds 
of  ball  cartridge,  and  that  this  must  be  all  replaced  imme- 
diately ;  that  all  this  requires  an  enormous  number  of  carriages, 
with  horses  and  drivers ;  that  outside  of  the  line  of  battle  there 
must  be  medical  men,  their  assistants,  and  nurses  ;  that  within 
it  and  under  fire  there  must  be  ambulance  waggons,  and  men 
with  stretchers  to  bear  the  wounded  to  them ;  and  that  forty 
per  cent,  of  the  infantry  alone  in  every  year's  campaign  are 
carried  to  the  rear,  we  may  understand  how  the  large  difference 
between  the  number  of  actual  fighting  men  and  of  men  borne 
upon  paper  is  accounted  for. 


56  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  III. 

We   have    seen   that   each   corps    d'armee   may   be   safely 
estimated   at  30,000  combatants,  and  that  of  the  Guard  at 
36,000,  without  taking  into  consideration  those  large  artillery 
and  engineer  trains  which  would  be  requisite  were  the  army  to 
undertake   the    siege    of  any   considerable   fortress.     It   only 
remains  now  to  consider  whether  this  strength  may  always  be 
reckoned  upon  as  constant ;  and  it  appears  that  this  may  be 
done   in  consequence   of  the   admirable  system  of  Prussian 
organization.     By  this  system,  as  soon  as  a  corps  d'armee  is 
put  on  a  war  footing,  there  is  a  depot  battalion  formed  for 
each  regiment,  a  depot  company  for  each  battalion  of  rifles,  a 
depot  squadron  for  each  cavalry  regiment,*  a  depot  division 
for  the  artillery  of  each  corps  d'armee,  a  depot  company  for 
each  engineer  battalion,  and  a  depot  for  the  military  train. 
These    depots     remain     in     their    barracks,    and     supply   all 
vacancies  made  in  the  ranks  of  the  corps  to  which  they  belong. 
Nor  is  it  at  all  difficult  for  them  to   do   so,  because  in  con- 
sequence of  the  system   of  recruiting  pursued  in  this. country 
these  depots  do  not  consist  entirely  of  raw  recruits,  but  partly 
of  men  who  have  served  for  some  time  in  the  army,  and  who 
have,    after   leaving   the   regular     ranks,    been     annually   put 
through  a  course  of  training. 

In  Prussia,  with  the  exception  of  clergymen  and  a  few 
others,  every  man  in  the  year  in  which  he  becomes  twenty 
years  old  is  liable  to  military  service  for  five  years,  three  of 
which  he  spends  in  the  regular  army  and  two  in  the  reserve.  On 
completion  of  this  service  he  is  placed  in  the  first  levy  of  the 
Landvvehr  for  seven  years,  and  afterwards  in  the  second  levy 
of  the  Landwehr  for  seven  years  more.  When  it  is  necessary 
to  raise  the  regular  army  to  a  war  footing,  the  reserve  is  first 
draughted  into  the  ranks,  then  the  first  levy  of  the  Landvvehr, 
and  afterwards,  if  necessary,  the  second  levy.t  If  the  Land- 
wehr is  exhausted  the  Landsturm  is  called  out,  and  in  this 
case  every  man  between  sixteen  and  fifty  is  liable  for  service.  _ 
Each   corps    d'armee   of    the    Line    in   time    of  peace   is 

*  The  dep6t  squadron  for  each  regiment  of  cavalry  is  now  maintained  in 
"t  AfteTiSo^  the  distinction  between  the  two  levies  of  Landwehr  ceased. 


Chap.  L]        THE    WAR  STRENGTH  OF  PRUSSIA.  57 

quartered  in  one  of  the  eight  provinces  of  the  kingdom ;  its 
recruits  are  obtained  from  that  province,  and  its  Landwehr  are 
the  men  in  the  province  who  have  served  five  years  and  who 
have  been  dismissed  from  actual  service,  but  are  subjected  to 
an  annual  course  of  training.  The  provinces  to  which  the 
different  corps  d'armee  in  1866  belonged  were:— 1,  Prussia 
Proper;  2,  Pomerania;  3,  Brandenburg;  4,  Prussian  Saxony; 
«  Posen;  6,  Silesia;  7,  Westphalia;  8,  Rhine  Provinces. 
The  Guards  are  recruited  from  men  of  a  certain  stature  from 
all  the  provinces,  and  the  Landwehr  of  the  Guard  consists  of 
the  men  who  have  formerly  served  in  it 

Prussia    after   the   successes   of  Frederick   the   Great,  was 
content  to  suppose  that  the  military  organization  which  had 
served  her  so  well  in  the  Seven  Years'  War  was  perfect,  and 
required  little  or  no  modification  to  enable  it  to  continue  supe- 
rior to  that  of  other  European  Powers;  but  while  she  reposed 
complacently  on  the  laurels  of  Rossbach  and  Leuthen,  mili- 
tary science  had  rushed  forwards,  and  she  was  rudely  roused 
from   her  repose   by   the   crushing  defeat   of    Jena.     Under 
enormous  difficulties,  and  with   the  greatest  secrecy,  a  new 
organization   was   then    introduced   into   the    Prussian   army. 
The   terms   of  peace   dictated  by  Napoleon   after  the   Jena 
campaign   allowed   the    Prussian   army   to    consist    of    only 
42  000  men,  but  no  stipulation  was  made  as  to  how  long  these 
men  should  serve.     In  order  to  secure  the  means  of  striking 
for  independence  on  the  first  favourable  opportunity,  General 
Scharnhorst   introduced    the    Krumper   system,    by   which    a 
certain  number  of  soldiers  were  always  allowed  to  go  home  on 
furlough  after  a  few  months'  service,  and  recruits  were  brought 
into  the  ranks  in  their  place.     Those  drilled  were  m  their  turn 
sent  away  on  furlough  and  other  recruits  brought  in  for  tram- 
in-      By  means  of  this  system  at  the  beginning  of  18 13  not 
only  could  the  existing  regiments  be  filled  up  to  proper  war 
strength,  but  fifty-one  new  battalions  were  raised  from  pre- 
pared soldiers.     This  force,  however,  was  totally  insufficient 
for  the  great  struggle  against  Napoleon  ;  so  m  February,  1813, 
volunteer    Jager    detachments  were  formed  which    mustered 
together  about   10,000  men,  and  in  March  the  raising  of  a 
Landwehr  was  decreed,  which  in  five  months  after  the  signa- 


58  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  III. 

ture  of  the  decree  was  able  to  take  part  in  the  war  with  a 
strength  of  120,000  men.  Thus  in  August,  1813,  Prussia 
possessed  an  army  of  250,000  men,  of  whom  170,000  men 
were  ready  to  take  the  field,  while  the  remaining  80,000 
formed  reserve  and  depot  troops  and  supplied  garrisons.  This 
army  fought  in  the  war  of  independence,  and  formed  the  first 
nucleus  of  the  existing  military  organization  of  the  kingdom, — 
an  organization  which,  dating  from  a  terrible  misfortune,  the 
bitter  experience  of  which  has  never  been  forgotten,  has  since 
been  constanly  tended,  improved,  and  reformed,  and  with  careful 
progress  been  brought  to  such  a  high  pitch  of  excellence  that 
in  1866  it  enabled  the  Prussian  troops  to  march  and  conquer 
with  an  almost  miraculous  rapidity,  to  eclipse  in  a  few  days  the 
glories  of  the  Seven  Years'  War,  to  efface  the  memory  of  Jena 
by  thundering  on  the  attention  of  the  startled  world  the 
suddenly  decisive  victory  of  Sadowa,  and  to  spring  over  the 
ashes  of  Chlum  into  very  possibly  the  foremost  place  among 
the  armies  of  the  world.* 

After  Prussia  had  regained  her  position  as  a  great  Power  it 
was  necessary  that  she  should  have  an  army  of  a  strength 
similar  to  that  of  the  armies  of  other  great  Powers,  and  there- 
fore with  a  muster-roll  of  about  half  a  million  of  men.  At  this 
time  the  other  great  Powers  kept  the  greater  part  of  their 
soldiery  in  peace,  as  in  war,  in  the  ranks,  and  only  allowed  a 
few  trained  veterans,  who  together  amounted  to  about  one- 
fourth  of  the  total  strength  of  the  army,  to  be  absent  on 
furlough.  But  Prussia  was  then  the  smallest  of  the  great 
Powers,  and  had  neither  such  a  large  population  nor  revenue 
as  the  others.  Thus,  she  had,  in  the  first  place,  not  sufficient 
men ;  in  the  second  place,  not  enough  money  to  maintain  an 
anny  on  a  similar  system,  and  could  in  peace  keep  together 
only  a  much  smaller  portion  of  her  soldiery  than  her  possible 
enemies  could.  This  portion  of  her  army  was  organised  on 
the  following  system  : — The  country  was  required  every  year 
to  grant  40,000  recruits,  each  of  whom  served  for  three  years 
under  the  standards  and  for  two  years  in  the  reserve ;  so  the 


*  The  events  of  1870 — 71,  have  not  belied  this  paragraph,  written  in 
1S67. 


Chap.  L]         THE    WAR  STRENGTH  OF  PRUSSIA.  59 

standing  army  amounted  to  120,000  men,  and  by  calling  in 
the   reserves   could   be  raised   immediately  to    200,000  men. 
But,  to  complete   the  requisite  number   of   500,000    soldiers, 
300,000   more  were    necessary,   and  in    time    of   peace    the 
kingdom  could  afford  to  maintain   only  very  small  depots  for 
these  additional  troops.     The  war  of  independence  had  shown 
that  the  Landwehr  system,  by  which  men  were  allowed  to 
retire  from  service,  but  still  remained  liable  to  be  called  up  for 
duty,  was  capable  of  effecting  good  service,  and  in  case  of 
need  of  supplying  the  men  who  could  not  be  kept  in  time  of 
peace  in  the  regular  army.     Therefore  this  system  was  retained, 
and  by  the  decree  of  the  3rd  of  September,  1814,  the  Prussian 
army  was  organized  definitively  on  the  Landwehr  system.     By 
this  system  every  Prussian  capable  of  bearing  arms  was  with- 
out exception  liable  to  military  duty,  and  to  serve  from  his 
20th  to  his  23rd  year  in  the  standing  army,  from  his  23rd  to 
25th  in  the  reserve,  from  his  25th  to  32nd  in  the  first  levy  of  the 
Landwehr,  and  from  his  32nd  to  39th  in  the  second  levy.     The 
Landsturm  was  to  consist  of  all  men  capable  of  bearing  arms 
between  seventeen  and  forty-nine  years  of  age  who   did  not 
belong  either  to  the  standing  army  or  to  the  Landwehr.     From 
the  Landwehr   battalions  and   squadrons   were   raised   which 
formed  Landwehr  regiments,  and  these  were  united  for  annual 
exercise  or  service  in  brigades  and  divisions  with  regiments  of 
the  Line.     Landwehr  men  who  had  belonged  to  J ager  bat- 
talions, to  the    artillery,  or  to  the  engineer  service,  were  not 
formed  into  separate  corps  ;   but  in  case  of  being  called  up 
were  to  return  into  the  ranks  of  the  regiments  in  which  they 
had  formerly  served. 

By  this  system,  with  an  annual  supply  of  40,000  recruits, 
Prussia  was  enabled  to  hold  in  readiness  for  war  an  army 
which  consisted  of  three  distinct  parts. 

1.  The  standing  army  of  120,000  men,  raised  in  war  by  the 
recall  of  the  reserves  to  200,000  men,  and  with  Landwehr- 
Jagers,  artillerymen,  and  pioneers,  to  220,000  men. 

2.  The  first  levy  of  the  Landwehr,  including  only  infantry 
and  cavalry,  of  which,  in  peace,  only  small  depots,  numbering 
together  about  3,000  men,  were  maintained,  but  which,  on  the 
mobilization  of  the  army  for  war,  supplied  considerably  over 


60  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  III. 

150,000  men,   even    allowing    liberally  for    deaths,   sickness, 
emigration,  and  other  causes  of  reduction. 

The  standing  army  and  the  first  levy,  after  detaching  30,000 
men  to  strengthen  the  garrisons  of  fortresses,  formed  together 
the  field  army  of  340,000  men,  and  besides,  from  their  surplus 
men  and  recruits,  could  leave  at  home  a  force  of  depot  troops 
amounting  to  about  50,000  men. 

3.  The  second  levy  of  the  Landwehr,  from  which  no 
exercise  or  training  was  required  in  time  of  peace,  but  which 
in  war  was  called  upon  to  furnish  110,000  soldiers,  who, 
with  the  30,000  above  mentioned  from  the  standing  army  and 
first  levy,  garrisoned  the  fortresses  of  the  country,  and  could, 
in  case  of  urgent  necessity,  be  supported  by  the  Landsturm. 

From  these  three  sources — 1,  the  field  army;  2,  depot 
troops,  formed  by  the  standing  army  and  first  lew  of  the 
Landwehr;  3,  garrison  troops,  formed  by  the  surplus  of  the 
first  levy,  the  second  levy  of  Landwehr,  and  in  case  of  need 
from  the  Landsturm — Prussia  could  for  war  raise  530,000  men, 
of  whom  in  time  of  peace  hardly  one-fourth  were  present  with 
the  standards.  The  standing  army  during  the  time  that  this 
organization  remained  intact  consisted  of  forty-five  infantry 
regiments,  ten  light  infantry  battalions,  thirty-eight  cavalry 
regiments,  nine  artillery  regiments,  and  nine  divisions  of  engi- 
neers. 

The  great  advantage  of  this  system  was  that  in  peace  it 
necessitated  but  a  small  expense,  and  required  but  few  men  to 
keep  up  an  army  which  on  the  outbreak  of  war  could  be  raised 
quickly  to  a  large  force.  As  it  was  arranged  after  the  War  of 
Independence  it  endured  without  alteration  during  the  reigns 
of  Frederick  William  III.  and  Frederick  William  IV. 

But  in  the  campaigns  which  the  Prussian  army  undertook  in 
1848  and  1S49,  and  again  when  the  army  was  mobilized  in 
1850  and  1859,  the  disadvantages  of  an  organization  so  entirely 
based  upon  the  Landwehr  system  became  apparent  in  a  high 
legree. 

The  energetic  spirit  with  which  the  Prussian  people  rushed 
to  arms  against  Napoleon  I.  can  only,  under  very  peculiar 
circumstances,  agitate  a  whole  nation,  and  make  every  indi- 
vidual willing  and  anxious  to  sacrifice  his  personal  comfort 


Chap.  I.]         THE    WAR  STRENGTH  OF  PRUSSIA.  61 

and  convenience  in  order  to  respond  to  the  call  of  his  Govern- 
ment, and  serve  with  alacrity  in  the  ranks  of  the  army.  Such 
circumstances  seldom  occur,  and  are  due  either  to  the  insup- 
portable weight  of  a  foreign  domination — as  was  the  case  in 
Prussia  from  1807-12 — or  to  some  strong  patriotic  stimulus 
such  as  has  knitted  the  people  of  the  same  country  together 
during  the  late  campaign ;  but  this  spirit  is  seldom  found  at 
the  outbreak  of  an  ordinary  war,  engaged  in  for  ordinary  poli- 
tical reasons. 

It  was  found  on  the  mobilization  in  1848  that  a  great  por- 
tion of  the  Landwehr  soldiers  obeyed  only  unwillingly  the  call 
to  arms,  because  it  interfered  with  their  private  occupations; 
that  they  sometimes,  weaned  by  long  ease  from  military  ideas, 
showed  a  want  of  discipline,  and  that,  thinking  more  for  their 
wives  and  families  than  for  their  duty  to  the  State,  they  did  not 
always  acquit  themselves  properly  in  action.  Besides,  there 
was  this  disadvantage  that  the  Landwehr — therefore,  about  half 
of  the  field  army,  newly  embodied— prevented  the  divisions 
from  being  immediately  prepared  to  take  the  field,  a  delay 
which  is  terribly  prejudicial  to  an  army  in  these  times,  when 
troops  are  forwarded  to  the  theatre  of  war  by  the  rapid  means 
of  railway  transport.  The  officers  and  non-commissioned 
officers  of  the  Landwehr  were  also  little  used  to  their  duties, 
and  at  the  very  moment  of  mobilization  a  great  number  of 
them  were  necessarily  transferred  to  the  Line,  and  others 
brought  from  the  regular  army  to  supply  their  places.  These 
numerous  alterations  of  their  leaders  at  such  an  important  time 
were  alone  sufficient  to  impair  materially  the  efficiency  of  the 
troops. 

Besides  these  disadvantages,  the  existing  system  had  brought 
about  a  great  injustice  in  the  distribution  of  military  service,  as 
in  18 1 5  only  40,000  recruits  were  yearly  called  for  to  support 
the  standing  army  of  140,000  men,  while  in  the  meantime  the 
population  had  increased  from  10,000,000  to  18,000,000;  so 
that  about  one-third  of  the  lads  who  should  proportionately 
have  entered  the  service  were  entirely  free  of  duty,  and  those 
who  did  enter  were  liable  to  be  recalled  to  the  ranks  for  a 
longer  period  of  their  life  than  was  really  necessary;  for  if, 
instead  of  40,000  recruits,  63,000  were,  as  easily  could  be, 


62  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  III. 

called  up  every  year,  men,  instead  of  being  liable  to  be  put  into 
the  standing  army  on  the  outbreak  of  war  for  twelve  years 
(from  twenty  to  thirty-two),  need  only  be  liable  for  seven  years 
(from  twenty  to  twenty-seven).  In  direct  ratio  with  the  in- 
crease of  population  the  national  revenues  had  also  increased 
from  50,000,000  to  93,000,000  thalers,  and  so  admitted  of  an 
increase  of  the  standing  army  and  of  the  military  expenses. 

There  were  thus  three  grounds  for  a  reform  in  the  Landwehr 
system,  and  therefore  King  William  I.,  while  still  Regent,  in- 
troduced in  1859  and  i860  a  re-organization  of  the  army,  which 
up  to  1865  formed  a  bone  of  contention  between  the  Prussian 
Ministry  and  the  Radical  party  in  the  Lower  House,  but  the 
success  of  which  in  the  war  of  1866  completely  silenced,  if  not 
thoroughly  convinced,  even  its  tax-paying  opponents  of  its 
wonderful  excellence  and  elasticity.  By  this  re-organization  of 
1859,  as  it  is  usually  called,  the  first  levy  of  the  Landwehr  was 
no  longer,  as  a  rule,  to  be  sent  into  the  field ;  and  to  attain 
this  object  the  standing  army,  including  the  reserves,  was  to 
be  increased  by  as  many  men  as  the  first  levy  of  the  Landwehr 
formerly  provided — in  fact,  to  be  nearly  doubled.  The  time 
of  service  in  the  Landwehr  was  diminished  by  two  years,  and 
that  in  the  reserve  in  return  to  be  lengthened  by  two  years. 
The  Landwehr  still  remaining  in  two  levies,  but  composed  only 
of  men  from  twenty-seven  to  thirty-eight  years  old,  was,  as  a 
rule,  with  its  first  levy  alone  to  perform  the  duty  which  had 
hitherto  been  performed  by  the  second  levy, — namely,  to  gar- 
rison the  fortresses.  In  case  of  necessity  the  Government  still, 
however,  retained  the  power  of  calling  up  the  second  levy  to 
aid  in  this  duty. 

By  this  organization  a  recruit  who  joined  the  Prussian  ser- 
vice served  for  three  years  (from  nineteen  to  twenty-two)  *  in 
the  regular  army;  for  five  years  (from  twenty-two  to  twenty- 
seven)  in  the  reserve ;  and  for  eleven  years  (from  twenty-seven 
to  thirty-eight)  was  liable  to  be  called  up  for  duty  as  a  Land- 
wehr man. 

By  this  re-organization  the  total  war  strength  of  the  field 

*  From  the  1st  January  of  the  year  in  which  he  became  twenty  years 
old. 


Chap.  L]         THE   WAR  STRENGTH  OF  PRUSSIA.  63 

army  was  slightly  increased,  and  its  efficiency  most  materially 
improved ;  the  war  strength  of  the  depot  troops  was,  on  ac- 
count of  the  necessity  of  great  rapidity  in  modern  warfare,  more 
than  doubled ;  that  of  the  garrison  troops  was  improved,  and 
could  now,  by  calling  up  the  second  levy,  be  made  twice  as 
great  as  it  was  formerly.  These  reforms  also  allowed  the 
standing  army  to  be  increased  by  thirty-six  regiments  of  in- 
fantry, nine  battalions  for  the  fusilier  regiments,  ten  cavalry 
regiments,  and  five  divisions  of  garrison  artillery.  Sufficient 
time  had  not  yet  elapsed  on  the  outbreak  of  the  Austrian  war 
for  this  re-organization  to  be  thoroughly  carried  out,  and  still 
eight  of  the  ten  cavalry  regiments  had  not  been  formed,  and 
their  place  was  supplied  during  that  campaign  by  twelve  Land- 
wehr  cavalry  regiments,  and  as  yet  only  one  of  the  divisions  of 
garrison  artillery  had  been  formed. 

During  the  campaign  of  1866  the  elasticity  of  this  organiza- 
tion was  clearly  manifested.  In  a  wonderfully  short  time  the 
large  armies  which  fought  at  Koniggratz  were  placed  on  a  war 
footing,  and  brought  about  260,000  combatants  into  the  very 
field  of  battle,  besides  the  necessary  detachments  which  must 
be  made  by  a  large  army  to  cover  communications,  mask  fort- 
resses, and  so  on ;  but  the  detachments  made  from  the  Prus- 
sian army  were  very  small  compared  to  those  which  would 
have  to  be  separated  from  an  army  organized  on  a  different 
system ;  for  as  the  field  army  advanced  the  depot  troops  moved 
up  in  rear,  and  formed  both  depots  and  reserves  for  the  first 
line,  while  some  of  the  garrison  troops  of  Landwehr  came  up 
from  Prussia,  and  formed  the  garrisons  of  Saxony,  Prague, 
Pardubitz,  and  all  the  other  points  on  the  lines  of  communica- 
tion. At  the  same  time  General  Miilbe's  corps,  formed  for  the 
most  part  of  reserve  and  depot  soldiers,  pushed  up  to  Briinn, 
and  was  hastening  to  take  its  place  in  the  first  line,  when  its 
march  was  stopped  by  the  conclusion  of  the  long  armistice. 

While  the  armies  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles,  the  Crown 
Prince,  and  General  Herwarth  were  being  supported  in  Bo- 
hemia, Moravia,  and  Saxony,  General  Falkenstein,  with  a 
number  of  Line  regiments  and  a  force  of  Landwehr,  was  driv- 
ing the  war  forwards  to  the  Main ;  and  the  Prince  of  Mecklen- 
burg, with  the  second  reserve  corps,  was  pushing  on  against 


64  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  III. 

Bavaria.  Nor  was  Prussian  territory  left  without  its  garrisons : 
Landwehr  battalions  were  in  Kosel,  Neisse,  Berlin,  Torgau, 
Magdeburg,  Konigsberg,  and  all  the  other  garrison  towns  of 
the  country,  while  under  their  shelter  recruits  were  being 
drilled,  and  more  Landwehr  embodied  to  march  forward  into 
the  conquered  countries.  The  armies  which  were  on  the 
Marchfeld  in  front  of  Lundenburg  and  in  Bavaria  did  not 
form  a  thin  front  line,  which,  once  broken  or  turned,  would 
have  been  driven  back  even  to  the  Elbe ;  their  rear  was  guarded 
and  supported  by  large  forces  of  strong  and  firm  battalions, 
lately  embodied,  but  from  their  nature  quickly  trained,  and 
composed  of  well-grown  old  soldiers  who  were  thirsting  to  be 
sent  against  the  enemy,  and  on  whose  well-knit  frames  disease 
or  the  hardships  of  war  could  make  little  impression. 

Though  the  part  of  the  Prussian  organization  which  refers 
to  the  recruiting  of  the  army  and  to  the  filling  up  of  the  ranks 
in  case  of  war  has  had  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the  success  of 
the  Austrian  campaign,  on  account  of  the  facility  and  rapidity 
with  which  by  its  means  the  army  could  be  mobilized  and 
brought  upon  a  war  footing,  the  portion  of  the  Prussian 
organization  which  relates  to  the  combination  of  the  recruits 
so  obtained  in  pliable  bodies,  which  can  be  easily  handled, 
easily  moved,  yet  formed  in  such  due  proportions  of  the  different 
amis  as  to  be  capable  of  independent  action,  did  not  fail  to 
be  appreciated  most  fully  by  those  who,  with  its  assistance, 
gained  such  tremendous  results.  This  portion  of  the  military 
organization  of  the  Prussian  army  is  so  simple  that  almost 
every  man  in  the  ranks  can  understand  it.  Jealous  of  expense 
in  time  of  peace,  it  allows  for  a  wide  expansion,  without 
hurry  and  without  confusion,  on  the  outbreak  of  war.  It  pro- 
vides for,  at  the  same  time,  the  broadest  questions  and  the 
most  minute  details,  and  is  so  clearly  laid  down  and  so  pre- 
cisely defined,  yet  at  the  same  time  admits  of  so  much 
elasticity,  that  the  Prussian  officers  can  find  no  words  strong 
enough  to  express  their  praise  of  it. 

England,  in  fact,  in  1866,  hardly  wakened  up  to  realize  that 
the  Prussian  army  then  was  very  different  from  that  which  at 
the  beginning  of  this  century  was  destroyed  on  the  fatal  day 
of   Jena,    or   that   then   it   only  resembled   the   army   which 


Chap.  I.]        THE    WAR  STRENGTH  OF  PRUSSIA.  65 

marched  so  well  to  our  aid  at  Waterloo,  in  patriotic  feeling 
and  in  the  rudiments  of  its  organization.  Prussia  seems  now 
about  to  spring  into  the  position  she  held  one  hundred  years 
ago,  when  Frederick  had  made  her  the  first  military  Power 
in  the  world,  and  England  was  introducing  her  military  system 
into  the  germs  of  the  army  which  marched  through  the  Penin- 
sula, and  at  Waterloo  shattered  the  legions  which  Bliicher 
annihilated.  Would  that  England  now  would  take  some  hints 
for  the  organization  of  her  army  from  the  victors  of  Konig- 
gratz,  and  would  adopt  the  experience  which  has  been  won  on 
the  plains  of  Bohemia,  before  military  progress  is  forced 
upon  her  by  a  disaster  more  fatal,  perhaps,  than  that  of 
Klostersevern  !  * 

In  peace  everything  is  always  kept  ready  for  the  mobiliza- 
tion of  the  army,  every  officer  and  every  official  knows  during 
peace  what  will  be  his  post  and  what  will  be  his  duty  the 
moment  the  decree  for  the  mobilization  is  issued,  and  the 
moment  that  decree  is  flashed  by  telegraph  to  the  most 
distant  stations  every  one  sets  about  his  necessary  duty  without 
requiring  any  further  orders  or  any  explanations. 

WThen  a  war  is  imminent  the  Government  decrees  the 
mobilization  of  the  whole  army,  or  of  such  a  portion  as  may 
be  deemed  necessary.  In  preparing  for  the  Austrian  cam- 
paign, the  whole  field  army  and  the  first  levy  of  Landwehr 
were  mobilized  before  the  invasion  of  Saxony.  A  part  of  the 
second  Landwehr  levy  was  also  mobilized  immediately  the 
troops  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles  stepped  across  the  Saxon 
frontier ;  and  on  the  day  of  the  great  battle  near  Koniggratz, 
without  any  exertion,  Prussia  had  over  600,000  men  under 
arms.  Every  commanding  general  mobilizes  his  own  corps 
d'armee;  the  "  Intendantur  "  the  whole  of  the  branches  of  the 
administrative  services ;  the  commandants  of  those  fortresses 
which  are  ordered  to  be  placed  in  a  state  of  defence  take 
their  own  measures  for  strengthening  the  fortifications  and  for 
obtaining  from  the  artillery  depots  the  guns  necessary  for  the 
armament  of  their  parapets.     All  orders  are  sent  by  telegraph, 


*  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  notice  that  since  this  was  written  in  1 86 7, 
England  has  made  a  great  advance  in  military  improvement. 

F 


66  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  III. 

or,  where  telegraphic  communication  does  not  exist,  by 
mounted  orderlies.  The  mobilization  of  the  whole  army  is 
soon  complete  in  every  branch  ;  the  infantry  is  ready  in  a 
fortnight  from  the  time  the  decree  is  signed. 

The  process  of  the  mobilization  may  be  classed  under  the 
following  five  heads  : — I,  The  filling  in  of  the  field  troops  to 
their  war  strength ;  2,  the  formation  of  depot  troops  ;  3,  the 
formation  of  garrison  troops  and  the  arming  of  the  fortresses ; 
4,  the  mobilization  of  the  field  administration  ;  5,  the  forma- 
tion of  the  head-quarter  staffs,  &c,  who  are  to  remain  in  the 
different  districts  to  supply  the  places  of  those  who  march  to 
the  seat  of  war. 

The  completion  of  the  rank  and  file  of  the  field  troops 
to  war  strength  was  effected  by  drawing  in  some  of  the  reserve 
soldiers,  who  supply  half  the  total  war  strength  of  the  in- 
fantry, one-third  of  that  of  the  artillery,  and  one  twenty-fifth 
of  that  of  the  cavalry.  The  cavalry  has,  of  course,  on 
account  of  being  maintained  in  such  force  during  peace,  a 
superabundance  of  reserve  soldiers  available  on  a  mobiliza- 
tion ;  these,  after  the  men  required  for  the  cavalry  itself  have 
been  drawn  from  them,  are  handed  over  to  the  artillery  and 
military  train,  so  that  these  services  thus  obtain  many  valuable 
soldiers,  well  accustomed  to  mounted  duties.  The  reserve 
soldiers  who  are  to  be  enrolled  have  orders  sent  to  them 
through  the  commanding  officer  of  the  Landwehr  of  the 
district  in  which  they  live,  who  can  avail  himself  of  the  ser- 
vices of  the  provincial  and  parochial  civil  authorities  to 
facilitate  the  delivery  of  these  orders.  The  men  are,  imme- 
diately on  the  receipt  of  their  orders,  required  to  proceed  to 
the  head-quarters  of  the  Landwehr  of  the  district,  where  they 
are  received,  medically  inspected,  and  forwarded  to  their  regi- 
ment, by  an  officer  and  some  non-commissioned  officers  of  the 
regiment  which  draws  its  recruits  from  the  district.  Officers 
who  are  required  to  fill  up  vacancies  in  the  regular  army  in  a 
mobilization  are  obtained  by  promoting  some  of  the  senior 
non-commissioned  officers.  Landwehr  officers  obtain  their 
commissions  much  in  the  same  way  as  do  military  officers  in 
England,  but  no  Landwehr  officer  can  be  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  captain  unless   he   has  been   attached  to   a  regular 


Chap.  I.]        THE   WAR  STRENGTH  OF  PRUSSIA.  67 

regiment  for  two  months'  duty  ;  and  no  Landwehr  officer  can 
be  a  field  officer  unless  he  has  before  served  for  some  con- 
siderable time  in  the  regular  army.  Many  of  the  officers 
of  the  Landwehr  are  officers  still  on  the  strength  of  the 
regular  army,  who  are  detached  to  the  Landwehr  on  its 
mobilization. 

On  a  mobilization,  the  whole  army  required  in  1866  about 
88,000  horses  more  than  it  had  in  time  of  peace ;  in  order  to 
obtain  these  quickly  the  Government  has  the  power,  if  it 
cannot  buy  them  readily  from  regular  dealers,  to  take  a  certain 
number  from  every  district,  paying  for  them  a  price  which  is 
fixed  by  a  mixed  commission  of  military  officers  and  of  persons 
appointed  by  the  civil  authorities  of  the  district. 

Each  regiment  of  field  artillery  forms  nine  ammunition 
columns,  in  each  of  which  are  waggons  to  carry  reserve  am- 
munition for  infantry,  cavalry,  and  artillery,  in  the  proportions 
in  which  experience  has  shown  that  ammunition  is  usually 
required.  In  the  field  these  ammunition  waggons  follow 
directly  in  rear  of  the  field  army,  but  are  kept  entirely  sepa- 
rate from  the  field  batteries,  the  officers  of  which  are  justly 
supposed  to  have  enough  to  do  in  action  in  superintending 
their  own  guns,  without  being  hampered  with  the  supply  of 
cartridges  to  the  cavalry  and  infantry. 

Every  battalion  of  engineers  forms  a  column  of  waggons 
which  carries  tools  for  intrenching  purposes,  and  also  a  heavy 
pontoon  train  and  a  light  field  bridge  train  for  which  all  is  kept 
ready  during  peace.  If  a  portion  of  the  army  is  mobilized 
merely  for  practice,  or  goes  into  camp  for  great  manoeuvres,  as 
is  done  nearly  every  summer  during  peace,  one,  or  perhaps 
two  or  three,  engineer  battalions  make  their  trains  mobile,  in 
order  to  practise  the  men  and  to  accustom  them  to  the  use  of 
the  materiel.  Arms  and  ammunition  which  are  required  to 
complete  the  war  strength  of  regiments  are  supplied  from  the 
artillery  depots.  Officers  are  allowed  soldier  servants  on  a 
more  liberal  scale  than  in  the  English  army,  but  no  officers' 
servants  are  mustered  in  the  company ;  they  form,  with  all  the 
non-combatant  men  of  each  battalion  of  infantry,  the  train 
which  is  attached  to  every  battalion  :  this  consists  of  the 
officers'  servants  and  the  drivers  of  the  regimental  waggons ; 

F  2 


68  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  III. 

every  one  else  borne  on  the  muster-roll  draws  a  trigger  in 
action,  so  that  the  muster-rolls  actually  show  the  number  of 
rank  and  file  who  are  present,  and  do  not  include  any  of  the 
followers,  who  often  never  come  up  into  the  line  of  battle  at 
all.  On  service  the  captain  of  every  company  is  mounted, 
and  is  required  to  have  two  horses,  to  aid  in  the  purchase 
of  which  he  is  allowed  a  certain  sum  of  money  by  the 
State. 

The  strength  cf  an  ordinary  battalion  on  active  service  is 
one  field-officer,  four  captains,  four  first  lieutenants,  nine  second 
lieutenants,  one  surgeon,  one  assistant-surgeon,  one  paymaster, 
one  quarter-master,  1002  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates. 
The  train  attached  to  this  battalion  is,  besides  officers'  ser- 
vants, the  drivers  of  the  ammunition  waggon,  which  has  six 
horses ;  of  the  Montirung  Wagon,  which  carries  the  pay- 
master's books,  money  chest,  and  a  certain  amount  of  material 
for  the  repair  of  arms  and  clothing,  and  is  drawn  by  four 
horses ;  a  hospital  cart  with  two  horses,  an  officers'  baggage 
waggon  with  four  horses,  and  men  to  lead  four  pack-horses, 
each  of  which  carries  on  a  pack-saddle  the  books  of  one 
company. 

The  baggage  of  a  cavalry  regiment  en  service  consists  of 
one  medicine  cart  with  two  horses,  one  field  forge  with  two 
horses,  four  squadron  waggons,  each  with  two  horses,  one 
officers'  baggage  waggon,  with  four  horses ;  the  total  strength 
of  a  cavalry  regiment  being  23  officers  659  men,  of  whom 
600  fall  in  in  the  ranks,  713  horses,  and  seven  carriages. 

The  nine  ammunition  columns  which  are  formed  by  each 
artillery  regiment  for  the  supply  of  ammunition  to  the  artillery 
and  infantry  of  the  corps  d'arme'e  to  which  the  regiment 
belongs  are  divided  into  two  divisions,  one  of  which  consists 
of  five  columns,  and  has  a* strength  of  two  officers,  175  men, 
174  horses,  and  25  waggons;  the  second,  consisting  of  four 
columns,  has  two  officers,  173  men,  170  horses,  and  24  wag- 
gons. This  division  is  made  to  facilitate  the  despatch  of  the 
two  divisions  separately  to  the  ammunition  depot  to  have  the 
waggons  refilled  after  their  first  supply  of  cartridges  has  been 
exhausted,  or  to  allow  one  division  to  be  detached  with  each 
infantry  division,  in  case  of  the  corps  d'arme'e  being  divided, 


Chap.  I.]         THE    WAR  STRENGTH  OF  PRUSSIA.  69 

as  was  the  case  in  this  war  with  the  third  and  fourth  corps,  in 
which  case  four  columns  can  conveniently  be  attached  to  each 
infantry  division,  and  one  column  to  the  cavalry  division  of  the 
corps. 

The  reserve  ammunition  park  from  which  these  ammunition 
columns  are  replenished,  is  also  divided  into  two  divisions, 
each  of  which  has  a  strength  of  nine  officers,  195  men,  264 
carriages,  and  is  further  subdivided  into  eight  columns  of  33 
waggons  each.  It  is  brought  into  the  theatre  of  war  either  by 
railway  or  water  carriage,  or  by  means  of  horses  hired  in  the 
country  where  the  war  is  being  conducted.  It  generally  is  one 
or  two  days'  march  in  rear  of  the  army.  In  the  campaign  of 
1866  on  the  day  of  the  great  battle,  the  ammunition  reserve 
park  of  the  army  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles  was  at  Turnau, 
to  which  place  it  had  been  brought  by  railway. 

A  siege  train  for  attacking  fortresses  is  not  generally  or- 
ganized at  the  beginning  of  a  war,  unless  the  general  plan  of 
the  campaign  should  be  likely  to  lead  the  army  into  a  country 
where  fortresses  exist,  which  could  not  be  either  neglected  or 
masked,  and  which  must  be  reduced.  If  a  siege  train  is 
organized,  it  is  formed  with  especial  reference  to  the  fortresses 
against  which  it  is  to  act,  and  follows  the  army  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  reserve  ammunition  park.  At  the  beginning  of 
the  1866  campaign  the  Prussians  had  no  siege  train  with  the 
army,  but  directly  the  battle  of  Sadowa  had  been  won  a  siege 
train  was  organized,  perhaps  to  be  employed  against  the  for- 
tresses on  the  Elbe,  though  such  small  places  scarcely  merited 
such  an  attention  from  so  large  an  army,  perhaps  for  an  attack 
on  Olmiitz.  When  the  fortifications  of  Floridsdorf  were  found 
looming  in  front  of  the  advance  on  Vienna,  the  siege  train  was 
ordered  up  to  be  ready  for  the  attack  of  the  Austrian  works 
covering  the  Danube,  but  it  was  halted  as  soon  as  the  four 
weeks'  armistice  was  agreed  upon.  The  want  of  siege  trains 
was,  however,  felt.  The  garrison  of  Theresienstadt,  a  fortress 
which  had  been  totally  neglected,  sallied  out  and  broke  the 
railway  bridge  on  the  line  of  communication  between  Prague 
and  Turnau.  Had  their  communication  been  thus  broken 
during  the  active  campaign,  and  not  during  the  armistice,  it 
must    have   seriously  inconvenienced    the    Prussians.      Had 


70  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  III. 

Theresienstadt  been  masked,  the  sally  of  the  garrison  would 
have  been  probably  prevented;  but  had  it  been  properly 
besieged,  the  garrison  would  have  been  kept  within  their 
works,  and  the  direct  line  of  railway  between  Prague  and 
Dresden  would  have  been  at  the  service  of  the  Prussian  army 
for  almost  its  entire  length. 

It  is  thus  that  the  Prussian  army  is  formed  in  peace,  that  its 
field  forces  can  be  made  ready  to  march  in  a  few  days  in  case 
of  war,  and  that  the  troops  in  the  field  are  supplied  with  the 
powder  and  shot  which  give  them  the  means  of  fighting.  But, 
Tart  de  vaincre  est  perdu  sans  Part  de  subsister.  An  organiza- 
tion of  even  more  importance  lies  still  behind — the  organization 
of  the  means  of  supplying  the  warriors  with  food  when  in 
health,  with  medicine  and  hospitals  when  diseased  or  wounded, 
and  for  filling  up  the  gaps  which  are  opened  in  the  ranks  by 
battle  or  pestilence ;  an  organization  which  has  always  been 
found  to  be  more  difficult  and  to  require  more  delicate 
handling  than  even  strategical  combinations,  or  the  arraying 
of  troops  for  battle. 

The  Prussian  army  could  in  1866  enter  the  field  with 
342,000  men  in  its  ranks  ;  but,  as  is  well  known,  no  army, 
nor  any  collection  of  men,  can  maintain  its  normal  strength  for 
a  single  day ;  in  such  a  host,  even  of  young  healthy  men,  ordi- 
nary illness  would  immediately  cause  a  few  absentees  from 
duty,  much  more  so  do  the  marches,  the  hardships,  and  the 
fatigues  to  which  a  soldier  is  exposed  on  active  service  before 
the  first  shot  is  fired.  Then  as  soon  as  an  action  takes  place, 
a  single  day  adds  a  long  list  to  the  hospital  roll,  and  the  even- 
ing sees  in  the  ranks  many  gaps  which  in  the  morning  were 
filled  by  strong  soldiers,  who  are  now  lying  torn  and  mangled 
or  dead  on  the  field  of  battle.  The  dead  are  gone  for  ever; 
they  are  so  much  power  lost  out  of  the  hand  of  the  general ; 
nor  can  an  army  wait  till  the  wounded  are  cured  and  are  again 
able  to  draw  a  trigger  "or  to  wield  a  sabre.  Means  must  be 
taken  to  supply  the  deficiencies  as  quickly  as  possible,  and  to 
restore  to  the  commander  of  the  army  the  missing  force  which 
has  been  expended  in  moving  his  own  army  through  the  first 
steps  of  the  campaign,  or  in  resisting  the  motion  of  his  ad- 
versary.    What  is  the    amount    of  such  deficiencies  may  be 


Chap.  I.]        THE    WAR  STRENGTH  OF  PRUSSIA.  71 

estimated  from  Prussian  statistics,  which  have  been  compiled 
with  great  care,  and  from  the  experience  of  many  campaigns  ; 
these  state  officially  that  at  the  end  of  a  year's  war  forty  per 
cent,  of  the  infantry  of  the  field  army,  twenty  per  cent,  of  the 
cavalry,  artillery,  and  engineers,  and  twelve  per  cent,  of  the 
military  train  would  have  been  lost  to  the  service,  and  have  had 
to  be  supplied  anew. 

It  is  for  the  formation  of  these  supplies  of  men,  and  for  for- 
warding them  to  the  active  army,  that  depots  are  intended. 
The  depots  of  the  Prussian  army  are  formed  as  soon  as  the 
mobilization  takes  place,  and  it  is  ordered  that  one  half  of  the 
men  of  each  depot  should  be  soldiers  of  the  reserve,  who, 
already  acquainted  with  their  drill,  can  be  sent  up  to  the  front 
on  the  first  call  •  the  other  half  of  each  depot  consists  of  recruits 
who  are  raised  in  the  ordinary  way,  and  of  all  the  men  of  the 
regiments  belonging  to  the  field  army  which  have  not  been  per- 
fectly drilled  by  the  time  their  regiment  marches  to  the  seat  of 
war.  The  officers  of  the  depots  are  either  officers  who  are 
detached  from  the  regular  army  for  this  duty,  or  are  officers 
who  have  been  previously  wounded,  and  who  cannot  bear  active 
service,  but  can  perform  the  easier  duties  of  the  depot,  besides 
young  officers,  who  are  being  trained  to  their  duty  before  join- 
ing their  regiments. 

Between  the  re-organization  of  1859  and  the  war  of  1866, 
the  number  of  depot  troops  kept  up  during  a  war  was  quite 
doubled ;  formerly  every  two  infantry  regiments  had  one  depot 
battalion,  and  every  two  cavalry  regiments  one  depot  squadron. 
When  the  army  was  re-organized,  it  was  foreseen  that  this 
amount  of  depot  troops  would  never  be  sufficient  in  case  of  a 
war  of  any  duration  or  severity,  so  by  the  new  regulations  each 
infantry  regiment  had  one  depot  battalion  of  18  officers  and 
1,002  men;  each  rifle  battalion,  a  depot  company  of  4  officers 
and  201  men;  each  cavalry  regiment,  a  depot  squadron  of  5 
officers,  200  men,  and  212  horses;  each  field  artillery  regi- 
ment (96  guns),  a  depot  division  of  one  horse  artillery  battery, 
and  three  field  batteries,  each  of  four  guns,  with  14  officers,  556 
men,  and  189  horses;  every  engineer  battalion,  one  depot  com- 
pany of  4  officers  and  202  men  ;  every  train  battalion,  a  depot 
division  of  two  companies,  which  muster  together  12  officers, 


72  SEVEN   WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  III. 

502  men,  and  213  horses.  All  this  was  required  to  feed  the 
army  in  the  field  with  supplies  of  men  to  take  the  places  of 
those  who  pass  from  the  regimental  muster  roll  into  the  lists  of 
killed,  died  in  hospital,  or  disabled ;  for  those  who  are  only 
slightly  wounded  return  to  their  duty  either  in  the  depot  or  at 
once  to  their  battalions,  as  is  most  convenient  from  the  situa- 
tion of  the  hospital  in  which  they  have  been. 

As  a  rule,  four  weeks  after  the  field  army  has  marched,  the 
first  supply  of  men  is  forwarded  from  the  depots  to  the  batta- 
lions in  the  field.  This  first  supply  consists  of  one-eighth  of  the 
calculated  yearly  loss  which  has  been  given  above.  On  the  first 
day  of  every  succeeding  month  a  fresh  supply  is  forwarded. 
Each  of  these  later  supplies  is  one-twelfth  of  the  total  calculated 
yearly  loss.  If  a  very  bloody  battle  is  fought,  special  supplies 
are  sent  at  once  to  make  up  the  losses  of  the  troops  that  have 
been  engaged. 

The  troops  in  depot  are  provided  with  all  articles  of  equip- 
ment with  which  they  should  take  the  field.  When  a  detach- 
ment is  to  be  sent  to  the  front,  all  who  belong  to  one  corps 
d'arme'e  are  assembled  together ;  the  infantiy  soldiers  are 
formed  into  companies  of  200  men  each  for  the  march,  the 
cavalry  into  squadrons  of  about  100  horsemen,  and  are  taken 
under  the  charge  of  officers  to  the  field  army,  thus  bringing  to 
the  front  with  them  the  necessary  reserves  of  horses.  The 
places  in  the  depots  of  those  who  have  marched  away  are  filled 
up  by  recruiting. 

An  army,  though  of  great  strength  and  well  provided  with 
supplies  of  men,  cannot  always  be  sure  of  taking  the  initiative, 
and  by  an  offensive  campaign  driving  the  war  into  an  enemy's 
country.  There  is  no  doubt  that  an  offensive  campaign  is 
much  better  for  a  country  and  much  more  likely  to  achieve 
success  than  a  defensive  one :  it  was  much  better  for  the 
Prussians  in  1866  to  cover  Berlin  in  Bohemia  than  in  Bran- 
denburg, in  1870  in  Alsatia  than  in  Rhineland ;  General 
Benedek  would  have  preferred  to  cover  Vienna  indirectly  by 
an  attack  on  Prussian  Silesia  rather  than  in  a  defensive  posi- 
tion at  Koniggratz;  Napoleon  justly  saw  that  the  proper  point 
to  defend  Paris  in  181 5  was  not  on  the  Marne,  but  in  Belgium. 
But  political  reasons  or  want  of  preparation  often  force  an  army 


Chap.  I.]        THE    WAR  STRENGTH  OF  PRUSSIA.  73 

to  be  unable  to  assume  the  offensive,  and  with  the  loss  of  the 
initiative  make  a  present  to  the  enemy  of  the  first  great  advan- 
tage in  the  war.  In  this  case  the  theatre  of  war  is  carried  into 
its  own  territory,  when  an  army  requires  fortresses  to  protect  its 
arsenals,  dockyards,  and  its  capital,  to  cover  important  strate- 
gical points,  or  to  afford  a  place  where,  in  case  of  defeat  or 
disaster,  it  may  be  re-organized  under  the  shelter  of  fortifica- 
tions and  heavy  artillery.  It  was  well  seen  in  the  war  of  1866 
that  small  fortresses  do  not  delay  the  progress  in  the  field  of  a 
large  invading  army,  which  can  afford  to  spare  detachments  to 
prevent  their  garrisons  from  making  sallies.  Josephstadt  and 
Koniggratz  did  not  delay  the  Prussian  armies  for  a  day, 
though  they  are  both  strong  places,  and  would  possibly  have 
stood  a  long  siege ;  but  they  were  both  masked  by  detach- 
ments, the  loss  of  which  from  the  line  of  battle  was  hardly  felt 
by  the  main  body,  and,  though  no  trenches  were  opened  and 
no  guns  mounted  against  them,  the  great  line  of  the  Prussian 
communications  passed  in  safety  within  a  few  miles  of  their 
paralysed  garrisons.*  It  was  also  demonstrated  by  that  war 
that  fortifications  which  inclose  a  town  of  any  size  are  compa- 
ratively useless,  unless  the  defensive  works  are  so  far  in  front 
of  the  houses  as  to  preclude  the  possibility  of  the  bombardment 
of  the  city.  Towns  are  now  so  rich,  both  in  population  and 
wealth,  that  few  Governments  would  dare  to  expose  their  sub- 
jects to  the  loss  of  property  and  risk  to  life  which  a  bombard- 
ment must  entail.  Prague,  though  surrounded  by  ramparts, 
struck  the  Austrian  colours  without  firing  a  shot,  because  the 
Prussian  guns  would  at  the  same  time  have  played  upon  the 
defenders  of  the  parapets,  the  unprotected  citizens,  and  the  rich 
storehouses  of  its  merchants.  The  Spielberg  at  Briinn,  if  it 
stood  alone,  might  make  a  strong  resistance  to  the  passage  of 
an  invader,  but  the  white  flag  of  truce  waving  from  its  flagstaff, 
instead  of  the  war  standard  of  Austria,  greeted  the  Prussian 
vanguard,  because  the  Emperor  could  not  have  borne  to  hear 
that  its  spires,  its  palaces,  and  large  manufactories  had  crumbled 
to  the  ground  under  Mecklenburg's  artillery.     But  it  would  be 

*  In  the  same  manner,  in  1870,  even  Strasburg,  Phalsburg,  Bitche, 
Toul,  and  Belfort  did  not,  although  besieged,  delay  the  progress  of  the 
invaders. 


74  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  III. 

rash  to  jump  to  the  conclusion  that  fortresses,  and  even  forti- 
fied towns,  are  no  longer  of  use  in  war.  Fortresses  are  useful 
as  supports  to  the  flanks  of  an  army :  if  Benedek  had  lain  along 
the  river  from  Josephstadt  to  Koniggratz,  the  junction  of  the 
two  Prussian  princes  would  have  been  long  delayed,  perhaps 
prevented.  The  guns  of  Koniggratz  materially  checked  the 
pursuit  of  the  Austrian  legions  defeated  at  Sadowa.  What 
Olmiitz  did  to  save  the  army  of  the  north  from  a  total  disorga- 
nization, and  to  allow  General  Benedek,  under  its  cover,  to 
make  his  preparations  for  the  masterly  move  by  which  he 
carried  it  to  Vienna,  is  well  known.  Whenever  a  capital  is 
distinctly  the  objective  point  of  an  invader,  as  would  be  the 
case  if  an  enemy's  army  were  ever  to  be  allowed  to  land  on  the 
shores  of  our  own  England,  strong  works  round  the  city,  but  so 
far  in  advance  of  the  houses  as  would  prevent  their  being 
reached  by  the  besieger's  shells,  become  a  necessity,  between 
and  behind  which  the  defender's  army,  if  worsted  in  a  battle, 
might  be  restored,  and  wait  until  the  attacking  troops  had 
shattered  themselves  against  the  intrenchments.  And  though 
the  earthworks  at  Floridsdorf  had  little  to  do  with  the  sudden 
cessation  of  hostilities,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  if  Vienna 
had  been  properly  fortified  on  every  side  Austria  might,  with  a 
very  fair  chance,  have  struck  another  blow  before  she  suffered 
herself  to  be  excluded  from  the  Confederation  of  the  German 
people.* 

As  long  as  fortresses  exist  they  require  garrisons,  but  the 
troops  which  are  formed  in  Prussia  on  the  breaking  out  of  a 
war  are  not  intended,  in  case  of  an  offensive  campaign,  only  to 
hang  listlessly  over  the  parapets  of  fortified  places.  When  an 
army  pushes  forward  into  a  foreign  country,  it  leaves  behind  it 
long  lines  of  road  or  railway  over  which  pass  the  supplies  of 
food,  clothing,  medicines,  and  stores,  which  are  vitally  import- 
ant to  the  existence  of  an  army.  With  an  unfriendly  population, 
and  an  enemy's  cavalry  ready  always  to  seize  an  opportunity  of 
breaking  in  upon  these  lines  of  communication,  of  charging 
down  upon  convoys,  and  destroying  or  burning  their  contents, 


*  The  fortifications  of  Paris  allowed  time  in  1S70-71  for  three  separate 
attempts  to  raise  the  siege  of  the  capital. 


Chap.  L]        THE    WAR  STRENGTH  OF  PRUSSIA.  75 

and  of  thus  deranging  seriously  what  might  be  called  the 
household  economy  of  the  army,  it  is  necessary,  especially  on 
lines  of  railway,  that  strong  garrisons  should  be  maintained  at 
particular  points,  and  that  patrols  should  be  furnished  for 
nearly  the  whole  line.  Towns  have  to  be  occupied  in  rear  of 
the  front  line,  depots  of  stores  have  to  be  guarded  and  pro- 
tected, convoys  have  to  be  escorted,  telegraph  lines  watched, 
the  fortifications  which  may  fall  garrisoned.  To  detach  troops 
for  the  performance  of  all  these  duties  dribbles  away  the 
strength  of  an  army :  if  the  Prussian  armies  which  crossed  the 
frontier  into  Bohemia  and  Moravia  had  been  obliged  to  make 
all  these  detachments,  how  many  fighting  men  would  have 
mustered  on  the  Marchfeld  ?  Very  few.  If  these  armies  had 
waited  till  troops  were  formed  at  home  after  the  course  of  the 
campaign  had  been  seen,  how  long  would  it  have  required  to 
march  to  the  Rossbach  ?  Probably  the  advanced  guard  would 
have  still  been  upon  the  Elbe  when  it  was  actually  on  the 
Danube.  To  provide  for  these  duties,  and  to  allow  the  main 
armies  to  push  forward  in  almost  unimpaired  strength,  Prussia 
forms  on  the  mobilization  of  the  field  army  her  so-called 
garrison  troops.* 

In  the  formation  of  these  garrison  troops,  there  is  a  draw- 
back from  the  general  excellence  of  the  Prussian  military 
organization,  which  arises  from  the  Landwehr  system.  The 
men  of  the  first  levy  of  the  Landwehr  form,  when  alone  called 
out,  as  many  battalions  as  do  the  united  levies  when  nearly  the 
whole  of  the  second  levy  is  also  called  out.  In  both  cases 
there  are  116  battalions,  which  consist  each  of  402  men  of  the 
first  levy,  and  are  only  filled  up  to  their  full  strength  of  1,000 
men  by  men  of  the  second  levy.  On  account  of  this  arrange- 
ment, if  only  the  men  of  the  first  levy  are  required,  a  large 
number  of  weak  battalions  are  formed,  which  are  more 
expensive  and  more  difficult  to  handle  than  would  be  a 
smaller  number  of  full  battalions.  It  would  appear  much 
simpler  to  have  a  certain  number  of  battalions  composed 
entirely  of  men  of  the  first  levy,  and  the  rest  entirely  of  men 

*  These  were  even  more  necessary  in  France,  where  the  bitterly  hostile 
feeling  of  the  inhabitants  and  the  Franc-Tireur  organization  required  con- 
stant watching. 


76  SEVEN   WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  III. 

of  the  second  levy ;  but  in  Prussia  this  simplicity  cannot  be 
obtained  because  it  is  considered  advisable  to  have  a  Landwehr 
battalion  for  every  recruiting  district,  and  only  to  enrol  the  men 
of  the  district  in  their  own  battalion.  If,  however,  treble  the 
population  which  inhabits  one  of  the  present  recruiting  districts 
were  included  in  one  district,  it  would  be  quite  easy  to  have 
three  battalions  of  Landwehr  for  each  district,  one  completely 
composed  of  men  of  the  first  levy,  the  second  of  the  first  men 
of  the  second,  and  the  third  of  the  later  men  of  the  second  levy, 
who  now  complete  the  battalions  up  to  their  full  strength.* 

In  some  respects,  which  are  easily  seen,  the  Prussian  Land- 
wehr resembles  the  British  Militia,  but  there  are  two  vital 
differences  between  our  organization  and  that  of  Prussia.  The 
first  is,  that  in  England  when  a  militia  regiment  is  formed  it  is 
made  up  of  men  who  are  not  old  soldiers,  and  consequently,  if 
the  regiment  is  for  some  years  disembodied,  all  its  late  recruits 
know  nothing  of  their  work  except  what  they  can  pick  up  in 
the  short  period  of  annual  training ;  so  that  in  course  of  time, 
if  a  regiment  remains  for  many  years  without  being  embodied, 
the  mass  of  the  ranks  contain  men  who  from  want  of  training 
are  unqualified  to  step  on  the  very  outbreak  of  a  war  into  the 
line  of  battle.  In  the  second  place,  the  Landwehr  of  the  first 
levy  is  as  much  an  attendant  and  concomitant  of  an  army  in 
the  field  as  the  park  of  reserve  artillery,  and  it  is  this  which 
makes  the  Landwehr  so  valuable,  because  it  thus  takes  up  the 
duties  which  otherwise  would  have  to  be  performed  by  detach- 
ments from  the  active  army.  If  the  Prussian  armies  in  the 
Austrian  campaign  had  been  obliged  to  leave  detachments  in 
Leipsic,  Dresden,  Prague,  Pardubitz,  and  along  the  railway 
from  Gorlitz  to  Briinn,  besides  troops  in  Hanover,  Hesse,  and 
on  the  lines  of  communications  of  the  armies  which  were 
fighting  against  the  Bavarians,  how  many  troops  would  have 
formed  the  first  lines  of  battle  either  on  the  Danube,  or  in  the 
theatre  of  war  near  the  Main  ?  It  is  probable  that  the  number 
of  Landwehr  men  employed  on  foreign  soil,  in  Saxony,  and  in 
guarding  and  garrisoning  the  rear  of  the  armies  which  were 
concentrated  between  the  Thaya  and  the   Danube,  would  be 

*  This  has  to  a  certain  extent  been  improved  since  1S66. 


Chap.  I.]        THE    WAR  STRENGTH  OF  PRUSSIA.  77 

under-estimated  at  103,000,  exclusive  of  the  corps  of  the  regular 
army  which  was  watching  Olmiitz.  If  this  estimate  be  at  all 
correct,  the  armies  which  were  collecting,  together  225,000 
regular  troops,  for  the  attack  upon  Vienna,  would,  unless  they 
had  had  these  Landwehr  behind  them,  have  been  reduced  to 
under  125,000  men.  In  fact,  an  English  army  under  the 
same  circumstances  would  have  been  shorn  of  almost  half  its 
strength. 

When  a  Prussian  army  with  its  unimpaired  strength  is  pre- 
paring to  fight  a  battle  in  an  enemy's  country,  when  supplies  of 
men  are  already  coming  up  in  anticipation  of  the  losses  which 
the  action  will  cause,  and  when  its  lines  of  communication  are 
guarded  and  secured  by  the  garrison  troops  in  its  rear,  it 
musters  an  enormous  number  of  soldiers,  who  must  every  day 
be  provided  with  food,  without  which  a  man  can  neither  fight, 
march,  nor  live ;  and  not  only  must  it  provide  for  itself  alone,  but 
also  for  the  prisoners  of  the  enemy  who  may  fall  into  its  hands, 
— not  only  food,  but  hospitals,  medicines,  and  attendants  for 
the  sick,  surgeries,  assistants,  and  appliances  for  the  wounded, 
and  the  means  of  conveying  both  sick  arid  wounded  from  the 
places  where  they  fall  helpless  to  convenient  spots  where  they 
may  be  tended  and  healed  at  a  safe  distance  from  the  danger 
of  battle,  or  of  being  taken  in  case  of  a  sudden  advance  of  the 
enemy.  It  is  extremely  difficult  from  mere  figures  to  realize 
what  a  gigantic  undertaking  it  was  to  supply  even  food  alone 
to  the  armies  which  fought  in  the  Austrian  campaign — more 
difficult  still  to  appreciate  the  difficulties  in  the  late  campaign 
in  France.  The  difficulties  of  such  a  task  may  be  conceived  if 
we  remember  that  the  front  line  of  the  Prussian  armies  in  front 
of  Vienna  mustered  nine  times  the  number  of  British  troops 
with  which  Lord  Raglan  invaded  the  Crimea ;  that  close  behind 
this  line  lay  General  Miilbe's  reserve  corps,  and  a  corps  of  the 
Army  of  Silesia,  which  was  watching  Olmiitz,  and  that  these 
two  corps  alone  were  stronger  by  4,000  men  than  all  the 
British,  German,  and  Spanish  troops  that  fought  at  Talavera; 
that  behind  them  again  was  a  large  mass  of  Landwehr ;  that 
during  the  siege  of  Sebastopol  the  British  army  was  stationary, 
and  had  the  great  advantage  of  sea  transport  to  within  a  few 
miles  of  its  camps,  while  in  the  late  campaigns  the  Prussian 


78  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  III. 

army  had  been  moving  forward  at  an  enormously  rapid  rate, 
and  that  the  men  to  be  fed  in  the  front  line  alone  numbered 
about  250,000  in  Austria* — a  population  as  large  as  that  of 
the  twelfth  part  of  London.     It  would  be  a  bold  man  who 
would   undertake   to    supply   the   twelfth   part   of   the   whole 
population  of  London  with  to-morrow's  food — a  bolder  still 
who  would  undertake  the  task  if  this  portion  of  the  population 
were  about  to  move  bodily  to-morrow  morning  down  to  Rich- 
mond, and  would  require  to  have  the  meat  for  their  dinner 
delivered  to  them  the  moment  they  arrived  there,  and  who, 
without  railway  transport,  agreed  to  keep  the  same  crowd  daily 
provided  with  food  until  moving  at  the  same  rate  they  arrived 
at  Plymouth;  and  yet  a  general  has  to  do  much  more  than 
this  in  giving  food  to  his  men, — he  has,  besides  the  ordinary 
difficulties  of  such  a  task,  to  calculate  upon  bad  roads,  weary 
horses,  breaking  waggons,  the  attacks  of  an  enemy's  cavalry ; 
he  has  not  only  to  get  the  food  to  the  troops,  but  in  many  cases 
he  has  to  provide  it  in  the  first  place;  he  has  to  keep  his 
magazines    constantly   stocked,    to    increase   the    amount   of 
transport  in  exact  proportion  as  his  troops  advance ;  to  feed 
not  only  the  fighting  men,  but  all  the  men  who  are  employed 
in  carrying  provisions  to  the  combatants,  to  find  hay  and  corn 
for  all  the  horses   of  the  cavalry  and  for  the  horses  of  the 
transport  waggons,  and  to  arrange  beforehand  so  that  every 
man  and  horse  shall  halt  for  the  night  in  close  proximity  to  a 
large  supply  of  good  water.     This  is  not  the  lightest  nor  the 
least  of  a  general's  duties.     It  was  the  proud  boast  of  England's 
great   soldier   that  "many  could  lead  troops,  he  could  feed 
them."     When  the  enemy  is  in  front,  and  any  moment  may 
bring  on  an  action,  a  general  has  little  time  to  turn  his  mind  to 
the  organization  of  a  system  of  supply.     Then  he  must  sift 
intelligence,  weigh  infonnation,  divine  his  adversary's  intentions 
almost  before  they  are  formed,  prepare  a  parry  for  every  blow, 
and  speed  a  thrust  into  any  opening  joint  of  his  antagonist's 
harness.     The  means  of  supplying  troops  ought  to  be  given 
ready  into  the  hands  of. a  general;  they  should  be  all  arranged 
and  organised  beforehand,  so  that  he  has  but  to  see  that  they 
are  properly  administered  and  made  use  of. 

*  In  France,  towards  the  end  of  the  siege  of  Paris,  over  500,000. 


Chap.  I.]        THE    WAR  STRENGTH  OF  PRUSSIA.  79 

The  transport  which  follows  a  Prussian  army  in  the  field, 
exclusive  of  the  waggons  of  each  battalion,  the  artillery  and 
engineer  trains,  and  the  field  telegraph  divisions,  is  divided 
under  two  heads,  both  of  which  are  under  the  control  of  the 
Intendantur.  The  first  but  smaller  portion  is  kept  for  the  use 
of  the  Commissariat  branch,  and  is  usually  retained  solely  for 
the  supply  of  food  to  men.  The  second  portion  carries  the 
medicines  and  hospital  necessaries  for  the  sick  and  wounded, 
together  with  the  means  of  carrying  disabled  men,  food  for 
horses,  stores  to  supply  magazines,  and  all  materiel  except 
munitions  of  war  and  regimental  equipment. 

The  first  portion  for  use  of  the  Commissariat  branch  consists 
in  the  first  place  of  a  certain  amount  of  waggons,  which  are  in 
time  of  peace  always  kept  ready  in  case  of  war,  and  imme- 
diately on  the  mobilization  of  the  army  are  provided  with 
horses  and  drivers  from  the  military  train,  who  are  entirely 
under  the  control  of  the  Intendant-General.  Each  army  has 
an  army  intendant ;  each  corps  has  with  its  head-quarters  an 
army  intendant,  and  an  Intendantur  officer  is  attached  to  each 
division.  These  officers,  with  their  subalterns  and  assistants, 
form  the  first  links  of  the  chain  by  which  a  General  draws  food 
to  his  troops.  The  provision  columns  of  each  corps  d'armee, 
which  are  always  retained  in  peace  ready  to  be  mobilized, 
consist  of  five  provision  columns,  each  of  which  has  2  officers, 
98  men,  161  horses,  and  32  waggons.  If  the  corps  d'arme'e  is 
broken  up  into  divisions,  a  certain  portion  of  these  columns 
accompanies  each  infantry  division,  the  cavalry  division,  and 
the  reserve  artillery.  The  160  waggons  which  form  these 
columns  carry  three  days'  provisions  for  every  man  in  the 
corps  d'armee ;  as  soon  as  the  waggons  which  carry  the  first 
day's  supply  are  emptied,  they  are  sent  off  to  the  magazines  in 
rear,  replenished,  and  must  be  up  again  with  the  troops  to 
supply  the  fourth  day's  food,  for  in  the  two  days'  interval  the 
other  waggons  will  have  been  emptied.  As  it  is  easier  to  carry 
flour  than  bread  in  these  waggons,  each  corps  d'armee  is 
accompanied  by  a  field  bakery,  which  consists  of  1  officer  and 
118  men,  27  horses,  and  5  waggons,  which  are  distributed 
among  the  troops  as  may  be  most  convenient;  and  as  the 
horses  of  both  the  provision  columns  and  field  bakeries  have 


80  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  III. 

very  hard  work,  a  depot  of  86  horses,  with  48  spare  drivers, 
accompanies  each  corps  d'armee.  These  provision  columns 
thus  carry  three  days'  provisions,  but  in  a  country  where 
supplies  are  not  very  abundant  they  can  do  nothing  in  the  way 
of  collecting  food  ;  their  duty  is  simply  to  bring  provisions  from 
the  magazines  where  they  are  gathered  together,  and  to  carry 
them  to  the  troops.  It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  as  the  army 
advances  these  magazines  must  advance  also,  and  that  means 
must  be  provided  for  keeping  the  magazines  full.  The  collec- 
tion of  food  in  such  magazines  entails  an  enormous  amount  of 
transport;  this  transport  is  obtained  by  hiring  waggons  and 
carts  at  home  in  the  country  where  the  war  is  being  carried  on, 
or  in  the  countries  near  it.  Waggons  hired  in  the  country  are 
also  used  for  carrying  forage  for  the  horses  of  the  cavalry  and 
artillery  from  the  magazines  to  the  front,  for  the  provision 
columns  only  carry  food  for  the  men. 

When  the  army  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles  advanced  from 
Saxony,  it  made  its  first  marches  as  if  in  a  totally  desert  country 
as  far  as  the  supply  of  provisions  was  concerned,  because  the 
Prussian  Generals  knew  it  was  quite  possible  that  the  Austrians 
might,  in  order  to  retard  their  progress,  lay  waste  the  country. 
Immense  magazines  were  accordingly  collected  at  Gorlitz  and 
in  Saxony,  which,  as  the  army  advanced,  were  brought  forward 
by  railway  and  by  long  trains  of  country  waggons  to  places 
where  they  could  be  conveniently  reached  by  the  provision 
waggons  and  forage  carts.  These  magazines  were  constantly 
replenished  both  by  food  and  forage  brought  by  railway  from 
the  interior  of  Prussia,  or  by  requisitions  levied  on  Saxony  and 
Bohemia  of  food  and  forage,  for  which  the  Commissariat  paid 
by  cheques  which  the  fortune  of  war  afterwards  allowed  to  be 
defrayed  from  the  war  contributions  paid  by  the  Austrian  and 
Saxon  Governments.  Had  the  fate  of  arms  been  different,  ot 
course  Saxony  and  Austria  would  have  provided  that  these 
cheques  should  be  honoured  by  the  Berlin  Exchequer.  When 
it  was  found  that  the  country  was  not  laid  waste,  the  provision 
waggons  in  some  cases  were  filled  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
troops  by  requisitions,  but  this  was  found  not  to  be  so  good  a 
plan  as  to  send  them  back  to  magazines  where  the  provisions 
were  collected  ready  for  them,  because  the  time  taken  up  in 


Chap.  L]        THE    WAR  STRENGTH  OF  PRUSSIA.  81 

gathering  together  driblets  of  food  and  forage  from  each  village, 
and  the  great  distances  over  which  waggons  had  to  move,  im- 
posed an  enormous  amount  of  work  on  both  the  men  and  horses. 
Although  the  requisition  system  was  very  useful,  it  was  only 
regarded  as  an  auxiliary  means  of  supply,  for  the  armies  moved 
prepared  every  day  to'  find  that  the  country  in  front  Of  them 
might  be  devastated,  and  Prussia  and  Saxony  were  always 
looked  upon  as  the  real  sources  of  supplies;  and  this  was 
absolutely  necessary,  because  it  would  have  been  impossible  to 
feed  such  a  large  force  as  the  Prussian  armies  presented  by 
requisitions  alone,  for  requisitions  cannot  conveniently  be  made 
at  great  distances  from  the  direct  line  of  communications,  and 
in  a  very  short  time  the  quarter  of  a  million  of  men  who  were 
in  the  front  line  alone  would  have  eaten  up  everything  in  the 
country  around  them  if  they  had  been  dependent  on  that  tract 
of  country  only  for  supplies.  Then,  even  if  the  troops  could 
have  got  food  from  more  distant  places,  the  villagers  and 
country  people  would  have  starved ;  but  it  is  the  interest  of  a 
general  to  make  his  requisitions  so  that  they  do  not  drive  the 
inhabitants  to  destitution,  for  terrible  sickness  always  follows 
in  the  train  of  want,  and,  if  pestilence  breaks  out  among  the 
people  of  the  country,  it  is  certain  immediately  to  appear  in 
the  ranks  of  the  invading  army.* 

The  trains  which  accompany  the  medical  department  of  a 
corps  d'armee  into  the  field  consist  of  three  heavy  hospital 
trains,  each  of  which  has  14  surgeons,  114  men,  69  horses,  and 
n  waggons,  and  twelve  light  divisional  hospital  trains,  each 
with  13  surgeons,  74  men,  56  horses,  and  11  waggons.  Each 
light  train  carries  medicines,  materials,  instruments,  and  ambu- 
lances for  200  sick.  Each  corps  d'armee  has,  besides,  three 
detachments  of  sick-bearers,  who,  on  the  day  of  battle,  are 
divided  among  the  troops  ;  each  battalion  has  also  sixteen  men 
appointed  as  assistant  sick-bearers,  who,  with  the  regular  sick- 
bearers,  carry  the  wounded  to  the  rear ;  no  other  man  is  ever 
allowed  to  quit  the  ranks  under  fire.  When  a  man  is  struck,  he 
is  taken  immediately  a  short  distance  out   of  fire  to  where  the 

*  In  the  campaign  in  France,  the  system  ot  requisitions  was  ultimately 
abandoned.  Stores  which  were  wanted  were  purchased,  and  the  cost  re- 
covered by  money  contributions  levied  on  the  occupied  towns  and  districts. 

G 


82  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  III. 

battalion  surgeons  are  waiting ;  they  hastily  bind  up  his  wound, 
he  is  then  placed  in  an  ambulance  waggon  and  carried  to  the 
light  divisional  field  hospital,  which  is  kept  out  of  fire  about  a 
couple  of  miles  in  the  rear.  The  surgeons  here  perform  any 
necessary  operation  that  is  absolutely  required,  but  men  are 
only  kept  here  until  a  sufficient  number  arrive  to  fill  a  large 
ambulance  waggon,  which,  as  soon  as  filled,  is  sent  off  to  the 
heavy  hospital  trains  which  are  established  in  the  villages  in  the 
rear.  At  the  beginning  of  the  battle  of  Sadowa  the  regimental 
surgeons  were  occupied  in  every  sheltered  nook  of  ground 
on  the  hill  of  Dub,  the  divisional  hospitals  were  behind  that 
hill  and  in  Milowitz,  the  heavy  hospitals  were  in  and  about 
Horitz.  When  the  Austrians  retreated  and  the  Prussian  troops 
advanced,  the  divisional  hospitals  followed  ;  and,  before  the 
Austrian  guns  had  ceased  firing,  were  established  in  Sadowa, 
Chlum,  and  Lipa,  and  all  the  other  villages  in  the  field  whither 
the  indefatigable  sick-bearers  were  rapidly  bringing  in  both 
Austrian  and  Prussian  wounded. 

When  the  field  army,  the  depot  and  garrison  troops,  and  the 
provisional  and  medical  department  trains  have  been  mobilized, 
the  Prussian  army  is  fit  to  take  the  field.  The  necessary  com- 
mandants and  staffs  of  the  districts  where  the  depot  troops  are 
stationed  are  composed  either  of  officers  detached  from  the 
regular  army  or  of  invalid  officers.  When  the  army  takes  the 
field,  its  movements  must  be  directed  not  only  so  as  to  pursue 
the  original  plan  of  the  campaign,  but  also  so  as  to  keep  pace 
with  the  enemy's  combinations,  and  the  movements  of  its  dif- 
ferent parts  must  be  guided  by  orders  from  the  directing  general. 

The  above  is  a  sketch  of  the  general  system  on  which  the 
Prussian  army  is  normally  organized.  How  such  an  army  is 
worked  in  the  field,  how  its  resources  are  made  available,  and 
how  it  achieves  the  objects  for  which  it  has  been  mobilized, 
must  depend  in  a  great  measure  upon  the  skill  of  the  General 
to  whose  direction  it  is  entrusted.  What  an  army  so  organized 
can  effect  when  its  motions  are  guided  by  a  skilful  hand,  the 
rapid  victories  of  the  late  campaign  have  shown.  When  the 
field  army  enters  on  the  theatre  of  war,  the  organizer  and  ad- 
ministrator has  done  with  it ;  his  province  is  then  to  take  care 
that   its  recruits  are  forthcoming  and  its  supplies  are   ready 


Chap.  L]         THE    WAR  STRENGTH  OF  PRUSSIA.  83 

when  required.  But  when  an  army  is  handed  over  to  the 
general  who  is  to  use  it,  he  has  a  right  to  expect  that  when  he  re- 
ceives his  divisions  he  shall  also  receive  the  means  of  manoeuvr- 
ing them ;  and  when  he  assumes  the  command  of  his  corps  he 
shall  be  provided  with  every  appliance  which  can  help  him  to 
move  them  in  the  combination  and  unison  without  which  dif- 
ferent bodies  of  troops  are  not  an  army,  but  a  series  of  scattered 
detachments,  which  must  be  easily  defeated  in  detail,  or  in 
isolation  taken  prisoners  by  an  active  and  energetic  enemy. 
After  the  plan  of  a  campaign  has  been  once  decided  upon,  the 
means  by  which  a  general  moves  his  troops  into  positions 
where  they  may  act  most  advantageously,  and  from  which  they 
may  strike  the  heavy  blows  that  will  gain  a  speedy  and  profit- 
able peace — for  a  peace  is  the  ultimate  object  of  all  wars — may 
be  classed  under  the  heads  of  Information,  Intelligence,  and 
the  Transmission  of  Orders.  Information  of  the  enemy's  pre- 
parations, of  the  number  of  troops  he  can  put  into  the  field, — 
how  those  troops  will  be  armed,  organized,  and  administered, — 
should  be  obtained  by  the  Government  of  the  country  to  which 
the  army  belongs,  and  communicated  to  the  general  when  he 
takes  the  command  of  the  army. 

To  acquire  this  information  concerning  foreign  armies  during 
peace  every  country  in  Europe  devotes  a  special  department  of 
its  War  Office,  which  is  ever  busy  collecting  and  compiling  sta- 
tistics of  every  foreign  army,  because,  however  friendly  the 
relations  of  any  two  countries  may  be,  it  can  never  be  known 
how  long  they  may  remain  so.  As  soon  as  hostilities  are  immi- 
nent, a  War  Office  has  little  chance  of  obtaining  much  informa- 
tion from  inside  the  lines  of  the  probable  enemy;  then  the 
duty  of  collecting  information  devolves  upon  the  general  him- 
self, who  must,  by  every  means  he  can  avail  himself  of,  dis- 
cover, as  far  as  possible,  every  position  and  intention  of  his 
adversary's  troops.  For  this  purpose,  during  war,  spies  are 
generally  employed.  Spies  have  a  dangerous  task,  and  not  an 
honourable  one;  consequently,  except  in  very  rare  and  extreme 
cases,  officers  will  not  accept  the  invidious  duty,  and  it  is  often 
extremely  difficult  to  find  persons  who  will  consent  to  act  as 
spies  sufficiently  conversant  with  military  matters  to  make  their 
information  worth  having.  Money  is  the  great  means  of  obtain^- 

g  2 


84  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  III. 

ing  good  spies  ;  needy  adventurers  and  unscrupulous  men  will, 
if  well  paid,  do  the  work,  and,  for  the  sake  of  a  sufficient  sum, 
run  the  risk  of  the  certain  death  which  awaits  them  if  dis- 
covered in  disguise  within  the  hostile  outposts.  Even  if  it 
were  accurately  known  how  the  Prussian  information  was  de- 
rived from  within  the  Austrian  lines  during  the  1866  campaign, 
it  would  be  too  delicate  a  subject  to  enter  upon ;  but  it  may  be 
stated  here,  though  such  a  statement  is  hardly  necessary,  that 
all  the  absurd  rumours  circulated  at  the  beginning  of  the  cam- 
paign, which  implied  that  Austrian  officers  were  guilty  of  the 
hideous  crime  of  betraying  the  movements  of  their  army  to  the 
enemy,  were  utterly  without  foundation,  and  were  cruel  libels 
against  brave  men  who,  however  unfortunate  in  the  result  of 
the  war,  won  the  admiration  of  every  rank  in  the  Prussian 
army  by  their  gallantry,  chivalrous  bearing,  and  courage,  not 
only  on  the  field  of  battle,  but  in  all  the  trying  incidents  to 
which  a  disastrous  campaign  gives  rise.  It  is  not  proper  even 
to  express  a  guess  as  to  how  information  was  collected,  but  the 
Austrians  dealt  out  death  with  no  sparing  hand  among  suspected 
persons  found  within  their  lines,  so  probably  they  had  cause  to 
imagine  that  there  were  spies  in  the  midst  of  their  troops. 

The  infonnation  collected  from  spies  is  not,  in  most  cases, 
completely  trustworthy.  In  the  first  place,  the  men  who 
undertake  this  duty  are  nearly  always  mercenary  wretches,  who 
will  sell  friend  and  foe  alike  as  best  suits  their  own  interests ; 
in  the  second  place,  spies  are  seldom  sufficiently  acquainted 
with  military  matters  not  to  exaggerate  movements  cf  slight 
importance,  and  miss  observing  vital  combinations.  To  test 
the  accuracy  of  their  reports  intelligence  is  collected  by  means 
of  reconnoitring  officers,  who,  either  alone  or  attended  by  a 
few  troopers,  get  as  close  as  they  can  to  the  enemy's  posts ; 
observe  as  far  as  possible,  without  the  use  of  disguise  and  in 
full  uniform,  the  positions  of  his  troops ;  and,  when  discovered 
and  pursued  by  his  patrols,  fight  or  ride  to  bring  their  intel- 
ligence safe  home  to  their  own  outposts.  Intelligence  is  also 
culled  by  every  vedette  and  every  advanced  sentinel,  but  the 
reconnoitring  officer  is  the  main  source.  To  reconnoitre  well 
requires  not  only  a  brave  but  a  very  able  officer,  with  a  quick 
eye,  a  ready  memory,  and  a  great  knowledge  of  the  indications 


Chap.  I.]         THE    WAR  STRENGTH  OF  PRUSSIA.  85 

which  tell  the  presence  of  hostile  troops,  and  allow  an  estimate 
to  be  formed  of  the  force  in  which  they  are.  Two  Prussian 
officers  of  the  staff  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles,  the  afternoon 
before  the  battle  of  Koniggratz,  boldly  approached  the 
Austrian  lines,  observed  the  positions  of  the  Austrian 
troops,  and,  though  both  pursued  and  assaulted  by  cavalry, 
got  safe  home,  and  brought  to  their  General  certain 
intelligence  which  allowed  him  to  frame  the  combinations 
that  resulted  in  the  morrow's  victory.  When  the  reconnoitring 
officer  regains  the  shelter  of  his  own  outposts,  he  must  either 
personally  bring  or  by  some  means  send  his  intelligence  as 
quickly  as  possible  to  head-quarters.  The  plan  usually  pursued 
in  European  armies  has  been  for  the  officer  himself  to  ride  quickly 
to  his  General,  and  to  be  the  first  bearer  of  his  intelligence. 

When  a  General  receives  intelligence,  he  has  to  weigh  it, 
consider  it,  and  often  strike  the  balance  between  conflicting 
information.  He  has  then  to  move  his  own  divisions  in  ac- 
cordance with  his  deductions,  and  must  send  word  to  any 
co-operating  force  of  what  he  has  heard,  and  what  he  is  about 
to  do.  Undoubtedly,  the  quickest  way  for  a  reconnoitring 
officer  to  despatch  his  reports  to  his  General,  and  for  the 
General  to  communicate  with  his  own  divisions  and  with  his 
colleagues,  would  be  by  electric  telegraph;  but  it  would  be 
almost  impossible  for  a  reconnoitring  officer  to  communicate 
with  head-quarters  by  electricity.  Reconnoitring  expeditions 
are  made  so  suddenly  and  so  uncertainly  that,  quick  as  the 
Prussian  field  telegraph  is  laid  down,  this  means  of  communi- 
cation is  hardly  available  with  the  outposts.  Nor  is  the 
electric  telegraph  easily  used  to  communicate  with  every 
division ;  it  might  be  so  used,  but  its  application  would 
require  a  number  of  extra  waggons  to  be  attached  to  every 
division,  and  would  bring  a  confusing  number  of  lines  into  the 
office  of  the  chief  of  the  staff.  During  the  late  campaign 
orders  were  sent  to  the  divisional  commanders  by  mounted 
officers,  who  were  attached  to  head-quarters  for  this  special 
purpose.  Besides  these  officers  a  certain  number  of  picked 
troopers  are  selected  from  every  cavalry  regiment,  and  formed 
into  a  special  corps  at  the  beginning  of  a  campaign,  and  a 
certain  number  attached  to   every  General.     These  troopers 


$6  SEVEN  WEEKS'   WAR.  [Book  III. 

form  the  General's  escort,  and  act  as  orderlies  to  carry  unim- 
portant messages.  When  an  officer  is  sent  with  an  important 
order,  one  or  two  of  these  soldiers  are  sent  with  him,  in  case 
of  his  being  attacked  to  act  as  a  defence  as  far  as  possible,  to 
yield  up  a  horse  to  him  in  case  of  his  own  breaking  down,  or,  in 
case  of  his  being  killed,  to  carry  the  order  themselves  to  its 
destination,  or,  at  any  rate,  to  prevent  its  falling  into  the  hands 
of  the  enemy  if  the  officer  is  wounded  and  likely  to  be  taken. 
During  the  campaign  the  communications  between  head- 
quarters and  divisions  were  kept  up  by  means  of  mounted 
officers  ;  but  communications  between  the  head-quarters  of 
each  army  and  the  King  were  maintained  by  means  of  the 
field-telegraph.  For  this  purpose  a  field-telegraph  division  is 
attached  to  the  head-quarters  of  each  army.  It  consists  of 
three  officers,  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  men,  seventy- 
three  horses,  and  ten  waggons.  Two  of  the  waggons  contain 
batteries  and  instruments,  and  are  fitted  up  as  operating 
rooms;  the  other  eight  waggons  each  contain  the  wires  and 
means  of  putting  them  up  over  five  miles  of  country ;  thus 
each  division  can,  with  its  own  materials,  form  telegraphic 
communication  over  forty  miles.  These  forty  miles  are,  how- 
ever, seldom  all  required,  for  the  lines  of  the  communications 
of  armies  usually  run  along  railways,  and  as  far  as  possible  the 
permanent  wires  are  repaired  by  the  men  of  the  division,  and 
made  use  of  for  the  telegraphic  communication  of  the  army. 
Each  division  carries  with  it  five  miles  of  insulated  wire  for  the 
purpose  of  laying  through  rivers  or  lakes  if  these  should  come 
in  the  way  of  the  line.  The  wires  are  coiled  inside  each 
waggon  on  rollers,  from  which  they  can  be  uncoiled  as  the 
waggon  moves  along,  or  in  bad  ground  the  roller  can  be 
transferred  to  a  stretcher,  which  is  carried  between  two  men. 
The  poles  are  exceedingly  light,  and  about  ten  feet  high,  so 
that  where  the  wire  crosses  roads  it  may  pass  clear  over  the 
heads  of  mounted  men.  As  it  is  equally  culpable  in  war  to 
prevent  communication  by  unfair  means  within  the  lines  of  an 
army  as  it  is  to  seek  to  obtain  the  same  in  disguise  between 
the  enemy's  sentries,  any  enemy  not  in  uniform,  or  any  one  in 
the  enemy's  pay  who  is  detected  cutting  the  telegraph  wire,  is 
regarded  as  a  spy,  and  treated  accordingly. 


Chap.  L]        THE    WAR  STRENGTH  OF  PRUSSIA.  87 

During  the  war  of  1866  this  organization  had  not  been 
entirely  introduced  into  the  Prussian  army,  and  the  arrange- 
ments for  the  prosecution  of  the  war  consequently  slightly 
differed  from  those  which  would  have  been  made  if  time  had 
allowed  the  regulated  organization  to  have  been  thoroughly 
introduced  into  the  service. 

It  may  be  convenient  to  subjoin  here  a  summary  statement, 
compiled  carefully  from  the  best  authorities,  of  the  organization 
and  strength  of  the  Prussian  army,  which  was  employed  for  the 
various  purposes  of  the  war. 

Every  Prussian  who  was  twenty  years  old  entered  the  army 
as  a  soldier  without  distinction  of  rank  or  wealth.  Time  of 
service  was  with  the  colours  three  years,  in  the  reserve  five 
years,  and  in  the  Landwehr  eleven  years. 

1.— INFANTRY. 

a.  Guard. — 4  Regiments  of  Foot  Guards 

of  three  battalions  each  =  12  batts.  =  12,024  men 
4  Regiments  of  Grenadiers  of 

the  Guard          .         .     .  —  12      ,,  =  12,024   ,, 

1  Regiment  of  Fusiliers          .  —  •   3      ,,  =      3,°o6   ,, 

9  Regiments    of   the    Guard     =     27  batts.    =    27,054  men 

b.  Line. — 52  Regiments  of  Infantry  (13 — 

32  and  41 — 72)  of  three 

battalions,  each  .     .      —    156  batts.    =  I56,3i2men 

12  Regiments    of    Grenadiers 

(i— 12).         .         .         .      =     36      ,,       =    36,072   ,, 
8  Regiments       of      Fusiliers 

(33—40)        .         .         .      *     24     „      =    24,048   „ 

72  Regiments  of  the  Line  .     .      =   216  batts.  =  216,432  men 

c.  Riflemen  and  Light  Troops— 

1  Batt.     of     Jagers    of     the 

Guard   .         .         .         .  =  I  batt.  =  1,002  men 

I  Batt.  Schiitzen       .         .     .  =  I     ,,  =  1,002    „ 

8     ,,     Jagers    of    the    Line  =  8     ,,  =  8,016   ,, 

10     ,,     of  Riflemen       .         .      =     10     „       =     10,020  men 

The  total  Infantry      '         .     .      =  253  batts.  =  253,506  men 

The  armament  of  the  Infantry  regiments  was  the  needle-gun 
with  the  ordinary  bayonet ;  that  of  the  Fusilier  regiments  the 
fusilier  musket,  which  only  differed  from  the  ordinary  needle- 


8S 


SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR. 


[Book  III. 


gun  in  being  rather  shorter  and  lighter  ;  that  of  the  Jagers  the 
needle-rifle  with  sword-bayonet. 

2.— CAVALRY. 

a.  GUARD — I  Regiment  of  Garde  du 

Corps  of  four  squad- 
rons .... 

1  Regiment      of    Cuiras- 

siers     .         .         . 
3  Regiments  of  Uhlans 

2  Regiments  of  Dragoons 
I  Regiment  of  Hussars    . 

$  Regiments   pf    Cavalry 
of  the  Guard 

b.  LINE.  — 8  Regiments  of  Cuirassiers 

12  Regiments  of  Uhlans    . 

12  Regiments  of  Hussars 
(of  which  eight  had  4 
squadrons,  and  four 
had  5  .  .  . 
8  Regiments  of  Dragoons 
(of  which  four  had  4, 
and  four  had  5  squa- 
drons) 


4  squad. 

= 

600  horsemen 

4         M 

12      ,, 

= 

600           ,, 
1,800 

3  „ 

4  „ 

= 

1,200          ,, 

600          ,, 

32  squad. 

4,800  horsemen 

32  squad. 
48     „ 

= 

4,800  horsemen 
7,200 

=   52  „     =  7,800 


=    36   „     =   5,400 


40  Regiments  of  Cavalry  of 

the  Line        .         .     .      =    168  squad.  =  25,200  horsemen 
Total  of  Cavalry  .         .      =   200  squad.  =  30,000  horsemen 

The  armament  of  the  Cuirassier  regiments  was  cuirass, 
helmet,  sabre,  and  pistol ;  that  of  Uhlans,  lance,  sword,  and 
pistol ;  of  Dragoons  and  Hussars,  sword  and  needle-carbine. 
Cuirassiers  and  Uhlans  were  heavy,  Dragoons  and  Hussars 
light  cavalry.  The  horses  were  all  of  Prussian  breed,  mostly 
from  good  English  sires  and  grandsires. 

3.— ARTILLERY. 

I. — 1  Brigade  of  Artillery  of  the  Guard,  three  divisions  of 

field  batteries,  of  which  each  consists  of  four 

batteries  of  6  guns  *  ..... 

I   Division  of  Horse  Artillery  of  the  Guard,  consisting 

of  six  batteries  of  4  guns  each .  .         . 


Total  Field  Artillery  of  the  Guard 


72  guns 

24     „ 
96  guns 


Of  these  4  batteries  were  armed  with  the  rifled    6-pounder  gun. 

4         5j  >>  j>  4        » 

4        ,,  ,,  smooth  12         ,, 


:hap.  I.]         THE    WAR  STRENGTH  OF  PRUSSIA. 


2. — 8  Brigades  of  Artillery  of  the  Line  =    144  batteries    . 

S 


Total  of  Field  Artillery  162  batteries 
2  Divisions  of  Garrison  Artillery  called  out 
batteries      ..... 


4.— SPECIAL  TROOPS. 

1  Battalion  of  Pioneers  of  the  Guard .         .         .     . 

8  „  „  Line 

9  Battalions  of  Pioneers  =  36  companies  .         .     . 

5.— MILITARY   TRAIN. 
I  Battalion  of  Military  Train  of  the  Guard  of  two 


= 

76S 
864 

guns 
guns 

= 

96 

» 

= 

1,002 

8,016 

men 

5> 

= 

9,018 

men 

companies      . 
8  Battalions  of  Military  Train  of  the  Line 

Total  Military  Train  , 

DEPOT    TROOPS. 


=  1,226  men 
=  9,So8    „ 


11,034  men 


Each  regiment  of  Infantry  on  being  mobilized  formed  a 
depot  battalion,  each  regiment  of  Cavalry  a  depot  squadron, 
each  Jager  battalion  a  depot  company,  each  brigade  of  Ar- 
tillery a  depot  division,  each  battalion  of  Pioneers  a  depot 
company : — 

81  depot  battalions  of  Infantry  .... 

10     ,,      companies  of  J agers  . 

48     ,,      squadrons    ...... 

9     ,,      divisions  of  Artillery  (228  guns) 

9     ,,      companies  of  pioneers  . 

Total  of  Depot  troops    . 

Thus  the  strength  of  the  Prussian  regular  army  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  campaign  was — 


=    81,162 

men 

=      2,500 

5» 

=       7,200 

J> 

=      7.400 

5  J 

=      2,250 

J> 

=   100,512 

men 

Infantry     .... 

Cavalry 

Artillery     .... 

Pioneers 

Train  .... 

Non-combatants      with     regi 

ments,  &c. 
Depot  troops  . 
Officers       .... 


253.504  men 

30,000  ,, 

35/100  ,,  with  S64  guns 

9,018  ,, 

11,034  >> 

18,000  ,, 

100,512  ,,  with  228  gims 
[3,000 


Total  about  473,600  men,  with  100,000  horses  and  1,092  guns. 


90  SEVEN  WEEKS'   WAR.  [Book  III. 

The  Landwehr,  the  first  levy  of  which  formed  the  troops 
of  reserve  supports,  and  for  garrison  duties  in  support  of  the 
regular  army,  and  consisted  of  men  between  twenty-eight  and 
thirty-two  years  of  age,  was  organized  as  follows  : — 


Infantry. — 4  Regiments  of  Landwehr  of 
the  Guard,  each  of  three 
battalions  .         .     . 

32  Regiments  of  Landwehr 
battalions,  each  of  three 
and  eight  independent 
battalions 


Ii6batt.    =  118,900  men 


At  first  the  majority  of  the  battalions  were  formed  500 
strong,  and  at  a  later  period  raised  only  to  the  strength  of  800 
men  by  calling  up  some  of  the  second  levy  of  the  Landwehr, 
so  that  the  actual  strength  of  the  Landwehr  did  not  reach 
118,900  men.  Of  these  one  hundred  and  sixteen  battalions, 
twenty-four  were  amalgamated  together  in  the  first  reserve 
corps  d'armee ;  the  remainder  were  used  as  garrisons  for  for- 
tresses and  for  the  maintenance  of  occupied  territories. 

The  Cavalry  of  the  first  levy  of  the  Landwehr  consisted  of 
twelve  regiments : — 

I  Heavy    Cavalry     Regiment     of    4 

squadrons =       4  squad.  =        600  horsemen 

5  Regiments  of  Uhlans       .          .  =  20       ,,  =   3,000         ,, 

1  Regiment  of  Dragoons        .          .     .  =       4       ,,  =       600         ,, 

5  Regiments  of  Hussars    .         .  =  20       ,,  =    3,000         ,, 


7,200 


During  the  course  of  the  war  seven  more  regi- 
ments of  four  squadrons  each  were  formed  =    4,200 


Total  Landwehr  Cavalry      .         .  =11,400        ,, 

The  remainder  of  the  Landwehr  of  the  second  levy,  after 
the  battalions  above  mentioned  had  been  filled  up  to  Avar 
strength,  was  only  called  out  in  special  cases,  and  by  par- 
ticular orders.  The  men  were  then  either  sent  to  increase  the 
strength  of  the  battalions  under  arms,  or  could  be  formed  in 
independent  regiments,  which  could  consist  of  one  hundred 
and  sixteen  battalions  of  Infantry,  and  one  hundred  and  forty- 
four  squadrons  of  Cavalry. 

The  regiment  of  Infantry  consisted  of  three  battalions,  each 


Chap.  I.]        THE    WAR  STRENGTH  OF  PRUSSIA. 


9i 


of  four  companies.  Each  company  consisted  of  two  divisions. 
The  formation  for  parade  was  in  three  ranks ;  in  action  the 
third  rank  men  of  the  whole  battalion  acted  as  skirmishers,  or 
three  of  each  company  formed  a  third  two-rank  deep  division 
of  the  company. 

Each  squadron  of  Cavalry  was  formed  of  four  divisions; 
the  formation  was  always  in  double  rank. 

The  Prussian  fleet,  which  till  within  the  last  few  years  has 
never  aspired  to  any  very  distinguished  place  amongst  those  of 
the  great  maritime  Powers,  consisted  at  the  beginning  of  the 
war  of  eight  screw  corvettes,  namely — 


The  Arcona 
Gazelle  . 
Vincta 
Nymph  . 
Augusta 
Victoria 
Hertha 
Medusa 


28  guns, 

400  horse-power 

•  28   „ 

400     ,, 

•  28   „ 

400     ,, 

•   17  „ 

200     ,, 

■      14   „ 

400     ,, 

•   14   „ 

400     ,, 

•  28   „ 

400     ,, 

•   17  „ 

200     ,, 

of  also  eight  gunboats  of  the  first-class,  each  of  which  had 
three  guns,  and  was  of  80  horse-power ;  of  fifteen  gunboats  of 
the  second  class,  each  of  which  mounted  two  guns,  and 
was  of  60  horse-power;  of  also  four  steam  despatch-boats, 
namely — 


The  Eagle 
Loreley  . 
Grief  . 
Grille    . 


4  guns,  300  horse-power 

2       „  120 

2       ,,  50 

2       „  160 


of  also  two  paddle-wheel  steamers — 


Arminius 
Cheops  . 


4  guns,  300  horse- power 


Thus   the   whole   steam-fleet   mustered    altogether    only    245 
guns. 

Of  sailing-vessels  Prussia  possessed  the  frigates  Gcpin,  48 
guns;  Thetis,  36;  and  the  Niobe,  26:  the  brigs  Rover ;  16 
guns;  Mosquito,  16;  He/a,  6:  the  schooners  litis  and 
Leopaj-dj  and  the  guard-ship  Barbarossa,  of  9  guns,  as  well 


92  SEVEN  WEEKS'  WAR.  [Book  III. 

as  thirty-four  sloops  of  2  guns  each,  and  four  yawls  of  1  gun 
each. 

The  personnel  of  the  fleet  was  formed  of  a  ship's  comple- 
ment division  of  1,882  men,  among  whom  are  included 
officers,  officials,  and  boys;  of  a  dockyard  division  of  589 
men;  and  of  the  marines  (infantry  and  artillery),  who  num- 
bered 952  men. 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE   WAR    STRENGTH    OF   AUSTRIA. 

Since  its  last  war  the  Government  of  Austria  has  decided 
upon  a  total  re-organization  of  its  army.  It  is  therefore  only 
necessary  here  to  show  as  briefly  as  possible  the  organization 
of  the  Austrian  army  as  it  existed  at  the  beginning  of  the 
campaign,  more  with  a  view  to  deduce  therefrom  the  actual 
umber  engaged,  than  to  take  any  special  notice  of  a  system 
which  the  most  bitter  experience  has  proved  to  be  grievously 
faulty.* 

The  Empire  of  Austria  had  at  the  beginning  of  the  war  an 
|area  of  about  294,000  square  miles,  and  a  population  of  about 
35,000,000  inhabitants,  of  many  nationalities,  such  as  German, 
lave,  Magyar,  and  Czech.  Its  annual  receipts  amounted  to 
1148,850,000/.,  its  annual  expenditure  to  almost  52,100,000/.,  so 
that  every  year  there  was  a  considerable  deficit.  To  the 
army  and  navy  11,700,000/.  were  annually  devoted.  The 
national  debt  amounted  in  April  1864  to  309,600,000/.,  and 
must  since  that  time  have  increased  by  at  least  20,000,000/. 

The  Austrian  army  consisted  of — 


80  Infantry  regiments  of  the  Line  (1 — 80) 
I   Imperial  regiment  .... 

32  Battalions  of  Feldjagers  (1 — 32)  . 

14  Border  Infantry  regiments  I  — 14)  . 
(Grenz  Infanterie-regimenter) 
I  Border  Infantry  battalion  (Titler)  . 


Infantry. 


*  The  new  organization  of  the  Austrian  army  since  1866,  has  been 
hown  in  some  able  letters  which  have  appeared  at  intervals  in  the  Times 
during  the  last  three  years. 


94 


SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR. 


[Book  III. 


12  Cuirass  regiments  (i — 12)  . 
2  Regiments  of  Dragoons  (i — 2^ 

14  Regiments  of  Hussars  (1— 14) 

13  Regiments  of  Uhlans  (1 — 13) 

12  Regiments  of  Artillery  (1 — 12) 

1  Regiment  of  Coast  Artillery    . 

2  Regiments  of  Engineers 
6  Battalions  of  Pioneers     . 

10  Sanitaiy  companies     . 
48  Transport  squadrons 

Besides  other  Administration  troo; 
and  departments. 


10  Regiments  of  Gens-d'armes 
A  military  police  corps  . 
The  Tyrolean  Provincial  corps  . 
Againsal  Provincial  Rifle  battalions 
Volunteer  Companies  of  Shai-p 
shooters  and  Landsturm     . 


Cavalry. 

Artillery. 
Special  Troop?. 


Troops  of 
Administration. 


Troops    for   Pro- 
vincial Defence. 


Each  regiment  of  Infantry  of  the  Line  consisted  in  peace  of 
four  battalions  and  a  depot.  The  fourth  battalion  to  which 
the  depot  was  attached  remained  in  peace  in  the  district  to 
which  the  regiment  belonged,  and  served  as  a  depot  battalion, 
while  the  three  first  battalions  were,  as  a  rule,  quartered  in  a 
totally  different  province  than  that  from  which  their  recruits 
were  drawn.  In  time  of  war  the  depot  was  formed  into  a 
depot  division,  and  the  fourth  battalion  was  sent  into  some 
fortress  as  a  garrison  battalion,  while  the  three  first  battalions 
were  sent  into  the  field  to  join  the  army  of  manoeuvre. 

Each  battalion  mustered,  or  ought  to  have  mustered,  in  war, 
1,018  combatants,  divided  among  six  companies.  Every  two 
companies  formed  the  so-called  division :  each  company  con- 
sisted of  two  sub-divisions. 

The  Imperial  regiment  of  Jagers  had  in  war  six  battalions 
and  one  depot  battalion.  Each  battalion  mustered  in  six 
companies  1,011  combatants,  as  did  also  each  battalion  of 
Feldjagers. 

The  whole  of  the  duty  of  the  Military  Borderers  was 
divided  into  three  portions.  The  first  levy  formed  the  regular 
border  infantry  regiments  and  the  Titler  battalion  :  the  second, 
the   armed  population,    was   only   formed   for   service    in   its 


Chap.  II.]       THE    WAR  STRENGTH  OF  AUSTRIA.  95 

own  particular  province,  and  consisted  of,  in  all,  22,000 
men.  The  third  levy  was  only  specially  called  upon  in 
cases  of  urgent  necessity,  and  formed  a  force  of  about  28,000 

en. 

In  war,  each  regiment  of  the  Military  Borderers  of  the  first 
levy  consisted  of  three  battalions,  each  of  six  companies.  The 
first  eight  regiments  formed,  at  the  outbreak  of  a  war,  one 
'battalion  of  four  companies  as  a  depot ;  three  others  formed 
an  independent  division  for  the  same  purpose.  Of  these 
leven  regiments  three  battalions  could  be  put  into  the  field  in 
war ;  of  the  remaining  three  of  the  fourteen  border  regi- 
jments  two  battalions  could  only  be  put  in  the  field  \  the 
iTitler  battalion  sent  one  battalion  into  the  field,  so  that 
forty  battalions  of  Military  Borderers  were  with  the  field 
army. 

For  the  defence  of  fortresses  there  were  left,  after  the  army 
>f  operation  took  the  field,  eighty-four  battalions  of  infantry 
egiments,  and  eleven  Border  battalions,  in  all  about  100,000 
men. 

The  Tyrolean  Provincial  corps,  as  well  as  the  Border  troops 
>vhich  did  not  join  the  army,  were  retained  in  their  own  par- 
icular  provinces. 

The  principal  weapon  of  the  Infantry  of  the  Line  and  of 
the  Border  regiments  was  a  rifled  musket  on  Lorenz's  system, 
with  a  bayonet.     The  Jagers  had  a  rather  shorter  musket,  the 

I  rifling  of  which  had  a  slightly  sharper  twist  than  that  of  the 
Line. 

Cavalry. — The  cuirass  regiments,  which  were  originally 
Cuirassiers,  but  had  previously  to  the  war  of  1866  laid  aside 
the  cuirass,  formed  the  whole  of  the  heavy  cavalry.  Each 
cuirass  regiment,  with  the  exception  of  the  eighth,  the  old 
Dampier  Cuirassiers  (which,  on  account  of  privilege  derived 
as  early  as  1619,  had  never  been  reduced,  and  still  contained 
six  squadrons),  consisted  of  five  squadrons.  Every  light 
cavalry  regiment  consisted  of  six  squadrons.  At  the  out- 
break of  the  war  each  regiment  of  cavalry  left  one  of  its  squad- 
rons as  a  depot  squadron  at  home.  The  squadron  contained 
one  hundred  and  forty-nine  mounted  men.  The  whole  cavalry 
mustered  29,000  sabres. 


96  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  III. 

Artillery. — The  field  artillery  consisted  of  twelve  regiments, 
of  which  nine  were  formed  to  accompany  the  corps  d'arme'e 
of  infantry ;  the  remaining  three  were  intended  to  form  the 
army  artillery  of  reserve,  and  to  be  attached  to  the  cavalry 
of  reserve. 

The  regiment  of  coast-artillery  was  divided  into  four  bat- 
talions, of  which  the  first  and  second  battalion  had  in  war 
each  five  active  companies,  two  mountain  batteries  of  eight 
guns,  and  one  depot  company.  The  third  and  fourth 
battalions  each  had  six  active  companies  and  one  depot 
company. 

The  heavy  batteries  of  the  field  artillery  were  armed  with 
muzzle-loading  rifled  8-pounder  guns ;  the  light  with  muzzle- 
loading  rifled  4-pounder  guns;  the  mountain  batteries  with 
rifled  3 -pound ers.  Garrison  artillery  of  the  latest  pattern  con- 
sisted of  rifled  breach-loading  guns,  6-,  12-,  24-,  and  48-poun- 
ders;  but  there  are  still  many  smooth-bored  guns  and  howitzers 
in  the  armaments  of  the  fortresses. 

An  Austrian  corps  d'arme'e,  as  a  rule,  consisted  of  four 
brigades  of  infantry,  four  squadrons  of  cavalry  (one  attached 
to  each  infantry  brigade),  four  4-pounder  field  batteries  (one 
attached  to  each  infantry  brigade),  a  reserve  artillery,  two  com- 
panies of  engineers,  and  two  companies  of  pioneers,  with  four 
bridge-trains,  besides  administrative  services.  To  an  army 
which  would  be  formed  by  the  amalgamation  of  several  of 
these  corps  d'arme'e,  would  be  attached  several  brigades  of 
light  cavalry,  each  of  which  consisted  of  two  regiments  g 
therefore  ten  squadrons,  and  one  4-pounder  battery  of  horse 
artillery,  some  divisions  of  reserve  cavalry,  an  army  reserve  of 
artillery,  a  reserve  of  engineers,  and  all  necessary  adminis- 
trative services. 

Recruiting. — In  each  year  in  Austria  from  80,000  tc 
85,000  recruits  were  called  into  the  army.  The  time  oi 
service  was  ten  years,  of  which  the  last  two  were  spent  ii 
the  reserve. 

In   the    Infantry  the  recruit  was   kept  from  one  to  three 
years  with  the  colours,  in  the  Cavalry  seven  or  eight  years.j 
in  the  Engineers  and  Artillery  three  years :  he  was,  after  hi<  j 
period  of  actual  presence  with  his  corps  expired,  dismissed: 


Chap.  II.]        THE    WAR  STRENGTH  OF  AUSTRIA.  97 

to  his  home  on  furlough,  and  called  out  annually  for  military 
exercise  till  he  had  accomplished  eight  years'  service,  when  he 
was  transferred  to  the  reserve. 

In  case  of  war  the  men  on  furlough  were  called  in  to  fill  up 
the  ranks  of  the  army  of  operation,  the  men  of  the  reserve  to 
join  the  depot  and  garrison  corps. 

The  tactical  unit  in  the  Infantry  was  the  division  of  two 
companies,  in  the  Cavalry  the  squadron,  in  the  Artillery  the 
battery  of  eight  guns.  It  was  laid  down  as  a  rule  by  the  Aus- 
trian regulations,  that  in  action  every  division  of  troops  was  to 
retain  a  dependent  reserve. 

The  Austrian  army  was  divided  according  to  nationalities, 
thus— 

German.  Poles.  Hungarian.  Italian.  Siebenblirger.  Borderers.  Mixed. 

Infantry .     23  regts.  13  23  7  7  7 

pagers     .     27  batts.         4322  — 

Cavalry.      12  regts.  13  II  —  I  3  1 

Artillery      —  regts.  I  —  —  —  —  12 

Subjoined  is  a  summary,  calculated  from  the  best  available 
authorities,  of  the  Austrian  troops  available  for  the  army  of 
operation  at  the  commencement  of  the  war  : — 

1.— INFANTRY. 

a.  Line. — 80  Regiments  of  three  battalions  of  three  companies. 

Peace  Strength.  War  Strength. 

I  Battalion      =  470       =  1,018 

80  Regiments  =  240  batts.    =         244,480  combatants 

b.  JAGERS. — One  Imperial  Jager  regiment  of  six  battalions  of  six  com- 

panies, and  thirty-two  Feldjager  battalions  of  six  companies. 
I  Eattalion      =   627       =  1,01 1  combatants 

38  Battalions  =  38,420         ,, 

c.  Borderers.— -Eleven  Regiments  of  three  battalions,  three  of  two  batta- 

lions, and  one  independent  battalion. 
I  Battalion  =  956  combatants 

40  Battalions  =        38,240  ,, 

2.— CAVALRY. 

12  Cuirass  regiments  of  four  squadrons       .         .      =        7>r42 

I  extra  squadron   .         .     .  =  149 

2  Regiments  of  Dragoons  of  five  squadrons        .  =  1,490 

14           ,,                Hussars  of  five  squadrons     .     .  =  10,430 

13  ,,  Uhlans  of  five  squadrons  of  114 

horsemen     .         .         .         .      =        7>410 


26,621 
H 


98  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  III. 

3.— ARTILLERY. 

Twelve  regiments  of  Artillery  and  one  regiment  of  coast 
artillery.  Of  these  twelve  regiments,  the  nine  which  accom- 
panied the  corps  d'armee  of  Infantry  each  consisted  of — 

6  4-pounder  field-batteries  of  four  and  eight  guns  .  =  40  guns  * 

2  8-pounder  field-batteries  of  eight  guns         .         .  .  =  16     ,, 

2  4-pounder  horse  artillery  batteries  of  eight  guns  =  16     ,, 

I  rocket  battery  of  eight  guns        .         .         .         .  .  =       8     ,, 

\  ££.  i  comPanie3       -  i  - 

1  Regiment       =     12  batteries    .         .     .      =     8S    ,, 
9  Regiments      =    108  batteries  .         .      =   792     ,, 

The  three  regiments  which  were  attached  to  the  reserve  and 
cavalry  divisions  consisted  of — 

4  8-pounder  field-batteries  of  eight  guns         .         .     .      =     32  guns 

5  4-pounder  horse  artillei-y  batteries  (one  of  four,  four 

of  eight  guns) =     40     ,, 

4  Fortress   I   comPanies     ••••••     =     J    ,. 

1  Regiment         =     10  batteries     .         .     .  =     76    „ 

3  Regiments       =     30  batteries           .         .  =  228     ,, 
1  regiment   of  coast    artillery    =   2  batteries  of  eight 

guns =      16     „ 

Total  number  of  guns           .         .         .  1,036 

4.— SPECIAL  TROOPS. 

2  Regiments  of  Engineers  .         .         .     .      =     6, 1 72  men 

6  Battalions  of  Pioneers  .         .  .         .      =     5,022    ,, 

11,194 

Total  strength  of  available  combatants  in  the  army  of  opera- 
tion : — 

Infantry  .....  321,140 

Cavalry        .         ....       26,621 

Artillery.         ....  24,601,  with  1^036  guns 

Special  troops      .         .         .     .       11,194 

383>556,  with  1,036  guns 

*  Two  4-pounder  field  batteries  have  in  peace  only  four  guns,  which  in 
war  are  combined  into  one  battery  of  eight  guns. 


Chap.  II.]       THE    WAR  STRENGTH  OF  AUSTRIA.  99 

Austrian  Navy. — Austria  had  done  more  for  her  navy  within 
the  few  years  which  immediately  preceded  the  war,  than  would 
have  been  anticipated  from  the  small  extent  of  her  sea-coast, 
and  her  little  interest  in  European  commerce.  The  Austrian 
navy  mustered  twenty-eight  screw-vessels,  namely — 

1  line-of-battle  ship, 
5  frigates, 

7  armour-plated  frigates, 

2  corvettes, 

7  second-class  gunboats, 

3  third-class  gunboats, 
3  schooners, 

12  paddle-wheel  steamers, 

besides  sixteen  sailing-vessels,  of  which  two  were  frigates,  three 
corvettes,  three  brigs.  The  above  formed  the  Austrian  fleet  of 
seagoing  vessels ;  but  for  the  navigation  of  interior  waters,  and 
for  the  defence  of  the  coast,  there  were  ten  screw-steamers, 
sixteen  paddle-wheel  steamers,  and  thirty-five  guardships. 

The  steam  fleet  of  seagoing  ships  numbered  forty  vessels, 
which  carried  651  guns,  amounted  to  11,475  horse-power,  and 
were  manned  by  7,772  men. 

The  sailing  fleet  of  seagoing  vessels,  which  was  only  practi- 
cally valuable  for  purposes  of  transport,  consisted  of  eighteen 
vessels,  with  225  guns,  and  1,804  men- 

The  twenty-six  vessels  on  the  inner  waters  had  together  72 
guns,  1,511  horse-power,  and  961  sailors;  while  the  thirty-five 
guardships  mounted  115  guns,  and  bore  1,060  sailors. 


H  2 


CHAPTER   III. 

WAR   STRENGTH    OF   THE    REMAINING    STATES    OF   GERMANY. 

Bavaria. — Population,  4,700,000;  area,  34,750  square  miles; 
revenue,  4,700,000/. ;  national  debt,  34,300,000/.  In  Bavaria 
the  time  of  military  service  was  six  years.  It  was  allowed  to 
find  substitutes  for  military  service.  The  time  of  actual  pre- 
sence with  the  colours  is  twelve  months  in  the  first  year,  eight 
in  the  second,  three  in  the  third,  and  fourteen  days  in  the 
fourth.  Except  for  this  time,  the  soldier  was  sent  home  on 
furlough.* 

The  army  consisted  of — 

INFANTRY. 

16  Regiments  of  three  battalions  of  six  companies, 

1  battalion =     1,95°  men 

8  Battalions  of  lagers =        668     „ 

Total        .         .         50, 76S  men 

armed  with  Podewil's  muskets  and  sword-bayonet,  j" 

CAVALRY. 

3  Regiments  of  Cuirassiers   ) 

6  Regiments  of  Light  horse  £•  I  regt.  of  4  squadrons  =  591  horsemen 

3  Regiments  of  Uhlans  ) 

12  Regiments     .         .      =     7,620  horsemen 

Cuirassiers  armed  with  iron  cuirass  and  helmet,  straight  sword, 
and  pistol;  the  other  regiments  with  bent  sabre  and  pistol; 
Uhlans  with  lances. 

*  This  organization  was  modified  after  the  war  of  1866,  and  will  pro- 
bably be  even  more  modified  in  consequence  of  that  of  1870 — 71. 
t  In  1S70,  partly  armed  with  the  Werder  rifle. 


Chap.  III.]    WAR  STRENGTH  OF  REMAINING  STATES.  101 

ARTILLERY. 

Four  Regiments,  of  which — 
No.  I.  and  II.  each  2  6-pounder  batteries  of  4  guns  =  16  guns 
3  12-pounder  batteries  of  4  guns  =  24    ,, 

III.  Horse  Artillery,  with  4  12-pounder  batteries 

of  6  guns =  24    ,, 

IV.  2   6-pounder  batteries  of  eight  guns         .     .  =  16    ,, 
2  12-pounder  batteries  of  eight  guns  .     .     .  =  16    ,, 

Total 96    „ 

The  6-pounders  were  rifled  on  the  Prussian  system;  the  12- 
pounders  were  smooth-bore. 

Engineers. — One  regiment  of  eight  companies,  1,380  men. 

The  army  had  divisions,  brigades,  regiments,  and  battalions. 
Tactical  units  were  the  company  in  two  ranks,  the  squadron, 
and  the  battery.  The  formation  for  battle  of  the  Bavarian  in- 
fantry battalion  was  four  Fusilier  companies  in  line,  and  the 
two  light  companies  in  column  in  rear  of  the  wings. 

Saxony. — Area,  6,775  square  miles;  population,  2,225,000; 

revenue,  2,100,000/.;  debt,  9,600,000/.     The  time  of  service 

in  Saxony  was  six  years  in  the  Line  and  two  years  in  the 

reserve. 

INFANTRY. 

16  Battalions  of  four  companies,  I  battalion     =     983  men 
4  Battalions  of  Jagers  of  4  companies,  1  bat.  =     999    „ 
Total      .         .      19,752  men 

armed  with  Podewil's  muskets  and  sword-bayonet. 

CAVALRY. 
1  Guard  regiment    j    f  fiye  s       d  ,  regiment  =  802  men 

3  Line  regiments      )  u  & 

Total      .         .         3,217  men. 

ARTILLERY. 

I  Regiment  of  field-batteries,  with  22  6-pounder 

rifled  guns =  22  guns 

6  rifled  12-pounder  batteries        .         .         .  =  36    „ 

I  Horse  Artillery  regiment  of  2  batteries  of  6  guns  =  12    ,, 

Total       .         .         .         .         70    „ 

SPECIAL  TROOPS. 
One  company  of  Engineers  and  two  of  Pioneers. 


102  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  III. 

The  army  was  divided  into  two  divisions,  each  of  which  had 
two  brigades.  One  brigade  consisted  of  two  regiments  and 
one  battalion  of  Jagers.  Besides  these  divisions,  there  was  a 
cavalry  division  of  two  brigades,  each  of  two  regiments,  and 
a  corps  of  artillery ;  the  infantry  fought  in  three  ranks,  with 
a  reserve  formation  out  of  the  third  rank  in  rear  of  the 
wings. 

Hesse-Cassel. — Area,  4,350  square  miles;  population,  740,000; 
revenue,  500,000/. ;  debt,  1,400,000/. 

Military  service  was  universal,  and  for  a  period  of  ten  years, 
of  which  five  years  were  spent  in  the  Line  and  first  levy  of 
reserve,  five  in  the  second  levy.  The  time  of  actual  pre- 
sence with  the  standards  varied  from  twenty-one  to  thirty-four 
months. 

INFANTRY. 

2  Brigades  of  2  regiments  of  2  batts.  of  4  companies  =  879  men 

1  Jager  battalion    .......  =  619    ,, 

I  Schiitzen         .         .         .         .         .         .  =  387    ,, 

Total      .  .         8,614  men 

armed  with  the  Prussian  needle-gun. 


CAVALRY. 

Garde  du  corps  (sword  and  pistol)         .         .      =     264  horsemen 
2  Regiments  of  Hussars  (sword  and  carbine)     =     521         ,, 
Total         .         .         1,306  horsemen 


ARTILLERY. 

I  rifled  6-pounder  battery         .  6  guns 

I  smooth  6-pounder  battery     .  6    ,, 

\  smooth  12-pounder  battery  .  4    ,, 

I  Horse  Artillery  6-pounder   .  6    ,, 

Total        .         .         .  22  ,, 


ENGINEERS. 
1  company  of  Pioneers. 

Hanover. — Area,  17,450  square  miles;  population,  1,890,000; 
income,  3,750,000/.;  debt,  7,200,000/. 


Chap.  III.]    WAR  STRENGTH  OF  REMAINING  STATES.   103 

Recruiting  conducted  by  conscription  :  time  of  service  seven 
years,  in  the  cavalry  ten  years. 

INFANTRY. 

Two  divisions,  each  of  two  brigades,  each,  of  two  regiments  and  one 
light  battalion  =  8  regiments,  and  four  light  battalions  =  18,000  men. 

CAVALRY. 

2  Cuirassier  regiments        .         .      =      1,000  horsemen 
4  Dragoon         ,,  .         .     .      =      1,000        ,, 

2  Hussar  ,,  .         .      =      1,000        ,, 


Total    .         .     .  3,000        „ 

ARTILLERY— 50  guns. 

Wurtemburg. — Area,  8,875  sq.  miles;  population,  1,720,000; 
revenue,  1,500,000/. ;  debt,  7,500,000/. 

The  contingent  of  Wurtemburg  formed  the  first  division  of 
the  eighth  corps  of  the  Germanic  Confederation. 

Recruiting  conducted  by  conscription,  but  substitutes  allowed. 
Time  of  service  twelve  years,  six  of  which  were  passed  in  the 
Line,  six  in  the  Landwehr.  Time  of  actual  presence  with  the 
standards  about  eighteen  months. 

INFANTRY. 

I  Division  of  2  brigades  of  4  regiments,  each 
of  2  battalions  (4  companies) 
16  Battalions  (1  battalion  =  851  men)  .         .     .      —      13,616  men 
2  Battalions  of  Jagers  ( I  battalion  =  849  men)     =       1,698    „ 


Total 15,314 

armed  with  Podewil's  musket. 

CAVALRY. 

I  Erigade  of  4  regiments,  each  in  4  squadrons 
I  Regiment  =  714  to  880  horsemen 
Total     .         .         .3,271 

of  which  one  regiment  acts  as  a  depot. 


104  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  III. 

ARTILLERY. 

(  2  Horse  Artillery  4-pounder  batteries  of  8  guns  =16  guns 
Re  •  1  ^2  light  field  6-pounder  batteries  of  8  guns  =16    „ 

£>*  "~  J  2  heavy  field  1 2 -pounder  batteries  of  6  guns         =  12    ,, 

( 3  siege  batteries      .         .         .         .  .  ....,, 

Total 44    ,, 

EXGIXEERS. 
210  men  on  a  war  footing. 

Baden. — Area,  6,950  square  miles;  population,  1,400,000; 
revenue,  1,700,000/. ;  debt,  10,800,000/. 

The  contingent  formed  the  second  division  of  the  eighth 
corps  of  the  army  of  the  Germanic  Confederation. 

IXFAXTRY. 

5  Regiments  of  two  battalion; 

2  Fusilier  Battalions.      .         .  \  =    10,745  men 

I  Battalion  of  J  age rs 

armed  with  Podewil's  musket. 


CAVALRY. 
3  Regiments  of  Dragoons,  each  of  4  squadrons  =  2, 100  horsemen. 


ARTILLERY— *8 


guns. 


Hesse-Darmstadt.  —  Area,  3,800  square  miles;  population, 
860,000 ;  revenue,  950,000/.  ;  debt,  2,000,000/. 

The  army  of  Hesse-Darmstadt  formed  the  third  division  of 
the  eighth  corps  of  the  Germanic  Confederation. 

IXFAXTRY. 

Two  brigades,  each  of  two  regiments,  each  of  two  battalions,  each  in  five 
companies. 

8  Battalions  (1  battalion  =  831  men)     .         .     =   6,648  men 
I  Battalion  of  J  agers =       594    „ 

Total 7,242  „ 

armed  with  Podewil's  musket. 


Chap.  III.]    WAR  STRENGTH  OF  REMAINING  STATES.  105 

CAVALRY. 

I  Brigade  of  2  regiments. 

I  Regiment  .....=     648  horsemen. 

Total     .         .         .         1,296  horsemen. 

ARTILLERY. 

I  Horse  Artillery  battery,  with  four  smooth  and 

2  rifled  6-pounder  guns     .         .         .  =     6  guns 

3  Field-batteries  of  6  guns       .  .         .  =   1 8    ,, 
(One     12 -pounder    battery,     one    rifled    6 -pair 

one  smooth  6-pounder  battery) ...  — 

Total 24    „ 

ENGINEERS— I  company. 

Nassau. — Area,  2,137   square  miles;    population,  460,000 
inhabitants. 

INFANTRY. 

1  Brigade  of  2  regiments,  each  of  2  battalions. 
I  Battalion     =      1,033  men. 

4  Battalions =     4, 132  men 

1  Battalion  of  Jagers —         S09    „ 


Total 4,94i     11 

ARTILLERY. 

I  rifled  6-pounder  battery  of  8  guns  .         .  =     8  guns 

I  smooth-bore  battery =     8    ,, 

Total        .         .         .         .         .  16  „ 

The  contingents  of  the  other  minor  states  are  so  small  that 
it  would  be  tedious  to  enter  into  their  composition  in  detail. 
The  military  of  those  which  voted  for  the  Austrian  motion  on 
the  14th  June  in  the  Diet  were  : — 

Saxe-Meiningen  ....     2,000  men 

Reusz  Grez 400    ,, 

Frankfort-on-Maine      .         .         .     1,000    ,, 

Total 3,400    „ 


106  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  III. 

Of  those  which  voted  against  the  Austrian  motion  : — 


The  Saxon  Duchies 

Mecklenburg 

Oldenburg 

Liibeck,  Bremen,  Hamburg 

Anhalt   .... 

The  two  Lippes  . 

"Waldech 

Reusz-Schleiz 

The  two  Schwarzburgs   . 


7,500  men 

7,500 

55 

3,600 

5  > 

2,000 

j» 

1,200 

800 

700 
1,800 

Total 


28, 600 


Brunswick,  Lemburg,  and  Luxembourg  also  voted  against 
Austria,  but  the  two  former  put  no  contingents  in  the  field ; 
the  contingent  of  the  last  took  so  much  time  in  its  mobiliza- 
tion that  it  was  not  ready  for  employment  until  very  nearly  the 
conclusion  of  peace. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

WAR  STRENGTH  OF  THE  KINGDOM  OF  ITALY.* 

The  kingdom  of  Italy,  had  with  an  area  of  116,750  square 
miles  a  population  of  about  21,775,000  inhabitants.  Since  the 
formation  of  this  monarchy,  in  i860,  its  finances  had  never 
been  in  anything  but  the  most  unsatisfactory  condition. 
Large  armies  and  fleets  had  been  maintained  at  a  ruinous 
expense,  and  have  both  proved  their  incapacity  to  accomplish 
the  purposes  for  which  they  were  intended  ;  large  numbers  of 
useless  officials,  who  did  no  public  work  worthy  of  the  name, 
and  served  as  impediments  more  than  as  facilities  to  the 
transaction  of  business,  were  suffered  to  live  idly  on  the 
(resources  of  the  State.  In  the  year  1864  the  revenue  of  the 
icountry  amounted  to  27,000,000/.,  the  expenditure  of  the 
[Government  to  nearly  37,000,000/.,  and  since  that  year  this 
(annual  deficit  had  remained  about  constant. 

In  the  year  1864  9,280,000/.  were  spent  upon  the  army,  and 
2,500,000/.  upon  the  navy. 

The  Italian  army,  according  to  the  latest  organization 
previous  to  1866,  consisted  of: — 

INFANTRY. 

8  Regiments  of  Grenadiers  (Nos.   I — 8). 
72  Regiments  of  Infantry  of  the  Line  (Nos.   I — 72). 
5  Regiments  of  Bersaglieri  (Nos.  1 — 5). 

The  regiments  of  Grenadiers  and  of  the  Line  differed  only 
in  some  slight  details  of  clothing  from  each  other.     A  regiment 

*  The  kingdom  of  Italy  is  at  present  engaged  in  the  reorganization  of  its 
military  forces,  so  that  this  chapter  must  be  regarded  solely  as  a  record  of 
the  past. 


io8  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  III. 

of  either  consisted  of  the  regimental  staff,  four  battalions,  and 
a  depot* 

Each  battalion  consisted  of  four  companies,  and  each  on  a  I 
war  footing  mustered  four  officers  and  149  men.  Thus  the 
effective  strength  of  each  regiment  amounted  to,  with  the  staff, 
81  officers  and  2,453  men,  or  altogether  2,534  men;  and  the 
eighty  regiments  of  Grenadiers  and  of  the  Line  amounted  in  all 
to  202,720  combatants. 

The  depots  remained  at  home  to  find  and  drill  recruits,  and 
then  forward  them  to  the  troops  in  the  field.  Each  depot 
consisted  of  14  officers  and  61  men. 

Every  regiment  of  Bersaglieri  consisted  of  a  staff,  eight  field 
battalions,  each  of  four  companies  and  a  depot  division.  The 
companies  of  the  Bersaglieri  were  of  the  same  strength  as 
those  of  the  Line.  Thus  the  effective  strength  for  war  of  each 
regiment  of  Bersaglieri  amounted  to  152  officers  and  4,872 
men,  or  altogether  to  5,024  men.  The  five  regiments  there- 
fore would  afford  25,120  combatants. 

The  Bersaglieri  were  armed  with  short  rifles  and  sword 
bayonets :  the  rest  of  the  infantry  with  Minie  rifles  and 
ordinary  bayonets. 

CAVALRY. 

4  Regiments  of  Cavalry  of  the  Line  (heavy). 
7  Regiments  of  Lancers. 
7  Regiments  of  Light  horse. 
I  Regiment  of  Guides. 

With  the  exception  of  the  regiment  of  Guides,  all  the 
regiments  of  Cavalry  had  six  field  squadrons  and  a  depot 
squadron. 

Each  squadron  on  a  war  footing  mustered  5  officers,  145 
men,  112  horses.  The  regimental  staff  consisted  of  11 
officers,  7  men,  and  18  horses.  The  regiment  therefore 
numbered  41  officers,  877  men,  and  738  horses.  A  regiment 
might  accordingly  be  considered  to  bring  about  700  sabres 
into  the  field. 

This  would  give  for  the  effective  force  on  a  war  footing  of 
the  eighteen  regiments  (exclusive  of  the  Guides)  12,600  sabres. 

*  According  to  the  organization  of  1865. 


Chap.  IV.]  WAR  STRENGTH  OF  ITALY.  109 

The  depot  of  a  regiment  consisted  of  14  officers  and  59  men. 
The  regiment  of  Guides,  which  was  chiefly  intended  to  furnish 
orderlies  for  general  officers,  consisted  of  seven  squadrons,  and 
had  altogether  60  officers,  1,074  men,  and  858  horses.  The 
heavy  Cavalry  as  well  as  the  Lancers  carried  the  lance. 

ARTILLERY. 

1  Regiment  of  Pontoniers,  who,  in  the  Italian  service  as  in  the 

French,  are  included  among  the  Artillery. 
3  Regiments  of  Garrison  Artillery,  Nos.  2,  3,  4. 

5  Regiments  of  Field  Artillery,  Nos.  5,  6,  7,  8,  9. 

6  Companies  of  Artificers. 

The  regiment  of  Pontoniers  had  nine  companies  on  a  war 
footing;  each  regiment  of  Field  Artillery  had  sixteen  field- 
batteries  and  two  depot  batteries ;  each  regiment  of  Garrison 
Artillery  had  sixteen  companies  and  two  depot  companies. 
Two  batteries  of  the  fifth  regiment  were  Horse  Artillery 
batteries.  Except  these,  the  Italian  army  possessed  no  horse 
artillery.  From  the  five  field  regiments  there  could  be  placed 
in  the  field  eighty  field-batteries,  each  of  six  guns,  forming  a 
total  artillery  force  of  four  hundred  and  eighty  guns. 

These  guns  were  all  rifled,  and  were  divided  into  batteries 
of  8-pounders  or  16-pounders. 

ENGINEERS. 

Two  regiments  of  Sappers.  Each  regiment  on  a  war  foot- 
ing had  eighteen  field  companies  and  two  depot  companies. 

MILITARY   TRAIN. 

Three  regiments.  Each  regiment  had  on  a  war  footing 
eight  companies  and  one  depot  company.  Each  of  the  field 
companies  mustered  8  officers,  330  men,  and  420  horses. 

ADMINISTRATIVE  TROOPS 

were  divided  into  seven  companies,  which  contained  all  the 
hospital  attendants  and  commissariat  soldiers. 


no  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  III. 

The  total  strength  of   the    Italian   army  in  the  field  was 

thus  : — 

Infantry 202,720 

Bersaglieri 25,120,  with  4S0  guns 

Cavalry I3>°°° 

Organization. — In  time  of  war  the  army  was  divided  into 
divisions.     Each  division  consisted  as  a  general  rule,  of : — 

2  Brigades  of  Infantry,  each  of  two  regiments  ; 

2  Battalions  of  Bersaglieri ; 

I  Regiment  of  Light  Cavalry  ; 

3  Batteries  of  Artillery  (two  8-pounder  batteries  and  one 

16-pounder  battery)  ; 
I  Company  of  Sappers. 

Such  a  division  would  quite  bring  into  the  field  a  force  of  1 
10,000  Infantry  and  700  Cavalry,  with  18  guns. 

Several  such  divisions,  generally  three  or  four,  were  amal- 
gamated into  a  corps  d'armee,  for  which  a  special  reserve  was 
then  formed.  This  reserve  consisted  of  one  battalion  of 
Bersaglieri,  four  squadrons  of  Cavalry,  and  a  16-pounder 
battery  for  each  division,  which  were  deducted  from  the 
strength  of  the  division.  A  company  of  Sappers,  and  a  com- 
pany of  Pioneers  with  a  bridge  train  to  throw  a  bridge  over 
three  hundred  yards,  was  added  to  a  corps  d'armee. 

An  army  was  formed  by  the  conjunction  of  several  corps 
d'armee,  and  had  an  additional  force  of  reserve  Artillery  and 
Engineers,  with  a  pontoon  train  capable  of  constructing  a 
bridge  six  hundred  yards  long.  A  division  of  reserve  Cavalry 
was  formed  out  of  the  four  Heavy  Cavalry  regiments,  which 
were  divided  into  two  brigades,  and  of  the  two  Horse 
Artillery  batteries  of  the  service. 

Recruiting. — The  recruiting  of  the  Italian  army  was  con- 
ducted by  conscription ;  substitutes  were,  however,  allowed. 
About  50,000  recruits  were  levied  annually  before  the  war. 
These  were  divided  into  two  portions  proportionately  to  the 
vacancies  in  the  ranks.  The  recruits  of  the  first  portion 
served  for  eleven  years,  of  which  the  first  five  were  spent 
under  the  standards ;  those  of  the  second  portion  were  called 
out  and  then  dismissed,  but  were  liable  to  military  service  for 
a  period  of  five  years. 


Chap.  IV.]  WAR  STRENGTH  OF  ITALY.  in 

Besides  the  regular  army,  a  National  Guard  existed  in  Italy. 
This  was  of  the  character  of  a  burgher  guard,  and  existed  for 
the  most  part  only  upon  paper.  It  was  intended,  however, 
after  1866,  to  form,  in  case  of  war,  a  mobilized  National 
Guard  of  220  battalions,  mustering  about  110,000  men,  to  act 
as  garrison  troops. 

There  existed  also  a  corps  of  Carabineers  who  did  the  duty 
of  a  gendarmerie,  and  numbered  over  20,000  men,  but  these 
would  rarely  be  ever  available  against  an  external  enemy,  as  to 
them  were  entrusted  all  the  police  duties  of  the  Peninsula. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  war  the  Italian  forces  were 
strengthened  by  the  formation  of  volunteer  corps  to  serve 
under  General  Garibaldi;  of  these  there  were  forty-two  bat- 
talions. As  with  all  irregular  troops,  it  was  extremely  difficult 
to  discover  what  number  these  corps  mustered,  but  they  may 
apparently  be  safely  calculated  as  35,000  men, 

Italian  Fleet. — The  Italian  fleet  consisted  of : — 

1  screw  line-of-battle  ship  ; 

13  screw  frigates ; 

7  steam  frigates  of  the  second  class,  of  which  six  were  iron-clad  ; 

2  sailing  frigates  of  the  second  class  ; 

8  steam  corvettes  of  the  first  rank,  of  which  two  were  iron-clad ; 
2  sailing  corvettes  of  the  first  rank  ; 

1 7  corvettes  of  the  second  and  third  rank  ; 

14  smaller  vessels  ; 
8  screw  gunboats  ; 

25  transport  vessels. 

The  number  of  guns  mounted  on  these  vessels  amounted  to 
1,524;  the  number  of  men  employed  in  them  was  14,000 
officers,  seamen,  and  engineers. 

The  Infantry  of  the  Marine  consisted  of  two  regiments  or- 
ganized on  the  same  principles  as  those  of  the  Infantry  of  the 
Line,  and  clothed  and  armed  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
Bersaglieri. 


BOOK  IV. 
CHAPTER   I. 

PRELUDE    OF   THE   WAR. 

The  Germanic  Confederation  possessed  five  Federal  fort- 
resses, originally  raised  to  protect  Germany  against  an  invasion 
from  France.  These  were  Mainz,  Luxembourg,  Landau, 
Rastadt,  and  Ulm.  At  the  end  of  May  the  garrisons  of  Mainz 
and  Rastadt,  in  accordance  with  the  constitution  of  the  Con- 
federation, were  composed  of  a  mixed  force  of  Austrian  and 
Prussian  and  some  other  Federal  troops.  When  it  became 
evident  that  war  was  likely  to  break  out  between  the  great 
German  Powers,  Bavaria  proposed  in  the  Diet  on  the  ist  June, 
that  the  Prussian  and  Austrian  garrisons  should  be  withdrawn 
from  these  fortresses,  as  well  as  from  the  free  town  of  Frank- 
fort, which  was  occupied  in  a  similar  manner,  and  that  the 
guardianship  of  these  places  should  be  handed  over  partly  to 
the  troops  of  the  States  in  which  these  places  were  situated, 
partly  to  the  reserve  division  of  the  Federal  army. 

To  prevent  the  bloodshed  which  would  have  in  case  of  war 
ensued  between  the  soldiers  of  these  mixed  garrisons,  the 
motion  was  unanimously  accepted.  It  was  determined  that 
Mainz  should  be  held  for  the  Confederation  by  troops  of 
Bavaria,  Saxe  Weimar,  Saxe  Meiningen,  Anhalt,  Schwarzburg, 
and  the  two  Lippes ;  Rastadt  by  those  of  Baden,  Saxe  Alten- 
burg,  Coburg  Gotha,  Waldech,  and  Reusz ;  and  that  a  Bavarian 
division  should  remain  in  Frankfort. 

The  Prussian  and  Austrian  troops  were,  in  accordance  with 
this  resolution,  withdrawn  from  the  fortresses  of  the  Confede- 
ration.    The  Prussians  were  assembled  under  the  command  of 


Chap.  I.]  PRELUDE   OF  THE    WAR.  113 

General  Von  Beyer  at  Wetzlar.  The  Austrians  were'  attached 
to  the  8th  Federal  corps,  which  was  placed  under  the  command 
of  Prince  Alexander  of  Hesse,  ari  Austrian  general  who  had 
gained  distinction  at  the  battle  of  Montebello  in  1859. 

On  the  14th  June,  when  Prussia  declared  the  Germanic  Con- 
federation dissolved,  war  became  inevitable.  Prussia  had  at 
this  time  concentrated  her  main  armies  on  the  frontiers  of 
Saxony  and  in  Silesia.  In  rear  of  these  lay  the  hostile  States  of 
Hanover  and  Hesse-Cassel,  the  troops  of  which  might  either 
act  against  the  communications  of  the  Prussian  armies,  or  by 
withdrawing  south  of  the  Maine  uhite  with  the  Bavarians  and 
Austrians,  and  swell  the  armies  of  these  two  Powers  with  their 
contingents.  In  front  of  the  right  wing  of  the  Prussian  main 
line  lay  the  hostile  kingdom  of  Saxony,  which  if  left  unoccu- 
pied would  have  formed  a  convenient  ground  for  the  debouch'e 
from  the  Bohemian  mountains  of  the  Austrian  columns,  covered 
by  the  Saxon  army.  In  order  to  prevent  the  forces  of  the  two 
former  States  from  causing  annoyance  to  the  rear  of  her  armies, 
and  to  seize  the  initiative  in  Saxony,  Prussia  took  most  rapid 
measures. 

The  decree  against  Prussia  had  been  passed  at  Frankfort  on 
the  14th  June. 

A  telegraphic  summons  was  despatched  to  the  three  States  of 
Saxony,  Hesse-Cassel,  and  Hanover,  which  demanded  that  they 
should  immediately  reduce  their  armies  to  the  peace  establish- 
ment which  had  existed  on  the  1st  March,  and  should  agree  to 
the  Prussian  project  of  the  10th  June  for  the  reform  of  the 
Germanic  Confederation.  If  the  three  States  agreed  to  this 
demand,  Prussia  would  undertake  to  guarantee  to  them  their 
sovereign  rights  \  if  they  did  not  within  twelve  hours  consent  to 
do  so,  war  would  be  declared. 

The  Governments  of  these  States  did  not  reply.  Prussia 
declared  war  against  them  on  the  evening  of  the  15th  June,  and 
on  the  1 6th  Prussian  troops  invaded  their  territories. 

Position  of  Prussian  Troops  at  the  End  of  the  First 
Fortnight  of  June. — Prussia  had  commenced  her  prepara- 
tions for  war  on  the  27  th  March,  when  five  divisions  had  been 
placed  on  a  war  footing,  five  brigades  of  artillery  been  strength- 
ened, and  the  fortresses  in  Silesia  and  the  province  of  Saxony 


ii4  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IV. 

armed.  The  mobilization  of  the  whole  army  had  been  decreed 
on  the  7th  May,  and  on  the  19th  of  that  month  the  concentra- 
tion of  troops  in  Silesia,  Lusatia,  and  Thuringia  had  begun. 
On  the  1  st  June  the  corps  d'armee  of  the  Guard  had  been  sent 
to  Silesia,  and  the  8th  corps  and  14th  division  despatched  to 
Halle  :  a  reserve  corps  was  at  the  same  time  formed  at  Berlin. 
The  main  Prussian  armies  were  composed  of  three  principal 
sections  : — 

1  st.  The  First  Army,  under  the  command  of  Frederick 
Charles,  which  consisted  of  the  2nd  corps  d'armee  (Pomeranian), 
3rd  (Brandenburg),  4th  (Saxony),  and  of  a  cavalry  corps  formed 
of  fifteen  regiments.     It  lay  round  Heyerswerda  and  Gorlitz. 

2nd.  The  Second  Army,  under  the  command  of  the  Crown 
Prince  of  Prussia,  which  consisted  of  the  Guard  corps,  the  1st 
corps  (Prussia),  the  2nd  (Poland),  the  6th  (Silesia),  and  of  a 
cavalry  corps  of  seven  regiments.     It  lay  in  Silesia. 

3rd.  The  Army  of  the  Elbe,  under  the  command  of  General 
Herwarth  von  Bittenfeld,  which  consisted  of  the  8th  corps 
(Rheinland),  and  the  14th  division  of  the  7  th  corps  (West- 
phalia), as  well  as  a  cavalry  corps  of  three  regiments. 

In  rear  of  these  was  the  reserve  corps  in  Berlin,  under  the 
command  of  General  Miilbe,  which  consisted  of  two  divisions 
of  Landwehr  and  six  regiments  of  Landwehr  cavalry.  A  third 
division  of  Landwehr  was  also  in  course  of  formation  at  Berlin. 

By  the  15th  June  Prussia  had  prepared  troops  for  the  inva- 
sion of  Saxony,  Hanover,  and  Cassel.  The  First  Army  and  the 
Army  of  the  Elbe,  which  was  stationed  round  Halle  and 
Torgau,  were  designed  to  act  against  Saxony.  Hesse-Cassel 
and  Hanover  were  to  be  invaded  by  the  then  separated  divi- 
sions, which  after  the  occupation  of  these  States  were  united 
under  the  command  of  General  Vogel  von  Falckenstein,  and 
on  the  1st  July  named  the  Army  of  the  Maine. 

On  the  morning  of  the  15th  June,  the  troops  destined  to  act 
against  Hanover  consisted  of  the  division  which  General  von 
Manteuffel  had  mobilized  in  Schleswig,  and  with  which  he  had 
invaded  Holstein.  After  the  Austrians  quitted  the  latter  duchy 
this"  division  had  been  concentrated  at  Harburg,  where  it  was 
supported  by  a  flotilla  of  Prussian  gunboats  on  the  Lower  Elbe 
and  on  the  coast  of  the  North  Sea.   A  second  division  was  also 


Chap.  I.]  PRELUDE   OF  THE    WAR.  115 

collected  for  the  same  purpose  under  General  von  Falckenstein, 
near  the  fortress  of  Minden,  in  that  portion  of  the  Prussian 
province  of  Westphalia  which  projected  into  the  southern 
boundary  of  the  kingdom  of  Hanover.  The  greatest  part  of 
this  division  was  formed  by  the  13th  division,  one  division  of 
the  Westphalian  corps  d'armee.  The  Prussian  garrisons  which 
had  been  withdrawn  from  the  Federal  fortresses  were  united 
with  some  other  detachments,  and  formed  into  a  division  under 
General  Beyer,  which  numbered  17,000  men.  It  was  posted  at 
Wetzlar,  in  the  Prussian  enclave,  that  was  surrounded  by  the 
territories  of  Hesse-Cassel  and  Nassau. 

Positions  of  the  Austrian  Army  at  the  End  of  the 
First  Fortnight  of  June. — Feldzeugmeister  Von  Benedek, 
the  hero  of  San  Martino,  assumed  the  Supreme  command  of 
the  Austrian  Army  of  the  North  on  the  18th  May,  and  spread 
the  seven  corps  d'arme'e  and  five  divisions  of  cavalry,  of  which 
it  was  composed,  between  Cracow  and  the  Elbe,  along  the 
lines  of  railway  which  run  through  most  parts  of  the  Austrian 
provinces.     These  seven  corps  were  : — 

The  1  st,  under  the  command  of  Count  Clam  Gallas,  which 
was  posted  at  Prague. 

The  2nd,  under  Count  Thun  Hohenstadt,  at  Olmiitz. 

The  3rd,  under  the  Archduke  Ernst,  at  Briirm. 

The  4th,  under  Count  Festetics,  at  Teschen. 

The  6th,  under  Baron  Ramming,  at  Olmiitz. 

The  8th,  under  the  Archduke  Leopold,  at  Briinn. 

The  10th,  under  Count  Huyn,  afterwards  under  Count 
Gablenz,  with  only  nine  battalions,  at  Bomisch  Triibau. 

The  cavalry  divisions  attached  to  this  army  were : — 

The  1st  light  cavalry  division  (Baron  Edelsheim),  consisting 
of  six  regiments  and  three  batteries  of  horse  artillery. 

The  2nd  light  cavalry  division  (Prince  Thurn  and  Taxis), 
four  regiments  and  two  batteries. 

1st  reserve  division  of  cavalry  (Prince  Schleswig-Holstein), 
six  regiments  and  two  batteries. 

2nd  reserve  division  of  cavalry  (Von  Zajtsek),  six  regiments 
and  two  batteries. 

3rd  reserve  division  of  cavalry  (Count  Coudenhove),  six  regi- 
ments and  two  batteries. 

1  2 


n6  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IV. 

Positions  of  the  Austrian  Army  of  the  South. — The 
Austrian  army  of  the  South  consisted  of  three  corps  d'arme'e,  and 
was  under  the  command  of  the  Archduke  Albrecht.  One  of 
these  held  Eastern  Venetia  and  Istria,  while  the  other  two  were 
posted  in  the  renowned  Quadrilateral  formed  by  the  fortresses 
of  Peschiera  and  Mantua  on  the  Mincio,  and  Verona  and 
Legnano  on  the  Adige. 

The  third  corps  d'arme'e,  under  the  Archduke  Ernst,  served  as 
a  general  reserve,  which  might  be  either  directed  against  Italy,  or 
sent  into  Bohemia,  as  circumstances  required. 

Positions  of  the  Italian  Army. — The  Italian  army  was 
divided  into  four  corps  d'arme'e.  The  first  of  these,  under 
Giovanni  Durando,  was  stationed  in  the  middle  of  June  at 
Lodi.  It  consisted  of  four  divisions,  and  was  intended  to  act 
upon  the  Lake  of  Garda  and  the  Upper  Mincio.  The  second 
of  these  divisions,  under  Cuchiari,  was  at  Cremona.  It  con- 
sisted of  three  divisions,  and  was  designed  to  act  upon  the 
Lower  Mincio,  and  against  Mantua.  The  third,  under  Delia 
Rocca,  was  posted  in  rear  of  the  two  former  on  both  sides  of 
the  Po,  with  its  head-quarters  at  Placenza.  It  contained  four 
divisions.  The  fourth,  under  Cialdini,  consisted  of  five  divi- 
sions, and  had  its  head-quarters  at  Bologna,  where  it  was 
intended  to  operate  on  the  Lower  Po  and  Lower  Adige. 

The  campaign  on  the  Mincio  did  not  commence  quite  so 
soon  as  hostilities  in  Germany.  It  is  necessary,  in  order  to 
preserve  the  clearness  of  the  narrative,  to  disregard  the  Italian 
campaign  until  the  course  of  events  in  Germany  has  been 
tolerably  developed.  It  is  sufficient  here  to  mention  that  Italy 
declared  war  against  Austria  on  the  20th  June. 

Army  of  Saxony. — The  army  of  Saxony  had  been  mobilized, 
and  was  by  the  end  of  the  first  fortnight  of  June  ready  to  take 
the  field.  It  was  distributed  through  the  kingdom  of  Saxony, 
with  its  main  body  in  Dresden  and  Pirna. 

Army  of  Hanover.— The  army  of  Hanover  was  totally 
unprepared  for  war,  and  was,  for  the  most  part  peaceably 
garrisoned  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  town  of  Hanover. 

Army  of  Bavaria. — The  Bavarian  army  was  concentrated, 
in  the  middle  of  June,  between  Bamberg  and  WUrzberg,  under 
Prince  Charles  of  Bavaria,  in  three  divisions  of  infantry,  one 


Chap.  L]  PRELUDE   OF  THE    WAR.  117 

reserve  brigade  of  infantry,  one  corps  of  reserve  cavalry, 
containing  eight  regiments  and  two  batteries,  one  corps  of 
reserve  artillery  of  ten  batteries. 

Eighth  Federal  Corps. — The  eighth  corps  of  the  Federal 
army  was  formed  at  Frankfort,  but  not  with  great  alacrity. 
The  Government  of  Baden  was  by  no  means  eager  to  put  its 
troops  into  the  field  against  Prussia,  but  was  obliged  to  do  so 
for  fear  of  the  duchy  being  overrun  by  its  powerful  neighbours 
in  case  of  refusal  to  do  so.  When  this  corps  was  formed,  it 
occupied  Frankfort,  and  was  placed  under  the  command  of 
Prince  Alexander  of  Hesse.  The  troops  which  composed  it 
were  : — 

Those  of  Wiirtemburg,  14,000  men  and  42  guns. 

Those  of  Baden,  12,000  men  and  38  guns. 

The  troops  of  Hesse-Darmstadt,  10,000  men  and  24  guns. 

The  Nassau  brigade,  5,000  men. 

An  Austrian  division,  formed  from  the  garrisons  which  had 
withdrawn  from  the  Federal  fortresses,  and  mustered  12,000 
men. 

The  total  strength  of  this  corps  was  in  round  numbers  fifty- 
three  thousand  infantry,  thirty-three  squadrons,  and  one  hundred 
and  fourteen  guns.. 


CHAPTER    II. 

PRUSSIAN    OCCUPATION    OF    HANOVER. 

On  the  evening  of  the  15th  June,  Prussia  declared  war  against 
Hanover,  Hesse-Cassel,  and  Saxony.  The  two  former  States, 
unless  their  armies  were  quickly  disabled,  could  hinder 
effectually  the  Prussian  communications  between  Berlin  and 
the  Rhenish  provinces.  An  Austrian  occupation  of  Saxony 
would  have  much  facilitated  operations  against  the  open 
province  of  Brandenburgh  and  against  Berlin,  while  it  would 
have  seriously  impeded  a  Prussian  advance  into  Bohemia. 
Against  these  States,  then,  it  was  necessary,  that  Prussia  should 
act  with  immediate  energy,  in  order,  if  possible,  to  disarm, 
certainly  to  occupy,  them  before  she  could  turn  her  attention 
against  her  principal  enemy  Austria,  and  the  States  allied 
thereto.  By  excellent  combinations  punctually  carried  out  this 
result  was  obtained.  In  the  course  of  a  few  days  three  of  the 
most  important  middle  States  of  Germany  were  completely 
overrun  by  Prussian  troops :  and  their  sovereigns  driven  from 
their  capitals  and  countries  as  if  by  a  thunderbolt. 

The  Prussian  invasion  of  Hanover  and  Hesse-Cassel  was 
effected  by  combined  movements  from  different  points  far 
apart :  the  enterprise  was  accordingly  attended  with  consider- 
able difficulty.  It  was  very  undesirable  to  weaken  the  main 
Prussian  armies  on  the  frontiers  of  Saxony  and  Silesia  by  the 
smallest  detachments.  Orders  were  accordingly  sent  to  General 
Falckenstein,  who  was  in  Westphalia,  to  invade  these  States 
with  both  his  divisions,  and  to  occupy  them.  Goben's  division 
was  to  be  directed  from  Minden  on  Hanover,  to  which  town 
that  of  General  Manteuffel  from  Harburg  was  also  to  march. 
Beyer's  division  was  ordered  at  the  same  time  to  invade  Hesse- 


Chap.  II. ]     PRUSSIAN  OCCUPATION  OF  HANOVER.  119 

Cassel  from  Wetzlar.  The  Hanoverian  army  was  not  yet 
mobilized,  that  of  Cassel  was  but  a  weak  contingent,  so  that  it 
was  calculated  that  it  would  be  quite  possible,  with  these  three 
Prussian  divisions,  to  bring  superior  numbers  to  bear  upon  any 
decisive  point.  It  was  however  necessary,  in  order  to  carry 
out  these  combinations,  to  withdraw  all  the  troops  from 
Holstein,  where  demonstrations  in  favour  of  the  Prince  of 
Augustenburg  might  cause  trouble.  In  order  to  insure  tran- 
quillity in  that  duchy,  several  Landwehr  battalions  were 
despatched  to  Altona  and  Lauenburg,  as  soon  as  the  invasion 
of  Hanover  was  resolved  upon.  Wetzlar  was  evacuated,  but 
the  8th  Federal  corps  at  Frankfort  was  not  yet  sufficiently 
organized  to  cause  any  apprehension,  as  for  several  days  it 
would  be  unable  to  make  a  movement  forward. 

The  rapid  progress  of  affairs  and  the  Prussian  declaration  of 
war  on  the  15th  had  caused  great  excitement  in  Hanover. 
When  the  Austrian  troops,  round  which  the  army  of  Hanover 
might  have  rallied,  had  been  withdrawn  from  Holstein,  all  idea 
of  defending  the  capital  of  that  kingdom  had  been  given  up ; 
and  on  war  being  declared,  it  was  determined  to  save  the  army 
by  a  movement  towards  the  south,  where  it  might  unite  with 
the  Bavarians.  This  movement  was  made  on  the  night  of  the 
15th,  chiefly  by  railway  to  Gottingen,  but  with  such  hurry  that 
many  important  articles  of  equipment  were  forgotten :  such 
were  the  reserve  ammunition  and  the  field  dispensaries.  On 
the  morning  of  the  16th,  King  George  of  Hanover  followed  his 
troops  and  collected  them  round  Gottingen.  General  Falcken- 
stein  broke  up  from  Minden  at  daybreak  on  the  16th,  and  on 
the  17th,  at  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  first  Prussian 
troops,  after  two  forced  marches,  entered  the  town  of  Hanover. 
The  railways  from  Hanover  northwards  towards  Liineburg, 
eastwards  to  Brunswick,  and  westwards  to  Minden,  as  well  as 
the  line  behind  the  retreating  army  of  King  George,  had  been 
broken  up  by  the  Hanoverians.  The  main  body  of  the  division 
of  General  Manteuffel  had  a  long  portion  of  railway  to  restore, 
and  was  obliged  to  wait  the  resumption  of  transport  along  the 
line,  so  that  it  did  not  reach  Liineburg  until  the  evening  of  the 
1 8th. 

Here  two  battalions  of  the   25  th  regiment  were  placed  on 


120  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IV. 

the  railway,  and  pushed  up  to  the  capital :  the  remainder  of 
the  division  reached  the  town  on  the  next  evening. 

\Wi. — The  government  of  the  country  was  immediately 
taken  under  Prussian  superintendence,  and  no  opposition 
could  be  made  by  a  population  which  was  surprised,  and 
totally  unfit  to  defend  itself,  as  its  members  were  untrained  to 
the  use  of  arms. 

At  the  same  time  the  Prussian  navy  had  commenced  opera- 
tions. A  battalion  of  the  25th  regiment  was,  at  ten  o'clock 
on  the  evening  of  the  17th  June,  placed  on  board  of  the  two 
transport  vessels,  Loreley  and  Cyclops,  which  belonged  to  the 
Prussian  squadron  on  the  Lower  Elbe,  and  on  a  private 
steamer  which  belonged  to  a  merchant  of  Harburg.  The 
vessel  steamed  down  the  Elbe,  and,  at  one  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  the  iSth,  arrived  at  Twietenfelt.  Here  the  bat- 
talion was  disembarked,  and  immediately  moved  against  the 
small  fortress  of  Stade. 

At  its  head  marched  a  detachment  of  seamen  from  the 
transport  fleet,  who  were  destined  to  act  as  pioneers.  About 
three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  small  column  reached  the 
neighbourhood  of  Stade.  It  was  observed  by  a  Hanoverian 
cavalry  outpost,  which  immediately  galloped  back  to  alarm  the 
unsuspecting  garrison.  The  Prussians  pursued  as  quickly  as 
they  could  ;  but  when  they  reached  the  place,  the  gates  were 
already  closed. 

The  sailor-pioneers  rushed  forward  to  the  gate,  and  smote  upon 
it  heavily  with  their  axes.  After  a  few  vigorous  blows  it  gave 
way  a  little.  The  axes  were  more  vigorously  plied,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  the  door  fell  with  a  crash  across  the  roadway. 
Over  the  obstacle  the  Prussian  infantry  dashed  into  the  town, 
and  were  received  by  shots  directed  from  a  few  of  the  garrison 
who  had  located  themselves  in  some  of  the  houses.  These 
shots  did  little  execution,  and  the  Prussians  pushed  on  towards 
the  market-place.  Here  some  forming  detachments  of  Hano- 
verians opened  fire  upon  them,  and  a  slight  skirmish  ensued. 
This  was  terminated  by  the  commandant  of  the  place,  who, 
finding  his  men  outnumbered,  and  in  immediate  danger  of 
being  surrounded  and  captured,  ordered  them  to  cease  firing, 
and   demanded  a  parley.     This  was  granted  by  the  Prussian 


Chap.  II.]     PRUSSIAN  OCCUPATION  OF  HANOVER.  121 

commander ;  in  a  few  minutes  terms  of  capitulation  were 
agreed  upon,  and  Stade  by  the  fortune  of  war  ceased  to  be  a 
fortress  of  the  King  of  Hanover. 

On  the  19th  June,  Fort  William  and  the  batteries  on  the 
Weser,  which  were  evacuated  on  the  appearance  of  the  Prus- 
sian flotilla,  were  occupied ;  and  two  days  later,  in  a  similar 
manner,  Emden  and  the  coast  batteries  on  the  Ems  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  invaders.  Thus  on  the  22nd  June, 
the  Prussians  were  in  possession  of  the  whole  of  Hanover 
with  the  single  exception  of  the  southern  enclave  of  Got- 
tingen. 

In  consequence  of  these  vigorous  and  energetic  measures, 
all  the  Hanoverian  provisions  of  weapons  and  ammunition  for 
the  war  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Prussians,  as  well  as  the 
whole  field  equipment  for  the  army  in  the  way  of  waggons  and 
materiel.  These  gains  amounted  to  sixty  cannon,  ten  thousand 
new  rifled  small  arms,  eight  hundred  waggons,  and  a  large 
quantity  of  gunpowder.  These  losses  were  of  great  detriment 
to  the  Hanoverian  cause,  and  gave  into  the  hands  of  Prussia 
instruments  of  offence  which  her  generals  knew  full  well  how 
to  turn  to  account. 

The  Hanoverian  army  halted  at  Gottingen, — paralysed,  it 
was  unable  to  move,  and  had  to  be  organized.  Had  it  been 
in  a  fit  state  of  preparation  for  war,  it  might  on  the  16th  or 
1 7th  have  reached  Cassel,  and  by  the  Cassel  and  Bebra  rail- 
way effected  a  retreat  in  safety  to  the  south.  As  it  was,  how- 
ever, on  account  of  the  tardy  measures  and  want  of  foresight 
of  the  Hanoverian  Ministry,  the  brave  soldiery  of  which  it 
was  composed  were  forced,  after  a  display  of  great  gallantry, 
valour,  and  devotion,  to  succumb  to  a  catastrophe  which  will 
be  treated  of  in  another  portion  of  this  history. 


CHAPTER    III. 

PRUSSIAN    OCCUPATION    OF    HESSE-CASSEL. 

The  Electoral  Prince  of  Hesse-Cassel  was  fortunate  enough 
to  save  his  army  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  but 
could  not  prevent  the  invasion  of  his  country.  The  troops  of 
Cassel,  on  the  receipt  of  the  Prussian  declaration  of  war,  imme- 
diately prepared  to  retire  from  Cassel.  towards  the  Maine.  On 
the  1 6th  the  retreat  was  commenced;  and  that  day,  chiefly  by 
means  of  the  railway,  they  reached  the  neighbourhood  of  Fukla. 
This  movement  could  not  be  prevented  by  the  Prussians,  for 
the  nearest  Prussian  troops  were  those  at  Wetzlar,  and  the 
railway  between  Cassel  and  Marburg  had  been  broken  up.  On 
the  19th  June  the  army  of  Hesse-Cassel  reached  Hanau,  and 
secured  its  communication  with  the  eighth  corps  of  the  Federal 
army  at  Frankfort. 

The  territory  of  Hesse-Cassel  did  not,  however,  escape  an 
invasion.  On  the  night  of  the  15th  June,  General  Beyer  con- 
centrated his  troops,  which  numbered  17,000  combatants,  on 
the  frontier  of  Hesse-Cassel  at  Gieszen,  and  began  his  march 
into  Hessian  territory  on  the  morning  of  the  16th  at  two  o'clock. 
At  Gieszen  he  published  a  proclamation,  in  which  he  announced 
to  the  people  that  Prussia  had  been  obliged  to  declare  war 
against  the  Elector,  but  that  the  war  was  only  to  be  carried  on 
against  the  Government,  not  against  the  country,  which,  on  the 
contrary,  was  about  to  behold  the  dawn  of  better  days  and  more 
fortunate  circumstances. 

On  the  16th  Beyer's  advanced  guard  reached  Marburg.  The 
Prussian  pushed  through  this  town,  and  during  the  next  two 
days  urged  his  troops  by  forced  marches  towards  Cassel.  He 
sent  a  detachment  to  his  right  against  the  railway  which  leads 


Chap.  III.]  PRUSSIAN  OCCUPATION  OF  HESSE-CASSEI.   123 

rom  Cassel  by  Bebra  to  Hersfeld  and  Eisenach,  and  broke  up 
he  line  at  Melsungen.  His  object  in  this  was  to  prevent  the 
retreat  to  the  south  of  any  Hessian  troops  which  might  still  be 
n  the  north  of  the  electorate.  He  was,  however,  too  late  to 
attain  this  object,  as  Cassel  had  been  cleared  of  its  garrison  on 
the  night  of  the  16th,  and  it  was  already  at  Hanau. 

On  the  evening  and  during  the  night  of  the  19th  the  Prussian 
troops  passed  into  Cassel,  the  capital  of  the  electorate,  which  is 
about  eighty  miles,  or  five  long  ordinary  marches,  from  Wetzlar. 
The  Elector  had  not  gone  away  with  his  troops,  but  had  re- 
mained at  his  castle  of  Wilhelmshohe,  which  was  long  renowned 
for  the  orgies  held  there  by  Jerome,  King  of  Westphalia.  On 
the  night  of  the  22nd  the  Prussian  envoy,  General  von  Roder, 
made  fresh  propositions  to  him.  Of  these  the  principal  was 
that  the  Elector  should  agree  to  the  Prussian  project  for  the 
reform  of  the  Germanic  Confederation.  The  latter  did  not, 
however,  feel  able  to  comply  with  the  Prussian  demands,  and 
on  the  22  nd  was  taken  as  a  State  prisoner  to  the  Prussian 
fortress  of  Stettin  on  the  Oder,  where  a  portion  of  the  old 
castle  of  the  Dukes  of  Pomerania  was  given  up  to  him  as  a 
residence.  Shortly  afterwards  cholera  broke  out  at  Stettin,  and 
permission  was  given  him  to  go  to  Konigsberg,  in  East  Prussia; 
of  this  permission,  however,  he  made  no  use.  Hesse-Cassel 
was  now  in  the  power  of  the  Prussians.  A  more  important 
result  of  the  invasion  was  that  the  Prussian  General  Beyer  was 
established  in  the  rear  of  the  Hanoverian  army  at  Gottingen, 
which,  without  preparation,  commissariat,  military  train,  or 
reserve  ammunition,  was  thus  exposed  to  attack  by  a  force 
nearly  as  large  as  its  own,  in  its  flank  if  it  attempted  to  move 
southwards,  in  its  rear  if  it  turned  to  bay  and  faced  its  pursuers 
from  the  north.  The  Hanoverian  army  was  already  practically 
disarmed,  paralysed,  and  prisoners. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

PRUSSIAN    OCCUPATION    OF    SAXONY. 

The  troops  designed  for  the  invasion  of  Saxony  were  the '. 
army  of  the  Elbe  and  the  First  Army.     The  former  was  to 
advance  from  the  north,   the  latter  from  the  east.     On  thej 
evening  of  the   15th  June,  when  the  Saxon  Government  had 
rejected  the  Prussian  ultimatum,  and  received  the  declaration 
of  war,  the  retreat  of  the  Saxon  army  commenced,  in  order  to 
gain  Bohemia  by  way  of  Bodenbach,  and  there  to  unite  with 
the  Austrians.    The  funds  from  the  treasury  and  the  royal  plate! 
had  already  been  packed  up,  and  the  waggons  in  which  they 
had  been  placed  accompanied  the  army. 

Means  were  also  adopted  to  impede  as  much  as  possible  the 
advance  of  the  Prussian  troops.  Saxon  pioneers  were  set  to 
work  upon  the  railways  which  lead  from  the  frontier  upon; 
Dresden.  Of  such  railways  there  are  two,  that  which  follows 
the  valley  of  the  Elbe  and  joins  the  Leipsic  line  at  Rieza  and1 
that  which  from  Gorlitz  leads  by  Bautzen  upon  the  capital  of 
Saxony.  At  nightfall  the  Saxon  pioneers  commenced  their 
work,  but  in  the  dark,  and  under  constant  apprehension  of  being* 
broken  in  upon  by  the  Prussian  advanced  guards,  they  made' 
but  little  progress.  The  rails  were  taken  up,  but  were  neither' 
carried  away,  nor  twisted,  nor  broken  so  as  not  to  be  again 
immediately  available.  At  eleven  o'clock  at  night  the  wooden 
bridge  which  carries  the  railway  branches  to  Leipsic  and 
Chemnitz  across  the  Elbe,  near  Rieza,  was  set  on  fire  by  means 
of  petroleum.  Its  destruction  was  not  accomplished,  for  only' 
two  piers  were  burnt,  and  the  whole  bridge  was  again  made! 
passable  within  a  few  days. 

While  the  work  of  destruction  went  slowly  on  in  Saxony  that 


Chap.  IV.]        PRUSSIAN  OCCUPATION  OF  SAX  OX  Y.  125 

night,  heavy  masses  of  Prussian  troops  were  drawing  together, 
and  closing  down  to  the  very  frontier  line  of  that  kingdom. 
Between  Gorlitz  and  the  border  on  the  west,  Prince  Frederick 
Charles  marshalled  three  strong  corps  d'arme'e.  On  the  north 
General  Herwarth  von  Bittenfeld  divided  his  force  into  three 
columns,  which  were  to  advance  by  Strehla,  Dahlen,  and 
Wurzen,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Elbe.  During  the  few  dark 
hours  of  the  short  summer  night,  the  last  preparations  for  the 
invasion  were  made.  The  main  bodies  were  collected  together 
about  midnight,  and  the  soldiers  piled  amis  to  rest  and  wait  for 
dawn.  Few  slept ;  a  dull  and  heavy  murmur  continually  rose 
from  the  crowded  columns,  and  told  the  subdued  but  deep 
excitement  which  pervaded  the  hearts  of  the  men;  and  this 
excitement  was  not  without  a  cause,  for  the  soldiers  thought 
that  the  Austrian  was  in  Dresden,  and  that  there  would  be  a 
battle  on  the  morrow.  At  last  the  first  faint  streaks  of  dawn 
appeared ;  the  troops  eagerly  fell  into  their  ranks,  and  before 
the  sun  had  risen  the  advanced  guards  were  pushing  briskly 
over  Saxon  ground. 

The  pioneers  engaged  upon  the  railway  fled  before  the  in- 
vaders' columns,  fortunate  to  avoid  being  taken.  Bittenfeld, 
from  the  north,  reached  Rieza  about  nine  o'clock,  and  occupied 
that  town  in  force.  Two  pontoon  bridges  were  thrown  across 
the  Elbe  below  the  town,  a  portion  of  the  troops  crossed,  and 
marched  on  to  Grossenhain,  while  the  rest  were  directed  up  the 
left  bank  of  the  river,  towards  Meissen.  ^  Hardly  had  Bitten- 
feld's  troops  established  themselves  in  Rieza,  when  a  detach- 
ment of  the  field  railway  corps  came  up,  who  immediately 
commenced  the  restoration  of  the  lines  which  had  been  re- 
moved, while  pioneers  were  set  to  repair  the  burnt  portions  of 
the  bridge. 

In  the  meantime,  the  columns  of  the  First  Army  were  ad- 
vancing in  Lusatia.  A  detachment  entered  the  town  of  Lobau, 
which  was  found  without  any  garrison.  The  railway  bridge 
here  was  not  blown  up,  though  it  had  been  mined.  The  lines 
were,  however,  torn  up,  and  laid  in  confusion  on  the  way ;  but 
the  Prussians  employed  the  country  people  immediately  to 
restore  the  railway.  Bautzen  was  also  occupied.  Here  the 
line  had  again  been  torn  up,  but  was  quickly  repaired.     But 


126  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IV. 

Prince  Frederick  Charles  moved  cautiously,  for  the  passes  of 
Reichenberg  and  Gabel  were  on  his  left.  To  cover  his  com- 
munication with  Gorlitz,  and  to  shield  his  left  flank,  he  pushed 
a  strong  detachment  along  the  Zittau  road  to  a  point  a  little 
beyond  Ostritz. 

On  the  17th  a  detachment  was  thrown  out  on  the  right  to 
feel  Bittenfeld's  left,  and  the  Prince  pushed  troops  to  Bisschofs- 
werda,  on  the  Dresden  road,  while  Bittenfeld's  advanced  guard 
occupied  Meissen.  On  the  iSth  a  simultaneous  advance  was 
made  on  the  capital.  The  advancing  columns  met  with  no 
opposition,  and  that  afternoon  the  Prussian  colours  were  hoisted 
over  Dresden. 

The  Prussian  outposts  were  then  pushed  forward  without 
encountering  any  opposition  up  to  the  frontier  of  Bohemia. 
Leipzic  and  Chemnitz  were  occupied,  and  the  line  of  railway 
between  Leipzic  and  Plauen,  as  well  as  that  between  Dresden 
and  Chemnitz,  secured  by  Prussian  troops.  On  the  20th  June 
the  whole  of  Saxony  was  in  the  undisturbed  possession  of  the 
troops  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles  and  of  Herwarth,  except 
where  the  Saxon  standard  floated  above  the  virgin  fortress  of 
Konigstein. 

At  the  time  of  the  inruption  into  Saxony,  Prince  Frederick 
Charles  of  Prussia  issued  this  address  to  the  inhabitants  : — 

"  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Prussia,  my  most  gracious  master,  having  been 
compelled  to  declare  war  against  the  King  of  Saxony,  a  portion  of  tire  troops 
under  my  command  have  to-day  crossed  the  frontier  between  Prussian  and 
Saxon  Lusatia. 

"  We  are  not  at  war  with  the  people  and  country  of  Saxony,  but  only 
with  the  Government,  which  by  its  inveterate  hostility  has  forced  us  to  take 
up  arms. 

' '  Private  property  will  be  everywhere  respected  by  my  troops,  who  are 
also  directed  to  protect  every  peaceful  citizen  from  injury. 

"  I  intreat  you  to  repose  confidence  in  our  intentions,  and  to  be  assured 
that  my  soldiers,  by  strict  discipline  and  good  fellowship,  will  alleviate  the 
hardships  of  war  as  much  as  possible.  Provisions  will  never  be  exacted 
without  a  due  receipt  for  them. 

"  FREDERICK  CHARLES,  General  of  Cavalry. 

"Head  Quarters,  Gorlitz,  June  16,  1866." 

The  administration  of  the  country  was  undertaken  by  Royal 
Commissioners ;  but  the  Saxon  officials  and  organs  of  adminis- 
tration were  retained.    A  kindly  feeling  soon  sprang  up  between 


Chap.  IV.]        PRUSSIAN  OCCUPATION  OF  SAXONY.  127 

the  soldiery  and  the  inhabitants,  although  there  were  occasional 
disturbances  with  the  officials,  chiefly  with  regard  to  the  war 
contributions  of  fuel  and  forage  which  the  country  was  required 
to  furnish.  The  excellent  discipline  of  the  Prussian  soldiery 
showed  itself  conspicuously  in  Saxony.  The  fears  and  pre- 
judices of  the  inhabitants  subsided  more  and  more  every  hour, 
and  the  Prussians  within  a  few  days  regarded  themselves  and 
were  regarded  as  if  in  a  friendly  country. 

At  this  time,  as  a  security  against  the  chances  of  an  Austrian 
attack,  and  as  a  support  for  further  operations,  the  reserve  corps 
of  General  Miilbe  was  ordered  up  from  Berlin  to  Dresden. 
The  positions  of  the  armies  about  to  be  engaged  in  hostilities 
were,  on  20th  June,  after  the  occupation  of  Saxony,  as  shown 
in  the  subjoined  sketch  : — 


g*m 


BAVARIA 

3     \ 


fi 

\MORAGgg[VIA 


Slotting. 


KM.ConBiir. 


POSITION    OF   TROOPS    ON    20TH   JUNE. 

The  Prussian  dash  into  Saxony  was  a  great  military  success. 
It  gave  Prince  Frederick  Charles  the  advantage  of  being  able 
to  attack  the  Austrians  on  a  narrow  front,  if  they  should  issue 
from  the  passes  of  the  mountains,  instead  of  being  obliged  to 
fight  them  on  their  own  terms  in  an  open  country,  as  would 


128  SEVEN   WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IV. 

have  been  the  case  had  they  been  allowed  to  occupy  this 
kingdom.  At  that  moment  the  Prussian  patrols  and  pickets 
were  pushed  close  up  to  the  Austrian  frontier,  the  issue  of  the 
narrow  defile  which  the  Elbe  cleaves  in  the  Iron  Mountains 
was  secured,  the  Saxon  troops  had  retired  into  Bohemia,  and 
without  pulling  a  trigger  the  Prussian  army  had,  by  the  rapid 
action  of  its  chief,  gained  as  great  advantages  as  could  have 
been  looked  for  from  a  victorious  battle  in  this  part  of  the 
theatre  of  war.  There  was  only  one  point  in  Saxony  where 
Saxon  troops  were  still  found,  and  where  the  Saxon  standard 
was  still  hoisted.  The  little  fortress  of  Konigstein,  situated  on 
an  isolated  sandstone  cliff  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Elbe,  about 
nine  miles  from  the  Austrian  frontier,  was  still  occupied  by  a 
Saxon  garrison.  Inaccessible,  from  the  steepness  of  the  rock 
on  which  it  stands,  and  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the 
surrounding  heights,  this  fortress  has  never  been  reduced. 
From  the  hill  of  Lilienstein,  which  stands  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river,  and  has  a  command  over  the  fortress  of  more  than 
150  feet,  Napoleon  attempted  to  bombard  Konigstein,  but  his 
artillery  was  not  heavy  enough  to  send  shot  over  the  3.000 
yards  which  separate  the  summit  of  the  two  hills.  With  their 
rifled  cannon  the  Prussian  artillery  could  now  easily,  from  the 
hill  of  Lilienstein  or  from  that  of  Paffenstein  on  the  opposite 
side,  have  engaged  the  guns  of  the  fort  on  equal  terms ;  but 
the  Prussian  commander  did  not  deem  it  worth  while  to  drag 
artillery  to  the  top  of  these  steep  hills  in  order  to  force  the 
capitulation  of  the  small  garrison  of  1,200  men,  who,  in  the 
event  of  Saxony  remaining  in  his  possession,  must  fall  into  his 
hands*  and,  in  case  of  his  being  obliged  to  retire,  could  add  so 
little  to  the  force  of  his  enemies.  Konigstein,  guarded  by  its 
escarpments  and  impossibility  of  approach,  was  still  allowed  to 
retain  its  reputation  for  impregnability. 

In  most  of  the  villages  and  hamlets  of  Saxony,  certainly  in 
all  those  which  lay  on  roads  leading  to  the  frontier,  Prussian 
soldiers  were  billeted ;  cavalry  and  artillery  horses  filled  the 
farmsteadings  of  the  border  farmers,  aiid  field  guns  and  artillery 
carriages  were  parked  on  many  a  village  green.  But  the  Saxons 
had  no  complaints  to  make,  and,  as  far  as  could  be  judged  from 
appearances,  seemed  highly  to  approve  the  occupation  of  their 


Chap.  IV.]        PRUSSIAN  OCCUPATION  OP  SAXONY.  129 

country  by  the  Prussian  army.  The  Saxon  peasantry  and  the 
soldiers  were  on  the  most  friendly  terms,  and  a  stranger  who 
did  not  know  the  Prussian  uniform,  in  passing  through  the 
villages,  would  have  supposed  that  the  troops  were  quartered 
among  the  people  of  their  own  country.  As  soon  as  the 
Prussian  vanguards  crossed  the  frontier,  Prince  Frederick 
Charles  issued  a  most  stringent  order,  in  which  he  insisted 
upon  the  troops  showing  every  respect  for  private  property  and 
for  the  comfort  of  the  inhabitants.  This  order  was  strictly 
strictly  observed  both  by  officers  and  men.  The  kind-hearted 
soldiers  brought  with  them  none  of  those  horrors  which  too  often 
follow  in  the  train  of  an  army  which  occupies  a  strange  country. 
On  the  contrary,  had  it  not  been  for  the  swords  and  bayonets 
of  patrols  which  glittered  in  the  sun  along  every  road,  the  scene 
was  one  of  perfect  peace.  In  some  places  the  men  were  help- 
ing the  peasantry  to  carry  the  hay  harvest,  in  others  they  might 
be  seen  working  in  the  cottage  gardens,  and  nearly  always 
were  spending  money  in  the  village  shops  ;  the  bare-legged 
country  urchins  got  taken  up  for  rides  on  the  cavalry  or 
artillery  horses  as  they  went  to  be  watered,  or  were  invited, 
I  half  afraid,  to  peep  into  the  muzzle  of  a  rifled  gun ;  only  when, 
with  the  contempt  bred  by  the  familiarity,  some  too  adventurous 
youngster  tried  to  introduce  a  handful  of  cornflowers  into  the 
mouth  of  a  piece  of  ordnance,  was  he  warned  off  the  precincts 
of  the  battery  by  the  reluctant  sentry.* 

The  Prussian  military  authorities  took  care  to  make  the  in- 
conveniences of  the  existing  state  of  affairs  sit  as  lightly  as 
possible  on  the  inhabitants  of  the  country  in  which  the  troops 
where  quartered.  Passenger  traffic  on  the  railways  of  Saxony 
was  soon  resumed,  except  where  the  broken  bridge  of  Rieza 
caused  a  gap.  Telegraphic  messages  were  received  at  the 
bureaux,  and  were  certainly  and  regularly  delivered. 

The  successful  occupation  of  the  kingdom  of  Saxony  gave 
the  Prussian  leader  also  great  moral,  material,  and  strategical 
advantages.  His  adversaries  had  seen  the  energy  and  vigour 
Iwith  which  the  Prussian  blows  were  delivered.  Two  armies 
were  established  on  hostile  territory,  which  facilitated  the  supply 

*  It  must  be  remembered  that  this  was  a  war  of  Germans  against 
Germans. 


i3o  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IV. 

of  pro-visions  to  these  large  masses  of  troops.  The  theatre  of 
war  for  the  armies  was  also  transferred  to  foreign  soil.  But  the 
main  advantages  were  gained  in  reference  to  the  whole  theatre 
of  the  war  throughout  Germany.  The  wide  semicircle  in  which 
the  Prussian  army  had  been  spread  along  the  Saxon  and 
Bohemian  frontiers,  was  much  contracted  by  the  advances  of 
Prince  Frederick  Charles  and  Herwarth.  The  communication 
between  the  individual  armies  was  much  facilitated  by  the  pos- 
session of  the  Saxon  railways,  and  an  invasion  of  Bohemia  was 
rendered  possible,  because  the  frontier  passes  of  the  mountains 
were  secured ;  while  in  the  case  of  its  being  necessary  to  act  on 
the  defensive,  the  Erz-Gebirge  and  the  Lusatian  hills  afforded 
much  superior  military  positions  to  any  along  the  quite  open 
frontier  between  Saxony  and  Prussia. 

The  invasion  of  Saxony  brought  immediately  conditions  of 
open  war  between  Prussia  and  Austria.  Saxony  appealed  to 
the  Diet  at  Frankfort,  from  which  Prussia  and  several  other 
States  had  since  14th  June  withdrawn  their  representatives. 
The  remaining  members  of  the  Diet  decreed,  on  the  1 6th  June, 
that  Austria  and  Bavaria  should  give  aid  against  Prussia  ;  not 
only  to  Saxony,  but  also  to  Hanover  and  Hesse-Cassel.  Austria 
declared  herself  ready  to  devote  all  her  military  forces  to  the 
support  of  the  States  which  had  been  invaded  by  Prussian 
troops.  This  declaration  was  regarded  by  Prussia  as  an  open 
and  official  announcement  of  a  declaration  of  war.  That 
Austria  also  intended  it  to  be  such  was  shown  by  the  publi- 
cation, on  the  17th  June,  of  this  war  manifesto  of  the 
Emperor : — 

"TO   MY  PEOPLES. 

"  While  engaged  in  a  work  of  peace,  which  was  undertaken  for  the  pur- 
pose of  laying  the  foundation  for  a  Constitution  which  should  augment  the 
unity  and  power  of  the  empire,  and  at  the  same  time  secure  to  my  several 
countries  and  peoples  free  internal  development,  my  duties  as  a  Sovereign 
have  obliged  me  to  place  my  whole  army  under  arms. 

"  On  the  frontiers  of  my  empire,  in  the  south  and  in  the  north,  stand  the 
armies  of  two  enemies  who  have  allied  with  the  intention  of  breaking  the 
power  of  Austria  as  a  great  European  State. 

"  To  neither  of  those  enemies  have  I  given  cause  for  war.  I  call  on  an 
Omniscient  God  to  bear  witness  that  I  have  always  considered  it  my  first, 
my  most  sacred  duty,  to  do  all  in  my  power  to  secure  for  my  peoples  the 
blessings  of  peace. 

"One  of  the  hostile  Powers  requires  no  excuse.     Having  a  longing  to 


Chap.  IV.]       PRUSSIAN  OCCUPATION  OF  SAXONY.  131 

deprive  me  of  parts  of  my  empire,  a  favourable  opportunity  is  for  him  a 
sufficient  cause  for  going  to  war. 

"  Allied  with  the  Prussian  troops,  which  are  now  up  in  arms  against  us, 
a  part  of  my  faithful  and  valorous  army  two  years  ago  went  to  the  shores  of 
the  North  Sea.  I  entered  into  an  alliance  with  Prussia  for  the  purpose  of 
upholding  rights  secured  by  treaties,  to  protect  an  imperilled  German  race, 
to  confine  within  the  narrowest  possible  limits  an  unavoidable  war,  and  by 
means  of  an  intimate  connexion  of  the  two  central  European  Powers— whose 
principal  duty  it  is  to  maintain  the  peace  of  Europe — to  obtain  a  lasting 
guarantee  for  the  peace  of  my  empire,  of  Germany,  and  of  Europe. 

"  Conquests  I  have  never  sought  for.  Unselfish  in  my  alliance  with 
Prussia,  I  did  not,  in  the  Vienna  Treaty  of  Peace,  seek  to  obtain  any  ad- 
vantage for  myself.  Austria  is  not  to  blame  for  the  series  of  unfortunate 
complications  which  could  not  have  arisen  had  Prussia  been  equally  disin- 
terested and  equally  mindful  of  her  Federal  duties.  Those  complications 
were  brought  about  for  the  furtherance  of  selfish  purposes,  and,  con- 
sequently, could  not  be  done  away  with  by  my  Government  in  a  peace- 
ful way. 

"The  state  of  affairs  became  more  and  more  serious. 

"Even  when  it  was  notorious  that  the  two  hostile  States  were  making 
preparations  for  war,  and  that  there  was  an  understanding  which  could  only 
be  based  on  an  intention  to  make  in  common  an  attack  on  my  empire,  I, 
being  mindful  of  my  duties  as  a  Sovereign,  remained  in  a  state  of  profound 
peace,  as  I  was  willing  to  make  all  those  concessions  which  were  compatible 
with  the  welfare  and  honour  of  my  peoples.  But  when  I  saw  that  further 
delay  would  not  only  render  it  difficult  to  ward  off  the  intended  blow, 
but  also  imperil  the  safety  of  the  monarchy,  I  was  obliged  to  resolve  on 
making  those  heavy  sacrifices  which  are  inseparable  from  preparations 
for  war. 

"  The  assurances  given  by  my  Government  of  my  love  of  peace,  and  the 
repeated  declarations  which  were  made  of  my  readiness  to  disarm  at  the 
same  time  with  Prussia,  were  replied  to  by  propositions  which  could  not  be 
accepted  without  sacrificing  the  honour  and  safety  of  the  monarchy. 
Prussia  not  only  insisted  on  complete  disarmament  in  the  northern  pro- 
vinces of  the  empire,  but  also  in  those  parts  of  it  which  touch  on  Italy, 
where  a  hostile  army  was  standing,  for  whose  love  of  peace  no  guarantee 
could  either  be  given  or  offered. 

"The  negotiations  with  Prussia  in  respect  to  the  Elbe  duchies  clearly 
proved  that  a  settlement  of  the  question  in  a  way  compatible  with  the  dignity 
.  of  Austria,  and  with  the  rights  and  interests  of  Germany  and  the  duchies, 
i  could  not  be  brought  about,  as  Prussia  was  violent  and  intent  on  conquest. 
The  negotiations  were  therefore  broken  off,  the  whole  affair  was  referred  to 
the  Bund,  and  at  the  same  time  the  legal  representatives  of  Holstein  were 
convoked. 

"The  danger  of  war  induced  the  three  powers— France,  England,  and 
Russia — to  invite  my  Government  to  participate  in  General  Conferences, 
the  object  of  which  was  to  be  [sein  sollte)  the  maintenance  of  peace.  My 
Government,  in  accordance  with  my  views,  and,  if  possible,  to  secure  the 
blessing  of  peace  for  my  peoples,  did  not  refuse  to  share  in  the  Conferences, 
but  made  their  acceptance  dependent  on  the  confirmation  of  the  supposition 
that  the  public  law  of  Europe  and  the  existing  treaties  were  to  form  the 
basis  of  the  attempt  at  mediation,  and  that  the  powers  represented  would 
not  seek  to  uphold  special  interests  which  could  only  be  prejudicial  to  the 
balance  of  power  in  Europe  and  to  the  rights  of  Austria.     The  fact  that  the 


i32  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IV. 

proof  that  the  Conferences   could  not  have  led  to  the  maintenance   of 
peace. 

"  The  recent  events  clearly  prove  that  Prussia  substitutes  open  violence 
for  right  and  justice. 

"  The  rights  and  the  honour  of  Austria,  the  rights  and  the  honour  of  the 
whole  German  nation,  are  no  longer  a  barrier  against  the  inordinate  ambi- 
tion of  Prussia.  Prussian  troops  have  entered  Holstein  ;  the  Estates  con- 
voked by  the  Imperial  Stadtholder  have  been  violently  dissolved  ;  the 
Government  of  Holstein,  which  the  Treaty  of  Vienna  gives  to  Austria  and 
Prussia  in  common,  has  been  claimed  for  Prussia  alone ;  and  the 
Austrian  garrison  has  been  obliged  to  give  way  to  a  force  ten  times  as 
strong  as  itself. 

"  When  the  German  Bund,  which  saw  in  the  measure  no  infraction  of 
the  Federal  laws,  accepted  the  Austrian  proposition  to  'mobilize'  the 
Federal  troops,  Prussia,  who  prides  herself  on  being  the  defender  of  the 
interests  of  Germany,  resolved  to  complete  the  work  she  had  begun. 
Violently  severing  the  tie  which  unites  the  German  races,  Prussia  announced 
her  secession  from  the  Bund,  required  from  the  German  Governments  the 
acceptance  of  a  so-called  project  of  Reform,  which  in  reality  is  a  division  of 
Germany,  and  now  she  employs  military  force  against  those  Sovereigns  who 
have  faithfully  discharged  their  Federal  duties. 

"The  most  pernicious  of  wars,  a  war  of  Germans  against  Germans,  has 
become  inevitable,  and  I  now  summon  before  the  tribunal  of  history,  before 
the  tribunal  of  an  eternal  and  all-powerful  God,  those  persons  who  have 
brought  it  about,  and  make  them  responsible  for  the  misfortunes  which  may 
fall  on  individuals,  families,  districts,  and  countries. 

"  I  begin  the  war  with  confidence,  arising  from  the  knowledge  that  my 
cause  is  a  just  one,  and  with  the  consciousness  of  the  power  which  is  pos- 
sessed by  a  great  empire  when  the  Prince  and  the  people  have  one  and  the 
same  thought— that  the  rights  of  their  country  must  be  stedfastly  upheld. 
My  heart  beats  high  at  the  sight  of  my  gallant  and  well-appointed  army — 
the  bulwark  against  which  the  force  of  the  enemies  of  Austria  will  be  broken 
— and  of  my  faithful  peoples,  who  are  full  of  loyal  confidence  and  self  devo- 
tion. The  pure  fire  of  patriotic  enthusiasm  burns  with  equal  strength  and 
steadiness  in  all  parts  of  my  vast  empire.  Joyfully  do  the  furlough  men  and 
reserves  take  their  places  in  the  ranks  of  the  army  ;  numerous  volunteers 
present  themselves  ;  the  whole  of  the  able-bodied  population  of  the  countries 
which  are  most  exposed  are  preparing  to  take  the  field,  and  everything  that 
can  possibly  be  done  to  assist  the  army  and  provide  for  its  necessities  is 
willingly  done.  All  the  inhabitants  of  my  kingdoms  and  countries  have  one 
and  the  same  feeling — the  feeling  that  they  belong  to  one  and  the  same  { 
nation,  that  unity  gives  strength,  and  that  a  gross  violation  of  justice  has 
been  committed. 

"  It  is  doubly  painful  to  me  that  the  settlement  of  the  questions  relative 
to  the  internal  constitution  of  the  Empire  has  not  yet  made  so  much  pro- 
gress that  I,  at  this  important  moment,  can  assemble  around  my  throne 
the  representatives  of  all  my  peoples.  Although  I  am  now  deprived  of 
this  support,  my  duty  as  a  Sovereign  has  become  clearer,  and  my  reso-  I 
lution  stronger,  that  for  all  future  time  my  empire  shall  have  the  bene- 
fit  of  it. 

"  We  shall  not  be  alone  in  the  struggle  which  is  about  to  take  place. 
The  Princes  and  peoples  of  Germany  know  that  their  liberty  and  indepen- 
dence are  menaced  by  a  Power  which  listens  but  to  the  dictates  of  egotism,  ; 
and  is  under  the  influence  of  an  ungovernable  craving  after  aggrandizement, 


Chap.  IV.]        PRUSSIAN  OCCUPATION  OF  SAXONY.  133 

power,  and  integrity  of  the  whole  of  the  German  Fatherland.  We  and  ou- 
German  brethren  have  taken  up  arms  in  defence  of  the  most  precious  rights 
of  nations.  We  have  been  forced  so  to  do,  and  we  neither  can  nor  will  dis.i 
arm  until  the  internal  development  of  my  empire  and  of  the  German  States 
which  are  allied  with  it  has  been  secured,  and  also  their  power  and  influence 
in  Europe. 

"  My  hopes  are  not  based  on  unity  of  purpose,  on  power  alone,  I  confide 
in  an  almighty  and  just  God,  whom  my  house  from  its  very  foundations  has 
faithfully  served,  a  God  who  never  forsakes  those  who  righteously  put  their 
trust  in  Him.  To  Him  I  pray  for  assistance  and  success,  and  I  call  on  my 
peoples  to  join  me  in  that  prayer. 

"  Given  in  my  residence  and  metropolis  of  Vienna,  on  this  17th  of  June, 
1866. 

"FRANCIS  JOSEPH  (m.p.)." 

On  the  same  day  the  following  general  order  was  also  issued 
to  the  Austrian  Army  of  the  North  by  Feldzeugmeister 
Benedek : — 

"Head  Quarters,  Olmutz. 

"  Soldiers, — We  are  on  the  eve  of  grave  and  sanguinary  events.  As  in 
1859,  you  are  collected  in  great  numbers  around  our  flag.  Soldiers,  we 
have  now  to  repair  in  the  eyes  of  the  world  the  faults  of  that  period  ; 
we  have  to  punish  an  arrogant  and  faithless  enemy.  I  have  the  full  and 
entire  conviction  that  you  are  aware  of  and  are  worthy  of  this  mission. 
Have  also  confidence  in  me,  and  be  assured  that  on  my  part  I  will  exert  my 
best  efforts  to  bring  this  campaign  to  a  speedy  and  glorious  termination. 
We  are  now  faced  by  inimical  forces,  composed  partly  of  troops  of  the  Line 
and  partly  of  Landwehr.  The  first  comprises  young  men  not  accustomed 
to  privations  and  fatigues,  and  who  have  never  yet  made  an  important  cam- 
paign ;  the  latter  is  composed  of  doubtful  and  dissatisfied  elements,  which, 
rather  than  fight  against  us,  would  prefer  the  downfall  of  their  Government. 
In  consequence  of  a  long  course  of  years  of  peace,  the  enemy  does  not  pos- 
sess a  single  general  who  has  had  an  opportunity  of  learning  his  duties  on 
the  field  of  battle.  Veterans  of  the  Mincio  and  of  Palestro,  I  hope  that 
with  tried  leaders  you  will  not  allow  the  slightest  advantage  to  such  an  adver- 
sary. On  the  day  of  battle  the  infantry  will  adopt  its  lightest  campaign 
accoutrement,  and  will  leave  behind  their  knapsacks  and  camping  material, 
in  order  that  they  may  be  able  to  throw  themselves  with  rapidity  and 
promptitude  upon  the  heavily-laden  enemy.  Each  soldier  will  receive  his 
flask  filled  with  wine  and  water,  and  a  ration  of  bread  and  meat  easily  to 
be  carried.  The  officers  will  discontinue  the  use  of  their  wide  scarves,  and 
all  the  useless  insignia  of  their  ranks,  which  but  renders  them  too  distin- 
guishable in  action.  Every  man,  without  distinction  of  name  or  position, 
shall  be  promoted  whenever  he  shall  distinguish  himself  on  the  field  of 
battle.  The  bands  will  place  themselves  in  rear  of  the  front  of  the 
respective  positions,  and  will  play  heroic  pieces  for  the  warlike  dance. 
The  enemy  has  for  some  time  vaunted  the  excellence  of  their  fire-arms, 
but,  soldiers,  I  do  not  think  that  will  be  of  much  avail  to  them.  We 
will  give  them  no  time,  but  we  will  attack  them  with  the  bayonet  and 
with  crossed  muskets.  When,  with  God's  help,  we  shall  have  beaten 
and  compelled  to  retreat  our  enemies,  we  will  pursue  them  without  in- 
termission, and  you  shall  then  find  repose  upon  the  enemy's  soil,  and 
those  compensations  which  a  glorious  and  victorious  army  has  a  right 
to  demand  " 


B       K    ' ' 

CHAPTER    I. 

'    : "  .  Euro  pe 

\ 
■  ■ 

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•  -  - 

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t       _:  -•-_;   z-- 


i 


136  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  V. 

the  central  provinces  of  Prussia.  The  upper  basin  is  in  general 
ill  cultivated,  and  little  has  been  done  to  develop  its  resources. 
It  possesses,  however,  forests,  considerable  iron  mines,  and 
breeds  horses  which  are  valuable  in  war.  Its  roads,  except  one 
or  two  main  chaussees,  are  few,  mountainous,  and  bad ;  but  it  is 
a  country  easily  defensible,  for  its  forests,  mountains,  and  rivers 
present  at  every  point  obstacles  to  an  invading  army.  The 
lower  basin  of  this  river  is,  on  the  other  hand,  a  country  of 
plains,  marshes,  and  small  lakes :  not  very  fertile,  but  well 
cultivated,  thickly  populated,  and  opened  up  by  a  multitude  of 
roads.  The  Elbe,  entering  it  from  a  close  defile  between  the 
mountains  of  Northern  Bohemia,  runs  through  its  whole  length, 
passing  by  the  fortress  of  Konigstein,  Dresden,  the  capital  of 
Saxony,  and  the  fortified  town  of  Wittenberg.  This  river, 
within  Prussian  territory,  supported  by  the  fortresses  of  Torgau 
and  Magdeburg,  forms  a  strong  line  of  defence  against  an  army 
advancing  on  Berlin  from  the  west,  but  one  which  can  easily 
be  turned  from  Bohemia. 

The  basin  of  the  Oder,  bounded  on  the  south  by  the  moun- 
tains which  overhang  Braunau,  Glatz,  and  Troppau,  contains 
on  the  upper  course  of  the  river  the  province  of  Prussian 
Silesia.  The  river  itself  forms  an  angle  near  Breslau,  which 
allows  of  its  being  used  as  a  line  of  defence  for  the  eastern 
districts  of  the  kingdom  of  Prussia  against  an  attack  from  either 
the  south  or  west.  This  line  is  supported  by  the  fortresses  of 
Glogau,  Kiistrin,  and  Stettin.  The  country  through  which  the 
Oder  flows  is  in  general  flat,  marshy,  and  woody;  the  land  is 
fertile  only  in  pasture,  but  is  well  cultivated,  and  inhabited  by 
an  active  and  industrious  population. 

The  basin  of  the  Weser,  in  which  lies  the  western  portion  of 
the  kingdom  of  Hanover,  is  bounded  on  the  south  by  the 
mountains  of  the  Thuringian  Forest  and  the  Hartz,  and  is  in 
getieral  sandy  and  covered  with  thickets ;  its  principal  riches 
are  flocks  and  herds.  The  Danube,  the  southernmost  of  the 
four  rivers  which  were  introduced  into  the  theatre  of  war  in 
Central  Germany,  runs  through  a  plain  which  lies  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Bohemian  and  Moravian  mountains. 

Starting  from  the  confluence  of  the  Main  with  the  Rhine  at 
Mayence,  following  upwards   the  valley  of  the  former  river, 


Chap.  I.]  THEATRE   OF  GERMAN  WAR.  137 

skirting  the  southern  slopes  of  the  Thuringian  Forest,  passing 
along  the  summits  of  the  Erz-Gebirge,  the  Riesen-Gebirge,  and 
the  mountains  of  Moravia,  and  terminating  at  the  southernmost 
point  of  Upper  Silesia,  runs  the  line  which  geographically 
divides  Northern  from  Southern  Germany.  This  line  now 
divided  from  one  another  the  territories  occupied  by  the  troops 
of  the  two  great  parties  into  which  the  Germanic  Confederation 
was  rapidly  splitting.  By  the  sudden  razzia  made  by  her  troops 
into  Hanover,  Hesse-Cassel,  and  Saxony,  and  by  surrounding 
the  Hanoverian  troops,  Prussia  secured  free  communication 
between  her  Rhenish  provinces  and  Berlin,  disarmed  the  hostile 
forces  in  her  rear,  and  divided  the  whole  of  Germany  into  two 
distinct  areas  for  military  operations. 

These  northern  and  southern  areas,  separated  by  the  central 
geographical  line  of  Germany,  were  now  in  the  possession  of 
the  troops  of  the  northern  and  southern  antagonists  respectively. 

The  Prussian  occupation  of  Saxony  had  also  the  effect  of 
separating  the  troops  of  the  southern  league  quartered  on  the 
east  of  the  line  of  the  Saale  from  those  assembled  on  the  west, 
and  divided  Germany  into  an  eastern  and  western  theatre 
of  war. 

On  the  western  theatre  the  Prussian  troops  which  had  in- 
vaded Hanover  and  Hesse-Cassel  were  ranged  against  the 
Hanoverians,  the  Bavarians,  the  troops  of  Cassel,  and  those  of 
the  eighth  Federal  corps. 

On  the  eastern  theatre  the  main  armies  of  Prussia  were 
drawn  up  against  that  of  Austria  with  its  Saxon  allies,  where 
they  occupied  positions  in  Saxony  and  Silesia  on  the  one  side, 
on  Bohemia  and  Moravia  on  the  other.  Between  Bohemia 
and  Saxony  lie  the  chains  of  the  Iron  and  Giant  Mountains  ; 
between  Moravia  and  Silesia,  a  part  of  the  Giant  chain,  the 
mountains  of  Schweidnitz,  and  the  Sudetic  hills.  These  moun- 
tains as  a  rule  are  steep  towards  Prussia,  and  slope  more 
gently  towards  Bohemia.  They  consist  of  several  parallel 
ridges,  and  are  of  very  unequal  heights,  sometimes  falling  as 
low  as  a  thousand  feet,  sometimes,  raising  their  peaks  high 
into  the  air,  they  tower  over  spurs  themselves  fifteen  hundred 
feet  high.  On  the  west  of  Bohemia  the  Fichtel  Mountains 
divide  the  passes  which  lead  from  North  Germany  into  Bohemia 


133 


SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR. 


[Book  V. 


from  those  which  by  the  sources  of  the  Saale  lead  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Hof  and  Eger  into  Bavaria.  This  fact  added 
to  the  importance  and  to  the  value  of  the  Prussian  occupation 
of  Saxony,  for  the  presence  of  the  troops  of  Prince  Frederick 
Charles  in  that  kingdom,  if  it  did  not  entirely  prevent,  certainly 


,  J\lx%n  L'MS. 
Lines  of  Gaamvaiufim, 

threw  great  difficulties  in  the  way  of  a  junction  between  the 
Austrians  and  Bavarians,  and  placed  the  Prussians  in  about 
the  advantageous  position  of  having  broken  the  line  of  the 
armies  of  the  South  German  States. 

The  south-western  frontier  of  Bohemia  is  formed  by  the  hills 
of  the  Bohemian  Forest ;  the  south-eastern  by  the  mountains  of 
Moravia.  The  eastern  theatre  of  operations  lay  between  the 
mountains  which  separate  Bohemia  and  Moravia  from  Saxony 
and  Prussia  and  the  Danube. 

In  this  theatre  two  main  lines  of  railway  exist,  and  show  the 
lines  along  which  the  troops  on  either  side  would  draw  together, 


Chap.  I.]  THEATRE   OF  GERMAN  WAR.  139 

in  order  to  repel  an  offensive  movement  of  the  enemy.  The 
northern  line  is  that  which  runs  from  Oderberg,  by  Oppeln, 
Brieg,  Breslau,  and  Gorlitz  to  Dresden  and  Leipzic ;  the 
outhern  is  that  which  leads  from  Prerau  by  Olmiitz  and  Par- 
dubitz  to  Prague.  These  lines  at  three  points  are  joined  to 
each  other  by  lines  from  Dresden  to  Prague,  from  Lobau  to 
Tiirnau,  and  from  Oderberg  to  Prerau. 

Within  Bohemia  lies  the  important  quadrilateral  of  railways 
between  Prague,  Tiirnau,  Josephstadt,  and  Pardubitz,  from 
which  lines  lead  to  Leipzic,  Dresden,  Berlin,  Gorlitz,  Breslau, 
Cracow,  Vienna,  Pilsen,  Nuremberg,  and  Regensburg,  and 
which,  in  consequence,  forms  a  highly  advantageous  position 
for  the  concentration  of  troops. 

The  fortresses  enclosed  in  this  theatre  are,  on  the  Austrian 
side,  Cracow  on  the  Vistula,  Olmiitz  on  the  March,  Joseph- 
stadt and  Koniggratz  on  the  Upper  Elbe,  Prague  on  the 
Moldau,  and  Theresienstadt  on  the  Eger.  On  the  Prussian 
side  are  Kosel  on  the  Oder,  Neisse  on  the  Neisse,  Glatz, 
SSchweidnitz,  and  Torgau,  on  the  Elbe.  From  Schweidnitz, 
which  is  of  little  importance  as  a  fortress,  to  Torgau,  the 
distance  is  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles. 

After  the  Prussian  occupation  of  Saxony,  the  main  armies  of 
ithe  two  great  Powers  were  separated  by  the  mountains  along 
■which  run  the  northern  frontier  lines  of  Bohemia  and  Moravia. 
iThe  Prussian  army  consisted  of  three  principal  parts,  which  all 
jreceived  orders  from  the  King  as  commander-in-chief  of  all 
ithe  forces,  and  numbered,  inclusive  of  the  reserve  corps  of 
[General  Miilbe  in  Dresden,  about  280,000  combatants,  with 
1900  guns. 

The  Austrian  army,  on  the  south  of  the  mountains,  mustered 
about  245,000  combatants,  with  600  guns,  to  which  was  added 
ithe  Saxon  army,  that  had  retired  into  Bohemia,  with  a  force  of 
125,000  combatants,  and  60  guns. 

Plan  of  Operations. — The  Austrian  army  was  not  in  such 
la  forward  state  of  preparation  for  taking  the  field  as  the  Prus- 
sian. Feldzeugmeister  Von  Benedek  had  not  apparently 
^anticipated  such  extreme  rapidity  and  energy  of  movement  as 
was  exhibited  by  the  Prussians,  and  had  before  the  outbreak  of 


i4o  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  V. 

hostilities  announced  his  intention  of  assuming  the  offensive, 
and  of  invading  Prussian  territory,  when  he  had  given  most 
humane  and  praiseworthy  directions  to  his  own  troops  for  their 
behaviour  in  the  enemy's  country.  An  Austrian  invasion  of 
Prussia  may  be  effected  by  either  of  two  routes  :  the  first  leads 
over  the  Lusatian  mountains  to  Bautzen  and  Gorlitz  to  Berlin ; 
the  second  by  the  valley  of  the  Oder  into  Silesia.  An  offensive 
movement  by  the  first  route  would  have  given  the  Austrians 
the  advantage  of  seizing  Saxony,  and  of  covering  the  passage 
of  the  Bavarians  by  the  passes  of  the  Saale  to  Wittenberg, 
where  the  whole  of  the  invading  army  might  have  been  united. 
The  other  route  did  not  offer  these  advantages,  and  in  it  lay  as 
obstacles  the  Prussian  fortresses  of  Glatz,  Neisse,  and  Kosel. 

The  rapid  invasion  of  Saxony  by  Prussia,  and  the  consequent 
retreat  of  the  Saxons,  appears  to  have  determined  the  Austrian 
commander  to  relinquish  any  attempt  of  crossing  the  moun- 
tains into  that  kingdom.  His  army  was  concentrated  round 
Briinn  and  Olmiitz ;  he  could  not  draw  it  together  in  time  to 
seize  the  passes  into  Saxony ;  and  he  appears  to  have  then 
determined  to  act  upon  the  defensive,  and  to  hold  one  portion 
of  the  Prussian  troops  in  check,  while  he  threw  himself  with 
strong  force  on  the  others  issuing  from  the  mountain  passes,  in 
order  to  crush  them  in  detail.  To  secure  a  favourable  position 
for  this  operation,  he  concentrated  his  army  towards  Joseph- 
stadt.  He  sent  one  corps  d'armee  with  the  Saxon  troops  to 
cover  the  issues  of  the  passes  from  Saxony,  there  to  check  the 
armies  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles.  With  his  forces  from 
Josephstadt  he  intended  to  hold  the  Crown  Prince  in  issuing 
from  the  mountains,  and  to  reinforce  Clam  Gallas  to  crush 
Prince  Frederick  Charles  at  Gitschin.  On  the  19th  June  the 
Austrian  movements  with  this  aim  commenced :  that  day  the 
head-quarters  of  Feldzeugmeister  Von  Benedek  were  movec 
from  Olmiitz  to  Bohmisch  Triiban,  and  on  the  23rd  June  his 
army  occupied  the  following  positions : — 

The  1  st  corps,  the  Saxons,  the  brigade  Kalik,  and  the  is 
light  cavalry  division,  were  posted  under  the  supreme  commanc 
of  Count  Clam  Gallas,  amounting  altogether  to  nine  brigades 
with  60,000  men,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Iser,  between  Weiss 
wasser,  Miinchengratz,  and  Tiirnau,  in  order  here  to  check  th< 


Chap.  I.] 


THEATRE   OF  GERMAN   WAR. 


141 


enemy  advancing  from  the  north-west.  The  4th  and  8th  corps, 
and  1  st  division  of  reserve  cavalry,  were  at  Josephstadt ;  the 
10th  and  6th  corps  were  pushed  forward  to  the  Silesian  frontier 
on  the  north-east  of  Josephstadt ;  the  3rd  corps  and  the  2nd  and 
3rd  divisions  of  reserve  cavalry  were  held  in  reserve  north  of 
Pardubitz ;  the  2nd  corps  and  the  2nd  light  cavalry  division 
formed  the  extreme  right  of  the  Austrian  line  at  Bohmisch 

9 


1C.3C.  <£<? 

tR.CD 


4^ 

Bokm.Triibiia 


Triiban.  By  this  disposition  of  his  troops,  Feldzeugmeister 
Benedek  held  a  force  much  superior  to  that  of  the  Crown 
Prince,  immediately  opposite  to  the  denies  leading  to  Silesia, 
and  covered  the  ground  on  which  all  the  roads  from  Saxony 
and  lower  Silesia  unite  together  in  Bohemia,  so  that  he  actually 
stood  in  front  of  the  point  where  the  armies  of  Prince  Frederick 
Charles  and  of  the  Crown  Prince  must  unite. 


Prussian  Plan  of  Operations. — How  and  why  Prussia 
assumed  the  offensive  in  Saxony  has  been  already  seen.  To 
increase  the  advantages  gained  by  the  possession  of  this  king- 
dom, it  was  extremely  desirable  to  push  forward  into  Bohemia, 
and  thus  diminish,  by  a  concentration  forwards,  the  extent  of 
the  arc  covered  by  the  different  armies.  Political  and  financial 
reasons  also  required  a  speedy  termination  of  the  war.  It  was 
determined  in  the  Prussian  councils  to  assume  the  offensive. 

An  invasion  of  the  Austrian  dominions  from  the  positions  of 
the  Prussian  armies  could  be  effected  in  two  ways  :  by  the  first 
the  armies  could  cross  the  north-eastern  and  north-western 
frontiers  of  Bohemia,  and  be  directed  to  unite  in  the  north  of 


i42  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  V. 

Bohemia.  By  the  second  plan  the  Elbe  Army  and  the  First 
Army  could  have  been  ordered  to  cross  the  frontier,  and  to 
move  on  Prague,  while  the  Second  made  an  offensive  move- 
ment against  Olmiitz.  The  latter  plan  was  considered  too 
dangerous ;  by  its  prosecution  the  communications  between  the 
two  armies  would  have  been  entirely  broken  ;  and  if  Benedek 
had  ignored  the  Second  Army  he  could  have  fallen  with  much 
superior  forces  on  Prince  Frederick  Charles,  and  overthrown 
him,  when  the  distance  from  Olmiitz  to  Vienna  would  not  have 
been  less  than  that  from  Josephstadt  to  Berlin.  The  first  plan 
was  accordingly  adopted ;  and  in  order  to  carry  it  out,  it  was 
determined  that  the  Army  of  the  Elbe,  acting  as  the  extreme 
right  wing  of  the  Prussian  advance,  should  move  from  Dres- 
den by  Neustadt,  and  over  the  mountains  by  the  passes  of 
Schluckenau  or  Gabel.  The  First  Army,  which  formed  the 
centre  of  the  invading  forces,  was  to  move  with  the  cavalry 
corps  from  Zittau,  Gorlitz,  and  Lobau,  by  the  passes  ofKrottau 
Friedland  and  Neustadtl  or  Reichenberg.  The  Second  Army, 
as  the  left  wing,  was  to  move  from  Landshut  and  the  county 
of  Glatz  through  the  passes  near  Schatzlar  or  Trautenau,  and 
through  the  pass  of  Nachod  or  Skalitz. 

The  First  Army  and  the  Army  of  the  Elbe  were  to  unite 
near  the  Iser,  and  to  gain  together  the  left  bank  of  that  river 
towards  Gitschin.  The  Second  was  to  gain  the  right  bank  of 
the  Elbe.  When  these  points  were  gained,  the  two  armies 
would  be  in  close  communication,  and  could  act  in  conjunction 
along  the  line  of  railway  leading  by  Pardubitz  and  Briinn  to 
Vienna. 

The  distance  from  Schluckenau  to  the  county  of  Glatz,  along 
which  the  Prussian  front  extended,  is  about  one  hundred  miles. 
The  Army  of  the  Elbe  and  the  First  Army,  which  were  to 
move  through  passes  only  about  thirty  or  thirty-five  miles 
distant  from  each  other,  could  unite  on  the  Iser  in  four 
marches,  and  immediately  assail  the  enemy  with  four  and  a 
half  corps  d'armee,  if  the  Austrians  attempted  to  make  an 
offensive  movement  towards  Silesia.  The  circumstances  of  the 
country,  and  the  strategical  situation,  threw  more  difficulties  in 
the  way  of  the  Second  Army  during  its  defiling  through  the 
mountains,  and  there  was  considerable  danger  that  it  might  be 


Chap.  I.]  THEATRE   OF  GERMAN  WAR.  143 

attacked  while  still  isolated.  On  this  account  the  Army  of 
Silesia  was  made  stronger  by  one  corps  d'armee  than  the  First 
Army,  and  was  to  commence  its  movements  four  days  later,  so 
as  to  allow  the  Austrian  attention  to  have  been  distracted  by 
the  presence  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles  in  Bohemia,  and  to 
permit  of  the  complete  junction  of  the  First  Army  and  of  the 
Army  of  the  Elbe  on  the  Iser. 

To  hold  the  Austrian  commander  as  long  as  possible  in  un- 
certainty as  to  the  points  at  which  the  army  of  the  Crown 
Prince  was  about  to  break  into  Bohemia,  and,  if  possible,  to 
make  him  remove  his  guards  from  the  passes  by  which  the 
descent  was  really  to  be  effected,  a  false  demonstration  was 
made  by  the  Second  Army.  This  army  had  been  concentrated 
round  Landshut  and  Waldenburg,  but  on  the  15  th  June,  the 

rown  Prince,  leaving  only  one  corps  d'armee  in  its  original 
osition,  moved  two  of  his  remaining  three  corps  thirty  miles 
o  the  south-east,  and  there  placed  them  in  position  near  Neisse, 
ent  at  the  same  time  the  Guards  to  Brieg,  and  shifted  his  own 
ead-quarters  to  the  fortress  of  Neisse,  in  order  to  make  the 

ustrians  believe  that  the  Army  of  Silesia  intended  to  await 
ttack  in  a  defensive  position  near  the  fortress,  or  to  break  out 
outh wards  from  that  point  upon  Olmiitz. 

The  possession  of  Saxony  and  of  the  passes  over  the  Iron 

ountains,  enabled  the  defence  of  that  kingdom  to  be  en- 

sted  to  the  single  reserve  corps  of  General  Miilbe.  In  case, 
however,  that  Austrian  raids  might  be  made  into  Saxony,  or  to 
oppose  the  Bavarians  in  case  they  might  attempt  by  way  of 
Hof  into  that  country,  fortifications  were  thrown  up  round 
Dresden. 

On  the  left  wing  of  the  Prussian  base  of  operations,  Lower 
and  Middle  Silesia  were  covered  from  an  Austrian  attack  by  the 
lature  of  the  Prussian  offensive  movement  as  well  as  by  the 
brtresses  of  Glatz  and  Neisse.  That  portion  of  Silesia,  how- 
ever, above  Oppeln,  which  penetrates  into  Austrian  territory, 
was  exposed  to  hostile  attacks  from  Oderberg  and  from  Galicia. 
In  order  not  to  weaken  the  armies  of  operations  by  detaching 
troops  to  protect  this  portion  of  the  province,  new  and  peculiar 
means  were  adopted.  Two  scouting  parties  were  formed  which 
were  to  support  each  other ;  and  in  case  of  formidable  attack, 


144  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  V. 

to  withdraw  into  the  fortress  of  Kosel.  One  of  these  was 
under  General  Knoblesdorf,  and  consisted  of  three  battalions 
of  infantry,  some  battalions  of  Landwehr,  a  regiment  of  cavalry 
of  the  Line,  and  one  battery.  Its  head-quarters  were  at 
Ratibor.  The  other  consisted  of  Landwehr  only,  and  mustered 
six  battalions,  two  regiments  of  cavalry,  two  companies  of 
Jagers,  and  one  battery.  It  was  commanded  by  Count  Stol- 
berg,  and  stationed  at  Nicolai.  These  parties  were  not  only 
intended  to  watch  the  frontier  and  oppose  an  irruption  by  the 
Austrians,  but  were  also  to  annoy  the  enemy  beyond  the  fron- 
tier, and  to  break  up  his  railway  communications.  As  a  con- 
sequence of  these  arrangements,  a  lively  war  of  detachments 
was  soon  developed  along  the  Upper  Silesian  frontier,  the 
details  of  which  afford  many  interesting  records  of  personal 
adventure,  and  the  results  of  which  demonstrated  that  the 
Prussian  possesses  in  rapidity,  subtlety,  and  endurance,  all  the 
qualities  necessary  for  the  accidents  of  petty  warfare.  Each 
detachment  protected  well  its  own  position  of  the  frontier,  and 
only  at  a  few  points  did  the  enemy  succeed  in  effecting 
momentary  sallies  :  they  kept  the  Austrian  troops  in  Western 
Galicia  in  check,  and  did  considerable  damage  to  their  enemy. 
In  one  instance  they  destroyed  the  railway  from  Oswiecin  to 
Oderberg  so  thoroughly,  that  the  communication  from  Cracow 
to  Bohemia  as  well  as  to  Vienna  was  completely  broken. 


CHAPTER    II. 

PASSAGE    OF   THE    FIRST   ARMY   THROUGH   THE    MOUNTAINS. 

On  the  23rd  June  the  Army  of  the  Elbe  and  the  First  Army 
were  to  cross  the  Bohemian  frontier.  When  it  is  considered 
that  not  only  the  concentration  and  advance  of  the  troops  had 
to  be  arranged  after  the  occupation  of  Saxony,  but  also  the 
supply  of  provisions  and  ammunition,  the  establishment  of 
hospitals,  and  the  bringing  up  of  reserves,  it  seems  wonderful 
that  these  two  armies  could  have  been  ready  in  so  few  days  to 
take  the  field. 

The  southern  boundary  of  Saxon  Lusatia  runs  forward  for  a 
distance  of  about  fifteen  English  miles  within  the  general  line 
of  the  Bohemian  frontier  of  Austria.  In  the  salient  angle  of 
Saxony  formed  by  this  peculiar  tracing  of  the  border  line  stands 
within  Saxon  territory  the  frontier  town  of  Zittau.  This  town 
covers  the  issue  of  the  passes  which  lead  from  Reichenberg  and 
Friedland  in  Bohemia,  through  the  mountains  into  Lusatia, 
and  commands  the  railway  which  by  the  pass  of  Reichenberg 
runs  from  Tiirnau  to  Bautzen.  About  six  miles  to  the  north- 
east of  Zittau  and  about  seventeen  south-west  of  Gorlitz  the 
village  of  Hirschfeld  is  situated  ou  the  Neisse,  at  a  point  where 
this  river  receives  a  small  affluent  called  the  Kipper.  To  this 
village  the  head-quarters  of  the  First  Army  were  moved  on  the 
22nd  June.  Directly  to  the  south  were  clearly  seen  the  bold 
swelling  masses  of  the  Bohemian  mountains,  which  here  rise 
higher  than  in  any  part  of  the  chain  except  where  the  Schnee- 
koppe  looms  over  the  passes  which  lead  into  Silesia.  The 
break  in  the  mountain  line  which  shows  the  defile  through 
which  passes  the  road  to  Reichenberg  could  be  distinctly  seen 
from  here.     Many  eyes  were  often  turned  towards  the  gap  in 


146  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  V. 

the  clear  relief  of  the  hills  against  the  sky,  and  many  sought  to 
know  whether  Prince  Frederick  Charles  had  come  south  to 
force  that  pass,  or  expected  the  Austrians  to  issue  from  it.  But 
those  who  had  that  day  marched  along  the  seventeen  miles  of 
dusty  road  from  Gorlitz  could  have  little  doubt  with  what 
object  the  First  Army  had  advanced;  the  amount  of  transport 
which  stretched  in  almost  a  continuous  line  for  twelve  miles  of 
the  way,  told  clearly  that  it  was  attached  to  an  army  destined 
for  more  than  the  mere  defence  of  a  frontier. 

Prince  Frederick  Charles  on  the  22nd  broke  up  his  quarters 
at  Gorlitz,  drew  the  First  Army  together,  and  launched  it  by 
the  two  roads  which  lead  through  Zittau  and  Seidenberg  re- 
spectively, towards  the  Austrian  frontier.  The  head-quarter 
staff  left  Gorlitz  about  three  in  the  afternoon,  and  pushed  along 
a  road  crowded  with  marching  troops  and  military  carriages  to 
Hirschfeld.  The  road  from  Gorlitz  to  that  place  was  covered 
with  an  almost  unbroken  stream  of  infantry  regiments,  batteries 
of  artillery,  cavalry  detachments,  military  carriages,  and  a  long 
line  of  country  waggons  as  supplementary  transport,  while  the 
thick  cloud  of  dust,  which  rose  about  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the 
left,  showed  that  an  equally  strong  column  was  pushing  forward 
by  the  Seidenberg  road.  The  heat  was  great,  and  the  dust, 
rising  in  dense  clouds  from  beneath  the  feet  of  the  men  and 
horses,  or  wheels  of  the  carriages,  hung  heavily  upon  the  march- 
ing columns  ;  but  the  men  stepped  out  cheerily,  for  they  were 
anxious  to  advance,  and  they  did  not  seem  to  suffer  from 
fatigue.  The  regiments  marched  in  with  drums  and  fifes  play- 
ing, ranks  closed  up,  no  stragglers,  and  the  men  keeping  step 
so  well  that,  but  for  the  dust  on  their  clothes  and  appointments, 
they  might  have  been  imagined  to  be  going  for  instead  of 
returning  from  a  march. 

The  chaussee  leading  from  Gorlitz  to  Zittau  is  broad  enough 
to  allow  four  carriages  to  pass.  The  march  was  excellently 
arranged ;  there  was  no  confusion,  and  no  halts  had  to  be  made 
except  those  which  were  necessary  to  allow  the  men  to  rest. 
The  carriages  of  the  military  train  were  scrupulously  kept  to 
one  side  of  the  road,  so  as  to  leave  the  rest  clear  for  the  troops. 
Its  own  baggage  marched  in  the  rear  of  each  battalion,  but  it 
was  not  much ;  only  one  waggon  with  the  reserve  ammunition, 


Chap.  II.]        PASSAGE   OF  THE  FIRST  ARMY.  147 

a  cart  for  the  officers'  baggage,  three  or  four  packhorses  to 
cany  the  paymaster's  books,  and  the  doctors'  medicine  carts. 
The  soldiers  marched  strongly ;  their  faces  were .  lit  up  with 
excitement,  for  they  knew  that  every  pace  brought  them 
nearer  to  the  enemy,  and  they  longed  for  battle.  The  country 
people  on  the  road  or  working  by  the  wayside  exchanged  kind 
words  with  the  men,  and  expressed  many  good  wishes  for  their 
success,  and  did  so  with  sincerity,  for  the  Prussian  soldiers  who 
had  been  billeted  in  the  Saxon  hamlets  had  made  themselves 
great  favourites  with  the  villagers. 

Never  was  a  march  better  conducted.  The  standing  crops 
which  fringed  the  road  for  almost  its  entire  length  were  in  no 
single  place  either  trampled  down  or  passed  through.  The 
road  was  crowded  and  dusty,  but  the  men  never  left  it,  and, 
if  there  was  a  halt  where  corn  grew  by  the  wayside,  no  soldier 
went  further  from  the  line  of  march  than  to  sit  on  the  narrow 
fringe  of  grass  which  separates  the  chanssee  from  the  cultivated 
ground,  and  in  no  case  were  the  field,  intruded  upon.  The  staff 
officers,  too,  with  a  wise  provision  for  the  comfort  of  the  troops, 
and  with  a  careful  regard  for  the  farmers,  had  arranged  that 
halts  of  long  duration  should  be  made  by  alternate  regiments 
at  places  where  the  hay  had  been  cut  and  carried  home,  and 
the  short  grass  could,  without  itself  suffering  any  harm,  afford 
relief  to  the  heated  feet  of  the  soldiers. 

The  road  about  a  mile  south  of  Gorlitz  descends  a  steep  hill, 
formed  by  the  spur  of  the  Landeskrone,  which  runs  down  to 
the  edge  of  the  Neisse,  and  on  which  the  town  of  Gorlitz  is 
built.  It  then  runs  along  the  valley  as  far  as  Ostritz  ;  on  the 
right  are  wide  unenclosed  fields  covered  with  rich  crops,  which 
terminate  on  the  low  line  of  hills  that  fringes  the  valley  towards 
the  west ;  on  the  left  runs  the  slow  stream  of  the  Neisse, 
shrouded  in  willows ;  beyond  the  river  a  chain  of  gentle  ele- 
vations separates  its  valley  from  that  formed  by  the  Rolte 
rivulet,  up  which  runs  the  road  from  Gorlitz  by  Seidenberg  to 
Friedland.  A  mile  south  of  Ostritz  a  chain  of  hills,  standing 
directly  across  the  road,  forms  a  defile  through  which  the  river 
winds  with  a  narrowed  stream,  the  road  bends  to  the  right,  and 
goes  over  a  hill  thickly  covered  with  fir-trees,  but  soon  descends 
again,  and  at  Hirschfeld  reioins  the  course  of  the  river.     Two 


148  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  V. 

good  military  positions  for  an  army  retreating  on  Gorlitz  are 
afforded  on  this  road — that  behind  Hirschfeld,  where  in  front 
of  the  hill  a  rivulet  crosses  the  way ;  and  a  second  where,  in 
front  of  Gorlitz,  the  road  dips  down  into  the  valley. 

The  Prussian  troops  were  on  the  night  of  the  22nd  in  force 
in  Zittau  and  Seidenberg,  and  the  troops  were  placed  along  the 
road  which  connects  those  two  towns.  Head-quarters  were 
established  in  a  very  picturesque,  but  not  over-clean,  Saxon 
village.  Prince  Frederick  Charles  and  his  staff  occupied  the 
village  inn  ;  the  square  in  front,  half  market-place,  half  green, 
was  crowded  with  the  carriages  of  the  military  train.  Soldiers 
were  billeted  in  every  cottage,  and  chargers  stood  in  every 
stable.  The  little  hamlet  was  a  continual  scene  of  busy  tur- 
moil ;  horses  were  being  attended  to,  arms  were  being  cleaned, 
and  the  men  were  making  ready  for  to-morrow's  march  ;  while 
now  and  then  a  distant  trumpet  on  the  left  told  that  the  even- 
ing watches  were  being  set  by  the  troops  that  lay  towards  the 
frontier. 

The  resources  of  this  little  village  Avere  sorely  taxed  by  the 
sudden  inroad  of  hungry  men  ;  the  common  room  of  the  inn 
was  filled  with  a  multitude  of  soldiers  hungry  with  a  long  day's 
march.  Each  man  bought  a  large  piece  of  bread  and  a  junk 
of  meat,  and  retiring  to  a  side  table,  or  bench,  cut  it  up  with 
his  pocket-knife,  and  made  a  hearty  meal.  The  regimental 
officers  fared  no  better  than  their  men.  The  campaign  had 
already  begun,  and  a  great  deal  of  the  outward  distinctions  of 
ranks  had  been,  as  is  always  the  case,  shaken  off,  but  the  real 
discipline  was  unimpaired. 

The  health  of  the  army  was  excellent ;  the  sick  only  averaged 
2 J  per  cent.,  which  would  be  a  remarkably  small  number  even 
in  a  period  of  profound  peace.  The  sanitary  arrangements 
were  so  good  that  there  seemed  to  be  every  chance  of  this 
small  proportion  of  illness  being  maintained. 

The  surgeons,  hospital  attendants,  and  sick-bearers  wore  on 
their  left  arm  a  white  band  with  a  red  cross,  as  a  mark  of  their 
profession  and  their  neutrality. 

No  declaration  of  war  against  Austria  was  made  by  Prussia ; 
but  on  the  morning  of  the  23rd,  at  daybreak,  Prince  Frederick 
Charles  sent  one  of  his  aides-de-camp,  Major  von  Rauch,  to 


Chap.  II.]        PASSAGE   OF  THE  FIRST  ARMY.  149 

announce  to  the  commander  of  the  nearest  Austrian  post  that 
he  in  the  course  of  the  day  intended  to  pass  the  Bohemian 
frontier.  Von  Rauch,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  accompanied 
by  a  trumpeter,  whom  he  caused  constantly  to  sound,  and 
himself  waving  a  white  handkerchief,  fell  in  with  one  of  the 
Austrian  patrols,  which  was  furnished  by  Radetzky's  hussars. 
The  patrol  fired  on  the  staff  officer,  fortunately  without  effect ; 
he  boldly  rode  up  to  it,  and  on  explaining  the  object  of  his 
visit,  was  conducted  blindfold  to  the  commandant  of  the  ad- 
vanced post,  which  was  Reichenberg ;  this  officer,  of  course, 
apologized  for  the  mistake  which  his  patrol  had  made,  and 
the  aide-de-camp,  after  a  long  and  early  ride,  was  escorted  back 
to  within  a  short  distance  of  the  Saxon  frontier,  where  he  soon 
met  the  advancing  columns  of  his  own  army. 

Prince  Frederick  Charles,  late  on  the  night  of  the  22nd,  issued 
the  following  General  Order  to  the  First  Army : — 

"  Head  Quarters,  Gorlitz,  June  22. 

"Soldiers! — Austria,  faithless  and  regardless  of  treaties,  has  for  some 
time,  without  declaring  war,  not  respected  the  Prussian  frontier  in  Upper 
Silesia.  I  therefore,  likewise,  without  a  declaration  of  war,  might  have 
passed  the  frontier  of  Bohemia.  I  have  not  done  so.  I  have  caused  a 
public  declaration  to  be  sent,  and  now  we  enter  the  territory  of  the  enemy 
in  order  to  defend  our  own  country. 

"Let  our  undertaking  rest  with  God.  Let  us  leave  our  affairs  in  the 
hands  of  Him  who  rules  the  hearts  of  men,  who  decides  the  fate  of  nations, 
and  the  issue  of  battles.  As  it  stands  written  in  Holy  Writ — 'Let  your 
hearts  beat  to  God,  and  your  hands  on  the  enemy. ' 

"In  this  war  are  concerned — you  know  it — the  maintenance  of  Prussia's 
most  sacred  rights,  and  the  very  existence  of  our  dear  native  land.  Her 
enemies  have  declared  their  intention  to  dismember  and  to  destroy  her. 
Shall  the  streams  of  blood  which  your  fathers  and  mine  poured  out  under 
Frederick  the  Great,  in  the  War  of  Independence,  and  which  we  ourselves 
latterlyshed  at  Diippel  and  Alsen,  have  been  spilt  in  vain  ?  Never  !  We  will 
maintain  Prussia  as  she  is,  and  by  victories  make  her  stronger  and  mightier. 
We  would  be  worthy  of  our  fathers. 

"  We  rely  on  the  God  of  our  fathers,  who  will  be  mighty  in  us,  and  will 
bless  the  arms  of  Prussia. 

"So,  forward  with  our  old  battle  cry,  '  With  God  for  King  and 
Fatherland  !     Long  live  the  King  ! ' 

"FREDERICK  CHARLES,  General  of  Cavalry." 

On  the  morning  of  the  23rd  the  Prussian  armies  crossed  the 
frontier  of  the  Austrian  territories.  General  Herwarth  von 
Bittenfeld,  with  the  Army  of  the  Elbe,  marched  by  the  high 


150  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  V. 

road  from  Schluckenau  to  Rumburg.  Prince  Frederick  Charles, 
with  the  4th  corps  d'arme'e,  followed  by  the  2nd  corps,  and  the 
cavalry  corps,  advanced  along  the  road  and  railway  leading 
from  Zittau  to  Reichenberg,  while  the  3rd  corps  moved  from 
Seidenberg  and  Marklissa  over  the  passes  of  Schonwald  and 
Neustadtl  on  Friedland. 

The  troops  were  early  under  arms,  and  fell  into  their  ranks  a 
little  after  daybreak,  under  a  steady  downfall  of  drizzling  rain. 
They  had  to  march  many  miles  from  their  billets  to  the  places 
where  they  were  to  form  columns  for  the  advance,  but  they 
stepped  out  well  over  the  slippery  grass  and  sloppy  roads,  and 
were  all  ranged  in  proper  order  close  to  the  Austrian  frontier, 
but  still  on  Saxon  ground,  a  little  after  7.  At  6  the  Com- 
mander-in-chief left  his  last  night's  quarters  at  Hirschfeld,  and 
by  the  Zittau  road  reached  the  frontier  a  little  before  8.  The 
frontier  is  marked  on  the  road  by  a  tollhouse,  in  front  of  which 
a  long  bar  supplies  the  place  of  a  gate.  This  bar  balances  near 
its  end  furthest  from  the  tollhouse  on  a  pivot,  and,  by  means 
of  a  weight  at  the  end  of  its  shorter  arm,  can  be  raised  almost 
perpendicularly  upwards  when  the  road  is  to  be  left  open  for  a 
free  passage.  On  this  bar  are  painted  the  alternate  black  and 
gold  stripes  which  are  the  distinctive  colours  of  Austria.  The 
bar  was  raised  that  day,  but  not  quite  in  a  vertical  position ; 
high  enough  to  allow  a  man  on  horseback  to  ride  under  it,  it 
still  sloped  over  the  road.  It  was  here  that  Prince  Frederick 
Charles  took  up  his  position  to  watch  his  troops  march  over 
the  border.  He  had  hardly  arrived  there  before  he  gave  the 
necessary  orders,  and  in  a  few  moments  the  Uhlans,  who 
formed  the  advanced  guard  of  the  regiments  that  marched  by 
this  line,  were  over  the  frontier.  Then  followed  the  infantry. 
As  the  leading  ranks  of  each  battalion  arrived  at  the  first  point 
on  the  road  from  which  they  caught  sight  of  the  Austrian 
colours  that  showed  the  frontier,  they  raised  a  cheer,  which 
was  quickly  caught  up  by  those  in  the  rear,  and  was  repeated 
again  and  again  till,  when  the  men  came  up  to  the  tollhouse 
and  saw  their  soldier  Prince  standing  on  the  border  line,  it 
swelled  into  a  roar  of  rapturous  delight,  which  only  ceased  to 
be  replaced  by  a  martial  song  that  was  caught  up  by  each 
battalion  as  it  poured  into  Bohemia.    Their  chief  himself  stood 


Chap.  II.  ]        PASSAGE   OF  THE  FIRST  ARMY.  151 

by  the  roadside  calm  and  collected;  but  he  gazed  proudly  on 
the  passing  sections,  and  well  he  might,  for  never  did  an  army 
cross  an  enemy's  frontier  better  equipped,  better  cared  for,  or 
with  a  higher  courage  than  that  which  marched  out  of  Saxony 
that  day.  Ever  and  anon  he  would  call  from  a  passing  bat- 
talion some  officer  or  soldier  who  had  before  served  under  him, 
and  with  a  kindly  inquiry  or  cheerful  word,  won  a  heart,  for 
soldiers  love  officers  who  take  an  interest  in  them.  Everywhere 
the  Prince  was  greeted  by  the  troops  with  loud  cries  of  joy;  as 
he  rode  along  the  way  by  which  the  regiments  were  marching 
they  cheered  him  continuously.  At  one  point  his  reception  was 
peculiarly  remarkable.  A  Pomeranian  regiment  (the  2nd), 
which  had  served  under  him  when  he  was  a  divisional  general, 
had  piled  its  arms  for  a  halt,  and  the  men  were  lying  down  by 
the  side  of  the  road  to  rest.  Suddenly  the  word  was  passed 
among  them  that  the  Prince  was  coming;  with  one  accord 
they  sprang  as  if  by  magic  to  their  feet,  made  two  long  lines 
along  the  road  through  which  he  might  pass,  and  gave  him  such 
a  cheer  as  only  old  soldiers  can. 

The  concentration  of  the  troops  and  the  advance  into 
Bohemia  were  most  excellently  managed.  This  same  army 
had  exactly  a  week  before  entered  Saxony,  prepared  to  fight  in 
that  country ;  within  that  time  Saxony  had  been  entirely  occu- 
pied, and  within  six  days  the  majority  of  the  troops  were  again 
concentrated,  and  began  their  march  into  Austria.  The  advance 
was  conducted  in  this  way : — The  troops  the  previous  night 
were  concentrated  on  the  frontier;  on  the  morning  of  the  23rd, 
on  the  right,  Herwarth  von  Bittenfeld  pushed  forward  two 
columns  from  Dresden  by  Schluckenau  and  Rumburg ;  Prince 
Frederick  Charles  advanced  from  Saxony ;  his  troops  marched 
in  five  columns;  the  column  on  the  right  followed  the  high 
road  from  Zittau ;  the  right  centre  column  marched  along  the 
railway  lying  to  the  left  of  that  road;  the  centre  column 
followed  a  road  to  the  left  of  the  railway.  The  left  centre 
column  marched  by  the  Seidenberg  road,  and  the  left  column 
by  the  Marklissa  road  east  of  this  highway.  Thus  on  a  broad 
front,  and  by  several  roads  all  within  a  distance  which  would 
allow  the  different  corps  to  concentrate  in  a  very  few  hours, 
the  army  moved  to  the  front  well  in  hand  and  without  incon- 


152  SEVEN  WEEKS"    WAR.  [Book  V. 

venience  to  the  troops.  The  march  within  Austrian  territory 
was  distinguished  by  the  same  regard  for  private  property  that 
was  so  scrupulously  observed  in  Saxony.  The  Austrian  villagers 
at  first  looked  on  the  irruption  of  the  army  of  the  northern 
Germans  half  in  fear,  half  in  curiosity,  but  soon  they  came  to 
be  on  speaking  terms  with  the  soldiers,  and  then  were  quickly 
seen  supplying  them  with  drinking  water  and  doing  them  other 
good  services. 

The  Castle  of  Grafenstein,  in  which  the  head  quarters  were 
fixed  on  the  night  of  the  23rd,  is  the  property  of  Count  Clam 
Gallas,  who  commanded  the  first  Austrian  corps  in  Bohemia  a 
it  is  beautifully  situated  on  the  top  of  a  hill,  covered  with  thick 
foliage,  which  rises  abruptly  from  the  low  ground  of  the  valley 
of  the  Neisse.  The  Count  had  not  left  much  furniture  for  the 
use  of  his  unexpected  guests,  as  nearly  all  the  moveables  were 
sent  away  some  time  before  to  Vienna,  but  a  stock  of  mattresses 
were  found  in  the  house  which  the  sen-ants  good-naturedly  lent 
to  the  temporary  occupants,  and  a  Prince  of  Prussia  and  his 
staff  were  accommodated  in  the  rooms  of  an  officer  who  was 
waiting  to  fight  a  battle  with  their  army  beyond  the  mountains. 
Two  of  Radetzky's  hussars  were  taken  prisoners ;  they  were 
out  with  a  patrol  and  came  into  collision  with  a  patrol  ot  the 
Prussian  regiment  of  Magdeburg  hussars ;  in  the  skirmish  the 
horses  of  these  two  Austrians  were  shot,  and  the  men  were 
taken.  They  were  the  first  prisoners  of  the  war.  The  rapid 
concentration  of  the  Prussian  army  produced  some  feats  in 
marching,  which  were  quite  extraordinary  for  troops  who  had 
only  just  taken  the  field.  The  5th  Pomeranian  hussars 
marched  three  days  successively  for  long  distances,  and  on 
the  22nd  made  fifty  English  miles;  they  were  again  on  the 
line  of  march  on  the  24th,  with  horses  in  excellent  condition, 
and  the  men  looking  as  if  they  had  only  just  turned  out  of 
barracks. 

The  Prussians  were  now  on  the  northern  slopes  of  the 
mountains,  and  one  day's  march  would,  without  opposition, 
take  them  through  the  passes.  The  highest  hills  were  now  so 
close  that  with  a  glass  the  stems  of  the  fir-trees  which  clothed 
them  could  be  easily  distinguished.  The  road  to  Reichenberg 
lay  straight  and  open  before  them.     The  march  of  the  23rd 


Chap.  II.]        PASSAGE   OF  THE  FIRST  ARMY.  153 

was  different  from  that  of  the  preceding  day ;  it  was  a  march 
which  showed  that  the  enemy  might  be  found  in  front.  The 
heavy  baggage  and  reserve  commissariat  transport  was  all  a 
day's  march  in  rear ;  the  only  carriages  which  were  present  in 
the  column  of  route  were  the  guns  and  waggons  of  the  artil- 
lery, the  hospital  carriages,  and  the  few  waggons  which  are 
necessary  to  regiments  when  actually  about  to  fight. 

The  advanced  posts,  on  the  evening  of  the  23rd,  were  pushed 
forwards  about  seven  miles;  there  were  vigilant  patrols  and 
pickets  out,  and  all  was  provided  for  against  a  surprise.  These 
precautions  are  of  course  always  necessary  with  an  army  in  the 
field ;  in  the  present  case  their  utility  was  not  put  to  the  test, 
for  the  Austrians  were  not  in  force  in  the  neighbourhood. 

Count  Clam  Gallas,  to  whom  the  Austrian  commander  had 
entrusted  the  guidance  of  the  Austrian  and  Saxon  troops  on 
the  Iser,  had  only  pushed  patrols  of  light  cavalry  up  to  and 
beyond  Reichenberg.  Several  skirmishes  took  place  between 
them  and  the  Prussian  hussars,  dragoons,  and  lancers,  who 
formed  the  advanced  scouts  in  front  of  each  column,  in  which 
the  Austrian  cavalry  was  generally  outnumbered  and  obliged  to 
retire. 

It  rained  steadily  all  the  night  of  the  23rd,  and  the  morning 
brought  no  improvement  in  the  weather,  but  the  troops  were  in 
high  spirits,  and  appeared  to  care  nothing  for  the  wet.  On  the 
24th  the  army  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles  marched  by  three 
roads :  the  left  column  by  way  of  Eisniedel  on  Reichenberg ; 
the  centre  by  Kratzkau  on  the  same  town ;  while  General  von 
Bittenfeld  came  from  the  mountains,  and  moved  upon  Gabel. 
Some  of  the  regiments  halted  at  Reichenberg,  and  were  billeted 
in  the  town  for  the  night;  others  were  pushed  through  and 
took  up  positions  in  front.  Many  battalions  had  to  bivouac 
that  evening ;  but,  although  the  ground  was  moist  and  damp 
from  incessant  rain,  the  weather  was  warm,  and  the  troops  did 
not  take  much  harm  from  their  first  night  in  the  open.  The 
army  was  now  drawn  together  and  concentrated  round  Reich- 
enberg ;  for  General  von  Bittenfeld  at  Gabel  was  only  twelve 
miles  to  the  right.  On  the  night  of  the  24th,  the  Prussian 
advanced  posts  near  Kratzkau  could  see  the  light  of  the 
Austrian  bivouac  fires,  and  the  next  morning  the  Magdeburg 


154  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  V. 

hussars  who  cleared  the  way  for  the  army  had  a  skirmish  with 
some  of  Radetzky's  Austrian  hussars.  Shots  were  exchanged, 
two  of  the  Prussians  were  wounded  and  five  of  the  Austrians  \ 
were  wounded,  with  two  killed.  A  combat  was  expected  at 
Reichenberg.  Three  Austrian  cavalry  regiments,  Lichtenstein's 
hussars,  Radetzky's  hussars,  and  the  hussars  of  the  regiment  of 
Hesse-Cassel,  were  known  to  be  in  front  of  the  Prussian 
advance,  and  it  was  anticipated  that  in  the  fine  strategical  posi- 
tion of  Reichenberg  the  Austrians  might  stand  to  fight ;  for  this 
town  covers  the  junction  of  roads  which  leads  over  the  moun- 
tains by  Gabel,  Grottau,  Friedland,  and  from  Hirschberg.  But 
the  Austrian  cavalry  retired  through  the  town,  and  it  was 
occupied  about  ten  o'clock  by  the  Prussian  advanced  guard ; 
and  Prince  Frederick  Charles,  without  a  blow,  gained  the 
south  side  of  the  mountains,  and  commanded  the  issues  of  the 
passes. 

The  march  of  the  24th,  although  over  a  hill  country,  was  not 
over  a  severe  road,  for  the  summit  of  the  mountain  chain  dips 
so  deeply  into  the  gorge  which  forms  the  defile  of  Reichenberg, 
that  the  road  through  the  pass  both  ascends  and  descends  with 
a  moderate  gradient ;  on  either  side  of  the  way  the  mountains 
rise  high,  but  not  steep,  for  the  whole  character  of  this  range  is 
more  rounded  and  swelling  than  bold  and  sharp.  As  the  army 
passed  between  the  hills  in  the  early  morning,  the  tops  were 
shrouded  in  a  dense  mist,  which  occasionally  lifted  high  enough 
to  show  the  lower  parts  of  the  dense  fir  woods  which  clothe 
the  upper  mountain  sides,  but  never  to  afford  a  glimpse  of  their 
summits.  The  rain  fell  heavily  and  without  ceasing;  it  battered 
down  the  grain  which  grew  in  the  fields  by  the  wayside,  and 
filled  the  mountain  watercourses  with  rushing  mud-coloured 
streams  ;  there  was  no  wind  to  give  it  a  slanting  direction,  and 
it  came  straight  down  on  the  men's  helmets,  only  to  roll  off  in 
large  drops  upon  their  backs  and  shoulders,  but  it  did  not  seem  i 
to  depress  the  spirits  of  the  troops  ;  they  stepped  along  cheerily, 
marching  as  well  as  they  did  the  first  day  they  left  their  garri- 
sons,  and  many  of  the  soldiers  said  that  they  preferred  the  wet 
weather  to  heat.  All  along  the  line  of  march  the  commander 
of  the  army  was  loudly  cheered. 

When  Prince  Frederick  Charles  reached  the  market-place  of 


Chap.  II.]        PASSAGE   OF  THE  FIRST  ARMY.  15 5 

Reichenberg,  he  halted  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  troops  who 
had  marched  by  the  Friedland  road.  The  town  looked  dull, 
for  as  it  was  Sunday  the  shops  were  all  shut,  and  at  first  the 
Bohemians  seemed  inclined  to  remain  in  their  houses  ;  but  the 
bands  of  the  marching  regiments  roused  their  curiosity,  and  they 
soon  collected  and  lined  the  street  in  dense  crowds  to  see  the 
troops  go  by.  The  soldiers  who  had  arrived  early  and  had  been 
dismissed  from  their  ranks  joined  in  the  crowd,  and  a  common 
language  soon  made  them  great  friends  with  the  townspeople. 
Many  tales  are  told  of  the  dreadful  devastation  to  which  a 
country  is  subjected  by  the  plunderers  of  an  invading  army. 
So  far  as  the  Prussian  army  had  yet  advanced  into  Bohemia  the 
soldiers  had  treated  the  Austrians  with  the  greatest  kindness ; 
is  in  the  British  service,  everything  that  a  soldier  wished  to  buy 
must  be  scrupulously  paid  for,  and  there  seemed  to  be  no  desire 
among  the  men  that  it  should  be  otherwise  ;  in  fact,  the  troops 
were  much  more  plundered  than  plunderers,  for  the  cigar  mer- 
hants  and  public-house  keepers  were  driving  a  most  prosperous 
trade,  and  took  very  good  care  that  they  themselves  did  not 
suffer,  for  the  soldiers  were  unaccustomed  to  Austrian  currency, 
imd  had  to  pay  an  equivalent  of  Prussian  coin. 

Reichenberg  was,  on  the  morning  of  the  24th,  occupied  by  the 
Prussians  about  ten  o'clock.  Before  evening  nearly  the  whole 
irmy,  attended  by  artillery  and  waggons,  marched  through  the 
narrow  winding  streets  of  a  town  which  to  these  artificial  disad- 
vantages for  free  locomotion  adds  the  natural  one  of  being  built 
upon  a  steep  hill ;  still  there  was  no  confusion  in  the  marching 
columns,  and,  although  the  troops  had  to  move  by  different 
streets  and  were  sometimes  obliged  to  march  in  and  out  of  the 
own  by  country  lanes  and  narrow  paths,  no  column  took  a 
false  direction  or  made  an  unnecessary  halt ;  yet  the  Quarter- 
naster-General  von  Stiilpnagel  had  only  a  few  minutes  allowed 
lim  in  which  he  could  arrange  his  plans. 

The  column  which  had  marched  by  the  Friedland  route  was 
Drought  through  the  market-place  and  past  the  Commander-in- 
:hief.  This  corps  was  composed  of  men  of  the  province  of 
Brandenburg  ;  they  were  taller  than  the  average  of  the  Prussian 
nfantry,  but  were  not  so  thick  and  stout,  and  did  not  look  so 
strong  as  the  sturdy  Pomeranians ;   but  they  had  intelligent 


156  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  V. 

faces,  and  could  readily  be  seen  to  be,  as  they  were,  men  of  an 
education  superior  to  that  which  is  usually  found  in  the  ranks. 
The  regiment  of  the  late  King  led ;  the  men  bore  his  cypher  on 
their  shoulder  cords,  instead  of  a  number.  The  whole  corps 
marched  magnificently.  After  a  wet  day  and  a  long  journey 
they  came  up  the  hill  of  Reichenberg  with  ranks  closed  up, 
with  as  perfect  a  step  as  on  a  holiday  parade,  and  went  swing- 
ing along  as  if  they  could  not  know  fatigue ;  yet  they  were 
heavily  encumbered,  for  every  man  carried  his  knapsack,  the 
weight  of  which  tells  severely  against  a  soldier's  marching,  and 
might,  in  a  country  where  transport  is  plentiful,  be  carried  for 
him.  After  the  late  King's  regiment  came  the  64th,  Prince 
Frederick  Charles's  own :  the  faces  of  the  soldiers  showed  that 
they  recognised  their  colonel,  and  they  went  past  him  without 
cheering,  for  in  the  town  the  men  marched  as  on  parade,  but 
with  that  appearance  which  is  more  pleasing  to  a  soldier  than 
any  acclamations. 

The  head-quarters  were  established  in  the  Schloss  or  Castle 
of  Reichenberg,  another  of  the  properties  of  Count  Clam  Gallas, 
who  thus  twice  became  the  involuntary  host  of  Prince  Frederick 
Charles.  Here  a  curious  scene  was  afforded  :  the  castle  stands 
on  a  hill,  overlooks  the  picturesque  town,  and  commands  a 
beautiful  view  of  the  plains  and  mountains  beyond  it.  The 
side  of  this  hill  below  the  castle  was  covered  with  carefully- 
tended  turf,  and  luxuriant  shrubberies.  The  place  seemed  ontyl 
fit  to  be  the  quiet  home  of  a  country  gentleman,  but  up  and, 
down  its  gravelled  avenue  chargers  were  being  led  ready  sad-j 
died  for  the  aides-de-camp,  who  were  waiting  to  carry  out  the 
evening  orders  ;  military  train  horses  were  being  led  to  water.) 
soldiers,  in  stable  dress,  were  hurrying  about,  mounted  dragoons!; 
were  in  attendance  as  orderlies,  and  near  the  door  of  the  castld 
stood  the  horse  of  the  officer  of  Uhlans,  who  had  brought  ir 
the  last  report  from  the  outposts. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  24th,  the  Thuringian  regiment  0. 
Uhlans,  who  are  much  the  same  as  lancers,  took  up  outpos 
duty,  and  one  squadron  of  them  had  a  skirmish  with  some  oj 
Radetzky's  hussars.     The  hussars  were  led  by  a  staff  officer 
who  came  too  near  the  Prussian  infantry  picket,  and  the  deadl]  1 
needle-gun  shot  the  first  officer  who  fell  a  victim  to  this  war 


:hap,  II.]        PASSAGE   OF  THE  FIRST  ARMY.  i57 

The  hussars  and  Uhlans  mutually  charged  each  other,  and  in 
:he  melee  which  ensued,  two  Prussian  officers  and  seventeen 
men  were  wounded.     The  Austrian  loss  was  not  ascertained. 

The  possession  of  Reichenberg  allowed  Prince  Frederick 
Charles  to  open  railway  communication  with  the  Silesian  and 
Saxon  lines,  which  was  of  great  importance  in  the  supply  of  the 
mny's  necessities.  The  railway  from  Reichenberg  to  Zittau 
was  almost  immediately  restored,  for  to  each  Prussian  army  was 
ittached  a  corps  of  pioneers,  architects,  and  railway  officials, 
who  followed  the  advancing  army,  laid  down  the  lines  torn  up 
by  the  enemy,  and  rapidly  reorganized  the  working  of  the  line 
"or  the  purposes  of  military  transport. 

Two  other  excellent  institutions  of  the  Prussian  army  were 
quickly  established,  and  put  in  working  order  at  every  halting- 
place  ;  they  were  the  Field  Telegraph  and  the  Field  Post-office. 
A.s  soon  as  it  was  determined  where  head-quarters  were  to  be 
xed  for  the  night,  the  field  telegraph  division  started  off  to  the 
nearest  permanent  telegraph  station  where  the  line  could  be 
fixed  in  working  order  ;  from  this  starting  point  they  carried  a 
ingle  line  along  the  side  of  the  shortest  road  to  the  head- 
quarter house,  and  generally  by  the  time  the  chief  of  the  staff 
arrived  at  his  quarters  he  found  his  telegraph  ready,  by  which 
he  could  get  information  or  send  his  orders.  The  field  post- 
office  was  established  also  at  head-quarters,  but  had  branch 
offices  at  the  head-quarters  of  each  corps  d'armee ;  it  carried 
the  private  letters  of  soldiers  and  officers,  as  well  as  official 
despatches,  and  sent  out  a  mail  nearly  daily.  This  was  a 
greater  convenience  than  the  field  telegraph,  but  the  latter  was 
one  of  the  neatest  appliances  of  modern  science  to  the  art  of 
war  which  it  is  possible  to  conceive.  The  whole  of  its  ap- 
paratus was  carried  in  some  light  waggons ;  one  contained  the 
batteries  and  needles,  and  was  used  as  a  small  room  in  which 
the  telegraphist  worked  ;  the  other  waggons  carried  the  poles 
and  wires,  with  the  implements  for  putting  them  up.  The 
wires  were  coiled  round  revolving  discs,  which  were  fitted  in 
the  waggon,  so  that  the  wire  could  be  passed  as  the  waggon 
went  along,  or  the  disc  could  be  transferred  to  a  stretcher  car- 
ried between  two  men,  so  that  it  might  be  laid  off  the  road  in 
places  where  it  was  desirable  to  cut  off  corners.     The  detach- 


158  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  V. 

ment  who  laid  the  lines  were  all  instructed  in  repairing  damage 
done  to  the  permanent  wires.  When  it  is  remembered  that  on 
the  morning  of  the  23rd  the  Austrians  were  close  up  to  the 
frontier,  and  that  at  midday  the  Castle  of  Grafenstein,  five  miles 
from  the  nearest  permanent  station,  was  in  direct  telegraphic 
communication  with  Berlin,  some  idea  can  be  formed  of  the 
advantages  which  this  apparatus  gives  to  an  army  in  the  field. 

The  head-quarters  of  the  First  Army  halted  at  Reichenberg 
on  the  25th,  to  allow  the  cavalry  that  came  by  the  Friedland 
road  which  had  covered  the  march  of  the  column  to  come  in. 
During  the  day  the  outposts  were  pushed  forward,  but  the 
Austrians  were  not  felt. 

Count  Clam  Gallas  had  drawn  his  army  together  on  the 
south  of  the  line  of  Iser,  round  Miinchengratz.  The  Poschacher 
brigade,  supported  by  the  light  cavalry,  was  posted  as  his 
advanced  guard  on  the  northern  side  of  the  river,  and  was 
pushed  forward  along  the  road  to  Reichenberg.  This  was  the 
same  Austrian  brigade  which  had  in  Schleswig,  in  1864,  on 
account  of  the  sturdy  manner  in  which  it  stormed  and  oc- 
cupied the  Konigsberg,  gained  the  name  of  the  "  iron 
brigade."  It  was  now  destined  to  commence  the  contest 
against  its  former  allies  in  the 

COMBAT   OF   LIEBENAU. 

The  Austrian  brigade  occupied  the  hills  south  of  the  village 
of  Liebenau,  about  half  way  between  Reichenberg  and  Tiirnau, 
and  had  pushed  detachments  into  the  village  itself. 

The  road  from  Reichenberg  to  Tiirnau  crosses  a  range  of 
hills  which  separates  the  valley  of  the  Upper  Neisse  from  the 
country  beyond,  and  drops  down  from  this  range  by  some 
sharp  zigzags  to  the  valley  in  which  lies  the  village  of  Liebenau. 

This  village  is  built  on  the  banks  of  a  stream  which  forms  a 
defile  through  a  second  range  of  hills  lying  between  Liebenau 
and  Tiirnau.  This  rivulet,  in  the  part  of  its  course  above  the 
village  of  Liebenau,  runs  at  right  angles  to  the  defile,  and  forms 
a  valley  between  the  two  hills  which  lie  north  of  Liebenau 
towards  Reichenberg,  and  those  which  lie  to  the  south  towards 
Tiirnau.    The  railway  from  Liebenau  to  Tiirnau  passes  through 


Chap.  II. ]        PASSAGE   OF  THE  FIRST  ARMY.  159 

the  defile  formed  by  the  stream  which  runs  through  the  village  ; 
but  the  road  turns  to  the  left  and  ascends  the  southern  range, 
passing  near  the  top  between  a  steep  cutting  through  rocks. 
This  cutting  is  about  100  yards  in  length,  and  here  the  road  is 
only  about  30  feet  wide.  The  hills  are  on  their  side  covered 
with  thick  plantations  of  fir  trees ;  but  when  the  traveller 
leaving  Liebenau  has  by  the  road  gained  the  summit  of  the 
range  which  lies  south  of  the  village,  he  finds  before  him  a  wild 
plateau  extending  for  about  two  miles  in  the  direction  of 
Tiirnau.  This  plateau  was  this  morning  covered  with  high- 
standing  crops  of  wheat  and  barley,  already  whitening  for  the 
harvest.  The  road  runs  through  the  corn-fields,  and  at  the  end 
of  the  plateau  drops  down  by  a  gentle  slope  into  the  valley  ot 
the  Iser.  From  the  brow  of  this  slope  Tiirnau  can  be  seen 
ying  on  the  river  towards  the  left  front.  The  Schloss  of 
Sichrow,  standing  on  the  very  edge  of  the  Liebenau  defile,  is 
directly  on  the  right,  and  the  view  to  the  front  is  bounded  by 
;he  fir-clad  and  fantastically  rocky  hills  which  form  the  southern 
boundary  of  the  valley  of  the  Iser,  while  on  the  left  the  church 
f  Gentschowitz  stands  raised  on  a  knoll  above  the  general 
lain,  and  looking  down  upon  the  orchards  and  cottages  of  the 
ttle  hamlet  which  clusters  round  its  foot. 

Between  the  bottom  of  the  slope  which  falls  from  this  flat 
olain  into  the  valley  and  the  Iser,  and  about  half  way  between 
:he  foot  of  the  hill  and  the  river  itself,  there  runs  a  low  range 
3f  hills,  having  an  elevation  considerably  inferior  to  that  of  the 
Dlateau.  On  this  lower  range,  immediately  surrounded  by 
orchards,  but  in  the  midst  of  a  wide-stretching  corn  land,  lies 
:he  village  of  Kositz. 

On  the  evening  of  the  25  th  the  Prussian  advanced  posts 
-vere  pushed  forward  to  the  tops  of  the  range  of  hills  which 
Dound  the  valley  of  Liebenau  on  the  north.  The  next  morn- 
ng  General  von  Home,  who  with  the  8th  division  held  the 
utposts,  had  advanced  early  to  occupy  Liebenau.  As  his 
idvanced  guard  entered  the  village,  the  Austrian  rear-guard 
vere  discovered  tearing  up  the  pavement,  in  order  to  form  a 
)arricade  across  the  narrow  street  through  which  the  high  road 
uns.  On  the  approach  of  the  advanced  guard  they  retired  to 
he  hill  over  which  the  road  to  Tiirnau  passes  south  of  the 


160  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  V. 

village.  Here  the  Austrians  took  up  position ;  their  artil- 
lery, placed  on  the  brow  of  the  hill,  looked  down  upon  the 
village  of  Liebenau,  which  Home  had  just  occupied,  and  their 
cavalry  covered  the  guns.  But  they  were  not  in  force.  They 
had  little  infantry,  and  their  main  strength  appeared  to  be  only 
four  regiments  of  cavalry,  with  two  batteries  of  horse  artillery. 
Home's  division  passed  through  the  village,  and  began  to 
ascend  the  hill,  while  General  von  Hann  came  down  to 
Liebenau  with  the  Prussian  cavalry,  and  the  field  artillery  took 
up  a  position  on  the  hills  which  bound  the  Liebenau  valley  on 
the  north.  Thus  the  guns  of  the  Austrians  were  on  the 
southern,  those  of  the  Prussians  on  the  northern  range,  which 
form  the  valley  of  Liebenau  ;  the  valley  between  them  is  about 
600  yards  wide,  and  there  seemed  to  be  an  opportunity  for  a 
smart  combat.  Down  in  Liebanau,  between  the  opposed 
batteries,  were  the  wings  of  Home's  divisions,  and  columns 
were  already  issuing  from  the  village,  making  their  way  along 
both  the  railway  and  the  chanssee,  while  the  skirmishers  werej 
getting  among  the  short  spruce  firs  that  clothe  the  hill  beside 
the  road. 

A  little  before  nine  o'clock  Prince  Frederick  Charles  and  his 
staff  came  upon  the  hill  where  the  artillery  was  placed.  It  was 
almost  exactly  the  same  hour  when  a  flash  of  fire,  with  a  heavy 
puff  of  white  smoke  on  the  Austrian  hill,  showed  that  their 
artillery  had  opened,  and  a  rifle  shell  came  whistling  over  the 
heads  of  Home's  division.  The  Prussian  artillery  answered, 
and  for  a  few  minutes  the  hills  echoed  with  the  noise  of  their 
rapid  discharges ;  while  the  smoke,  drifting  but  slowly  on  the 
lazy  breeze,  hid  from  sight  the  opposite  guns,  though  the  quick 
reports  and  the  whistling  of  the  shells  told  that  they  were  not 
idle.  But  the  Prussian  guns  were  too  numerous,  Home's 
division  was  pushing  up  the  hill,  and  the  Austrian  artillery  had 
to  retire.  Then  the  Prussian  cavalry  pushed  forward  by  the 
road,  and  in  a  short  time,  eight  fine  cavalry  regiments  were 
formed  on  the  northern  edge  of  the  plateau.  The  Thuringian 
"Uhlans,  the  Uhlans  of  the  Prince  of  Hohenlohe,  and  the'] 
dragoons  of  the  Prince  of  Mecklenburg  were  extended  to  the  ' 
left,  while  the  Brandenburg  hussars  of  Ziethen,  conspicuous  by  8 
their  red  uniform,  were  nearer  the  road.     On  the  right  of  the 


Chap.  II.]        PASSAGE   OF  THE  FIRST  ARMY.  161 

cavalry  was  the  horse  artillery,  and  Prince  Frederick  Charles, 
himself  a  cavalry  officer,  was  in  the  front. 

The  retreat  of  the  Austrians  could  be  traced  by  the  broad 
paths  trampled  down  in  the  corn,  and  every  now  and  then  they 
halted,  their  artillery  came  into  action,  and  two  or  three  rounds 
were  fired  at  the  forming  lines.  When  Prince  Frederick  Charles 
had  completed  his  dispositions  he  ordered  the  advance,  and  the 
troops  pressed  forward.  The  cavalry  and  artillery  moved  on 
the  plateau,  while  Home's  infantry,  on  the  right,  made  for  the 
Schloss  of  Sichrow  and  the  woods  around  it.  The  cavalry 
pushed  on  quickly,  and  the  guns  moved  well  with  it,  but  every 
now  and  then  halted  and  came  into  action.  The  Austrians, 
inferior  in  numbers  and  already  retiring,  could  not  hope  to 
stand  against  the  force  thus  displayed,  and  they  drew  quickly 
over  the  plateau,  making  for  the  hills  of  Kositz.  Three  regi- 
ments of  cavalry  were  launched  after  them,  and  went  dashing 
through  the  corn,  but  did  not  reach  the  retiring  troops  before 
the  latter  had  quitted  the  plateau,  and  then  the  woods  and 
broken  ground  on  the  side  of  the  slopes  impeded  their  progress. 
As  soon  as  the  Austrians  gained  the  Kositz  hills  their  artillery 
opened,  and  poured  shells  briskly  into  the  advancing  lines,  but 
the  gliding  motion  of  the  advancing  troops  and  the  undulating 
ground  deceived  their  aim,  for  only  about  twenty  casualties 
occurred.  When  the  Prussian  guns  gained  the  southern  brow 
of  the  plateau,  they  opened  on  the  Austrian  batteries  \  a  smart 
cannonade  ensued,  but  the  Austrians  were  ultimately  silenced. 
Yet  they  did  well,  for  they  made  good  their  retreat ;  but  had 
not  the  Prussian  horse  been  detained  by  having  to  pass  through 

e  narrow  street  of  Liebenau,  the  field  artillery  which  that  day 

ed  into  the  Prussian  ranks  would  probably  have  gone  as  a 

ophy  to  Berlin. 

It  is  evident  that  the  Austrian  commander  had  not  calcu- 
ated   on   the   rapid  advance  of  General  von   Home.       His 

ispositions  for  the  defence   of  the    Liebenau   position  were 

complete ;  the  street  of  Liebenau  was  not  rendered  imprac- 
:icable,  for  the  workmen  were  disturbed  by  the  Prussian  ad- 
vance guard,  and  in  the  cutting  which  the  road  leading  from 
:he  village  passes  through  at  the  top  of  the  hill  leading  on  to 
:he  plateau,  although  the  trees  which  stood  by  the  wayside  had 


i6z  SEVEN    WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  V. 

been  cut  down,  they  were  not  formed  into  abattis,  nor  was  the 
cutting  blocked  by  waggons  or  any  barricade.  The  Austrians 
retreated  across  the  Iser,  and  broke  the  bridge  of  Tiirnau,  but 
the  Prussians  after  the  combat  occupied  that  town  with  Home's 
division,  while  the  main  body  of  the  army  bivouacked  on  the 
plateau,  and  one  division  occupied  Gablenz,  which  lies  five 
miles  to  the  north-east. 

On  the  same  day  the  14th  division,  which  belonged  to  the 
Army  of  the  Elbe,  occupied  Bohmisch  Aicha,  and  assured  free 
communication  between  Prince  Frederick  Charles  and  General 
Herwarth  von  Bittenfeld. 

The  plateau  that  looks  down  on  Liebenau  was  sadly  changed 
in  the  course  of  the  day.  The  corn  was  trampled  down  by  the 
feet  of  horses  and  the  wheels  of  artillery;  dead  horses  lay 
dotted  here  and  there  over  the  plain,  while  large  holes  in  the 
ground  showed  where  shells  had  struck  and  burst.  But  these 
marks  were  not  frequent,  for  the  Austrian  shells  often  pene- 
trated into  the  earth  without  bursting,  and  several  were  dug  out 
by  the  soldiers  in  the  afternoon.  Nor  was  the  practice  of  their 
artillery  good.  The  Ziethen  hussars,  whose  red  uniforms  drew 
their  fire,  were  at  one  time  exposed  to  a  heavy  cannonade; 
but  though  above  fifty  shells  struck  the  ground  around  them, 
not  one  fell  among  their  ranks,  nor  at  that  time  had  they  a  man 
touched. 

The  result  of  the  combat  of  Liebenau  was  not  over-valued  in 
the  Prussian  army ;  the  officers  on  that  side  did  not  despise 
their  enemy,  and  they  fully  recognised  the  fact  that  it  was  to 
superior  numbers  that  the  Austrians  yielded.  They  had  great 
confidence  in  their  chief  and  in  the  needle-gun  and  their  rifled 
cannon,  but  they  had  no  vain  assurance.  They  knew  that 
the  Austrian  army  was  a  good  one,  and  they  determined  to 
omit  nothing  that  their  skill  or  science  could  suggest  to  let 
their  troops  meet  it  on  the  best  of  terms. 

The  Austrians  retired  to  Podoll  in  order  to  hold  that  im- 
portant point,  where  not  only  the  road  to  Miinchengratz  but 
also  the  railway  between  Tiirnau,  Kralup,  and  Prague  crosses 
the  Iser. 

General  Home,  after  the  action  of  Liebenau,  pushed  forward 
to  the  Iser  and  occupied  Tiirnau,  the  junction  of  the  railway 


Chap.  II. ]        PASSAGE   OF  THE  FIRST  ARMY.  163 

from  Reichenberg  with  that  to  Prague.  After  a  bridge  of 
pontoons  had  been  thrown  across  the  river  here  in  order  to 
replace  the  one  broken  by  the  Austrians,  he  determined  to 
occupy  the  bridges  of  Podoll  five  miles  below  Tiirnau.  The 
movement  by  which  he  effected  this  brought  on  the 

ACTION    OF   PODOLL. 

The  railway  and  high  road  which  lead  down  the  valley  of 
the  Iser  from  Tiirnau  to  Miinchengratz  run  for  a  distance  of 
about  five  miles  from  the  former  town  on  the  north  side  of  the 
river,  but  on  reaching  the  village  of  Podoll  cross  to  the  south 
bank  by  two  bridges,  which  are  about  200  yards  distant  from 
each  other,  that  of  the  railway  being  on  the  right,  and  that  by 
which  the  road  crosses  on  the  left  of  a  person,  looking  towards 
Miinchengratz.  The  railway  bridge  is  constructed  of  iron ; 
that  which  carries  the  road  across  the  stream  is  made  of  wood, 
and  lies  on  a  level  with  the  causeway,  which  is  raised  on  an 
embankment  about  ten  feet  above  the  flat  meadows  lying 
alongside  it.  The  Iser  is  at  Podoll  near  upon  100  yards  wide, 
and  runs  with  a  deep  but  fast  stream  between  steep  banks, 
which  only  rise  about  four  feet  above  the  level  of  the  water. 
iBy  the  side  of  the  road  and  on  the  banks  of  the  stream  grow 
large  willow-trees,  planted  at  equal  distances  from  each  other, 
and  at  about  ten  yards  apart.  Three  roads  lead  from  the 
:  tjplateau  of  Sichrow  to  the  high  road  that  runs  down  the  valley 
of  the  Iser.  That  on  the  east,  a  country  road,  which  leaves 
;the  plateau  near  the  Schloss  of  Sichrow  and  joins  the  highway 
aear  the  village  of  Swierzin,  almost  at  an  equal  distance  between 
Tiirnau  and  Podoll ;  in  the  centre  the  chaussk  from  Liebenau 
strikes  into  the  high  road  halfway  between  Swierzin  and 
Iurnau,  and  the  road  from  Gentschowitz  on  the  west  joins  it 
:lose  to  this  town. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  26th,  Prince  Frederick  Charles  threw 
\  light  pontoon  bridge  over  the  river  a  little  below  the  broken 
)ridge  of  Tiirnau,  and  occupied  the  town  with  a  small  force 
without  opposition.  Part  of  Home's  division  marched  at  the 
ame  time  by  the  country  road  on  the  east,  occupied  the 
illage  of  Swierzin,  and  pushed  its  advanced  guard  towards 


1 64  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  V. 

Podoll.  The  troops  directed  on  this  point  consisted  of  two 
companies  of  the  4th  Jager  battalion,  the  2nd  and  fusilier 
battalions  of  the  31st  regiment,  and  the  1st  battalion  of  the 
71st.  The  Jagers,  who  were  leading,  got  to  within  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  of  Podoll-bridge  before  they  came  into 
collision  with  Austrian  outposts,  but  here  they  found  the 
enemy,  and  a  sharp  action  ensued,  for  the  Austrians  had  six 
battalions  in  the  village,  and  meant  to  hold  the  place  and  cover 
the  passage  of  the  river. 

It  was  about  8  o'clock,  and  the  dusk  of  the  evening  was 
rapidly  closing  in,  when  the  Jagers  first  felt  their  enemy.  On 
the  right-hand  side  of  the  road,  about  half  a  mile  before  the 
bridge,  stands  the  first  house  of  the  village.  It  is  a  large  square 
farm-house,  with  windows  without  glass,  but  with  heavy  gratings. 
The  Austrians  had  occupied  it  in  force,  and  their  outlying 
pickets,  as  they  retired  before  the  advancing  Prussians,  formed 
line  across  the  road  beside  it.  As  soon  as  the  Jagers  came 
within  sight  the  garrison  of  the  farmhouse  and  the  formed-up 
pickets  opened  a  bitter  fire  upon  them.  From  the  grated  win- 
dows and  from  the  line  of  soldiers  in  the  road  there  came  one 
rapid  volley,  which  told  severely  on  the  Prussian  riflemen,  but 
these  went  quickly  to  work,  and  had  fired  about  three  times 
before  the  Austrians,  armed  only  with  muzzle-loading  rifles, 
were  able  to  reply.  Then  the  noise  of  musketry  rose  high, 
occasionally  swelling  into  a  heavy  roar,  but  sometimes  falling 
off  so  that  the  ear  could  distinguish  the  separate  reports.  But 
this  did  not  last.  Major  von  Hagen,  commanding  the  2nd 
battalion  of  the  31st,  which  was  following  the  Jagers  on  the 
first  sound  of  the  firing,  had  put  his  troops  into  double  quick 
time,  and  was  soon  up  to  reinforce  the  riflemen.  It  was  now 
nearly  dark,  and  the  flashes  of  the  rifles,  the  reports  of  the 
shots,  and  the  shouts  of  the  combatants  were  almost  the  only 
indications  of  the  positions  of  the  troops  ;  yet  it  could  be  seen  | 
that  the  rapid  fire  of  the  needle-gun  was  telling  on  the  Austrian 
line  in  the  road,  and  the  advancing  cheers  of  the  Prussians 
showing  that  they  were  gaining  ground.  Then  while  the 
exchange  of  shots  was  still  proceeding  rapidly  between  the 
window-gratings  of  the  farm-house  and  the  Prussian  firing 
parties,  who  had  extended  into  a  cornfield  on  the  risrht  of  the 


Chap.  II.]        PASSAGE   OF   THE  FIRST  ARMY.  165 

highway,  there  was  a  sudden  pause  in  the  firing  on  the  road, 
for  the  Jagers,  supported  by  the  31st,  had  made  a  dash,  and 
were  bearing  the  Austrians  back  beyond  the  farm-house  to 
where  the  cottages  of  the  village  closed  on  each  side  of  the 
road,  and  where  the  defenders  had  hastily  thrown  some  hewn 
down  willow-trees  as  a  barricade  across  the  way. 

Then  the  tumult  of  the  fight  increased.  Darkness  had  com- 
pletely closed  in,  and  the  moon  had  not  yet  risen ;  the  Prussians 
pressed  up  to  the  barricade,  the  Austrians  stoutly  stood  their 
ground  behind  it,  and,  three  paces  distant,  assailants  and  de- 
fenders poured  their  fire  into  each  other's  breasts.  Little  could 
be  seen,  though  the  flashes  of  the  discharges  cast  a  fitful  light 
over  the  surging  masses ;  but  in  the  pauses  of  the  firing  the 
voices  of  the  officers  were  heard  encouraging  their  men,  and 
half-stifled  shrieks  or  gurgling  cries  told  that  the  bullets  were 
truly  aimed.  This  was  too  severe  to  endure.  The  Prussians, 
firing  much  more  quickly,  and  in  the  narrow  street,  where 
neither  side  could  show  their  whole  strength,  not  feeling  the 
inferiority  of  numbers,  succeeded  in  tearing  away  the  barricade, 
and  slowly  pressed  their  adversaries  back  along  the  village 
street.  Yet  the  Austrians  fought  bravely,  and  their  plans  for 
the  defence  of  the  houses  had  been  skilfully  though  hastily 
made ;  from  every  window  muskets  flashed  out  fire,  and  sent 
bullets  into  the  thick  ranks  of  the  advancing  Prussians,  while  on 
each  balcony  behind  a  wooden  barricade  Jagers  crouched  to 
take  their  deadly  aim ;  but  in  the  street  the  soldiers,  huddled 
together  and  encumbered  with  clumsy  ramrods,  were  unable  to 
load  with  ease,  and  could  return  no  adequate  fire  to  that  of  the 
Prussians,  while  these,  from  the  advantage  of  a  better  arm, 
poured  their  quick  volleys  into  an  almost  defenceless 
crowd. 

As  the  battle  in  the  street  was  pushed  inch  by  inch  towards 
the  Iser,  the  Austrians,  in  every  house  which  the  foremost 
ranks  of  the  Prussians  passed,  were  cut  off  from  their  retreat, 
and  were  sooner  or  later  made  prisoners,  for  the  houses  of  the 
village  do  not  join  on  to  each  other,  but  are  detached  by  spaces 
of  a  few  yards,  and  there  is  no  communication  from  one  house 
to  the  other  except  by  the  open  street.  The  whole  of  the 
Prussian  force  was  now  up,  and  extending  between  the  houses 


166  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  V. 

which  the  first  combatants  had  passed  by,  cut  off  the  escape  of 
their  garrisons,  and  exchanged  shots  with  the  defenders. 

With  shrieks  and  shouts,  amid  the  crashing  of  broken  win- 
dows, the  heavy  sounds  of  falling  beams,  and  the  perpetual 
rattle  of  the  fire-arms,  the  battle  was  heavily  pressed  down  the 
narrow  street,  and  about  half-past  eleven  the  moon  came  up 
clear  and  full  to  show  the  Austrian  rearmost  ranks  turning 
viciously  to  bar  the  Prussians  from  the  bridge.  The  moonlight, 
reflected  in  the  stream,  told  the  assailants  that  they  were  near 
the  object  of  their  labour,  and  showed  the  Austrians  that  now 
or  never  the  enemy  must  be  hurled  back.  Both  sides  threw 
out  skirmishers  along  the  river  bank,  and  the  moon  gave  them 
light  to  direct  their  aim  across  the  stream ;  while  on  the  first 
plank  of  the  bridge  the  Austrians  turned  to  bay,  and  the  Prus- 
sians pausing  some  short  paces  from  them,  the  combatants 
gazed  at  each  other  for  a  few  moments.  Then  they  began  a 
fiercer  fight  than  ever.  The  discharges  were  more  frequent, 
and  in  the  narrower  way  the  bullets  told  with  more  severe  effect 
Herr  von  Drygalski,  leading  the  fusilier  battalion  of  the  31st, 
a  lieutenant-colonel  of  only  two  days'  standing,  went  down  with 
two  bullets  in  his  forehead,  and  a  captain  at  his  side  was  shot 
in  both  legs  ;  many  men  fell,  and  the  grey  horse  of  a  Prussian 
field-officer,  with  a  ball  in  his  heart,  fell  heavily  against  the 
wall,  kicking  amid  the  ranks;  but  he  was  soon  quieted  for 
ever,  and  at  that  moment  men  regarded  but  little  such  wounds 
as  could  be  inflicted  by  an  iron-shod  hoof,  even  in  the  agonies 
of  death.  The  Austrians  stood  gallantly,  and  made  an  attempt 
to  set  fire  to  the  bridge  ;  but  the  difference  of  their  armament 
again  told  upon  them  here  ;  and  it  is  said  that,  galled  by  their 
hard  fortune,  they  charged  with  the  bayonet,  but  that  the 
Prussians  also  took  kindly  to  the  steel,  and  this  charge  caused 
no  change  in  the  fortune  of  the  fight :  certain  it  is  that  the 
defenders  were  ultimately  obliged  to  retire  across  the  bridge. 

While  this  combat  was  proceeding  slowly  along  the  street, 
another  fight  was  carried  on  upon  the  railway  almost  with  an 
equal  progress,  and  with  an  almost  similar  result.  A  party  of 
the  Austrians  fell  back  from  the  point  where  shots  were  first 
exchanged,  and  where  the  railway  crosses  the  road,  along 
the  line.     They  were  pushed  by  some  Prussian  detachments, 


Chap.  II.]  PASSAGE   OF  THE  FIRST  ARMY.  167 

but  neither  side  was  here  in  strong  force,  and  the  principal 
fighting  was  done  upon  the  road;  but  here,  too,  the  needle- 
gun  showed  its  advantage  over  the  old-fashioned  weapons  of 
the  Austrians,  for  the  latter  fell  in  the  proportion  of  six  to  one 
Prussian.  The  railway  bridge  was  not  broken,  but  the  lines 
were  torn  up  by  the  retiring  troops,  and  the  line  was  not  pas- 
sable by  trains.  The  Prussians  pushed  over  both  bridges  after 
the  retreating  Austrians  ;  the  latter  threw  a  strong  detachment 
into  a  large  unfinished  house,  which  stood  by  the  chaussee, 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  beyond  tire  bridge,  and  again  made  a 
stand,  but  not  of  long  duration ;  they  had  lost  many  killed, 
wounded,  and  prisoners ;  many  of  their  officers  were  dead  or 
taken ;  but  they  stood  till  they  could  gather  in  all  the  strag- 
glers who  had  escaped  from  the  houses  of  the  village,  and, 
harassed  by  the  pursuing  Prussians,  drew  off  sullenly  by  the 
main  road  to  Miinchengratz.  Thus  terminated  a  contest  which, 
fought  upon  both  sides  with  the  greatest  vigour  and  determi- 
nation, yet  resulted  in  a  clear  victory  for  the  Prussians ;  for, 
when  the  last  dropping  shots  ceased,  about  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  there  were  no  Austrian  solders  within  three  miles  of 
Podoll-bridge  except  the  wounded  and  the  taken.  There  was 
no  artillery  engaged  on  either  side ;  it  was  purely  an  infantry 
action,  and  the  Prussians  derived  in  it  great  advantage  from 
the  superiority  of  their  arms  over  that  of  their  opponents,  not 
only  in  the  rapidity,  but  in  the  direction  of  their  fire,  for  a  man 
with  an  arm  on  the  nipple  of  which  he  has  to  place  a  cap, 
naturally  raises  the  muzzle  in  the  air,  and  in  the  hurry  and 
excitement  of  action  often  forgets  to  lower  it,  and  only  sends 
his  bullet  over  the  heads  of  the  opposite  ranks,  while  the 
soldier  armed  with  a  breech-loading  musket  keeps  his  muzzle 
down,  and  if  in  haste  he  fires  it  off  without  raising  the  butt  to 
his  shoulder,  his  shot  still  takes  effect,  though  often  low,  and  a 
proof  of  this  is  that  very  many  of  the  Austrian  prisoners  were 
wounded  in  the  legs. 

The  road  to  Podoll  was  next  morning  crowded  with  hospital 
waggons  and  ambulance  cars  bringing  in  the  wounded ;  every 
cottage  in  the  way  was  converted  into  a  temporary  hospital, 
and  the  little  village  of  Swierzin  was  entirely  filled  with  stricken 
men.     The  sick-bearers,  one  of  the  most  useful  corps  which 


1 68  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  V. 

any  arm}7  possesses,  were  at  work  from  the  very  beginning  of 
the  action.  As  the  combatants  passed  on  these  noble-minded 
men,  regardless  of  the  bullets  and  careless  of  personal  danger, 
removed  with  equal  hand  both  friend  and  enemy  who  were  left 
writhing  on  the  road,  and  carried  them  carefully  to  the  rear, 
where  the  medical  officers  made  no  distinction  in  their  care  for 
both  Austrian  and  Prussian.  Not  only  was  it  those  whose 
special  duty  is  the  care  of  the  wounded  who  alone  were  doing 
their  best  to  ease  the  sufferings  of  those  who  had  suffered  in 
the  combat ;  soldiers  not  on  duty  might  be  seen  carrying  water 
for  prisoners  of  both  sides  alike,  and  gladly  affording  any  com- 
fort which  it  was  in  their  power  to  give  to  those  who  overnight 
had  been  firing  against  their  own  hearts  !  Nor  is  this  wonder- 
ful ;  for  after  the  flush  of  the  battle  was  over,  and  the  din  of 
the  musketry  had  died  away,  the  men  of  the  Prussian  army 
could  not  forget  that  one  common  language  linked  them  to 
their  adversaries,  and  that,  after  all,  it  was  probably  German 
blood  which,  flowing  from  an  Austrian  breast,  trickled  over  the 
white  livery  of  the  House  of  Hapsburg. 

In  the  village  the  utmost  disorder  gave  evidence  of  the  se- 
verity of  the  contest.  Austrian  knapsacks,  shakos,  clothes, 
and  arms  were  scattered  about  in  wild  confusion.  Dead  horses 
}ay  in  the  ditches  by  the  roadside.  White  coats  and  cloaks, 
which  had  been  thrown  off  in  the  hurry  of  the  fight,  lay  scat- 
tered along  the  road ;  the  trees  which  had  formed  the  Austrian 
barricade  were  still  on  the  side  of  the  street,  and  many  held  a 
bullet.  The  cottages  had  been  ransacked  of  their  furniture, 
and  their  beams  and  roof-trees  had  been  torn  down  to  form 
defences  for  the  doors  and  windows;  while  along  the  street 
and  upon  the  banks  of  the  river  lay  objects  which  in  the  dis- 
tance look  like  bundles  of  untidy  uniform,  but  which  on  nearer 
approach  were  seen  to  be  the  bodies  of  slain  soldiers.  Some- 
times they  lay  in  groups  of  twos  or  threes,  twisted  together  as 
if  they  had  gripped  one  another  in  their  mortal  agony,  and 
sometimes  single  figures  lay  on  their  backs,  staring  with  livid 
countenance  and  half-closed  hazy  eyes,  straight  up  against  the 
hot  morning  sun.  The  dark-blue  uniform  with  red  facings  of 
Prussia,  and  the  white  with  light-blue  of  Austria,  laid  side  by 
side,  but  the  numbers  of  the  latter  much  preponderated,  and 


Chap.  II.]         PASSAGE   OF  THE  FIRST  ARMY.  i6g 

on  one  part  of  the  railway  three  Prussian  corpses  opposite 
nineteen  Austrian  formed  a  grisly  trophy  of  the  superiority  of 
the  needle-gun. 

Close  on  500  unwounded  Austrian  prisoners  were  next 
morning  marched  up  to  head-quarters,  and  the  Austrian  loss 
in  killed  and  wounded  was  very  considerable.  The  Prussians 
lost  two  officers  dead,  and  seven  or  eight  wounded.  The 
medical  officers  officially  reported  that  the  proportion  of 
wounded  Austrians  to  wounded  Prussians  was  as  five  to  one. 
Thus  the  needle-gun  told  both  on  the  battle-field  and  in  the 
hospital. 

On  the  27th  the  head-quarters  of  the  First  Army  halted  at 
the  Castle  of  Sichrow.  There  had  been  no  skirmishing ;  but 
white  smoke  curling  up  from  beyond  some  fir  woods  beside  the 
Iser  told  that  the  bridge  of  Mohelnitz,  about  five  miles  below 
Podoll,  which  the  Austrians  had  set  on  fire  to  obstruct  pursuit, 
was  burning  steadily. 

The  results  of  the  actions  of  Liebenau  and  Podoll  were,  that 
two  of  the  important  passages  of  the  Iser,  those  of  Tiirnau  and 
Podoll,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  First  Prussian  Army.  That 
of  Miinchengratz  still  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Austrians,  but 
was  soon  also  to  be  seized  from  their  grasp.  The  Army  of  the 
Elbe  had  advanced  on  the  23rd  by  Schluckenau,  and  on  the 
26th  the  fourteenth  division,  under  the  command  of  General 
Miindter,  had  been  pushed  to  Bomisch  Aicha  in  order  to  feel 
Prince  Frederick  Charles's  right. 

Count  Clam  Gallas  had  only  opposed  a  few  hussar  regi- 
ments to  the  advance  of  General  Herwarth  von  Bittenfeld,  so 
that  this  general  met  with  no  serious  opposition  in  issuing 
from  the  mountains.  On  the  27  th,  the  day  after  the  night 
action  of  Podoll,  his  eighth  corps,  which  was  advancing  from 
Gabel  by  Niemes,  in  the  direction  of  Miinchengratz,  first  fell 
in  with  any  serious  hostile  force.  The  Prussian  advanced  guard, 
consisting  of  two  squadrons  and  two  battalions  of  Scholer's 
brigade,  which,  followed  by  the  whole  8th  corps,  was  on  the 
march  from  Hayda,  pushed  forward  on  a  reconnaissance  as  far 
as  Hiihnerwasser. 

The  Austrians,  bound  only  to  furnish  intelligence,  and 
ordered   not   to    engage    seriously,    retreated,    after    a    slight 


170  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  V. 

skirmish  to  Munchengratz,  and  evacuated  the  right  bank  of  thc- 
Iser,  thus  permitting  a  full  communication  to  be  openec 
between  the  Army  of  the  Elbe  and  that  of  Prince  Frederic! 
Charles.  The  two  armies  were  able  on  the  following  day  tc 
advance  in  concert,  so  as  to  take  possession  of  the  whole  line 
of  the  Iser. 

Count  Clam  Gallas,  after  the  skirmish  at  Hiihnerwasser 
withdrew  the  greater  part  of  his  force  to  the  left  bank  of  the 
Iser,  occupied  Munchengratz  in  force,  and  made  preparation; 
for  the  destruction  of  the  bridge  over  the  river  on  the  west  o: 
the  town.  The  Prussian  plan  to  seize  that  place  brough 
on  the 

ACTION    OF    MUNCHENGRATZ. 

On  the  27th  Prince  Frederick  Charles  halted  in  the  positio: 
of  Sichrow,  and  made  his  dispositions  for  his  further  advance 
The  seventh  division  had  occupied  Tiirnau,  where  the  engi 
neers  had  quickly  thrown  a  pontoon  bridge  over  the  Iser, 
replace  the  permanent  one,  which  had  been  burnt  by  th 
retiring  Austrian  cavalry.  The  eighth  division,  under  Gene 
Home,  occupied  the  village  and  bridge  of  Podoll ;  the  sixtr 
division,  under  General  Manstein,  moved  forward  to  thc- 
support  of  Home.  The  main  body  of  the  army  was  on  th( 
plateau  of  Sichrow,  and  General  Herwarth  von  Bittenfeld 
after  a  sharp  skirmish,  in  which  he  took  many  prisoners 
seized  Hiihnerwasser. 

The  road  and  railway  which  lead  from  Tiirnau  to  Jum 
Bunzlau  cross  the  Iser  near  together  at  the  village  of  Podoll' 
and  run  beside  each  other  on  the  southern  side  of  the  river  tc 
a  point  about  three  miles  below  Munchengratz ;  about  i 
quarter  of  a  mile  below  Podoll  the  hills  which  form  the 
plateau  of  Sichrow,  turning  southwards,  come  close  to  the 
northern  bank  of  the  Iser,  and  form  a  chain  of  heights  whicl 
descend  with  a  steep  slope  to  the  water's  edge.  The  hill: 
which  form  the  southern  boundary  of  the  valley  of  the  Ise 
rise  to  a  height  of  about  500  feet  in  the  Muskey  Berg,  which 
running  parallel  to  the  road  for  a  mile  of  its  length  from  it 
extremity  nearest  Podoll,  then  trends  southwards  and  strike 
the  road  from  Munchengratz  to  Unter  Bautzen  at  the  villagt 


Chap.  II.]         PASSAGE   OF  THE  FIRST  ARMY. 


171 


of  Bossin.  The  Muskey  Berg  presents  towards  the  river  on 
its  upper  part  a  rocky,  precipitous  front ;  below  this  the  debris 
fallen  from  the  rocks  has  accumulated  and  formed  a  slope, 


which,  although  steep,  would,  were  it  not  for  the  precipice 
above,  be  still  practicable  for  light  infantry.  This  lower  slope 
is  covered  with  a  dense  forest  of  fir  trees  ;  the  summit  of  the 
hill  is  in  general  a  flat  plateau,  clothed  with  greensward,  but 
near  the  edge  of  the  precipice  fir  trees  are  thickly  planted, 
and  form  a  belt  along  the  summit,  with  an  average  breadth  of 
100  paces,  while,  conspicuous  near  the  place  where  the  hill 
line  turns  towards  Bossin,  stands  a  high  solitary  cone  rising 
100  feet  above  the  plateau,  bare  of  trees,  but  covered  with 
green  grass.  Opposite  this  high  cone  of  the  Muskey  Berg, 
and  close  to  the  river,  but  still  on  the  southern  bank,  lies  the 
isolated  hill  of  the  Kaczowberg.  It  is  considerably  lower  than 
the  Muskey  Berg  range,  and  is  not  wooded.  Its  length  is 
about  500  yards,  and  its  longitudinal  direction  is  at  right 
angles  to   that    of  the    stream.     The    distance   between   the 


172  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  V. 

summits  of  the  Muskey  Berg  and  the  Kaczowberg  is  about 
two  miles,  and  through  the  valley  between  these  two  hills  run 
the  road  and  railway  from  Podoll  to  Miinchengratz.  Between 
these  hills  the  valley  is  a  dead  flat  plain.  It  was  at  the  time  of 
the  action  richly  cultivated,  intersected  by  rows  of  fruit  trees, 
and  covered  with  wheat,  barley,  clover,  and  potato  patches. 
No  hedges  divided  the  different  farms,  but  brooks  and  ditches 
made  the  ground  very  difficult  for  the  action  of  cavalry.  Look- 
ing from  the  bridge  of  Podoll  along  the  valley  towards  Miin- 
chengratz, the  Muskey  Berg  lies  to  the  left  front,  the  Kaczow- 
berg to  the  right  front ;  between  them  are  seen  in  the  distance 
the  Schloss  and  spires  of  the  town,  but  further  view  is  stopped 
by  a  low  range  of  elevations,  topped  by  dwarf  plantations, 
which  lie  between  the  roads  from  Miinchengratz  to  Fiirsten- 
briick,  and  from  Miinchengratz  to  Jung  Bunzlau,  and  runs 
from  the  village  of  Bossin  to  that  of  Wessely. 

The  Austrians  had  thrown  up  a  redoubt  and  a  battery  for 
eight  guns  on  the  Kaczowberg;  the  latter  would  have  enfi- 
laded the  Podoll  road,  but  no  guns  were  in  it,  for  the  Prussian 
advance  had  been  rapid,  and  there  was  not  time  to  arm  the 
work.  Still,  it  was  expected  that  the  enemy  would  stand  here, 
and  the  Prussian  commander  advanced  prepared  to  fight  He 
intended  to  strike  for  no  meagre  victory.  He  formed  a  plan 
by  which  to  capture  the  whole  opposing  force;  but,  though 
skilfully  designed  and  punctually  executed,  his  adversary  did 
not  stand  quite  long  enough  to  allow  of  its  complete  develop- 
ment, for  the  Austrian  commander  sacrificed  his  position  and 
the  town  of  Miinchengratz,  after  a  sharp  combat,  but  without 
a  regular  battle. 

The  Prussian  leader  calculated  that  if  he  made  a  demonstra- 
tion of  a  careless  march  towards  Miinchengratz  by  the  high 
road  and  railway,  the  Austrians  who  might  be  on  the  Muskey 
Berg  would  lie  there  quiet  till  the  heads  of  his  columns  had 
passed  their  position,  in  order  that  their  artillery  might  take 
the  marching  troops  in  reverse,  and  that  he  might  himself  in 
the  meantime  turn  their  position.  By  the  same  bait  he  also 
hoped  to  hold  his  adversaries  on  the  Kaczowberg  until  their 
retreat  was  cut  off.  To  effect  this  double  object  the  7th 
division  was  to  move  from  Tiirnau  by  a  road  on  the  south  side 


Chap.  II.]         PASSAGE   OF   THE  FIRST  ARMY.  173 

of  the  Iser,  which  at  the  village   of  Wschen  crosses  the  road 

from  Podoll  to  Sobotka,  at  Zdiar.     It  was  then  to  take  the 

Austrians  on  the    Muskey  Berg  in  rear,  for  this   hill  slopes 

gently  on  its  reverse  side  towards  a  rivulet  which  forms  the 

little  lake  of  Zdiar.     The  division  was  afterwards  to  push  on 

over  the  hill  and  strike  the  road  from  Miinchengratz  to  Fiir- 

.  stenbriick,  between  the  village  of  Bossin  and  the  former  place. 

On  the  right    bank  of   the   river    General    Herwarth  was  to 

advance  from  Hiihnerwasser  on  Miinchengratz,  cross  the  Iser, 

,  and  occupy  the  town,  throwing  out   at  the    same   time   the 

i  fourteenth  division  to  his  left,  which  by  Mohelnitz  and  Lauke- 

\  witz  should  take  in  reverse  the  defenders  of  the  Kaczowberg. 

The  divisions  of  Home  and  Manstein  were  to  push   down 

:  the   main    road   from    Podoll,    while   strong   reserves    closed 

i  down   to    Podoll.       A   division   of  infantry   was   to   cross    at 

Hubelow  and  attack  the  Kaczowberg  in  front,  while  a  division 

i  of  cavalry  kept  the  communications  open  between  the  divisions 

on  the  right  bank  of  the  river.     A  strong  division  of  cavalry 

was  also  sent  from  Tiirnau  to  scour  the  country  towards  Jicin, 

in  the  direction  of  Josephstadt. 

About  eight  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the   28th,  Prince 
.  Frederick  Charles,  with  General  von  Voigt-Rhetz,  his  chief  of 
j  the  staff,  and  General  Stiilpnagel,  his   Quartermaster-General, 
!  came  down  to  the  bridge  of  Podoll,  and  almost  immediately 
the  Jagers,  who  formed  the  advance  guard  of  Home's  division, 
.  crossed  the  bridge,  but  not  before  an  opening  cannonade  in 
;  the  direction  of  Miinchengratz  told  that  Bittenfeld  was  already 
engaged.     On  a  hill  upon  the  northern  bank  there  was  a  con- 
venient   spot  from  which   to    see   the  whole  theatre  of    the 
combat,  and  here  the  Prussian  staff  went  to  watch  the  course 
of  the  action. 

There  was  not  a  cloud  upon  the  sky,  and  the  sun  poured  down 
a  tremendous  heat ;  thick  clouds  of  dust  rose  from  the  columns 
on  the  road,  but  this  line  was  only  followed  by  the  artillery,  the 
!  train,  and  the  main  body  of  the  regiment.  As  the  Jagers 
passed  the  bridge  they  threw  out  skirmishers  to  the  right  and 
left,  who  went  in  a  long  wavy  line  pushing  through  the  stand- 
ing corn.  The  cavalry  scouts  clustered  thickly  on  the  flanks 
of  the  skirmishers,   and   horsemen   in   more    solid   formation 


174  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  V. 

followed  in  their  rear.  It  was  a  fine  sight ;  the  long  line  of 
rifles  extending  almost  across  the  valley,  felt  carefully  through 
the  crops.  The  Uhlans,  with  their  tall  lances  and  fantastic 
pennants,  hovered  about  the  flank,  and  the  heavy  masses  on 
the  road  pushed  on  steadily  behind  the  centre  of  the  light  troops. 
But  attention  was  called  towards  Miinchengratz,  where  the 
progress  of  Bittenfeld's  attack  could  be  traced  by  the  puffs  of 
white  smoke  which  rose  from  the  discharges  of  the  artillery. 
The  Prussian  cannonade  was  seen  to  be  slowly  advancing,  and 
that  of  the  Austrian  to  be  retiring,  while  a  heavy  cloud  of  black 
smoke  rising  close  beside  the  town  showed  that  the  Austrians  i 
had  retired  from  the  right  bank  of  the  river  and  had  burnt  the 
bridge.  For  a  short  time  the  fight  was  stationary,  but  in  about 
a  quarter  of  an  hour  a  bright  flash  of  flame  and  a  much  heavier 
smoke  rising  from  the  Austrian  line  told  that  an  ammunition 
waggon  had  exploded.  Their  battery  then  ceased  firing,  and 
rapidly  retired,  while  a  quick  advance  of  the  Prussian  can- 
nonade showed  that  Bittenfeld's  pioneers  had  quickly  thrown 
their  bridge,  and  that  his  corps  was  across  the  Iser.  But  the 
Austrians  did  not  go  far,  for  in  a  short  time  they  were  again 
in  action  in  the  direction  of  the  Jung  Bunzlau  road,  and  one 
battery  was  drawing  off  towards  Fiirstenbriick.  It  then  seemed 
that  Bittenfeld  had  halted  ;  the  cannonade  ceased  in  this  direc- 
tion. The  view  of  the  Muskey  Berg  from  the  position  occupied 
by  the  staff  is  extremely  beautiful,  but  it  was  not  the  sandstone 
cliffs  of  the  opposite  mountain,  nor  even  the  advancing 
Prussians  in  the  plain,  that  General  Voigt-Rhetz,  the  chief  of 
Prince  Frederick  Charles's  staff,  was  so  carefully  scanning  with 
his  glass, — he  saw  a  group  on  the  highest  point  of  the  cone  of 
the  Muskey  Berg  which  looked  like  a  general's  staff,  and  he 
smiled  quietly  as  he  saw  his  adversaries  getting  entangled  in 
the  toils  which  had  been  so  carefully  woven  for  them.  The 
heads  of  the  Prussian  columns  were  some  way  past  the  hill, 
and  were  pushing  steadily  towards  Miinchengratz,  when  the 
well-known  puff  of  smoke  rising  from  the  dark  firs  on  the 
Muskey  Berg  plateau  showed  that  the  Austrians  had  opened 
fire  upon  them.  The  battery  on  the  hill  did  not  appear  to  be 
of  more  than  four  guns,  and  at  first  they  fired  slowly,  nor  did 
they  do  much  execution.     Their  shells,  projected  from  so  great 


Chap.  II.]         PASSAGE  OF  THE  FIRST  ARMY.  175 

a  height,  went  straight  into  the  ground,  and  did  not  ricochet 
among  the  troops ;  but  they  were  well  aimed,  and  in  most 
cases  burst  at  the  proper  moment,  and  every  now  and  then  a 
man  went  down.  As  soon  as  the  Austrian  guns  opened  fire 
the  troops  in  the  road  were  turned  into  the  fields,  and  moved 
on  in  open  order ;  the  train  waggons  were  also  hurried  on  to 
the  softer  ground,  and  halted  separately  where  best  concealed. 
Four  Prussian  batteries  quickly  opened  fire,  but  the  Austrian 
guns  stood  high,  and  the  height  of  the  hill  deceived  their  aim ; 
at  first  their  shells  fell  short,  but  soon  they  got  the  range  ;  still 
the  fir-trees  and  rocks  protected  the  Austrian  gunners,  and  the 
batteries  in  the  plain  seemed  to  do  little  execution. 

Orders  were  soon  sent  to  them  to  cease  firing,  for  the  enemy's 
iguns  did  not  much  harass  the  marching  troops,  and  other 
means  were  taken  for  clearing  the  hill.  A  squadron  of  Uhlans 
was  directed  to  pass  close  along  the  foot  of  the  Muskey  Berg, 
so  that  the  guns  on  the  plateau  could  not  be  depressed  suffi- 
ciently to  hurt  them,  and  were  to  gain  a  steep  path  which  leads 
to  the  summit  between  the  highest  point  and  Bossin,  while  an 
infantry  brigade  was  to  support  the  movement ;  but  before  this 
plan  could  be  carried  into  execution  the  seventh  division  was 
heard  engaged  on  the  reverse  side,  and  the  Austrian  battery 
quickly  limbered  up  and  retired.  The  guns  were  not  inter- 
cepted by  the  seventh  division,  but  here  General  Franzecky 
made  600  prisoners  from  the  infantry  which  was  on  the  hill  to 
support  the  battery.  While  the  seventh  division  was  still 
engaged  behind  the  Muskey  Berg,  four  Austrian  guns  appeared 
on  the  summit  of  the  hill,  between  Bossin  and  Wessely,  and 
opened  fire  against  the  Prussian  columns,  who  were  now  again 
idvancing  over  the  plain.  But  Franzecky  was  pushing  towards 
"hem,  and  his  artillery  threatened  to  enfilade  them,  so  that  they 
ioon  had  to  retire.  The  seventh  division  then  struck  the  road 
Detween  Munchengratz  and  Bossin,  and  attacked  the  latter 
tillage.  Bittenfeld  had  already  pushed  towards  it  from  Miin- 
phengratz,  and  supported  this  attack.  The  first  round  of 
Franzecky's  artillery  set  fire  to  a  house,  which  began  to  burn 
iercely,  and  the  flames  were  soon  communicated  to  the  next, 
or  most  of  the  cottages  in  this  country  are  built  of  wood, 
vhich,  dried  in  the  hot  summer  sun,  readily  takes  fire.     After 


1 76  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  V. 


a  sharp  skirmish  the  Austrians  were  driven  from  the  village  and 
retired  in  the  direction  of  Fiirstenbriick,  and  they  left  here  200 
prisoners,  and  General  Herwarth  von  Bittenfeld  had  already- 
captured  200.  The  Austrian  soldiers  who  had  been  taken 
chiefly  belonged  to  Italian  regiments,  and  showed  no  disposi- 
tion to  fight ;  twenty-five  of  them  in  one  mass  laid  down  their 
arms  to  Lieutenant  von  Biilow,  who,  being  one  of  Prince 
Frederick  Charles's  aides-de-camp,  was  returning  from  deliver- 
ing an  order,  and  saw  these  men  separated  from  their  regiment. 
He  collected  about  half-a-dozen  train  soldiers  and  rode  up  to 
them,  when  they  surrendered  without  offering  any  resistance. 

The  Austrians  made  no  attempt  to  hold  the  Kaczowberg.  i 
The  only  points  they  attempted  to  defend  were  the  Muskey 
Berg,  Miinchengratz,  and  the  village  of  Bossin.  They  lost  at 
least  a  thousand  prisoners,  and  about  three  hundred  killed  and 
wounded. 

With  the  occupation  of  the  village  of  Bossin  ended  the  J 
combat  of  Miinchengratz,  in  which  by  a  series  of  strategical 
movements,  with  little  fighting,  and  slight  loss — for  the  Prus- 
sian killed,  wounded,  and  missing  did  not  number  too— 
Prince  Frederick  Charles  gained  about  twelve  miles  of  country,  ;i 
and  took  1,000  prisoners,  turned  the  strong  position  of  the 
Kaczowberg,  and  effected  his  secure  junction  with  the  corps 
of  General  Bittenfeld. 

The  head-quarters  of  the  Army  of  the  Elbe  and  of  the 
First  Army  were  established  at  Miinchengratz.  The  majority 
of  the  inhabitants  had  fled  from  the  town ;  the  army  had 
outmarched  its  provision  trains,  and  there  was  nothing  to  be;  ^ 
bought  in  the  place.  On  account  of  actual  necessity  the 
soldiers  were  allowed  to  take  what  eatables  they  could  find  in 
the  place,  but  little  had  been  left,  for  the  Austrian  army  was 
there  the  night  before,  and  their  commissariat  appears  to  have 
been  as  miserably  corrupt  as  it  was  in  the  Italian  campaign. 
The  prisoners  reported  that  they  had  had  nothing  to  eat  for 
two  days,  arid  begged  for  a  morsel  of  bread ;  but  the  Prussian 
army  was  hard  set  itself  for  provisions,  and  there  was  but 
little  to  give  away.  Nor  were  the  Austrian  hospital  arrange- 
ments such  as  they  ought  to  have  been.  Twenty-six  wounded 
men  were  found  here  when  the  Prussians  marched  in,  lying  in 


t 


Chai\  II.]  PASSAGE    OF  THE  FIRST  ARMY.  177 

a.  cottage  on  a  floor  covered  with  blood,  un tended,  with  their 
wounds  undressed,  and  saying  that  they  had  had  no  nourish- 
ment for  forty-eight  hours ;    no  surgeon  had  remained   with 
them,  nor  was  their  condition  reported  to  the  Prussian  com- 
nander ;  fortunately  they  were  discovered  accidentally  by  a 
Prussian  staff  officer.     Hospital  necessaries  were  scarce,  but 
Prussian  medical  men  were  sent  to  attend  them,  and  applica- 
tion was  made  to  the  magistracy  of  Miinchengratz  to  supply 
dnen  with  which  to  dress  their  wounds.     These  are  reported 
'.o  have  refused  to  assist  in  alleviating  the  sufferings  of  their 
ellow-countrymen,  who  were  shot  down  in  defending  the  very 
)assage  to  their  own  town,  till  Count  Stohlberg,  a  Prussian 
fficer  of  Cuirassiers,  roused  by  their  barbarity,  drew  his  sword 
>n  the  Burgomaster,  and  threatened  him  with  death  unless  the 
rants    of    the   wounded   men   were   attended   to,    when  the 
tecessary  materials  came   forth.      The  Prussian  troops  were 
ery  weary.      They  had  marched  and  fought  that  day  (the 
8th)  over  a  long  distance  and  in  a  heavy  country.     There 
'as  little  water  away  from  the  river,  and   the    soldiers  had 
nffered  much  from  thirst;    but  they  marched  nobly.      Few 
tragglers  were  ever  seen,  except  those  who  had  fallen  fainting 
ut  of  the  ranks,  and  were  lying  half  stupified  by  the  roadside ; 
ut  none  lay  long  without  succour,  for  the  Krankentrciger,  or 
ck-bearers,  hovered  with  their  water-bottles  round  the  flanks 
rid  in  the  rear  of  the  marching  as  well  as  of  the  fighting 
attalions,  and  gave  a  willing  aid  to  all  that  needed  it. 
The  army  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles  was  now  concen- 
ated  round   Miinchengratz ;  two   divisions  were  near  or  in 
'ossin  :  a  large  force  covered  the  left  at  Zehrow  and  south  of 
'  iirnau,  and  threw  its  outposts  towards  Sobotka.     The  force 
[ .  front  of  Prince   Frederick   Charles  was  the  Austrian  first 
[  )rps  d'armee,  the  brigade  Kalik,  which  had  lately  returned 
lorn  Holstein,  and  the  cavalry  division  of  General  Edelsheim. 

0  these  the  Saxon  army  was  joined,  and  the  whole  allied 
;*.  rce  was  under  the  command  ot  Prince  Albert,  Crown  Prince 
I'  Saxony. 

I  By  the  actions    of   Liebenau,    Hiihnerwasser,   Podoll,  and 

1  iinchengratz,  the  whole  line  of  the   Iser  was  won  by  the 
russians,   and   a   great   strategical  advantage  gained.      The 


i78  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  V. 

distance  from  the  Second  Army  which  had  on  the   27th  com- 
menced its  advance  from  Silesia,  was  still,  however,  great;  for 
from  thirty  to   thirty-five  miles  lay  between  the  left  wing  of 
Prince   Frederick   Charles  and  the   extreme  right  wing  of  the 
Crown  Prince  :  difficulties  still  existed  which  had  to  be  over- 
come before  the  junction  of  the  two  armies  could  be  effected. 
Count  Clam  Gallas,  on  being  driven  from  the  line  of  the  Iser,  j 
retired  to  Gitschin,  and  there  took  up  a  defensive  position.) 
Before    tracing    the    means  which    Prince    Frederick    Charles  | 
adopted  to  dislodge  him  from  this  point,  it  is  desirable  to  castj 
a  glance  over  the  preceding  actions. 

The  actions  of  Liebenau  and  Hiihnerwasser  were  fought  by 
the  Austrians  merely  as  reconnaissances,  and  may  be  passed; 
over  in  silence.     But  why  did  Count  Clam  Gallas  neglect  to 
defend  Tiirnau   at   all,    and  hold  Podoll  with   only  a  single; 
brigade?     It  was  undoubtedly  his  object  to  hold  the  line  of 
the  Iser  and  to  there  check  his  enemy  for  as  long  a  time  as; 
possible.      Miinchengratz  is,    at  the    most,    but  twelve  miles' 
distant  from  Tiirnau ;  he  had  60.000  men  at  his  disposal,  and) 
could  therefore  have  well  held  the  whole  line  had  he  throwr 
up  the  necessary  intrenchments.     It  seems,  however,  that  the: 
Austrian  general  committed  the  great  error  of  despising  his! 
enemy.      Had  he   ranged    part  of   his  army  on  the  plateau 
south  of  Tiirnau   and   Podoll,    broken   the   bridges  at  these: 
places,  and  thrown  up  earthworks  to  impede  the  passage  o:i 
the  river,  and  at  the  same  time  collected  the  other  part  or  hi*! 
force  at  Miinchengratz,  and  there  made  similar  defensive  pre! 
parations,  the  line  of  the   Iser  might,  indeed,  still  have  beer 
forced  by  the  Prussians,  but  only  by  the  employment  of  ther 
whole    strength ;    and,    probably,    only    after   the    lapse    of  ; 
considerable   amount    of    time.      Had    it    been    forced,    th< 
Austrian    retreat   from  both  points  to    Sobotka    would   havi 
been    secure.      Had  it  not,   the    Prussians  would  have  beer 
compelled   to    seek   for   a    passage    further   to    the  north  a 
Eisenbrod  or  Semil,  and   to   have  made  a  flank  march  in  ; 
country  which  in   that  direction  is  broken  into    ravines  an<; 
hollows  by  the  spurs  of  the  Giant  Mountains.     It  might  b 
urged  against  such  dispositions  that  by  breaking  the  bridge 
Count  Clam  Gallas  would  have  deprived  himself  of  all  chanc 


Chap.  II. J        PASSAGE   OF  THE  FIRST  ARMY.  179 

of  assuming  the  offensive  in  case  of  a  favourable  opportunity. 
His  duty  and  object,  however,  was  not  to  crush  but  to  detain 
Prince  Frederick  Charles :  the  defeat  of  the  Prussian  First 
Army  was  to  have  been  effected  by  the  arrival  of  Feldzeug- 
meister  Benedek  himself  with  overwhelming  forces,  before  or 
after  having  disposed  of  the  Crown  Prince. 

The  Austrian  position  on  the  Muskey  Berg  was  tactically 
strong,  but  strategically  weak.  By  the  surrender  of  Tiirnau, 
Count  Clam  Gallas  exposed  the  right  flank  of  that  position, 
and  allowed  his  retreat  to  Gitschin  to  be  threatened. 


CHAPTER    III. 

ACTION    OF    GITSCHIN. 

The  fourth  Prussian  corps,  consisting  of  the  seventh  and 
eighth  divisions,  had  been  sharply  engaged  at  Podoll  and! 
Miinchengratz,  and  was  allowed  to  halt  at  the  latter  place  on: 
the  29th  June.  That  evening  it  marched  as  the  reserve  of  the; 
First  Army,  which  moved  from  the  Iser  towards  Gitschin  byj 
three  roads — the  left  from  Tiirnau  by  Rowensko,  the  centre! 
from  Podoll  by  Sobotka,  the  right  from  Miinchengratz  byj 
Ober  Bautzen  on  Sobotka,  while  the  Army  of  the  Elbe  moved! 
on  the  right  wing  of  the  First  Army  by  Unter  Bautzen  andj 
Libau. 

On  the  evening  of  the  28th,  the  fifth  division  was  pushed 
forward  from  Tiirnau  as  far  as  Rowensko,  on  the  road  to, 
Gitschin,  where  it  halted  for  the  night,  with  the  sixth  division 
a  short  distance  in  rear  of  it.  The  same  evening  the  third- 
division,  with  the  fourth  in  rear,  was  pushed  to  Zehrow,  on  the 
road  from  Podoll  to  Sobotka ;  and  its  advanced  guard,  con-; 
sistiiig  of  the  14th  regiment  and  two  companies  of  the  second 
Jager  battalion,  in  the  course  of  the  night  occupied  the  defile 
of  Podkost,  after  a  sharp  skirmish. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  29th,  the  fifth  division  broke  up 
from  Rowensko  at  two  o'clock,  and  advanced  towards  Gitschin 
The  third  division,  which  had  a  longer  march  before  it,  lef 
Zehrow  for  the  same  place  at  mid-day. 

The  distance  from  Tiirnau  to  Gitschin  is  about  fifteen  miles 
from  Miinchengratz  to  the  same  town  about  twenty  miles;  anc 
Podoll  to  Podkost  about  six  miles. 

Four  roads  lead  from  the  town  of  Gitschin,  almost  toward:;  j 
the  four  points  of  the  compass ;  that  of  the  north  to  Tiirnau   1 


Chap.  III.]  ACTION  OF  CITSCWX.  1S1 

of  the  west  to  Sobotka,  of  the  south  to  Kosteltz,  and  of  the 
east,  but  bending  southwards,  to  Horitz.  From  the  Kosteltz 
road  to  the  Tiirnau  road  runs,  about  three  miles'  distance  from 
Gitschin,  a  semicircular  range  of  steep  broken  hills ;  on  their 
slopes  and  summits  spruce  and  silver  firs  grow  in  thick  woods 
which  occasionally  reach  down  into  the  cultivated  ground. 
Here  and  there  upon  these  hills  are  patches  of  corn  or  clover 
land,  while  at  various  intervals  there  are  little  villages,  which 
generally  consist  of  ten  or  twelve  large  wooden  cottages 
separated  from  each  other,  and  standing  in  orchards.  Near 
the  foot  of  the  range  of  hills  the  ground  is  much  broken  up 
by  shallow  ravines  and  gullies. 

The  Austrian  first  corps  and  the  Saxons  held  an  excellent 
position  along  this  range  of  hills,  the  right  flank  of  which 
rested  on  Eisenstadt,  and  the  left  on  the  Anna  Berg,  a  pro- 
minent elevation  on  the  south  side  of  the  Sobotka  road.  In 
the  centre  were  the  heights  of  Brada,  which  had  been  strength- 
ened. The  reserve  was  drawn  up  between  these  hills  and  the 
town  of  Gitschin. 

Where  the  road  from  Sobotka  passes  through  the  hills  they 

dip  down  so  as  to  form  a  narrow  pass,  and  the  fir  forests  on 

each  side  run  down  close  to  the  road.     On  the  Sobotka  side 

;of  the  woods  there  is  a  ravine  about  ioo  feet  deep,  but  with 

banks  not  so  steep  but  that  the  road  can  descend  and  ascend 

them  in  a  direct  line.     A  quarter  of  a  mile  from  this  ravine, 

and  nearer   Gitschin,    the   road   drops   again   into   a   similar 

hollow,  but  here  the  forest  has  retired  from  the  side  of  the 

tkaussee,  and  the  ground  is  covered  with  standing  crops,  among 

which  fruit  trees   are  thickly  studded.      At  about  the   same 

distance   further   on  towards  the  town,  a  third  break  in  the 

ground  causes  another  sharp  undulation  of  the  roadway.     On 

he  Gitschin  side  of  this  hollow  ground,  partly  on  the  bank, 

nut  more  on  the  brow  of  the  slope,  and  on  the  more  level 

country  beyond,  stands  the  little  village  of  Lochow,  forming 

i  clump  of  houses  with   low  walls,  but  having  high  thatched 

oofs,  which  just  rise  above  the  tops  of  the  orchard  trees  that 

:luster  closely  among  and  around  the   cottages.     A  quarter  of 

.  mile  beyond  the  village  lies  the  last  break  in  the  ground,  for 

•eyond  this  a  flat  plain   stretches   to    the  little  river  which, 


1 82  SEVEN   WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  V. 

passing  the  town  of  Gitschin  on  its  Lochow  side,  falls  into  the 
Iser  near  Tiirnau.  This  last  ravine  is  rather  deeper  and  wider  ! 
than  the  others ;  at  the  bottom  there  is  a  rivulet,  which  the  i 
road,  after  descending  the  Lochow  bank,  crosses  by  a  low 
stone  bridge,  and  then  runs  straight  up  the  opposite  side  of  the  i 
nullah,  as  it  might  be  termed  in  Indian  phrase,  to  gain  the  j 
level  plain. 

The  2nd  corps  of  General  von  Schmitt,  which  marched  from 
the  neighbourhood  of  Podoll,  struck  at  Sobotka  the  road  from 
Munchengratz  to  Gitschin.  General  von  Schmitt  there  changed: 
the  direction  of  his  march  to  the  left,  and  advanced  towards; 
Gitschin.  He  moved  with  his  two  divisions  at  some  distance! 
apart ;  that  of  General  von  Werder,  or  the  3rd  division,  led; 
the  way.  Von  Werder's  advanced  guard  consisted  of  the  2nd  : 
battalion  of  Jagers  and  the  3rd  battalion  of  the  42nd  regiment; 
In  the  rear  of  these  followed  the  three  battalions  of  ther 
regiment  of  the  late  King  of  Prussia  (the  2nd),  the  two 
remaining  battalions  of  the  42nd,  and  one  battalion  of  the' 
14th  regiment,  with  one  six-pounder  and  two  four-poundeii 
field  batteries. 

A  strong   Austrian   force   held   the  wood   behind  the  firsl 
ravine,  with  its  sharp-shooters  behind  the  trunks  of  the  fir-trees 
with  the  view  of  compensating  for  the  inferiority  of  their  rifle 
to    the    Prussian   needle-gun.      Behind    each    marksman   twc 
soldiers  were  placed,  whose  only  duty  was  to  load  their  rifle, 
and  hand  them  to  the  picked  men  to  whom  the  firing  waj 
entrusted.    The  Austrian  artillery  was  placed  behind  the  wood, 
so  that  it  could   bring  a  cross-fire    on  the   opening  in  fron 
through  which  the  chaussee  passes,  and  strike  heavily  on  th(  ji 
Sobotka  bank  of  the  ravine  and  the  open  country  beyond.     A 
the    Prussian    advanced    guard    approached   the   ravine,   th 
Austrian  batteries  opened  fire  upon  them,  and  the  marksme 
from  behind  the  trees  also  soon  commenced  a  biting  fire.     Th 
Jagers  and  the  men  of  the  42nd  quickly  spread   out  as  ski 
mishers,  and,  regardless   of  the   withering  fire  to  which  the. 
themselves  were  exposed,  showered  bullets  from  their  quickl 
loaded  arms  against  the  defenders  of  the  wood,  while  some  <•  il 
their  artillery,  quickly  brought  into  action,  tried  to  silence  tljd 
Austrian  guns.     But  the  fight  was  unequal,  the  sharpshoote 


Chap.  III.]  ACTION  OF  GITSCHIN.  1S3 

behind  the  trees  could  rarely  be  seen,  and  the  fire  of  the 
Prussians  did  not  tell  much  upon  their  concealed  enemies; 
nor  were  their  guns  in  sufficient  force  to  engage  successfully 
the  more  numerous  Austrian  pieces.  The  Jagers  from  among 
the  trees  were  aiming  well ;  the  men  of  the  42nd  were  falling 
fast,  and  it  seemed  that  the  defenders  would  be  able  to  hold 
the  wood.  But  the  rest  of  the  Prussian  division  was  coming 
up ;  more  artillery  was  already  in   action  ;  and  the  Austrian 

,  gunners  began  to  fire  with  less  effect.  The  regiment  of  the 
King  of  Prussia  soon  arrived.  The  Prussian  soldiers,  unable 
to  make  much  impression  with  their  fire  on  the  riflemen  in  the 
trees,  were  already  anxious  to  come  to  close  quarters,  and  then 
General  von  Werder  sent  his  men  forward  to  take  the  woods 
with  the  bayonet.  They  were  carried,  but  not  without  loss, 
for  the   Austrians   retired  from  tree  to   tree,  and  only  when 

.  pressed  beyond  the  last  skirt  of  the  wood  retired  under  cover 
of  their  guns  and  reserves  to  take  up  a  position  on  the  further 
brow  of  the  next  ravine.  The  musketry  fire  recommenced. 
The  opponents  stood  on  either  bank  of  the  hollow,  and  poured 
volley  after  volley  into  each  other's  ranks,  while  the  artillery, 
from  positions  on  the  flanks  of  both  lines,  sent  their  shells 
truly  among  their  adversary's  infantry.  But  here  the  needle- 
gun  had  more  success,  for  the  Austrians  stood  up  clear  against 
the  sky,  and  soon  the  white  uniforms  began  to  go  down 
quickly.  No  troops  so  ill-armed  could  have  stood  before  the 
murderous  fire  which  the  Prussians  directed  against  the  opposite 
line.  The  Austrians  did  all  that  men  could  do ;  but,  after 
losing  fearfully,  were  obliged  to  fall  back,  and  take  up  their 
third  position  in  the  village  of  Lochow,  and  on  the  Anna  Berg. 
The  42nd  regiment  and  the  second  Jager  battalion  were  sent 
against  the  Anna  Berg,  while  the  2nd  and  the  14th  attacked  the 
village. 

It  was  now  about  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening ;  the  combat 
had  already  lasted  almost  two  hours,  but  here  it  was  renewed 
more  fiercely  than  ever.  The  Prussians,  encouraged  by  their 
success — brave  soldiers  and  bravely  led — eagerly  came  to  the 
attack.  With  hearts  as  big,  and  with  officers  as  devoted,  the 
Austrians  stood  with  a  desperate  calmness  to  receive  them.  On 
both  sides   the  fighting   was   hard;  but  at   any  distance  the 


184  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  V.  i 

Austrian  rifle  had  no  chance  against  the  needle-gun,  and  at! 
close  quarters  the  boyish  soldiers  of  the  Kaiser  could  not  cope 
with  the  broad-shouldered  men  of  Pomerania,  who  form  the! 
corps  d'arme'e,  one  division  of  which  was  here  engaged.  Yet 
for  three-quarters  of  an  hour  the  little  village  of  Lochow  was 
held,  and  the  continuous  rattle  of  the  rifles  and  the  heavy- 
cannonade  of  the  guns  remaining  almost  stationary  told  the 
determination  of  the  assault  and  the  stoutness  of  the  defence. 
But  the  Austrian  s  were  slowly  forced  from  house  to  house  and 
from  orchard  to  orchard,  and  had  to  retreat  to  their  last 
vantage  ground  on  the  top  of  the  Gitschin  bank  of  the  fourth, 
ravine. 

And  here  both  sides  re-engaged  in  the  fight  with  the  utmost 
fury.  The  defenders  felt  that  this  was  their  last  standing  point, 
and  on  its  maintenance  depended  the  possession  of  Gitschin; 
the  assailants  knew  that  success  here  would  almost  certainly; 
bring  them  to  the  object  of  all  their  exertions.  The  Prussian; 
line  soon  formed  on  the  top  of  the  opposite  bank  to  that  held; 
by  the  Austrians,  and  then  began  to  fire  rapidly  against  the] 
brow  where  the  Austrians  stood.  The  latter  returned  the  fireJ 
but  from  necessity  more  slowly;  still  their  guns  smote  tha 
Prussian  troops  heavily,  and  the  shells  bursting  in  front  of  the 
assailants'  line,  caused  many  casualties.  But  the  Pomeranians 
were  highly  excited,  and  it  is  said  that  a  heavy  mass  of  the: 
Prussians  dashed  down  the  road  and  rushed  up  the  opposite 
slope  with  their  rifles  at  the  charge.  A  fierce  struggle  ensued. 
The  strong  men  of  Pomerania  pressed  hard  against  theii 
lighter  opponents,  and  pushed  them  beyond  the  brow  of  the; 
slope  on  to  the  level  plain ;  yet  the  lithe  and  active  Austrians' 
fought  hard,  and  strove  to  drive  their  bayonets  into  the  faces* 
of  their  taller  antagonists;  but  strength  and  weight  told,  foi 
their  more  powerful  adversaries  urged  them  back  foot  by  foot 
till  a  gap  was  clearly  opened  in  the  defenders'  line.  The 
musketry  bullets  had  also  told  sharply  on  the  Saxons  and 
Austrians,  and  they  were  obliged  to  retire.  They  drew  of 
across  the  plain  towards  Gitschin,  but  not  in  rout ;  slowly  anc 
sullenly  the  Saxon  rear-guard  drew  back,  suffering  awful  loss  id  - 
the  open  plain,  where  the  needle-gun  had  a  fair  range ;  bu* 
they  fought  for  every  yard   of  ground,  ever  turning  to  senc 


Chap.  III.]  ACTION  OF  GITSCHIN.  185 

among  the  advancing  Prussians  shots  which  were  often  truly 
aimed,  but  which  formed  no  sufficient  return  for  the  showers  of 
bullets  which  were  rained  upon  themselves.  For  long  the 
plain  was  the  scene  of  the  advancing  combat,  and  it  was  not 
until  near  midnight  that  General  von  Werder  occupied  Gitschin. 
In  the  town  the  Austrians  did  not  stand;  they  held  some 
houses  at  the  entrance  for  a  short  time,  but  these  were  carried, 
and  then  they  retired  rapidly  towards  the  south.  In  their 
haste  they  left  their  hospitals,  and  here,  as  in  Lochow,  Von 
Werder's  division  took  a  large  number  of  prisoners. 

But  this  was  not  the  only  combat  that  evening.     On  the 

northern   side   of    Gitschin   the    Austrian    position   extended 

beyond    the    Tiirnau    road,    to    cover   the   town   against    the 

Prussians  advancing  from  the  direction  of  Tiirnau.     The  range 

of  hills  which  runs  round  the  north-western  side  of  Gitschin 

drops  with  a  steep  slope  down  to  the  Tiirnau  road,  near  the 

village  of  Brada,  and  sends  out  a  much  lower  prolongation  of 

I  the  range  which  runs  at  right  angles  to  the  direction  of  the 

j  road,  and  beyond  it,  as  far  as  the  river  that  passes  by  Gitschin 

i  and  joins  the  Iser  near  Tiirnau.     Over  this  lower  spur  the  road 

runs,  and  on  its  summit  lies  on  the  Prussian  right  of  the  road, 

\  and  close  to  it,  the  village  of  Podultz;  while  further  to  the 

j  right  and  on  the  top  of  the  high  hills  is  the  village  of  Brada, 

\  standing  about  300  yards  further  southwards  than  Podultz. 

The  5  th  division,  under  General  Tiimpling,  on  the  afternoon 

of  the  29th,  advanced  from  Rowensko,  and  about  half-past  four 

o'clock  came  within  2,000  yards  of  the  village  of  Podultz.    His 

division  consisted  of  the  8th,  12th,  18th,  and  48th  regiments, 

with  four  batteries  of  artillery.      As  the  Prussians  advanced 

they  saw  the  village  of  Podultz  close  to  the  road,  and  on  their 

right,  standing  on  the  top  of  the  gentle  ascent  by  which  the 

road  rises  to  the  top  of  the  lower  spur,  on  the  other  side  of  the 

road,  and  about  three  hundred  yards  from  it  nearer  to  the 

advancing  division  by  two  hundred  yards  than  Podultz,  the 

village  of  Diletz  lying  in  the  plain ;  while  high  on  their  right 

they  could  see  the  chimneys  of  Brada  above  the  thick  fir  wood 

which,  lying  on  the  hill  side,  in  front  of  that  village,  runs  down 

nearly  to  Podultz,  and   trace   by  the  different  colour  of  the 

foliage  the  ground  occupied  by  its  orchards. 


i86  SEVEN  WEEKS"    WAR.  [Book  V. 

The  three  villages  and  the  fir  wood  were  held  by  Austrian 
and  Saxon  troops,  supported  by  seven  batteries   of  artillery, 
which  were  placed  both  on  the  spur  and  on  Brada  hill,  while 
behind  the  spur  were  hidden  three  of  Austria's  finest  cavalry 
regiments — the  hussars  of  Radetzky,  of  Lichtenstein,  and  of  the 
Austrian  regiment  of  the  King  of  Prussia.     In  front  of  the 
village  of  Brada  and  of  the  fir  wood  an  abattis  was  constructed  j 
which  ran  down  the  steep  slope  nearly  as  far  as  Podultz.     As 
soon  as  the  Prussians  came  within  range  the  Austrian  batteries  i 
opened  upon  them ;  the  Prussian  guns  replied,  and  under  the  j 
cover  of  their  artillery  the  columns  advanced  to  the  attack  of! 
the  position.    The  8th  and  48th  regiments  advanced  against  the  i 
village  of  Diletz,  which  was  garrisoned  by  the  1st,  2nd,  3rd,  and' 
4th  Saxon  battalions,  and  where,  as  the  prisoners  reported,  the- 
Crown  Prince  of  Saxony  himself  took  part  in  the  fight.     The : 
Fusilier   battalion  of  the  48th    engaged   the   garrison  of  the! 
village,  while  the  rest  of  the  regiment  with    the    8th   turned1 
towards  Eisenstadt,  but  were  sharply  attacked  by  an  Austrian1 
column,  and   driven   back    to    Zames.      Both   columns   were' 
exposed   to  a  very  hot   fire.     After   a   severe   struggle   both 
villages  were  carried,  though  that  of  Podultz,  set  on  fire  by  a' 
shell,  was   burning  when    the    Prussians    occupied   it.     Then! 
General    Edelsheim,  who    commanded    the   Austrian    cavalry, 
with  a  desperate  valour  attacked  the  burning  village,  but  the 
horses  would  not  face  the  flames,  and  the  Prussian  infantry, 
from  behind  the  blazing  houses  fired  on  the  disordered  squad-' 
rons  and  killed  many  troopers.     After  taking  Podultz  the  12th 
and  1 8th  regiments  pushed  past  Brada,  leaving  it  to  their  right,: 
and  made  for  the  Lochow  road,  in  order  to  cut  off  the  retreat, 
of  the  Austrian  s,  who  were  retiring  from  Lochow  on  Gitschin.. 
The  Austrian  cavalry  charged  the  advancing  Prussians,  but  the 
latter  received  them  without  forming  square,  and  the  horsemen 
recoiled  broken  by  their  steady  fire.     The  Austrian  troops  irjl 
Brada  and    the    Saxons   and   Austrians  in    Diletz  were  quite 
separated  by  the  capture  of  the  village   of  Podultz,  and  thd 
former  were  almost  entirely  taken ;  the  latter  were  cut  off  fron, 
retreat  in  large  numbers,  for  Von  Werder  was  pressing  toward:j 
Gitschin,  the  roads  were  crowded,  and  the  little  river  forme< 
on  the  right  of  the  broken  allies  a  wide  extent  of  marshy  ground 


Chap.  III.]  ACTION  OF  GITSCHIN.  187 

which  it  was  almost  impossible  to  cross.  The  loss  of  the 
Saxons  between  Diletz  and  Gitschin  was  tremendous ;  they 
fell  thickly,  and  the  ground  was  covered  with  corpses.  The 
Prussians  suffered  much,  but  they  fought  most  bravely,  and, 
with  only  four  regiments  and  half  as  many  guns  as  their 
opponents,  carried  a  very  strong  position  held  by  a  much 
superior  force;  for  the  Prussians  had  in  the  field  but  16,000 
men,  and  the  allied  strength  in  the  first  line  was  estimated  at 
30,000.  Under  a  crushing  fire  they  advanced  to  the  attack 
of  Podultz  and  Diletz,  and  the  vacancies  in  the  muster-roll  show 
how  fearfully  they  suffered;  but  every  man  who  fell  on  the 
Prussian  side  was  trebly  avenged,  and  a  long  broad  track  of 
fallen  enemies  marked  the  line  of  march  of  the  four  regiments 
who  fought  near  Diletz.  But  though  the  Austrian  position  was 
strong,  it  was  badly  occupied.  The  troops  on  the  hill  of  Brada 
seem  to  have  been  so  enclosed  in  their  defensive  works  that 
they  could  make  no  counter  attack  on  the  Prussian  columns 
engaged  at  Podultz,  nor  could  they  attack  in  flank  the  12  th 
and  1 8th  regiments  as  they  passed.  Many  officers  fell  on  both 
sides.  General  Tiimpling,  who  commanded  the  Prussian 
division,  was  wounded,  fortunately  not  severely. 

The  field  of  Diletz  was  thickly  strewn  with  killed  and 
wounded.  Here  the  Prussians  lay  more  thickly  than  at 
Lochow,  for  the  more  numerous  artillery  of  the  defenders 
ploughed  with  terrible  effect  through  the  dense  columns  of  the 
assailants  as  they  advanced  to  the  attack.  But  between  Diletz 
and  Gitschin  the  ground  was  covered  with  broken  arms,  knap- 
sacks, shakos,  and  fallen  men,  who  were  mostly  either  Saxons 
or  Austrian s,  for  here  the  needle-gun  was  more  used  than 
artillery. 

The  Prussians  took  about  7,000  prisoners  in  the  two  combats, 
many  officers,  and  the  Austrian  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  was 
about  3,000,  so  that  the  actions  of  that  evening  withdrew 
10,000  soldiers  from  under  the  Austrian  colours. 

The  Prussian  head-quarters  were  moved  to  Gitschin.  The 
town  had  been  almost  entirely  deserted  by  the  inhabitants,  the 
streets  were  filled  with  military  carriages  and  marching  troops, 
while  a  Prussian  garrison  bivouacked  under  the  colonnade 
which  runs  all  round  the  market-place. 


188  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  V. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  30th,  the  strategic  object  of  the 
movements  of  the  two  Prussian  armies  was  achieved,  for  com- 
munications were  opened  in  Bohemia  between  Prince  Frederick 
Charles  and  the  Crown  Prince.  A  regiment  of  dragoons  sent 
from  Gitschin  that  day  to  feel  for  the  Second  Army  found  the 
advanced  troops  of  the  Crown  Prince  at  Arnau,  and  sent  back 
intelligence  that  he  had  secured  the  passages  of  the  Upper 
Elbe  at  Arnau  and  Koniginhof.  The  Ziethen  regiment  of 
hussars  in  the  front  defeated  an  Austrian  regiment,  and  cap- 
tured a  convoy  of  about  fifty  waggons  on  the  same  day. 

Count  Clam  Gallas  sent  to  Benedek  to  announce  the  defeat 
of  his  force  at  Gitschin,  his  incapability  of  any  longer  holding 
the  First  Prussian  Army  in  check,  and  that  he  was  retreating 
hastily  on  Koniggratz.  This  report  reached  the  Austrian  com- 
mander-in-chief early  on  the  morning  of  the  30th,  and  had  an 
important  effect  on  the  dispositions  which  he  was  making 
against  the  army  of  the  Crown  Prince.  It  is  now  necessary 
to  trace  the  course  by  which  the  Second  Army  gained  the  posi- 
tion in  which  its  outposts  were  found  by  the  cavalry  of  Prince 
Frederick  Charles  on  the  30th  June. 


BOOK  VI. 
CHAPTER   I. 

PASSAGE  OF  THE  ARMY  OF  SILESIA  THROUGH  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

The  First  Army  and  the  Army  of  the  Elbe,  united  under  the 
command  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles,  on  the  30th  June, 
opened  communication  in  Bohemia  with  the  Second  Army, 
which  had  marched  through  the  mountains  from  Prussian 
Silesia,  under  the  command  of  the  Crown  Prince  of  Prussia. 
It  is  necessary  now  to  follow  the  steps  by  which  the  Crown 
Prince  brought  his  army  successfully  through  the  passes  of  the 
Sudetic  Hills. 

The  Crown  Prince  had  been  appointed  Commander-in-chief 
of  the  Second  Army  on  the  19th  May,  and  on  the  2nd  June  was 
also  named  Military  Governor  of  Prussian  Silesia.  On  the  4th 
June  he  moved  his  head-quarters  from  Berlin  to  that  province. 
The  Second  Army  consisted  of  the  corps  of  the  Guards,  and  the 
first,  fifth,  and  sixth  corps  d'arme'e  of  the  Line. 

When  the  Crown  Prince  assumed  the  command  in  Silesia,  he 
fixed  his  head-quarters  at  the  Castle  of  Fiirstenstein.  At 
this  time  the  fifth  corps  lay  round  Landshut,  the  sixth  round 
Waldenburg,  the  cavalry  division  round  Striegau,  and  the  first 
corps,  which  was  on  the  line  of  march  from  Gorlitz,  was  moving 
to  Hirschberg  and  Schonau.  The  independent  corps,  under 
General  Knobelsdorf  and  Count  Stolberg,*  had  pushed  detach- 
ments close  up  to  the  Austrian  frontier.  The  fortresses  ofGlatz, 
Neisse,  Cosel,  and  Glogau  were  armed,  and  new  fortifications 
were  thrown  up  round  Schweidnitz. 

*  See  page  144. 


190  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VI. 

As  has  been  already  noticed,  the  Army  of  Silesia  in  the 
course  of  the  second  week  of  June,  in  order  to  deceive  the 
Austrian  commander,  and  to  secure  the  safety  of  Prussian ; 
Silesia  against  a  hostile  invasion,  took  up  a  defensive  position, : 
on  the  ioth  of  that  month,  near  the  fortress  of  Neisse,  behind: 
the  line  of  the  river  of  that  name.  At  the  same  time  the  corps ; 
of  the  Guards  joined  the  Second  Army  from  Berlin,  and  was 
posted  at  Brieg,  but  left  one  division  to  watch  the  passes  of  the' 
mountains  on  the  west  of  the  county  of  Glatz,  and  to  keep- 
open  the  communications  with  the  First  Army,  which  was  near 
Gorlitz.* 

At  this  time  six  of  the  Austrian  corps  which  Feldzeugmeister| 
Benedek  held  at  his  disposal  were  posted  in  Austrian  Silesia 
and  in  Moravia.  Political  events  developed  themselves  rapidly.; 
The  decree  of  the  Diet,  the  declaration  of  war  by  Prussia! 
against  Saxony,  and  the  irruption  of  General  Henvarth  von. 
Bittenfeld  and  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles  into  that  country,] 
followed  each  other  in  quick  succession.  The  Saxon  armyl 
retired  into  Bohemia,  and  the  Austrian  troops  began  moving; 
towards  Josephstadt. 

On  the  evening  of  the  19th  of  June,  the  Crown  Prince  re- 
ceived orders  from  the  King,  through  General  von  Moltke,  the] 
chief  of  the  staff  of  the  army,  to  leave  only  one  corps  on  tha 
Neisse,  to  move  the  first  corps  to  Landshut,  and  to  station  thej 
two  other  corps  in  such  positions  that  they  might  be  ready,' 
either  in  conjunction  with  the  first  corps,  to  move  into  Bo- 
hemia, in  order  to  effect  a  junction  with  the  First  Army,  or,  I 
it  were  necessary,  to  be  equally  ready  to  strengthen  the  corps, 
on  the  Neisse. 

As  the  Austrian  troops  kept  moving  into  Bohemia,  it  became 
hourly  more  probable  that  the  Prussian  Second  Army  would  be,  i 
required  to  cross  the  mountains  into  that  province.  In  order  tc 
lead  the  Austrian  staff  to  believe  that  this  movement  was  not 
contemplated,  the  sixth  corps  was  drawn  entirely  to  the  left 
bank  of  the  Neisse,  and  received  orders  that  it  should,  immedi-. 
ately  on  the  outbreak  of  hostilities,  make  a  strong  demonstra- 
tion against  the  Austrian  frontier  in  that  direction.     Officers 

*  See  p.  124. 


Chap.  I.]      PASSAGE   OF  THE  ARMY  OF  SILESIA.  191 

were  at  the  same  time  sent  to  prepare  quarters  for  all  the  corps 
on  the  right  bank  of  the  Oder,  as  if  a  general  movement  in  that 
direction  was  intended. 

On  the  evening  of  the  20th  June,  a  further  order  came  from 
the  King,  which  directed  the  Crown  Prince  to  send  intimation 
in  writing  to  the  commanders  of  the  several  Austrian  outposts, 
that  Prussia  considered  Austria's  bearing  at  Frankfort  as  a 
virtual  declaration  of  war. 

As  soon  as  the  existence  of  war  between  the  two  great 
Powers  was  actually  recognised,  the  Crown  Prince  issued  the 
following  general  order  to  his  troops  : — 

"  Neisse,  20th  June. 

"Soldiers  of  the  Second  Army  !— You  have  heard  the  words  of 

our   King  and    Commander-in-chief !     The   attempts   of  his    Majesty    to 

preserve  peace  to  our  country  have  proved  fruitless.      With  a  heavy  heart, 

but  with  strong  confidence  in  the  spirit  and  valour  of  his  army,  the  King 

has  determined  to  do  battle  for  the  honour  and  independence  of  Prussia, 

and  for  a  new  organization  of  Germany  on  a  powerful  basis.      I,  placed  by 

the  grace  and  confidence  of  my  royal  father  at  your  head,  am  proud,  as  the 

first  servant  of  our  King,  to  risk  with  you  my  blood  and  property  for  the 

most  sacred  rights  of  our  native  country.      Soldiers  !  for  the  first  time  for 

fifty  years  a  worthy  foeman   is  opposed  to  our  army.     Confident  in  your 

prowess,   and  in  our  excellent  and  proved  arms,  it  behoves  us  to  conquer 

'  the  same  enemy  as  our  greatest  King  defeated  with  a  small  army.     And 

;  now,  forward  with  the  old  Prussian  battle-cry — 'With  God,  for  King  and 

;  Fatherland.' 

(Signed)  "FRIEDERICH  WILHELM." 

On  the  22nd  of  June  the  Crown  Prince  received  from  the 
iKing  the  order  to  prepare  to  assume  the  offensive  in  Bohemia, 
in  order  to  join  the  First  Army  in  the  direction  of  Gitschin. 

This  order  had  been  anticipated  by  the  Crown  Prince.  On 
the  previous  day  he  had  sent  a  letter  by  post,  to  request  per- 
mission from  the  King  to  move  towards  his  right.  At  the  same 
time  he  expressed  a  wish  to  be  allowed  to  send  the  sixth  corps, 
which  had  been  ordered  to  remain  near  Neisse,  into  the  county 
of  Glatz.  By  this  disposition  the  sixth  corps  would  both  be 
available  for  the  defence  of  its  native  province,  Silesia,  and,  if 
necessary,  could  more  easily  be  joined  to  the  main  army  than 
rom  its  previous  position. 

On  the  23rd  June  the  Crown  Prince  received  by  telegraph 

permission    to    move    the    sivtli   rnrnc    as   hp   HpsirpH        PT^    hzr\ 


192  SEVEN   WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VI. 

however,  on  the  22nd,  already  acted  before  receiving  this  per-| 
mission.  That  day  he  sent  the  sixth  corps  from  Neisse  in  the 
direction  of  Olmiitz.  This  corps  crossed  the  Austrian  frontier, 
and  moved  through  the  highland  border  districts  of  Friedberg, 
Freywalde,  and  Zuchmantel,  while  the  soldiers  everywhere1 
spread  the  news  that  they  formed  the  advanced  guard  of  the: 
entire  army  of  the  Crown  Prince.  Some  slight  skirmishes : 
between  the  advanced  guards  and  some  Austrian  hussars, 
ensued  without  much  damage  to  either  side.  In  consequence! 
of  this  demonstration,  however,  Feldzeugmeister  Benedek  held! 
the  second  and  third  Austrian  corps  between  Hohenmauth  andj 
Bomisch  Triibau  in  such  a  position  that  they  could  not  bej 
opposed  to  the  Prussian  columns  at  the  point  where  the  latter! 
really  crossed  the  frontier.  On  this  day,  the  22nd  June,  the); 
head-quarters  of  the  Crown  Prince  remained  at  Neisse ;  the 
fifth  corps  was  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Ottmachau ;  the  corps! 
of  the  Guards  was  drawn  together  round  Miinsterberg ;  the 
first  corps  was  at  Landshut,  the  sixth  corps,  as  already  stated,! 
over  the  Austrian  frontier,  and  engaged  in  its  demonstration 
against  Austrian  Silesia. 

The  Second  Army  was  now  moved  into  positions  which 
would  facilitate  its  irruption  into  Bohemia;  and  on  the  25th 
June,  its  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  warriors  were, 
posted,  so  that  the  first  corps  was  at  Schomberg,  the  Guards  ai 
Schlegel,  the  fifth  corps  between  Glatz  and  Reinerz,  the  firsi 
brigade  of  the  sixth  corps  at  Glatz,  and  the  remainder  of  the 
sixth  corps  at  Patschkau,  the  cavalry  division  at  Waldenburg 
On  the  same  day  the  Crown  Prince  changed  his  head-quarter: 
from  Neisse  by  way  of  Camenz  to  Eckersdorf. 

The  staff  of  the  Crown  Prince  knew  that  the  Austrian  firs, 
corps  and  the  army  of  Saxony  were  engaged  against  Prina 
Frederick  Charles,  and  that  the  second  Austrian  corps  ha( 
pushed  forward  towards  the  county  of  Glatz.  It  was,  therefore 
correctly  argued,  that  only  four  Austrian  corps  could  be  opposes 
to  the  Prussians  in  issuing  from  the  mountains  ;  but  even  unde 
these  circumstances  the  march  of  the  Army  of  Silesia  througl 
the  passes  was  exposed  to  great  difficulties,  and  to  considerabl 
danger. 

The  county  of  Glatz  forms  a  salient  bastion  of  hills  in  th 


Chap.  I.]      PASSAGE   OF  THE  ARMY  OF  SILESIA.  193 

highland  frontier  between  Prussian  Silesia  and  Bohemia. 
From  Glatz  four  great  roads  lead  into  the  Imperial  dominions  : 
the  first  on  the  north-west  by  Wiinschelburg  to  Braunau,  the 
second  on  the  west  by  Reinerz  to  Nachod  and  Josephstadt, 
the  third  on  the  south  by  Mittelwalde  to  Gabel  and  Wilden- 
schwert,  the  fourth  on  the  south-east  by  Wilhelmsthal  to 
Altstadt.  On  the  east  of  the  county  of  Glatz,  a  road  runs 
from  Neisse  by  Ziegenhals  and  Wiirbenthal  in  the  direction  of 
Olmiitz,  and  on  the  west  of  the  county  a  road  runs  from 
Landshut  by  Liebau  to  Trautenau  and  Josephstadt.  The 
passage  of  the  frontier  by  the  Second  Army  had  necessarily 
to  be  effected  by  one  of  the  six  frontier  passes.  The  strategical 
intention  of  effecting  a  junction  as  soon  as  possible  in  Bohemia 
with  the  First  Army,  determined  the  selection  of  the  three 
roads  to  Trautenau,  Braunau,  and  Nachod,  the  directions  of 
which  also  afforded  to  the  Army  of  Silesia  the  advantage  of 
being  able  to  make  its  advance  in  three  columns,  which  could 
afford  to  each  other  mutual  assistance  in  case  of  any  one  being 
attacked  by  the  enemy. 

The  roads  on  either  flank  were  good.  That  by  Reinerz  and 
Nachod  led  through  a  defile  five  miles  in  length,  and  it  was 
only  beyond  Nachod  that  troops  who  marched  through  it 
could  deploy.  The  pass  to  Braunau  in  the  centre  had  the 
'advantage  that  the  Bohemian  frontier  at  this  point  advanced 
for  a  space  of  twenty  miles.  In  consequence  of  this  geogra- 
phical configuration  it  was  the  least  liable  to  be  blocked  or 
broken  up  by  the  enemy,  and  the  troops  that  marched  by  it 
were  the  least  likely  to  be  impeded  in  their  formation  after 
debouching.  They  would  consequently  be  available  to  sup- 
port either  of  the  flank  columns  in  case  of  opposition  being 
made  to  their  issue  from  the  mountains.  After  passing  the 
mountains,  the  junction  of  the  Army  of  Silesia  with  that  of 
Prince  Frederick  Charles  could  only  be  effected  by  a  flank 
uove  to  the  right.  In  order  to  facilitate  this  subsequent 
novement,  the  plan  of  the  passage  of  the  army  of  the  Crown 
Prince  was  determined  as  follows  : — The  right  wing,  which 
consisted  of  the  first  corps,  was  to  move,  followed  by  the 
:avalry  division,  from  Landshut  by  Liebau  on  Trautenau. 
The  fifth  corps  on  the  left  was  to  occupy  the  pass  of  Nachod. 


i94  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Cook  VI. 

The  corps  of  the  Guards  in  the  centre  was  to  move  by  me 
intermediate  road  from  Wiinschelburg  on  Braunau,  in  order  to 
act  as  a  reserve  to  either  of  the  flank  corps,  or  if  necessary  to! 
occupy  the  pass  of  Eypel.     The  sixth  corps  was  to  remain  for 
a  short  time  on  the  south  of  the  fortress  of  Neisse,  but  as  soon ' 
as  possible  was  to  be  withdrawn  from  this  position  and  to  bei 
advanced  to  Reinerz  to  support  the  fifth  corps.      The  pro- 
tection of  Upper  Silesia  was  handed  over  to  the  detachments 
under  Count  Stolberg  and  General  Knobelsdorf.    After  passing; 
the  mountains  the  whole  army  was  to  make  a  wheel  to  its  left, 
pivoted   on   Nachod  and  Skalitz,   to  seize   the   railway  fromj 
Josephstadt  to  Tiirnau,  and  along  that  line  gain  its  junction' 
with  the  First  Army. 

To  carry  out  the  preliminaries  of  this  plan,  on  the  evening  of 
the  26th  June  the  first  Prussian  corps  was  stationed  at  Landshut 
with  its  advanced  guard  at  Liebau.  The  guards  occupied!- 
Miinsterberg  with  advanced  posts  at  Frankenstein  and  Silber- 
berg.  The  fifth  corps  was  at  Ottmachau  with  its  advanced 
guard  at  Lewin.  The  main  body  of  the  sixth  corps  was  nearj: 
Zuchmantel. 

The  Austrian  commander  thought  that  he  had  secured  the 
left  wing  of  his  whole  army  by  the  first  Austrian  corps  and  the 
Saxons  under  Count  Clam  Gallas,  and  on  the  26th  June  held 
his  remaining  forces  in  the  following  positions : — The  tenth: 
Austrian  corps  was  at  Pilnikau,  the  fourth  at  Koniginhof,  the 
sixth  moved  that  day  from  Opocna  to  Skalitz,  the  eighth  wasv, 
in  the  rear  of  Josephstadt,  the  second  further  south  in  reserve, 
and  the  third  round  Bomisch  Triibau. 

It  is  naturally  difficult  to  say  what  was  the  intention  of 
Feldzeugmeister  Benedek :  if,  however,  he  had  the  idea  of  at 
any  time  assuming  the  offensive,  he  ought  to  have  with  might 
and  main  attacked  the  heads  of  the  Prussian  columns  with 
overwhelming  masses  as  they  issued  from  the  mountains.  He 
was  bound  at  any  cost  to  prevent  the  passage  of  the  fifth; 
corps,  which  was  the  pivot  of  the  Prussian  army,  and  on  the> 
same  terms  to  defeat  the  first  corps  and  the  Guards  before 
they  could  reach  the  line  of  the  Aupa.  It  must  have  been  on^ 
the  defeat  of  the  army  of  the  Crown  Prince  that  he  depended 
to  be  able  to  assume  the   offensive  with   superior   numbers 


Chap.  I.]      PASSAGE   OF  THE  ARMY  OF  SILESIA.  195 

against    the    First    Prussian    Army   and    the   Army   of    the 
Elbe. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  of  the  26th  of  June,  the  first 
Prussian  corps  was  concentrated  near  Liebau,  the  corps 
of  the  Guards  round  Wiinschelburg,  and  the  fifth  corps  at 
Lewin. 

That  evening  the  heads  of  the  columns  of  the  Guards  pushed 

across  the  frontier  at  Tunschendorf  and  Johannisberg,  under 

the   direction   of  the    Crown  Prince  in  person.     The  troops 

cheered  loudly  as  they  stepped  upon  Austrian  ground.     Some 

1  detachments  of  the  third   regiment  of  Uhlans  of  the  Guard 

1  had  a  little  beyond  the  frontier  a  skirmish  with  some  of  the 

Austrian   Windischgratz   dragoons   and    Mexican    Uhlans,    in 

\  which  the  Prussians  had  the   advantage.     Certainly  Austrian 

j  prisoners  and  captured  horses  were  brought  into  the  Prussian 

!  head-quarters,  and  the  cavalry  of  the  Second  Army  acquired 

,  the  idea  that  it  was  fully  equal  if  not  superior  to  the  horsemen 

I  opposed  to  it.     The  Guards  bivouacked  that  night  between 

:  Politz  and  Braunau. 

On   the   left  wing,  the  fifth   corps   the   same  evening  was 

:  pushed  forward  towards  the  frontier  in  the  direction  of  Nachod. 

I  The  bridge  over  the  little  river  Metau,  which  forms  here  the 

i  boundary  line,  had  been  broken  ;  and  as  the  Prussian  scouts 

:  approached  the  river,  two  Austrian  vedettes  with  two  infantry 

,  sentries  could  be  made  out  hidden  behind  some  willow-trees 

I  at  the  Bohemian  end  of  the  bridge.     These  were  dislodged  by 

I  a  few  Prussian  Jagers,  who  forded  the  river  and  pushed  on  in 

■  pursuit.     At  a  toll-house  about  four  hundred  yards  further  on 

they  were  checked  by  the  fire  of  two  Austrian  field-guns,  and 

;were  driven  back  to  the   river,  where  the  Prussian  pioneers 

were  already  engaged  in  the  repair  of  the  broken  bridge.    Two 

Prussian  guns  were  quickly  brought  up,  and  after  a  few  shots 

:  being   exchanged   the   Austrian   pieces   withdrew,   with    their 

escort   of  two   squadrons   of  cavalry  and   about   ninety  foot 

!  soldiers.     General  Lowenfeld,   who   commanded  the   leading 

division  of  the  fifth  Prussian  corps,  sent  his  Jagers  in  pursuit, 

jand  secured  without  opposition  the  town  of  Nachod,  and  the 

!  strong  castle  which  about  three-quarters   of  a  mile  from  the 

Metau  covers  the  issue  of  the  pass,  and  could  have  been  easily 

o  2 


196  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VI. 

held,  by  a  handful  of  determined  men,  for  at  least  two  days 
against  the  whole  Prussian  army. 

After  these  preliminary  movements  on  the  26th,  on  the  27th 
commenced  the  series  of  brilliant  operations  by  which  the 
army  of  the  Crown  Prince  wrestled  its  way  through  the 
mountains. 


CHAPTER    II. 

PASSAGE    OF   THE    RIGHT   AND    CENTRAL   COLUMNS    OF   THE 
ARMY  OF    SILESIA   THROUGH   THE    MOUNTAINS. 

The  first  corps,  which  formed  the  right  column  of  the  army 
of  the  Crown  Prince,  was  under  the  command  of  General  von 
Bonin.  This  officer  ordered  his  advanced  guard  to  advance 
I  from  Liebau  at  four  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  27th,  and  to 
follow  the  road  by  Golden-Oels  to  Trautenau.  At  the  latter 
town  it  was  to  halt  until  the  main  body  arrived  at  Parschnitz 
in  the  road  between  Schomberg  and  Albendorf,  then  it  was  to 
move  forward  upon  Arnau.  The  reserves  of  infantry  and 
of  artillery  were  to  follow  the  advanced  guard,  the  reserve  of 
cavalry  the  main  body. 

The  march  commenced.  Hostile  dragoons  were  descried  in 
front  of  the  heads  of  the  columns,  but  did  not  yet  attack.  The 
main  body  first  came  up  to  the  advanced  guard,  which  had 
halted  at  Parschnitz  at  eight  o'clock,  about  ten,  when  the 
latter  was  ordered  to  move  forward,  and  soon  commenced 

THE    FIRST   ACTION    OF   TRAUTENAU. 

The  town  of  Trautenau  lies  on  the  river  Aupa,  in  a  basin 
almost  surrounded  by  mountains :  by  the  river  the  ground  is 
wet  and  marshy,  on  the  hill-sides  it  is  rough  and  broken,  so 
that  it  is  nowhere  particularly  favourable  for  the  action  of 
cavalry  or  artillery. 

The  great  heat  made  the  Prussian  troops  suffer  much  from 

tigue  and  thirst  on  their  march,  and  they  were  weary  when 

ey  reached  the  town  of  Trautenau.     But  the  Austrians  were 

in  the  town,  and  General  von  Bonin  was  forced  to  attack  them, 

as  his  road  to  ioin  the  Crown  Prince,  who  was  with  the  left 


198  SEVEN  WEEKS'   WAR.  [Book  VI. 

column,  led  through  Trautenau.  The  head  of  the  advanced 
guard  broke  down  the  barricade  on  the  bridge  over  the  Aupa. 
The  infantry  fight  soon  began  in  the  streets,  and  the  Austrians 
were  pushed  back  gradually  from  house  to  house.  But  the 
Austrians  reinforced  their  troops,  and  then  maintained  their 
position,  till  the  Prussians,  calling  up  more  battalions,  again 
got  a  little  the  better  of  the  combat.  Both  sides  suffered 
heavily,  and  the  Prussians  gained  ground  but  slowly,  for  from 
every  house  and  from  every  corner  hidden  marksmen  poured 
bullets  into  the  ranks  of  the  battalions  that  tried  to  push  along 
the  streets.  When  all  the  Prussian  reinforcements  had  arrived, 
a  general  attack  was  made,  and  the  Austrians  were  pushed  out 
of  the  houses  into  the  open  country  beyond.  The  Prussians 
pursued  and  followed  step  by  step  their  slowly-retreating 
enemies.  Beyond  the  town  one  of  Austria's  most  celebrated 
cavalry  regiments,  the  Windischgratz  dragoons,  stood  waiting 
to  sweep  the  Prussian  battalions  from  the  open  ground  if  they 
issued  from  the  shelter  of  the  houses.  These  dragoons  have 
long  held  a  high  reputation,  and,  for  a  record  ot  brave  deeds 
done  by  the  regiment,  alone  in  the  Austrian  army  wear  no 
moustache.  The  Prussian  infantry  could  not  advance,  and  it 
seemed  that  the  houses  of  Trautenau  had  been  won  in  vain. 
But  assistance  was  at  hand.  The  ist  regiment  of  the  Prussian 
dragoons  came  trotting  along  the  main  street,  deployed  into, 
line  almost  as  they  debouched  from  the  town,  and  with  their 
horses  well  in  hand,  and  their  sword-points  low,  bore  in  a 
steady  canter  straight  down  upon  the  Austrian  cavalry ;  these 
did  not  wait  inactive  to  receive  the  attack,  but  rushed  forward 
to  meet  their  foes ;  no  shots  were  exchanged,  not  a  saddle  was 
emptied  till  the  close.  When  within  a  few  yards  of  each  other, 
both  sides  raised  a  cheer,  and,  welcoming  the  hug  of  battle, 
the  two  lines  rushed  upon  each  other.  Horse  pressed  against 
horse,  knee  against  knee,  swords  went  up  quick  and  came 
down  heavily  on  head-piece  or  on  shoulder,  points  were  given 
and  received,  blows  quickly  parried  were  returned  with  lightning 
speed ;  here  an  Austrian  was  borne  to  the  ground,  there  a 
Prussian  was  sent  reeling  from  his  seat,  and  for  a  few  minutes 
the  mass  of  combatants  swayed  slowly  backwards  and  forwards. 

P>nt   tVipn     as    if  (inmp  miohi-v  shell    harl    bnrsf  nmon.o-  them,  the 


Chap.  II.]     PASSAGE   OF  THE  ARMY  OF  SILESIA.  199 

Austrian  soldiers  flew  scattered  from  the  melee,  and  the  Prus- 
sians riding  hard  after  them  drove  them  from  the  field,  but 
themselves  being  under  the  fire  of  small  arms  suffered  a  heavy- 
loss. 

The  Austrian  infantry,  which  consisted  of  Mondel's  brigade 
of  the  tenth  Austrian  corps,  formed  on  a  hill  called  the  Capel- 
lenberg,  which  afforded  a  strong  position  beyond  the  town. 
This  hill  could  only  be  scaled  by  the  assailant  infantry  with 
great  difficulty.  Notwithstanding  the  unfavourable  nature  of 
the  ground,  and  the  strong  resistance  of  the  defenders,  the 
right  wing  of  the  Prussian  advanced  guard  under  Colonel 
Koblinski,  which  consisted  of  two  battalions  of  the  41st  regi- 
ment and  a  company  of  Jagers,  gained  the  Capellenberg  be- 
tween twelve  and  one  o'clock.  The  Austrians  retired  a  short 
distance.  The  Prussian  commander  ordered  eight  battalions 
to  advance  from  Parschnitz,  cross  the  Aupa,  and  attack  the 
right  flank  of  the  Austrian  position.  These  battalions  had 
great  difficulties  to  encounter :  the  wooded  hills  close  to  the 
Aupa  could  only  be  traversed  in  extended  order,  and  as  soon 
as  the  open  ground  was  gained  they  suffered  much  from  some 
hostile  skirmishers  concealed  in  the  standing  corn. 

Notwithstanding  these  disadvantageous  circumstances,  they 
gained  ground.  About  three  o'clock  the  advanced  guard  seized 
the  village  of  Hohenbruck,  south  of  Trautenau,  and  the  brigade 
on  the  left  wing  occupied  the  heights  on  the  west  of  the  road 
from  Trautenau  to  Rognitz.  It  was  now  three  o'clock,  the 
Austrians  had  retired,  and  General  von  Bonin  considered  that 
the  action  was  over. 

The  retreat  of  the  Austrians  had,  however,  been  but  a 
tactical  manoeuvre,  and  for  once  in  the  history  of  war  a  tactical 
retreat  resulted  in  an  advantage  to  the  general  who  had  made 
it,  though  even  in  this  case  the  gain  was  only  of  a  temporary 
nature.  About  half-past  three  o'clock  the  action  began  again. 
General  Gablenz,  who  commanded  the  tenth  Austrian  corps, 
had  advanced  from  Pilnikau  with  his  whole  force,  and  at  that 
hour  made  a  heavy  attack  on  the  Prussian  •  troops,  who  were 
already  weary  with  a  hot  march  and  a  lengthened  combat. 
General  Gablenz  directed  some  of  his  battalions  against  the 
Prussian   front,    and  with  others  made  a   movement   against 


200  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VI. 

General  Bonin's  left  flank.  At  half-past  four  o'clock  the  Aus- 
trians  recovered  Hohenbruck,  and  at  five  the  Prussian  troops 
commenced  their  retreat. 

In  order  to  cover  this  movement  General  Barnekow,  with 
the  43rd  Prussian  regiment,  occupied  the  commanding  hills 
and  plantations  which  lie  on  the  north  of  the  Capellenberg, 
supported  by  the  3rd  regiment  of  Grenadiers,  which  was  posted 
on  the  hills  lying  further  back.  The  43rd  stopped  the  Aus- 
trian pursuit,  though  with  great  loss  to  its  own  strength,  for  an 
hour  and  a  half,  but  they  had  to  be  withdrawn  a  little  after  six 
o'clock.  The  grenadiers  again  brought  the  Austrians  up,  and 
stayed  their  advance  until  all  the  Prussian  troops  had  gained 
an  unpursued  retreat. 

General  von  Bonin  had  intended  to  hold  the  line  of  the 
Aupa  on  the  north  of  Trautenau,  but  General  Gablenz  pressed 
upon  him,  and  he  was  forced  to  continue  his  retreat  to  the 
same  position  as  he  had  occupied  on  the  morning  of  the  day 
of  the  action,  keeping  his  rear-guard  at  Golden-Oels,  about 
three  miles  from  Trautenau. 

The  cavalry  division  of  the  army,  which  was  to  have  fol- 
lowed the  first  corps  through  the  mountains  as  soon  as  the 
defile  was  cleared,  remained  at  Schomberg. 

The  first  Prussian  corps  lost  in  this  action,  in  killed  and 
wounded,  sixty-three  officers  and  twelve  hundred  and  fourteen 
men ;  the  Austrian  tenth  corps,  according  to  Austrian  returns, 
lost  one  hundred  and  ninety-six  officers  and  five  thousand  five 
hundred  and  thirty-six  men ;  a  terrible  disparity  in  numbers ! 
The  Austrian  infantry,  with  a  muzzle-loading  arm,  had  indeed' 
gained  a  victory  over  an  enemy  equipped  with  a  breech-loading 
weapon,  but  at  such  a  sacrifice  as  made  success  almost  as  costly 
as  defeat. 

General  Gablenz  did  not  pursue  beyond  Trautenau.  He 
kept  his  advanced  guard  there  for  the  night,  and  bivouacked 
at  Neu-Rognitz.  His  corps  was  considerably  shaken  by  its 
victory,  of  which  it  was  soon  to  be  deprived  by  the  fortune  of 
war. 

The  corps  of  the  Guards  had  crossed  the  Bohemian  frontier 
at  Steinethal  on  the  evening  of  the  26th,  and  had  pushed 
forward  the  second  division  by  Braunau,  as  far  as  Weckelsdorf. 


Chap.  II.]      PASSAGE   OF  THE  ARMY  OF  SILESIA.  201 

On  the  27th  June  this  corps  was  to  move  in  a  south-westerly 
direction,  in  order  to  open  the  communication  between  the 
first  corps,  which  was  advancing  against  Trautenau  on  the 
right,  and  the  fifth  corps  at  Nachod  on  the  left.  At  mid-day 
the  first  division  of  the  Guards  was  to  march  on  Eypel.  At 
Qualitch,  the  general  commanding  this  division  hearing  the 
heavy  firing  at  Trautenau  halted,  and  sent  an  offer  of  assistance 
to  General  von  Bonin.  Then  the  Prussian  infantry  of  the 
first  corps,  advancing  on  the  road  beyond  Trautenau,  were 
everywhere  pressing  the  Austrians  back,  when  a  staff-officer 
came  up  to  the  commander  of  the  first  corps,  and  told  him 
that  the  Prussian  Guard  was  ready  to  come  to  his  assistance. 
General  von  Bonin  thought  his  victory  already  secure,  and 
declined  the  proffered  aid.  For  another  four  hours  he  did  not 
want  it,  for  the  Prussians  kept  advancing  slowly,  steadily, 
pressing  the  Austrians  back,  but  at  four  o'clock  large  reinforce- 
ments of  artillery  came  up  upon  the  Austrian  side,  and  General 
,  von  Bonin  ordered  his  retreat. 

The  first  division  of  the  Guard  corps,  ignorant  of  the  failure 

of  the  first  corps  at  Trautenau,  continued  its  march,  and  in  •he 

evening  reached  the  neighbourhood  of  Eypel,  on  the  Aupa, 

:while  the  second  division  moved  to  Kosteletz,  about  five  miles 

-to  the  south-east  of  that  place.    The  reserve  artillery  and  heavy 

■cavalry  were   still  one  day's  march  in  rear.     The  Prince   of 

Wiirtemburg,  who    commanded  the   Guards,   received  in  the 

^night  intelligence  from  the  Crown  Prince,  and  instructions  to 

move  to  its  relief — of  the  result  of  the  action  at  Trautenau, 

and  he  immediately  gave   orders  that  at  daybreak  the  next 

morning  his  corps  should  cross  the  Aupa,  attack  the  corps  of 

General  Gablenz,  and  thus  disengage  the  first  Prussian  corps, 

iind  restore    the   broken   communication   with   General   von 

Bonin.     According  to  the  disposition  of  the  Prince  of  Wiirtem- 

)urg,  the  first  division  of  the  Prussian   Guard  was  to  advance 

)y  Eypel,  in  a  westerly  direction,  and  the  second  division  to 

nove  from  Kosteletz  to  Eypel,  to   serve  as  a  support  to  the 

irst  division.     The  first  division,  under  General  Hiller,  defiled 

>ver  the  Aupa  at  Eypel  on  the  28th  June,  at  five  in  the  morn- 

ng,  and  threw  out  cavalry  patrols  in  the  direction   of  both 

Trautenau  and  Koniginhof.      These  patrols   discovered  that 


202  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VI. 

General  Gablenz  was  bivouacked  with  the  main  body  of  his 
corps   at  Neu-Rognitz,  about  two  miles  south  of  Trautenau, 
and  that  he  held  the  latter  town  with  a  strong  advanced  guard. 
His  position  was  therefore  pointed  northward  against  the  first  i 
Prussian  corps,  and  his  right  flank  was  now  threatened  by  the ! 
advance  of  the  Guards  from  Eypel.     The  Prussian  patrols  also| 
discovered  that  the  baggage  of  the  corps  of  General  Gablenz  \ 
was  drawing  off  towards  Koniginhof,  but  was  still  five  miles 
distant  from  that   town.     Under  these  favourable  strategical; 
conditions,   the  first  division   of  the  Guards   received    orders, 
immediately  to  advance  by  Standenz,  to  attack  the  enemy  in; 
the  direction  of  Koniginhof,  while  the  second   division,  as  ai 
reserve,  was  advanced  beyond  the  defile   of  Eypel.     At  the' 
same  time   two  battalions   of  the  Franz  Grenadiers  were  sent; 
forward  towards  the  north-west  against  Trautenau,  in  order  to} 
cover  the  right  wing  of  the  advance.     These  dispositions  led: 
to  the 

ACTION    OF   SOOR. 

General  Gablenz  desired  to  change  his  front  to  the  right,  ir 
consequence  of  finding  his  right  wing  thus  threatened.  Tc 
cover  this  evolution  he  ranged  his  whole  artillery,  covered  b) 
Knobel's  brigade,  on  the  hills  between  Neu-Rognitz  anc 
Burgersdorf.  In  this  he  succeeded,  and  extended  his  righ" 
wing  to  Prausnitz,  where  he  gave  his  hand  to  FleischhackerV 
brigade  of  the  fourth  Austrian  corps,  which  had  been  sent  t( 
his  assistance.  The  advance  of  the  two  Prussian  grenadie 
battalions  against  Alt-Rognitz  threatened,  however,  to  cut  ol 
from  him  the  brigade  which  he  had  posted  in  Trautenau. 

The  Prussian  advanced  guard,  under  Colonel  Kessel,  whicl 
consisted  of  four  battalions  of  the  Fusiliers,  one  company  c, 
the  jagers  of  the  Guard,  two  companies  of  the  pioneers  of  th 
Guard,  the  fourth  squadron  of  the  hussars  of  the  Guard,  am 
one  4-pounder  battery,  came  upon  the  Austrian  position  befor' 
the  whole  of  General  Gablenz's  guns  were  formed.  It  was 
however,  received  by  a  hot  fire  from  twenty-four  pieces,  whic 
had  already  .taken  up  their  position.  The  single  Prussia  :i 
battery  engaged  these  guns  with  considerable  rashness,  whil    l 


Chap.  II.]     PASSAGE   OF  THE  ARMY  OF  SILESIA.  203 

the  infantry  attacked  the  plantations  west  of  Standenz,  and 
drove  the  Austrian  position  slightly  in. 

Soon  the  guns  of  General  Gablenz  were  all  in  position,  and 

sixty-four  pieces  opened  a  withering  fire  on  the  six  Prussian 

guns,  which,  however,   held  their  ground,   though  with  great 

loss.     While  the   Fusiliers  and  the  Jagers   of   the   advanced 

guard  sought  to  gain  some  ground,  some  of  the  battalions  of 

the  Prussian  main  body,  under  General  Alvensleben,  came  up, 

and  hurried  into  the  action  wherever  they  were  most  required. 

;  Next  arrived  the  first  and  second  battalions   of  the  Fusiliers, 

1  and  the  second  company  of  the  Jagers   of  the   Guard,  who 

.  moved  in  the  direction  of  Burgersdorf  and  Alt-Rognitz.     After 

;  these  followed  the  second  regiment  of  Grenadiers,  and  with 

them  came  a  very  welcome  field-battery,  which  immediately 

i  opened  fire  to   support  the  only   Prussian  battery  as  yet  in 

action.      Burgersdorf  and  the  plantations  near  it  were  now 

captured  by  the  Prussians,  and  at  that  moment  the  rest  of  the 

Prussian  infantry  and  the  remainder  of  the  artillery  came  into 

play.    The  action  then  became  general.    The  Prussian  infantry 

advanced,  and  stormed  the  rising  ground  on  which  the  Austrian 

■  battalions  stood,  but  at  an  awful  sacrifice ;    men   fell  every 
moment,  and  officers  went  down   so    quickly   that   hardly  a 

■  company  reached  the  summit  commanded  by  its  captain.     But 
:the  Guards  pressed  on,  and  the  Austrians  had  to  retire  from 

position  to  position,  while  the  Prussians  advanced  steadily, 
urging  them  backwards.  The  Austrian  corps  of  Gablenz  was 
then  defeated,  for  the  troops  could  not  rally  under  the  fire  of 
the  needle-gun,  and  every  battalion  which  retreated  was  routed. 
The  two  Prussian  battalions  which  had  been  detached 
towards  Trautenau  to  cover  the  right  wing  had  been  during 
this  time  heavily  engaged.  As  they  moved  towards  Trautenau, 
some  columns  were  seen  advancing  towards  them.  It  was 
uncertain  at  first  whether  these  were  some  of  the  troops  of  the 
first  Prussian  corps,  or  some  of  the  Austrians  from  Trautenau. 
The  doubt  was  soon  dispelled.  As  they  approached,  it  became 
•clear  that,  while  three  of  the  Austrian  brigades  of  the  corps  of 
General  Gablenz  were  resisting  the  front  of  the  Prussian  attack, 
the  remaining  brigade,  that  of  Grivicics,  had  been  ordered 
to  sally  from  Trautenau  against  the  Prussian   right  wing,  and 


204  SEVEN   WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VI. 

to  it  the  advancing  columns  belonged — a  movement  which, 
but  for  the  precautions  of  the   Prince  of  Wurtemburg,  would 
have  had  an  important  influence  on  the  action.      The  two 
Prussian  battalions  withstood  the  attack  of  this  brigade  with 
the  greatest  courage.     The  greater  part  of  the  officers  and 
one-third  of  the   soldiers  of  these  battalions  were  laid  on  the 
field,  either  dead  or  dying,  but  they  held  their  ground  until'; 
the  second  division   of  the  Guards,  which  had  been  held  in; 
reserve,   could  hurry  up  to  their  assistance.      This   division 
coming  up,  drove  the  brigade  of  Grivicics  back  into  Trautenau, 
cut  it  off  from  the  main  body  of  Gablenz's  corps,  stormed  the 
town,  and  captured  there  a  stand  of  colours  and  over  three! 
thousand  prisoners. 

General  Gablenz  withdrew  the  rest  of  his  corps  along  the 
road  to  Koniginhof.  The  Prussians  were  too  much  fatigued; 
to  pursue  in  force  :  and  the  Austrian  brigade  of  Fleischhacker, 
which  belonged  to  the  fourth  corps,  was  allowed  to  pass  the; 
night  at  Soor  unmolested  as  a  rear-guard,  while  the  first  division, 
of  the  Prussian  Guards  bivouacked  opposite  to  it  at  Burgers-1 
dorf.  The  next  morning  this  brigade  also  retired  at  daybreak 
towards  Koniginhof.  The  Guards  had  but  eleven  hundred  men': 
in  killed  and  wounded  in  this  action.  The  Austrians  left  I 
behind  them  five  thousand  prisoners,  three  standards,  and  ten< 
guns. 

By  the  successful  issue  of  this  action  the  communication ' 
with  the  first  corps  which  had  been  broken  on  the  27th  by  its 
failure  at  Trautenau,  was  completely  re-established. 

On  the  morning  of  the  29th,  the  Crown  Prince  caused  the 
first  corps,  which  had  been  defeated  at  Trautenau  on  the  27th,' 
to  march  past  before  him  through  that  town,  where  the  victory' 
of  the  Guards  on  the  28th  had  opened  a  free  passage 
for  it. 

The  Guards  on  the  29th  moved  from  Burgersdorf  and  Trau- 
tenau, on  Koniginhof  and  Rettendorf.  Early  in  the  morning 
of  that  day,  one  of  the  regiments  in  issuing  from  Burgersdorf 
had  a  skirmish  with  some  detachments  of  scattered  Austrians 
who  had  been  cut  off  from  their  corps,  and  passed  the  night  in 
the  woods. 

As  the  advanced  guard  of  the  first  division  of  the  Guards 


Chap.  II. ]     PASSAGE   OF  THE  ARMY  OF  SILESIA.  205 


approached  Koniginhof,  it  again  fell  in  with  the  army,  and  a 
combat  ensued  which  terminated  in  the 

CAPTURE    OF    KONIGINHOF. 

The  advanced  guard  of  the  first  division  of  the  Guards,  con- 
sisting of  four  battalions  of  Fusiliers,  two  companies  of  Jagers, 
and  two  field  batteries,  broke  up  from  Burgersdorf  at  mid-day 
on  the  29th,  and  were  ordered  to  advance  and  occupy  the 
town  of  Koniginhof.      The  brigade  of  Fleischhacker,  which 
belonged  to  the  fourth  Austrian  corps,  was  posted   as  garrison 
of  the  place,   and  had  drawn  up    several   infantry   columns, 
covered  by  skirmishers,  in  the  corn-fields  on  the  north  of  the 
I  town.     The  Prussian  riflemen  quickly  engaged  them  :  the  slow 
I  shots  of  the  muzzle-loading  arms  did  little  execution  against 
J  the  rapid  discharges  of  the  needle-gun,  and  these  advanced 
:  columns  were  soon  driven   to    seek   shelter   in   flight.      The 
i  defence  of  the  houses  was  entrusted  to  the  Austrian  regiment 
;.  of  Coranini,  and  here  took  place  a  hot  contest,  for  this  gallant 
j  corps  defended  each  yard  of  every  street,  and  each  window  of 
every  house.     The  Fusiliers  of  the  Prussian  Guards  pressed  on, 
j  overthrew  their  opponents  in  the  streets,  and,  dashing  past  the 
jloopholed  houses,  occupied  the  bridge  over  the   Elbe.     The 
;  majority  of  the  defenders  were  still  in  the  town,  and  were  com- 
■  pletely  surrounded.     Nothing  was  left  to  them  but  to  lay  down 
•t  their  arms.    The  Prussians  here  captured  four  hundred  prisoners 
\  and  two  standards. 

The  weak  remnant  of  the  Coranini  regiment  retreated  to 
,Miletin,  The  Prussian  Guards  were  concentrated  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Koniginhof,  and  the  first  Prussian  corps 
advanced  to  Pilnikau. 

Feldzeugmeister  Benedek  had  in  the  meantime  drawn  the 
second  Austrian  corps  to  the  vicinity  of  Josephstadt.  It 
arrived,  however,  too  late  to  aid  in  a  defence  of  the  line  of  the 
Elbe  at  Koniginhof.  That  important  point  for  the  passage  of 
the  river  was  already  in  the  possession  of  the  Prussian  Guards, 
when,  on  the  30th  June,  Count  Thurn  appeared  with  his  corps 
on  the  heights  south  of  the  Elbe,  at  Koniginhof.  This  Austrian 
general  could  do  nothing  more  than  open  an  ineffectual  can- 
nonade against  the  Prussian  corps  of  the  Guards,  on  the  30th 


206  SEVEN    WEEKS"    WAR.  [Book  VI. 

June.  That  day  one  division  of  the  latter  corps  bivouacked 
near  Gradlitz,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Elbe,  about  two  miles! 
out  of  Koniginhof,  and  the  same  day  the  first  Prussian  corps 
advanced  to  Arnau,  on  the  river,  about  seven  miles  to  the; 
north  of  the  same  place. 

It  is  now  necessary  to  trace  the  passage  of  the  left  column  oi 
the  Crown  Prince's  army  through  the  mountains,  and  to  show; 
how,  on  the  30th  June,  it  was  able  to  effect  a  junction  with  the 
right  and  central  columns  on  the  banks  of  the  Elbe. 


CHAPTER   III. 

ADVANCE   OF   THE    LEFT   COLUMN    OF   THE    ARMY    OF    SILESIA. 

To  the  fifth  Prussian  corps,  which  formed  the  head  of  the 
left  column  of  the  army  of  the  Crown  Prince,  and  which  he 
himself  most  closely  directed,  was  the  most  difficult  task  given. 
Only  one  narrow  road  leads  from  the  county  of  Glatz  to 
Nachod,  which  beyond  the  Bohemian  frontier  runs  in  a  winding 
course  near  the  town  of  Nachod,  through  a  difficult  defile.  A 
corps  d'armee,  with  all  its  trains  and  baggage  advancing  by 
one  road,  forms  a  column  of  march  twenty  miles  long.  If 
only  the  combatants  themselves  and  the  most  necessary  train, 
such  as  ammunition  columns  and  field  hospitals,  form  the 
columns,  it  still  will  stretch  over  ten  miles ;  so  that  if  the  head 
of  the  column  is  attacked  as  it  issues  from  a  defile  where  the 
troops  cannot  move  off  the  road,  the  rearmost  battalion  will 
not  be  able  to  support  the  most  advanced  until  four  hours  have 
passed. 

In  order  to  ensure  the  safe  issue  from  the  mountain  passes, 
the  advanced  guard  of  the  fifth  corps,  under  General  von 
Lowenfeld,  was  pushed  forward  as  far  as  Nachod  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  26th  June.  The  Austrians  held  the  defile  with  a 
very  weak  force,  and  did  not  stand  obstinately  in  the  Castle  of 
Nachod,  so  that  the  Prussian  advanced  guard  occupied  that 
strong  post  with  very  slight  opposition.  General  Ramming, 
who  had  been  posted  with  the  sixth  Austrian  corps  and  a 
portion  of  the  first  division  of  reserve  cavalry  at  Opocna,  about 
ten  miles  to  the  south  of  Nachod,  marched  on  the  26th  towards 
Skalitz,  by  order  of  Feldzeugmeister  Benedek.  He  was  in- 
tended next  day  to  fall  upon  the  head  of  the  Prussian  fifth 
corps  as  it  issued  from  the  pass,  and  drive  it  back  into  the 


208  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book    VI 

defile.  At  the  same  time  the  eighth  Austrian  corps  under  the 
command  of  the  Archduke  Leopold  was  posted  on  the  railway- 
to  Josephstadt,  in  order  to  act  as  a  reserve  to  General  Ram- 
ming. The  next  day  the  advanced  guard  of  the  Prussian  fifth 
corps  brought  on  the 


ACTION    OF    NACHOD. 

On  the  27th,  the  same  day  that  the  first  corps  was  defeated  at 
Trautenau,  as  the  advanced  guard  of  the  fifth  Prussian  corps 
d'armee  was,  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  moving  out  of  1 
Nachod  towards  Skalitz,  in  order  to  take  up  a  position  covering  j 
the  strategical  point  where  the  roads  to  Josephstadt  and  Neustadti 
branch,  its  patrols  observed  heavy  Austrian  columns  advancing! 
by  the  road  from  Neustadt,  and  two  Austrian  cuirass  regiments; 
drew  up  across  the  road  to  bar  the  way  against  the  Prussian  in-ji 
fan  try.    These  were  supported  by  two  Austrian  infantry  brigades,; 
while  a  third  stood  in  the  rear  as  a  reserve.     The  Prussians  were] 
then  in  a  dangerous  position,  for  the  road  through  the  defile  of- 
Nachod  behind  them  was  choked  with  the    carriages  of  the! J 
artillery,   and  only  a  few  battalions  and  two  squadrons   had, 
gained  the  open  ground.     General  von  Lowenfeld,  who  com- 
manded the  advanced  guard,  threw  his  infantry  into  a  wood: : 
which  was  beside  the  road,  where,  protected  by  the  trees  to  a 
certain  extent  from  the  shells  of  the  Austrian  guns,  they  main-: 
tained  their  position  until  their  artillery  had  cleared  the  defile 
At  the  same  time  the  small  body  of  Prussian  cavalry  who  were  a 
with  the  infantry  charged  straight  down  the  road  against  theij; 
centre  of  the  line  of  the  cuirass  regiments.      The  Austrians 
numbered  eight  times  as  many  sabres  as  the  Prussians,  and 
their   cavalry  bore    the   highest   reputation   in    Europe.      All 
expected  to  see  the  Prussians  hurled  back,  broken  and  de- « 
stroyed,  by  their  collision  with  the  Austrian  line,  but  the  resull;  I 
was  far  different ;  the  Prussian  squadrons  thundered  down  the 
road,  and  seemed  merely  by  the  speed  at  which  they  wercM 
galloping    to    cut   clean    through    the    centre    of  the    line   0.' 
Cuirassiers  ;    but,  though  they  were  thus  successful  in  theu 
first  onslaught,  they  were  quickly  assailed  in  flank  and  rear  b) 
overwhelming  numbers,  and  with   difficulty   escaped   withou 
being  cut  to  pieces.     Many,  however,  managed  to  shake  them 


Chap.  III.]     ADVANCE   OF  THE  LEFT  COLUMN.  209 

selves  free  from  the  melee,  and,  galloping  back,  rallied  under 
the  protection  of  the  fire  of  their  infantry  in  the  wood  ;  but  the 
Austrians  pressed  forward,  and  they  had  to  retire ;  and  it 
seemed  that  the  issue  of  the  defile  would  be  lost,  for  Austrian 
infantry  were  quickly  coming  up,  and  were  preparing  to  attack 
the  wood  held  by  the  Prussians.  At  the  first  intelligence  of 
the  advance  of  the  enemy  the  Crown  Prince  in  person  hurried 
up  to  the  front.  Then  upon  Lowenfeld's  battalions  depended 
not  only  the  safe  passage  of  the  fifth  corps  through  the  defile, 
but  also  the  preservation  of  the  whole  of  the  artillery,  for  so 
crowded  with  carriages  was  the  road  that,  had  the  Austrians 
pressed  on,  every  gun  and  waggon  must  have  fallen  into  their 
hands.  But  the  infantry  proved  worthy  of  the  trust  placed  in 
them,  and  nothing  availed  to  dislodge  them  from  the  trees, 
though  the  shells  went  whistling  in  quick  succession  through 
the  trunks,  and  the  splinters  carried  away  the  branches  above 
the  heads  of  the  soldiers,  and  tore  up  the  turf  beneath  their 
feet. 

The  Crown  Prince  was  in  Nachod  when   the  firing  com- 
menced, but  he   pushed  his  way  with  difficulty  through  the 
crowded  defile,  and  came  to  his  advanced  guard  in  order  him- 
self to  be  with  his  soldiers  in  their  time  of  trial.     Behind  him 
followed  as  quickly  as  possible  the  battalions  of  the  main  body 
of  the  corps,  and  the  guns  of  the  artillery  were  also  pushed  for- 
>  ward ;  but  the  road  was  long  and  crowded,  and  both  regiments 
'and  guns  made  their  way  with  difficulty.     In  the  meantime 
.'the  Austrians  pressed  hard  upon  the  little  band  in  the  wood, 
and  seemed  as  though  they  would  pass  it  by,  and  close  the 
defile  with  their  columns.     But  before  they  could  do  so  the 
•battalions  of  the  main  body  gained  the  end  of  the  defile,  and 
the  Prussian  guns  began  to  come  quickly  forward,  for  waggons 
and  all  encumbrances  had  been  pushed  off  the  road  into  the 
ditches  to  facilitate  the  free  passage  of  the  troops  going  into 
action.    The  newly-arrived  troops  reinforced  those  in  the  wood, 
and  the  artillery  replied  to  the  Austrian  batteries ;  but  at  noon 
he  battle  was  still  stationary,  and  the  Prussians  had  not  advanced 
heir  position  since  the  beginning  of  the  fight,  for  the  Austrian 
:avalry  stood  prepared  to  charge   the  Prussian   infantry  if  it 
ttempted  to  move  forward  on  the  open  ground.     The  Crown 


210  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VI. 

Prince  knew  that  on  breaking  that  cavalry  line  depended  the 
passage  of  the  fifth  corps  into  Bohemia,  and  he  sent  against 
it   the    eighth    Prussian   regiment  of  dragoons,    and  the   first 
Uhlan  regiment     It  was  an  exciting  moment.     The  Prussians, 
nerved  by  the  importance  of  the  issue  of  their  charge,  and  with  ' 
the  eyes  of  their  infantry  upon  them,  sprang  forward  readily :  > 
the  Austrian  horsemen,  proud  of  their  high  renown,  and  eager  j 
to  wipe  out  the  memory  of  the  former  skirmish,  also  bounded 
forward  as  soon  as  they  saw  the  Prussians  approaching.     The  | 
two  lines  met  about  half  way,  for  one  moment  formed  a  tangled ; 
struggling  crowd,  and  then  the   Prussian  Uhlans,  with   their  I 
lance-points  low  and  heads  bent  down,  were  seen  pursuing.: 
The  most  famous  cavalry  in  Europe  had  been  overthrown. 

Before  and  during  this  charge  both  divisions   of  the  fifth 
Prussian  corps  had  cleared  the  defile,   and   scarcely  had  then 
effect  of  the  cavalry  charge  been  seen  than  General  Steinmetz,! 
who  commanded  the  whole  corps,  determined  to  assume  thejj 
offensive.     Then,  in  rear  of  their  cavalry,  the  Prussian  infantry; 
and  artillery  dashed  forward.     Some  of  the  battalions  turning; 
aside,  inarched  against  the  village  of  Wisokow,  already  in  flames' 
from  a  Prussian  shell,  with  their  bayonets  at  the  charge.  Amon^l 
the  burning  houses  the  Austrians  waited  for  them  :   a  sharp  i 
struggle  ensued,  but  the  village  was  carried,  and  the  Austrian: 
were  driven  out  of  it. 

In  the  meantime  the  Austrian  heavy  horsemen  had  rallied' 
and  again  returned  to  the  charge.     This  time  they  advances  - 
with  skill  as  well  as  courage,  and  bore  down  on  the  flank  of  thi  I 
Uhlans ;  but  their  approach  was  seen,  and  before  they  reachei  I 
the  Prussian  line  it  had  quickly  changed  its  front,  and  met  th 
advancing   squadrons  face  to  face.      Again    the  Austrians  re 
coiled,  but  now  without  a  chance  of  rallying;  they  were  broke!* 
and  scattered,  and  the  Uhlans,  spreading  out  in  pursuit,  wer 
dashing  in  small  knots  over  the  plain  after  them,  and  capturejH 
two  guns  from  their  horse  artillery.     This  cavalry  charge  d< 
cided  the  fortune  of  the  day,  and  the  Austrians  retired,  presse;* 
by  the  Prussian  infantry.     General  Steinmetz,  who  commanded 
the  fifth  corps,  which  was  here  engaged,  led  forward  all  hi 
troops,  leaving  only  three  battalions  of  the  royal  regiment  i   g 
reserve,  and  pushed  the  enemy  back.  But  his  men,  after  a  lor  1 


Chap.  III.]    ADVANCE   OF  TILE  LEFT   COLUMN.  211 

march  and  a  severe  action,  were  too  fatigued  to  pursue  in  mass, 

so  the)'  were  halted,  and  the  cavalry  and  one  or  two  battalions 

alone  followed  up  the  pursuit ;    but  they  did  well,  for   they 

brought  back  2,000  prisoners  and  three  guns,  besides  the  two 

taken  by  the  Uhlans  ;  and  these  were  not  the  only  trophies,  for 

three  sets  of  infantry  colours  were  taken  by  the  Prussians,  and 

!  the  standards  of  the  Austrian  cuirassiers  fell  into  the  hands  of 

I  the  Uhlans.    The  Crown  Prince  thanked  General  Steinmetz  on 

I  the  field  in  the  name  of  the  King  for  the  victory,  and  well  the 

general   and  his  troops   merited  the  compliment,  for  all   the 

1  first  part  of  the  action  was  fought  with  twenty-two  battalions 

i  against  twenty-nine,  and  with  an  inferior  force  of  cavalry  and 

;  artillery. 

This  victory  cost  the  Prussians  a  loss  of  nine  hundred  men 
.  killed  and  wounded  ;   among  the  latter  were  the  two  generals, 
Von  Ollech  and  Von  Wunck.     The  fifth  Prussian  corps,  not- 
withstanding that  on  the  27  th  it  had  marched  over  fifteen  miles 
]  J  through  a  narrow  defile,  and  been  engaged  in  action  for  eight 
hours,  was  still  so  strong  and  so  confident  that  General  Stein- 
j  tmetz  resolved  to  resume  the  attack  the  ensuing  day  without  loss 
of  time. 

;    General  Ramming,   who  had  deservedly  the  reputation  of 
being  one  of  the  most  able  and  talented  generals  of  the  Impe- 
rial army,  after  having  engaged  the  Prussians  at  Nachod,  with 
lis  whole  force  retreated  to  Skalitz  on  the  evening  of  the  27th. 
Dn  arriving   at   that  place  he  sent  a  despatch  to  the  head- 
;uarters  of  the  army,  in  which  he  requested  that  the  eighth 
.Vustrian  corps,  which  was   posted   at  Josephstadt,  might   be 
.Uowed  to  assist    him  with    two   brigades.       Feldzeugmeister 
jenedek   thereupon    ordered    that   the    eighth    corps    should 
clvance  to  Skalitz,   and   be  prepared  to  engage   in   the  first 
ne,  while  that  of  General  Ramming  should  form  its  reserve. 
loth  corps  were  placed  under  the  command  of  the  Archduke 
-eopold.     One  brigade  of  the  Prussian  sixth  corps,  which  was 
)  follow  the  fifth  corps  through  the  defile  of  Nachod,  had 
ached  Nachod  on  the   evening  of  the  27th,  and  was  ready 
lat  day  to  advance  with  General  Steinmetz.     General  Stein- 
etz  determined  to  advance.     At  the  same  time  the  Austrian 
meral  replaced  the  sixth  corps  by  the  eighth  corps  at  Skalitz, 


212  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VI. 

in  order  to  oppose  the  Prussians  and  drive  them  back.    Hence 
arose  the 

ACTION    OF    SKALITZ. 

The  Austrians  were  soon  forced  to  quit  all  hopes  of  the  offen- 
sive, and  to  assume  the  defensive  energetically  in  front  of 
Skalitz,  on  the  road  and  railway,  which  are  flanked  on  the 
north  and  south  by  two  woods.  The  country  was  entirely  un- 
favourable  for  the  action  of  cavalry.  Either  side  brought  up  as  i 
much  force  as  possible.  The  battle  swayed  hither  and  thither, 
but  ultimately  the  superior  strength  and  armament  of  the  Prus- 
sian  soldier  told  against  his  weaker  antagonist. 

On  the  north  of  the  railway  the  37th  and  58th  Prussian  regi- 
ments and  4th  dragoons  with  three  batteries  advanced ;  whilei 
on  the  south  the  King's  own  regiment,  though  exposed  to  a 
terrible  fire  of  artillery,  gained  the  wood  on  the  south  of  the; 
town,  and  here  succeeded  in  sustaining  the  assaults  of  fan 
superior  numbers,  until  the  6th,  46th,  and  52nd  and  47th  regi-. 
ments  could  come  up  to  its  aid,  and  join  with  it  in  an  attack  or 
Skalitz. 

This  attack  was  made  about  3  p.m.  On  the  north  side  of  the 
town  the  6th  and  52nd  regiments  advanced,  and  along  th(, 
high  road  the  7th,  37th,  58th,  and  47th  regiments. 

The  Austrian  position  was  forced,  and  the  Archduke  Leopok  \ 
compelled  to  fall  back  to  a  strong  position  behind  the  Aupa' 
where  he  intended  to  hold  his  ground,  supported  by  his  nume 
rous  artillery.     This  position  was  however  also  carried  by  th 
Prussians,  who  there  took  many  prisoners,  and  by  it  they  gcrme*  . 
the  command  of  the  defile  of  the  Aupa. 

General  Steinmetz,  by  this  victory,  captured  four  thousand 
prisoners,  eight  guns,  and  several  stands  of  colours.  On  th 
day,  the  28th,  depended  whether  the  Army  of  Silesia  woul .■;■ 
effect  its  issue  from  the  mountains,  or  fail  in  the  attempt.  Tl 
corps  of  the  Guards  was  engaged  at  Trautenau,  the  fifth  cor}  j  J 
at  Skalitz.  The  Crown  Prince,  in  person,  could  not  be  preseiH 
at  either  action.  He  was  obliged  to  choose  a  position  betweti* 
the  two,  whence  he  could  proceed  to  any  point  where  his  prfl 
sence  might  be  necessary.  He  accordingly  posted  himself  on  . 
hill  near  Kosteletz,  where  the  heavy  cavalry  of  the  Guard  t0(    : 


Chap.  III.]    ADVANCE   OF  THE  LEFT  COLUMN.  213 

up  its  position  on  coming  through  the  hills,  and  where  it  was 
joined  at  a  later  period  of  the  day  by  the  reserve  artillery  of  the 
Guard.  The  time  passed  heavily  on  that  hill  of  Kosteletz. 
The  thunder  of  cannon  rose  ever  louder  from  Skalitz  on  the 
south,  and  from  the  direction  of  Trautenau  on  the  north.  With 
anxious  ears  the  Commander-in-chief  and  his  staff  listened  to 
the  progress  of  the  cannonade,  and  with  eager  eyes  scanned 
the  positions  of  the  eddying  clouds  of  white  smoke  which  rose 
from  the  engaged  artillery.  It  was  the  intention  of  the  Crown 
Prince,  if  an  unfavourable  report  of  the  progress  of  the  action 
on  either  side  was  brought  to  him,  to  repair  to  that  point,  and 
in  person  to  encourage  his  pressed  troops.  But  every  orderly 
officer,  every  aide-de-camp,  brought  the  intelligence  that  the 
battles  in  both  places  were  going  well  for  the  Prussians. 

At  last,  between  three  and  four  o'clock,  the  Commander-in- 
chief  received  the  positive  report  from  General  Steinmetz  that 
he  had  stormed  Skalitz,  and  driven  back  two  of  the  enemy's 
!  corps.  No  longer  had  the  Crown  Prince  to  give  a  thought  to 
I  this  side.  He  immediately  started  for  Eypel,  in  order  to  be 
present  at  the  action  in  which  the  Guards  were  engaged.  At 
this  place  the  news  reached  him  that  the  Guard  had  also  victo- 
riously achieved  its  task,  and  not  only  had  forced  the  defile 
from  Eypel,  but  had  also  opened  the  pass  from  Trautenau. 
Here,  then,  were  the  three  issues  from  the  mountains,  the 
.defiles  of  Trautenau,  Eypel,  and  Nachod,  popularly  called  the 
tgates  of  Bohemia,  in  the  secure  possession  of  the  Second  Prus- 
isian  Army,  and  the  junction  of  the  hitherto  separated  corps 
almost  certain  to  be  effected  on  the  following  day.  To  accom- 
plish the  junction  of  his  united  army  with  that  of  Prince 
Frederick  Charles,  the  Crown  Prince  ordered  the  advance  the 
aext  morning  to  be  made  as  far  as  the  Elbe. 

The  quarters  of  the  Crown  Prince  on  the  night  of  the  28th 
vere  fixed  at  Eypel,  where  he  heard  for  the  first  time  that  the 
irst  corps  had  only  returned  on  the  27th  from  Trautenau  to 
heir  former  bivouac,  and  were  fit  to  advance  again  on  the  29th, 
laving  halted  there  on  the  28th.  The  report  of  General  von 
3onin  had  not  before  reached  head -quarters,  and  all  that  was 
eard  of  the  first  corps  was  that  it  had  not  assisted  the  Guards 
p  the  action  of  the  28th. 


214  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VI. 

The  Crown  Prince  immediately  ordered  General  von  Bonin 
to  advance  at  daybreak  on  the  29th,  from  Trautenau  to  Pil- 
nikau. 

On  the  29th  June,  General  Steinmetz,  with  the  fifth  and 
sixth  corps,  was  to  advance  from  Skalitz  in  a  westerly  direction, 
towards  Koniginhof,  as  far  as  Gradlitz,  in  order  to  approach 
the  other  corps  of  the  Crown  Prince,  so  that  the  whole  Army  of  J 
Silesia  might  be  united  on  the  Elbe  before  commencing  general] 
operations  in  concert  with  the  First  Army.  Fresh  forces  of  thej 
enemy  opposed  this  march,  and  took  post  in  a  situation  which 
caused  the 

ACTION    OF   SCHWEINSCHADEL. 

The  Austrian  troops,  which  here  opposed  the  advance  of  thi 
Prussian  fifth  corps,  were  those  of  the  fourth  corps,  under  th( 
command  of  General  Festetics,  whom  Feldzeugmeister  Benedel 
had  sent  forward  from  Jaromirz,  after  he  had  withdrawn  the  6tl ) 
and  the  8th  corps.     Of  this  corps  there  were  present  only  threi  | 
brigades,  for  one  brigade  had  been  detached  to  Koniginhoi 
where  on  the  same  day  it  was  engaged  in  an  action  against  tli 
leading  battalions  of  the  Prussian  Guard,  as  has  been  alreadjrJ 
noticed.     General  Steinmetz  attacked,  and  after  an  action  I 
three  hours,  which  consisted  of  little  more  than  a  cannonadefl 
the  Austrians  were  driven  back,  and  retreated  under  the  gujB 
of  the  fortress  of  Josephstadt,  which  opened  hotly  upon  the  a<|| 
vancing  Prussians.     General  Festetics  made  his  retreat  in  gool 
time,  in  order  not  to  sutler  a  loss  similar  to  that  which  ha| 
befallen  the  other  Austrian  corps  which  had  been  engaged 
Trautenau  and  Skalitz.     Early  as  he  retired,  however,  he  lo| 
eight  hundred  prisoners. 

General   Steinmetz,   after  pushing  the   retreating  Austria^ 
close  up  to  Josephstadt,  did  not  venture  to  press   further 
this  direction,  as  by  pursuing  such  a  course  he  would  ha1, 
been  exposed  to  be  cut  off  and  isolated  from  the  other  corps 
the  Crown  Prince.     He  detached,  accordingly,  one  brigade, 
observe  the  garrison  of  Josephstadt,  and  moved  the  remaindj 
of  his  corps  to  Gradlitz,  about  two  miles  east  of  Koniginhof, 
order  to  concentrate  with  the  rest  of  the  Army  of  Silesia.     I 
arrived  there  on  the  night  of  the   29th  June,  and  took  up 


Chap.  III.]     ADVANCE   OF  THE  LEFT  COLUMN.  215 

position  near  the  division  of  the  Guards,   which  was  already 

(stationed  there. 
The  sixth  Prussian  corps,  which  followed  the  fifth  corps  by 
the  defile  of  Nachod,  from  the  county  of  Glatz,  had  only  sent 
forward  one  brigade  to  aid  the  corps  of  General  Steinmetz  in 
the  actions  of  the  28th  and  29th  June.  It  reached  Gradlitz, 
however,  late  on  the  30th  June,  so  that  now  three  corps  of  the 
Army  of  Silesia  were  concentrated  in  the  vicinity  of  Koniginhof. 
The  first  corps  had  reached  Arnau,  where  there  is  also  a  bridge 
over  the  Elbe,  about  seven  miles  to  the  north  of  Koniginhof 
Thus  the  army  of  the  Crown  Prince,  four  days  after  its  inroad 
into  Bohemia,  had  successfully  united  its  divided  columns  of 

,  advance,  and  had  made  itself  master  of  the  line  of  the  Elbe 
from  Arnau  to  near  Josephstadt.  Four  Austrian  corps  had 
been  repulsed,  three  of  which  were  decidedly  defeated,  and 
had  lost  ten  thousand  prisoners,  twenty  guns,  five  colours,  and 
two  standards  to  the  Crown  Prince. 

On  the  30th  of  June  a  cavalry  regiment,  sent  out  from 
Gitschin  by  Prince  Frederick  Charles,  fell  in  with  the  outposts 
of  the  corps  of  the  Crown  Prince  at  Arnau.  Communi- 
cations between  the  two  main  armies  were  now  established 
in  Bohemia,  and  their  secure  junction  almost  certain.  For  the 
sake  of  simplicity,  it  may  be  here  advisable  to  give  briefly  a 
general  sketch  of  the  steps  taken  each  day  by  the  two  armies 

■\  from  the  time  of  their  crossing  the  Austrian  frontier  to  bring 
about  their  common  concentration. 


SUMMARY  OF   THE    ADVANCE   OF   THE    THREE    PRUSSIAN    ARMIES 
INTO    BOHEMIA    FOR    CONCENTRATION. 

On  the  23rd  June,  the  army  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles 
advanced  in  three  columns  from  Zittau,  Gorlitz,  and  Laubau, 
towards  Reichenberg. 

The  same  day  the  Army  of  the  Elbe  advanced  from 
Saxony. 

On  the  24th,  Prince  Frederick  Charles  occupied  Reichen- 
berg, and  concentrated  his  three  columns,  which  had  passed 
through  the  mountains. 

On  the  26th,  the  advanced  sruard  of  the  fifth  corps  (Army  of 


216  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VI.. 

Silesia)  seized  Nachod  in  the  evening,  and  the  Guards  crossed 
the  frontier  of  Bohemia  by  the  Wiinschelburg  road. 

The  same  evening  Prince  Frederick  Charles  secured  the 
passage  of  the  Iser  at  Tiirnau  and  Podoll,  and  the  Army  of  the 
Elbe  occupied  Hayda  and  Bohmisch  Aicha. 

On  the  27th,  the  first  corps  of  the  Crown  Prince's  army 
seized  Trautenau,  but  was  defeated  and  driven  back  by 
General  Gablenz. 

The  fifth  corps  of  the  Crown  Prince's  army  defeated  General 
Ramming  in  the  action  of  Nachod. 

The  Army  of  the  Elbe,  after  a  skirmish,  occupied  Hiihner- 
wasser. 

On  the  28th,  the  Army  of  the  Elbe  and  Prince  Frederick 
Charles  defeated  the  corps  of  Count  Clam  Gallas  at  Miinchen- 
gratz,  and  secured  the  line  of  the  Iser. 

The  Guards,  under  the  Crown  Prince,  defeated  General 
Gablenz  at  Soor,  and  cleared  the  issue  from  the  Trautenau 
defile  for  the  first  corps. 

The  fifth  corps  defeated  the  Archduke  Leopold  at  Skalitz. 

On  the  29th,  the  Guard  corps  stormed  Koniginhof;  and  the 
fifth  Prussian  corps  drove  General  Festetics  from  Schwein- 
schadel.  The  Crown  Prince  concentrated  his  army  on  the  left 
bank  of  the  Elbe. 

The  army  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles  that  night  stormed 
Gitschin. 

On  the  30th,  communications  were  opened  between  the  i 
army  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles  round  Gitschin  and  the  first  i 
corps  of  the  army  of  the  Crown  Prince  at  Arnau. 

OBSERVATIONS. 

For  some  reason,  political  or  military,  Benedek  did  not 
assume  the  offensive.  He  threw  this  advantage  into  the  handsi 
of  his  adversaries.  It  is  supposed  that  political  causes  and-1! 
the  request  of  the  Germanic  Confederation  prevented  the' 
Austrian  general  from  taking  this  line  of  action,  and  carrying!  1 
the  war  into  Saxony. 

After  having  determined  to  fight  on  the  defensive,  he  in-j, 
tended  to  check  one  portion  of  his  enemy's  armies  with  a 


Chap  III.]      ADVANCE  OF  THE  LEFT  COLUMN.  217 

detachment,  while  with  superior  forces  he  threw  himself  upon 
the  other.  The  lines  of  operation  of  the  Prussian  armies,  con- 
vergent from  separate  bases,  gave  him  a  favourable  opportunity 
to  reap  successful  results  from  such  a  course.  He  could  either 
send  a  detachment  to  hold  Prince  Frederick  Charles  while  he 
assailed  the  Crown  Prince,  or  could  hold  the  latter  while  with 
,  the  mass  of  his  army  he  threw  himself  upon  the  former.  To 
hold  the  Crown  Prince,  however,  while  he  attacked  Frederick 
Charles  was  much  more  hazardous  than  to  adopt  the  alternate 
line.  The  Crown  Prince,  if  he  beat  the  detachment  left  to 
ibar  his  way,  could  sweep  down  upon  the  Austrian  communi- 
cations with  Vienna  ere  Benedek  had  laid  his  grasp  upon  the 
First  Prussian  Army.  If  this  had  been  his  intention,  he 
should  have  held  the  Castle  of  Nachod  and  the  passes  at 
iTrautenau  and  Eypel.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  he  intended  to 
delay  Frederick  Charles,  the  line  of  the  Iser  should  have  been 
tenaciously  held  between  Tiirnau  and  Miinchengratz.  None 
of  these  things  were  done.  Inferior  forces  of  the  Austrians 
jwere  exposed  at  almost  all  points  to  superior  forces  of  the 
Prussians ;  while  the  masses,  which  cast  at  the  proper 
moment  to  either  side  would  have  turned  the  scale,  oscillated 
vaguely  backwards  and  forwards  under  vacillatory  or  contra- 
dictory orders. 

On  the  evening  of  the  26th  June  Benedek  knew  that  the 
Crown  Prince  was  on  the  frontier,  and  that  Prince  Frederick 
Charles  was  close  to  the  Iser.  His  corps  at  this  time  were 
Rationed,  the  tenth  at  Pilnikau,  the  fourth  at  Koniginhof,  the 
iiixth  near  Skalitz,  while  of  the  three  others,  two  were  south  of 
iosephstadt  and  one  as  far  off  as  Bohmisch  Triibau.  On  the 
:27th,  after  Tiirnau  on  the  Iser  had  been  evacuated  without  a 
)low  by  Clam  Gallas,  and  the  passage  of  that  stream  at  Podoll 
tormed  by  Frederick  Charles,  Benedek  appears  to  have  made 


10 


movement  to  support  with  his  reserves  his  corps  at  Nachod 
|>r  Trautenau  against  the  Crown  Prince,  or  to  send  reinforce- 
aents  to  Clam  Gallas. 

.  On  the  28th,  the  Crown  Prince  determined  to  retrieve  the 
lisfortune  of  his  right  on  the  previous  day,  by  energetically 
packing  the  position  of  the  Austrian  corps;  while  at  the 
;ime  time  the  fifth  corps,  supported  by  the  sixth,  should  move 


218  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VI. 

against  Skalitz.  Benedek  had  had  only  two  corps  engaged  on 
the  previous  day.  One  of  these  had  been  defeated  at  Nachod. 
and  driven  back  to  Skalitz,  but  had  by  no  means  been  routed. 

The  other  had  well  held  its  own  and  had  repulsed  its, 
assailants.  As  yet  the  Austrian  commander  had  lost  nothing 
so  important  that  he  might  not  hope,  by  vigorous  action  on; 
the  28th,  to  gain  a  decided  success,  and  with  one  blow  to  turni 
the  fortune  of  the  campaign,  and  the  destiny  of  Austria. 

The  first  Prussian  corps  was  not  on  the  morning  of  the  28th! 
sufficiently  recovered  from  its  repulse  on  the  previous  clay  to' 
engage  at  all.  The  fifth  corps  was  able  to  engage,  but  was; 
supported  only  by  one  brigade  of  the  sixth,  because  the  threej 
remaining  brigades  of  that  corps  were  still  in  the  defile  through* 
the  mountains. 

Thus,  the  Crown  Prince  had  only  the  two  divisions  of  the; 
Guard  corps,  the  fifth  corps,  and  one  brigade  of  the  sixth 
corps  ready  to  go  into  action  on  the  morning  of  the  28th,—!. 
in  all  about  67,000  men. 

General  Benedek  ought  to  have  known  on  the  27th  by  dayji 
break,  that  he  had  nothing  to  fear  in  the  direction  of  Olmiitzj 
for  the  demonstration  of  the  sixth  Prussian  corps  made  in  thaj: 
direction  on  the  previous  day  had  been  withdrawn.  He  coukji 
therefore  on  the  27th  have  moved  the  third  corps  from  Boh, 
misch  Triibau  to  Josephstadt  that  day,  and  would  then  hav< 
had  six  corps,  about  150,000  men,  ready  to  push  into  actioi' 
energetically  on  the  morning  of  the  2Sth,  and  with  them  t<| 
drive  the  Crown  Prince  back  into  the  defiles.  This  grea^fl 
opportunity,  however,  was  missed.  The  sixth  Austrian  corpj 
at  Skalitz  was  indeed  reinforced  by  the  eighth ;  but  the  tentljl 
corps  was  left  without  reinforcements  at  Trautenau,  so  thai|| 
although  he  had  a  force  at  hand  double  that  of  his  advei^ 
sary,  on  the  morning  of  the  28th  only  three  corps,  abou.H 
70,000  men,  were  placed  in  position  to  come  under  fire. 

It  is  natural  to  inquire  why  Benedek  did  not  employ  on  th 
28th  the  three  corps  which  did  not  come  into  action  that  da)'  1 
The  reason,  as  far  as  can  be  gathered,  appears  to  be,  tha 
Benedek  made  the  vital  error   of   attempting   to    check  th 
Crown  Prince  when  he  was  already  past  the  defiles,  and  in 
position   to   threaten   the   Austrian    communications,   with 


Chap.  III.]      ADVANCE  OF  THE  LEFT  COLUMN.  219 

detachment,  while  he  directed  his  principal  blow  against 
Prince  Frederick  Charles.  At  this  time  the  distance  between 
the  two  Prussian  armies  was  about  forty  miles.  They  were 
too  far  separated  to  afford  each  other  mutual  assistance.  The 
distance  from  Benedek's  headquarters*  to  the  Iser  was  nearly 
fifty  miles  ;  that  from  the  same  place  to  Skalitz,  about  eight 
miles  ;  to  Trautenau  about  twenty.  At  the  two  latter  places 
the  Crown  Prince  was  thrusting  against  the  Austrian  detach- 
ments. The  Prussian  Second  Army  was  thus  at  less  than 
half  the  distance  from  the  mass  of  Benedek's  troops  than  was 
the  First  Army.  It  was  also  in  a  more  favourable  position  to 
sweep  down  on  a  vital  point  of  Benedek's  line  of  communica- 
tion with  Vienna  than  was  the  First.  Clearly  every  exertion 
should  have  been  made  to  crush  the  Crown  Prince  on  the 
28th.  The  Feldzeugmeister,  however,  designed  to  hold  the 
Crown  Prince  by  three  corps  while  he  made  his  great  attempt 
I  against  Prince  Frederick  Charles.  Orders  were  sent  to  the 
commanders  of  the  corps  at  Trautenau  and  Skalitz,  not  to 
compromise  themselves  in  a  serious  action,  but  to  retreat 
.slowly,  if  pressed  by  superior  numbers.  These  orders  were 
■  neglected.  If  they  had  been  observed,  it  is  doubtful  whether 
the  Crown  Prince  would  not  have  pushed  them  back,  and  con- 
icentrated  his  army  on  the  Austrian  communications,  before 
;Benedek  had  time  to  strike  down  Prince  Frederick  Charles, 
'and  return  with  his  main  force  to  support  his  troops  in  front 
of  the  Second  Army.  The  result  of  the  neglect  of  the  orders 
of  the  Commander-in-Chief  was,  however,  that  the  three 
!  Austrian  corps  engaged  on  the  28th  near  Josephstadt  were 
'severely  mutilated  for  further  operations.  Intending  to  sup- 
port Clam  Gallas  and  the  Saxons  before  he  knew  of  the 
unfortunate  issue  of  the  combats  of  Nachod  and  Skalitz, 
Benedek  instructed  them  to  stand  firm  at  Gitschin ;  and 
promised  to  support  them  with  his  third  corps  on  the  29th, 
'and  ultimately  with  other  corps.  This  despatch  was  received 
■at  the  Saxon  head-quarters  about  mid-day  on  the  29th.  The 
Saxons  and  Clam  Gallas  took  up  a  strong  position  to  fight  at 
Gitschin.     When  they  were  already  engaged,  and   had  com- 


Josephstadt. 


220  SEVEN   WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VI. 

promised  themselves  in  a  serious  action  with  the  leading 
divisions  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles,  a  second  despatch  ar- 
rived from  Benedek.  This  had  been  written  after  the  results 
of  Trautenau  and  Skalitz  on  the  28th  were  known  to  him.  In 
it  he  ordered  the  Crown  Prince  of  Saxony  to  fall  back  slowly 
before  Prince  Frederick  Charles,  while  he  himself  collected 
his  forces  on  the  heights  above  Koniginhof  to  oppose  the 
Second  Army.  By  the  crushing  defeat  at  Gitschin,  the  left 
flank  of  this  position  was  laid  open  to  the  Prussian  First 
Army,  and  the  Austrian  commander  was  reduced  to  make 
fresh  dispositions,  unable  any  longer  to  prevent  the  junction 
of  the  two  Prussian  armies  on  the  ground  upon  which  at  the 
outbreak  of  hostilities  he  himself  stood.  Thus,  by  a  neglect 
to  strike  boldly  on  his  nearest  adversary,  Benedek  sacrificed 
all  the  advantages  which  he  had  possessed  from  a  central 
situation,  and  the  separate  lines  of  operation  of  his  antagonists. 
To  the  superior  armament  of  the  Prussians  a  degree  of  im- 
portance has  rather  hastily  been  awarded,  which  seems  not  to 
be  wholly  merited.  The  needle-gun  came  into  action  under 
certainly  favourable  circumstances.  At  Podoll  the  Prussians 
armed  with  breech-loaders  fired  upon  the  troops  of  Clam 
Gallas  while  the  latter  were  crowded  together  in  the  narrow 
street  of  a  village.  At  Nachod  the  soldiers  of  Steinmetz  fired 
from  the  cover  of  a  wood  upon  their  Austrian  assailants  in  the 
open.  In  both  cases  the  rapid  discharges  told  fearfully  upon 
the  men  who  were  armed  with  the  more  slowly  loaded 
weapons.  The  consequence  was  that  the  Prussians  gained  a 
great  moral  victory  at  the  very  beginning.  They  found  con- 
fidence, their  opponents  lost  heart.  Yet  in  the  subsequent 
operations  the  difference  of  armament  had  little  physical 
effect.  Superior  strategical  capabilities,  superior  organization, 
and  greater  activity  seemed  to  have  been  more  powerful  in 
gaining  the  junction  of  the  Prussian  armies  than  superior 
armament.  Yet  the  Prussian  leaders  hazarded  much  by  their 
two  convergent  lines  of  operation.  The  result  is  but  another 
proof  of  the  old  maxim  that  "  in  war  he  is  the  victor  who 
makes  the  fewest  errors/' 


BOOK  VII. 
CHAPTER  I. 

OPERATIONS  PRECEDING  THE  BATTLE  OF  KONIGGRA.TZ. 

After  his  unsuccessful  attempts  at  Soor  and  Skalitz  on  the 
28th,  to  prevent  the  issue  of  the  columns  of  the  Crown  Prince 
from  the  mountains,  Feldzeugmeister  Benedek  determined  to 
take  up  a  strong  position  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Upper 
Elbe,  in  order  to  prevent  the  passage  of  that  river  by  the 
Army  of  Silesia. 

The  Elbe,  which  runs  in  a  course  nearly  directly  from 
north  to  south  between  Josephstadt  and  Koniggratz,  forms 
almost  a  right  angle  at  the  former  fortress.  Its  upper  course 
above  that  place  lies  from  north-west  to  east.  Parallel  to  the 
stream,  and  about  one  mile  from  it,  a  chain  of  hills  thickly 
wooded  with  fir-trees  rises  with  a  steep  ascent,  and  forms  the 
southern  bank  of  the  valley.  About  half-way  up  the  hillside 
runs  the  railway  which  leads  from  Josephstadt  to  Tiirnau.  It 
■  was  along  these  heights  that  the  Austrian  commander  designed 
;to  draw  up  his  troops,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  bar  the 
passage  of  the  Upper  Elbe  against  the  Crown  Prince,  and 
to  command  the  bridges  of  Arnau,  Koniginhof,  and  Schurz. 

The  right  wing  of  the  troops  under  the  immediate  command 
of  Benedek  rested  on  the  fortress  of  Josephstadt,  and  his 
(position  extended  along  the  heights  towards  Daubrowitz,  while 
;his  extreme  left  was  formed  and  covered  by  the  first  corps  and 
the  Saxons  under  Count  Clam  Gallas  at  Gitschin.  In  Konig- 
inhof he  left  one  brigade,  and  at  Schweinschadel  three  brigades 
jof  his  fourth  corps,   in  order  to  check  the  advance  of  the 


222  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VII. 

Crown  Prince  while  he  was  making  his  dispositions.  These 
troops  were,  as  has  been  already  said,  driven  in  by  the  Prus- 
sians on  the  29th,  when  they  retired  and  formed  a  portion  of 
the  new  Austrian  line  near  Josephstadt. 

On  the  night  of  the  29th  Prince  Frederick  Charles  stormed 
Gitschin,  and  defeated  Count  Clam  Gallas,  who  retired  in 
disorder  towards  Koniggratz.  The  loss  of  Gitschin  exposed 
the  left  flank  of  Benedek's  intended  position.  As  soon  as  he 
heard  the  news  of  Count  Clam  Gallas's  failure  on  the  morning 
of  the  30th,  he  was  obliged  to  make  new  arrangements  to 
oppose  the  advance  of  the  enemy  towards  Vienna. 

Of  his  eight  corps,  five — namely,  the  first  corps,  the  Saxons, 
the  sixth,  eighth,  and  tenth — had  been  decidedly  beaten,  and 
had  suffered  great  loss  both  in  men  and  morale.     The  fourth 
corps  had  also  been  under  fire  and  suffered,  though  to  a  much 
less  serious  extent.     Two  corps  only  remained  to  the  Austrian 
commander  which  were  thoroughly  intact.     He  had  no  hope 
of  any  supports,  reserves,  or  reinforcements.     His  left  flank 
was  exposed,  and  no  course  remained  open  to  him  except  to 
retire  before  he  was  cut  off  from  his  line  of  communication  i 
with  Vienna,  and  to  accept  battle  from  his  adversary  in  a  chosen  ; 
and  prepared  position.     The  Austrian  army  had  suffered  a  loss  :  1 
of  about  forty  thousand  men  since  the  opening  of  the  campaign 
in  its  attempts  to  prevent  the  junction  of  the  Prussian  armies. .  1 
Notwithstanding    this,  its   bravery   and   power   of  endurance' 
were  still  great.     High  hopes  were  entertained  that  Benedek's 
generalship  would  retrieve  all  previous  failures  by  a  decisive;- 
victory. 

The  Austrian  commander  felt  himself  unequal  to  assume  the! 
offensive.     He  was  forced  to  seek  a  defensive  position,  and 
could  choose  one  in  either  of  two  entirely  distinct  manners. 
If  he  desired  a  purely  defensive  position  he  might  withdraw! 
behind  the  Elbe,  and  take  up  the  line  of  that  river  between! 
the  fortresses  of  Josephstadt  and  Koniggratz  ;  or,  what  would 
perhaps  have  been  better,  he  might  have  concentrated  his  army' 
behind   the    Adler,   between    Koniggratz    and    Hohenbruck. 
Here  his  left  flank  would  have  been  secured  by  the  fortress,  1 
his  right  by  the  Adler,  and   he  would   have  covered  a  safe 
retreat  and  source  of  supply  in  the  railway  between  Pardubitz 


Chap.  L]  PRECEDING  THE  BATTLE   OF  KONIGGRATZ.    223 

and  Bohmisch  Triibau.  On  the  other  side  he  might  choose  a 
defensive  position,  where  he  would  still  retain  the  power  of 
assuming  the  offensive.  This  appears  to  have  been  his  object. 
He  hoped  in  a  great  battle  to  repair  the  misfortunes  of  the 
last  few  days,  and  then  on  his  side  to  advance  as  an  assailant 
Whether  he  would  have  done  better  to  have  taken  up  an 
entirely  defensive  position  until  the  confidence  of  his  army  was 
i  restored  is  a  question  which  few  could  decide.  He  has  been 
I blamed  for  not  doing  so,  but  in  war  success  is  generally 
I  regarded  as  the  sole  criterion  of  merit.  Fortune  declared 
against  Benedek.     He  did  not  reap  success. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  30th  June,  he  issued  orders  for  the 
[whole  army  to  retire  towards  Koniggratz,  and  to  concentrate 
iin  front  of  that  fortress.  This  retreat  along  crowded  country 
(roads  was  attended  with  considerable  difficulty,  and  it  was  not 
•till  the  night  of  the  2nd  July  that  his  whole  force  was  assembled 
(in  front  of  Koniggratz,  where  it  took  up  a  position  between 
ithat  town  and  the  little  river  Bistritz. 

On  the  Prussian  side  four  divisions  of  the  First  Army,  and 
part  of  that  of  General  Herwarth  von  Bittenfeld,  had  not  yet 
been  under  fire.  Of  the  Second  Army  three  brigades  had  not 
las  yet  pulled  a  trigger.  The  first  corps  had  had  time  to  recruit 
(itself  after  its  defeat  at  Trautenau,  and  the  remainder  of  the 
troops  were  flushed  with  victory,  high  of  courage,  and  eager 
for  battle.  In  order  to  complete  effectually  the  junction 
between  the  army  of  the  Crown  Prince,  which  on  the  30th 
jf  une  had  concentrated  on  the  left  of  the  Upper  Elbe,  with  that 
bf  Prince  Frederick  Charles,  which,  with  the  Army  of  the  Elbe 
is  its  right  wing,  was  halted  that  day  round  Gitschin,  the 
Second  Army  would  require  to  make  a  wheel  to  its  left,  pivoted 
)n  Gradlitz.  To  carry  out  this  movement,  on  the  1st  July  the 
irst  corps,  which  formed  the  right  wing  of  the  Army  of  Silesia, 
jidvanced  from  Arnau  to  Ober  Prausnitz,  and  threw  its  ad- 
vanced guard  forward  to  Zelejow  on  the  road  to  Miletin.  The 
:avalry  division  took  post  at  Neustadtl.  The  first  division  of 
he  Guards  occupied  Koniginhof,  while  its  advanced  guard 
>.eized  the  plateau  of  Daubrowitz,  on  the  bank  of  the  Elbe. 
Hie  second  division  of  the  Guards,  the  reserve  artillery,  and 
jhe  heavy  cavalry  of  the  Guard  halted  at  Rettendorf,  while  the 


224  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VII. i 

fifth  and  sixth  corps  concentrated  round  Gradlitz.  The  head-, 
quarters  of  the  Crown  Prince  were  in  Koniginhof.  The 
Prussian  generals  thought  that  Feldzeugmeister  Benedek  would 
accept  battle  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Elbe,  with  his  flanks 
resting  on  the  fortresses  of  Josephstadt  and  Koniggratz,  which: 
lie  ten  miles  apart  along  the  river,  and  with  his  front  covered 
by  the  stream ;  or  that,  if  he  did  not  do  so,  he  would  cross  the 
Elbe  at  Pardubitz,  and  take  up  a  position  there  behind  the; 
river. 

Under  this  idea  two  and  a  half  Prussian  corps  were  held  on 
the  left   bank  of  the    Elbe   both   to    observe  the  fortress  of 
Josephstadt   and   to   be   prepared  vigorously  to    oppose   anyJ 
attack  made  from  behind  the  cover  of  that  fortress  against  the 
line  of  communication  of  the  Crown  Prince  with  Silesia. 

Prince  Frederick  Charles,  on  the  ist  July,  pushed  forward 
from  Gitschin.  The  Army  of  the  Elbe  formed  his  right  wing, 
and  occupied  Smidar  and  Hoch  Wessely.  The  sixth  division.; 
with  the  fifth  in  its  rear,  occupied  Miletin ;  the  seventh  and; : 
eighth,  Horitz;  the  third  and  fourth,  with  the  cavalry  corps 
and  the  reserve  artillery  corps,  were  bivouacked  along  the  road*  i 
from  Gitschin  to  Horitz.  The  head-quarters  of  the  Prince 
were  at  Kammenitz. 

The  small  chateau  and  village  of  Kammenitz   lie  on  the 
northern  slope  of  an  isolated  hill,  which  stands  on  the  left-hanc 
side  of  the  road  from  Gitschin  to  Horitz,  about  half-way  be' 
tween  the  two  towns.     The  head-quarters  of  Prince  Frederic!  p. 
Charles  were  moved  here  on  the  evening  of  the  ist  July  fronJ 
Gitschin. 

From  the  hill   south  of  the  village  of  Kammenitz  a  widei 
view  could  be  obtained  of  the  undulating  plain  which,  richh  I 
cultivated  and  studded  with  villages  and  fir-woods,  stretche:  > 
southwards  for  nearly  thirty  miles.     Near  to  Kammenitz,  th«;| 
smoke  of  the  bivouac  fires  and  the  glitter  of  the  sunlight  or  I 
the  piled  arms  marked  the  position  of  the  Prussian  troops,  bu  j 
no  Austrian  outposts  could   be  made  out     During  the  marcl 
of  that  day  a  sudden  thunderstorm  came  on,  and  the  rain  fel  5 
heavily  for   an  hour;  the    road,  crowded   with    thousands   o 
waggons  and  military  carriages,  ran  into  ruts  under  the  exces 
sive  transport,  and  the  convoys  of  Austrian  wounded,  who  ha<  v 


Chap.  I.]  PRECEDING  THE  BATTLE   OF  KOXIGGRATZ.    ±2% 

been  perforce  deserted  by  their  retreating  friends,  jolted  paim 
fully  along  towards  the  hospitals  which  had  been  established  at 
Gitschin.  The  maimed  soldiers  suffered  much,  for  every  time 
the  waggons  rocked  some  wound  was  opened  afresh,  or  some 
bandage  came  undone,  but  they  bore  it  patiently,  and  their 
guardians  did  all  they  could  to  alleviate  their  sufferings.  The 
different  coloured  facings  of  the  wounded  told  that  many 
Austrian  regiments  had  been  engaged  in  the  late  combats,  for 
the  uniforms  of  the  different  infantry  regiments  could  be  distin- 
guished, besides  those  of  hussars  and  riflemen. 

On  the  night  of  the  1st  the  main  body  of  the  First  Army 

lay  between  Kammenitz  and  Horitz.     General  von  Bittenfeld 

had  occupied  Smidar  on  the  right  flank,  and  Jung  Bunzlau*  was 

also  occupied  in  the  same  direction.    The  head  of  the  columns 

of  the  Second  Army  had  crossed  the  Upper  Elbe,  asd  the 

:  whole   Prussian  force  was  free  for  operations  in  Bohemia,  for 

!  the  Hanoverians  had  laid  down  their  arms  near  Erfurth,  and 

i  there  were  now  no  hostile  troops  in  Northern  Germany. t 

The  inhabitants  of  the  towns  had  mostly  fled  on  the  approach 
i  of  the  Prussian  army,  but  the  country  villagers,  unable  to  afford 
jto  pay  for  transport,  had  been  obliged  to  remain  in  their 
houses.  Nor  did  they  suffer  by  doing  so,  for  the  Prussian 
(soldiers  behaved  well,  and  there  was  no  plundering  where  the 
; inhabitants  remained.  In  the  towns  where  there  was  no  one 
jto  sell,  the  commissariat  was  obliged  to  take  the  necessaries  of 
(life,  for  the  marches  had  been  long,  the  roads  had  been 
Icrowded  with  troops,  and  the  provision  trains  had  not  always 
been  able  to  keep  up  with  the  army.  But  the  soldiers  never 
jused  force  to  supply  their  wants.  Forage  for  the  horses  was 
itaken  from  the  barns  of  the  large  landed  proprietors,  who  had 
(deserted  their  castles  and  chateaux  ;  but  the  men  paid  for  what 
;they  had  from  the  peasantry  :  unable  to  speak  the  Bohemian 
language,  they  by  signs  made  their  wants  understood,  and  the 
peasantry,  as  far  as  lay  in  their  power,  supplied  them  readily, 
for  none  were  found  so  ignorant  as  not  to  appreciate  Prussian 
fcoin.      The    villagers    were    invariably    kindly    treated  \    no 

*  On  the  railway  between  Miinchengriitz  and  Prague, 
f  See  post, 


226  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VU, 

cottages  had  been  ransacked,  their  poultry  yards  had  been 
respected,  their  cattle  had  not  been  taken  away  from  them, 
and,  though  the  women  of  this  province  are  beautiful,  no 
Bohemian  girl  had  cause  to  rue  the  invasion  of  her  country. 
Yet  the  inhabitants  of  a  land  where  a  war  is  carried  on  must 
always  suffer ;  troops  must  move  through  the  standing  corn, 
cavalry  and  artillery  must  trample  down  the  crops ;  hamlets 
must  be  occupied,  defended,  and  assaulted,  and  a  shell,  in- 
tended to  fall  among  fighting  men,  must  often  unintentionally 
set  fire  to  a  cottage,  which,  blazing  fiercely,  communicates  the 
flames  to  others,  and  thus  a  whole  hamlet  is  often  destroyed. 
Then  the  ejected  cottagers  have  little  hope  of  anything  but 
starvation,  for  a  vast  army  with  its  many  hundred  thousand 
mouths  eats  up  everything  in  the  country,  and  can  spare  little 
after  its  own  necessities  are  supplied  to  give  away  in  charity. 
The  proprietors  of  the  burnt  houses  sometimes  wandered  about 
the  fields  dejected  and  desponding,  sometimes  stood  staring 
vacantly  at  the  cinders  and  charred  timbers  which  marked  the 
place  where  a  few  days  ago  stood  their  homes ;  the  little  money 
that  was  given  to  them  by  kind-hearted  officers  might  keep  off 
the  pangs  of  hunger  for  a  short  time,  but  was  no  compensation 
for  the  heavy  losses  they  had  sustained,  for  often  their  cottage 
and  their  cowhouse  and  a  little  field  was  all  their  wealth,  and 
since  these  were  gone  and  their  crop  destroyed,  they  had 
nothing.  The  young  men  even  in  the  country  districts  had 
nearly  all  fled  south,  frightened  by  a  report  that  the  Prussians 
would  make  them  join  the  ranks;  for  this  report  there  was 
never  a  foundation,  for  no  recruits  had  been  demanded  or 
received  in  the  countries  occupied  by  the  armies. 

Brilliant  success  had  attended  the  skilful  plans  laid  for  the 
prosecution  of  this  campaign  by  the  Prussian  leaders.  The 
army  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles  had  fought  five  severe 
combats  without  a  reverse,  and  had  secured  a  favourable  posi- 
tion in  which  to  fight  a  great  battle.  The  Crown  Prince  fought 
severe  actions  on  the  27th,  28th,  and  29th,  and  had  now 
secured  his  junction  with  Prince  Frederick  Charles,  bringing 
with  him  as  trophies  of  his  victories  15,000  prisoners,  24 
captured  guns,  six  stands  of  colours,  and  two  standards. 

The  places  where  there  had  been  fighting  did  not  longretair 


I 


Chap.  L]  PRECEDING  THE  BATTLE  OF  KOXIGGRATZ.    227 

the  more  ghastly  signs  of  the  combat ;  the  wounded  were 
always  removed  as  quickly  as  the  krankeiitrager  could  work, 
and  though  broken  boughs,  burnt  houses,  and  down-trodden 
corn  marked  for  a  few  days  the  places  where  the  hostile  troops 
had  been  engaged,  the  broken  arms  and  castaway  knapsacks 
were-  soon  removed,  and  the  graves  dotted  among  the  fields, 
each  with  a  wooden  cross  at  the  head,  alone  told  the  spots 
where  soldiers  had  fallen.  And  these,  too,  soon  disappeared, 
for  the  sun  and  the  rain  rapidly  diminished  the  mounds  of 
newly-turned  earth,  and  it  will  soon  be  impossible  to  distinguish 
the  positions  of  the  graves  from  the  other  parts  of  the  fields. 
But  this  will  matter  little  to  those  who  sleep  below.  The 
wounded  merited  greater  commiseration.  The  hospital  re- 
sources of  the  Prussian  army  had  been  tasked  to  the  utmost, 
for  more  wounded  prisoners  had  been  taken  than  could  have 
been  anticipated.  Every  available  house  and  the  churches  in 
Gitschin  had  been  converted  into  hospitals,  but  still  there  was 
more  room  required  ;  nor  would  the  few  remaining  inhabitants 
help  to  assist  the  wounded  Austrian  soldiers  ;  in  vain  did  the 
Prussian  staff  entreat,  imprecate,  and  threaten ;  the  towns- 
people who  were  still  at  Gitschin  would  not  even  carry  some  of 
the  coffee  which  they  had  in  abundance  to  give  to  the  wounded, 
and  these  from  the  scarcity  of  provisions  in  the  army  fared 
badly.  As  the  news  spread  abroad  in  the  country  that  the 
Prussians  did  not  pillage  and  murder,  the  people  began  to 
return  to  their  houses,  but  they  all  appeared  to  be  totally 
callous  to  the  sufferings  of  their  fellow-countrymen.  The 
Austrian  medical  men  and  hospital  attendants  who  were 
i  captured  at  Gitschin  worked  hard,  and  were  aided  powerfully 
I  by  the  Prussian  officers,  but  they  had  few  materials  with  which 
to  supply  the  wants  of  so  many;  and  though  none  went 
■  totally  unprovided  for,  and  none  were  entirely  neglected,  a 
little  trouble  on  the  part  of  the  inhabitants  would  have  tended 
(materially  to  the  comfort  and  cure  of  many. 

The  inhabitants  pleaded  as  an  excuse  that  the  Austrian 
.soldiery  had  treated  them  badly,  and  had  pillaged ;  but  this 
did  not  seem  true,  for  the  houses  bore  no  signs  of  having  been 
3lundered,  and  if  plundering  had  been  allowed  in  the  Austrian 
army  the  prisoners  would  not  have  had  to  complain  of  want  of 


22S  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VII. 

food.  Railway  traffic  was  already  opened  to  Miinchengratz, 
but  the  army  had  now  left  the  line  of  railway,  many  miles  of 
road  separating  it  from  the  nearest  station ;  and  in  those  miles 
of  road  lay  the  difficulty  of  supplying  the  troops  with  pro- 
visions. The  railway  trains  easily  brought  enough  to  any 
station,  but  at  this  time  the  roads  were  required  for  the  march- 
ing columns,  and  everything  had  to  give  way  for  the  passage  of 
the  troops. 

The  army  carried  no  tents ;  sometimes  at  night  the  soldiers 
were  billeted  in  villages,  but  more  often  slept  in  the  open  air. 
As  soon  as  a  regiment  arrived  at  the  place  where  it  was  to  pass 
the  night,  the  rifles  were  piled  four  together  resting  against  each 
other,  and  the  knapsacks  were  taken  off  and  laid  on  the  ground 
beside  them.     The  men  quickly  lighted  their  fires  and  began 
cooking  their  rations  ;  a  couple  of  stones  or  a  few  bricks  formed 
their  field  stoves,  and  their  whole  cooking  apparatus  consisted 
of  the  one  tin  can  which  they  carry  with  them.     This  serves 
for  both  boiling  the  water  for  coffee  and  for  making  their  meat 
into  a  thick  soup,  which  they  seem  to  prefer  to  roasted  food. 
As  soon  as  it  got  dark  each  man  lay  down  to  sleep  wrapped  in 
his  cloak  with  his  knapsack  for  a  pillow,  and  the  muffled  figures 
lay  as  regularly  in  the  bivouac  as  they  stood  in  the  ranks  on 
parade.     The  officers  lay  separate  in  groups  of  two  or  three, 
and  in   rear  of  the  battalion   the  horses  were  picketed   and 
champed  at  their  bits  uneasily  all   night   long,    and  seldom  « 
seemed  to  lie  down.     When  a  village  was  occupied  a  rush  was 
made  to  secure  mattresses,  but  these  were  only  used  by  the  s 
luxurious.     The  men,  as  a  rule,  appeared  to  prefer  straw,  and  I 
if  they  could  get  plenty  of  it  were  quite  content  to  sleep  in  the  \ 
open  air.     General  and  staff  officers  usually  contrived  to  get  | 
into  houses,  and  then  there  was  a  heavy  drain  on  the  sleeping  t 
accommodation   of  the    establishment.      One    had    a   pillow,  j 
another  a  mattress,  a  third  a  couple  of  blankets,  and  beds  were 
made  on  the  floor  on  the  most  advanced  shake-down  principles, 
but  all  slept  soundly,  for  the  day's  work  was  long  and  tiring, 
and  the  march  generally  begun  at  early  morning.     The  pro- 
prietors of  most  of  the  large  houses  had  not  only  left  them,  but 
had  taken  most  of  their  furniture  with  them,  so  that  the  tem- 
porary occupants  were  entirely  dependent  on  what  little  had 


Chap.  I.]  PRECEDING  THE  BATTLE  OF  KONIGGRATZ.    229 

been  left  behind,  and  had  to  make  it  up  by  by  borrowing  from 
the  nearest  cottages. 

On  the  30th  June  the  King  left  Berlin,  and  on  the  afternoon 
of  the  1  st  July  arrived  at  Gitschin,  where  in  person  he  assumed 
the  supreme  command  of  the  three  Prussian  armies  in  Bohemia. 
It  was  decided  by  him  that  the  troops  should  halt  on  the  2nd 
July,  to  recover  from  the  great  fatigues  they  had  lately  under- 
gone. 

A  council  of  war  was  ordered  to  assemble  at  Gitschin,  to 
which  Prince  Frederick  Charles  and  the  Crown  Prince  were 
summoned.  It  was  decided  that  on  the  3rd  the  First  Army 
should  send  a  reconnaissance  towards  Koniggratz,  that  the 
Second  should  send  a  strong  detachment  towards  Josephstadt, 
and  if  possible  cut  that  fortress  off  from  communication  with 
the  army  of  Feldzeugmeister  Benedek ;  while  the  remainder  of 
the  troops  halted  in  their  actual  positions. 

These  plans  were,  however,  entirely  altered  within  a  few 
hours. 


CHAPTER    II. 

BATTLE    OF    KONIGGRATZ. 

When  Prince  Frederick  Charles  left  Kammenitz  on  the 
morning  of  Monday,  the  2nd  July,  to  attend  the  council  of 
Avar  summoned  by  the  King  to  meet  at  Gitschin,  he  sent  out 
two  officers  to  reconnoitre  beyond  Horitz ;  both  fell  in  with 
Austrian  troops,  and  had  to  fight  and  ride  hard  to  bring  their 
information  home  safely.  Major  Von  Ungar,  who  went  in  the 
direction  of  Koniggratz,  escorted  by  a  few  dragoons,  came 
upon  a  large  force  of  Austrian  cavalry  and  Jagers  before  he  got 
to  the  little  river  Bistritz,  over  which  the  road  from  Horitz  to 
Koniggratz  crosses,  about  half  way  between  those  two  towns. 
A  squadron  of  cavalry  made  an  immediate  dash  to  catch  him, 
and  he  and  his  dragoons  had  to  ride  for  their  lives  ;  the 
Austria ns  pursued,  and  those  best  mounted  came  up  to  the 
Prussians,  but  not  in  sufficient  numbers  to  stop  them,  and 
after  a  running  skirmish,  in  which  Von  Ungar  received  a  lance 
thrust  in  the  side  which  carried  away  most  of  his  coat,  but 
hardly  grazed  the  skin,  this  reconnoitring  party  safely  gained 
the  outposts  of  their  own  army.  More  on  the  Prussian  right 
the  other  reconnoitring  officer  also  found  the  Austrians  in  force, 
and  was  obliged  to  retire  rapidly.  From  the  reports  of  these 
officers,  and  from  other  information  which  Prince  Frederick 
Charles  received  at  Kammenitz  on  his  return  from  the  council 
of  war  held  at  Gitschin,  he  inferred  that  the  Austrian  com- 
mander had  the  intention  of  advancing  the  next  day  from  the 
Bistritz,  with  the  object  of  attacking  the  First  Prussian  Army 
with  superior  force,  before  its  junction  with  that  of  the  Crown 
Prince  was  practically  effected. 

Prince  Frederick  Charles,  in  order  to   secure  a  favourable 


Chap.  II.]  BATTLE   OF  KONIGGRATZ.  231 

position  in  which  to  accept  this  probable  attack,  resolved 
immediately  to  move  his  army  forward  beyond  Horitz,  and 
sent  orders  to  General  Von  Bittenfeld  to  advance  with  the 
army  of  the  Elbe  to-  Neu  Bidsow,  and  be  prepared  thence  to 
fall  upon  the  left  wing  of  the  Austrian  column  of  advance,  while 
he  himself  assailed  its  leading  divisions.  At  the  same  time  he 
sent  Lieutenant  Von  Normand  with  a  letter  to  the  Crown 
Prince,  asking  him  to  push  forward  in  the  morning  from 
Miletin  with  one  corps,  and  attack  the  right  flank  of  the 
Austrians  while  he  himself  engaged  them  in  front.  There  was 
some  fear  that  the  Austrian  cavalry  patrols  and  detachments 
which  were  prowling  about  would  intercept  the  aide-de-camp 
and  stop  the  letter,  but  Von  Normand  succeeded  in  avoiding 
them,  and  got  safely  to  the  Crown  Prince's  head-quarters  at 
one  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  3rd,  and  rejoined  Prince 
Frederick  Charles  at  four  to  report  the  success  of  his  mission, 
and  to  bring  to  the  leader  of  the  First  Army  an  assurance  of 
the  co-operation  of  the  Second.  Had  this  aide-de-camp  been 
taken  prisoner  or  killed  on  his  way  to  Miletin,  his  loss  would 
have  probably  influenced  the  whole  campaign,  for  on  that  letter 
depended  in  a  great  measure  the  issue  of  the  battle. 

The  commander  of  the  First  Army  sent  at  the  same  time  his 
chief  of  the  staff,  General  Von  Voigt  Rhetz,  to  acquaint  the 
King  at  Gitschin  with  the  steps  he  was  prepared  to  take,  and 
to  solicit  his  approval  of  them.  The  King  expressed  his 
entire  approbation  of  the  plan  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles, 
and  sent  an  officer  of  his  own  staff  to  order  the  Crown  Prince 
to  advance  in  the  morning  against  the  Austrian  right,  not  with 
one  corps  alone,  but  with  all  his  available  forces.  An  officer  of 
the  King's  staff  was  also  sent  to  General  Herwarth  von  Bitten- 
feld, with  an  endorsement  of  the  order  already  signed  by  Prince 
Frederick  Charles. 

Long  before  midnight  the  troops  were  all  in  motion,  and  at 
half-past  one  in  the  morning  the  general  staff  left  Kammenitz. 
The  moon  occasionally  shone  out  brightly,  but  was  generally 
hidden  behind  clouds,  and  then  could  be  distinctly  seen  the 
decaying  bivouac  fires  in  the  places  which  had  been  occupied 
by  the  troops  along  the  road.  These  fires  looked  like  large 
will-o'-the-wisps  as  their  flames  flickered  about  in  the  wind,  and 


232  SEVEN  WEEK'S'    WAR.  [Cook  VII. 

stretched  for  many  a  mile,  for  there  were  100,000  soldiers  with 
the  First  Army  alone,  and  the  bivouacs  of  so  great  a  force 
spread  over  a  wide  extent  of  country.  Day  gradually  began  to 
break,  but  with  the  first  symptoms  of  dawn  a  drizzling  rain 
came  on,  which  lasted  until  late  in  the  afternoon.  The  wind 
increased  and  blew  coldly  upon  the  soldiers,  for  they  were 
short  of  both  sleep  and  food,  while  frequent  gusts  bore  down 
to  the  ground  the  water-laden  corn  in  the  wide  fields  alongside 
the  way. 

The  main  road  from  Horitz  to  Koniggratz  sinks  into  a  deep 
hollow  near  the  village  of  Milowitz.  On  the  side  of  this 
hollow  furthest  from  Horitz,  is  placed  near  the  road  the  village 
of  that  name,  and  on  the  left  of  the  road,  on  the  same  bank, 
stands  a  thick  fir  wood.  A  little  after  midnight  the  army  of 
Prince  Frederick  Charles  was  entirely  concealed  in  this  hollow, 
ready  to  issue  from  its  ambush  and  attack  the  Austrians  if  they 
should  advance.*  Soon  after  dawn,  a  person  standing  between 
the  village  of  Milowitz  and  the  further  hill  of  Dub  could  see  no 
armed  men,  except  a  few  Prussian  vedettes  posted  along  the 
Dub  ridge,  whose  lances  stood  in  relief  above  the  summit, 
against  the  murky  sky.  A  few  dismounted  officers  were 
standing  below  a  fruit-tree  in  front  of  Milowitz,  with  their 
horses  held  by  some  orderlies  behind  them.  These  were 
Prince  Frederick  Charles  and  his  staff.  All  was  still,  except 
when  the  neigh  of  a  horse,  or  a  loud  word  of  command  as  the 
last  divisions  formed,  rose  mysteriously  from  the  hollow  of 
Milowitz. 

Until  nearly  four  o'clock  the  army  remained  concealed. 
No  Austrian  scouts  came  pricking  over  the  hill  of  Dub,  no 
enemy's  skirmishers  were  detected  in  the  corn  by  the  side  of 
the  high  road.  Prince  Frederick  Charles  began  to  fear  that  the 
Austrian  commander  meant  to  slip  away  from  the  encounter, 
and  to  steal  behind  the  Elbe,  where  his  right  flank  would 
be  covered  by  Josephstadt,  from  the  assault  of  the  army  of 
Silesia. 


*  The  eighth  division  and  cavalry,  with  the  fifth  and  sixth  divisions  in 
rear,  were  on  the  left  of  the  road,  while  the  third  and  fourth  divisions 
were  behind  the  villages  of  Bristau  and  Stracow  respectively,  in  the  same 
hollow. 


Chap.   II.]  BATTLE   OF  KONIGGRATZ.  233 

To  hold  the  Austrian  army  in  front  of  the  Elbe  was  abso- 
lutely necessary  for  the   success  of  the  Prussian  plans,  and 
Prince  Frederick  Charles  resolved,  with  his  own  army  alone,  to 
:  engage  the  whole  of  Benedek's  forces,  and    clinging  to   the 
I  Austrian  commander,   to  hold  him  on  the  Bistritz  until  the 
!  Prussian  flank  attacks  could  be  developed.     A  few  short  words 
j  passed  from  the  commander  of  the  First  Army  to  the  chief 
!of  his    staff;    a   few   aides-de-camp,   mounting   silently,  rode 
i quietly  away;  and,  as  it  were  by  the  utterance  of  a  magician's 
I  spell,  one  hundred  thousand  Prussian  warriors  springing  into 
Isight  as  if  from  the  bowels  of  the  armed  earth,  swept  over  the 
isouthern  edge  of  the  Milowitz  ravine,  towards  the  hill  of  Dub. 
The  head  of  the  eighth  division  was  on  the  main  road  to 
;K6niggratz,  while  the  third  and  fourth  divisions  spread  through 
.the  corn  lands  on  its  right.     The  fifth  and  sixth  divisions  fol- 
lowed the  eighth  in  reserve.     A  brigade  of  cavalry  served  on 
the  left  of  the  eighth  division  to  connect  the  main  army  with 
;he  seventh  division  under  Franzecky,  which  had  been  sent 
straight  from  Miletin  to  Cerekwitz,  in  order  to  cover  the  left 
■lank  of  the  First  Army. 

I    About  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  3rd  July,  the  army 

>egan  to  advance,  and  marched  slowly  up  the  gentle  hill  which 

•  leads  from  Milowitz  to  the  village  of  Dub,  two  miles  nearer 

Koniggratz.     The  corn  lay  heavy  and  tangled  from  the  rain, 

ipon  the  ground ;  the  skirmishers  pushed  through  it'  nimbly, 

)ut  the  battalions  which  followed  behind  in  crowded  columns 

oiled  heavily  through  the  down-beaten  crops,  and  the  artillery 

jiorses  had  to  strain  hard  on  their  traces  to  get  the  wheels  of 

he  gun-carriages   through  the  sticky  soil.     At  six  the  whole 

rmy  was  close  up  to  Dub,  but  it  was  not  allowed  to  go  upon 

re  summit  of  the  slope,  for  the  ridge  on  which  Dub  stands  had 

idden  all  its  motions,  and  the  Austrians  could  see  nothing  of 

ie  troops  collected  behind  the  crest.     Perhaps  they  thought 

lat  no  Prussians  were  near  them,  except  ordinary  advanced 

osts ;  for  the  cavalry  vedettes  which  had  been  pushed  forward 

ms  far  over  night  remained  on  the  top  of  the  ridge,  as  if  nothing 

ere  going  on  behind  them. 

From  the  top  of  the  slight  elevation  on  which  the  village  of 
'ub  stands,  the  ground  slopes  gently  down  to  the  river  Bistritz, 


234  SEVEN  WEEKS'   WAR.  [Book  VII. 

which  the  road  crosses  at  the  village  of  Sadowa,  a  mile  and  a 
quarter  from  Dub.  From  Sadowa  the  ground  again  rises 
beyond  the  Bistritz,and  to  the  little  village  ofChlum,  conspicuous 
by  its  church  tower  standing  at  the  top  of  the  gentle  hill,  a 
mile  and  a  half  beyond  Sadowa.  A  person  standing  that  morn- 
ing on  the  top  of  the  ridge  saw  Sadowa  below  him,  built  of 
wooden  cottages,  surrounded  by  orchards,  and  could  distinguish 
among  its  houses  several  water-mills,  but  these  were  not  at  work, 
for  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  village  had  been  sent  away,  and  a 
white  coat  here  and  there  among  the  cottages  was  not  a  pea- 
sant's blouse,  but  was  the  uniform  of  an  Austrian  soldier;  tliree 
quarters  of  a  mile  down  the  Bistritz  a  big  red-brick  house,  with 
a  high  brick  chimney  near  it,  looked  like  a  manufactory,  and  < 
some  large  wooden  buildings  alongside  it  were  unmistakeabMj 
warehouses  ;  close  to  these  a  few  wooden  cottages,  probably 
meant  for  the  workmen  employed  at  the  manufactory,  completed 
the  village  of  Dohalitz. 

A  little  more  than  three  quarters  of  a  mile  still  further  down, 
the  Bistritz  stood  the  village  of  Mokrovous, — like  most  Bohe-. 
mian  country  villages,  built  of  pine-wood  cottages  enclustered; 
in  orchard  trees.     The  Chateau  of  Dohalicka  stands  midway: 
between  Dohalitz  and  Mokrovous,  on  a  knoll  overhanging  the' 
river.     Behind  Dohalitz,  and  between  that  village  and  the  high- 
road which  runs  through  Sadowa,  there  lies  a  large  thick  wood   i 
many  of  the  trees  had  been  cut  down  about  ten  feet  above  thii* 
ground,  and  the  cut  down  branches  had  been  twisted  togethe- 
between  the  standing  trunks  of  the  trees  which  were  nearest  t< 
the  river,  to  make  an  entrance  into  the  wood  from  the  fronJ 
extremely  difficult.     On  the  open  slope  between  Dohalitz  an<]l 
Dohalicka  along  the  ground  there  seemed  to  run  a  dark  dotte  M 
line  of  stumpy  bushes,  but  the  telescope  showed  that  these  werjlj 
guns,  and  that  this  battery  alone  contained  about  sixty  piece:B 
Four  miles  down  the  Bistritz,  from  Sadowa  could  be  seen  thfl 
house-tops  of  Nechanitz,  above  which  rose  the  dark  nr-woocjiM 
that  clustered  round  the  Castle  of  Hradek.     Looking  to  trfl 
left,  up  the  course  of  the  Bistritz,  the  ground  was  open  betwedM 
the    orchards    of  Sadowa   and   the    trees   which   grow   rour'  | 
Benatek,  a  little  village  about  two  miles  above  Sadowa,  exce 
where,  midway  between  these  villages,  a  broad  belt  of  nr-woo*i 


hap.  II.]  BATTLE    OF  KOXIGGRATZ.  235 

ins  for  three-quarters  of  a  mile.  Above  and  beyond  these 
llages  and  woods  on  the  course  of  the  river,  the  spire  of  Chlum 
as  seen ;  below  it  a  few  houses,  gardens,  and  patches  of  fir- 
ood ;  and  a  little  to  the  left,  rather  down  the  hill,  the  cottages 
f  the  hamlet  of  Cistowes,  and  on  the  side  of  the  main  road 
le  orchards,  and  the  house-tops  of  Lipa. 
On  the  extreme  left,  at  the  foot  of  the  hills,  lay  the  larger 
llage  of  Horenowes,  above  which  stood  on  the  bare  plateau 
hat  appeared  to  be  a  large  single  tree."' 

The  air  was  thick  and  hazy,  the  rain  came  down  steadily, 

nd  the  wind  blew  bitterly  cold,  while  the  infantry  and  artillery 

ere  waiting  behind  the  brow  of  the  hill  near  Dub.     At  seven 

clock  Prince  Frederick  Charles  pushed  forward  some  of  his 

avalry   and   horse   artillery.     They   moved   down    the    slope 

pwards  the  Bistritz  at  a  gentle  trot,  slipping  about  on  the 

I  jreasy  ground,  but  keeping  most  beautiful  lines;  the  lance  flags 

If  the  Uhlans,  wet  with  the  rain,  flapping  heavily  against  the 

.  caves.     At  the  bottom  of  the  hill  the  trumpets  sounded,  and  in 

aaking  their  movements  to  gain  the  bridge  the  squadrons  began 

wheeling  and  hovering  about  the  side  of  the  river,  as  if  they 

'ourted  the  fire  of  the  enemy.     Then  the  Austrian  guns  opened 

jpon  them  from  a  battery  placed  in  a  field  near  the  village  at 

"hich  the  main  road  crosses  the  Bistritz,  and  the  battle  of 

loniggratz  began. 

j  Feldzeugmeister  Benedek  had  drawn  up  the  Austrian  army 
'  0  accept  battle  in  this  position  seen  from  the  Dub  hill.  His 
entre  lay  in  front  of  Chlum,  where  the  hills  attain  their  greatest 
'eight ;  in  his  front  was  the  marshy  stream  of  the  Bistritz. 
batteries  had  been  thrown  up  in  some  positions  favourable  for 
ringing  a  heavy  artillery  fire  to  bear  against  his  assailants,  and 
:ie  ranges  of  different  distances  from  these  batteries  marked  by 
|oles  and  barked  trees.  Little  was  spared  to  bring  the  artillery, 
ie  best  arm  of  the  Austrian  service,  into  action  with  every 
dvantage.t     The  villages  were  also  barricaded  and  prepared 

*  The  supposed  solitary  tree  was  in  reality  two  trees,  but  was  taken  to  be 
ie  by  both  Prussian  armies,  and  from  the  fortress  of  Koniggratz. 
■  t  The  great  loss  of  Austrian  guns  was  due  to  the  horses  and  limbers  being 
!nt  under  cover  of  the  hill  out  of  fire.  When  the  Prussians  advanced  only 
ie  lightest  guns  could  be  saved,  and  nearly  one  third  of  the  Austrian  pieces 
agaged  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  victors. 


236  SEVEN  WEEKS'   WAR.  [Book  VII. 

with  abattis  for  infantry  defence,  but  not  sufficiently.  The  right 
flank  of  the  Austrian  position  was  covered  to  a  certain  extent 
by  the  Trotina  brook,  which  flows  through  a  deep  marshy 
ravine  into  the  Elbe,  but  little  had  been  done  by  the  engineer 
to  aid  in  opposing  the  passage  of  this  naturally  strong  feature. 
The  left  wing  was  supported  by  the  wood  and  castle  of  Hradek. 
while  the  left  centre  was  strengthened  by  possession  of  the: 
villages  of  Problus  and  Prim.  Feldzeugmeister  Benedek  hac 
formed  his  army  in  the  following  order  of  battle  : — 

The  Saxons  on  the  left  wing  held  Problus,  with  an  advancer 
guard  in  Nechanitz ;  in  rear  of  them  stood  the  eighth  corps_ 
the  first  light  cavalry  division,  and  the  second  division  of  reservd 
cavalry  at  Prim. 

In  the  centre,  the  tenth  corps  was  posted  round  Langenhoi: 
the  third  corps  round  Cistowes,  and  the  fourth  corps  at  Mas; 
lowed,  with  a  detachment  in  Benatek. 

On  the  right  wing,  the  second  corps  and  the  second  division 
of  light  cavalry  were  at  Sendrasctz,  while  on  the  extreme  rigb' 
flank  the  Schwarz-gclb  brigade  held  the  Trotina. 

As  reserves,  the  first  corps  was  posted  on  the  left  of  the  maij 
road  near  Rosnitz,  the  sixth  corps  on  the  right  of  the  road  0 
the  south  of  Rosberitz  ;  in  rear  of  these  were  the  first  and  thir 
divisions  of  reserve  cavalry. 

The  first  shot  was  fired  about  half-past  seven.  The  Prussia' 
horse  artillery,  close  down  to  the  river,  replied  to  the  Austria, 
guns,  but  neither  side  fired  heavily,  and  for  half  an  hour  tH 
cannonade  consisted  of  but  little  more  than  single  shots.  At 
quarter  before  eight  the  King  of  Prussia  arrived  on  the  fiel 
and  very  soon  after  the  horse  artillery  were  reinforced  by  oth 
field  batteries,  and  the  Prussian  gunners  began  firing  their  she . 
quickly  into  the  Austrian  position.  As  soon  as  the  Prussian  fi 
actively  commenced  Austrian  guns  seemed  to  appear,  as  if  " 
magic,  in  every  point  of  the  position;  from  every  road,  from  eve' 
village,  from  the  orchard  of  Mokrovous,  on  the  Prussian  right,  • 
the  orchard  of  Benatek,  on  their  left,  came  flashes  of  fire  a  • 
whizzing  rifle  shells,  which,  bursting  with  a  sharp  crack,  st: 
their  splinters  rattling  among  the  guns,  gunners,  carriages,  ail- 
horses,  often  killing  a  man  or  horse,  sometimes  dismounting 
gun,  but  always  ploughing  up  the  earth,  and  scattering  the  ml 


;iiap.  II. ]  BATTLE   OF  KOXIGGRATZ.  237 

n  the  men's  faces.  But  the  Austrians  did  not  confine  them- 
elves  to  firing  on  the  artillery  alone,  for  they  threw  their  shells 
ip  the  slope  opposite  to  them  towards  Dub,  and  one  shell 
:ame  slap  into  a  squadron  of  Uhlans,  who  were  close  beside 
he  King ;  burying  itself  with  a  heavy  thud  in  the  ground,  it 
plew  up  columns  of  mud  some  twenty  feet  in  the  air,  and, 
)ursting  a  moment  after,  reduced  the  squadron  by  four  files. 

As  soon  as  the  cannonade  in  front  became  serious,  the  guns 
!)f  the  seventh  division  began  to  bombard  the  village  of 
Senatek,  on  the  Austrian  right.  The  Austrians  returned  shot 
or  shot,  and  neither  side  either  gained  or  lost  ground.  In  the 
:entre,  too,  the  battle  was  very  even ;  the  Prussians  pushed 
jattery  after  battery  into  the  action,  and  kept  up  a  tremendous 
;ire  on  the  Austrian  guns,  but  these  returned  it,  and  sometimes 
Lvith  interest,  for  the  Austrian  artillery  officers  knew  their 
ground,  and  every  shell  fell  true  ;  many  officers  and  men  fell, 
,ind  many  horses  were  killed  or  wounded.  More  Kranken- 
pagers  were  sent  down  to  the  batteries,  and  always  returned 
Dairying  on  stretchers  men  whose  wounds  had  been  hastily 
jound  up  under  fire,  but  who  seemed  to  be  too  much  stunned 
:o  suffer  much  from  pain. 

Gradually  the  Prussian  cannonade  appeared  to  get  stronger, 
and  the  Austrian  batteries  between  Dohalitz  and  Dohalicka 
(retired  higher  up  the  hill,  but  the  guns  at  Mokrovous  still  stood 
last,  and  the  Prussians  had  not  yet  crossed  the  Bistritz  ;  many 
guns  were  now  turned  on  Mokrovous,  and  at  ten  o'clock  the 
battery  there  was  also  obliged  to  retire  a  little. 

While  this  cannonade  had  been  going  on,  some  of  the  in- 
fantry had  been  moved  down  towards  the  river,  where  they  took 
shelter  from  the  fire  under  a  convenient  undulation  of  ground. 

The  eighth  division  came  down  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the 
causeway,  and,  under  the  cover  of  the  rising  in  the  ground, 
iformed  its  columns  for  the  attack  of  the  village  of  Sadowa ; 
while  the  third  and  fourth  divisions,  on  the  right-hand  side  of 
pe  road  prepared  to  storm  Dohalitz  and  Mokrovous.  A  little 
before  their  preparations  were  complete  the  village  of  Benatek, 
on  the  Austrians'  right,  caught  fire,  and  the  seventh  division 
made  a  dash  to  secure  it,  but  the  Austrians  were  not  driven  out 
by  the  flames,  and  here  for  the  first  time  in  the  battle  was  there 


238  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VII. 

hand-to-hand  lighting.  The  27th  regiment  led  the  attack,  and 
rushed  into  the  orchards  of  the  village  ;  the  burning  houses 
s  ^parated  the  combatants ;  they  poured  volley  after  volley  at 
each  other  through  the  flames  ;  but  the  Prussians  found  means 
to  get  round  the  burning  houses,  and,  taking  the  defenders  in; 
reverse,  forced  them  to  retire  with  the  loss  of  many  prisoners. 

It   was    ten    o'clock   when   Prince    Frederick    Charles  sent' 
General  Stiilpnagel  to  order  the  attack  on   Sadowa,  Dohalitz,' 
and    Mokrovous.     The    columns   advanced    covered  by  skir-j 
mishers,  and  reached  the  river  bank  without  much  loss,  but' 
from  there  they  had  to  fight  every  inch  of  their  way.     The 
Austrian  infantry  held  the  bridges  and  villages  in  force,  ancf; 
Bred  fast  upon  them  as  they  approached.    The  Prussians  coulo, 
advance  but  slowly  along  the  narrow  ways  and  against  the; 
defences  of  the  houses,  and  the  volleys  sweeping  through  tht 
ranks  seemed  to  tear  the  soldiers  down.     The  Prussians  fired  i 
much  more  quickly  than  their  opponents,  but  they  could  no,': 
see  to  take  their  aim  ;  the   houses,  trees,  and  smoke  from  th<! 
Austrian  discharges  shrouded  the  villages.     Sheltered  by  these' 
the  Austrian  Jagers  fired  blindly  where  they  could  tell  by  heai<  I 
ing  that  the  attacking  columns  were,  and  the  shots  told  tremera  1 
dously  on  the   Prussians  in   their  close  formations  ;    but  th 
latter  improved  their  positions,  although  slowly,  and  by  dint  c  i 
sheer  courage  and  perseverance,  for  they  lost  men  at  every  yar.| 
of  their  advance,  and  in  some  places  almost  paved  the  wa;  j 
with    wounded.       Then,   to   help    the    infantry,    the    Prussia 
artillery  turned  its  fire,  regardless  of  the  enemy's  batteries,  c 
the  villages,  and  made  tremendous  havoc  among  the  houseB 
Mokrovous  and  Dohalitz  both  caught  fire,  and   the  shells  ft 
quickly  and  with  fearful  effect  among  the  defenders   of  tl 
flaming  hamlets ;    the   Austrian   guns    also   played  upon  tl 
attacking  infantry,  but  at  this  time  these  were  sheltered  fro 
their  fire  by  the  houses  and  trees  between. 

In  and  around  the  villages  the  fighting  continued  for  near 
an  hour;  then  the  Austrian  infantry,  who  had  been  theii- 
driven  out  by  a  rush  of  the  Prussians,  retired,  but  only  a  litt 
way  up  the  slope  into  a  line  with  their  batteries.  The  wo< 
above  Sadowa  was  strongly  held,  and  that  between  Sadowa  ai 
Benatek,  teeming  with  riflemen,  stood  to  bar  the  way  of  tit] 


:HAP.   II.]  BATTLE   OF  KOXIGGRATZ.  239 

seventh  division.  But  General  Franzecky,  who  commanded 
his  division,  was  not  to  be  easily  stopped,  and  he  sent  his 
nfantry  at  the  wood,  and  turned  his  artillery  on  the  Austrian 
patteries.  The  seventh  division  began  firing  into  the  trees,  but 
bund  they  could  not  make  any  impression,  for  the  defenders 
vere  concealed,  and  musketry  fire  was  useless  against  them, 
ranzecky  let  them  go,  and  they  dashed  in  with  the  bayonet. 
The  Austrians  would  not  retire,  but  waited  for  the  struggle, 
md  in  the  wood  above  Benatek  was  fought  out  one  of  the 
iercest  combats  which  the  war  has  seen.  But  the  wood  was 
:arried.  The  Austrian  line  of  advanced  posts  was  now  driven 
n  on  the  Bistritz,  but  its  commander  had  formed  his  main 
ine  of  battle  a  little  higher  up  the  hill,  round  Lipa,  still  hold- 
ng  the  wood  which  lies  above  Sadowa. 

Then  the  Prussian  artillery  was  sent  across  the  Bistritz,  and 
3egan  to  fire  upon  the  new  Austrian  position.  At  the  same 
ime  the  smoke  of  General  Herwarth's  advance  was  gradually 
;een  moving  towards  the  Austrian  left.  He  had  at  Nechanitz 
bund  the  brigade  of  Saxon  troops  which  formed  the  advanced 

t  ront  of  the  corps  at  Problus,  with  some  Austrian  cavalry,  and 
ivas  driving  them  towards  Problus  and  Prim,  himself  following 

t  [n  such  a  direction  that  it  appeared  he  would  turn  the  Austrian 
eft  flank.  But  the  Austrian  commander  seemed  determined 
fo  hold  his  position,  and  heavy  masses  of  infantry  and  cavalry 
:ould  be  seen  on  the  upper  part  of  the  slope. 

By  eleven  o'clock  the  eighth  division  of  the  Prussian  infantry 
had  taken  the  village  of  Sadowa,  the  fourth  that  of  Dohalitz, 
}md  the  third  that  of  Dohalicka.  The  eighth  division  was  now 
lent  against  the  wood,  which,  above  these  places,  runs  along 
[he  side  of  the  Sadowa  and  Lipa  road,  while  the  third  and 
ourth  divisions  attempted  to  bear  the  battle  up  the  hill  towards 
Lipa,  and  to  attack  the  left  flank  of  the  wood.  The  Prussians 
idvanced  against  the  nearest  trees,  but  did  not  at  first  make 
nuch  impression,  for  the  Austrians  being  here  again  concealed, 
he  fire  of  the  needle-gun  did  not  tell,  and  a  whole  battery 
)laced  at  the  far  end  of  the  wood  fired  through  the  trees,  and 
old  on  their  ranks  with  awful  effect.  But  the  assailants  fought 
)n,  at  last  broke  down  the  obstacles  at  the  entrance,  and  then 
lashed  in.     The  fighting  continued  from  tree  to  tree,  and  the 


240  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VII 

Austrians  made  many  a  rush  to  recover  the  lost  position  of  tin 
wood,  but  in  this  close  fighting  their  boyish  troops  went  dowi 
easily  before  the  the  strong  men  of  the  eighth  division ;  bu 
when  the  defenders  drew  back  a  little,  and  their  artillery  playet 
into  the  trees,  the  Prussians  suffered  fearfully,  and  about  hall 
way  up  in  the  wood  the  fight  became  stationary. 

For  two  hours  more  it  continued  so  ;  in  vain  Home,  wh 
commanded  the  eighth  division,  strove  to  push  along  the  roa 
or  through  the  trees  to  storm  the  battery  beyond.  The  fir 
was  too  terrible,  and  his  men  became  gradually  exhausted. 

A  few  minutes  after  the  Prussians  had  occupied  the  village 
along  the  Bistritz,  Feldzeugmeister  Benedek  was  informed  til 
the  sixth  Prussian  corps  belonging  to  the  army  of  the  Crow 
Prince  was  threatening  his  right  flank.  He  sent  orders  th; 
this  attack  should  be  checked  or  detained,  and  appears  to  hal 
calculated  that  the  Crown  Prince  could  be  held  in  check  unt 
he  had  time  to  inflict  a  severe  blow  upon  the  army  of  Princ 
Frederick  Charles.  With  this  aim  he  made  his  preparatidj 
for  a  counter-attack  between  Problus  and  Lipa,  which  was 
be  made  as  soon  as  his  artillery  had  shaken  the  Prussian  lii 
sufficiently.  Sixty-four  guns  were  stationed  between  Lipa  ar 
Streselitz  to  fire  on  the  third  and  fourth  Prussian  division,  ar 
some  of  the  reserves  of  cavalry  and  infantry  were  moved  up 
positions  favourable  for  making  the  counter-attack. 

At  this  time  the  Austrian  artillery  were  making  splend 
practice,  and  about  one  o'clock,  the  whole  battle  line  of 
Prussians  could  gain  no  more  ground,  and  wTas  obliged  to  fig 
hard  to  retain  the  position  it  had  won.  At  one  time  it  seem- 
as  if  it  would  be  lost,  for  guns  had  been  dismounted  by  t 
Austrian  fire,  and  in  the  wooded  ground  the  needle-gun  had  : 
fair  field,  and  the  infantry  fight  was  very  equal. 

Then  Prince  Frederick  Charles  sent  the  fifth  and  so 
divisions  forward.  They  laid  down  their  helmets  and  knapsac 
on  the  ground,  and  advanced  to  the  river.  The  King  w 
now  near  to  the  Bistritz,  and  the  troops  cheered  him  loudly 
they  marched  into  the  battle.  They  went  over  the  Sadc 
bridge,  disappeared  into  the  wood,  and  soon  the  increasj 
noise  of  the  musketry  told  they  had  begun  to  fight;  but  tl 
Austrian  gunners  sent  salvo  after  salvo  among  them,  and  tfa| 


Cuap.  II.]  BATTLE   OF  KONIGGRATZ.  241 

did  not  push  the  battle  forwards  more  than  a  few  hundred 
yards,  for  they  fell  back  themselves,  and  they  could  not  reach 
the  enemy.  Not  only  did  the  fragments  of  the  shells  fly  about 
among  them,  scattering  death  and  awful  gashes  among  their 
ranks,  but  the  portions  of  the  trees,  torn  by  the  artillery  fire, 
flew  thickly  about,  huge  ragged  splinters  that  caused  even  more 
frightful  wounds. 

Herwarth,  too,  was  checked  upon  the  right.  The  smoke  of 
his  musketry  and  artillery,  which  had  hitherto  been  pushing 
forward  steadily,  stood  still. 

He  had  marched  with  his  three  divisions  from  Smidar  to 
Nechanitz,  and  had  made  himself  master  of  this  village  at  the 
same  time  as  the  divisions  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles  had 
occupied  the  hamlets  further  up  the  Bistritz.  The  Saxon 
artillery  withdrew  to  the  heights  by  Problus  and  Prim,  and  to 
an  intrenchment  beside  the  Hradek  wood.  Then  here  also 
the  battle  came  to  a  standstill.  It  required  a  long  time  to 
bring  the  artillery  over  the  Bistritz,  for  the  Saxons  had  broken 
the  bridge  at  Nechanitz,  no  ford  could  be  found,  and  the  banks 
of  the  river  were  too  marshy  to  allow  of  the  guns  being  dragged 
through  the  stream. 

About  one  o'clock  Herwarth's  pioneers  had  repaired  the 
bridge,  and  his  artillery  had  been  brought  across  the  river.  He 
then  directed  the  fourteenth  division,  commanded  by  General 
Minister,  against  Problus  through  Lubno  as  his  left  wing.  In 
his  centre  he  sent  the  fifteenth  division,  under  General  Canstein, 
against  Prim,  while  the  sixteenth  division,  under  General  Etzel, 
made  a  wide  sweep  to  the  right,  in  order  to  turn  the  left  of  the 
Austrian  position  at  the  Castle  of  Hradek.  Problus  and  Prim 
were  strengthened  with  barricades  and  abattis.  The  Saxons 
and  the  eighth  Austrian  corps  fought  nobly.  A  hot  battle 
ensued  here,  which  lasted  till  past  three  o'clock. 

Affairs  did  not  apparently  go  more  favourably  for  the 
Prussians  in  the  centre.  The  whole  of  the  First  Army  was 
severely  engaged,  with  the  exception  of  eight  batteries  of 
artillery  and  the  cavalry  which  was  still  held  in  reserve.  The 
reserve  artillery  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles  was  sent  a  little 
distance  up  the  Bistritz,  in  order  to  bring  a  fire  against  the 
flank  of  the  Sadowa  wood,  to  search  out  the  defenders,  and  if 

R 


242  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VII. 

possible  to  dismount  the  guns  in  the  batteries  in  front  of  Lipa. 
But,  notwithstanding,  the  Austrians  clung  obstinately  to  the 
trees. 

Franzecky's  men,  cut  to  pieces,  could  not  be  sent  forward  to 
attack  the  Sadowa  wood,  for  they  would  have  exposed  them- 
selves to  be  taken  in  rear  by  the  artillery  on  the  right  of  the 
Austrian  line  formed  in  front  of  Lipa.  The  First  Army 
was  certainly  checked  in  its  advance.  The  Prussian  com- 
manders began  to  look  anxiously  to  the  left  for  the  coming  of 
the  Crown  Prince.  Some  Austrian  guns  near  Lipa  were  seen 
to  be  firing  towards  the  Prussian  left,  and  it  was  hoped  they 
might  be  directed  against  the  advanced  guard  of  the  Second 
Army,  but  at  three  o'clock  there  were  no  signs  of  Prussian 
columns  advancing  against  Lipa.  The  generals  became  mani- 
festly uneasy,  and  they  drew  Home's  division  out  of  the 
vSadowa  wood.  Cavalry  was  also  formed  up,  so  that  it  would 
be  available  either  for  the  pursuit  of  the  Austrians,  or  for  re- 
tarding their  pursuit. 

When  Prince  Frederick  Charles  sent  the  night  before  the 
battle  to  request  the  co-operation  of  the  Crown  Prince,  the 
latter  sent  back  an  answer  that  he  would  be  on  the  field  at  two 
o'clock.     More  than  faithful  to  his  promise,  he  was  there  with 
two  corps  at  half-past  twelve,  and  his  artillery  was  engaged 
with  the  batteries  on  the  Austrian  right  at  that  hour.     But  the 
fire  from  the  Austrian  batteries  was  so  terrible  that  he  could  ; 
not  attack  with   his  infantry  till   something   had   been   done 
towards  silencing  the  enemy's  guns.     The  generals  directing  . 
the  first  attack  could  see  nothing  of  the  Crown  Prince's  in- 
fantry, as  they  were  hidden  in  the  undulations  of  the  ground.  ,t 
The  aide-de-camp  despatched  from  the  Second  Army  to  tell  the 
King  that  the  Crown  Prince  was  engaged  had  to  make  a  long 
detour,  and  did  not  reach  the  generals  directing  the  front  attack 
till  late  in  the  afternoon.     Hence  arose  great  uneasiness  in  the 
front,  for  from  the  direction  of  the  Austrian  guns  they  might 
have  been  firing  against  the  seventh  division,  which  formed  the , 
left  of  the  front  attack,  and  as  nothing  could  be  seen  of  the 
Crown  Prince's  troops  it  began  to  be  feared  that  he  had  been 
stopped  by  some  accident.    As  time  went  on  anxiety  increased, 
for  it  was  felt  that  the  Austrian  position  was  too  strong  to  be 


Chap.  II.]  BATTLE   OF  KONIGGRATZ.  243 

taken  by  a  front  attack  alone.  Glasses  were  anxiously  directed 
to  the  left,  but  the  day  being  wet  there  was  no  dust  to  show 
!  where  columns  marched,  and  nothing  could  be  seen  to  indicate 
the  advance  of  the  Second  Army  against  the  Austrian  right. 
The  King  himself  gazed  stedfastly  through  his  glass,  looking  in 
vain  through  the  misty  air.  No  glimpse  could  be  caught  of 
Prussian  riflemen  on  the  slope  to  the  left  of  Lipa,  and  no  bat- 
talions could  be  seen  ;  the  guns  also  were  out  of  sight,  for  they 
were  on  the  reverse  side  of  the  Lipa  ridge,  or  were  hidden  from 
1  the  position  of  the  staff  by  the  wood  that  runs  from  Benatek 
up  the  slope  towards  Lipa. 

The  anxiety  of  the  Prussian  generals  at  Sadowa  was,  how- 
ever, groundless.  While  they  were  still  unaware  that  the  Crown 
I  Prince  was  upon  the  field  of  battle,  some  of  his  soldiers  were 
already  in  the  very  heart  of  the  Austrians'  position,  and  holding 
;their  ground  against  repeated  attempts  by  superior  numbers  to 
dislodge  them. 

Advance  of  the  Crown  Prince. — On  receiving  the  request' 

from  Prince  Frederick  Charles  to  move  against  the  Austrians' 

right,   and  the  subsequent  order  from  the  King  to  the   same 

effect,  the  Crown  Prince  issued  orders  to  the  troops  to  march 

early  on  the  3rd  July.       His  orders  were  not   sent   out  till 

nearly  five  in  the  morning,  but  before  seven  the  heads  of  his 

columns  had  begun  to  move.     On  his  left  wing  the  sixth  corps 

crossed  the  Elbe  above  Jaromir,  and  marched  in  two  columns 

towards  the  Trotinka.     The  twelfth  division,  under  General 

Proudzinsky,  which  moved  down  the  Elbe  close  to  the  river, 

was  fired  upon  by  the  fortress  of  Josephstadt,  and  had  to  leave 

one  brigade  to  observe  the  garrison  of  that  place.     On  the 

"ight  wing  the  first  corps,  followed  by  the  cavalry  division,  was 

ordered  to  march  in  two  columns  by  Zabres  and  Grosz-Trotin 

0  Grosz-Burglitz.     In  the  centre,  the  corps  of  the  Guards  was 

0  move  from  Koniginhof  on  Jericek  and  Lhota.     The  fifth 

:orps  was  to  follow  the  sixth  corps  as  a  reserve,  and  to  march 

wo  hours  later  from  the  Elbe  to  Choteborek.     All  baggage 

md  train  were  to  be  left  behind. 

:  The  Crown  Prince  knew  nothing  of  the  Austrian  position. 
Vhere  he  should  find  the  Austrian  flank,  in  what  force,  and 
iow  defended,  were  questions  which  he  and  his  chief  of  the 

R  2 


244  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VII. 

staff  could  only  answer  on  the  actual  field  of  battle,  and  on  the 
spur  of  the  moment.  The  rain  had  already  fallen  heavily  for 
some  time  when  the  Second  Army  commenced  its  march.  The 
Crown  Prince  witnessed  the  passage  of  the  Elbe  at  Koniginhof 
by  a  portion  of  the  Guards,  and  then  hastened  forward  with  his 
staff  to  place  himself  at  the  head  of  the  column.  The  steep 
roads  leading  up  the  high  bank  of  the  valley  of  the  Elbe  to  the 
plateau  of  Daubrowitz,  slippery  and  heavy  with  the  rain,  tried 
severely  the  strength  of  both  men  and  horses. 

Directly  after  passing  Daubrowitz  the  Commander-in-chief  of 
the  Second  Army  saw  from   smoke  arising  from  a  cannonade, 
and  from  burning  houses  in  the  direction  of  Sadowa,  that  the 
First  Army  was   already  engaged.      The  wind   was   blowing 
towards  the  battle,  so  that  he  could  not  hear  the  cannonade, 
and  could   not  tell   in  which  direction  it  was  moving.      He 
directed  the  head  of  his  column  upon  Choteborek.     The  view 
extended  with  every  step  forward,  and  it  soon  became  apparent 
that  a  great  battle  was  being  waged.     At  a  quarter-past  eleven 
the  Crown  Prince  had  reached  the  chain  of  hills  to  the  west  of 
Choteborek  with  the  first  division  of  the  corps  of  the  Guards ; 
close  behind  him.     In  front  of  Choteborek  the  ground  formed 
a  low  trough  about  two  miles  wide,  in  which  there  were  many 
soft  and  marshy  places.      Beyond  this  trough  lay  the  hill  of 
Horenowes,  conspicuous  with  its  single  tree,  and  at  its  foot  the 
village  of  that  name.     Beyond  this  hill  the  view  was  shut  out,, 
but  on  its  western  side  the  eye  could  range  clearly  down  the;j 
valley  of  the  Bistritz,  where  it  was  easy  to  distinguish  the  situa- 
tions of  the  antagonistic  lines  of  battle  by  the  smoke  of  a  great: 
number  of  batteries  in  action,  and  by  the  flames  of  several 
burning  villages.     It  could  be  seen  that  the  seventh  division. 
which  formed  the  left  wing  of  the  First  Army,  was  fighting  an  \ 
unequal  battle  in  front  of  Benatek,  and  was  already  in  need  o:<| 
support. 

Towards  Grosz-Biirglitz  and  Welchow,  where  the  two  wing: 
of  the  Second  Army  were  to  debouch,  heavy  woods  shut  ou. 
the  view.  It  was  certain,  however,  that  if  these  two  corps,  ii 
execution  of  the  orders  which  had  been  given  them,  ha< 
reached  those  places,  the  further  march  of  the  Second  Arm; 
would  conduct  it  against  the  right  flank  and  partly  into  th 


Chap.  II.]  BATTLE   OF  KONIGGRATZ.  245 

rear  of  the  enemy's  position.  Already  the  army  of  the  Crown 
Prince  occupied  a  similar  position  with  regard  to  the  First 
Army,  as  that  of  Bliicher  to  the  British  line  on  the  day  of 
Waterloo. 

The  Crown  Prince  despatched  officers  to  ascertain  the  real 
positions  of  the  first  and  sixth  corps.  Hardly  had  they  left  his 
side  when  a  report  came  in  from  General  Von  Mutius  with  the 
intelligence  that  the  sixth  corps  had  already  reached  Welchow, 
and  in  consequence  of  the  heavy  cannonade  he  had  ordered  it 
to  push  on  in  the  direction  of  the  firing.  It  was  this  advance 
which,  reported  to  Benedek,  was  his  first  intimation  of  the 
I  advent  of  the  Crown  Prince,  and  which  he  ordered  to  be  held 
in  check  by  his  second  corps.  Fortune  had  ordained  that  the 
j  sixth  corps  should  have  been  casually  prepared  to  advance, 
because,  in  consequence  of  the  order  which  it  had  received  to 
make  a  reconnaissance  against  Josephstadt,  it  had  already 
■crossed  the  Elbe  when  the  second  order  for  an  advance  beyond 
Josephstadt  reached  it. 

In  a  short  time  the  fifth  corps  was  also  reported  by  General 
|Steinmetz  to  be  approaching  Choteborek.  No  news  had  come 
!in  from  the  first  corps,  but  it  was  known  that  on  account  of  its 
longer  march  its  arrival  could  hardly  yet  be  expected. 

The  Crown  Prince  determined,  with  the  first  division  of  the 
Guards,  which  he  held  available,  to  seize  the  hill  of  Horenowes. 
jln  order  to  do  so,  he  was  obliged  to  advance  across  the  marshy 
hollow,  where  his  troops  would  be  exposed,  without  any  cover, 
to  the  fire  of  the  Austrian  guns,  which  would  have  plenty  of 
jtime  to  collect  on  the  hill  in  large  quantities  while  the  Prussians 
were  traversing  the  low  ground.  To  save  his  men  as  much  as 
possible,  the  regiments  were  ordered  to  spread  out  and  to 
march  singly  on  the  Horenowes  hill,  where  their  chief  pointed 
out  the  conspicuous  trees  as  their  goal. 

It  was  a  remarkable  circumstance  that  the  columns  of  the 
Guards  could  descry  no  Austrian  patrols  or  outposts  to  oppose 
their  path.  One  battery  of  artillery  alone  could  be  seen  upon 
the  Horenowes  hill.  It  was  clear  that  the  advance  of  the 
Guards  would  turn  the  line  of  Austrian  guns,  which,  posted 
between  Horenowes  and  Maslowed,  were  playing  on  Franzecky, 
and  would  take  some  pressure  off  his  struggling  division.     As 


246  SEVEN   WEEKS'-    WAR.  [Book  VII. 

the  Guards  advanced,  these  guns  were  seen  to  change  theii 
position,  and  at  half-past  eleven  forty  Austrian  pieces  were 
ranged  beside  the  single  tree,  to  fire  against  the  advancing 
columns  of  the  Second  Army.  At  ten  minutes  to  twelve  the 
first  shell  was  discharged  from  these  batteries  against  the 
Prussian  Guards. 

The  advanced  guard  of  the  first  division  of  the  Prussiar 
Guards,  under  General  Alvensleben,  had  bivouacked  the  pre 
vious  night  at  Daubrowitz.  It  had  pushed  on  in  the  morninjj 
by  Burglitz  and  Zizelowes,  and  had  debouched  from  the  lattel 
place  in  the  direction  of  Horenowes,  at  a  quarter-past  eleveri 
A  quarter  of  an  hour  later,  five  4-pounder  batteries  of  thl 
Guard  opened  fire  against  an  Austrian  battery,  and  compelle? 
it  to  quit  its  position  between  Horenowes  and  Benatek.  H 
6 -pounder  Prussian  battery  at  the  same  time  opened  upon  tbi 
Austrian  artillery,  which  was  beginning  to  form  on  the  east  <; 
Horenowes,  while  the  infantry  advanced  by  Wrchwitz,  for  tti 
attack  of  that  village.  The  other  troops  of  the  division  followe; 
up  this  attack  by  way  of  Jericek. 

The  second  division   of  the  Guard  had  lain  the  previo'J 
night  at  Rettendorf,  considerably  in  rear  of  the  first  divisio.: 
Its  march  had  been  consequently  delayed,   and  the  reser 
artillery  of  the  Guard  corps,  as  well  as  the  heavy  cavalry  of  t 
Guard,  arrived  at  the  scene  of  action  before  this  division.     I ; 
direction  was  by  Choteborek  to  Lhota. 

At  eleven  o'clock  the  reserve  artillery  of  the  Guard  vX 
marching  on  the  left  rear  of  the  first  division.  The  groul 
heavy  with  rain,  and  the  high  corn  which  wound  itself  roul 
the  wheels  of  the  guns,  tired  the  horses  excessively.  In  frrl 
of  Jericek,  six  batteries  opened  fire,  to  signal  by  their  noisei 
the  First  Army  that  the  Crown  Prince  was  near  at  hand,  If 
this  salvo  was  not  distinguished  by  the  staff  of  Prince  Frederk 
Charles  amidst  the  general  din  of  battle,  and,  as  the  range  m 
very  great,  little  harm  was  done  to  the  Austrians  by  it. 

By  the  time  that  General  Alvensleben  advanced  aga'Jt 
Horenowes,  the  sixth  corps  had,  on  the  left,  commenced  H 
assault  against  Racicz.  Of  this  corps,  one  brigade  of  *e 
twelfth  division,  consisting  of  six  battalions,  four  squadnS, 
and  two  batteries,  under  General  Proudzynski,  led  the  wa}  >y 


Chap.  II. ]  BATTLE   OF  KONIGGRATZ.  247 

Roznow  and  Nesnasow.  When  the  eleventh  division,  con- 
sisting of  twelve  battalions,  eight  squadrons,  and  four  batteries, 
under  General  Zastrow,  reached  Welchow,  the  former  had  only- 
encountered  a  few  detachments  of  Austrian  cavalry.  General 
Mutius  then  ordered  it  to  keep  the  enemy  in  sight,  and  in  its 
further  advance  to  communicate  with  the  eleventh  division, 
which  he  directed  against  the  heights  of  Horenowes.  A  report 
was  now  brought  to  that  general  that  it  was  urgently  desirable 
that  lie  should  send  some  artillery  as  quickly  as  possible  to 
support  Franzecky's  division.  Four  batteries  immediately 
pushed  forward  at  a  trot,  covered  by  the  4th  regiment  of  hussars, 
crossed  the  Trotinka  at  Luzan,  and  at  half-past  eleven  opened 
upon  the  Austrian  artillery  stationed  on  the  east  of  Horenowes. 
The  two  brigades  of  the  eleventh  division  in  the  meantime 
advanced  in  echelon,  left  in  front,  and  supported  by  the  8th 
Dragoons  crossed  the  Trotinka  with  great  difficulty  to  the 
south-east  of  Luzan,  and  advanced  under  a  heavy  artillery  fire 
to  the  attack  of  Racicz. 

The  twelfth  division  directed  its  march  against  Smiritz 
by  Roznow,  while  a  squadron  of  its  cavalry  regiment, 
which  had  been  pushed  forward  in  the  direction  of  Smiritz, 
reported  that  there  were  Austrian  regiments  of  cavalry  in 
its  front. 

On  the  approach  of  the  first  division  of  the  Guard  to  Horen- 
owes, and  of  the  eleventh  division  to  Racicz,  and  when  both 
wings  of  the  position  of  their  artillery  began  to  be  threatened, 
the  Austrians  commenced  evacuating  their  position,  and  had 
entirely  withdrawn  from  it  by  one  o'clock.  By  the  same  hour 
the  villages  of  Horenowes  and  Racicz  fell  into  the  hands  of 
their  assailants,  after  short  contests.  The  greater  portion  of 
the  troops  which  had  garrisoned  these  places  retired  in  the 
direction  of  Sendrasitz,  while  the  first  division  of  the  Guard 
pressed  forward  to  the  trees  on  the  east  of  Horenowes,  and  the 
eleventh  division  pressed  upon  the  retreating  Austrians  on  the 
south  of  Racicz. 

The  small  resistance  which  the  army  of  the  Crown  Prince 
here  met  with  appears  to  be  due  to  the  fact  that  when  General 
Franzecky  carried  the  village  of  Benatek,  the  Austrian  fourth 
corps  moved  forward  to  oppose  him,  drove  the  battle  back,  and 


248  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VII. 

remained  engaged  with  his  division  in  the  Maslowed  wood. 
The  Austrian  second  corps  was  thus  alone  exposed  to 
the  onset  of  the  whole  of  the  Crown  Prince's  army,  and 
was  pushed  back  by  its  attack  to  Sendrasitz.  These  two 
Austrian  movements  caused  a  gap  in  Benedek's  line  of 
battle,  through  which  the  Prussian  Guards  penetrating,  seized 
Chlum,  the  key  of  his  position,  and  turned  the  fortune  of 
the  day. 

On  the  advance  of  the  Prussian  Guards  to  Horenowes  some 
Austrian  battalions  took  up  a  position  on  the  hill  east  of 
Maslowed.  The  Guards  immediately  marched  against  this 
hill,  and  carried  it  without  meeting  with  any  serious  resistance. 
The  village  of  Maslowed,  which  lay  to  their  right,  was  evacu- 
ated, and  half  a  company  of  Prussian  riflemen  occupied  it 
without  drawing  a  trigger.  The  sixth  corps  in  the  meantime 
engaged  the  main  body  of  the  second  Austrian  corps,  which 
had  furnished  the  garrisons  for  Horenowes  and  Racicz,  at 
Trotina,  Sendrasitz,  and  Nedelitz,  and  finally  forced  it  to  with- 
draw across  the  Elbe  at  Lochenitz.  By  this  contest,  which  was 
of  quite  an  independent  nature,  the  left  wing  of  the  Prussian 
Guard  was  covered  while  it  took  the  direction  of  the  village  of 
Chlum,  guided  by  the  church  tower,  which  forms  the  highest 
landmark  in  the  field.  In  this  way  the  Prussian  Guard  marched 
a  distance  of  about  two  thousand  paces  along  the  rear  of  the  posi- 
tion of  the  fourth  Austrian  corps,  which  was  now  being  pushed 
back  by  Franzecky  in  the  Maslowed  wood.  An  Austrian  brigade 
showed  itself  between  Maslowed  and  Lipa,  the  Prussian  ad- 
vanced guard  formed  up  to  its  own  right  and  attacked  it ; : 
while  the  main  body,  under  Colonel  Von  Obernitz,  pushed  on) 
to  Chlum,  and  the  fusilier  regiment,  under  Colonel  Von  KesseM 
threw  itself  into  Rosberitz. 

The  first  Prussians  who  arrived  in  Chlum  saw  on  the  reverse 
side  of  the  hill,  between  themselves  and  the  fortress  of  Konig- 
gratz,  the  whole  of  the  Austrian  reserves,  mustering  about  40,00c 
men.  Between  them  and  their  comrades  of  the  First  Arm)' 
were  the  Austrian  corps  engaged  near  Lipa,  and  in  the  Sadowa 
wood.  Twelve  battalions  of  the  Prussian  Guards  was  the' 
whole  force  at  hand  to  hold  the  key  of  the  battle  against  th< 
whole  reserve  of  the  enemy. 


Chap.  II.]  BATTLE   OF  KONIGGRATZ.  249 

A  fierce  battle  soon  began  round  Rosberitz  and  Chlum, 
which  were  seized  by  the  Prussian  Guard  at  a  quarter  before 
(three  o'clock.  At  five  minutes  before  three  an  aide-de-camp 
reported  to  Feldzeugmeister  Benedek,  who  was  between 
Chlum  and  Lipa,  that  the  Prussians  had  occupied  the  former 
village.  The  Austrian  commander  could  not  credit  this 
unexpected  intelligence,  and  hastened  himself  in  person  to 
ascertain  its  truth.  On  approaching  Chlum  he  was  received 
by  a  withering  volley,  which  told  with  severe  effect  upon 
I  his  staff,  and  convinced  him  of  the  veracity  of  the  report. 
I  He  immediately  hastened  to  send  up  some  reserves  to  retake 
the  place. 

About  three  o'clock  the  Army  of  the  Elbe  carried  Problus, 
and  Feldzeugmeister  Benedek  was  obliged  to  send  two  brigades 
:  of  the  nearest  Austrian  corps,  the  first,  to  reinforce  his  front 
while  he  directed  one  brigade  against  Chlum,  and  one  against 
Problus.  At  the  same  time  the  Saxon  artillery  of  the  reserve, 
which  was  on  the  further  side  of  the  highway  from  Rosberitz, 
opened  with  terrible  effect  on  the  Prussians  in  that  village, 
and  prepared  the  way  for  an  attack  by  the  sixth  Austrian 
corps. 

The  position  of  the  Prussian  Guard  became  every  moment 
more  critical.  The  few  battalions  in  Rosberitz  could  not  hold 
their  ground,  and  were  driven  out  of  the  village,  having  lost 
among  other  officers  Prince  Anton  of  Hohenzollern.  The 
reserve  artillery  of  the  Prussian  Guard  under  the  Prince  of 
Hohenlohe  laboured  up  to  the  aid  of  the  battalions  in  Chlum, 
and,  coming  into  action,  smote  heavily  upon  the  thick  masses 
iof  the  Austrian  reserves  which  were  preparing  to  attack  the 
houses.  Three  times  they  attacked,  twice  they  almost  reached 
the  orchard  and  churchyard,  but  were  received  at  a  few  paces 
distance  by  such  a  volley  from  the  needle-guns  that  nearly  the 
whole  of  the  attacking  force  was  either  killed  or  wounded.  By 
the  time  of  the  third  attack  the  advanced  guard  of  the  reserve 
division  of  the  Prussian  Guard  had  come  up  to  the  support  of 
the  battalions  who  were  already  in  occupation.  The  third 
attack  was  repulsed,  and  at  the  same  moment  the  battle  was 
won.  The  first  Prussian  corps  and  the  fifth  corps,  with  the 
cavalry  of  the  Second  Army,  was  pressing  up  towards  Chlum 


250  SEVEN  WEEKS    WAR.  [Book  VII. 

and  Rosberitz,  bringing  a  reserve  of  50,000  fresh  soldiers  into 
the  heart  of  Benedek's  position ;  while  the  main  body  of  the 
second  division  of  the  Guards  dashed  against  the  wood  of 
Lipa,  and  the  batteries  of  Chlum. 

As  yet  the  Prussian  generals  at  Sadowa  were  in  ignorance  of 
the  progress  of  the  Crown  Prince,  for  his  other  divisions  were 
on  the  reverse  side  of  the  hill  of  Chlum,  and  the  attack  of  the 
second  division  of  the  Guard  could  alone  be  seen  from  thej 
front.     First  a  swarm  of  black  dots  stealing  across  the  fields} 
showed    the    advance    of  the    skirmishers,    and    the  Austrian* 
sharpshooters,  who  had   been   lying  among   the  corn,  could) 
be    seen   running   before    them   to  gain  the    shelter  of  theiil 
own  lines ;  close  behind  the  skirmishers  followed  the  heav);i 
columns  of  infantry,  looking  like   small  black  squares  gliding 
along  the  sides  of  the  hill.     The  Austrian  guns  played  sharph 
on  them,  but  they  pushed  forward  without  wavering  till  withii. 
a  short  distance  of  the  batteries ;  then  a  few  rapid  volleys  0 
musketry  sent  up  a  cloud  of  smoke,  which,  hanging  heavily  if 
the  misty  air,  shut  out  the  view;  but  the  sudden  silence  of  thj 
Austrian  guns  told  that  the  Prussians  had  closed,  and  that  thi 
batteries  had  been  stormed.     The  ground  leading  up  to  ther( 
was  steep,  and  the  gunners  sent  round  after  round  into  th 
storming  columns,   till  the    leading  ranks  were  close  to  th 
muzzles   of  the  guns;    the  riflemen  who  were   ensconced  i;j 
intrenchments  beside  the  batteries,  to  defend  them,  sent  bitin, 
volleys  into  their  assailants;  but,  caring  nought  for  the  fire  <j*ii 
the  infantry  or  the  steepness  of  the  ground,  the  Prussians  dashe 
straight  at  the  guns,  and  both  gunners  and  sharpshooters  had  i . 
turn  and  fly.     Then  the  deadly  needle-gun  opened  its  fire  cjl 
the  fugitives,  and  with  such  precision  that  the   ground   w 
covered  with  dead  or  wounded  Austrians  lying  thick  togethc 
In  one  place  forty  corpses  lay  on  less  than  an  acre  of  groun 
and  the  wounded  appeared  to  be  to  the  dead  as  three  to  one.B 

The  Austrian  defeat  was  now  inevitable.     As  soon  as  i\i 
Crown  Prince  sent  his  infantry  against  the  Lipa  wood,   t' 
First  Army  sprang  forward,  and,  with  loud  cheers  and  drui;; 
beating,  went  dashing  up  the  hill.      The  Sadowa  road  *ft 
cleared  as  if  by  magic,  and  the  battalions  went  straight  again 
the  Austrian  batteries.     No  heed  was  given  to  take  the  guns  1 


!Chap.  II.]  BATTLE   OF  K0N1GGRATZ.  251 

I  flank;  the  soldiers  felt  certain  of  victory,  and  sought  it  by  the 
(shortest  road.  Though  disordered  by  the  broken  ground,  and 
[out  of  breath  with  the  rapid  ascent,  so  quickly  did  they  advance 

that  the  Austrian  gunners  had  no  time  to  limber  up,  but  were 
\  forced  to  desert  their  pieces  and  seek  safety  for  themselves  and 
r  their  horses  in  flight.  Most  of  the  guns  which  had  been  placed 
fin  batteries  were  taken,  but  those  which  acted  as  field  artillery, 
'admirably  handled,  were  quickly  withdrawn,  and  were  already 
I  fast  forming  on  a  further  ridge  by  Rosnitz  to  cover  the  retreat 

of  the  infantry. 

The  Prussians  paused  but  a  few  moments  among  the  taken 

guns  and  then  rushed  on  in  pursuit.  The  summit  of  the  ridge 
iwas  quickly  gained,  and  there  before  them  they  saw  the  whole 
f  hollow  ground  between  them  and  Rosnitz  filled  with  running 
I  white  uniforms.  The  victorious  battalions  commenced  a  rapid 
''  fire  upon  them,  and  men  dropped  quickly  from  the  flying  ranks, 
!  rolling  over  and  over  as  they  fell  on  the  sloping  ground.     The 

sixth  corps,  which  the  Crown  Prince  had  directed  more  against 
1  the  Austrian  rear,  caught  the  fugitives  in  flank,  and  raked  the 
!  running  ranks  with  their  fire.  The  Prussian  artillery  was  also 
!  quickly  up,  unlimbered,  and  came  into  action  on  the  summit  of 
'the  ridge,  and  sent  its  shells  bursting  with  a  horrible  precision 
i  among  the  heads  of  the  flying  soldiers.  And  yet  the  Austrians 
'  kept  their  formation,  and  never  let  their  retreat  become  a  rout. 
t  Such  a  retreat  under  such  circumstances  is  as  creditable  to  the 

valour  of  the  Austrian  soldiers  as  a  battle  won. 

The  Prussian  cavalry,  unable  to  leave  the  road  till  it  got  to 

nearly  the  top  of  the  hill,  on  account  of  the  woods  by  the  side 

of  the  way,  was  not  up  till  the  Austrian  infantry  had  got  half 
>  way  across  the  hollow  which  separates  Chlum  from  the  further 

ridge  of  Rosnitz,  and  there  the  Austrian  batteries  had  taken  up 

their  position  and  began  to  play  upon  the  pursuing  troops. 
:  Then,  for  a  few  minutes,  Prince  Frederick  Charles,  who  was 
1  leading  the  hussars  and  dragoons,  had  to  leave  them  to  make 
\  his  general  dispositions  for  attacking  the  new  position  taken  up 
'  by  the  Austrian  artillery,  and  the  cavalry  immediately  got  out 

of  hand.  By  single  squadrons,  by  single  troops,  and  even  only 
!  in  knots  of  a  few  horsemen,  they  rushed  with  wild  impetuosity 

at  different  points  of  the  retreating  infantry ;  but  the  Austrian 


252  SEVEN'  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VII. 

guns  sent  shells  rapidly  among  them,  and  the  infantry,  though 
running,  still  kept  its  formation,  and  turned,  when  they  came 
too  close,  to  stand  and  deliver  volleys  which  emptied  many  a 
saddle.  Nor  were  the  Austrian  cavalry  off  the  field,  though 
they  could  not  face  the  tremendous  fire  of  the  Prussians  to 
charge  and  cover  the  retreat  of  their  infantry;  but  when 
attacked  by  the  enemy's  cavalry,  and  when  thus  the  guns 
could  not  fire  upon  them,  they  fought  hard,  and  sacrificed  them- 
selves to  cover  the  retreat.  Then,  as  the  squadrons  of  the  3rd 
regiment  of  Prussian  dragoons  were  rushing  forward  to  charge 
some  battalions  firing  near  the  village  of  Wsester,  an  Austrian 
cuirass  brigade,  led  by  an  Englishman  in  the  Austrian  service 
of  the  name  of  Beales,  charged  them  in  flank.  They  drove  the 
Prussians  back,  and,  smiting  them  heavily  with  their  ponderous 
swords,  nearly  destroyed  the  dragoons  ;  but  Hohenlohe's  Prus- 
sian Uhlans,  seeing  their  comrades  worsted,  charged  with  their 
lances  couched  against  the  Austrians'  flank,  and  compelled 
them  to  retire.  Pressed  hard  by  the  lancers  they  fell  back, 
fighting  hard,  but  then  Ziethen's  hussars  charged  them  in  the 
rear.  A  fierce  combat  ensued ;  the  Austrian  horsemen  struck 
strongly  about  them,  fighting  for  their  lives ;  but  the  lancers 
drove  their  lances  into  their  horses,  while  the  hussars,  light  and 
active,  closed  in  upon  them,  and  only  ten  Austrians  are  re- 
ported to  have  escaped  unwounded  from  the  melte.  Beales 
himself  was  borne  wounded  to  the  ground.  But  the  Austrian' 
artillery  was  not  long  able  to  hold  its  new  position ;  the  fire  of 
the  Prussian  guns  and  the  dispositions  which  were  being  made; 
to  attack  it  compelled  it  to  retire.  It  then  drew  off  slowly,  but* 
on  every  successive  ridge  came  into  action,  and  fired  against' 
the  pursuers  to  check  them,  and  gain  for  its  own  infantry  time' 
for  retreat.  Some  Prussian  horse  artillery  and  cavalry  followed 
it,  and  till  after  nightfall  the  pursuit  went  thundering  toward? J 
the  Elbe,  and  drew  the  fire  of  the  heavy  guns  of  the  fortress 
The  Austrian  cavalry  retired  to  Pardubitz,  and  the  remainde 
of  the  army  by  seven  or  eight  bridges,  thrown  across  the  rive' 
between  that  place  and  Koniggratz,  got  beyond  the  stream  b;( 
night  without  severe  loss. 

The  Prussian  cavalry  slowly  followed  in  pursuit  along  bot 
roads.     The  wounded  who  were  lying  on  the  ground  shrieke 


Chap.  II.]  BATTLE    OF  KONIGGRATZ.  253 

with  fear  when  they  saw  the  cavalry  galloping  down  towards 
them,  but  Prince  Frederick  Charles  took  care  that  they  should 
be  avoided,  and  at  one  time  checked  the  pursuit  in  order  to 
move  his  squadrons  around,  and  not  go  through,  a  patch  of 
standing  corn,  where  many  wounded  Austrians  had  taken 
refuge.  These,  when  they  saw  the  lancers  coming,  thought 
jthey  were  going  to  be  massacred,  and  cried  piteously,  waving 
jwhite  handkerchiefs  as  a  sign  of  truce ;  but  they  had  no  cause 
to  fear.  Large  numbers  of  prisoners  were  taken,  for  the 
pursuit  was  continued  to  the  Elbe,  and  it  was  not  till  nine 
jo'clock  that  all  firing  had  ceased,  though  the  main  body  of 
the  army  halted  about  seven.  As  the  Princes  returned,  the 
battalions  cheered  them  for  their  victory;  but  they  left  the 
pursuit  of  their  enemies  and  the  cheers  of  their  own  victorious 
itroops  to  look  after  the  hospital  accommodation  provided  for 
ithe  wounded.  These  lay  in  immense  numbers  in  the  field ; 
jthe  dead  too  laid  thick,  but  all  they  required  was  done  on  the 
morrow.  Every  cottage  in  the  neighbourhood  that  had  not 
been  burnt  was  full  of  wounded.  Austrians  and  Prussians  lay 
jside  by  side,  but  the  Krankentrager  were  still  out,  and  all  were 
'not  collected  till  late  the  next  morning.  Conspicuous  in  the 
hospitals,  working  diligently  in  their  voluntary  labour,  were  the 
'Knights  of  St.  John  of  Jerusalem.  This  Order  of  Knighthood, 
'renewed  lately  for  the  succour  of  the  weak  and  suffering,  had 
isent  here  a  large  hospital  establishment,  under  the  direction  of 
Count  Theodore  Stolberg.  From  the  voluntary  contributions 
'of  the  knights,  hospitals  were  maintained  in  the  nearest  towns 
|and  in  the  field,  all  necessary  hospital  stores  were  carried,  by 
the  Order,  and  means  of  transport  accompanied  the  army, 
hospital  nurses  were  provided,  and  by  their  aid  many  wounded 
were  carefully  attended  to  who  could  not  have  been  looked 
after  by  the  ordinary  arrangements. 

The  battle  of  Koniggratz  was  a  great  victory  for  the  Prus- 
sians, though  its  full  advantages  were  not  known  by  them  until 
;the  following  day.  One  hundred  and  seventy-four  guns,  twenty 
thousand  prisoners,  and  eleven  standards,  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  conquerors;  the  total  loss  of  the  Austrian  army  by  the 
disaster  of  the  3rd  July  amounted  to  almost  forty  thousand 
men,  while  that  of  the  Prussians  was  not  ten  thousand.     The 


254  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VII. 

morale  of  the  Austrian  army  was  destroyed,  and  their  infantry 
found  that  in  open  column  they  could  not  stand  against  the 
better-armed  Prussians.  The  Austrians  had  hoped  to  be  able 
to  close  with  the  bayonet,  and  so  amend  the  effects  of  the  fire 
of  the  needle-gun ;  but  the  idea  of  the  superiority  in  the  use  of 
the  bayonet  in  which  the  Austrian  army  prided  itself,  is  one  of 
those  vanities  which  are  common  to  every  nation,  and  this  war 
proved  that  at  close  quarters  the  stronger  men  of  Prussia  in- 
variably overcame  the  lighter  and  smaller  Austrians.  The 
Austrian  and  Saxon  troops  engaged  amounted  to  about  two 
hundred  thousand  men,  with  six  hundred  guns.*  The  Prussian 
army  in  the  field  mustered  in  round  numbers  two  hundred  and  i 
sixty  thousand  combatants,  with  eight  hundred  and  sixteen  ! 
guns,  but  of  them  the  fifth  corps,  one  brigade  of  the  sixth 
corps,  and  all  but  the  advanced  guard  of  the  first  corps,  in  all 
about  sixty  thousand  men,  never  fired  a  shot.  Thus  the  number; 
of  casualties  were  about  one  thirteenth  of  the  number  of  men 
actually  engaged,  f 

The  highest  proportionate  loss  of  the  Prussian  army  fell  upon' 
Franzecky's  division,  which  lost  two  thousand  out  of  a  little  j 
over  fourteen  thousand  men.  The  greatest  loss  on  the  Austrian' 
side  was  incurred  by  the  troops  who  attempted  to  retake  Chlum, ; 
and  by  those  who  had  to  retire  out  of  the  Lipa  and  Sadowa 
woods  after  the  Crown  Prince  had  developed  his  attack.     The 
artillery  on  both  sides  appeared  to  fail  in  causing  such  numerous, 
casualties  as  might  have  been  anticipated  from  so  large  a  number 
of  rifled  guns.     Nor  did  the  infantry  fire  tell  except  at  close M 
quarters.     Whether  this  was  due  to  the  inferior  shooting  power 
of  the  needle-gun  or  to  the  practical  disadvantage  of  aiming 
under  fire  seems  to  be  uncertain. 

The  number  of  cartridges  fired  by  the  Prussian  army  in  th<B 
battle  barely  exceeded  one  per  man  on  the  ground.     Hardh 

*  This  estimate  of  the  Austrian  force  is  based  on  an  able  letter  writtei 
from  Olmiitz  after  the  battle  by  the  special  correspondent  of  the  Times,  v. 
which  that  writer  states  that  Benedek  had  then  collected  one  hundred  ami 
sixty  thousand  of  the  defeated  army  at  Olmiitz.  This  with  the  Austrian  los 
would  give  the  above  figure. 

f  The  following  list  of  the  proportion  of  casualties  to  combatants,  i 
some  of  the  most  famous  battles  of  the  last  two  centuries,  is  extracted  fror; 
a  careful  essay  written  for  the  professional  papers  of  the  Royal  Engineers  b 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Cooke,  R.E.  : 


Chap.  II.] 


BATTLE    OF  KOXIGGRATZ. 


255 


'ame  of  Battle, 


Year. 


I709 

1745 
1757 
1757 
1757 
1757 
1753 
1758 
1800 
1S05 
1806 

1807 
1807 
1809 
1809 
l8l2 
l8l2 

I8I3 

1S13 

1815 

1859 

1859 


Numbers. 


On  each  side. 


70,000  P. 

70,  OOO  A. 

\  64,000  P. 

I  74, 000  A. 

22,000  P.  I 

55,oooA.  \ 
j  25,000  P.  ) 
(  60,000  A.  ( 

36,000  P. 

80, 000  A. 

32,000  P. 

50,000  R. 

50, 000  A. 

30,000  P. 

28, 127  F. 

3o,85oA. 

\  90,000  F. 

i8o,oooR.&A 

100,000  F. 

ioo, 000  P. 

85,000  F. 
75, 000  R. 
j  80, 000  F.  ) 
j  50, 000 R.  \ 
j  52,000  E.&S. 
I  50,000  F. 
150,000  F.  ) 
130,000  A.  ) 


125,000  F. 
125,000  R. 

j  150,000  F.        ) 
I  280,000  Allies  \ 
j  70,000  E.  &c 
\  27,000  F. 
\  67,600  E.  &c 
I  68,900  F. 

48, 090  F.  &S 

61,640  A. 

i35,234F.&S. 

163,124  A. 


Total. 


I  So,  OOO 

140,000 
138,000 
77,000 
85,000 

1 1 6,  coo* 

82,000 

80,000 

58,977t 

1 70, 000  J 

200,000; 

160,000 
130,000 
102,000 
2S0,  oco 
90,000 
250,000 
430, 000 

97,000 
136,500 
109,730 
298,35s5 


Killed  and  Wounded. 


Number. 


18,250  Alii 


5,000 

9,000 

16,000 

8,000 

500 

2,800 

5,000 

6,286 

5,000 

6,574 

U085 

2i,53i 

5,000 

7,000 

7,000 

6,800 

12,000  ) 

11,000  \ 

14,000  ) 

20,000  \ 

j  30,050 

j  25,000 

10,000  ) 

17,000  \ 

5,928 

7,200 

24,000 

\    8,000  E. 
I  22,800  F. 

80,000 

\  50,000  ^r 

\  not  known. 
10,000 


14,000 

not  known. 

4,000 

5,700 

14,415 


Proportion 
to  total 
Forces. 


10 
1  to  1 

7 
i 
f 


21,000  Austrian  prisoners  missing. 
19,000  Austrian  prisoners. 


t  1,000  French  and  3,000  Austrian  prisoners. 

§  20,000  Prussian  prisoners.      ||  Includes  missing. 


256  SEVEN  WEEKS"    WAR.  [Book  VII. 

any  soldier  fired  so  many  as  ninety,  and  few  more  than  sixty.* 
The  average  number  of  rounds  fired  by  the  artillery  of  Prince 
Frederick  Charles's  army,  was  forty-two  per  gun,  and  no  gun  oi 
that  army  fired  more  than  eighty  rounds.  In  the  artillery  o) 
the  Guard,  the  thirteen  batteries  engaged  fired  one  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  eighty-seven  rounds,  being  an  average  01 
twenty-three  per  gun  •  one  battery  fired  eighty-one  rounds  peij 
gun. 

On  the  evening  of  the  battle,  an  officer  of  the  Ziethen  hussars 
who  were  forward  in  the  pursuit,  rode  as  far  as  the  gates  0 
Koniggratz,  and,  finding  there  were  no  sentries  outside,  rode  in 
the  guard,  immediately  on  seeing  him  in  his  Prussian  uniform 
turned  out  and  seized  him,  when,  with  a  ready  presence,  h« 
declared  he  had  come  to  demand  the  capitulation  of  the  fortress 
He  was  conducted  to  the  commandant,  and  made  the  sam 
demand  to  him,  adding  that  the  town  would  be  bombarded  : 
not  surrendered  within  an  hour ;  the  commandant,  unconsciou 
that  he  was  not  dealing  with  a  legitimate  messenger,  courteous! 
refused  to  capitulate  ;  but  the  hussar  was  conducted  out  of  thjj 
town,  passed  through  the  guard  at  the  entrance,  and  got  01 
safely  without  being  made  a  prisoner. 

That  night  the  Prussian  army  bivouacked  on  the  field,  wheilj 
the  main  body  remained  the  next  day  in  order  to  allow  tri 
troops  time  to  rest  after  their  great  fatigues. 

The  appearance  of  the  field  of  battle  the  next  mornirjj 
showed  the  severity  of  the  fight.  The  wounded  had  all  hem 
removed,  but  few  of  the  dead  had  been  buried,  for  the  numb! 
of  wounded  was  so  great  that  every  man  who  could  be  span] 
from  duty  was  required  to  look  after  them.  All  night  long  til 
Krankentrager  had  been  at  work,  and  had  been  assisted  by  J 
large  number  of  soldiers.  Every  village  near  the  field  of  batll 
had  all  its  standing  houses  converted  into  hospitals,  and  all  tl 
surgeons  in  the  army  had  been  busy  all  night  long.  In  tl 
woods  and  m  the  broken  ground  the  bodies  of  Austrians  a:l 
Prussians  were  tolerably  equal  in  number,  generally  lying  I 
groups  of  four  or  five  of  either  nation  together,  marking  Of 

*  At  the  battle  of  Borodino,  one  of  the  most  sanguinary  contests  *) 
record  (see  preceding  page),  the  French  are  said  to  have  fired  i,400,<J 
cartridges,  which  would  be  at  the  rate  of  about  10  per  man. 


Our.  IT.]  BATTLE   OF  KONIGGRATZ.  257 

spot  where  a  shell  had  burst ;  but  in  the  open  ground  and  down 

the  reverse  side  of  the  Chlum  hill   the  Austrians  lay  terribly 

thick,  and  hardly  a  Prussian  uniform  was  to  be  seen.    Wherever 

,the  Austrians  fought  unprotected  by  cover,  and  wherever  the 

Prussian   riflemen,  armed   with   needle-guns,  could    see   their 

enemies,  the  disproportion  of  the  dead  became  immediately 

apparent.     The  corn  was  trodden  down  all  over  the  field  as  flat 

is  if  it  was   straw  laid  on  a  stable  floor,  and  the  ground  was 

ploughed  up  and  dug  into  holes  with  shells. 

!    On  the  top  of  the  hill  of  Chlum,  and  near  the  village,  stood 

|i  large  number  of  the  captured  guns,  with  all  their  waggons  and 

carriages  beside  them,  and  on  the  slope  away  from  Sadowa  the 

est  were  placed  under  the  charge  of  the  corps  of  the  Guard. 

[Everywhere  about  the  field,  fatigue  parties  were  digging  large 

;  [renches  in  which  the  Austrian  and  Prussian  killed  were  laid 

iide  by  side,  clothed  in  their  uniforms.     No  other  tombstone 

Iras  put  to  mark  each  grave  than  a  plain  wooden  cross,  on 

irhich  was  written  the  number  of  each  regiment  that  lay  below. 

..  The  officers  were  placed  in  single  graves  near  the  men.     But 

kere  and  there  a  few  were  seen  silently  carrying  some  comrade 

d  a  more  retired  spot.     On  one  part  of  the  field  a  Prussian 

^neral  with  his  staff  was  burying  his  son,  who  had  fallen  in  the 

.  ,ttack  on  the  Austrian  right.     Close  by,  the  wife  of  a  private 

oldier  who  had  found  her  husband's  body  on  the  field  had  had 

;  buried  by  some  soldiers,  had  hung  some  oak  branches  on  the 

ttle  wooden  cross  at  the  head,  and  was  sitting  on  the  freshly- 

irned  earth,  sobbing  her  heart  out,  with  his  shattered  helmet 

1  her  lap.     She  had  followed  his  regiment,  in  order  to  be  near 

lihj  from  the  beginning  of  the  campaign,  through  all  the  long 

kirches  the  army  had  made. 

The  less  severely  wounded  were  moved  to  Horitz,  from 
ich,  on  the  approach  of  the  Prussians,  the  inhabitants  had 
irly  all  fled.  The  vacated  houses  were  converted  into  hos- 
tals,  and  at  nearly  every  window  and  every  door  men  were 
mging  about  listlessly,  with  heads  or  arms  bound  up,  with  a 
ilf  stupefied  look,  as  if  they  had  not  yet  recovered  from  the 
inning  effects  of  the  blow  which  had  disabled  them.  Many 
^re  Austrians,  and  prisoners  of  war  ;  but  the  greatest  liberty 
emed  to   be  accorded   to   them,   for  they  were   allowed  to 


25S  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VII. 

wander  about  the  streets,  and  to  mix  freely  with  the  Prussian 
soldiers. 

Long  columns  of  unwounded  prisoners  were  being  marched 
continually  through  the  town  on  their  way  to  the  rear.  The 
Austrians  looked  dejected  and  unhappy,  yet  marched  stolidly 
and  silently  along  ;  but  the  prisoners  from  the  Italian  regiments 
laughed  and  talked  cheerily,  and  on  them  their  imprisonment 
sat  lightly. 

Here   and    there    an   Austrian   officer,   prisoner  on   parole, 
strolled  moodily  about,  stopping  every  now  and  then  to  return 
the  courteous  salutations  of  the  Prussian  officers  who  passed  by. 
To  ease  the  anxiety  of  their  friends  at  home,  they  wrote  letters . 
to  announce  that  they  were  not  killed,  but  taken,  and  these; 
were  sent  with  a  flag  of  truce  to  the  Austrian  lines.     The.' 
greatest  courtesy  and  kindness  were  shown  by  the  Prussian: 
officers  to  their  unfortunate  prisoners,  and   every  attempt  was; 
made  to  make  them  feel  their  position  as  little  as  possible.: 
Several  Austrian   officers  wounded  mortally  on  the   field  re- 
quested Prussian   officers  to  send  their  last  message  to  then 
families,  requests  which  it  is  needless  to  say  were  readily  com 
plied  with. 

Field-Marshal  Gablenz  came  to   Horitz  the  day  after  the] 
battle  from  the  Austrian  head -quarters,  to  ask  for  an  armistio 
as  a  preliminary  to  peace.     It  was  impossible  that  Prussia  couL^ 
grant  an  armistice  at  this  moment,  when  the  Austrian  army  wa 
still  in  the  field,  and  any  pause  in  the  operations  of  the  can' 
paign  would  be  used  to  collect  troops  from  the  Italian  frontid  o 
and  from  the  distant  provinces  of  the  empire  in  order  to  oppo? 
the  Prussian  armies.     Nor  could  peace  be  concluded  by  Pruss 
without  the   concurrence  of  Italy,  for  a  treaty  existed  betweeB 
the  Cabinets  of  Berlin  and  Florence,  by  which  neither  coil 
make  peace  without  the  sanction  of  the  other. 

The   Field-Marshal  accordingly  returned  to  his  own  lin 
without  obtaining  any  result  from  his  mission. 

The  actual  junction  of  the  two  armies  of  the  Crown  Prin 
and  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles  was  effected  on  the  battle-fie' 
of  Kdniggratz,  and  the  Austrians  had  now  lost  the  chance  thj\. 
had  of  falling  upon  each  army  separately. 

As  the  consequence  of  the  defeat  of  Koniggratz,  Austria  1 


Chap.  II.]  BATTLE   OF  K0N1GGRATZ.  259 

the  4th  July  ceded  Venetia  to  the  Emperor  of  the  French,  who 
was  nominally  to  hold  the  province,  although  it  was  virtually 
then,  and  practically  in  the  following  October,  given  to  the 
kingdom  of  Italy. 

OBSERVATIONS    ON    THE    BATTLE    OF    KONIGGRATZ. 

The  details  of  a  great  battle  are,  as  a  general  rule,  less  per- 
fectly known  the  more  closely  the  time  at  which  they  are 
criticised  approaches  to  the  date  of  the  action.  While  the  men 
are  still  living  on  whom  disclosures  would  draw  an  inconvenient 
censure,  the  government  of  a  country  which  has  suffered  a 
!great  reverse  in  war  is  naturally  unwilling  to  gratify  the  curiosity 
of  the  world  by  the  publication  of  information  which  can 
(only  be  certainly  found  in  its  own  official  archives.  Without 
[such  information  it  is  impossible  to  make  any  observations  on 
pe  causes  or  conduct  of  incidents  in  war  with  an  assured  cer- 
tainty. It  is  necessary  to  attempt  to  lift  the  veil  which  shrouds 
jsuch  events  during  the  lifetimes  of  the  principal  actors  with 
;only  a  hesitating  and  a  faltering  touch,  and  to  acknowledge 
that  any  conclusions  based  upon  a  crude  knowledge  of  facts  are 
Enunciated  with  diffidence.  If  correct  they  are  fortuitous,  if 
incorrect  their  fallacies  will  be  exposed  by  future  information. 

The  position  taken  up  by  Feldzeugmeister  Benedek  in  front 
bf  Koniggratz  has  been  severely  criticised.  It  does  not,  how- 
fever,  appear  that  the  river  in  his  rear  was  any  disadvantage  to 
'him,  although  his  army  was  defeated,  and  had  its  flank  turned 
by  a  strong  force.  The  Austrian  commander  took  the  pre- 
caution to  throw  bridges  over  the  river.  With  plenty  of  bridges 
p  river  in  rear  of  a  position  became  an  advantage.  After  the 
retreating  army  had  withdrawn  across  the  stream,  the  bridges 
;>vere  broken,  and  the  river  became  an  obstacle  to  the  pursuit 
Special  as  well  as  general  conditions  also  came  into  play.  The 
pursuing  Prussians  could  not  approach  with  impunity  the  heads 
of  the  Austrian  bridges.  The  heavy  guns  of  the  fortress  scoured 
pe  banks  of  the  river  both  up  and  down  stream,  and,  with 
superior  weight  of  metal  and  length  of  range,  were  able  to  cover 
he  passage  of  the  Austrians.  The  position  was  otherwise 
tcknowledged  on  all  sides  to  be  a  good  one,  carefully  chosen  ; 


200  SEVEN   WEEKS    WAR.  [Book  VII. 

and  though  the  villages  were  not  completely  barricaded  and 
loopholed,  this  omission  was  probably  due  to  the  extreme 
rapidity  of  the  movements  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles.  A 
great  disadvantage  was  the  fact  that  the  presence  of  two  oppo- 
nent armies  acting  from  divergent  bases  against  the  Austrian 
position  caused,  as  all  such  conditions  always  must  cause, 
Feldzeugmeister  Benedek  to  fight  with  his  army  drawn  along 
two  sides  of  an  angle.  One  side  was  from  Prim  to  Mas!  owed, 
the  other  from  Maslowed  to  Lochenitz.  By  such  a  formation; 
a  defeat  or  even  a  repulse  of  either  wing  must  necessarily  allow,' 
the  successful  enemy  to  penetrate  into  the  rear  of  the  otheiv 
Or  a  success  and  advance  of  one  or  both  wings  must  leave  aj 
gap  at  the  salient  angle. 

Two  questions  have  attracted  more  notice  with  reference  to 
the  battle  than  others.     These  are,  first — Why  did  Benedel<! 
allow  the  Crown  Prince  to   come   down  so  heavily  upon  hi:!' 
right  flank  ?  and  secondly,  How  did  the  first  division  of  th<' 
Prussian  Guard  manage  to  get  into  Chlum  unobserved?     Th«' 
answer  to  the  first  question  appears  to  be  that  the  Austriaif 
general  was  deceived  as  to  the  position  of  the  Crown  Prince,  j 
On  the  30th  June  he  knew  that  the  Crown  Prince  was  on  th' 
Elbe,  because  from  the  heights  above  Koniginhof  the  Prussian 
were  that  day  cannonaded  by  an  Austrian  battery.     Betwee: 
the  30th  and  the  2nd,  the  Crown  Prince  pushed  troops  acros! 
the  river  at  Arnau  and  Koniginhof,  and  directed  the  heads  cj  I 
their  columns  towards  Miletin.     On  the  afternoon  of  the  2nc 
two  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles's  divisions  occupied  Miletir 
Late  on  the  night  of  the  2nd,  one  of  these  divisions  of  Princ 
Frederick  Charles's  army  was  ordered  to  move  to  Milowit 
while  the  other  moved  to  Cerekwitz.     It  seems  probable  th; 
these  movements  were  reported  to  Benedek  by  his  spies,  biB 
erroneously.     It  would  appear  that  he  was  told  that  the  ma 
body  of  the  Crown  Prince's  army  had  joined  Frederick  Charl 
at  Miletin,  and  that  the  mass  of  the  united  armies  on  the  nig 
of  the  2nd  was  moving  towards  its  own  right  to  make  a  co, 
centrated  attack  against  Benedek's  left  near  Xechanitz,  wi 
the  object  of  driving  in  his  left,  and  of  cutting  him  off  fro, 

*  This  theory  is  entirely  based  on  hypothesis,  and  must  be  accepted  01 
for  what  it  is  worth. 


Chap.  II.]  BATTLE   OF  KONIGGRATZ.  261 

Pardubitz  and  the   railway  to  Vienna.     The   spies  would  not 
I  fail  to  notice  that  some  of  the  Crown  Prince's  troops  were  still 
|at  Koniginhof,  and  near  Gradlitz.     Their  presence  there  would 
[be  accounted  for  by  the  supposition  that  they  were  left  to  watch 
Josephstadt,  to  hold  the  line  of  the  Elbe,  and  prevent  a  raid 
.against  the  Crown  Prince's  line  of  communication  with  Silesia 
until  he  had  changed  that  line  for  the  one  by  which  Frederick 
i  Charles  communicated  with  Saxony.     This  ideal  cause  of  the 
Austrian  conduct  on  the  3rd  July  appears  to  be  borne  out  by 
jthe  following  general  order  which,  as  it  is  said,  Benedek  issued 
jlate  on  the  night  of  the  2nd  :  so  late  that  it  only  reached  his 
second  corps  on  the  Trottina  at  four  o'clock  on  the  morning  of 
the  day  of  the  battle.     This  order  would  seem  to  have  been 
^dictated  when  the  Feldzeugmeister  heard  that  the  Prussians 
[were  moving  to  their  own  right  from  Miletin.   It  was  as  follows : — 
"  The  Saxon  corps  will  occupy  the  heights  of  Popowitz  and 
Tresowitz,  the  left  wing  slightly  refused  and  covered  by  its  own 
cavalry.     To  the  left  of  this  corps  and  somewhat  to  the  rear, 
[the  first  light  cavalry  division  will  take  post,  on  the  extreme 
left  flank  of  Problus  and  Prim.     On  the  right  of  the  Saxons  the 
tenth  corps  will  take  its  position ;  on  the  right  of  the  tenth  the 
third  will  occupy  the  heights  of  Chlum  and  Lipa.     The  eighth 
corps  will  serve  as  immediate  support  to  the  Saxons.     The 
troops  not  named  above  are  only  to  hold  themselves  in  readi- 
ness while  the  attack  is  confined  to  the  left  wing.     Should  the 
lostile  attack  assume  greater  dimensions,  the  whole  army  will 
3e  formed  in  order  of  battle. 

"  The  fourth  corps  will  then  move  up  on  the  right  of  the 
hird  to  the  heights  between  Chlum  and  Nedelitz ;  and  on  the 
extreme  right  flank  next  to  the  fourth  the  second  will  take  post. 
'  The  second  light  cavalry  division  will  take  post  in  rear  of 
STedelitz,  and  there  remain  in  readiness.  The  sixth  corps  will 
ake  post  on  the  heights  near  Wsetar  ;  the  first  near  Rosnitz. 
3oth  these  corps  will  be  in  concentrated  formation.  The  first 
ind  third  cavalry  divisions  will  take  post  at  Sweti.  In  the 
went  of  a  general  attack  the  first  and  sixth  corps,  the  five 
:avalry  divisions,  and  the  reserve  artillery  of  the  army,  which 
vill  be  posted  in  rear  of  the  first  and  sixth  corps,  are  to  serve 
is  the  reserve  of  the  army. 


262  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VII. 

"The  retreat,  if  necessary,  will  be  made  by  the  high  road  to 
Hohenmauth,  without  disturbing  the  fortress  of  Koniggratz. 

"  The  second  and  fourth  corps  must  at  once  cause  pontoon 
bridges  to  be  thrown  across  the  Elbe.  The  second  corps  will 
throw  two  between  Lochenitz  and  Predmeritz.  The  first  corps 
will  also  throw  a  bridge." 

As  a  digression  it  may  be  noticed  in  passing  that  these 
bridges  mentioned  in  this  order  were  ready  by  mid-day.  The 
organization  of  the  Austrian  army  cannot  have  been  so  very 
bad  as  some  are  now  fain  to  suppose. 

By  the  general  tenor  of  this  order,  it  appears  that  the  Feld- ' 
zeugmeister  fully  expected  to  be  attacked  on  his  left,  for  much 
the  same  reason  as  Wellington  at  AVaterloo  fully  expected  to  be .; 
assailed  on  his  right.     The  part  of  the  order  which  relates  to; 
the  fourth  and   second  corps  shows  that  he  contemplated  the 
possibility  of  an  attack  on  his  right ;  but  not  from  a  very  large' 
force.     Probably  the  reports  of  the  spies  induced  him  to  believe' 
that  the  first  corps  and  the  Guards  at  least  of  the  army  of  the, 
Crown  Prince  had  joined  Prince  Frederick  Charles,  and  that; 
only  two  corps,  or  sixty  thousand  men,  were  at  the  most  on  the; 
Elbe.     He  knew  that  the  two  main  bodies  of  these  latter  twcj 
corps  must  defile  over  the  river,  and  march  fifteen  miles  ove: 
very  bad  roads  and  an  extremely  difficult   country,  before  the? 
could  feel  his  right.     In  the  meantime  he  might  have  disposed  o 
the  adversaries  in  his  front.    The  conduct  of  the  Austrian  genera! 
during  the  action  seems  also  to  confirm  this.     Had   he  knowi 
that  at  ten  o'clock  Prince  Frederick  Charles  sent  only  four  divj 
sions  across  the  Bistritz,  he  would   hardly  have  failed  to  be: 
down  upon  them  with  greatly   superior  numbers,   and  crus;;> 
them  at  once,  before  the  arrival  of  their  assistants.     From  th 
time  of  the  attack  on  Benatek  until  the  arrival   of  the  Crow 
Prince,  Franzecky  was  exposed  across  the  Bistritz,  separated  1 
a  wide  interval   from  Home's  division  in  the  Sadowa  woo 
The  country  favourable  for  the  action  of  cavalry.     Franzecl 
had  with  him   only  one  regiment  of  hussars.     The  Prussi: 
reserve  cavalry  could  not  have  crossed  the  stream,  on  accou 
of  its    marshy   banks,    to    his    assistance.     Twenty   thousai 
Austrian  horsemen  were  at  Benedek's  command.   He  held  the 
inactive.     Yet  the  hero  of  San  Martino  was  not  the  man  torn; 


;  Chap.  II.]  BATTLE   OF  KONIGGRATZ.  263 

to  strike  a  blow  if  he  thought  he  could  do  so  with  safety.     He 
must  have  imagined  Franzecky  much  stronger  than  he  really 
was.     Probably  the  Austrian  staff  imagined  that  the   Crown 
Prince's  corps,  which  here  joined  Frederick  Charles,  were  the 
assailants  of  Benatek.     If  there  is  any  ground  for  the  above 
supposition,  how  much  must  the  conclusion  reflect  upon  the 
.Austrian  system   of  reconnaissances  and  patrols.      From  the 
[  high  bank  above  Koniginhof,  a  staff  officer  lying  hidden  in  the 
fir-wood  could,  almost  with  the  naked  eye,  have  counted  every 
Prussian  gun,  every  Prussian  soldier  that  the  Crown   Prince 
moved  towards  Miletin.     The  eyes  of  the  Austrian  army  on 
j  more  than  one  occasion  during   the  campaign  failed.     Their 
.  patrol  system  was  very  much  inferior  to  that  of  the  Prussians. 
Its  inferiority  seems  to  have  been  due  to  the  want  of  military 
!  education  among  the  officers  to  whom  patrols  were  entrusted. 
In  the  Prussian  army  special  officers  of  high  intelligence  were 
.  always  chosen  to  reconnoitre.     Properly  so,  for  the  task  is  no 
;  easy  one.     An  eye  unskilled,  or  a  mind  untutored,  can  see 
I  little,  where  a  tried  observer  detects  important  movements.    A 
;  line  of  country,  or  a  few  led  horses,  will  tell  the  officer  who  is 
i  accustomed  to  such  duty  more  than  heavy  columns  or  trains  of 
;  artillery  will  disclose  to  the  unthinking  novice.     The  Prussian 
j  system  never  failed,  never  allowed  a  surprise.     The  Austrians 
;  were  repeatedly  surprised,  and  taken  unprepared.     Yet  the  out- 
most system  of  the  latter  during  the  Italian  war  of  1859  merited 
■  the  praise  of  the  Emperor  of  the  French,  and  was  by  him  pointed 
out  to  his  own  army  as  a  model  of  superiority.*     The  military 
development  of  Prussia  had  not  yet  been  fully  appreciated. 

Another  fact  which  may  aid  to  corroborate  the  theory  ad- 
vanced above,  is  the  telegram  in  which  Feldzeugmeister 
Benedek  first  announced  to  Vienna  the  loss  of  the  battle.  In 
this  he  said  that  some  of  the  enemy's  troops,  under  cover  of  the 
mist,  established  themselves  on  his  flank,  and  so  caused  the 
defeat.  Probably  at  that  time  he  thought  that  the  troops 
that  got  into  Chlum  were  a  detachment  from  those  engaged  at 
Benatek.  If  the  Austrian  general  had  suspected  any  attack 
from  the  direction  of  Koniginhof,  he  would  surely  have  watched 

*  General  Order  of  the  Emperor  after  the  Battle  of  Solferjno, 


264  SEVEN   WEEKS"    WAR.  [Book  VII. 

the  country  in  that  direction  with  his  cavalry,  but  the  troops  of 
the  Crown  Prince  did  not  fall  in  with  a  single  patrol  till  they 
actually  came  into  collision  with  the  Austrian  line  of 
battle. 

How  the   Prussian  Guards  were  allowed  to  get  into  Chlum 
appears  inexplicable.     From  the  top  of  Chlum  Church  tower 
the  whole  country  can  be  clearly  seen  as  far  as  the  top  of  the 
high   bank  of  the    Elbe.     A   staff-officer   posted  there,   even 
through    the    mist,    which   was   not  so    heavy  as  is  generally 
supposed,  could  have  easily  seen  any  movements  of  troops  as 
far  as   Choteborek.       A  person  near  Sadowa  could  see  quite j 
distinctly  Herwarth's  attack  at  Hradek,  and,  except  during  occa- 
sional  squalls,  there  was  no  limit  to  the  view  over  the  surround-' 
ing  country  except  where  the  configuration  of  the  ground  or  the! 
heavy   smoke    overcame  the  sight.     From  the  top  of  Chlum; 
Church  there  was  a  clear  view  over  all  the  neighbouring  hills,! 
and  the  top  of  the  spire  generally  stood  out  clear  over  the! 
heavy  curtain  of  hanging  smoke  which,  above  the  heads  of  the; 
combatants,  fringed  the  side   of  the  Lipa  hill  from  Benatek  tc 
Nechanitz.     So  little  apprehensive,  however,  was  Benedek  oil 
an  attack  on  his  right,  that  he  stationed  no  officer  in  the  tower 
and  himself  took  up  a  position  above  Lipa,  where  any  vieil 
towards  the  north  was  entirely  shut  out  by  the  hill  and  house; 
of  Chlum.     No  report  appears  to  have  reached  him  of  th< 
advance  of  the  Guards,  yet  they  were  engaged  at  Horenowes' 
and  passed  through  Maslowed.     From   that  village,    withou 
opposition,  they  marched  along  the  rear  of  the  Austrian  line 
apparently  unobserved,  until  they  flung  themselves  into  Chlun 
and  Rosberitz.     It  seems  that  the  fourth  corps  to  whom  th 
defence  of  the  ground  between  Maslowed  and  Nedelitz  was  er 
trusted,  seeing  their  comrades  heavily  engaged  with  Franzeck 
in  the  Maslowed  wood,  turned  to  their  aid,  and  pressing  fo:« 
wards  towards  Benatek  quitted  their  proper  ground.     A  shoi 
time  afterwards  the  second  Austrian  corps  was  defeated  by  th 
Prussian  eleventh  division,  and  retreated  towards  its  bridge  c 
Lochenitz.     The  advance  of  the  fourth  corps,  and  the  retre; 
of  the   second,  left  a  clear  gap  in  the  Austrian  line,  throug- 
which  the  Prussian  Guards  marched  unmolested,  and  without 
shot  seized  the  key  of  the  position.     Once  installed  they  coul 


Chap.  II.]  BATTLE   OF  KONIGGRATZ.  265 

not   be    ejected,  and   the   battle   was   practically  lost   to   the 
Austrians. 

The  Prussian  pursuit  was  tardy,  and  not  pushed.  The  men 
Iwere  fatigued,  and  night  was  coming  on.  The  Austrian  cavalry 
was  moving  sullenly  towards  Pardubitz.  The  Prussian  cavalry 
jof  the  First  Army  had  suffered  severely.  The  Elbe  lay  between 
the  retreating  Austrians  and  the  victorious  Prussians.  The 
[victory,  although  fortuitously  decisive,  was  not  improved  to  such 
advantage  as  it  might  have  been. 


CHAPTER   III. 

DEFENCE    OF    SILESIA. 

Before  proceeding  to  review  the  events  which  have  in  the; 
meantime  been  taking  place  in  the  western  theatre  of  war,  it  is 
requisite  to  cast  a  glance  upon  the  operations  of  the  two 
Prussian  corps  which  had  been  left  to  guard  the  province  ol, 
Silesia.  On  the  concentration  of  the  Austrian  army  ir 
Bohemia,  a  corps  of  6,000  men,  under  General  Trentinaglia. 
had  been  left  at  Cracow.  Two  Prussian  independent  corps' 
had,  as  was  already  noticed,  been  stationed  at  Ratibor  anc 
Nicolai,  to  shield  south-eastern  Silesia,  against  a  probabk' 
attack  from  this  corps.  The  former  was  commanded  b] 
General  Knobelsdorf,  and  consisted  of  the  62nd  regiment  0 
infantry,  the  2nd  regiment  of  Uhlans,  a  few  battalions  0 
Landwehr,  and  one  battery.  The  latter,  under  General  Coim 
Stolberg,  was  formed  of  Landwehr  alone,  and  mustered  si> 
battalions,  two  regiments  of  cavalry,  two  companies  of  Jagerf' 
and  one  battery. 

The   corps   of  Knobelsdorf  was  to    defend   the    Moravia* 
frontier,  that  of  Stolberg  the  Gallician ;  and  both,  in  case  ch 
attack  by  overwhelming  numbers,  were  to  fall  back  under  th 
protection  of  the  fortress  of  Kosel. 

On  the  2 1  st  June,  Stolberg's  corps  obtained  its  first  in 
portant  although  bloodless  success.  That  day  it  marche 
rapidly,  many  of  the  men  being  conveyed  in  waggons  1 
Pruchna,  blew  up  the  railway  viaduct  there,  and  so  destroys, 
the  communication  between  General  Trentinaglia  and  the  ma:, 
Austrian  army. 

On  the  24th  and   26th  June,  as  well  as  on  the  intermedia 
days,  several  Austrian  parties  made  demonstrations  of  crossii 


i  Chap  III.]  DEFENCE   OF  SILESIA.  267 

the  frontier  near  Oswiecin.  Large  bodies  of  troops  appeared 
to  be  in  the  act  of  concentration  at  that  place,  and  General 
Stolberg  determined  to  assure  himself  of  the  actual  strength  of 
the  Austrians  there  by  a  reconnaissance  in  force. 

To  aid  this,  General  Knobelsdorf  sent  a  part  of  his  troops  to 
Myslowitz,  to  cover  the  rear  of  Stolberg's  corps  while  it 
marched  on  Oswiecin. 

At  the  latter  place,  General  Stolberg  found  a  considerably 
superior  force  of  the  enemy.  He  seized  the  buildings  of  the 
railway  station,  placed  them  hastily  in  a  state  of  defence,  and 
determined  by  making  a  long  halt  here  to  force  the  Austrians  to 
develop  their  full  force. 

After  he  had  achieved  this  object,  General  Stolberg  retired 
to  his  position  near  Nicolai.  The  detachment  at  Myslowitz 
had  at  the  same  time  to  sustain  an  action  there,  and  fulfilled 
I  completely  its  purpose  of  holding  the  enemy  back  from 
Oswiecin. 

On  the  30th  June,  Stolberg's  detachment  was  so  weakened 
by  the  withdrawal  of  his  Landwehr  battalions,  which  were 
called  up  in  order  to  aid  in  the  formation  of  a  fourth  battalion 
to  every  regiment,  that  it  could  no  longer  hold  its  own  against 
the  superior  Austrian  force  near  Myslowitz.  It  retired  accord- 
ingly nearer  to  Ratibor,  in  the  direction  of  Plesz,  and  undertook 
from  here,  in  connexion  with  General  Knobelsdorf,  expeditions 
into  Moravia  against  Teschen,  Biala,  and  Skotchau,  annoyed  the 
Austrians  considerably,  and  made  the  inhabitants  of  Moravia 
regard  the  war  with  aversion. 


BOOK  VIII. 
CHAPTER   I. 

OPERATIONS  IN  THE  WESTERN  THEATRE  OF  THE  GERMAN  WAR.  I 

As  has  been  already  shown  in  a  preceding  chapter,*  the! 
Prussian  troops  which  had  invaded  Hanover  and  Hesse-Casselj 
occupied    on  the   19th   June    the   following   positions  : — The' 
divisions  of  General  Goeben  and  General  Manteuftel  were  in; 
the  town  of  Hanover,  and  that  of  General  Beyer  in  Cassel.    0i; 
the  allies  of  Austria  the  Hanoverian  army  was  at  Gottingen  ■ 
the  Bavarian  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Wiirzburg  and  Bamberg 
the  eighth  Federal  corps  in  the  vicinity  of  Frankfort.     The  lattei 
consisted  of  the  troops  ofWurtemberg,  Baden,  Hesse-Darmstadt 
Nassau,  and  Hesse-Cassel,  to  which  an  Austrian  division  wa: 
added.  We  have  seen  under  what  disadvantages  the  Hanoveriai 
army  left  Hanover,  and  commenced  its  southward  march.     It 
formation  and  preparations  began  only  at  Gottingen,  and  the; 
were  necessarily  conducted  under  every  untoward  circumstance 
The  soldiers  of  the  reserve,  and  those  who  had  been  absent  oi 
furlough,  nobly  responded  to  the  call  of  their  King,  and  mad' 
their  way  through  the  country  which  was  in  Prussian  posse." 
sion,  and  sometimes  even  through  the  lines  of  the  enemy,  t 
join  the  ranks  at  Gottingen.     By  their  firm  determination  ti 
reach  their  regiments  they  afforded  an  earnest  of  the  gallantr 
and  courage  which  they  afterwards  displayed  upon  the  field  < 
battle.     By  the  arrival  of  these  men,  the  army  at  Gottingej 
mustered  about  twenty  thousand  combatants,  with  fifty  guns. 

Southern   Germany  expected  great  deeds  of  the  Bavaris' 

*  See  page  118. 


■  Chap.  I.]  WESTEEX  THEATRE   OF   WAR.  269 

army.  It  might  have  thrown  serious  difficulties  in  the  way  of 
the  Prussian  successes,  had  not  an  uncertainty  and  vacillation 
.  ;  pervaded  all  its  operations.  Prince  Charles  of  Bavaria,  the 
Commander-in-Chief,  under  whose  orders  the  eighth  Federal 
;  Corps  was  also  afterwards  placed,  seems  to  have  conducted  his 
campaign  without  a  definite  strategical  object,  and  without 
1  energy  in  its  prosecution.  Against  him  in  command  of  the 
:  Prussian  Army  of  the  Maine*  was  a  general  gifted  with  prudence 
;  and  clear  foresight,  who  pursued  his  aim  with  an  iron  vigour. 
The  Bavarian  is  a  smart  soldier  in  time  of  peace,  and  conducts 
,  himself  well  in  battle  :  but  the  ranks  of  Bavaria  do  not  contain 
such  intelligence  as  do  those  of  Prussia,  for  men  drawn  for 
military  service  are  allowed  to  provide  substitutes,  so  that  only 
;  the  poorer  and  less  educated  classes  of  society  furnish  recruits 
Tor  the  army. 

The  eighth  Federal  corps  did  not  assemble  either  with  zeal 
'or  rapidity.  The  troops  of  the  Grand  Duke  of  Baden  not 
'only  came  very  late  to  the  place  of  concentration,  but  when 
actually  in  the  field  were  handled  in  a  manner  which  gave  rise 
to  grave  suspicions  of  the  affection  of  their  government  for  the 
South-German  cause.  The  kernel  of  this  miscellaneous  corps 
was  formed  by  an  Austrian  division  composed  of  the  troops 
i which  had  been  withdrawn  from  the  fortresses  of  Rastadt, 
'Mayence,  and  Frankfort.  Even  if  the  princes  of  the  small 
:  states  which  furnished  their  contingents  to  the  eighth  corps  had 
:made  clear  to  themselves  the  end  or  object  of  the  war  which 
'they  had  undertaken,  their  reasons  for  the  quarrel  had  not 
penetrated  the  lower  ranks  of  their  armies.  The  troops  had  no 
-idea,  no  knowledge,  of  the  causes  for  which  they  were  to  shed 
■their  blood,  and  markedly  in  this  respect  contrasted  with  the 
j Prussian  soldiery,  which  held  that  the  honour,  integrity,  and 
even  existence  of  its  fatherland  was  in  jeopardy. 

The  Federal  troops  did  not  fail  in  bravery,  but  no  enthusiasm 
thrilled  through  their  ranks.  Individual  bodies  were  doubtless 
animated  by  a  high  courage,  and  in  many  cases  displayed  a 
heroic  devotion  to  their  leaders  and  their  princes.     But  the 

*  This  name  was  only  given  on  the  1st  of  July  to  the  Prussian  divisions 
amalgamated  together  under  the  command  of  General  Vogel  von  Falcken- 
stein. 


2;o  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VIII. 

mass  did  not  work  evenly ;  a  want  of  harmony  existed  among 
its  heterogeneous  units,  which,  in  combination  with  the  clouded 
plans  of  its  chiefs,  facilitated  the  task  of  General  von  Falcken- 
stein.  There  was  also  dissension  in  the  councils  of  the  leaders. 
Prince  Alexander  not  only  habitually  disagreed  with  his  supe- 
rior, Prince  Charles,  and  so  originated  causes  of  disaster  \  but 
himself  was  often  engaged  in  paltry  squabbles  with  the 
lieutenants  who  commanded  the  different  contingents. 

CATASTROPHE    OF    THE    HANOVERIAN    ARMY. 

The  Hanoverian  army  had  marched  from  its  capital  almost; 
totally  unprepared  to  undertake  a  campaign.  It  stood  in  direi 
need  of  several  days'  rest  in  order  to  be  organized,  and  toj 
allow  time  for  the  formation  of  a  transport  train,  as  well  as  foi: 
the  clothing  and  armament  of  the  soldiers  of  reserve  who  had; 
been  recalled  to  the  ranks,  and  for  the  horsing  of  part  of  the 
artillery.  On  this  account  it  was  forced  to  halt  until  the  2otrj 
June  at  Gottingen,  and  the  favourable  moment  for  its  unmo- 
lested march  to  unite  with  the  troops  of  Bavaria  was  alio  wee 
to  slip  away. 

On  the  1 9th  June,  by  the  successful  occupation  of  Cassel  tr; 
Prussian  troops,  the  ultimate  retreat  of  the  Hanoverians  wa 
first  endangered.  On  the  same  day  the  Prussian  General  voi 
Falckenstein  set  out  from  Hanover  with  Goebems  division  ii 
pursuit  of  them.  The  Hanoverian  army  had  gained  a  start  0 
almost  seventy  miles  on  General  von  Falckenstein,  which  wa 
of  the  more  importance,  inasmuch  as  the  latter  could  not  mak; 
use  of  the  railroads,  which  had  been  torn  up  and  broken. 

The  King  of  Hanover  determined  to  move  in  a  soutr1 
easterly  direction,  and  to  attempt  to  reach  Bavaria  by  passin 
through  Prussian  territory  on  the  road  which  leads  by  Heiliger 
stadt  and  Langensalza,  and  then  by  Gotha  or  Eisenach,  or  t 
unite  with  the  Bavarians  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Fulda.  Th 
roads  in  this  direction  through  the  mountains  of  the  Thuringia 
Forest  are  very  convenient,  and  by  no  means  difficult.  Ha 
the  march  been  pushed  on  with  certainty  and  rapidity,  theijl. 
seems  to  have  been  no  reason  why  it  should  not  have  bee 
successful  in  its  issue.     The  portion  of  the  Prussian  provinc 


:hap.  I.]  WESTERN  THEATRE    OF   WAR.  271 

pf  Saxony  through  which  the  line  of  march  lay  from  Heiligen- 
ttadt  to  Langensalza  was  entirely  denuded  of  Prussian  troops. 
The  only  force  to  oppose  the  progress  of  the  retreating  army 
bn  this  road  was  the  contingent  of  Saxe-Coburg  Gotha,  at 
Gotha.  This  consisted,  however,  of  only  two  battalions.  It 
seems,  therefore,  that  the  direction  proposed  for  their  route 
offered  considerable  chances  of  success,  if  on  the  one  side  the 
Hanoverians  had  forced  their  marches,  and  on  the  other  the 
jBavarians  had  pushed  forward  by  Coburg  in  strength,  in  order 
Ito  effect  a  junction  with  their  threatened  allies.  But  neither 
the  Hanoverian  nor  Bavarian  leaders  acted  energetically. 

The  Prussian  staff,  on  the  contrary,  took  most  prompt 
measures  to  cut  off  the  Hanoverian  retreat,  and  to  occupy  the 
principal  points  on  their  line  of  march  with  troops.  The  Duke 
jof  Coburg  had  declared  openly  and  decidedly  on  the  side  of 
Prussia,  and  his  troops  were  in  consequence  at  the  service  of 
the  Prussian  Government.  On  the  20th  June,  Colonel  von 
Fabeck,  the  commandant  of  the  Coburg  contingent,  received  a 
telegraphic  order  from  Berlin  to  post  himself  with  his  two 
battalions  at  Eisenach,  because  it  was  expected  that  the 
Hanoverians  would  there  first  attempt  to  break  through.  Three 
battalions  of  Landwehr,  one  squadron  of  Landwehr  cavalry,  and 
;a  battery  of  four  guns,  were  sent  from  the  garrison  of  Erfurt  to 
ireinforce  him.  A  battalion  of  the  fourth  regiment  of  the 
Prussian  Guard,  which  had  reached  Leipsic  on  the  19th,  was 
■also  despatched  to  his  aid,  a  detachment  of  which,  on  the  20th, 
rendered  the  railway  tunnel  near  Eisenach,  impassable. 

At  the  same  time  General  Beyer,  pushing  forwards  from 
Cassel  towards  Eisenach,  occupied  the  passages  of  the  river 
Werra,  between  Allendorf  and  that  place. 

The  idea  of  uniting  with  the  Bavarians,  by  moving  from 
Heiligenstadt  by  Eschewege  and  Fulda,  was  under  these  cir- 
cumstances, given  up  by  the  King  of  Hanover.  On  the  20th 
of  June  such  is  said  to  have  been  his  intention,  and  on  that 
.day  he  moved  his  advanced  guard  from  Gottingen  to  Heiligen- 
stadt. On  the  21st  he  ordered  his  whole  army  to  move  upon 
.Gotha,  and  crossed  the  Prussian  frontier  with  his  troops,  after 
taking  leave  of  his  people  by  means  of  a  proclamation,  in 
which  he  mournfully  expressed  his  hope  soon   to  return  vie- 


2"2  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VIII 

torious  at  the  head  of  his  army,  to  the  land  which  he  was  thei 
temporarily  forced  to  quit. 

General  Arentschild,  on  entering  Prussian  territory  nea 
Heiligenstadt,  issued  a  proclamation  in  which  he  disavowed 
any  intention  of  treating  the  country  in  a  hostile  manner,  an<! 
declared  that  he  only  desired  to  be  allowed  to  march  through 
without  interruption.  The  Hanoverian  army,  dependent  foi 
its  subsistence  upon  requisitions,  moved  but  slowly.  On  M 
22nd  it  occupied  Miihlhausen,  and  on  the  23rd  Grosz-Gotterr, 
From  this  place  advanced  guards  were  pushed  forward  on  th| 
one  side  towards  Erfurt,  on  the  other  to  the  railway  betwee:' 
Eisenach  and  Gotha.  The  latter  found  that  this  line  wa; 
already  occupied  by  the  Prussians.  On  the  24th  the  Hanc 
verian  army  reached  Langensalza. 

In  the  meantime  Colonel  Fabeck,  the  commander  of  th 
Coburg  contingent,  quitting  his  position  at  Eisenach,  aj 
preached  Gotha,  and  occupied  the  road  by  which  the  Ham' 
verians  might  have  broken  through  in  this  direction.  A  secon! 
squadron  of  Landwehr  cavalry  and  a  depot  battalion  were  ser; 
from  Erfurt  to  reinforce  him ;  and  a  second  battalion  of  th. 
fourth  regiment  of  the  infantry  of  the  Prussian  Guard  wr 
hurried  up  from  Berlin.  One  battalion  of  this  regiment  o< 
cupied  Weimar,  and  the  other  Eisenach. 

On  the  24th  June,  the  force  opposed  to  the  Hanoverians  J 
Gotha  consisted  only  of  six  weak  battalions,  two  squadron 
and  four  guns.     There  can  hardly  be  any  question  but  that, 
the  King  of  Hanover  had  marched  rapidly  on  Gotha  that  da. 
Colonel  von  Fabeck  would  have  been  quite  unable  to  hold  hi 
position.     But  the  Hanoverian  leaders  failed  to  take  advantas 
of  this  last  opportunity.     The  King  rejected  a  proposal  mac' 
by  Colonel  von  Fabeck,  that  his  army  should  capitulate  ;    b 
applied  to   the   Duke  of  Coburg,  and  asked  him   to  act'  as 
mediator  with  the  Prussian  Government.     The    Hanoveriar 
desired  a  free  passage  to  Bavaria,  and  were  in  return  willing 
pledge  themselves  to  take  no  share  in  the  war  in  Germai 
during  six  months.     The   Duke  of  Coburg  insisted   that  th' 
time  should  be  extended  to  a  year,  to  which  the  Hanoveriaii 
assented,  and  the  Duke  telegraphed  a  report  of  the  negotiatio:! 
to  Berlin. 


Chap.  I.]  WESTERN  THEATRE   OF   WAR.  273 

Had  the  Hanoverians  obtained  these  terms,  their  intention 
was  to  move  into  Italy,  and  there  to  act  on  the  Austrian  side 
against  the  Italians, — a  course  of  action  which  would  have 
recalled  to  memory  the  past  times  in  which  the  Electors  of 
Hanover  sent  so  many  of  their  subjects  to  combat  in  the  cause 
of  the  republic  of  Venice. 

The  King  of  Prussia,  immediately  on  the  receipt  of  the  tele- 
gram of  the  Duke  of  Coburg,  despatched  his  Adjutant-General, 
General  von  Alvensleben,  to  Gotha,  to  treat  with  the  King  of 
'Hanover.     In  the  meantime  an  armistice  was  agreed  upon, 
which  was  to  expire  on  the  morning  of  the  25th.     This  ar- 
nistice  was  violated,  doubtlessly  by  some  misunderstanding, 
pa  the  night  of  the  24th,  by  the  Hanoverians,  who  advanced 
0  the  Gotha  and  Eisenach  railway,  and  broke  up  the  line  near 
j?rotestadt.     General  von  Alvensleben   sent  a  proposal  from 
Gotha  to  the  King  of  Hanover  that  he  should  capitulate.     To 
his  no  answer  was  returned ;  but  the  King  expressed  a  wish 
rhat  General  von  Alvensleben  should  repair  to  his  camp,  in 
f)rder  to  treat  with  him.    This  wish  was  complied  with  early  on 
the  25th,  when  an  extension  of  the  armistice  was  agreed  upon, 
.nd  General  von  Alvensleben  hurried  back  to  Berlin  for  further 
nstructions.   It  was  not  at  this  time  the  interest  of  the  Prussians 
0  push  matters  to   extremities.      Their  troops   were   widely 
■cattered,  and  the  small  force  at  Gotha  was  unequal  to  engage 
jhe   Hanoverian   army   with   any   chance    of    success.       The 
lanoverians  seem  to  have  been  ignorant  of  how  small  a  body 
(lone  barred  the  way  to  Bavaria,  and  to  have  hoped  that  time 
•light  be  afforded  for  aid  to  reach  them.     On  the  night  of  the 
,4th  a  messenger  was  sent  to  the  Bavarian  head-quarters  at 
■Jamberg  to  report  the  situation  of  the  Hanoverian  army,  and 
)  solicit  speedy  assistance.     To  this  request  Prince  Charles 
'ily  replied  that  an  army  of  nineteen  thousand  men  ought  to 
;e  able  to  cut  its  way  through.   In  consequence  of  this  opinion 
nly  one  Bavarian  brigade  of  light  cavalry  was  advanced   on 
pe  25th  of  June  to  Meiningen,  in  the  valley  of  the  Werra, 
.tile  a  few  Bavarian  detachments  were  pushed  forward  along 
ie  high  road  as  far  as  Vacha. 

This  procedure  of  Prince  Charles  of  Bavaria  was  alone  suffi- 
ient  to  condemn  him  as  a  general.   He  held  his  army  inactive, 

T 


SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VIII. 

**  by  a  bold  advance,  not  only  ^  h    Ij^Jg-jj 

thousond  of  k»  ri"~r  >  ™e"'  °*  L„  „,„,d  to  his  m- 

5s.  £'5i=KS  :S  oS.^p.o  ft.  J 
SSLS  oift '«» p°~  "  ",rr«*. «  ft«i 

,nd  Hal  e    On  the  same  evening  the  Prussian  troops  at  Go- 
,   reinforced   by   two  battalions   of  the   2oth  regiment 
Tandwefand  a  dlpot  battalion  from  the  garrison  of  Mag. 
buTg      General  Flies"  immediately  assumed  the  command       : 
Prussian  and  Coburg  troops  at  Gotha,  and  pushed  his  ad  a,   1 
IZi  "hat  evening"  to  Warza,  half-way  between  Gotha    I 

^EZt*.  Place  the  Hanoverian  army  lay.  The  opportu,  , 


Chap.  I.]  WESTERN  THEATRE   OF  WAR.  275 

of  forcing  its  way  into  Bavaria,  while  the  two  battalions  of 
Coburg  were  alone  at  Gotha,  had  been  lost.  By  the  morning 
of  the  26th,  forty-two  thousand  Prussians  were  placed  on  the 
south,  west,  and  north,  within  a  day's  march  of  its  position,  and 
all  hopes  of  escape  into  Bavaria,  or  of  aid  from  its  southern 
allies,  appeared  to  be  vain. 

On  the  26th  the  armistice  expired  at  ten  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  but  the  Prussian  Commander-in-chief  did  not  imme- 
diately commence  hostilities.  His  dispositions  were  not  yet 
perfected.  That  day  the  Hanoverian  army  drew  more  closely 
together,  either  with  the  object  of  accepting  battle,  or,  as  some 
;  say,  with  the  intention  of  moving  by  Tennstedt,  and  endeavour- 
ing to  join  the  Bavarians  by  a  circuitous  route. 

That  evening  the  Hanoverians  took  up  a  position  between 
\ the  villages  of  Thamsbriick,  Merxleben,  and  the  town  of  Lan- 
gensalza.  None  of  these  places  were  well  suited  for  defence, 
!and  no  artificial  fortifications  were  thrown  up  on  the  southern 
side  of  the  position,  where  General  Flies  lay.  On  the  northern 
side  a  few  insignificant  earthworks  and  one  battery  were  erected, 
to  guard  the  rear  and  right  flank  of  the  army  against  the  Prus- 
sian corps  under  General  Manteuffel,  which  lay  in  the  direction 
of  Miihlhausen.  The  soldiers  were  weary  with  marching  and 
privations,  but  eager  to  join  battle  with  the  Prussians,  who  of 
late  years  had  spoken  in  a  disparaging  and  patronising  tone  of 
the  Hanoverian  army,  which,  since  the  battle  of  Langensalza, 
has  been  exchanged  for  one  of  high  respect  and  admiration. 
There  had  been  a  false  alarm  in  the  Hanoverian  lines  of  an 
advance  by  the  enemy  in  the  night  between  the  26th  and  27th 
June;  but  an  attack  was  not  expected  on  the  27th.  This  day 
had  been  appointed  by  Royal  command  to  be  observed  as  a 
solemn  day  of  fast  and  humiliation  throughout  Prussia,  and  the 
Hanoverian  leaders  appear  to  have  imagined  that  on  this 
account  the  Prussian  generals  would  not  attack.  In  this  they 
were  deceived,  for  before  evening  there  had  been  fought  the 
bloody 

BATTLE    OF    LANGENSALZA. 

The  Prussian  troops  on  the  morning  of  the  27th  occupied 
the  following  positions  : — The  division  of  General  Manteuffel 

t  2 


276 


SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VIII. 


was  at  Miihlhausen;  that  of  General  Beyer  at  Eisenach;  that 
of  General  Goeben  had  one  of  its  brigades,  that  of  General 
Wrangel,  pushed  forwards  towards  the  north-west  of  Langen- 
salza,  and  the  other  brigade,  that  of  General  Kummer,  at 
Gotha  •  while  the  corps  of  General  Flies  was  concentrated  on 
the  south  of  Langensalza,  at  Warza.  General  Flies,  who  com- 
manded five  battalions  of  infantry  of  the  Prussian  line,  one 
depot  battalion,  two  battalions  of  the  Duke  of  Saxe-Coburg- 
Gotha  and  five  battalions  of  Landwehr,  with  three  squadrons, 
in  all 'about  twelve  thousand  men,*  with  twenty-two  guns, 
advanced  from  Warza,  and  attacked  the  Hanoverian  position 
on  that  forenoon.  General  Flies  has  been  censured  by  mili- 
tary critics  for  making  this  attack  so  early,  while,  as_  will  be 
seen  in  the  sequel,  his  colleagues  were  still  too  far  distant^ 
render  him  assistance  during  the  action  which  he  thus  precipi- 
tated He  has  not,  however,  failed  to  find  defenders  of  the 
course  he  pursued.  It  has  been  urged  that  the  object  of  hr 
attack  was  to  hold  the  Hanoverian  army  on  the  Unstrut,  an 
if  this  were  his  only  object  he  was  successful.  Hanovena 
sources  of  information,  however,  hardly  allude  to  the  supposi 
tion  that  King  George  was  about  to  move  to  Tennstedt ;  and 
unless  General  Flies  had  strong  reasons  for  believing  that  hi 
adversary  meditated  the  immediate  execution  of  such  a  move 
ment  he  was  hardly  justified  in  exposing  himself  to  an  unne 
cessary  chance  of  disaster.  It  has  also  been  said  that  Genera 
Manteuffel  on  the  north  was  to  fire  two  cannon  as  a  signal  t(. 
General  Flies  that  he  was  ready  to  attack,  and  that  the  Hano: 
verians,  having  discovered  this  arrangement,  gave  the  signal  aj 
an  early  hour  from   their  own  batteries.     The  Hanoverians. 

*     3  Battalions,  nth  Regiment  j  (hOQQ  per  Battalion)   .     .  5>000 
2  "  Saxe  Coburg-Gotha  (900  per  Battalion)       .    i,Soo 

Depot  Battalion  71st  Regiment  (400  per  Battalion)     .     .       4°° 
2  Battalions,  20th  Landwehr  Regiment  j  ,.     t     ^ 

2  „         32nd         „  „  W800  per  Battalion)  4,000 

I  Battalion,   27th         „  ) 

3  Squadrons  (150  horsemen  each)  .         .         .         •         •      4o 

11,650 

^                                                                               ...      600 
Gunners 

12,250 


CHAP.    I.]  WESTERN  THEATRE    OF   WAR.  277 

however,  assert  that  their  artillery  only  fired  its  first  shot  after 
General  Flies's  infantry  attack  had  been  well  developed. 

The  position  occupied  by  the    Hanoverian   army   on   the 

morning  of  the  27th  lay  along  the  sloping  side  of  the  line  of 

',  hills  which  rises  from  the  left  bank  of  the  river  Unstrut.     The 

right  wing  and  centre  rested  on  the  villages  of  Thamsbriick 

■  and  Merxleben ;  the  left  wing  between  the  villages  of  Nagel- 
1  stadt  and  Merxleben.  The  third  brigade  (Von  Biilow)  formed 
;  the  right  wing ;  the  fourth  brigade  (Von  Bothmer)  the  left ; 

while  in  the  centre  was  posted  the  first  brigade  {Von  de 
Knesebeck),  which  at  the  beginning  of  the  action  was  held  in 
I  rear  of  the  general  line.  The  village  of  Merxleben,  and  the 
ground  in  front  of  it,  was  occupied  by  the  second  brigade  (De 
Vaux),  which  had  its  outposts  pushed  as  far  as  Henningsleben, 
along  the  road  to  Warza.     The  artillery  and  cavalry  of  the 

■  reserve  were  posted  behind  Merxleben,  near  the  road  to  Sund- 
hausen,  where  the  scanty  depots  of  ammunition  and  stores 
were  established.  The  front  of  the  position  was  covered  by 
the  river,  which  with  its  steep  banks  impeded  at  first  the  Prus- 
sian attack,  but  afterwards  was  an  obstacle  to  the  offensive 

advance  and  counter-attack  of  the  Hanoverians. 

At  about  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  27th,  the  two 
Coburg  battalions  which  formed  the  advanced  guard  of  General 
Flies's  column  reached  Henningsleben,  and  attacked  the  Hano- 
verian outposts  there.  These  withdrew  to  Langensalza,  occa- 
sionally checking  their  pursuers  by  the  fire  of  their  skirmishers. 
One  Hanoverian  battalion  remained  for  a  short  time  in  Lan- 
gensalza, but  then  the  whole  Hanoverian  troops,  which  had 
been  pushed  along  the  Gotha  road,  withdrew  across  the  Unstrut 
to  Merxleben,  and  the  Prussians  occupied  Langensalza  before 
ten  o'clock. 

General  Flies  then  made  his  arrangements  for  an  attack  on 
the  main  Hanoverian  position.  His  artillery  was  very  inferior 
numerically  to  that  of  the  enemy,  so  he  relied  chiefly  on  his 
infantry  fire.  He  sent  a  small  column  to  make  a  feint  against 
Thamsbriick,  while  he  advanced  two  regiments  of  infantry 
against  Merxleben,  and  detached  a  column  of  Landwehr  to  his 
right,  in  order  to  outflank,  if  possible,  and  turn  the  Hano- 
verian left. 


278  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VIII. 

On  the  Hanoverian  side  the  first  gun  was  fired  between  ten 
and  eleven,  from  a  battery  of  rifled  6-pounders  attached  to  the 
second  brigade,  and  posted  on  the  left  of  Merxleben.  The 
first  brigade  was  immediately  pushed  forward  to  the  support  of 
the  second  brigade,  and  took  up  its  position  on  the  right  of 
that  village. 

By  a  singular  error,  the  Hanoverians  failed  to  hold  a  wood 
and  bathing-establishment  close  to  the  river,  on  the  right  bank, 
opposite  Merxleben.  Into  these  the  Prussian  regiments  advanc-l 
ing  against  the  village  threw  themselves.  Sheltered  by  the 
cover,  they  opened  a  biting  musketry  fire  against  the  Hanoi 
verian  gunners  and  troops  near  the  village,  which  lasted  till  the5 
end  of  the  battle,  caused  great  loss  in  the  Hanoverian  ranks., 
and  made  an  issue  from  the  village  and  a  passage  of  the  bridge! 
most  difficult  and  dangerous.  The  first  gun-shot  of  the  Hano; 
verians  was  quickly  followed  by  others,  and  in  a  few  minute;; 
the  whole  of  the  Prussian  and  the  greater  part  of  the  Hanoveriar 
pieces  were  engaged,  when  the  roar  of  the  guns,  the  explosion 
of  bursting  shells,  and  the  rapid  crackling  of  small  arms,  rosq 
loud  in  the  rough  harmony  of  war. 

The  Prussian  column  on  the  right  pressed  forward  againsl 
the  Hanoverians'  left,  seemed  to  be  bearing  against  their  line  c; 
retreat,  and  threatened  to  turn  their  flank.  The  Hanoveria:; 
leader  seized  the  opportunity,  and  resolved  to  attack  with  vigou 
the  wide-spread  Prussian  line. 

The  first  brigade  in  the  centre,  with  the  third  brigade  on  ills 
right  wing,  advanced  at  mid-day  from  Merxleben.  The  fourt 
brigade  on  the  left  wing  moved  forward  at  the  same  time  again: 
the  Prussian  right,  but  here  the  banks  of  the  river  were  steepe' 
and  the  time  occupied  in  descending  and  ascending  the  bank 
as  well  as  in  wading  through  the  stream,  prevented  more  of  th 
brigade  than  one  battalion  of  rifles  from  at  first  taking  a  sha: 
in  the  onset.  The  rest  of  the  Hanoverian  troops,  howeve 
supported  by  their  artillery,  pressed  steadily  forward,  and  bo 
down  upon  the  Prussians,  who  retreated.  Many  prisoners  we' 
taken,  but  not  without  severe  loss  to  the  assailants,  wl 
soon  occupied  the  wood  and  bathing-establishment  beside  tii 
river. 

The  Prussians  then  drew  off  from  every  point,  and  a  favoi 


Chap.  I.]  WESTERN  THEATRE   OF   WAR.  27; 

able  opportunity  occurred  for  a  vigorous  pursuit.     But  the  dis- 
advantage of  a  river  in  front  of  a  position  now  became  apparent. 
;The  cavalry  could  not  ford  the  stream,  nor  approach  it  closely, 
\  on  account  of  the  boggy  nature  of  its  banks,  and  had  to  depend 
I  upon  the  bridges  at  Thamsbriick,  Merxleben,  and  Nagelstadt. 
The  Duke  of  Cambridge's  regiment  of  dragoons  issued  from  the 
; latter  village,  and  dashed  forward  quickly,  but  unsupported, 
against  the  Prussian  line  of  retreat,  and  took  several  prisoners. 
As  soon  as  the  heavy  cavalry  of  the  reserve  had  threaded  its 
way  across  the  bridge  of  Merxleben,  it  also  rushed  upon  the 
.retreating  Prussians.      Two  squares  were  broken  by  it,  and 
many   prisoners  made,  while   Captain  von    Einein,    with   his 
squadron  of  cuirassiers,  captured  a  Prussian  battery.     But  the 
horsemen  of  Hanover  suffered  fearfully  from  the  deadly  rapidity 
iof  the  needle-gun,  and  Von  Einein  fell  in  the  midst  of  his  cap- 
tured cannon. 

The  cavalry  pursued  the  Prussians  as  far  as  Henningsleben, 
jbut  a  further  pursuit,  or  an  advance  of  the  infantry  even  so  far, 
;was  impossible,  on  account  of  the  fatigue  of  both  men  and 
horses,  and  the  scarcity  of  provisions  and  ammunition. 
I  About  five  o'clock  the  pursuit  terminated,  and  the  Hano- 
verians, masters  of  the  field  of  battle,  posted  their  outlying 
pickets  on  the  south  of  Langensalza. 

The  total  loss  of  the  Hanoverians  in  killed  and  wounded 
was  one  thousand  three  hundred  and  ninety  two.  The 
Prussians  lost  nine  hundred  and  twelve  prisoners,  and  probably 
about  the  same  number  as  their  enemies  in  killed  and  wounded. 
It  is  said  that  the  Hanoverian  infantry  engaged  did  not  number 
more  than  ten  thousand  men,  because  the  recruits  were  sent  to 
the  rear,  and  during  the  day  one  thousand  men  were  employed 
in  throwing  up  earthworks.  The  Hanoverian  cavalry  consisted 
bf  twenty-four  squadrons,  of  which  eighteen  certainly  took  part 
in  the  pursuit,  and  must  have  mustered  at  least  nineteen 
hundred  sabres.  The  artillery  in  action  on  that  side  consisted 
bf  forty-two  guns.  The  Prussian  force,  as  has  been  shown 
before,  numbered  about  twelve  thousand  combatants,  with 
twenty-two  guns.  It  is  extremely  questionable  how  far  General 
Flies  was  justified  under  these  circumstances  in  precipitating 
an  action. 


280  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VIII. 

The  battle  of  Langensalza  was  of  little  avail  to  the  gallant 
army  which  had  won  it.  The  troops  of  Hanover  were  now 
too  intricately  involved  in  the  meshes  of  Falckenstein's 
strategy. 

This  general,  on  the  28th,  closed  in  his  divisions,  and  drew 
them  tightly  round  the  beleaguered  Hanoverians,  who,  by  the 
action  of  Langensalza,  had  repulsed  but  not  cut  through  their 
assailants.    The  division  of  General  Manteuffel  and  the  brigade 

POSITIONS   ON   THE   MORNING   OF   THE   29TH. 


Brigade  Wr angel 
JZ)  \Bolhtedt) 

(Rotlien-Heilingen) 


Tnstrul  R. 


D 

n  Flics 

[Warza) 
Div.  Beyer 
\Haynd) 


a 

Kummers  Brigade  to  Weimar 

{Gotha) 

of  General  Wrangel  were  pushed  into  the  Hanoverian  rear,  ar' 
took  up  positions  at  Alt-Gottern,  Rothen-Heiligen,  and  Bo; 
stedt.      The   division  of  General   Beyer  was  advanced  fro' 
Eisenach   to    Hayna.     General  Flies  was   at  Warza,   and  t 
brigade  of  General  Kummer  at  Gotha  was  held  ready  to  mo 


Chap.  I.]  WESTERN  THEATRE   OF   WAR.  2S1 

by  railway  to  Weimar,  in  order  to  head  King  George,  in  case 
he  should  march  to  the  eastward  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
Unstrut.  Forty  thousand  hostile  combatants  were  knitted 
round  the  unfortunate  monarch  and  his  starving  but  devoted 
1  troops. 

When  these  positions  of  the  Prussians  were  reported  to  the 
King,  he  determined  to  avoid  a  holocaust  of  his  soldiery.  An 
action  could  hardly  have  been  successful ;  it  must  have  been 
desperate.  The  terms  of  capitulation  which  had  been  formerly 
proposed  by  Prussia,  were  agreed  to  on  the  evening  of  the  29th. 
Arms,  carriages,  and  military  stores  were  handed  over  to  the 
Prussians :  the  Hanoverian  soldiers  were  dismissed  to  their 
homes :  the  officers  were  allowed  to  retain  their  horses  and 
their  swords,  on  condition  of  not  again  serving  against  Prussia 
during  the  war.  The  King  himself  and  the  Crown  Prince 
were  allowed  to  depart  whither  they  pleased,  except  within  the 
boundaries  of  Hanover. 

Political  errors,  and  the  supineness  of  Prince  Charles  of 
Bavaria,  had  at  one  stroke  of  the  pen  made  a  whole  army 
.captive,  and  blotted  out  from  the  roll  of  independent  states 
one  of  the  most  renowned  of  continental  principalities. 

This  disaster  of  the  Hanoverian  army  was  due  in  a  less 
degree  to  the  uncertain  action  of  its  leaders  than  to  the 
improvidence  of  its  administrators,  and  the  blindness  of  the 
political  guardians  of  its  country.  Still  there  is  no  doubt 
that,  on  the  days  preceding  the  25th  June,  the  army  of  King 
George  could  easily  have  forced  its  way  through  the  small 
knot  of  its  enemies  at  Gotha,  and  have  secured  a  safe  re- 
treat, provided  only  that  it  had  been  directed  to  march 
boldly  forward.  Its  subsequent  conduct  at  Langensalza  com- 
pels us  to  believe  that  its  organization  at  this  time  must 
:  have  been  sufficiently  advanced  to  allow  it  to  take  this  course. 
For  the  reasons  that  it  did  not  do  so  its  military  directors 
must  be  responsible. 

Yet,  whoever  is  to  blame  for  the  calamitous  results  of  its 
'■  expiring  campaign,  none  can  regard,  without  a  feeling  of 
.sympathy  and  emotion,  the  last  struggles  of  a  proud  and 
high-minded  soldiery,  who  bore  up  ineffectually  for  days 
,  against  privation,  hardship,  and  superior  numbers ;  who  even 


282 


SEVEN   WEEKS'    WAR. 


[Book  VIII. 


hoped  against  hope ;  who  rallied  round  their  king  in  the  hour 
of  his  misfortune,  and  strove  to  carry  him,  by  the  pressure 
of  their  bayonets,  through  the  clustering  bands  of  hostile  com- 
batants. Hanoverians  may  well  look  with  a  mournful  satis- 
faction on  Langensalza.  British  soldiers  may  justly  feel  a 
generous  pride  in  the  last  campaign  of  an  army  which  mingled 
its  blood  with  that  of  their  ancestors  on  the  battle-fields  of 
Spain  and  Belgium,  and  not  unworthily  rank  the  name  of  the 
battle  which  closes  the  last  page  of  Hanoverian  history  with 
Salamanca,  Talavera,  Quatre  Bras,  and  Waterloo. 


CHAPTER    II. 


CAMPAIGN    ON    THE    MAINE. 


When  Prussia  determined  upon  war,  she  resolved  to  throw 
herself  with  her  main  force  upon  Austria,  since  that  Power  was 
the  leader  and  backbone  of  the  coalition  against  her.  With  the 
intention  of  crushing  the  Austrian  army  in  Bohemia  and 
Moravia,  the  whole  of  the  regular  corps  d'armee  of  the  Prussian 
service  were  directed  upon  those  countries.  Westphalia  and 
the  Rhenish  provinces  were  denuded  of  their  regular  troops, 
which  were  marched  to  the  Austrian  frontier.  To  protect  the 
western  provinces  of  Prussia  from  the  allies  of  Austria,  to  over- 
run Hanover  and  Hesse-Cassel,  and  then  to  act  against  the 
allies  of  Austria  in  the  south-west  of  Germany,  was  the  task 
entrusted  to  General  Vogel  von  Falckenstein.  He  was  pro- 
vided with  an  army  hastily  collected  together  from  the  Elbe 
duchies,  and  from  the  garrisons  of  the  neighbouring 
fortresses. 

With  this  army,  General  von  Falckenstein  had  to  be  pre- 
pared to  take  the  field  against  the  Bavarians  and  the  seventh 
corps  of  the  late  Germanic  Confederation.  Previous  to  en- 
gaging with  these  adversaries,  he  was  forced  to  occupy  Hanover 
and  Hesse-Cassel,  and  to  pursue  and  disarm  the  Hanoverian 
troops.  These  preliminaries  cost  the  Prussian  general  the  loss 
of  fourteen  days  of  valuable  time,  and  allowed  the  eighth 
Federal  corps  to  assemble  its  heterogeneous  constituents,  and 
organize  them  round  Frankfort.  There  can  be  no  doubt  but 
that  if,  on  the  1 8th  or  1 9th  June,  General  Falckenstein  had 
been  able  to  concentrate  his  divisions  near  Wetzlar,  and  to 
have  marched  immediately  upon  Frankfort,  he  would  have 
entirely  prevented  the  collection  of  the  troops  of  Baden,  Wur- 


284  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VIII. | 

temberg,   and   Hesse,    and  have   annihilated   in   detail   their \ 
separated  divisions. 

On  the  other  hand,  fortune  favoured  Falckenstein,  inasmuch 
as  that  during  this  fortnight  the  main  armies  of  his  opponents 
remained  inactive,  and,  with  the  exception  of  some  petty' 
demonstrations,  began  to  develop  no  energy  until  quite  the  end, 
of  June,  when  he  himself,  after  the  capitulation  of  the  Hano 
verians,  was  free  to  turn  his  unrestricted  attention  to  them,  and 
had  concentrated  his  whole  army  at  Gotha  and  Eisenach. 

The  army  thus  assembled  under  General  von  Falckensteir 
consisted   of  three   divisions.      These   were   the    division   o- 
Lieutenant-General  von  Goeben,  which  consisted  of  the  13th 
53rd,  15th  and  55th  regiments  of  infantry,  with  the  8th  regi' 
ment  of  hussars,  and  4th  regiment  of  cuirassiers.     It  musterer 
in  all,  at  this  time,  about  thirteen  thousand  men,  with  twenty 
four  guns,  and  was  divided  into  two  brigades,  one  commander 
by  General  Kummer,  the  other  by  General  Wrangel.     On 
division  was  the  division  of  General  von   Beyer,  which  ha«; 
been  formed  from  the  garrisons  of  the  Federal  fortresses  c 
Mayence,  Rastadt,  Luxemburg,  and  Frankfort-on-Maine,  anj 
consisted  of  the  19th,  20th,  30th,  32nd,  34th,  39th  and  7ot 
regiments  of  infantry,  with  the  9th  regiment  of  hussars, — altq 
gether  twenty-one  thousand  five  hundred  men,  with  forty-tw 
guns.     Another  the  division  of  General  von  ManteurTel,  whic 
had  formerly  garrisoned  the  duchy  of  Schleswig;  it  consists 
of  the  25th,  36th,  nth,  and  59th  regiments  of  infantry,  and  tl 
5th  and   9th  dragoons, — in  all  thirteen  thousand  men,  wii 
thirty  guns.     The  command  of  this  division  was  shortly  afte 
wards  given  to  General  von  Flies.     To  the  Army  of  the  Mail 
were  also  attached  two  battalions  of  the  duchy  of  Saxe-Cobui 
one  of  Oldenburg,  and  one   of  Lippe-Detmold,  which  nm 
bered  together  about  two  thousand  five  hundred  combatan  I 
General  von  Falckenstein  had  thus  under  his  orders  as  neaij 
as  possible  fifty  thousand  men,  with  ninety-six  guns.*     T 
battalions  of  Landwehr  and  the  depot  troops  which  had  foug': 

*  Later  five  fourth  battalions,  a  newly-raised  rifle  battalion,  and  th  ; 
newly-raised  Landwehr  cavalry  regiments,  as  well  as  the  Oldenburg-  H  ■• 
seatic  brigade,  consisting  of  seven  battalions,  six  squadrons,  and  two  batter: ;, 
reinforced  this  army. 


:hap.  TI.J  CAMPAIGN  ON  THE  MAINE.  2S5 

it  Langensalza  were  not  retained  with  the  army,  but  were  dis- 
missed to  rejoin  the  garrisons  of  those  fortresses  from  which 
they  had  been  taken. 

Opposed  to  the  Prussian  Army  of  the  Maine  stood,  after  the 
capitulation  of  the  Hanoverians,  the  seventh  and  eighth  corps 
,of  the  Germanic  Confederation.  The  seventh  Federal  corps 
consisted  of  the  army  of  Bavaria,  which  was  under  the  com- 
mand of  Prince  Charles  of  Bavaria,  who  was  also  Commander- 
in-chief  of  the  two  corps.  The  Bavarian  army  was  divided 
into  three  divisions,  each  of  which  consisted  of  two  brigades. 
A  brigade  was  formed  of  two  regiments  of  infantry  of  the  Line, 
each  of  three  battalions ;  a  battalion  of  light  infantry,  a  regi- 
ment of  cavalry,  and  a  battery  of  artillery.  There  was  also  a 
reserve  brigade  of  infantry,  which  consisted  of  five  Line  regi- 
ments and  two  battalions  of  rifles.  The  reserve  cavalry  con- 
sisted of  six  regiments,  the  reserve  artillery  of  two  batteries. 
The  first  division  was  under  the  command  of  General  Stephan, 
the  second  under  General  Feder,  the  third  under  General 
Zoller.  The  infantry  of  the  reserve  was  commanded  by 
General  Hartmann,  the  cavalry  by  a  prince  of  the  House  of 
Thurn  and  Taxis.  The  whole  army  numbered  over  fifty 
jthousand  sabres  and  bayonets,  with  one  hundred  and  thirty-six 
£uns.*  The  chief  of  the  staff  of  Prince  Charles  was  General 
yon  der  Tann,  who  was  a  tried  commander  of  a  division. 

The  Bavarian  army  in  the  middle  of  June  was  posted  along 
the  northern  frontier  of  its  own  kingdom  in  positions  intended 
to  cover  that  country  from  an  invasion  from  the  north  or  east, 
ilts  head-quarters  were  at  Bamberg,  its  extreme  right  wing  at 
Hof,  and  its  extreme  left  wing  near  the  confluence  of  the 

*  Each  battalion  of  the  Line  mustered  on  paper  950  men  ;  each  rifle 
jattalion  668  ;  and  each  regiment  of  cavalry  591  horsemen.  This  would 
^ive  a  total  of  58,036  combatants  ;  but  from  this  number  several  deductions 
lave  to  be  made  for  sickness  and  incomplete  battalions.  The  number 
stated  in  the  text  has  been  carefully  compiled  from  the  comparison  of  many 
jvuthorities.  Theoretically,  Bavaria  possessed  a  large  force  of  Landwehr  ;  but 
;is  the  cadres  of  the  Landwehr  battalions  were  not  maintained  in  peace,  and 
10  arrangements  made  for  their  clothing  or  armament  in  case  of  the  out- 
break of  a  war,  these  auxiliary  troops  never  paraded  during  the  earlier 
operations  of  the  war,  except  upon  paper  ;  and  only  once  during  the  whole 
)f  the  campaign,  near  Bayreuth,  did  a  detachment  of  these  troops  take  a 
)art  in  any  action. 


286  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VIII. 

Franconian  Saale  with  the  Maine,  between  Schweinfurt  and 
Gemiinden. 

The  eighth  Federal  corps,  under  the  command  of  Prince 
Alexander  of  Hesse,  consisted  of  the  Federal  contingents  of 
Wiirtemberg,  Baden,  Hesse,  and  a  combined  division ;  which 
included  the  Austrian  auxiliary  brigade  and  the  troops  of 
Nassau.  The  whole  corps  mustered  forty-nine  thousand  eight  '■ 
hundred  sabres  and  bayonets,  with  one  hundred  and  thirty-four: 
guns.*     Prince  Alexander  assumed  the  command  of  this  corps' 

*  The  Order  of  Battle  of  this  eighth  Federal  corps  was  : — 
1st  (Wiirtemberg)  Division. — Lieutenant-General  von  Hardegg. 

1st  Infantry  Brigade  (1st  and  5th  Regiments  and  3rd  Jager  Battalion). 

— Major-General  von  Baumbach. 
2nd  Infantry  Brigade  (2nd  and  7th  Regiments  and  3rd  Jager  Battalion). 

— Major-General  von  Fischer. 
3rd  Infantry  Brigade  (3rd  and  8th  Regiments  and  1st  Jager  Battalion).; 

— Major-General  Hegelmeier. 
Cavalry   Brigade   (1st,    3rd,    and    4th   Regiments). — Major- Genera.'' 

Count  von  Scheler. 
Artillery,  Six  Batteries  of  Eight  Guns. 
2nd  (Baden)  Division. — Prince  William  of  Baden. 

Infantry. — Commander,  Lieutenant-General  Waag. 
1st  Brigade  (Grenadier  and  5th  Regiments  and  a  Jager  Battalion). 

Major- General  von  la  Roche. 
2nd   Brigade   (2nd  and   3rd   Regiments   and   Fusilier  Battalion). - 

Colonel  von  Neubronn. 
Cavalry,  1st,  2nd,  and  3rd  Dragoons. 
Artillery,  Five  Batteries  of  Six  Guns. 
3rd  (Hesse-Darmstadt)  Divison. — Lieutenant-General  von  Perglas. 

1st  Brigade(ist  and  2nd  Regiments  and  one  Jager  Company). — Major 

General  Frey. 
2nd  Brigade  (3rd  and  4th  Regiments  and  one  Jager  Company).  — Majoi 

General  von  Stockhausen. 
A  Battalion  of  Sharpshooters  was  attached  to  the  Division. 
Cavalry  Brigade  (two  Regiments  of  Light  Horse). — Prince  Louis  c, 

Hesse.  # 

Artillery,  Four  Batteries  of  Six  Guns. 
4U1  (Combined)  Division. — Lieutenant-Field-Marshal  Count  Neipperg. 
Austrian  Brigade.—  Major-General  Hohn. 

Three  Battalions  of  the  16th  Infantry  Regiment  (Italians). 
One   Battalion  of  the  49th       ,,  ,, 

One  ,,  ,,         21st       „ 

One  ,,  ,,         74-th       »  „ 

The  35th  Jager  Battalion. 
Two  Batteries  of  Eight  Guns. 
Nassau  Brigade  (1st  and  2nd   Regiments  and  a  Jager  Battalion).- 

Major-General  Roth. 
Artillery,  two  Batteries  of  Eight  Guns. 
To  this  division  were  attached  two  squadrons  of  the  Hussars  of  Hes£ 
Cassel. 


Phap.  II.]  CAMPAIGN  ON  THE  MAINE.  2S7 

>n  the  1 8th  June,  and  established  his  head -quarters  at  Dann- 
;tadt. 

The  Elector  of  Hesse-Cassel  had  sent  his  troops  to  the  south 
lis  soon  as  the  Prussians  invaded  his  territory.  By  a  decree  of 
he  Diet  of  the  22nd  June,  they  were  placed  under  the  orders 
>f  the  commander  of  the  eighth  Federal  corps.  On  account 
)f  their  rapid  retreat  from  Cassel,  their  preparations  for  war 
ivere  interrupted,  and  little  could  as  yet  be  expected  from  them 
n  the  open  held.  On  the  29th  June,  when  Prince  Alexander 
•eceived  orders  for  an  advance  of  his  corps,  he  directed  the 
Hesse-Cassel  contingent,  on  this  account,  to  retire  to  Mainz, 
.here  to  cover  the  Rhine,  and  the  country  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  that  fortress.  Two  squadrons  of  hussars  alone  he 
i-etained  as  the  divisional  cavalry  of  his  fourth  division.  These, 
is  well  as  the  troops  of  Hesse-Darmstadt,  were  ready  for 
iction.  The  troops  of  Wiirtemberg  and  Baden  still  wanted 
dme ;  those  of  Baden  particularly  :  for  their  duchy  entered 
only  unwillingly  into  the  war  against  Prussia.  Wiirtemberg 
lad  sent  an  infantry  brigade,  a  regiment  of  cavalry,  and  two 
catteries  on  the  17th  June,  to  Frankfort.  These  were  intended 
0  unite  with  the  troops  of  Hesse-Darmstadt  already  assembling 
here,  and  to  form  a  guard  for  the  Rump  Diet  which  still  held 
ts  sittings  at  that  town. 

The  next  Wiirtemberg  brigade  joined  the  corps  only  on  the 
:>8th  June,  the  last  brigade  on  the  5th  July.  On  the  17th  June 
he  Government  called  up  its  furlough  and  reserve  soldiers,  and 
organized  its  division.  The  first  Baden  brigade  reached  Frank- 
fort on  the  25th  June,  where  the  Austrian  brigade  had  arrived 
mly  a  few  days  before.  The  rest  of  the  troops  and  the  trans- 
port trains  did  not  come  in  till  the  8th  July.  The  9th  July  can 
)e  considered  to  have  been  the  first  day  on  which  the  eighth 
7ederal  corps  was  first  ready  to  take  the  field.  While  these 
ninor  Governments  were  still  assembling  their  small  contin- 
gents, the  troops  of  Prussia  had  long  been  in  possession  of 
Saxony  and  Hesse,  had  caused  the  surrender  of  the  Hanoverian 
;irmy,  and  already  inflicted  a  crushing  defeat  on  the  main  forces 
:>f  Austria. 

The  Bavarian  army  lay  along  the  Maine,  with  its  first  division 
owards  Hof,   its   fourth  towards  Gemiinden.     The  Bavarian 


I 


288  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VIII. 

Government  was  anxious  to  make  an  advance  upon  Berlin,  by 
way  of  Hof ;  but  the  general  strategical  movements  of  all  the 
allies  of  Austria  were,  in  virtue  of  a  convention  concluded 
between  Austria  and  Bavaria  on  the  14th  June,  directed  from 
Vienna.  The  directing  genius  decided  against  any  offensive 
movement  in  a  north-easterly  direction  :  and  insisted  strongl) 
on  a  junction  of  the  Bavarian  and  eighth  Federal  corps  betweer 
Wurzburg  and  Frankfort,  in  order  to  then  move  against  th(| 
Prussian  provinces,  on  the  north-west.  The  aim  of  Austria  wa;i 
to  compel  Prussia  to  detach  strong  bodies  from  her  troops 
engaged  with  Benedek,  and  so  to  weaken  her  main  army.  Th< 
Bavarian  and  eighth  corps  when  united  were  to  have  the  nam<' 
of  the  West  German  Federal  Army. 

On  the  21st  June,  Prince  Charles  of  Bavaria  heard  that  thd 
Hanoverians  had  moved  from  Gottingen.     On  the   23rd  hi 
knew  certainly  that  they  had  marched    to    Miihlhausen  an; 
Langensalza.     On  the   25th  for  the  first  time  he  made  anj 
movement  of  importance.     On  that  day  the  Bavarian  armywaj 
set  in  motion  towards  the  north.     That  evening  the  advance! 
guard  of  the  first  cavalry  brigade  entered  Meiningen  :  the  mail 
body  reached  that  town  in  the  night  between  the  26th  anj 
27th.     Communications  with  the  Hanoverians  had  been  cut  of-! 
and  Prince  Charles,  uncertain  of  their  exact  position,  on  th 
28th  had  ordered  his  columns  to  move  towards  Fulda.     New 
reached  him,  however,  of  the  commencement  of  the  battle  <| 
Langensalza,  and,  changing  the    direction  of  his  march,  1"' 
moved  towards  Gotha.     The  same  evening  a  despatch  arrive1 
from  Vienna  which  urged  a  rapid  advance  of  the   Bavarian' 
Forced  marches  were  ordered,  and  the  troops,  to  raise  the> 
enthusiasm,  received  double  pay  for  the  first  two  days.     On  tl 
29th,  the  first  division,  followed  by  the  second,  reached  H 
burghausen  ;   the  fourth,   followed  by  the  third,  pushed  par 
Meiningen.    It  was  only  when  the  advanced  guards  had  reach* 
Zella,   in  the  Thuringian  Forest,  that  they  received  counts 
orders  :  for  Count  Ingelheim,  the  Austrian  ambassador  at  tl1 
court  of  King  George,  had  arrived  with  the  intelligence  th 
the  Hanoverians  had  laid  down  their  arms.     Thus  the  force 
marching  of  two  days  had  been  lost,  and  the  Bavarian  army  h«" 
commenced  its  campaign  without  result  or  glory,  on  account 


Chap.  II.]  CAMPAIGN  O.V  THE  MAINE.  2S 

too  tardy  an  assumption  of  the  initiative.  On  the  2oth  rt,» 
rdemen  and  hght  horsemen  who  formed  the  ad vancel  gu^ 
of  the  first  division  reached  Schleusingen  ;  on  the  20th  the 
mam  column  entered  that  place.  The  forced  marches  o  he 
29th  and  30th  had  fatigued  the  croons  Th„  ,-„  t 
sion  of  orders  and  couLr-orfJ Z weS  dfaVT' 
saw  that  all  their  exertions  were  J2LS by^e^ 
mauds  or  by  changes  in  the  direction  of  the  Kne  o marl 
Before  the  commencement  of  actual  war  their  confidence  in 
helr  leaders  had  waned,  for  the  men  saw  no  grounds  for  the 
fatigues  laid  upon  them.     The  capitulation  of  the  Hanoverians 

Sj^TL  Z^T^  ^g*  »  *" 
unite  with  the  eighth  Federa,  corps  b  "afith  nw  t^eft 
along  the  roads  which  lead  by  Giessen  to  Hiinfeld  and  bv 
HUdern  to  Fulda.     The  success  of  this  movements  however 

srs  Lf be  afterwards  -.^^sudden^tr: 

■  The  eighth  Federal  corps  had,  hy  the  27th  June  assembled 
;about  39,O00  me       ith  eighty  s.7ce  JJ* ^rnMed 

berg  brigade,  another  cavalry  regiment,  and  two  more  batt  "s 
were  expected  to  come  in  on  the  following  day,  it  centered 
M  strong  enough  to  assume  the  offensive:  and  tl  e  folW  n1 
:orders  were  issued  for  the  28th   T..n«>  •     tL  Z  lol'on™g 

•Darmstadt  were  to  form  the  aLS^rd SCbS 
of  infantry,  two  rifled  6-pounder  batteries,  a  regiment  of  cavofrv 
k  a  bridge  train.  The  first  and  fourth  divCtfformed  d^ 
.Main  body  :  each  consisted  of  two  brigades  of  infant™  Iht 
kt  division  had  three  batteries  of  artille r and  a  St  of 

;  Sc; d  to  i ;  the  rnd  had  ^***J%X£ 

a  sa°  s  attLned    VTh7'  ^  ^   SqUadr°"S  °f  Hesse-Casse 
nissas  attached,      j?he  reserve  consisted  of  five  battalions  of 
be  Bavarian  bngade  of  La  Roche,  six  regiments  of  cavalry,  and 

*  1st  Division,  5,200  Infantry,  with  1,100  Cavalry  and  16  Guns 
"        4o°°       "  240      „  6 

4th        ■■       I2.°°°        ,.  1000  g     " 


290  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VIII. 

thirty-four  guns,  of  which  sixteen  were  rifled.  The  advanced 
guard  on  the  29th  June  took  up  a  position  around  Friedberg, 
about  eighteen  miles  north  of  Frankfort,  with  its  right  on  the 
river  Nidda.  On  the  30th  the  Commander-in-chief  broke  up 
his  head-quarters  at  Frankfort,  and  ordered  a  general  advance. 
He  intended  to  move  upon  Alsfeld,  a  town  which,  on  the 
Schwalen,  still  in  the  territory  of  Hesse-Darmstadt,  lies  close  to 
the  frontier  of  Hesse-Cassel.  Prince  Alexander  considered 
himself  secure  from  any  attack  on  his  left  flank  by  Prussian 
detachments  from  the  Rhine  provinces,  because  of  the  troops 
of  Hesse-Cassel  in  Mainz.  The  division  of  Baden  on  the  1st 
July  occupied  Giessen,  and  paid  a  short  visit  to  the  Prussian 
town  of  Wetzlar,  and  on  the  2nd  July  Prince  Alexander  held  a 
position  from  Giessen  eastwards  to  Griinberg,  on  the  road  to 
Alsfeld. 

Here  he  received  a  despatch  from  Prince  Charles  of  Bavaria, 
which  had  been  sent  from  Meiningen  on  the  evening  of  the  30th 
June.  This  altered  the  direction  of  the  march  of  the  eighth' 
Federal  corps. 

It  does  not  appear  clear  whether  Prince  Alexander,  in  hisj 
design  of  an  advance  to  Alsfeld,  was  acting  in  compliance  with 
an  order  from  Prince  Charles  of  Bavaria,  or  whether  on  his  own; 
responsibility  he  moved  forward  to  cover  the  territory  of  Hesse- 
Cassel  from  invasion.     The  direction  of  the  movement  shows, 
however,  that  he  who  ordered  it,  be  he  who  he  may,  was  singu- 
larly ill-furnished  with  intelligence  of  his  enemy's  movements.' 
By  making  for  Alsfeld  Prince  Alexander  not  only  would  have; 
exposed  his  right  flank  and  his  line  of  communication  to  the 
head  of  Falckenstein's  columns,  but  would  have  increased  the, 
difficulties  of  his  junction  with  Prince  Charles.     As  it  was,  at. 
the  time  that  Prince  Charles  sent  to  change  the  line  of  marcrj 
of  the  eighth  corps,  these  difficulties  were  already  formidable 
enough.     An  interval  of  between  eighty  and  ninety  miles  sepa 
rated  the  two  bodies  :  and  not  only  did  the  valley  of  the  Fuldz 
as  well  as  that  of  the  Werra  intervene,  but  rugged  hills  rosti 
between  them,  such  as  the  Vogels-Berg  and  the  Hohe  Rhon. 
It  did  not  need  such  a  keen  general  as  Falckenstein  to  perceiv<| 
the  advantages  he  would  derive  if  he  drove  the  Prussian  arnrj 
as  a  mighty  wedge  between  these  separated  corps,  and  hurle< 


Chap.  II.]  CAMPAIGN  ON  THE  MAINE.  291 

himself  with  full  force  on  the  nearest  ere  the  other  could  arrive 
!  to  its  assistance.      In  his   own   immediate  command    Prince 
Charles  showed  vacillation  and  uncertainty.     He  did  not  strive 
with  all  energy  to  liberate  the  Hanoverians,  and  unite  them 
with  his  own  force.     Nor  when  he  found  himself  too  late  to 
achieve  this  object  did  he  take  rapid  measures  for  a  concentra- 
tion with  the  eighth  corps.    On  the  contrary,  instead  of  making 
towards  his  left,  he  drew  away  to  his  right,  apparently  with  the 
object  of  crossing  another  difficult  mountain  country,  the  Thu- 
'  ringian  forest,  and  placing  that  obstacle  also  between  himself 
i  and  his  allies,  while  he  left  the  valley  of  the  Werra  open  to  his 
1  antagonist  as  a  groove  down  which  to  drive  the  wedge  that 
should  separate  the  Bavarians  entirely  from  Prince  Alexander. 

On  the  evening  of  the  30th  June  he  for  the  first  time  appears 
■  to  have  decided  upon  a  concentrative  movement.     He  then 
i  issued  orders  that  both  corps  should  seek  to  unite  at  Fulda. 
I  To  accomplish  this,  the  Bavarians  were  to  move  in  a  westerly, 
(the  Federals  in  an  easterly,   direction.     The  latter  began  to 
move  with  this  object  on  the  3rd  July.      Prince  Alexander 
i  moved  with  his  first  and  third  division  that  day  to  Ulrichstein, 
'  a  small  town  on  the  northern  issues  of  the  Vogels-Berg.    With 
!  his  second  division  he  occupied  Giessen  and  Wetzlar  to  secure 
I  his  line  of  communication  with  Frankfort,  and  sent  his  fourth 
;  division  to  Friedberg.    His  cavalry  was  sent  out  to  scour  the 
i  country  towards  Alsfeld  and  Marburg.     He  evidently  expected 
:■  his  enemy  by  the  railway  from   Marburg,  and  took  these  pre- 
cautions to  cover  his  flank  march.     On  the  4th  July  head- 
;  quarters  remained  inactive   at  Ulrichstein,   and  some  patrols 
.  alone  pushed  forward.     Here  again  was  a  lack  of  energy  and 
clear-sightedness.     Portions  of  any  army  which  are  separated, 
and  desire  to  concentrate  in  the  presence  of  an  enemy,  should 
exert  all  their  powers  to  do  so,  and  not  waste  a  single  hour,  far 
•  less  halt  on  the  second  day  of  the  march. 

How  false  these  news  were  became  soon  apparent.     On  the 

'■  4th  July  news  came  to  the  head-quarters  of  Prince  Alexander, 

!  that  strong   Prussian   columns   were  moving  on  Fulda   from 

Hiinfeld  and  Gerza,  towns  which  lie  between  the  Werra  and 

the  Fulda,      An  advance   of  the    eighth  corps  prepared   for 

battle,  and  with  all  precautions,  was  ordered  for  the  next  day. 

u  2 


292  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VIII. 

During  this,  however,  the  Prussian  and  Bavarian  troops  had 
come  into  contact. 

General  Falckenstein  had,  after  the  capitulation  of  the  Hano- 
verians on  the  29th  of  June,  concentrated  on  the  1st  July  his 
three  divisions  at  Eisenach.  To  this  united  corps  was  given 
the  name  of  the  Army  of  the  Maine.  On  the  2nd  July, 
Falckenstein  took  the  main  road  which  leads  from  Eisenach  by 
Fulda  to  Frankfort,  and  reached  Marksahl  that  day.  His  inten- 
tion was  to  press  the  Bavarians  eastwards.  These  occupied  a 
position  at  that  time  with  their  main  body  near  Meiningen,  on 
the  west  of  the  Werra.  Two  divisions  were  posted  on  that  river, 
near  Schmalkalden,  to  cover  the  passage  of  that  stream  against 
a  Prussian  corps  which  was  expected  from  Erfurt.  The  cavalry 
was  intended  to  open  communications  with  the  eighth  corps  in 
the  direction  of  Fulda. 

On  the  night  of  the  2nd  July,  the  same  night  that  the  troops 
of  Prince  Frederick  Charles  in  Bohemia  were  moving  towards 
the  •  field  of  Koniggratz,  a  Bavarian  reconnoitring  party  fell  in 
with  one  of  Falckenstein' s  patrols.  On  the  3rd  July  the  Prus- 
sian reconnoitring  officers  brought  in  reports  that  the  Bavarians 
were  in  force  round  Wiesenthal,  on  the  river  Felde.  It  was 
clear  to  Falckenstein  that  this  position  was  held  by  the  heads 
of  the  Bavarian  columns  which  were  moving  to  unite  with  the 
eighth  corps.  The  Prussian  general  could  not  afford  to  permit 
the  enemy  to  lie  in  a  position  so  close  and  threatening  to  the 
left  flank  of  his  advance.  He  ordered  General  Goeben  to  push 
them  back  on  the  following  morning,  by  forming  to  his  left,  and 
attacking  the  villages  on  the  Felde  in  front,  while  General 
ManteurTel's  division  should  move  up  the  stream,  and  assail 
them  on  the  right  flank.  The  third  division,  that  of  General 
Beyer,  was  in  the  meantime  to  push  its  march  towards  Fulda. 


ACTION    OF   WIESENTHAL. 

The  Bavarian  general,  on  the  3rd  of  July,  having  obtained 
information  of  the  vicinity  of  the  Prussians,  concentrated  his 
army.  That  evening  he  occupied  the  villages  of  Wiesenthal, 
Neidhartshausen,  Zella,  and  Diedorf,  with  considerable  strength. 
His  main  body  bivouacked  round  Rossdorf,  and  in  rear  of  that 
village. 


f: 


Chap.  II.]  CAMPAIGN  ON  THE  MAINE.  293 

At  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  4th  July,  General 
Goeben  sent  Wrangel's  brigade  against  Wiesenthal,  and  Kum- 
mer's  against  Neidhartshausen.  The  latter  village,  as  well  as 
the  neighbouring  heights,  were  found  strongly  occupied  by  the 
enemy.  They  were  carried  only  after  a  long  and  hard  battle, 
the  scene  of  which  was  marked  by  numbers  of  Prussians  killed 
and  wounded.  Towards  noon  the  Bavarian  detachments  which 
had  been  driven  from  Neidhartshausen  and  Zella  received  rein- 
forcements. Prince  Charles  determined  to  hold  Diedorf.  He 
ordered  a  brigade  to  advance  beyond  this  village,  and  take  up 
a  position  on  the  hills  on  the  further  side.  The  Prussians 
opened  a  heavy  fire  of  artillery  and  small  arms  from  Zella  upon 
the  advancing  Bavarians.  Under  this  fire  the  latter  could 
not  gain  ground,  and  no  change  in  the  positions  of  the 
combatants  took  place  at  this  point,  until  the  termination  of 
the  action. 

In  the  meantime  a  severe  combat  had  been  fought  at  Wie- 
senthal. At  the  same  time  that  General  Kummer  left  Derm- 
bach,  he  detached  two  battalions  to  his  left,  which  were  to 
occupy  the  defile  of  Lindenau,  while  Wrangel's  brigade  ad- 
vanced against  Wiesenthal.  Wrangel's  advanced  guard  con- 
sisted of  a  squadron  of  cavalry  and  a  battalion  of  infantry, 
which  moved  along  the  road  in  column  of  companies.  Hardly 
had  it  reached  the  high  ground  in  front  of  the  village,  when  it 
was  sharply  assailed  by  a  well-directed  fire  of  bullets  and  shot. 
The  heavy  rain  prevented  the  men  from  seeing  clearly  what 
was  in  their  front,  but  they  pressed  on,  and  the  enemy  was 
pushed  back  into  the  barricaded  village,  and  up  the  hills  on  its 
southern  side.  Before  the  Prussian  advanced  guard  reached 
Wiesenthal  the  rain  cleared  up.  The  Bavarians  could  be  seen 
hurrying  to  evacuate  the  place,  and  taking  up  a  position  with 
four  battalions,  a  battery,  and  several  squadrons  at  the  foot  of 
the  Nebelsberg.  The  Prussian  battalion  from  Lindenau  had 
arrived  on  the  south  flank  of  Wiesenthal.  Another  battalion 
came  up  with  that  of  the  advanced  guard,  and  the  Prussians 
occupied  the  village.  The  Prussian  artillery  also  arrived,  and 
came  into  action  with  great  effect  against  a  Bavarian  battery 
posted  on  the  south-west  of  Wiesenthal.  At  the  same  time  the 
needle-gun  told  severely  on  the  Bavarian  battalions  at  the  foot 


294  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VIII. 

of  the   Nebelsberg.     Three  of  these  retired  into  the  woods 
which  cover  the  summit  of  that  hill,  while  the  fourth  took  post 
behind  the  rising  ground.      Swarms  of  Prussian    skirmishers 
swept  swiftly  across  the  plain  in  front,  and  made  themselves 
masters  of  the  edge  of  the  wood.     But  the  Bavarians  held  fast 
to  the  trees  inside,  and  would  not  be  ousted.      Two  fresh 
batteries  of  Bavarian  artillery,  and  several  new  battalions,  were 
seen  hurrying  up  from  Rossdorf.     At  this  moment  it  was  sup- 
posed that  Manteuffel's  cannonade  was  heard  opening  in  the 
direction  of  Nornshausen.     This  was  in  truth  but  the  echo  of 
the   engaged   artillery.       But   the    Prussian   columns    hurried 
forward,  and  dashed  with  the  bayonet  against  the  wood-crested 
hill.     The  Bavarians  awaited  the  charge,   and  their  riflemen 
made  serious  impressions  upon  the  advancing  masses.    But  the 
men  of  Westphalia  rushed  on.     After  a  short,  sharp  struggle, 
the  hill  was  carried ;  and  the  Bavarians  fled  down  the  reverse 
slope,    leaving   hundreds   of  corpses,   grisly   sacrifices  to  the 
needle-gun,  to  mark  the  line  of  their  flight.     General  Goeben 
had  achieved  his  object.     He  halted  his  troops,  and  prepan 
to  rejoin  Falckenstein.     Leaving  a  rear-guard  of  one  battalion,; 
three  squadrons,  and  a  battery  to  cover  his  movement,  and  the 
removal  of  the  killed  and  wounded,  he  withdrew  his  two  bri- 
gades to  Dermbach.     The  Bavarian  march  to  unite  with  tl 
eighth  corps  had  been  checked,  and  Falckenstein  had  lodgec 
his  leading  column  securely  between  the  separated  portions  oi' 
his  adversary's  army.    The  Bavarians  in  the  night,  finding  their 
road  barred,  retired,  to  seek  a  junction  with  Prince  Alexander 
by  some  other  route.     They  did  not,  however,  move  over  the 
western  spurs  of  the  Hohe  Rhon,  in  the  direction  of  Briickenau ' 
whence  they  might  have  stretched  a  hand  to  Prince  Alexander 
who  on  the  night  between  the  5th  and  6th  July  was  only  seven 
miles  from  Fulda.     They  preferred  to  move  by  the  woods  01 
the  eastern  side  of  the  mountains  towards  the  Franconian  SaaL 
and  Kissingen.     Thus  they  made  a  movement  which  separate* 
them  from  their  allies,  instead  of  bringing  the  two  corps  clos' 
together.    Prince  Alexander  had  sent  an  officer  to  the  Bavarian 
camp.     He  was  present  on  the  4th  July  at  the  action  of  Wit; 
senthal,  and  returned  to  the  head-quarters  of  the  eighth  Feden 
corps  with  a  report  of  the  failure  of  the  Bavarians.     On  th 


Chap.  II.  ]  CAMPAIGN  ON  THE  MAINE.  295 

receipt  of  this  intelligence,  Prince  Alexander  appears  to  have 
abandoned  all  hope  of  effecting  a  junction  with  Prince  Charles 
north  of  the  Maine.  He  faced  about,  and  moved  back  to 
Frankfort,  a  town  which,  until  its  subsequent  occupation  by  the 
Prussians,  appears  always  to  have  had  a  singular  attraction  for 
the  eighth  Federal  corps. 

On  the  4th  July,  the  same  day  that  General  Goeben  pressed 
the  Bavarians  back  at  Wiesenthal,  the  leading  division  of 
Falckenstein's  army  had  a  singular  skirmish  in  the  direction  of 
Hiinfeld.  As  General  Beyer,  who  commanded  the  Prussian 
advanced  guard,  approached  that  town,  he  found  two  squadrons 
of  Bavarian  cavalry  in  front  of  him.  Two  guns  accompanied 
these  squadrons,  which  opened  fire  on  the  advancing  Prussians. 
The  weather  was  wet,  and  a  clammy  mist  held  the  smoke  of 
the  cannon,  so  that  it  hung  like  a  weighty  cloud  over  the 
mouths  of  the  pieces.  A  Prussian  battery  opened  in  reply. 
The  first  shot  so  surprised  the  Bavarians,  who  had  not  anti- 
cipated that  there  was  artillery  with  the  advanced  guard, 
that  the  cuirassiers  turned  about,  and  sought  safety  in  a  wild 
flight.  They  left  one  of  their  guns,  which  in  their  haste  had 
not  time  to  be  limbered  up.  Beyer  pressed  forward,  and  found 
Hiinfeld  evacuated  by  the  enemy.  Indeed  it  is  said  that  these 
cuirassiers,  who  had  been  pushed  forward  by  Prince  Alexander 
to  open  communications  with  Prince  Charles,  were  so  dismayed 
by  one  well-aimed  cannon-shot,  that  many  of  them  did  not 
draw  rein  till  they  reached  Wurzburg. 

Prince  Alexander  withdrew  towards  Frankfort.  Falckenstein 
pushed  forward  on  the  6th ;  he  occupied  Fulda  with  Beyer's 
division,  while  Goeben  and  ManteufTel  encamped  on  the  north 
towards  Hiinfeld.  The  object  of  the  Prussian  advance  was 
obtained.  On  the  5th  July  the  Bavarians  and  the  eighth 
Federal  corps  were  separated  from  each  other  by  only  thirty 
miles ;  on  the  7th  seventy  miles  lay  between  them. 

Prince  Alexander  left  the  Wiirtemberg  division  to  hold  the 
passes  of  the  Vogels-Berg  towards  Giessen.  The  Bavarians, 
after  the  action  of  Wiesenthal,  drew  back  and  took  up  a 
position  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Kissingen,  on  the  Franconian 
Saale. 

General  Falckenstein,  on  the  7th,  united  his  whole  army  at 


296  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VIII. 

Fulda.  He  had  the  choice  of  attacking  either  of  his  separated 
enemies.  To  pursue  the  eighth  Federal  corps  by  Giessen, 
would  probably  allow  it  to  unite  with  the  Bavarians  by  moving 
up  the  Maine.  To  advance  directly  upon  Frankfort  with  the 
Bavarians  on  the  Saale  in  his  flank  and  rear,  and  with  the 
defiles  of  Gelnhausen,  occupied  by  the  eighth  corps,  in  his 
front,  would  be  extremely  hazardous. 

Prince  Charles  was  also  considered  the  more  formidable  an- 
tagonist, and  the  one  upon  whom  it  was  the  more  necessary  to 
inflict  a  heavy  blow. 

On  the  8th  July  General  Falckenstein  commenced  his  march 
from  Fulda.  He  did  not  turn  towards  Gelnhausen,  as  was 
expected  in  the  Bavarian  camp,  but  moved  against  the  position 
of  Prince  Charles.  On  the  9th  the  Prussian  army  reached 
Briickenau,  and  orders  were  given  for  a  flank  march  to  the  left, 
over  the  Hohe  Rhon,  against  the  Bavarians  on  the  Saale. 
Beyer's  division  moved  as  the  right  wing  along  the  road  to 
Hammelburg ;  Goeben  advanced  in  the  centre  towards  Kis- 
singen ;  and  ManteurTel  on  the  left  upon  Waldaschach.  On 
the  morning  of  the  10th  July,  at  nine  o'clock,  Beyer's  division, 
which  had  received  very  doubtful  intelligence  of  the  presence 
of  the  Bavarians  in  Hammelburg,  began  its  march  towards  that 
town.  About  eleven  the  head  of  the  advanced  guard  fell  in 
with  the  first  patrols  of  the  enemy's  cavalry  in  front  of  Unter 
Erthal,  a  small  village  on  the  road  from  Briickenau,  about  two 
miles  south  of  Hammelburg.  These  retired  on  the  Prussian 
advance,  but  unmasked  a  rifled  battery,  posted  beyond  the 
houses.  A  Prussian  field-battery  quickly  unlimbered  and  came 
into  action.  Under  cover  of  its  fire  an  infantry  regiment  made 
a  dash  at  the  bridge  by  which  the  road  from  Briickenau  crosses 
the  Thulba  stream.  The  bridge  was  not  seriously  defended, 
and  after  a  short  cannonade  the  Bavarians  drew  back  to 
Hammelburg.  At  mid-day  three  Prussian  batteries  topped  the 
Hobels  Berg,  and  after  a  few  rounds  from  the  guns  the  infantry 
rushed  down  with  loud  cheers  to  carry  the  houses.  This  was, 
however,  not  an  easy  task.  The  Bavarian  General  Zoller  held 
the  town  with  something  over  three  thousand  men ;  he  de- 
termined to  bar  the  passage  of  the  Saale.  The  odds  were  too 
unequal.  The  Prussians  numbered  about  fifteen  thousand  men. 


CHAP.  II.]  CAMPAIGN  ON  THE   MAINE.  297 

Vet  the  Bavarians  clung  with  a  high  courage  to  the  houses,  and 
opened  a  biting  fire  of  small  arms  on  the  assailants.  Their 
irtillery,  too,  supported  well  the  infantry  defence. 

Two  Prussian  infantry  regiments  threw  out  skirmishers,  and 
ittempted  to  put  down  the  fire  of  the  Bavarian  riflemen.  But 
:hese  were  protected  by  the  cover  of  the  houses ;  and  the 
lefenders'  artillery  from  the  hill  of  Saalch  splintered  its  shells 
imong  the  ranks  of  the  Prussian  sharpshooters.  The  fight  did 
jiot  gain  ground  for  about  an  hour.  After  that  interval  two 
nore  Prussian  regiments  and  two  additional  batteries  came 
nto  play.  Heavily  the  Prussian  pieces  threw  their  metal  upon 
I  he  Bavarian  guns  at  Saalch.  The  fire  of  the  latter  grew 
veaker  and  weaker.  They  were  rapidly  being  silenced  by 
superior  force.  Some  houses,  kindled  by  the  Prussian  shells, 
jit  the  same  time  caught  fire,  and  the  town  began  to  burn 
iercely  in  three  places.  Still  the  Bavarians  clung  to  the  bridge, 
aid  stood  their  ground,  careless  equally  of  the  flames  and  of 
he  heavy  cannonade.  Beyer  sent  forward  his  Jagers  to  storm 
he  place.  No  longer  could  the  defenders  endure  the  assault. 
|rhe  quick  bullets  of  the  needle-gun  rained  in  showers  among 
he  burning  buildings,  scattering  fire  and  death  among  the 
arrison.  The  defence  had  to  be  abandoned;  and  the 
Bavarians,  pursued  by  salvos  of  artillery,  drew  off  to  the  south- 
last,  and  the  Prussians  gained  the  passage  of  the  Saale  at 
lammelburg. 

On  the  same  day  as  General  Beyer  fought  the  action  of 
lammelburg  on  the  right,  Falckenstein's  central  column  was 
eavily  engaged  with  the  main  body  of  the  Bavarians  at  the 
elebrated  bathing-place  of  Kissingen.  On  the  5th  July  eighty 
bavarian  troopers,  flying  from  Hiinfeld,  passed  in  hot  haste 
irough  the  town.  The  visitors  and  the  inhabitants  were  much 
larmed,  but  the  Burgomaster  quieted  them  by  a  promise  that 
e  would  give  twenty-four  hours'  warning  if  the  place  was  in 
anger  of  being  attacked  by  the  Prussians.  This  assurance  had 
lore  weight,  because  even  on  the  8th  July  Bavarian  staff- 
fficers  sauntered  about  the  Kurgarten  as  quietly  as  if  in  a 
me  of  the  most  profound  peace.  Some  of  the  troops  which 
ad  been  quartered  in  Kissingen  and  its  neighbourhood  were 
n  the  9th  sent  to  Hammelburg.     All  appeared  still,  and  yet 


298  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VIII. 

the  inhabitants  of  the  neighbouring  villages  were  already  flying 
from  their  homes  to  avoid  the  Prussians.  The  Bavarian  in- 
telligence department  does  not  appear  to  have  been  well 
managed.  By  mid-day  on  the  9th  it  was  too  late  for  the 
Burgomaster  to  give  his  warning  that  the  Prussians  were  al- 
ready near.  The  Bavarians  concentrated  about  twenty  thousand 
men,  and  took  up  their  position.  The  visitors  and  inhabitants 
could  not  now  retire,  and  had  to  remain  to  be  the  involuntary 
witnesses  of  an  action.  Those  who  lived  in  the  Hotel  S; 
which  lies  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Saale,  were  allowed  to  move 
into  the  less  exposed  part  of  the  town.  None  were  permitted' 
to  quit  the  place  for  fear  of  their  conveying  intelligence  of  the; 
Bavarian  dispositions  to  the  enemy.  The  wooden  bridge  overi 
the  Saale,  as  well  as  the  two  iron  ones,  were  destroyed,  but  olj 
one  iron  one  in  front  of  the  Alten  Berg  the  supports  were  left 
It  was  through  the  assistance  of  these  that  the  Prussians  gained^ 
the  first  passage  of  the  river  ;  for  they  knew  the  localities  well; 
as  many  of  their  staff-officers  had  frequently  visited  the  fashioni 
able  watering-place  of  Kissingen.  The  stone  bridge  wa:: 
barricaded  hastily  as  well  as  possible,  and  its  approach  proj 
tected  by  two  12-pounder  guns.  Five  battalions,  with  twelv«| 
guns,  held  the  town  itself.  The  Bavarians  had  chosen  a  veri 
strong  position ;  they  held  the  houses  next  to  the  bridge  as  welj| 
as  the  bank  of  the  Saale  beyond  the  bridge.  Their  artiller 
was  posted  on  the  Stadt  Berg,  but  not  on  the  important  Finste 
Berg.  A  batter}-  on  the  latter  hill  would  have  prevented  th- 
Prussians  from  gaining  the  passage  of  the  river  from  the  Alte 
Berg.  Behind  the  village  of  Haussen  guns  were  also  in.  pos^ 
tion.  All  the  bridges  outside  of  Kissingen  were  destroyed 
and  all  points  favourable  for  defence  occupied  by  infantr 
General  Zoller  commanded  the  Bavarians. 

On  the  10th  July,  at  early  morning,  Prussian  hussars  a; 
peared.  Columns  were  soon  afterwards  descried  on  the  roac 
towards  Klaushof  and  Garitz  on  the  west  of  Kissingen ;  and 
battery  came  into  position  on  a  hill  between  Garitz  and  tl 
river.  At  half-past  seven  in  the  morning,  the  Bavarian  gm 
near  Winkels  and  the  two  12-pounders  at  the  bridge  open* 
on  the  leading  Prussian  columns,  which  consisted  of  Genei 
Rummer's  brigade.     Rummer's  artillery  replied,  and  in  a  she 


hap.  II.]  CAMPAIGN  ON  THE  MAINE.  299 

Ue  the  rattle  of  musketry,  mingling  with  the  heavier  booming 
\i  the  guns,  told  that  he  was  sharply  engaged. 
I  The  main  body  of  Goeben's  division  had-  in  the  meantime 
bached  Schlimhoff.  Here  it  received  orders  to  detach  three 
attalions  by  Poppenroth  and  Klaushof,  who  were  to  attack 
riedericshall  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Goltz.  When 
General  Wrangel's  brigade  approached  Kissingen,  it  received 
rders  to  advance  on  the  right  wing  of  Kummer's  brigade,  to 
size  the  Alten  Berg,  and  if  possible,  by  extending  to  its  right, 
p  outflank  the  Bavarian  position.  A  squadron  was  sent  at  the 
ame  time  to  reconnoitre  the  ground  beyond  Garitz.  A  bat- 
alion  was  despatched  as  an  advanced  guard  against  the  Alten 
jlerg ;  and  a  battery  of  artillery  came  into  action  on  the 
.orthern  spur  of  that  hill.  The  Alten  Berg  was  quickly  cleared 
jtt  Bavarian  riflemen  by  the  Prussian  Jagers.  A  company 
aider  Captain  von  Busche  was  then  sent  against  the  bridge  on 
tie  south  of  Kissingen,  which  the  Bavarians  had  partially  de- 
coyed, but  where  the  piers  had  been  left  standing.  Tables, 
arms,  and  timber  were  seized  from  some  neighbouring  houses, 
ind  with  secrecy  and  rapidity  the  broken  bridge  was  so  far 
^stored  that  before  mid-day  men  could  cross  it  in  single  file. 
fon  Busche  led  his  company  over  the  stream,  and  then  directed 
.is  men  against  a  road  on  the  further  side,  from  the  cover  of 
'hich  the  enemy's  marksmen  annoyed  them  considerably.  This 
•ompany  was  followed  by  a  second,  and  as  quickly  as  possible 
whole  battalion  was  thrown  across  the  stream.  The  battalion 
ained  the  wood  on  the  south-east  of  Kissingen ;  here  a  column 
;as  formed,  and  under  cover  of  many  skirmishers  advanced 
gainst  the  town.  More  men  were  pushed  across  the  repaired 
iridge,  and  soon  two  and  a  half  Prussian  battalions  were  en- 
aged  in  a  street  fight  among  the  houses.  The  remaining 
ortion  of  Wrangel's  brigade  was  at  this  time  directed  in 
apport  of  Kummer  against  the  principal  bridge.  Infantry 
nd  artillery  fire  caused  the  Prussians  severe  losses,  but 
ley  pushed  on  towards  the  barricade.  Their  artillery  out- 
umbered  that  of  the  defending  force,  and,  protected  by  it,  the 
attalions  carried  the  bridge. 

1  The  army  of  Bavaria  boasted  to  have  had  at  that  time  a 
undred  and  twenty-six  cannon.     Of  these  only  twelve  came 


SEVEX  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VIII. 


into  action  at  Kissingen,  five  at  Hammelburg.  The  rest  were 
uselessly  scattered  along  the  bank  of  the  Saale,  between  these 
two  places. 

The  passage  of  the  stream  by  the  Prussians  decided  the 
action.  They  secured  the  Finster  Berg  and  the  Bodenlaube. 
with  the  old  castle  of  that  name,  and  pushed  forward  with  loud 
cheers  into  the  heart  of  the  town.  Here  the  Bavarian  light 
infantry  fought  hard,  and,  suffering  heavy  sacrifices  themselves, 
inflicted  grievous  loss  on  the  Prussians.  The  Kurgarten,  held 
by  three  hundred  riflemen,  were  stormed  three  times  b) 
Wrangel's  men  without  success.  It  was  carried  on  the  fourtr 
assault.  A  young  lieutenant,  who  commanded  the  Bavarians 
with  the  whole  of  his  men,  refused  quarter,  and  died  in  the 
place  they  had  held  so  well.  At  a  little  after  three  the  whol 
town  was  carried. 

The  Bavarians  did  not  yet  renounce  the  combat.  Th 
corps  which  retreated  from  Kissingen  took  up  a  position  or 
the  hill  east  of  the  town,  and  renewed  the  battle.  Wrangel' 
brigade  received  orders  to  clear  the  hills  south  of  the  roac 
which  leads  to  Nudlingen,  of  the  enemy.  This  was  to  b< 
effected  by  the  fusilier  battalion  and  the  second  battalion  o 
the  55th  regiment.  The  first  battalion  of  the  same  regimen 
cleared  the  way,  and,  extended  as  skirmishers,  advanced  alonj 
the  road.  The  other  troops  followed  in  reserve.  The  Bava 
rians  had  taken  up  a  position  on  both  sides  of  the  road,  am 
greeted  the  Prussians  with  an  artillery  fire  from  the  Sinn  Berg 
They  fought  well,  and  not  till  seven  o'clock  did  Wrang€ 
occupy  Wink  els.  The  Bavarians  were  supposed  to  be  .retiring 
and  Wrangel's  troops  were  about  to  bivouac,  when  a  repoi 
came  in  from  the  19th,  which  had  occupied  the  outposts,  th 
the  Bavarians  were  advancing  in  force.  Two  battalions  of  th 
55th,  a  12-pounder  battery,  and  a  squadron  of  hussars,  wer 
immediately  sent  to  reinforce  the  outlying  troops,  while  tw 
companies  of  the  55th  were  sent  into  the  hills  on  the  right  t 
menace  the  left  flank  of  the  enemy's  advance.  The  battel 
and  squadron  advanced  at  a  trot.  General  Wrangel  in  pers 
went  to  the  outposts,  and  was  receiving  the  reports  from  t 
commanding  officer  of  the  19th,  when  some  rifle  bullets  can 
from  the  southern  hill  into  the  closed  columns  of  the  regimer 


I'HAP.  II.]  CAMPAIGN  ON   THE  MAINE.  301 

Khe  Bavarians,  under  Prince  Charles  himself,  had  come  down 
Idth  nine  fresh  battalions  of  their  first  division.  They  had 
Leized  the  hills  which  lie  on-  the  north  of  the  road,  and  were 
i  ressing  rapidly  forward  under  the  cover  of  their  artillery. 
!  -"he  Prussian  cavalry  and  battery,  as  well  as  the  1 9th  regi- 
lient,  were  pushed  back.  The  55th,  coming  up,  threw  them- 
Iblves  into  a  hollow  road,  and,  under  the  protection  of  their 
l|re,  the  retreat  was  for  a  time  checked.  Prince  Charles  urged 
Ijn,  however,  superior  forces,  and  those,  too,  had  to  retire. 
[I  The  Prussians  now  took  up  a  position  on  the  heights  south- 
last  of  Winkels,  where  two  batteries  came  into  play.  The 
tbtreating  battalions  halted  here,  and  the  fight  stood  still.  One 
Battalion  of  the  19th  regiment  and  two  companies  of  the 
I  bldiers  of  Lippe  were  sent  by  Wrangel  into  the  hills  on  the 
Ijorth  of  the  road,  while  the  second  battalion  of  the  55th  was 
)  lushed  up  there  on  its  southern  side.  As  soon  as  these  flanking 
-oops  had  gained  their  positions,  the  whole  brigade  advanced 
1  double-quick  time,  with  drums  beating.  The  charge  suc- 
eeded,  though  the  loss  was  great.  The  Bavarians  were  driven 
J  lack.  The  Prussians  regained  their  former  position,  and 
rince  Charles  relinquished  his  attack. 

:  The  Prussian  left  column,  which  was  formed  by  ManteurTel's 

■ivision,  on  the  10th  July  also  secured  the  passage  at  Waldas- 

hach,  about   five    miles  above   Kissingen,  and  at  Haussen. 

t  neither  place  did  the  Bavarians  make  any  obstinate  stand. 

•  The  Bavarians  appear  to  have  been  surprised  on  the  Saale. 

he  Prussian  march,  previous  to  the  battle  of  Kissingen,  was 

)  rapid  that  they  did  not  expect  an  attack  till  the  following 

ay.     In  consequence,  their  whole  force  was  not  concentrated 

1  the  river.     The  troops  which  held  Kissingen  and  Hammel- 

jurg  were  unsupported,  while  those  which  should  have  acted 

5  their  reserves  were  too  far  distant  to  be  of  any  service.    The 

tter,  on  the  other  hand,  arrived  so  late  that  their  comrades 

"   id  already  been  defeated,  and  they  themselves,  instead  of 

:ting  as  reinforcements,  met  with  only  a  similar  fate  to  those 

•st   engaged.     The  Bavarian  staff  were  unprepared.     They 

id  no  maps  of  the  country,  except  one  which  the  chief  of  the 

aff,  General  von  der  Tann,  borrowed  from  a  native  of  one  of 

e  small  towns  near  the  field. 


CHAPTER    III, 


THE    ACTIONS    ON    THE    MAINE. 


When  Prince  Alexander  of  Hesse  turned  to  retreat  on  the! 
5th  July,  he  might  still,  by  a  rapid  march  along  the  road  whichj 
leads  from  Lauterbach  to  Briickenau,  have  made  an  attemj 
to  unite  with    the   Bavarians    before  they  were   attacked   ■ 
Kissingen  by  the  Prussians.     This  course  he  appears,  howevei 
to  have  considered  too  hazardous.     He  retired  to  Frankfoi 
and  on  the  9th  July  concentrated   his  troops  round  that  town} 
His  first  division  was  at  Frankfort;  the  second  in  some  village:1 
north  of  the  town,  on  the  river  Nidda ;  the  third  division  aj 
Bergen,  and  the  fourth  at  Bockenheim.     The  reserved  cavali 
was  towards  Friedberg ;  the  reserve  artillery  across  the  rivei 
in  Offenbach.     The  two  banks  of  the  Maine  were  connecte< 
by  a  bridge,  which  leads  from  Frankfort  to  Offenbach. 

Frequent  alarms  made  it  evident  how  little  stedfast  conf 
dence  pervaded  the  Federal  corps  of  Prince  Alexander.  Th 
news  of  the  victory  won  by  the  Prussians  at  Koniggratz  w£ 
widely  circulated  through  the  ranks  by  the  Frankfort  journal: 
Every  moment  reports  were  rife  that  Prussian  columns  wei 
advancing  towards  Frankfort  from  Wetzlar,  or  Giessen ;  an, 
once  an  officer,  by  spreading  the  alarm,  caused  a  whole  divisio; 
to  lose  its  night's  rest,  and  to  take  up  a  position  in  order  (j 
battle. 

At  this  time  the  eighth  Federal  corps  was  not  practically 
to  take  the  field.  Such  confusion  reigned  in  the  fortress 
Mainz,  that  whole  regiments  marched  into  the  town  and  toe; 
up  quarters  on  their  own  account,  without  any  report  beir. 
made  to  the  commandant.  Newly  appointed  officers,  surgeon 
and  hospital  assistants,  had  to  seek  for  their  regiments  witho 


Chap.  III.]        THE  ACTIONS  ON  THE  MAINE.  303 

ibeing  able  to  obtain  accurate  intelligence  of  their  whereabouts 
from  any  one.  No  firm  union  existed  between  the  different 
divisions  of  the  eighth  corps.  The  corps  had  not  been  con- 
centrated for  twenty-four  years,  and  the  divisions  were  totally 
different  in  uniform,  administration,  and  organization.  The 
hussars  of  Hesse-Cassel  were  dressed  and  accoutred  so  simi- 
larly to  Prussian  cavalry,  that  the  Austrians  fired  upon  them  at 
jAschaffenburg.  The  small  arms  were  of  different  calibres. 
The  four  field  batteries  of  the  third  division  were  equipped  on 
four  different  systems. 

The  day  after  the  victory  of  Kissingen,  General  Falcken  stein 
•could  turn  his  attention  against  this  heterogeneous  mass  without 
near  of  any  assault  on  his  rear  by  the  Bavarians.  The  latter 
(retired  in  such  haste,  after  the  battle  of  Kissingen,  towards  the 
[Maine,  that  Manteuffel's  division,  which  was  sent  in  pursuit, 
tcould  not  feel  them.  On  the  nth  July,  General  Falckenstein 
.'ordered  Beyer's  division  to  march  by  way  of  Hammelburg  and 
•Gelnhausen  on  Hanau.  This  it  accomplished,  without,  as  was 
! anticipated,  falling  in  with  the  Wiirtemberg  division  at  Geln- 
ihausen.  The  latter  only  held  this  place  till  the  14th  July,  and 
then  retired  in  great  haste,  without  throwing  any  obstacle  in 
'the  way  of  the  advancing  Prussians,  either  by  breaking  the 
ibridges,  or  by  any  other  means.  The  division  of  General 
IGoeben  was  directed  at  the  same  time  through  the  defile  of  the 
iSpessart  upon  Aschaffenburg.  Here  the  passes  were  not  held 
inor  barricaded.  Notwithstanding  the  presence  in  this  district 
i  of  large  numbers  of  foresters,  no  abattis  or  entanglements  were 
iplaced  across  the  road.  None  of  the  almost  unassailable 
•heights  were  occupied,  either  to  prevent  the  direct  progress  of 
the  Prussians,  or  to  threaten  their  line  of  march  in  flank.  The 
•railway  which  was  still  serviceable  was  not  used  to  convey  the 
small  number  of  riflemen  and  guns,  which  at  Gemiinden,  as  at 
many  other  points,  would  have  thrown  great  difficulty  in 
Goeben's  way.  Manteuffel's  division  followed  Goeben's,  and 
scoured  the  country  in  the  direction  of  Wiirzburg. 

Between  Gemiinden  and  Aschaffenburg,  the  river  Maine 
makes  a  deep  bend  to  the  south.  Into  the  bow  thus  formed, 
the  mountainous  region  of  the  Spessart  protrudes,  through 
which  the  road  and  railway  lead   directly  westward  from  Ge- 


304  SEVEN    WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VIII. 

miinden  to  the  latter  town.  On  the  13th  July,  the  leading 
brigade  of  Goeben's  division,  that  of  Wrangel,  was  approaching 
Hayn,  when  a  report  came  in  from  the  squadron  of  hussars, 
which  was  clearing  the  way,  that  some  of  the  enemy's  cavalry 
and  infantry  were  advancing  towards  that  place  from  Laufach, 
a  station  on  the  railroad  nearer  to  Frankfort  than  Hayn.  It  was 
soon  discovered  that  these  were  troops  of  Hesse-Darmstadt 
The  fusilier  battalion  of  the  55th  regiment  was  pushed  forward 
to  gain  the  top  of  the  defile,  up  which  the  brigade  was  then 
moving.  It  advanced  in  columns  of  companies  and,  without 
difficulty,  pushed  back  two  hostile  battalions  which  it  en- 
countered. The  village  of  Laufach  was  taken,  and  the  rail- 
way station  occupied,  while  three  battalions  and  a  squadron 
were  sent  forward  to  seize  a  cutting  beyond  the  station,  and 
to  relieve  the  fusiliers.  The  relief  had  not  been  fully  carried 
out  when  the  enemy,  with  eight  or  nine  battalions  and  two 
batteries  assumed  the  offensive.  The  assailants  mustered 
about  eight  thousand  men.  The  battalion  ot  the  55  th  threw 
itself  into  a  churchyard  surrounded  by  walls,  and  placed 
itself  on  the  defensive.  The  village  of  Frohnhofen  in  front 
was  occupied  by  three  companies,  supported  by  six  com- 
panies posted  on  the  hills  on  the  right,  and  seven  on  those 
on  the  left  of  the  railway.  The  remaining  troops  of  th< 
brigade  took  up  a  position  in  front  of  the  station,  as 
reserve.  The  enemy  attacked  all  points  ;  so  that,  by  degrees, 
nine  companies  had  to  be  sent  up  to  Frohnhofen.  The  most 
severe  attack  was  made  on  the  right  wing.  General  Wrange 
was  obliged  to  send  his  two  remaining  battalions  and  a  batte: 
to  this  point.  All  his  available  troops  were  now  engaged,  an 
the  fight  for  some  time  was  very  even.  At  last,  however,  al 
the  assaults  of  the  Hessians  were  repulsed,  and  a  counte: 
attack  made  by  three  battalions  and  a  squadron  supported  by 
the  fire  of  a  12-pounder  battery  had  great  success.  The  Hes 
sians  drew  off  from  all  points  towards  Aschaffenburg,  and  lefl 
more  than  one  hundred  prisoners,  as  well  as  the  greater  portio: 
of  five  hundred  killed  and  wounded,  in  the  hands  of  the  victors. 
The  latter  also  captured  the  majority  of  the  knapsacks  of  thei 
assailants,  who  had  taken  them  off  at  the  beginning  of  the 
action,  and  on  retreating  left  them  lying  on  the  ground.     The 


Chap.  III.]         THE  ACTIONS  ON  THE  MAINE.  305 

advantage  of  the  needle-gun  in  a  defensive  position,  was  well 
demonstrated  at  LaufaCh.  Whole  ranks  of  corpses  of  its 
enemies  lay  in  front  of  the  position,  and  until  early  morning 
wounded  men  were  found.  On  the  Prussian  side  the  loss  was 
very  small,  in  all  hardly  twenty  men,  and  one  officer. 

The  Commander-in-chief  of  the  eighth  corps  was  this  day 
uncertain  whether  he  should  defend  Frankfort.  His  troops 
were  in  scattered  positions,  and  instead  of  a  large  concentrated 
mass  of  troops,  only  small  detachments  were  pushed  out  to 
meet  the  enemy.  The  division  sent  in  haste  to  Frohnhofen, 
only  brought  one  of  its  four  field  batteries  into  action,  and 
used  only  one  or  two  squadrons  of  its  whole  cavalry  to  attack 
the  Prussians.  The  two  brigades  of  infantry  came  in  haste 
without  rations,  and  after  one  another  under  fire.  There  was 
no  Commander-in-chief,  the  leader  of  each  brigade  acted  for 
himself,  and  led  his  troops  by  the  most  direct  road  against  the 
enemy  with  great  valour,  but  with  little  judgment.  The  blame 
for  all  these  errors  is  apparently  due  to  General  von  Perglas, 
the  commander  of  the  Darmstadt  division,  who  allowed  his 
troops  to  advance  in  closed  masses  unprotected  by  artillery 
against  a  wood  in  which  the  Prussians,  well  covered,  had  firmly 
planted  themselves.  The  advantages  of  ground,  disposition, 
and  leading  were  all  on  the  side  of  the  Prussians,  who  gained 
their  success,  although  very  weary  from  a  long  march,  without 
any  exertions  worthy  of  mention.  They  had  quickly,  but  so 
skilfully  availed  themselves  of  each  local  advantage  and  cover 
for  the  defence  of  their  line  by  infantry  and  artillery  fire,  that 
all  the  reckless  braveiy  of  the  Hessians  had  no  other  result 
than  to  inflict  upon  themselves  very  severe  losses.  Among 
these  were  a  regimental  commander,  a  major  of  the  staff,  and 
thirty  killed  or  wounded  company  officers.  After  the  action  of 
the  13th  July,  Wrangel's  brigade  bivouacked  at  Laufach,  with  a 
strong  advanced  post  of  three  battalions  round  Frohnhofen. 

On  the  14th,  at  seven  in  the  morning,  the  further  march  on 
Aschaffenburg  was  to  commence.  The  care  of  the  enemy's 
wounded  on  the  previous  day,  the  collection  of  scattered  arms, 
and  waiting  for  the  return  of  the  patrols  which  had  been  sent 
out  at  dawn,  delayed  the  start  for  half  an  hour.  The  reports 
of  the  latter  told  that  the  enemy  was  retreating  from  Hosbach. 

x 


306  SEVEN   WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VIII. 

A  squadron  of  hussars  was  sent  forward  to  occupy  that  village. 
The  infantry  of  Wrangel's  brigade  followed  along  the  main  road 
with  flankers  pushed  out  far  on  the  right  and  left.  On  the  hill 
of  Weiberhofen,  Wrangel's  brigade  fell  in  with  that  of  General 
Kummer,  which  had  moved  by  a  route  on  the  south  of  the 
railway.  A  report  soon  was  brought  in  that  the  enemy  was 
advancing  strong  detachments  from  Hosbach.  Colonel  von 
der  Goltz,  the  commander  of  the  vanguard,  was  immediately 
ordered  to  take  up  a  position  on  the  heights  south  of  the  main 
road,  under  cover  of  which  the  brigade  formed  for  battle  in  the 
valley.  General  Kummer  was  ordered  with  his  brigade  to  move 
along  the  railway  towards  Aschaffenburg.  General  Goeben 
was  in  command  of  the  two  united  brigades.  The  advance 
guard  had  hardly  formed  when  a  further  report  announced  that 
the  enemy  was  drawing  back.  General  Goeben  then  ordered 
a  general  advance.  He  moved  Wrangel's  brigade  along  the 
road,  Rummer's  on  the  railway  embankment;  at  the  same 
time  he  drew  a  hussar  and  cuirassier  regiment  from  the  reserve, 
and  covered  his  right  flank  by  moving  them  through  the  open 
fields  on  the  south  of  the  road.  Hosbach  was  found  unoccu- 
pied by  the  enemy,  as  was  also  Goldbach.  On  the  further  sid 
of  the  latter  village  the  infantry  fire  opened.  The  15  th  an 
55th  Prussian  regiments  pushed  forward  to  the  wooded  ban 
of  the  Laufach  stream.  The  Federal  troops  here  consisted  0: 
the  Austrian  division  under  General  Count  Neipperg,  formed 
of  troops  which  had  originally  garrisoned  Mainz,  Rastadt,  and; 
Frankfort.  There  were  also  some  of  the  Hesse-Darmstad 
troops  here.  The  infantry  fire  of  the  Federal  soldiers  caused 
the  Prussians  little  loss ;  but  an  Austrian  battery,  posted  on  a 
hill  south  of  Aschaffenburg,  and  admirably  served,  annoyed 
them  much.  The  Prussian  artillery  could  find  no  favourable 
position  from  which  to  attack  this  battery  with  clear  advantage., 
and  the  Austrian  guns  for  some  time  had  the  best  of  the' 
action.  At  last  three  battalions  of  the  15th  Prussian  regimen' 
were  pushed  along  the  stream  nearer  to  the  village  of  Daurm. 
and  made  themselves  masters  of  a  hill  on  which  stood  a  towe:< 
surrounded  by  a  wall.  Protected  by  this,  the  infantry  succeeded 
by  its  musketry  fire  in  forcing  the  enemy's  artillery  to  retire.  Th< 
advance  of  some  Federal  cavalry  was  also  stopped  by  the  sarm 


Chap.  III.]         THE  ACTIONS  ON  THE  MAINE.  307 

means  before  the  squadrons  could  attack.  As  soon  as  the  Aus- 
trian battery  drew  back,  a  general  advance  was  made  against 
AschafTenburg,  which  is  surrounded  with  a  high  wall  that 
offered  the  Austrian s  cover,  and  a  convenient  opportunity  for 
defence.  The  Prussian  artillery  coming  into  action  on  the  top 
of  a  hill  soon  showed  itself  superior  to  that  of  the  Austrians. 
After  long  firing  in  the  environs  of  the  town,  and  the  gardens 
which  lay  in  front  of  the  walls,  the  Prussians  advanced  to 
storm,  and  although  they  were  received  with  repeated  salvos, 
forced  their  enemy  out  of  his  strong  position  without  suffering 
very  severe  loss.  At  the  railway  station  there  was  a  sharp 
combat,  but  at  no  other  point  was  the  resistance  very  deter- 
mined. The  town  of  AschafTenburg  has  only  two  gates.  In 
consequence,  as  the  retreating  Austrians  were  hurrying  towards 
the  bridge  over  the  Maine  a  block  occurred.  The  Prussians 
pushing  forward,  entered  the  city  with  the  rearmost  ranks  of 
the  enemy,  and  made  two  thousand  prisoners.  These  were  for 
the  most  part  Italians,  who  defended  themselves  without  much 
energy.  General  Goeben  occupied  the  bridge  by  which  the 
railway  to  Darmstadt  crosses  the  Maine,  with  three  battalions, 
two  squadrons,  and  a  battery.  These  pushed  reconnaissances 
towards  Frankfort.  The  rest  of  his  troops  he  cantonned  in  the 
town  of  AschafTenburg. 

The  losses  of  the  Prussians  in  the  capture  of  the  town  were 
not  severe.  Those  of  the  Federal  troops  were  considerable  ; 
as  there  were  many  killed  and  wounded,  besides  the  large 
number  of  prisoners.  A  large  quantity  of  material  of  war  fell 
also  into  the  hands  of  the  conquerors.  A  regiment  of  hussars 
of  Hesse- Cassel,  which  Prince  Alexander  had  attached  to  his 
Austrian  division,  lost  five  officers  and  one  hundred  and  eight 
non-commissioned  officers  and  men,  in  its  attempt  to  cover 
the  retreat  of  the  infantry  through  the  streets. 

While  General  Goeben  advanced  towards  AschafTenburg,  and 
gained  there  the  passage  of  the  Maine,  General  Beyer's  division 
pushed  towards  Frankfort,  by  way  of  Gelnhausen.  The  easily 
defensible  passage  of  the  Kinzig,  near  this  town,  was  found 
unoccupied  by  the  Federal  troops,  and  on  the  17th,  Beyer 
reached  the  neighbourhood  of  Hanau  without  ever  having  seen 
an  enemy. 

x  2 


". 


308  SEVEN   WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VIII. 

During  the  action  of  Aschaffenburg,  Prince  Alexander, 
instead  of  supporting  his  Austrian  division,  which  was  engaged 
there,  remained  with  the  mass  of  his  troops  inactive  at  Seiligen- 
stadt  Yet  he  could  by  vigorous  action  have  been  much 
superior  in  numbers  to  Goeben  at  the  former  town,  have  saved 
the  passage  of  the  river,  and  perhaps  pushing  Goeben  and 
Manteuffel  backwards,  by  bearing  on  their  right,  have  urged 
them  into  the  bend  of  the  Maine,  and  severed  them  from 
Beyer  and  their  line  of  communication  with  the  north.  This 
page  of  the  history  of  the  campaign  of  the  leader  of  the  Federal 
corps  is  but  a  repetition  of  the  perpetual  tale  of  opportunities 
lost  and  advantages  neglected.  The  advantage  of  positions 
was  always  on  the  side  of  the  Federal  corps,  yet  these  advan- 
tages were  sacrificed,  always  with  loss  to  the  Federal  side,  to 
which  the  casualties  in  the  Prussian  ranks  by  no  means  corre-  ; 
sponded.  The  lives  of  soldiers  were  to  all  appearance  trifled 
away  and  wasted,  by  strategical  ignorance  and  absence  of 
energy  on  the  part  of  their  leader. 

The  immediate  result  of  the  victorious  advance  of  the  Prus- 
sian army  of  the  Maine  was  the  evacuation  of  Frankfort  and 
the  line  of  the  Maine,  by  the  eighth  Federal  corps,  and  its 
occupation  by  the  Prussians.  On  the  16th  July,  General 
Falckenstein  entered  the  town  at  the  head  of  Goeben' s  division, 
and  was  able  to  report  to  the  King  that  all  the  lands  north  of 
the  Maine  were  in  Prussian  possession.  General  Falckenstein 
had  within  fourteen  days  defeated  two  armies,  of  which  each 
was  as  strong  as  his  own,  in  two  great,  and  several  minor 
actions ;  and,  in  a  country  by  no  means  very  advantageous  for 
the  offensive,  had  manoeuvred  so  as  to  separate  his  two  adver- 
saries, who  on  the  5th  July  were  within  thirty  miles  of  each 
other,  by  a  distance  of  sixty  miles. 

The  following  is  a  summary  of  the  operations  north  of  the 
Maine  : — 

Bavarians. — From  the  15th  to  25th  June,  halted  near 
Schweinfurt.  In  the  meantime  the  Hanoverians  were  sur- 
rounded, and  obliged  to  capitulate. 

On  the  25th  June  they  made  various  movements,  with  the 
object  of  effecting  a  junction  with  the  eighth  Federal  corps. 

On  the  12th  July  they  again  returned  to  Schweinfurt,  after 


Chap.  III.]        THE  ACTIONS  ON  THE  MAINE.  309 

having  been  pushed  away  from  their  allies  by  Falckenstein,  at 
Wiesenthal  and  Kissingen. 

The  Eighth  Federal  Corps. — From  the  15th  June  to  the  12th 
July  occupied  strategical  positions  round  Frankfort. 

On  the  5th  July  it  made  a  partial  march  on  Fulda.  Some 
of  its  cavalry  fell  in  with  some  Prussian  patrols,  and  it  retreated 
rapidly  to  the  Maine. 

On  the  13th  and  14th  July  the  actions  of  Laufach  and 
Aschaffenburg  were  fought,  while  Prince  Alexander  lay  at 
Seiligenstadt. 

On  the  14th  July  Prince  Alexander  concentrated  rearwards, 
on  the  south  of  the  Maine. 

On  the  13th  July,  when  the  Prussians  reached  Laufach,  not 
more  than  thirty  miles  from  Frankfort,  the  residuary  members 
of  the  mutilated  Germanic  Diet  retired  from  the  ancient  city 
on  the  Maine,  where  of  old  the  rulers  of  the  Holy  Roman 
Empire  were  elected  and  crowned.  Their  business  had,  since 
the  outbreak  of  hostilities,  been  chiefly  confined  to  making 
protests  against  Prussia.  The  days  when  the  Confederation 
could  enforce  its  decrees  were,  however,  past,  and  the  Diet  had 
found  a  very  different  patient  of  Federal  execution  from  the 
Dane.  Its  protests  were  now  all  spent  shot.  A  few  of  the 
deputies,  however,  still  held  together,  and  styled  themselves,  in 
diplomatic  language,  the  Diet  and  Confederation  of  Germany. 

These,  on  the  13th  July,  quitted  Frankfort  with  the  docu- 
ments from  the  Archives  of  the  Bund,  and  journeyed  to 
Augsburg,  where  the  black,  red  and  gold  flag  of  the  Germanic 
Confederation  was  hoisted  over  the  inn  of  the  sign  of  the  Three 
Moors. 

The  last  Bavarian  battalion  left  Frankfort  on  the  14th,  and 
the  head-quarters  of  the  eighth  Federal  corps  were  established 
that  night  at  Dieburg,  a  station  on  the  railway  between 
Aschaffenburg  and  Darmstadt. 

On  the  15  th,  Prince  Alexander  drew  near  to  the  south,  and 
concentrated  his  corps  on  the  Odenwald.  This  day  his  light 
cavalry  opened  communications  with  Prince  Charles's  corps  at 
Wiirzburg,  by  the  left  bank  of  the  Maine,  and  the  road  through 
Moltenberg  and  Werbek. 

On  the  15th,  the  Senate  of  Frankfort  published  a  proclama- 


310  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VIII. 

tion  to  the  inhabitants,  in  which  it  was  announced  that  the  Diet 
which  usually  held  its  sittings  in  the  free  city,  had  temporarily 
withdrawn  ;  that  the  city  would  act  as  an  open  town,  and  that 
there  appeared  to  be  no  danger  of  any  injury  to  the  lives  or 
property  of  any  of  the  inhabitants.  The  construction  of  earth- 
works, which  had  been  commenced  by  the  "Federal  troops,  was 
abandoned,  and  all  was  prepared  for  the  advent  of  the  Prussian 
conquerors.  At  Darmstadt  the  Russian  flag  was  hoisted  on  the 
palace  of  the  Grand  Duke  of  Hesse-Darmstadt,  who  in  person 
started  for  Munich. 

YVrangel's  brigade,  after  the  capture  of  Aschaffenburg,  was 
pushed  forward  by  forced  marches  to  Hanau.  About  five 
o'clock  on  the  evening  of  the  16th  July,  the  first  Prussians 
arrived  near  Frankfort,  brought  in  a  train  from  Aschaffenburg. 
They  got  out  of  the  carriages  a  short  distance  from  the  city 
gates,  and  took  up  a  position  on  the  Hanau  road.  This  ad- 
vanced guard  consisted  of  a  regiment  of  cuirassiers  and  a 
regiment  of  hussars.  At  seven  a  patrol  of  the  hussars,  led  by 
an  officer,  halted  before  the  city  gate.  In  another  quarter  of 
an  hour  the  head  of  the  vanguard,  consisting  of  one  squadron 
of  cuirassiers  and  the  remaining  hussars,  passed  in.  The  popu- 
lace were  for  the  most  part  sullenly  silent.  A  few  insulting 
cries  to  the  Prussians  were  occasionally  heard  from  some  of  the 
windows,  but  the  soldiers  took  no  notice  of  them.  In  a  few 
minutes  the  Generals  Vogel  von  Falckenstein,  Goeben,  Wran- 
gel,  and  Tresckow,  surrounded  by  the  officers  of  the  staff,  rode 
in  at  the  head  of  the  main  body.  The  bands  of  the  regiments 
played  Prussian  national  airs.  Before  ten  o'clock  the  whole 
line  of  march  had  entered.  The  telegraph  and  post-offices 
were  occupied.  The  railway  station  was  garrisoned,  and  guards 
established  over  all  the  principal  buildings.  The  free  town  of 
Frankfort  was  virtually  annexed  to  the  Prussian  monarchy. 

On  the  17th  July,  the  remainder  of  Falckenstein's  troops 
entered  the  town,  and  some  troops  were  pushed  forwards  south': 
of  the  city,  who  captured  a  Hessian  bridge  train. 

General  Vogel  von  Falckenstein  established  his  head-quarter.' 
in  Frankfort,  and  published  a  proclamation  in  which  he  an' 
nounced  that  he  had  assumed  temporarily  the  government  0; 
the  duchy  of  Nassau,  the  town  and  territory  of  Frankfort,  anc 


Chap.  III.]         THE  ACTIONS   ON   THE   MAINE.  311 

the  portions  of  Bavaria  and  Hesse-Darmstadt,  which  his  troops 
had  occupied.  The  civil  functionaries  of  these  districts  were 
retained  in  their  posts,  but  were  directed  to  receive  no  order 
except  from  the  Prussian  Commander-in-chief.  Several  of  the 
Frankfort  papers  which  had  always  been  distinguished  for  strong 
anti-Prussian  feeling  were  suppressed.  The  eleven  armed 
unions  *  which  had  existed  in  the  city,  were  abolished  ;  and  the 
functions  of  the  senate  and  college  of  burghers  established  by 
a  general  order.  Six  millions  of  gulden  t  were  demanded  from 
the  town  as  a  war  contribution,  and  after  much  grumbling  paid 
by  the  citizens.  When,  afterwards,  on  the  20th  July,  a  second 
additional  contribution  of  twenty  millions  of  gulden  J  was  de- 
manded, an  universal  cry  of  indignation  and  horror  was  raised. 
In  the  meantime,  General  von  Roeder  had  been  appointed 
Governor  of  the  town,  to  whom  the  Burgomaster  represented, 
on  the  23rd  July,  that  the  town  had  already  furnished  six 
millions  of  gulden,  and  about  two  millions  of  rations,  and  re- 
quested to  appeal  against  the  subsequent  contribution  to  the 
King  of  Prussia.  So  much  did  this  misfortune  of  his  city  weigh 
on  the  Burgomaster  that  the  same  night  he  committed  suicide. 
The  town  sent  a  deputation  to  Berlin  which  treated  so  effectually, 
and  was  so  powerfully  supported  by  the  opinions  of  the  foreign 
press,  that  the  contribution  was  not  insisted  upon  by  the  King. 
Frankfort  shortly  afterwards  was  united  definitely  to  Prussia, 
when  the  first  contribution  of  six  millions  was  not  actually 
returned  to  the  citizens,  but  was  retained  by  the  Government 
to  be  expended  in  public  works  for  the  benefit  of  the  city. 

General  Falckenstein,  at  Frankfort,  issued  the  following 
general  order  to  his  troops  : — 

"  Soldiers  of  the  Army  of  the  Maine  ! — On  the  14th  of  this 
month  at  Aschaffenburg,  we  have  fulfilled  the  second  portion  of  our  task. 
On  that  day  the  right  bank  of  the  Maine,  as  far  as  our  arms  reached,  was 
cleared  of  the  enemy.  Before  we  advance  to  new  deeds,  it  behoves  me 
to  express  to  you  all  my  recognition  of  the  manner  in  which  you  have  made 
the  numerous  exertions  necessary  for  our  success.  Yet  it  is  not  that  alone 
which  I  have  to  praise.  It  is  your  valour,  and  the  energy  with  which,  in 
six  great  and  several  smaller  actions,  you  have  hurled  yourselves  upon  the 
enemy,  knitted  victory  to  your  banners,  and  made  thousands  of  your  adver- 
saries prisoners.  You  defeated  the  Bavarians  in  two  brilliant  engagements 
at  Wiesenthal,  and  Zella  on  the  4th  of  this  month,  crossed  the  Rhon  moun- 

*  Vereine.  +  £600,000.  %  £2,000,000. 


312 


SEVEN    WEEKS'    WAR. 


[Book  VIII. 


tains  in  order  again  to  spring  upon  the  Bavarian  Army  at  the  four  different 
points  of  Hammelburg,  Kissinger),  Hausen,  and  Waldaschach  :  everywhere 
you  were  victorious.  So  soon  as  the  third  day  after  the  bloody  storming  of 
Kissingen,  the  same  division  had  crossed  to  the  Spessart  to  engage  the 
eighth  Federal  corps.  The  victory  of  the  thirteenth  division  over  the  divi- 
sion of  Darmstadt  at  Laufach,  and  the  capture  of  Aschaffenburg  from  the 
united  Federal  and  Austrian  troops  on  the  14th,  were  the  earnings  of  its 
bravery  and  its  toils.  On  the  16th  Frankfort  was  occupied  by  it.  I  must 
express  to  this  division  my  special  thanks.  Fortunate  to  be  generally  at 
the  head  of  the  corps,  and  so  the  first  to  come  into  collision  with  the  enemy, 
it  showed  itself  as  worthy  of  this  honourable  post,  as  did  the  intelligence 
and  energy  of  its  leader  to  take  advantage  of  his  opportunities. 


"  Head-Quarters, 
Frankfort,  14th  July,  1866. 


"VON   FALCKEXSTEIN, 

Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Army 

of Jhe  Maine." 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE    CAMPAIGN    SOUTH    OF   THE    MAINE. 

The  day  that  General  von  Falckenstein  published  his 
general  order  to  the  troops,  the  Army  of  the  Maine  lost  its 
commander.  The  difficult  state  of  affairs  in  Bohemia,  caused 
by  the  animosities  of  political  parties,  which,  till  the  Prussian 
invasion,  had  been  kept  down  by  the  strong  hand  of  the 
Austrian  Government,  had,  on  the  removal  of  that  pressure, 
sprung  forth  into  full  life.  The  importance  of  the  communica- 
tions of  the  main  Prussian  armies  with  the  provinces  of  Saxony 
and  Silesia,  which  were  threatened  by  the  three  fortresses  of 
Theresienstadt,  Josephstadt,  and  Koniggratz,  led  the  King  of 
Prussia  to  appoint  General  Falckenstein  as  military  Governor- 
General  of  that  province. 

Lieutenant-General  von  Manteuffel  assumed  the  command 
of  the  Army  of  the  Maine  in  Falckenstein's  place.  The  divi- 
sion which  General  Manteuffel  had  commanded  was  placed 
under  General  Flies.  On  the  18th  July  Wiesbaden  was  occu- 
pied by  the  Prussians ;  and  on  the  20th  Kummer's  brigade  was 
pushed  southwards  as  an  advanced  guard  and  entered  Darm- 
stadt, but  the  main  body  of  the  army  halted  at  Frankfort  until 
the  2 1  st.  While  he  waited  at  Frankfort  General  Manteuffel 
received  reinforcements.  These  consisted  of  three  battalions, 
three  squadrons,  and  two  batteries  of  Oldenburg,  two  battalions 
of  Hamburg,  one  of  Liibeck,  one  of  Waldeck,  which  was  de- 
tached to  watch  the  fortress  of  Mainz,  one  of  Bremen,  one  of 
Schwarzburg-Sonderhausen.  Besides  these  contingents  of  the 
allies  of  Prussia,  he  also  received  five  fourth  battalions  of 
Prussian  troops,  which  remained  as  the  garrison  of  Frankfort, 
the  ninth  Jager  battalion,  and  three  reserve  regiments  of  Land- 


3H  SEVEN  WEEKS'   WAR.  [Book  VIII. 

wehr  cavalry, — in  all  fifteen  battalions,  twelve  squadrons,  and 
twelve  guns,  which  mustered  over  twelve  thousand  combatants. 
Of  these,  five  thousand  men  were  left  to  hold  the  line  of  the 
Maine  at  Frankfort,  Hanau,  and  Aschaffenburg.  The  re- 
mainder raised  the  active  army  to  a  strength  of  sixty  thousand 
combatants. 

At  the  same  time  a  second  reserve  corps  was  formed  at 
Leipsic  and  placed  under  the  command  of  the  Grand  Duke  of 
Mecklenburg-Schwerin.  It  consisted  of  the  division  of  Meck- 
lenburg-Schwerin,  which  numbered  four  battalions  of  infantry, 
one  battalion  of  Jagers,  four  squadrons,  and  two  6-pounder 
batteries,  and  of  a  combined  Prussian  division,  which  was  placed 
under  the  command  of  General  Home,  who  had  formerly  com- 
manded the  eighth  division  of  the  army  of  Prince  Frederick 
Charles.  Home's  combined  division  consisted  of  the  fourth 
regiment  of  the  Prussian  Guard,  the  fourth  battalions  of  five 
regiments  of  the  line,  two  battalions  of  Anhalt,  two  regiments 
of  Landwehr  cavalry,  and  eight  batteries.  This  second  reserve 
corps  mustered  in  all  about  twenty-three  thousand  combatants. 
It  was  intended  to  enter  Bavaria  by  way  of  Hof,  and  either  to 
act  against  the  rear  of  the  united  Bavarian  and  Federal  corps, 
while  engaged  with  General  Manteuffel,  or  to  force  the  Bavarian 
army  to  form  front  towards  the  east,  and  prevent  Prince  Charles 
of  Bavaria  from  acting  in  concert  with  Prince  Alexander  against 
Manteuffel. 

By  the  21st  July,  the  railway  from  Frankfort  to   Cassel  had 
been  repaired  by  the  railway  detachment  of  the  Army  of  the  | 
Maine,  and  was  available  throughout  its  whole  length,  not  only  ■ 
for  military  transport,  but  also  for  private  traffic.     On  that  day,  t 
the  main  body  of  the  Army  of  the  Maine  quitted  Frankfort, 
and  moved  towards  the  south.     Beyer's  division  at  the  same  j 
time  advanced  from   Hanau  by  Aschaffenburg  to  the  south.; 
The  Bavarians  had   not  occupied  the  road  from  Wiirzburg  to 
the  passage  of  the  Maine  at  Heidenfeld.     The  eighth  Federal! 
corps  was  reported  to  be  in  retreat  through  the  Odenwald,  by' 
Hochst  and  Moltenberg.      Further  information  told  that  the 
Bavarians  were  concentrated,  and  in  position  near  Wiirzburg.' 
It  then  appeared  probable  that  part  of  the  eighth  Federal  corps! 
intended  to  hold  the  defiles  of  the  Odenwald,  and  the  line  ofl 


Chap  IV.]     THE   CAMPAIGN  SOUTH   OF  THE 

the  Neckar,  while  the  remainder  of  its  troops  joined  the 
Bavarians  near  the  Tauber.  To  take  advantage  of  two  roads, 
in  order  to  move  quickly,  and  if  possible  to  press  upon  Prince 
Alexander  before  he  was  firmly  linked  with  the  Bavarians,  and 
to  shield  his  right  flank  against  any  detachments  lurking  in  the 
Odenwald,  General  Manteuffel  moved  Goeben's  division  by 
Darmstadt  on  Konieg,  while  Flies  and  Beyer  pushed  up  the 
valley  of  the  Maine  by  Wurth.  At  the  same  time  he  sent  a 
strong  reconnaissance  up  the  right  bank  of  the  river  against 
Heidenfeld.  Frankfort  and  Aschaffenburg  were  firmly  oc- 
cupied. 

On  the  23rd  July,  the  Army  of  the  Maine  occupied  a  posi- 
tion near  Moltenberg  and  Amorbach.  Along  its  whole  front 
it  could  firmly  feel  the  eighth  Federal  corps.  It  was  found 
that  the  enemy  was  in  force  on  the  Tauber,  and  that  his 
advanced  posts  were  pushed  over  the  river  as  far  as  Hundheim. 
On  the  24th  two  actions  took  place  on  the  Tauber,  an  affluent 
of  the  Maine,  which  falls  into  the  latter  stream  below 
Wertheim.  General  Manteuffel  moved  against  the  Tauber  in 
three  columns.  On  the  left  Flies's  division  advanced  on 
Wertheim.  The  two  columns  on  the  right  were  under 
General  Goeben.  Of  these,  that  on  the  left  consisted  of  the 
Oldenberg  brigade  and  the  battalion  of  Bremen,  which  moved 
upon  Werbach  against  the  division  of  Baden.  That  on  the 
right,  consisting  of  the  remaining  troops  of  Goeben's  division, 
with  Wrangel's  brigade  in  front,  marched  on  Tauberbischofs- 
heim.  Beyer's  division  was  moved  on  Dermbach  as  the 
reserve.  At  Tauberbischofsheim  the  Wurtemberg  division, 
under  General  Hardegg  was  posted,  to  hold  the  place  itself, 
and  then  issue  from  the  valley  on  the  road  towards  Wiirzburg, 
in  case  of  an  attack  by  the  Prussians.  The  artillery  fire  of  the 
advanced  guard  brigade  of  Goeben's  divisions  caused  great 
loss  among  the  defenders,  and  soon  forced  them  to  retire  from 
the  village.  General  Hardegg  withdrew  his  troops,  but  en- 
deavoured to  hold  the  Prussians  in  the  houses,  and  to  prevent 
the  advance  of  their  batteries.  By  blowing  up  the  bridge  over 
the  Tauber,  he  for  a  time  prevented  the  progress  of  the 
Prussian  artillery.  After  a  hot  combat,  which  lasted  three 
hours,  the  Wurtembergers  were  relieved  by  the  fourth  division 


3i6  SEVEN   WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VIII. 

of  the  eighth  Federal  corps.  The  action  increased  in  fury, 
but  ultimately  the  Prussians  gained  the  passage  of  the  Tauber 
at  Bischofsheim,  and  pushed  their  outposts  a  short  distance 
along  the  road  to  Wiirzburg. 

The  action  at  Werbach  afforded  the  brigade  composed  of 
the  Oldenburgers  and  the  battalion  of  Bremen,  its  first  oppor- 
tunity to  display  its  efficiency.  As  soon  as  the  Prussian  ad- 
vanced guard,  which  attacked  Bischofsheim,  met  with  oppo- 
sition, this  brigade  was  pushed  against  Werbach.  The  enemy 
evacuated  Hochhausen,  which  lies  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
river,  without  firing  a  shot,  but  set  himself  stolidly  to  oppose 
the  passage  of  the  stream  at  Werbach.  The  attacking  troops 
had  marched  for  twelve  hours  on  the  23rd  July,  and  on  the 
24th  had  been  moving  from  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  until 
two  in  the  afternoon.  They  found  their  opponents  in  a  good 
position,  from  which  they  themselves  were  exposed  to  a  heavy 
cannonade.  The  Oldenburg  artillery  opened,  and  with  such 
a  good  effect,  that  it  soon  got  the  fire  of  the  opposite  batteries 
under.  These  did  not  make  good  practice  :  the  loss  they 
inflicted  was  most  trivial.  The  infantry,  which  had  been 
hidden  behind  some  rising  ground,  and  in  a  wood,  then  ad- 
vanced to  the  attack  of  the  village  of  Werbach,  threading  their 
way  through  the  intricate  vineyards  which  clothed  the  slope 
down  to  the  Tauber.  After  a  short  time  spent  in  skirmishing, 
the  Oldenburgers  rushed  to  the  assault,  part  forcing  their  way 
over  the  barricades,  part  wading  through  the  water  of  the 
stream,  which  rose  breast  high  against  them.  Their  losses 
were  heavy,  but  their  rush  successful.  They  carried  the 
houses,  and  drove  the  defenders  clean  through  the  village,  and 
themselves  covered  by  the  houses,  commenced  a  murderous 
fire  on  the  retreating  columns.  The  combat  at  Werbach  not 
only  secured  to  General  Manteuffel  the  passage  of  the  stream 
at  that  point,  but  had  a  more  important  result.  The  division 
of  Baden  retreated  so  far  after  its  failure  here,  that  the  position 
in  which  the  Federal  corps  had  determined  to  fight  on  the 
Tauber  on  the  following  day  had  to  be  evacuated. 

At  Wertheim,  General  Flies  forced  back  the  Hessians,  whom 
he  found  posted  there,  and  secured  the  passage  of  the  Tauber 
at  this  point  also. 


Chap.  IV.]     THE   CAMPAIGN  SOUTH  OF  THE  MAINE.     317 

The  commander  of  the  eighth  Federal  corps,  when  he  per- 
ceived that  he  could  no  longer  hold  the  line  of  the  Tauber,  fell 
:  back  to  Gerscheim,  a  village  half  way  between  Tauberbischofs- 
jheim  and  Wurzburg,  and  about  seven  miles  from  either  place. 
Here  he  -determined,  on  some  wooded  heights,  to  await  the 
Prussians.  In  the  meantime  the  Bavarian  army,  following  the 
road  from  Wurzburg  to  Aschaffenburg,  closed  towards  the 
eighth  corps,  and  taking  post  on  the  north  at  Helmstadt, 
and  Utingen,  formed  with  it  a  long  line  of  battle,  in  rear  of 
which  lay  Wurzburg  and  the  Maine. 

General  Manteuffel  was  obliged  to  attack  the  allied  corps  in 
this  position,  although  they  were  numerically  much  superior  to 
him.  He  formed  the  intention  of  strengthening  his  right,  and 
pivoting  himself  on  Wertheim,  to  act  with  vigour  against  the 
allied  left.  He  hoped  thus  to  push  his  adversaries  off  the 
road  to  Wurzburg,  and  to  force  them  into  the  elbow  which 
the  Maine  forms  north  of  that  place.  There  cut  off  from  their 
communications,  and  with  the  river  in  their  rear,  they  would 
have  had  almost  no  resource  except  that  of  capitulating. 

On  the  25th,  the  Prussian  Commander-in-chief  drew  forward 
Beyer's  division,  which  had  hitherto  remained  in  reserve  in 
'  rear  of  his  left  wing,  and  placed  it  between  those  of  Goeben 
'.  and  Flies.  The  Army  of  the  Maine  now  formed  a  line  of 
battle  about  ten  miles  long,  but  only  Goeben  and  Beyer  were 
to  attack  on  the  25th.  Flies  was  to  hold  himself  at  Wertheim 
as  the  pivot  of  the  army.  Goeben  was  to  attack  the  eighth 
Federal  corps ;  Beyer  the  Bavarians.  General  Kummer's 
brigade,  on  the  25th,  marched  as  the  advanced  guard  of 
Goeben's  division.  When  that  officer  had  passed  a  wood  lying 
a  short  distance  in  front  of  Gerscheim,  he  made  out  the  enemy 
— Wiirtembergers,  Nassauers,  and  Austrians  drawn  up  on  the 
north  of  the  road  in  order  of  battle.  Their  superiority  in 
artillery  was  very  considerable ;  they  had  eight  batteries,  six 
regiments  of  cavalry,  and  about  seventy  thousand  infantry, 
while  Kummer  had  only  six  battalions,  four  squadrons,  and 
two  batteries.  Wrangel's  brigade  had  marched  towards  the 
right,  in  order  to  act  against  the  enemy's  left  flank.  The 
Oldenburg  brigade,  with  the  reserve,  were  behind,  but  at  so 
great  a  distance  that  their  arrival  on  the  ground  could  not  be 


3i8  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VIII. 

calculated  upon  for  an  hour.     Nevertheless  General  Kummer 
determined  at  once  to  attack.     His   two  batteries  came  into 
position,   some  infantry  occupied  the  wood   beside  him,   the 
rest  of  the  foot  soldiers  and  the  cavalry  formed  in   order  of 
battle,  and  his  artillery  opened  fire.     The  enemy  replied  from 
forty  pieces,  and  after  a  cannonade  which  lasted  three-quarters 
of  an  hour,  compelled  the   Prussian   guns  to  retire.     Prince 
Alexander  of  Hesse  immediately  sent  some  infantry  against 
the  wood,  but  the  Prussians  held  the  trees  firmly,  and  from  the 
cover    slaughtered    their  assailants   with  their  quickly-loaded' 
arm.     At  this  time  the  Oldenburg  brigade  and  the  reserves! 
came  up,  and  Wrangel  was  seen  advancing  against  the  enemy's  I 
left.     The  artillery  fire  of  the  allies  told  little  on  the  Prussia 
troops,  and  caused  but  slight  loss  in  proportion  to  the  number! 
of    guns     engaged.     Wrangel's   appearance    on   his   left,    anc 
Rummer's   steady  hold  of  the  wood,  made  the   enemy  begh 
slowly  to  retire.     The  Oldenburg  artillery  joined  to  Rummer's 
two    batteries,    fired    heavily   upon     their    slowly    retreatii 
columns.     The    allied    batteries,  halting   at  every  favourabl 
spot,  came  into  action,  and  it  was  not  till  nightfall  that  t\ 
cannonade  ceased.     By  that  time  the  Prussians  had   occupie 
and  passed  beyond  Gerscheim.     On  the  same  day,  Beyer  ac 
vanced    against    the    Bavarians,  who  were    in    position    nee 
Helmstadt,  by  way  of  Bottingheim  and  Neubrunn.     In  fron 
of    Bottingheim    he    fell    in  with    some  cavalry  patrols.     A, 
Neubrunn  some  infantry  made  its  appearance.     This  was  th 
advanced  guard  of  the  Bavarian  main  body,  which  was  aboui 
to  advance   against  YVerbach.     This    infantry  Beyer  attacked 
sharply,   and    drove    back    towards     Helmstadt.     In    rear   d 
Neubrunn  the  retiring  Bavarians  were  reinforced,  and  halted  i- 
a  swelling  plateau,  much  dotted  over  with  plantations.     Th 
battle    now    began    in    earnest.      The     Prussian    advance 
guard    moving    towards    Madelhofen    found    an    unoccupie 
plantation  on  the  Bavarian  left.     Pivoted  on  this  it  wheeled  u 
to  its  left,  and  moved  against  Helmstadt.     At  the  same  tirri 
Beyers  main  body  moved  straight  upon    that  village.     Tr 
Bavarians  could  not  maintain  themselves   in  that  place,  b1 
their  artillery,   which   drew  oft"    towards   Utingen,  took  up 
position  beyond  Helmstadt,  from  which  their  guns  rained 


Chap.  IV.]      THE  CAMPAIGN  SOUTH  OF   THE  MAINE.     319 

hot  fire  of  shells  upon  the  heads  of  the  Prussian  columns. 
The  Prussian  artillery,  covered  by  numerous  skirmishers  in  the 
plantations,  engaged  the  Bavarian  guns.  About  three  hours 
after  the  beginning  of  the  fight  the  enemy's  artillery  drew  off  to 
;  Utingen,  and  so  left  the  road  to  Madelhofen,  the  most  direct 
1  route  to  Wiirzburg  open  to  Beyer's  left  wing.  The  Prussian 
1  division  then  made  a  concentrated  attack  against  a  wood  near 
Madelhofen,  under  cover  of  which  heavy  masses  of  Bavarian 
infantry  were  preparing  for  an  attack  towards  Neubrunn.  At 
I  the  same  time,  Beyer's  two  regiments  of  cavalry  dashed  against 
[the  Bavarian  horse,  which  in  front  of  the  wood  were  covering 
ithe  formation.  A  severe  hand  to  hand  combat  took  place. 
The  Bavarian  horsemen  were  finally,  however,  overcome,  and 
'forced  to  quit  the  field.  While  the  cavalry  were  engaged, 
[some  of  the  Prussian  infantry  pushed  the  Bavarian  battalions 
;back  to  Waldbrunn.  The  whole  of  Beyer's  division  then 
I  moved  against  the  plantations  near  Madelhofen  and 
i  Waldbrunn,  but  the  enemy  drew  off  so  quickly  that  Beyer  con- 
•  eluded  the  action  had  terminated,  and  ordered  his  troops  to 
bivouac. 

It  was  not  so,  however.     Hardly  had  the  Prussian  regiments 

■  taken  up  their  positions  for  the  night,  than  an  attack  opened 

;  upon  their  left  rear  in  the  direction  of  Helmstadt.     A  part  of 

;  the  Bavarian  army  had,  unperceived,  advanced  in  this  direction 

from  Utingen,  and  now  opened  a  second  action  with  a  heavy 

cannonade.     Beyer  quickly  changed  his  front  left  back,  forming 

,  a  reserve  of  the  two  regiments  which  had  previously  been  upon 

1  his  right.     His  artillery,  as  soon  as  it  had  taken  up  its  new 

position,  opened  fire  against  the  line  of  Bavarian  guns,  which 

iwas  continually  pushing  more   and  more  in  the  direction   of 

Neubrunn,  in   order  to  outflank  the  Prussian  position.     This 

fire,  however,  did  little  towards  silencing  the  Bavarian  batteries. 

The  Prussian  reserve,  which  had  a  long  distance  to  travel,  was 

far  from   the    left  wing.      Every  moment   the   attack  of  the 

enemy's  infantry  might  be   expected.      Matters  seemed  very 

critical.     But  the  Bavarians  did  not  attack.     After  a  time  his 

reserve   reached    Beyer's   left.      He   then   ordered   a   general 

advance,  which  was  successful.     Prince  Charles  of  Bavaria  was 

forced  back  to  Roszbrunn,  where  he  halted.     General  Beyer 


320  SEVEN   WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VIII. 

bivouacked  near  Helmstadt.  Goeben's  division  halted  for  the 
night  on  the  road  between  Gerscheim  and  Wiirzburg,  with  its 
outposts  at  Kist.  When  Prince  Charles's  attack  against  Beyer, 
near  Helmstadt,  was  developed,  General  Flies  moved  forward 
from  Wertheim  to  support  Beyer.  He  did  not  arrive  on  the : 
field  before  the  termination  of  the  battle,  but  he  took  a  position 
for  the  night  at  Utingen,  and  patrolled  towards  Roszbrunn. 

This  action  cost  the  Prussians  about  three  hundred  and 
fifty  officers  and  men,  who  were  placed  hors  de  combat.  The; 
Bavarians  lost  seventeen  officers  and  two  hundred  and  thirty-' 
nine  men  killed  and  wounded,  besides  three  hundred  and' 
sixty-three  prisoners,  who  for  the  most  part  were  wounded. 

Prince  Alexander,  on  the  evening  of  the  25  th,  withdrew  Yi\i 
corps  to  Wiirzburg,  and  took  up  a  position  under  shelter  of  the 
fortress.  Prince  Charles  appears  to  have  received  no  informa 
tion  of  this  retreat,  for  on  the  morning  of  the  26th,  he  not  onh 
held  his  position  at  Roszbrunn,  where  his  rear  and  hi:: 
communication  with  Wiirzburg  were  already  threatened  b; 
Goeben,  but  he  also  advanced  against  Utingen  to  attack  Flies! 
He  must  in  so  doing  have  believed  that  the  eighth  Federa- 
corps  still  covered  his  left,  and  held  the  road  from  Tauber 
bischofsheim  to  Wiirzburg. 

As  soon  as  the  Bavarian  attack  on  Flies  was  announced  bl 
their  cannonade,  Beyer  detached  some  of  his  regiments  to  ac 
against  Prince  Charles's  flank.  This  attack,  supported  vigoroush 
by  a  simultaneous  advance  of  Flies  against  his  front,  forced  th 
Bavarian  commander  to  retire ;  not,  however,  without  inflictin 
very  severe  injury  on  the  Prussians. 

Goeben,  on  the  26th,  pushed  his  advanced  guard  towarcjif 
WTiirzburg,  and  soon  discovered  by  his  patrols  that  Princ 
Charles,  after  leaving  only  a  few  light  troops  in  front  of  tr 
town,  and  a  strong  garrison  in  the  houses  on  the  left  bank  \ 
the  river,  had  drawn  the  mass  of  his  troops  across  the  Main 
and  posted  them  in  the  town  on  the  right  bank,  and  in  tlja 
citadel. 

On  the  28th,  the  Bavarian  and  the  eighth  Federal  corjl 
concentrated,  and  took  up  a  position  at  Rottendorf,  a  villa/; 
which  lies  in  the  angle  of  the  Maine,  five  miles  east  of  Win 
burg.       General    Manteuffel   that   day  drew   his   whole  arn 


Chap.  IV.]    THE   CAMPAIGN  SOUTH  OF  THE  MA  EYE.     321 

together  in  front  of  Wiirzburg,  with  Goeben's  division  in 
advance,  so  that  Kummer's  brigade  was  opposite  Marienberg, 
Wrangel's  on  its  right,  and  the  Oldenburg  contingent  on  its 
left.  Kummer  pushed  his  skirmishers  close  up  to  Marienberg, 
and  with  them  forced  the  enemy  to  quit  some  earthworks  which 
they  had  begun  to  throw  up.  The  whole  artillery  of  the  army 
of  the  Maine  was  then  posted  on  the  right  and  left  of  the  road, 
and  opened  a  cannonade  on  the  houses,  to  which  the  enemy's 
guns  actively  replied.  The  arsenal  and  the  castle  of  Marien- 
berg were  set  on  flames,  after  which  the  batteries  ceased  firing. 
The  day  after  that  cannonade  a  flag  of  truce  was  sent  from  the 
Bavarians  to  General  Manteuffel,  who  announced  that  an 
armistice  had  been  concluded  between  the  King  of  Prussia 
and  the  Bavarian  Government.  The  cessation  of  hostilities 
rescued  the  allied  army  from  a  very  precarious  position  in  the 
elbow  of  the  Maine,  where  it  was  all  but  cut  off  from  the 
territories  which  it  had  been  intended  to  defend. 

General  Manteuffel  had  gained  a  free  scope  for  action  ove/ 
the  whole  of  Bavaria,  Wiirtemberg,  and  Baden,  because  the 
river  Maine  was  placed  between  those  countries  and  the  troops 
of  Prince  Charles.  This  general,  to  defend  those  countries, 
would  have  required  to  cross  a  swift  river  in  face  of  a  strong 
and  already  victorious  enemy,  no  easy  task  for  an  army  which 
had  already  lost  confidence  in  its  leader. 

OBSERVATIONS. 

The  most  interesting  manoeuvre  of  the  Prussian  Army  of  the 

Maine,  after  it  had  occupied  Frankfort,  wras  the  movement  by 

which  General  Manteuffel  advanced  against  the  Tauber.     The 

J  army  marched  southwards  in  the  formation  A.     As  soon  as 

certain  information  was  received  that  the  enemy  was  on  the 

Tauber,  the  division  wheeled  to  the  left,  and  stood  opposed  to 

the  enemy  in   the  formation    B.     The   right  wing  (2),  Flies' 

'division,  had  then  Goeben's  division  (1)  as  a  reserve,  and  could 

I  with  great  strength  urge  the  enemy  back  towards  the  Maine, 

:  while  Beyer's  division  at  Wertheim  prevented  him  from  pushing 

(out  in  that  direction.     As  long  as  General  Manteuffel  could 

prevent  the  allies  from  marching  up  the   Tauber  he  held  an 

advantage  over  them,  for  the  second  reserve  corps  was  coming 

Y 


322 


SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR. 


[Book  VIII. 


down  to  Niimberg  against  their  rear.  If  the  enemy  did  move 
up  the  Tauber  in  spite  of  his  dispositions,  General  Manteuffel, 
by  wheeling  division  C  to  the  right,  restored  the  order  of 
march,  in  which  he  had  advanced  from  Frankfort,  for  further 
operations. 


^ 


It  is  difficult  to  perceive  with  what  object  Prince  Charles 
after  the  action  on  the  Tauber,  withdrew  in  the  direction  of 
"Wiirzburg,  and  afterwards  took  up  a  position  in  the  bend  of  the 
Maine.  He  could  hardly  have  wished  here  to  fight  a  pitched 
battle,  while  General  Manteuffel  on  one  side  of  him,  and  t 
second  Prussian  reserve  corps  on  the  other,  were  not  separated 
by  more  than  sixty  miles,  and  when  he  left  the  initiative  of 
attack  in  the  hands  of  his  adversaries.  Nor  could  he  have  the 
intention  of  conveying  his  troops  by  railway  by  way  of  Bam- 
berg, Niirnberg,  and  Regensburg  to  Vienna.  His  road  in  that 
direction  was  threatened,  and  before  he  could  have  moved  hall 
his  army,  the  remainder  would  have  been  waylaid  by  the  second 
reserve  corps. 

The  strength  of  the  Bavarian  and  eighth  Federal  corps., 
which  mustered  together  at  least  one  hundred  thousand  men! 
was  frittered  away  in  isolated  conflicts,  instead  of  being  con- 
centrated for  a  great  battle.     Such  conflicts  could  have  had  nc; 


Chap.  IV.]     THE  CAMPAIGN  SOUTH  OF  THE  MAINE.      323 

important  result,  even  if  they  had  been  successful.  On  the 
Tauber,  the  eighth  corps  fought  alone,  unsupported  by  the 
Bavarians.  On  the  25th,  the  whole  right  wing  of  the  Bavarians 
came  under  fire,  only  in  the  evening,  for  the  first  time ;  and 
there  was  no  harmony  of  either  conduct  or  action  between  the 
Bavarians  and  the  troops  of  the  eighth  corps.  On  the  26th, 
Prince  Charles  made  an  offensive  movement  without  any 
support  from  Prince  Alexander,  and  apparently  without  any 
idea  that  the  latter  had  withdrawn  to  Wurzburg. 


CHAPTER   V. 


OCCUPATION    OF    FRANCONIA    BY  'THE    SECOND    RESERVE    CORPS  ' 


On  the  18th  July  the  Grand  Duke  Frederick  Franz  of  Meek 
lenburg-Schwerin  assumed  the  command  of  the  second  Prussia 
reserve  corps  at  Leipsic.     On  the  same  day  he  ordered  this 
corps  to  move  upon  Hof,  in  Bavaria.     On  the  23rd,  the  third 
battalion  of  the   fourth   regiment   of  the    Guard   crossed  tru 
Bavarian   frontier,    and   captured  a  detachment   of  sixty-nvt 
Bavarian  infantry.    This  battalion  was  pushed  by  forced  marche:' 
from  Leipsic  to  Werdau,  thence  by  railway  to  Plauen.     At  th< 
latter  place  waggons  were  raised  by  requisition  from  the  count 
people,  and  the  battalion  conveyed  in  them  by  night  to  withir' 
two  miles  of   Hof.     Two  companies  rushed  into  the  towi 
while  the  others,  making  a  circuitous  march,  sought  to  gain  tl 
exit  on  the  further  side,  and  thus  to  surround  and  capture  th< 
whole  of  the  Bavarian  garrison.     The  greater  part  of  thes( 
however,  made  their  escape  by  a  railway  train  which  happens 
to  be  ready,  and  an  outlying  detachment  of  sixty-five  noi 
commissioned  officers  and  men  were  alone  taken  prisoners. 

On  the  24th  July,  the  head-quarters  of  the  Grand  Duke  c, 
Mecklenburg  reached  Hof.  Here  he  published  a  proclamatioi 
to  the  inhabitants  of  Upper  Franconia,  in  which  he  informo 
them  that  his  invasion  of  their  country  was  only  directe< 
against  their  Government,  and  that  private  property  and 
interests  would  be  perfectly  respected  by  his  troops.  In  cor: 
sequence,  he  was  able  to  draw  from  the  inhabitants  the  mean, 
of  supplying  his  men  with  rations. 

The  head  of  the  Prussian  advanced  guard  reached  on  tibj 
28th,  the  provincial  capital  Baireuth.  The  Bavarian  garriso 
of  this  town  had  been  withdrawn  by  telegraphic  orders  fror: 


Chap.  V.]  OCCUPATION  OF  FRANCONIA.  325 

Munich  :  and  wisely  so.  Its  numbers  were  far  too  small  to 
have  fought  an  action  with  any  chance  of  success,  and  any 
resistance  against  the  invaders  could  only  have  served  to 
imperil  the  lives  and  property  of  the  inhabitants.  Niirnberg 
had  also,  from  fear  of  the  fate  with  which  it  was  threatened, 
solicited  the  Bavarian  Government  to  allow  it  to  be  declared 
an  open  town. 

On  the  29th  July,  the  Grand  Duke  in  person  reached 
Baireuth,  and  there  reviewed  his  troops.  Bavaria,  which  had 
always  aspired  to  a  special  consideration  in  the  Germanic 
Confederation,  because  she  claimed  to  be  the  leader  of  the 
Middle  States,  displayed  no  military  force  at  all  proportionate 
to  her  pretensions.  No  force  worthy  the  name  opposed  this 
invasion  of  Franconia.  One  only  of  four  brigades  of  reserve 
which  were  in  course  of  formation,  but,  as  yet,  were  hardly 
clothed  in  uniform,  badly  equipped  and  miserably  organized, 
had  been  despatched  from  Munich  towards  the  Saxon  frontier. 
For  any  efficient  protection  of  the  country  it  was  much  too 
weak,  and  the  Landwehr,  which  had  so  much  been  vaunted  by 
the  Bavarian  press,  as  a  strong  defensive  organization,  barely 
existed  upon  paper,  and  was  practically  of  no  account.  The 
second  reserve  corps  advanced  unmolested,  as  if  in  time  of 
profound  peace,  and  was  received  by  the  people  always  with 
friendship,  sometimes  with  tokens  of  lively  sympathy.  The 
Bavarian  brigade  of  reserve  retired  to  Kemnath.  A  false  tele- 
graphic despatch,  which  announced  that  an  armistice  had  been 
concluded  between  Prussia  and  Bavaria,  led  the  reserve  battalion 
of  the  regiment  of  the  Bavarian  guard  to  again  advance,  on  the 
28th,  towards  Baireuth.  This  advance  was  made  without  any 
precaution.  As  soon  as  it  approached  near  the  town  it  was 
told  by  the  Prussian  officer  who  commanded  the  advanced 
guard  of  the  second  reserve  corps  that  the  intelligence  of  an 
armistice  was  unfounded.  It  did  not,  however,  by  a  forced 
march,  attempt  to  withdraw  itself  beyond  the  reach  of  danger, 
but  retired  to  St.  Johann's,  barely  three  miles  from  Baireuth, 
and  there  calmly  took  up  its  quarters  for  the  night.  As  could 
hardly  otherwise  happen,  it  was  there  fallen  upon,  and  fled 
during  the  night  to  Seidenburg,  and  on  the  29th  to  Seibotten- 
reuth.     Here  it  was  overtaken  by  the  fusilier  battalion  of  the 


326  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VIII. 

4th  regiment  of  the  Prussian  Guard,  which,  in  company  with 
some  Mecklenburg  cavalry  and  Jagers,  had  been  despatched 
from  Baireuth  in  pursuit,  and  was  totally  routed.  Of  the  nine 
hundred  and  fifty  men,  of  whom  the  battalion  had  been  com- 
posed, hardly  five  hundred  succeeded  in  escaping  from  their 
pursuers,  and,  by  the  sacrifice  of  their  knapsacks  and  many  of 
their  arms,  gaining  a  railway  station  between  Seibottenreuth  and 
Niirnberg.  This  was  the  only  opportunity  which  the  second 
reserve  corps  had  of  being  engaged. 

On  the  31st  July,  the  Prussian  advanced  guard  moving 
forwards  occupied  the  ancient  city  of  Niirnberg,  from  which 
the  dynasty  of  the  Hohenzollerns  was  originally  transferred  to 
Brandenburg.  On  the  first  August,  the  main  body  reached  the 
same  place.  Here  the  Grand  Duke  of  Mecklenburg  was  only 
separated  from  Wiirzburg  by  a  distance  of  sixty  miles,  and 
could  insure  his  junction  with  General  Manteuffel  without  any 
danger  from  the  eighth  Federal  corps  or  the  Bavarian  army. 
Other  reinforcements  were  also  on  the  way  to  General 
Manteuftel,  for  on  the  27th  July  the  first  Prussian  reserve 
corps  had  been  despatched  from  Bohemia,  by  way  of  Pilsen, 
into  Bavaria,  and  had  already  occupied  Weiden  and  Waldsassen. 
The  armistice,  however,  which  commenced  on  the  2nd  of 
August,  and  which  had  been  granted  by  Manteuftel,  on  the 
30th  July,  to  Prince  Alexander  and  Prince  Charles,  put  an  end 
to  all  further  operations,  and,  in  all  probability,  prevented  both! 
the  army  and  the  capital  of  Bavaria  from  falling  into  the  hands 
of  the  Prussians. 


1 


1 


The  Prussian  troops  were  everywhere  victoriously  pressing 
forward,  and  every  day  their  enemies  were  more  paralysed,  and 
daily  the  total  disruption  of  the  Germanic  Confederation 
became  more  complete. 

On  the  28th  July,  Baden  received  a  new  Ministry,  whid 
declared  that,  after  the  31st  July,  the  grand  duchy  would  nc 
longer  consider  itself  as  belonging  to  the  late  Confederation 
The  grand  ducal  representative  at  the  spectral  phantom  of  th« 
Diet  was  recalled,  and  the  fortress  of  Rastadt  was  declared  t<! 
belong  to  the  Baden  Government.  The  troops  of  Weimar 
which  formed  its  garrison,  were  dismissed  to  their  homes. 

On  the  1  st  August,  Heidelberg  and  Mannheim,  Ludwighofer 


Chap.  V.]  OCCUPATION  OF  FRANCONIA.  327 

Mergentheim,  and  Erlangen,  were  occupied  by  Prussian  detach- 
ments. The  South-German  Governments  lost  all  hope,  and 
sought  by  negotiations  for  an  armistice.  Lines  of  demarcation 
between  the  armies  were  agreed  upon,  and  the  war  on  the 
western  theatre  was  finally  put  an  end  to  by  settled  conventions. 

Bavaria  at  first  gained  merely  a  purely  military  suspension  ot 
hostilities,  but  Herr  von  der  Pfordten,  who  had  been  despatched 
to  the  King  of  Prussia  at  Nikolsburg,*  by  the  Bavarian  Govern- 
ment, obtained  one  for  three  weeks,  which  was  to  date  from  the 
28th  July.     Within  that  time  peace  was  concluded  at  Berlin. 

Before  the  definite  conclusion  of  the  armistice,  the  Prussian 
troops  had  occupied  the  Bavarian  territory  at  three  points,  they 
had  also  crossed  the  frontiers  of  Baden  and  of  Wiirtemberg. 
Darmstadt  had  long  held  a  Prussian  garrison.  Wiirzburg,  as 
one  of  the  conditions  of  the  suspension  of  hostilities,  received 
a  Prussian  corps  of  four  thousand  men  on  the  2nd  August ; 
the  fortress  on  the  Marienberg  alone  remained  in  the  hands  of 
the  Bavarians.  On  the  1st  August,  General  von  Manteuffel, 
at  Wiirzburg,  concluded  an  armistice  with  General  von 
Hardegg,  for  Wiirtemberg  ;  on  the  same  day  he  also  concluded 
one  for  Hesse-Darmstadt,  and  on  the  3rd  a  plenipotentiary 
from  Baden  came  to  Wiirzburg,  and  there  obtained  one  from 
Manteuffel  for  the  Grand  Duchy.  The  head-quarters  of  the 
Army  of  the  Maine  were  established  at  Wiirzburg  during  the 
truce,  where  they  remained  until  the  22nd  August. 

The  King  of  Prussia  despatched,  on  the  1st  August,  the 
following  telegram  to  the  Army  of  the  Maine,  through  General 
Manteuffel : 

"I  charge  you  to  express  to  the  troops  of  the  Army  of  the  Maine  my 
entire  satisfaction  with  their  valour  and  behaviour.  I  thank  the  generals, 
the  officers,  and  all  the  soldiery.  With  me  the  armies  in  Bohemia,  Mora- 
via, and  Austria  send  to  their  Prussian  and  German  comrades  greeting  and 
good- will." 

At  the  same  time  the  order  of  "  Pour  le  Me'rite  "  was  sent 
by  the  King,  with  an  autograph  letter  to  the  Grand  Duke  of 
Mecklenburg. 


Lt>* 


*  See  page  400. 


328  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  VIII. 

The  end  of  the  struggle  was  notified  by  General  von  Man- 
teuffel  to  his  army,  in  the  following  general  order : — 

"Head  Quarters,  Wurzburg, 
"August  2nd,  1866. 

"  Soldiers  of  the  Army  of  the  Maine  ! — By  the  victories  of  the 
arms  of  Prussia,  the  enemy  has  been  compelled  to  seek  for  an  armistice. 
His  Majesty  the  King  has  granted  it.  I  do  not  speak  to  you  of  the  hard- 
ships which  you  have  cheerfully  suffered,  nor  of  the  bravery  with  which  you 
have  everywhere  fought.  But  I  recall  to  your  memory  the  days  of  actions 
and  the  results  of  your  victories.  After  that,  under  your  skilful  and 
esteemed  leader,  General  von  Falckenstein,  you  had  seized  Hanover,  Hesse- 
Cassel,  and  all  the  broad  territories  as  far  as  Frankfort-on-the- Maine  ;  had 
compelled  the  Hanoverian  army  to  capitulate  ;  had  defeated  the  Bavarians 
on  the  14th  July  at  Zella  and  Weisenthal,  on  the  10th  July  at  Hammelburg, 
Kissingen,  Friedericshall,  Hausen,  and  Waldaschach  ;  on  the  1  rth  July 
the  troops  of  Hesse-Darmstadt  at  Oerlenbach  ;  on  the  13th  these  again  at 
Laufach,  and  on  the  14th  the  Austrians  at  Aschaffenburg,  you  made  your 
victorious  entry  into  Frankfort.  After  a  short  rest,  again  you  sought  the 
foe  ;  on  the  23rd  you  defeated  the  troops  of  Baden  at  Hundheim  ;  on  the 
24th,  the  Austrian,  Wurtemberg,  Hesse-Darmstadt,  and  Nassau  division  at 
Tauberbischofsheim,  and  the  troops  of  Baden  at  Werbach  ;  on  the  25th, 
the  whole  concentrated  eighth  Federal  Corps  at  Gerscheim,  and  the  Bava- 
rians at  Helmstadt,  the  latter  on  the  26th,  also  at  Roszbriinn  ;  and  to-day, 
after  twenty  victorous  greater  or  minor  combats,  have  entered  Wurzburg  as 
conquerors.  The  result  of  those  victories  is  that  not  only  the  countries 
north  of  the  Maine  have  been  won,  but  that  the  power  of  your  arms  has 
smitten  heavily  on  Hesse-Darmstadt,  and  deep  into  Baden  and  "Wurtem- 
berg, and  has  freed  a  portion  of  our  land,  which  could  not  be  directly 
protected  by  our  army  from  the  presence  of  an  enemy.  The  Wtirtem- 
bergers  had  occupied  Hohenzollern,  and  had  driven  away  our  officials. 
They  must  now  quit  that  principality  ;*  the  black  and  white  flag  waves  again 
over  the  town  of  Hohenzollern.  I  must  express  my  thanks  to  the  generals, 
commanders,  officers,  and  to  all  the  rank  and  file.  I  also  thank  the  military 
surgeons  for  their  unremitting  and  self-sacrificing  care  of  the  wounded,  both 
under  fire  and  in  the  hospital,  as  well  as  to  the  non-combatant  departments 
for  their  successful  administration  of  the  army's  supplies.  Soldiers  of  the 
Army  of  the  Maine  !  I  know  that  you  are  thankful  to  God,  and  I  expect 
that  during  the  armistice  your  recognised  manliness  and  careful  behaviour 
towards  the  inhabitants  of  the  country  will  be  worthy  of  the  Prussian 
name." 

The  relics  of  the  Diet  quickly  approached  dissolution.  On 
the  1  st  of  August  the  small  knot  of  diplomatists  which  at  the 
hotel  of  the  Three  Moors,  at  Augsburg,  still  assumed  the 
functions  of  that  august  body,  were  deserted  by  the  ambas- 
sadors of  England,  France,  Spain  and  Belgium ;  while  the 
Russian  representative  remained  at  Augsburg  only  on  account 

*  The  principalities  of  Hohenzollern. 


Chap.  V.]  OCCUPATION  OF  FRANC  ONI  A.  329 

of  illness.  The  sitting  of  the  4th  August  acknowledged  the 
end  of  the  last  shadow  of  the  Germanic  Confederation.  Prince 
Charles  of  Bavaria  reported  the  conclusion  of  an  armistice 
with  Prussia  by  the  governments  of  Austria,  Bavaria,  Wiirtem- 
berg,  and  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Hesse;  and  reported  at  the 
same  time,  that  he  resigned  the  command-in-chief  of  the 
western  Federal  army,  which  had  been  bestowed  on  him  by 
the  decree  of  the  Diet  of  the  27th  June. 

Brunswick  had  very  tardily  placed  its  troops  on  a  war 
footing,  but  by  the  beginning  of  August  they  were  attached 
to  the  second  Prussian  reserve  corps.  That  State  a  short 
time  previously  declared  its  withdrawal  from  the  Confedera- 
tion. 

The  remaining  members  of  the  Diet  annulled  the  protests 
which  had  been  made  against  Prussia,  and  decreed  that  no 
obstacle  should  be  offered  to  the  North-German  troops  in  the 
Federal  fortresses  in  retiring  to  their  homes. 

On  the  28th  July,  the  troops  ot  Saxe-Meiningen  had  already 
been  permitted  by  the  Governor  of  Mainz  to  leave  that 
fortress,  which,  in  virtue  of  the  subsequent  treaties  of  peace, 
was  occupied  by  and  given  over  entirely  to  Prussia  on  the 
26th  August. 

This  decree  was  the  last  act  of  the  Diet  of  the  Germanic 
Confederation,  which  was  constructed  after  the  fall  of  the 
first  French  Empire.  By  it,  it  practically  published  its  own 
death  warrant. 


BOOK  IX. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PRUSSIAN  ADVANCE  FROM  KONIGGRATZ  TO  BRUNN. 

Feldzeugmeister  von  Benedek  had  headed  in  person  the 
troops  with  which  he  attempted  to  retake  Chlum  after  the 
Prussian  Guards  had  possessed  themselves  of  that  village,  and 
so  turned  the  scale  of  the  battle  of  Koniggratz.  After  his 
three  attacks  on  the  burning  houses  and  the  garrisoned  church- 
yard  had  been  repulsed,  he  saw  that  all  was  lost,  and  himself 
in  vain  attempted  to  find  a  soldier's  grave  on  the  field  of 
battle,  and  with  his  blood  to  wash  out  the  memory  of  his 
misfortune.  The  rapid  advance  of  the  whole  Prussian  army  | 
forced  the  Austrians  speedily  to  retreat.  During  the  night  of; 
the  3rd  of  July,  in  great  disorder,  having  but  half  of  its 
artillery,  with  its  staff  separated  and  scattered,  the  defeated 
army  pushed  across  the  crowded  bridges  over  the  Elbe,  and 
wearily  dragged  itself  in  the  direction  of  Hohenmanth.  Bene- 
dek himself  retreated  to  Holitz,  on  the  road  to  this  place,  and| 
there  on  the  morning  of  the  4th,  made  the  best  arrangement 
he  could  for  the  safety  of  his  troops.  Their  losses  in  men, 
material,  and  guns  rendered  it  impossible  for  him  to  think  of 
any  new  dispositions  until  they  were  thoroughly  re-organized. 
To  carry  out  such  a  re-organization  he  must  seek  a  place  of 
shelter,  and  the  cover  he  desired  was  to  be  found  under  the1 
guns,  and  behind  the  intrenchments  of  Olmiitz.  With  the 
exception  of  the  tenth  corps,  which  had  suffered  most  severely, 
and  which  he  therefore  despatched  by  railway  directly  to  Vienna. 


BOOK  IX. 
CHAPTER  I. 

PRUSSIAN  ADVANCE  FROM  KONIGGRATZ  TO  BRUNN. 

Feldzeugmeister  von  Benedek  had  headed  in  person  the 
troops  with  which  he  attempted  to  retake  Chlum  after  the 
Prussian  Guards  had  possessed  themselves  of  that  village,  and 
so  turned  the  scale  of  the  battle  of  Koniggratz.  After  his 
three  attacks  on  the  burning  houses  and  the  garrisoned  church- 
yard had  been  repulsed,  he  saw  that  all  was  lost,  and  himself 
in  vain  attempted  to  find  a  soldier's  grave  on  the  field  of 
battle,  and  with  his  blood  to  wash  out  the  memory  of  his 
misfortune.  The  rapid  advance  of  the  whole  Prussian  array 
forced  the  Austrians  speedily  to  retreat.  During  the  night  of 
the  3rd  of  July,  in  great  disorder,  having  but  half  of  its 
artillery,  with  its  staff  separated  and  scattered,  the  defeated 
army  pushed  across  the  crowded  bridges  over  the  Elbe,  and 
wearily  dragged  itself  in  the  direction  of  Hohenmanth.  Bene- 
dek himself  retreated  to  Holitz,  on  the  road  to  this  place,  and 
there  on  the  morning  of  the  4th,  made  the  best  arrangement 
he  could  for  the  safety  of  his  troops.  Their  losses  in  men, 
material,  and  guns  rendered  it  impossible  for  him  to  think  of 
any  new  dispositions  until  they  were  thoroughly  re-organized. 
To  carry  out  such  a  re-organization  he  must  seek  a  place  of 
shelter,  and  the  cover  he  desired  was  to  be  found  under  the 
guns,  and  behind  the  intrenchments  of  Olmiitz.  With  the 
exception  of  the  tenth  corps,  which  had  suffered  most  severely, 
and  which  he  therefore  despatched  by  railway  directly  to  Vienna, 


Chap.  I.]  ADVANCE  TO  BRUNN.  331 

he  ordered  the  remainder  of  his  army  to  move  on  the  intrenched 
:  camp  at  Olmiitz,  while  he  left  his  first  light  cavalry  division  to 
watch  the  road  from  Pardubitz  to  Iglau,  and  his  second  to 
i  delay  the  enemy,  if  possible,  on  that  from  Pardubitz  to  Briinn. 

On  the  4th  July  he  also  sent  Field  Marshal  Gablenz,  one  of 
the  most  able  of  the  Austrian  generals,  to  the  Prussian  head- 
quarters, in  order  to  treat  for  a  suspension  of  hostilities,  as  a 
preliminary  to  the  conclusion  of  peace.  This  was  a  new 
proof  of  the  desperate  condition  of  the  Austrian  army. 
Gablenz  reported  himself  on  the  4th  July  at  mid-day,  at  the 
outposts  of  the  Crown  Prince's  army,  and  received  permission 
to  go  to  the  King's  head-quarters.  He  was  blindfolded  in 
passing  through  the  army,  as  is  the  custom  of  war,  and  accom- 
panied by  a  Prussian  officer,  was  conducted  to  Horitz.  When 
he  reached  that  town  the  King  was  absent,  as  he  had  gone 
to  visit  his  troops  on  the  field  of  battle.  General  Gablenz 
was  taken  to  meet  him,  and  fell  in  with  the  King  between 
Sadowa  and  Chlum,  who  at  first  took  him  for  a  wounded 
Austrian  general,  and  was  about  to  condole  with  him,  but 
being  informed  of  his  mission,  ordered  the  bandage  to  be 
removed,  and  requested  the  Austrian  general  to  return  with 
him  to  Horitz.  Here  Gablenz  expressed  Benedek's  desire  of 
an  armistice,  but  no  truce  could  be  granted,  for  Prussia  and 
Italy  were  mutually  bound  to  agree  to  no  suspension  of  hos- 
tilities without  a  common  agreement.  General  Gablenz  re- 
turned unsuccessful  to  the  Austrian  head-quarters. 

Equally  unsuccessfully  did  the  Austrian  Government  endea- 
vour to  make  a  separate  peace  with  Italy.  It  determined, 
however,  to  leave  only  garrisons  in  the  fortresses  of  the 
Venetian  quadrilateral,  and  to  transfer  all  the  remaining  troops 
of  the  Army  of  the  South  from  the  Mincio  to  the  Danube,  to 
shield  its  capital  against  its  northern  enemy. 

The  Prussian  army  the  night  of  the  battle  of  Koniggratz, 
bivouacked  on  the  field.  The  following  afternoon  it  began  to 
move  forward,  to  seize  the  passages  over  the  Elbe.  The 
Second  Army  on  the  left  was  directed  upon  Pardubitz.  It 
left  behind  it  the  sixth  corps  d'armee  to  watch  the  fortresses 
of  Josephstadt  and  Koniggratz.  No  siege  against  these  places 
was  undertaken.      Yet  the   town  of   Koniggratz  was   nearly 


332  SEVEN  WEEKS'   WAR.  [Book  IX. 

destroyed.  On  the  5th  July,  the  day  after  the  Prussian  armies 
had  marched  from  the  vicinity  of  the  fortress,  the  commander 
of  the  troops  left  to  mask  the  place,  opened  a  cannonade  on 
the  town  from  some  of  the  Austrian  guns,  which  had  been 
captured  in  the  battle.  The  shells  burst  among  the  dry  houses, 
and  the  place  would  soon  have  been  in  flames  had  not  a  gun 
from  one  of  the  bastions  opened  with  singular  effect  upon 
the  Prussian  gunners  and  compelled  them  to  withdraw. 

The  army  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles,  and  that  of  Herwa: 
were  both  directed  upon  Przelautsch.     At  the  same  time  tin 
division  of  Landwehr  of  the  Guard,  which  had  followed  in 
rear  of  the  main  armies,  was  despatched  to  Prague,  the  capit; 
of  Bohemia.     The  Austrian  garrison  did  not  attempt  to  defem 
this  town,  and  the  Imperial  lieutenant  transferred  the  seat  0] 
the  government   of  the   province   to    Pilsen.      The   Prussia] 
soldiery  here  found  a   very  welcome   booty  in   twenty-sevei 
millions  of  cigars,  which,   as  tobacco  in  Austria  is  a  govern- 
ment monopoly,  wrere  confiscated  for  the  benefit  of  the  Prui 
sian   troops.       On    the    8th   July,   this   division   reached   the 
ancient  town  on  the  Moldau,  and  hoisted  the  Prussian  flag 
upon- the   Hradschin,   the  palace    of  the  kings  of  Bohemia, 
On  the  nth,  General  Miilbe  took  the   command  of  the  place, 
having  moved  the  first  Prussian  reserve  corps   from  Saxony 
into  Bohemia. 

The  first  division  of  the  Landwehr  of  the  Line  remained  in 
Saxony,   to  which  later  a  newly-formed  second  division  w; 
added.      The    detachments    made   from    the    Prussian   mai: 
armies  for  masking  fortresses,  and  escorts  of  prisoners,  as  we] 
as  the  losses  in  battle  and  from  sickness,  were  replaced  by  a 
portion  of  eighty-one  new  battalions,  which  had  been  latel; 
formed  out  of  the  troops  left  at  the  regimental  depots.     Th< 
first  line  armies,  when  they  moved  from  the  Elbe,  were  of  thi 
same,  or  rather  superior,   strength  to  those  which  ten  da; 
before  had  crossed  the  Bohemian  frontier. 

In  consequence  of  the  battle  of  Koniggratz,  Feldzeugmeist< 
Benedek  resigned  the  command  of  the  Austrian  Army  of  th 
North,  and  the  Archduke  Albrecht,  the  victor  of  Custozza,  w; 
appointed  to  the  supreme  command  of  tire  whole  army.     Until 
its  arrival  on  the  Danube,  however,  Benedek  commanded  the 


Chap.  I.]  ADVANCE   TO  BRUNN.  333 

Army  of  the  North.     Count  Clam  Gallas  had  been  ordered  to 

j  give  up  his  command  after  Gitschin,  and  the  chief  of  the  staft, 

Field  Marshal  Baron  Henikstein,  had,   before  the  3rd  July, 

been  ordered  to  cede  his  post  to  Major-General  Paumgarten, 

■  who  had  hitherto  commanded  in  Gallicia.  The  latter  reached 
the  army  the  evening  before  the  battle  of  Koniggratz,  but  did 
not  interfere  with  the  dispositions  of  his  predecessor. 

One  feeling  alone  existed  in  the  army  of  Benedek.  He 
possessed  the  admiration  of  his  officers,  and  the  love  of  his 
men.     This  affection  towards  him  only  increased  in  the  hour 

■  of  his  misfortune  in  the  camp.  But  the  populace  of  Vienna 
blindly  raged  against  him,  and  failing  to  perceive  the  negli- 
gence and  errors  of  the  ministers  and  administrators  who  had 
sent  the  army  into  the  field  in  its  unprepared  condition,  in- 
veighed in  unmeasured  terms  against  the  unfortunate  general 
who  had  commanded  it. 

On  the  evening  of  the  4th  July,  the  armies  broke  up  from 
the  bivouac  they  had  occupied  near  the  field  of  battle  of 
Koniggratz,  and  advanced  towards  the  Elbe. 

On  the  5th,  they  crossed  the  river;  the  First  Army,  under 
Prince  Frederick  Charles,  at  Przelautsch ;  the  Second,  under 
the  Crown  Prince,  at  Pardubitz.  The  march  was  began  the 
previous  evening.  After  going  a  short  way  the  troops  halted 
for  the  night,  and  slept  by  the  side  of  the  road.  Early  on  the 
morning  of  the  5th  they  again  set  forward,  and  reached  the 
Elbe  late  in  the  afternoon.  The  villages  along  the  road  had 
been  mostly  deserted,  for  the  inhabitants  had  fled  south  with 
the  retreating  Austrian  army.  The  houses  looked  desolate, 
with  their  doors  and  windows  wide  open,  and  shutters  flapping 
mournfully  in  the  wind,  while  there  still  remained  in  the  street 
in  front  vestiges  of  the  hasty  packing  up  of  such  articles  as 
could  be  carried  away.  A  stray  dog  or  two  were  seen  here 
and  there,  which  still  stood  on  the  threshold  and  barked  at 
the  soldiers  as  they  marched  by ;  but  even  these  were  rare,  and 
often  the  poultry  had  invaded  the  dwelling  rooms,  and  were 
roosting  among  the  furniture.  For  twenty-five  miles  the  army 
marched  through  a  luxuriantly  fertile  country,  but  almost  en- 
tirely deserted ;  sometimes  one  or  two  peasants  stood  by  the 
side  of  the  road  staring  vacantly  at  the  passing  troops,  or  a 


334  SEVEAT  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

few  women  might  be  found  in  a  village  who,  half  frightened  by 
the  sight  of  the  soldiers,  supplied  them  with  the  drinking  water 
which  they  everywhere  requested.  But  the  people  had  no 
cause  to  fear;  they  would  have  done  better  to  remain,  for 
some  of  the  troops  had  to  be  billeted  in  the  houses  along  the 
road,  and  when  the  inhabitants  were  not  present,  the  soldiers 
took  what  they  required,  and  there  was  no  one  to  receive  pay- 
ment for  what  they  consumed.  The  children  did  not  seem  so 
timid ;  they  were  present  along  the  roads  in  large  numbers,  for 
the  cherries  were  just  ripening,  and  they  took  advantage  of  the 
panic  among  their  elders  to  make  a  raid  on  the  trees  which 
grew  in  long  strips  by  the  side  of  the  way.  With  them  the 
soldiers  soon  became  great  friends.  The  boys  ran  along  the 
battalions  with  their  caps  full  of  the  fruit,  and  got  coppers  in 
exchange  for  handfuls  of  it ;  the  sellers,  exulting  in  the  pockets- 
ful  of  coin  they  soon  collected,  seemed  to  have  no  scruples  as 
to  whose  property  it  rightfully  was,  but  laughed  with  delight  at 
this  unexpected  result  of  the  war. 

But  for  the  most  part  the  country  in  front  of  the  army  was 
still  and  silent.  No  church  clocks  sounded,  for  their  guardians 
had  fled.  There  was  no  one  to  wind  them  up,  and  the  hands 
stood  motionless  on  the  dials.  No  horses  neighed,  for  they 
had  all  been  taken  to  carry  away  the  flying  inhabitants,  or  per- 
haps to  aid  in  dragging  off  the  retreating  Austrian  guns.  The 
flowers  before  the  wayside  shrines  of  the  Madonna  were  dried 
up  and  withered,  for  the  votaries  who  were  wont  to  renew  them 
had  fled,  fearful  of  the  invading  army.  The  cattle  had  been 
driven  away,  and  the  pastures  were  vacant.  Broad  belts  of 
corn,  trodden  flat  to  the  ground,  showed  the  lines  along  which 
the  Austrian  battalions  had  hurried,  and  here  and  there  lay  a 
knapsack  or  ammunition  pouch  which  some  fatigued  fugitive 
had  cast  away  as  an  impediment  to  his  flight. 

But  where  the  army  marched  all  was  bustle  and  noise ;  the 
infantry  tramped  monotonously  along  the  roads,  while  the 
cavalry  spread  in  bending  lines  through  the  fields,  and  behind 
the  combatants  toiled  long  trains  of  waggons,  which  carried  the 
stores  of  this  large  army.  Along  every  road  and  every  lane  j 
foot  soldiers  marched,  and  cavalry  occupied  the  intervals  be- 
tween the  heads  of  the  columns — all   pointing   southwards, 


Chap.  I.J  ADVANCE   TO  BRVNN.  335 

.itowards  the  Elbe.  For  miles  on  either  side  could  be  seen  the 
clouds  of  dust  raised  by  the  marching  troops ;  in  some  places 
tit  rose  from  trees  and  woods,  in  others  from  among  houses, 
or  from  the  hard  straight  roads  leading  through  the  wide  corn 
[land,  where  the  hot  July  sun  poured  its  rays  straight  down 
ljupon  the  soldiers'  heads  and  made  them  suffer  much  from  heat 
,and  thirst. 

As  the  foremost  troops  neared  the  Elbe  all  ears  listened 
; eagerly  for  the  sound  of  cannon,  for  it  was  thought  that  if  the 
Austrians  could  bring  their  troops  under  fire  again  they  would 
oppose  the  passage  of  the  river,  and  whether  they  did  so  or 
not  would  be  accepted  as  a  criterion  of  how  much  they  had 
i suffered  by  the  defeat  at  Koniggratz.  The  heads  of  the  columns 
; steadily  advanced  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  line  of  willows 
iwhich  marked  the  course  of  the  stream.  No  cannon  sounded, 
ino  rifle  even  was  discharged,  and  it  seemed  that  the  advanced 
iguard  must  have  passed  unopposed.  At  last  the  news  came 
iback  that  the  passage  was  secured,  and  that  there  were  no  signs 
,of  the  enemy  on  the  opposite  bank.  Soon  the  troops  closed 
down  to  the  river  and  filed  across  the  wooden  bridge  which, 
with  four  arches,  spans  the  muddy  stream ;  and  the  black  and 
yellow  stripes  on  its  parapets  were  the  only  visible  signs  that 
;the  Prussian  army  was  in  the  dominions  of  the  Emperor  of 
Austria. 

Prince  Frederick  Charles  occupied  Przelautsch  about  six  on 
the  evening  of  the  5th,  and  almost  at  the  same  time  the  Crown 
t'Prince  entered  Pardubitz.  The  line  of  the  Elbe  was  now 
,secured  as  a  basis  for  future  operations,  and  the  Austrian  rail- 
way communication  between  Vienna  and  Prague  was  cut.  At 
the  laiter  town  there  were  said  to  be  only  four  Austrian  bat- 
talions, and  it  was  expected  to  be  evacuated  by  them  and 
occupied  by  the  Prussians  within  a  few  days. 

As  was  the  case.  Then,  notwithstanding  the  fortresses  of 
Konigstein  in  Saxony,  and  Josephstadt,  Koniggratz,  and  The- 
resienstadt  in  Bohemia,  the  Prussian  armies,  after  making  some 
necessary  repairs,  obtained  railway  communication  from  Pardu- 
bitz and  Przelautsch  by  way  of  Prague  and  Reichenberg  with 
their  own  country,  which  was  of  great  importance  to  them  in 
their  further  advance. 


336  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

The  towns  of  Przelautsch  and  Pardubitz  were  entirely  filled 
with  Prussian  soldiers.  On  every  door  was  written  in  chalk  the 
name  of  the  regiment  and  company  to  which  the  house  was 
allotted,  and  the  number  of  men  which  it  was  to  accommodate. 
The  numbers  appeared  enormous  for  the  size  of  the  house,  fifty 
or  sixty  men  were  sometimes  billeted  in  a  small  house  with  four 
rooms,  but  the  soldiers  managed  well  enough  so  long  as  they 
could  get  straw  to  lie  upon;  but  here  there  was  a  great  scarcity 
of  that,  and  the  men  had  to  sleep  as  they  could,  on  the  floors 
or  in  the  gardens.  The  greatest  difficulty  prevailed  in  getting 
any  accommodation  for  horses  ;  all  the  stables  were  occupied 
by  the  horses  of  generals,  and  inferior  officers  would  fain  have 
had  sheds,  cowhouses,  or  any  place  with  a  cover,  for  the 
weather  looked  lowering,  and  it  seemed  that  it  would  probably 
rain,  but  all  the  sheds  were  occupied  by  the  troops,  and  most 
of  the  horses  had  to  spend  the  night  in  the  streets. 

But  there  were  advantages  here  which  compensated  for  more 
than  a  little  overcrowding.     Large  Austrian  stores  of  bread, 
beer,  and  cigars  had  been  found,  and  the  soldiers  were  d< 
lighted  to  think  that  they  would  again  have  their  rations 
tobacco  served  out  to  them,  which  they  had  not  had  since  the 
left  Saxony ;   for  to   a  German  soldier  tobacco  is  almost 
necessary   as   meat,    but   transport   had   not   been   found  f< 
tobacco  with  the  army,  as  there  had  been  lately  a  difficulty  i: 
bringing  up  even  food. 

The  head-quarters  of  the  armies  halted  on  the  6th  July  in  thi 
same  position  as  they  took  up  the  previous  evening.    The  Fir: 
Army  at  Przelautsch.     The  Crown   Prince  with   the   Secon 
Army  was  at  Pardubitz,  whither  the  King  himself  went  th 
same  evening.     Detachments  were  pushed  along  the  railway 
towards   Prague.     On  the  morning  of  the   6th,  an  advance 
guard  was  pushed  out  to  feel  the  country  south  of  the  Elbe.    I 
consisted  of  light  cavalry,  horse  artillery,  and  some  infantry. 
The  Weissenfels  hussars  led  the  way,  followed  by  the  huss 
of  Ziethen,  and  the  3rd   dragoons,  whose  squadrons  were  ve 
weak,  for  their  ranks  had  been  terribly  thinned  by  the  battle  o: 
Koniggratz.     As  soon  as  the  columns  got  out  of  the  town  th 
hussars  spread  themselves  out  over  the  fields  by  the  side  of  th 
road,  and  studded  the  country  with  horsemen.     Some  wen 


Chap.  I.]  ADVANCE    TO  BRUNN.  337 

pushing  through  the  corn,  others  galloped  forward  to  gain 
every  piece  of  rising  ground,  and  from  the  summit  to  scan  the 
country  beyond.  Every  wood  was  carefully  beaten,  and  every 
village  inspected  by  the  nimble  horsemen  before  the  main  body 
approached,  for  Austrian  marksmen  might  be  lurking  among  the 
trees,  or  cavalry  might  lie  in  ambush  behind  the  houses.  But 
no  signs  of  an  enemy  could  be  found ;  and,  although  at  every 
moment  they  expected  to  hear  the  sharp  crack  of  a  rifle  and  the 
puff  of  blue  smoke  which  would  tell  that  an  outlying  post  had 
been  disturbed,  they  pursued  their  way  unmolested,  and  it  was 
evident  that  the  Austrians  had  retreated  far  south  or  east. 

But,  though  the  head-quarters  halted  at  Przelautsch  and  Par- 
dubitz,  the  6th  was  a  busy  day  there.  All  the  sickly  and  weak 
were  draughted  out  of  the  ranks,  and  were  sentenced  to  be  left 
Ibehind — a  sure  sign  that  long  and  severe  marches  were  ex- 
pected, and  that  it  was  intended  that  the  army  should  move 
ifree  of  all  possible  encumbrance.  In  vain  did  those  who  were 
selected  to  be  left  behind  protest  that  they  were  the  strongest 
men  in  the  regiment,  and  call  upon  their  comrades  to  bear 
witness  to  their  marching  powers.  The  doctors  were  good- 
naturedly  obdurate,  and  the  men  selected  had  to  bear  the  dis- 
appointment of  not  going  forward  with  the  army,  being  solaced 
with  the  assurance  that  they  should  rejoin  as  soon  as  possible. 
Those  destined  to  be  left  behind  were  far  from  numerous — 
indeed,  their  number  was  surprisingly  small,  for  the  army  had 
oeen  making  long  marches  and  bivouacking  out  nearly  every 
light  in  most  changeable  weather. 

'•  Although  the  Austrians  had  been  obliged  to  leave  the  rail- 
way, they  had  taken  care  to  make  it  of  as  little  use  as  possible 
:o  its  subsequent  possessors.  All  the  engines  and  carriages  had 
)een  sent  away,  and  until  Prague  was  occupied  none  could  be 
orought  by  the  Prussians  to  supply  their  place.  So  the  line 
>tood  idle,  and  the  station  had  a  desolate  look,  made  only  more 
•emarkable  by  the  one  or  two  officials  of  the  indefatigable  tele- 
graph corps,  who  had  occupied  one  of  the  rooms,  and  were  at 
:heir  work  there  early  that  morning  flashing  despatches  and 
"eports  to  the  King's  staff,  and  receiving  rapid  answers  which 
vere  to  direct  the  marches  of  the  troops. 

A  number  of  Austrian  baggage  waggons  had  after  Konig- 


33$  SEVEN   WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX, 

grata  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  conquerors,  and.  after  being 
employed  in  helping  to  carry  the  wounded  from  the  field  on  the 
6th,  joined  in  the  long  lines  of  carriages  which  followed  the 
Prussian  armies.     They  were  easily  distinguished  in  the  line  of 
march  by  their  light  yellow  colour,  which  contrasted  strongly 
with  the  dark  blue  with  which  all  the  Prussian  military  carriages 
are  painted.     Every  hour  showed  how  much  more  severely  the 
Austrians  had  felt  their  defeat  at  Koniggratz  than  was  at  first 
supposed  in  the  Prussian  army.   The  unopposed  passage  of  the,' 
Elbe,  the  mission  of  Marshal  Gablenz,  the  abandonment  of  the! 
country  south  of  Przelautsch,  were  successive  proofs  of  the  com- 
pleteness of  the  Prussian  victory.     The  morale  of  the  army  hadj  J 
now  risen  high,  and  the  soldiers  were  convinced  that  the  Aus-B 
trian  troops  could  not  stand  against  them — a  feeling  which  wasil 
no  contemptible  augury  of  future  victories.     But,  though  thel, 
soldiers  were  confident  in   themselves,  their  arms,   and  theiijl 
leaders,  their  confidence  never  stepped  beyond  just  bounds  :!■ 
they  were  tender  and  kind  to  the  wounded  and  prisoners,  notjl 
only  by  attending  to  their  wants,  but  by  showing  them  much;  fa 
consideration,  and  never  exulting  over  the  victory  in  their  pre 
sence,  which  could  hardly  be  expected  from  men  serving  in  the 
ranks.      But  the   Prussian   system   of  recruiting  enlists  in  the 
army  as  privates  men  of  high  education  and  refined  feelings 
and  these  easily  influence  their  comrades,  who  are  naturall} 
warm-hearted,  to  act  kindly  and  charitably  to  the  unfortunate. 

On  the  7th  July  the  Prussian  armies  advanced  from  tht- 
Elbe.  The  Crown  Prince  moved  from  Pardubitz  along  tin 
railway  towards  Brandeis,  with  the  object  of  pushing  toward 
Olmiitz.  Prince  Frederick  Charles,  leaning  slightly  in  th< 
same  direction,  made  for  the  road  which  leads  from  Pardubit 
by  Chrudim  to  Briinn.  On  the  7th  he  reached  Hermanmestet2 
The  army  of  the  Elbe  marched  on  the  road  which  leads  froi: 
Przelautsch  to  Iglau  and  Znaym. 

The  march  of  the  7  th  was  very  different  from  that  of  the  5tl 
The  panic  among  the  country  people  caused  by  the  defeat  ( 
the  Austrians  at  the  battle  of  Koniggratz  did  not  extend  int( 
the  country  lying  south  of  the  Elbe,  and  here  the  inhabitant, 
had  not  left  their  houses.  All  was  busy  and  full  of  life,  peasam 
were  working  in  the  fields,  women  and  children  were  abundai 


I 


Chap.  L]  ADVANCE  TO  BRUNN 


339 


in  the  villages,  and  the  soldiers,  who  seemed  to  be  supplied 
(plentifully  with  money  by  their  friends  at  home,  for  their 


pay 


-  ^    -j   -— ™   "'^"^  «c  iiuinc,  lor  rn 

;is  small,  bought  eggs,  butter,  milk,  and  poultry  as  they  passed 
along,  but  m  many  cases  they  had  little  return  for  their  money 
for  eggs  are  difficult  to  carry  in  crowded  ranks,  and  butter  s 
inclined  to  melt  when  stowed  away  in  a  knapsack,  so  thai 
many  found  when  they  reached  the  halting  place  that  their 
prudence  in  providing  themselves  with  eatables  was  vain,  and 
hat  they  were  disappointed  of  the  luxuries  they  had  meant  to 
snjoy  with  their  mid-day  meal. 
The  march  was  little  on  the  high  road,  but  chiefly  by  country 

nh  ;°7-srr?  rerf with  short>  crisp  ^l,vL  jz 

mils  suns  in  the  hollows  by  little  streams,  and  through  villages 

,nTof  Fn^T  ^eenS  CuVered  Wkh  geeSeand  d"cks  remi"^d 
me  of  England  From  the  top  of  every  rise  the  country  before 
he  army  could  be  seen  stretching  away  in  a  wide  rolling  plain, 
•nd  bounded  by  the  dark  blue  line  of  mountains  which,  Airty 
piles  distant,  separates  Bohemia  from  Moravia.  The  corn 
■•as  rapidly  ripening;  but  the  day  was  cool,  yet  without  rain, 
id  the  troops,  marching  easily,  did  not  care  to  avail  them- 

*Eh         ,/,"'ateu  al0"g  the  r°ad'  Which  was  abundant,  and 
h  ch  would  have  been  so  grateful  on  many  former  marches. 
I  He  town  of  Hermanmestetz  is  thoroughly  Bohemian:  few 
f  even  the  better  class  of  inhabitants  could  speak  German 
he  signboards  of  the  shops  and  inns  were  written  only  in 

.   her'no' fh       T  "  ^"T  ^  ™  k  ^^  the  "* 
ther  north.      As  soon  as  the  troops  marched  in  and  were 

.missed  from  their  parades,  a  rush  was  made  at  the  shops 

fe tTrdei in  at  the  doors  and  up  to  the  «»*S 

"mg  loudly  for  tobacco  and  cigars.  These  were  not  to  be 
id  in  any  quantity,  but  coffee  was  plentiful  at  first,  though  the 
nole  in  the  town  was  soon   bought.     Then  arose  difficulties 

out  money,  for  the  soldiers  did  not  yet  thoroughly  under- 
go. the  Austrian  coinage,  and  the  shopkeepers  tried  to  take 
■e  utmost  advantage  of  their  ignorance ;  but  the  men  protested 
my  against  flagrant  cases  of  imposition,  and,  amid  a  great 

■ L°iIvTe-and,!,0Ud  talki"S'the  b-S-^  -ere  concluded 
•  nerally  considerably  to  the  advantage  of  the  dealer 

fcvery  taproom  was  filled  by  an  importunate  crowd  eager  for 


Z   2 


34°  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

food,  beer,  and  wine;  knapsacks  were  piled  on  the  benches, 
rifles  stood  thickly  in  the   corners,  and  their  owners  pressed 
round  the  bar,  each  trying   by  dint   of  noise  to    secure  the 
services  of  the  landlord  for  himself.     But  though  they  were 
hungry  and  thirsty,  the  soldiers  wrere  always  good-humoured. 
Differences  of  opinion  often  arose  as  to  the  comparative  value 
of  kreutzers  and  silber  groschen  ;  but  when  the  dispute  ran 
high  the  landlord  called  in  the  assistance  of  his  wife,  and  then 
almost  invariably  the  soldier  had  to  retire  worsted  from  tJH 
contest,  exposing    discontentedly   to   his   comrades   the   small', 
handful  of  little  coins  he  had  received  in  change  for  a  dollar.;] 
As  soon  as  it  became  dark  all  noise  ceased  and  all  bustle  was 
stilled.     The  men  disappeared  to  go  to  sleep.     Some  lay  in  the 
houses  on  straw,  others  in  sheds,  many  in  the  gardens,  for  the'j 
house  accommodation  was  not  sufficient  for  them,  and  man) 
seemed  wisely  to  prefer  the  summer  air  to  a  crowded  room, 
Thus  the  town,  before  so  noisy,  grew  perfectly  still,  and  nc 
sound  was  heard  except  the  monotonous  step  of  a  sentry  0( 
the  uneasy  neigh  of  some  restive  horse ;  but  the  arms  pile 
with  the  bayonets  fixed,  beside  each  house,  with  the  knapsac 
laid  close  to  the  butts  packed  and  ready  to  be  instantly  take: 
up,  told  that  the  soldiers  were  ready,  and  that  the  least  alarr; 
would  fill  the  streets  with  armed  men  ready  to  inarch. 

The  King  came  to  Pardubitz  on  the  morning  of  the  7th,  hel 
a  meeting  of  the  principal  generals,  and  probably  the  fut 
plan  of  the  campaign  was  then  discussed.     It  was   still  ui^ 
certain  whether  the  two  armies  were  making  for  the  line  < 
railway  which  runs  by  Briinn  to  Vienna,  or  whether  they  wei 
moving  towards  Olmiitz. 

The  King  remained  on  the  8th  at  Pardubitz,  where  it  w. 
determined  that  the  Second  Army  should  move  against  Olmii 
with  the  first  corps   d'armee  and  the  cavalry  corps  leadir 
This  advanced  guard  was  if  possible  to  feel  the  enemy,  ai; 
discover  what  amount  of  his  army  Benedek  still   held  in  t 
intrenched  camp  and  what  troops  he  had  sent  to  the  south, 
serious  attack  on  the  fortress  was  not,  however,  contemplated 
Any  retreat  of  the  Second  Army,  which  might  become  nec-If 
sarv,  was  to  be  made,  not  in  the  direction  of  the  First  Arn, 
but  on  the  county  of  Glatz,  with  which  the  Second  Army  n<n 


Chip.  I.]  ADVANCE    TO  BRUNN.  341 

formed  a  line  of  communication.  The  First  and  Second 
Armies,  on  the  8th,  moved  forwards  in  a  south-easterly  direc- 
tion ;  the  Crown  Prince,  with  the  Second  Army,  marched  that 
morning  in  the  direction  of  Marisch  Triibau,  and  halted  for  the 
night  somewhere  short  of  that  town.  The  First  Army,  under 
Prince  Frederick  Charles,  was  that  evening  scattered  round 
Chrast;  the  8th  division,  under  General  Home,  was  in  the 
town  itself,  the  main  body  along  the  road  towards  Marisch 
^Triibau ;  the  7th  was  a  little  to  the  south  at  Zumberg ;  the  6th 
!at  Kamenitz,  a  village  still  further  to  the  south;  and  the 
I  cavalry,  marching  by  roads  more  to  the  southwards  still,  covered 
[the  right  flank  of  the  army.  General  Herwarth  von  Bittenfeld, 
with  his  corps,  was  moving  on  Iglau.  Eight  battalions  had 
been  detached  to  Prague,  and  that  town  was  occupied  on  the 
i  morning  of  this  day,  the  8th. 

Marshal  Gablenz  passed  through  the  outposts  again  the 
isame  morning,  and  went  to  Pardubitz  to  see  the  King,  as  a 
■commissioner  from  the  Austrian  Government,  to  treat  for  a 
[suspension  of  hostilities.  He  was  received  by  General  von 
iMoltke,  but  his  proposals  could  not  be  entertained,  and  his 
!second  mission  was  equally  unsuccessful  as  his  first.  He 
[submitted  that  a  suspension  of  hostilities  should  be  concluded, 
which  should  last  for  at  least  eight  weeks  and  for  at  most  eight 
jmonths;  that  during  this  truce  the  troops  of  both  nations 
jshould  retain  their  actual  positions,  and  a  girdle  of  two  miles  in 
.width  between  the  outposts  be  observed  as  neutral  ground.  In 
return  the  Austrian  commissioner  proposed  that  the  fortresses 
■of  Josephstadt  and  Koniggratz  should  be  handed  over  to  the 
; Prussians,  but  without  their  garrisons  and  math-id  of  war.  It 
pas  not  in  the  interest  of  the  Prussian  army  after  a  hardly  won 

victory,  and,  in  its  favourable  circumstances,  to  grant  such  an 
.armistice,  especially  as  it  appeared  certain  that  Austria  did  not 
twish  to  definitely  conclude  a  peace,  but  only  to  gain  time  to 
(bring  up  her  Army  of  the  South  from  Italy.     The  passage  of 

Marshal  Gablenz  through  the  divisions  led  to  many  reports  of 

the  speedy  termination  of  the  war,  which  were  more  or  less 

credited. 

In  the  meantime,  amid  rumours  of  probable  peace,  the  army 
I  still  continued  its  steady  advance,  and  its  march  was  conducted 


342  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

with  the  same  precautions  and  the  same  circumspection  as  if 
the  campaign  was  only  beginning,  and  as  if  an  unbroken  enemy 
was  in  front,  ready  to  take  advantage  of  the  slightest  error. 
Advanced  guards  were  sent  forward,  who  carefully  felt  the  way 
for  the  marching  columns,  sending  scouts  to  the  top  of  every 
rise,  who,  standing  out  sharp  against  the  sky,  peered  into  the 
distance ;  riflemen  moved  in  dotted  lines  through  the  fields  at 
an  even  pace  with  the  troops  marching  on  the  road,  and  trod 
through  the  corn  as  carefully  as  if  they  were  sportsmen  beating 
a  covert,  or,  slipping  into  a  thicket,  now  appeared,  now  dis- 
appeared in  the  foliage  much  like  hounds  drawing  for  a  fox. 
The  troops  on  the  road  pushed  along  as  steadily  and  perse 
veringly  as  on  the  first  day  they  entered  Saxony.  The  infantry, 
with  their  trousers  turned  up  and  boots  often  drawn  on  outside 
them,  trudged  along  merrily,  and  seemed  little  to  feel  the 
heavy  yellow  cowskin  knapsacks  and  mess  tins  for  cooking 
which  they  carried  on  their  backs.  Their  helmets  had  suffered 
in  the  campaign  more  than  any  other  part  of  their  equipment ; 
many  had  lost  the  spike  on  the  top,  carried  away  by  a  bullet  or 
the  splinter  of  a  shell  at  the  battle  of  Koniggratz.  Some 
looked  as  if  they  had  been  knocked  off  in  the  hurry  of  action, 
and  had  been  marched  over  heavily  by  the  ranks  behind.  The 
belts  showed  a  want  of  pipeclay,  and  the  boots  had  lost  all 
traces  of  blacking ;  but  the  barrels  of  the  rifles  and  the  blades 
of  the  bayonets  were  all  bright  and  clean,  and  shone  out  cold 
and  gray  against  the  dark  blue  uniforms.  The  artillery  horses, 
a  little  thin,  and  with  rather  prominent  ribs,  from  hard  work 
and  scarce  forage,  stepped  briskly  out,  and  almost  without 
stretching  their  traces  the  straight,  steel-barrelled  guns  rolled 
along  behind  them,  looking  on  the  road  a  mere  plaything  to  be 
drawn  by  six  horses ;  but  when  the  ground  was  heavy  from 
falling  rain,  as  on  the  morning  before  Koniggratz,  it  needed 
nearly  all  the  strength  of  the  team  to  get  a  gun  over  the  fields 
uphill,  and  then  horses  were  often  wanting,  for  their  bodies, 
larger  than  those  of  men,  were  more  liable  to  be  struck  by 
shells  or  bullets,  and  many  were  killed  or  badly  wounded  as 
soon  as  a  battery  went  under  fire.  After  the  great  battle,  the 
positions  that  had  been  occupied  by  the  field  batteries  on  either 
side  could  be  traced  by  the  numbers  of  dead  horses  lying  where 


Chap.  I.]  ADVANCE  TO  BRUNN.  343 

the  limbers  and  waggons  had  stood.  Often  twenty  or  thirty- 
lay  dead  in  a  line  near  together  along  the  front  of  the  battery, 
and  others  limped  about  near  them,  and  though  always  moving 
jnever  tried  to  go  away  from  their  dead  companions.  They, 
itoo,  were  soon  stretched  upon  the  ground,  for  the  Kranken- 
itrager,  looking  for  the  sick,  mercifully  placed  a  carbine  behind 
jthe  ear  of  every  wounded  animal,  and  quickly  put  it  out  of 
'pain.  The  mass  of  the  cavalry  scoured  the  country  to  the 
bouth  of  the  main  army,  keeping  watch  and  ward  over  its  right 
pank,  but  here  and  there  a  few  turned  up  in  the  line  of  march, 
generally  a  detachment  of  some  troopers  guarding  waggons. 
These  detachments  were  of  all  kinds  of  horsemen, — cuirassiers 
With  their  white  flannel  coats  braced  tightly  in  by  the  cuirass, 
find  with  heavy-looking  high  jack-boots,  were  followed  quickly 
[by  some  few  men  of  the  Ziethen  hussars,  with  short  crimson 
jackets,  or  by  some  of  the  Weimar  light  cavalry,  with  their 
light  blue  and  silver  uniforms  looking  none  the  worse  for 
1  (exposure,  while  every  column  was  headed  by  Uhlans,  the 
black  and  white  flags  of  whose  lances  waved  with  an  almost 
funereal  aspect  above  their  smart  caps  and  gay  red  or  yellow 
facings. 

The  army  marched  in  several  columns,  and  from  every  rise 
could  be  seen  the  different  lines  creeping  like  long  blue  ser- 
oents  over  the  country.  Dipping  into  hollows,  twisting  through 
Villages,  twining  among  trees,  appearing  and  disappearing 
through  woods  and  thickets,  they  stretched  for  many  a  long 
mile  from  front  to  rear.  Always  looking  steadily  ahead,  they 
rushed  on  with  the  men's  faces  against  the  sun,  and  seemed  to 
be  bending  towards  the  fortress  of  Olmiitz,  under  the  walls  of 
which  the  Austrians  were  reported  to  have  an  intrenched 
:amp,  where  there  were  said  to  be  over  100,000  fighting  men, 
vim  400  pieces  of  artillery  ensconced  in  fortifications.  Col- 
ected  here,  the  Austrian  troops,  it  was  said,  meant  to  bar  the 
road  southwards  from  the  Prussians  ;  if  these  passed  on  dis- 
regarding them,  to  issue  out,  and,  seizing  the  communications 
of  the  army,  cut  off  from  it  all  its  supplies  of  ammunition  and 
bod  from  the  north. 

:    Again,  on  the  8th,  the  line  of  March  lay  through  a  country 
ich  and  abundant  in  supplies,  and  from  which  the  natives  had 


344  SEVEN  J  VEER'S'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

not  fled  away ;  and  again  the  columns  moved  through  country 
lanes,  in   some  places  shadowed  in  by  fruit  trees,   in  others 
leading  over  breezy  uplands  where  the  limestone  rocks  cropped 
up  close  to  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  left  but  a  scanty 
soil  to  nourish  the  short  grass  which  grew  thick  upon  it.     Here  j 
and  there  the  rocks  cropped  out  of  the  ground  and  rose  up 
some   twenty   feet   high,    forming   grotesquely-shaped    natural 
grottoes,  round  which  clumps  of  tall  silver  fir  clustered,  and 
at  the  foot  of  the  trees,  spread  in  great  profusion,  wild  roses, 
sweetbriar,  foxglove,  and  nightshade.     All  the  farm-houses  and 
cottages  were  built  of  brick,   thickly  coated  with  clean  white 
plaster,  and  in  the  smallest  hamlet  there  was  always  a  church 
with  a  steeple   surmounted  by  the  large  globe-like  top,  often 
gilt,  which  seems  peculiar  to  Sclavonic  countries.     No  wooden 
cottages  were  to  be  seen  here,  for  the  people  are  richer  than 
those  north  of  the  Elbe,  and  the   army  left  behind  it,  when  it 
crossed  that  river,  the  pine-wood  huts,  so  many  of  which  had 
been  lately  destroyed  by  the  flames  kindled  by  the  fire  of  the 
artillery.     The  houses,   both  outside  and  inside,  were  beauti- 
fully clean  ;    the  furniture   was   of   plain  deal,   without  paint, 
scoured  to  a  whiteness  which  is  unknown  in  Northern  Boh 
mia  ;  the  brass  handles  of  the  drawers  and  the  steel  and  iron 
round  the  fire-places  shone- bright  from  much  polishing,  and 
reflected  back  distorted  images   of  the  soldiers,  who,  in  their 
dusty  clothes  and  heavy  boots,   dirty  from  marching,  looked 
much  out  of  place  in   the  houses  in  which  they  were  billeted, 
The  inhabitants  sighed  sadly  over  the  war,  for  their  crops  had 
been  injured ;  soldiers  of  both  armies  had  been  billeted  in 
their  houses,  for  the  Austrians  retreated  through  this  part  of 
the  country  two  days  before ;  and  some  of  them  had  sons  or 
brothers  in  the  Austrian  service.       But  there  was  no  ill-will 
between   them  and  the  Prussian  soldiers.     Indeed,  the  lattei 
were  always  so  good-natured  that  it  would  have  been  difficult 
even  for  churls  to   quarrel  with  them,  and  such  the  natives  oi 
the   valley  of  the  Elbe  are  not.     They  would  have  preferred 
peace   to  war ;    they  suffered    deeply  in  having  their  houses 
turned    into    barracks,    their   corn-fields   into    bivouacs,  theii 
barns  and  outhouses  into  stables  for  war  horses  ;  but  they  did 
not  blame  the  soldiers  for  injuries  for  the  cause  of  which  the 


Chap.  I.]  ADVANCE    TO  BRUXX.  345 

Batter  were  as  innocent  as  the  inhabitants  themselves;  they 
[gave  the  men  what  they  could ;  nor  did  the  villagers  and 
[peasants  attempt  to  impose  upon  the  soldiers,  though  the  town 
[shopkeepers,  more  keenly  alive  to  their  own  interests,  gene- 
-allv  managed  to  make  a  profit  out  of  the  difference  of  the 
Prussian  and  Austrian  coinage. 

The  head-quarters  of  the  First  Army  were  on  the  night  of 
ftp  8th  established  in  a  monastery  at  Chrast.  The  priests 
Lvere  still  there,  but  gave  up  the  greater  part  of  the  house  to 
,[Prince  Frederick  Charles  and  his  staff.  Military  waggons  and 
fcrses  were  picketed  inside  the  usually  quiet  monastery  close  ; 
(soldier  servants  went  whistling  up  and  down  the  corridors  and 
pmong  the  cells,  saddle-bags  and  valises  were  bundled  upstairs, 
land  the  monastery  would  soon  have  been  very  like  a  barrack 
iwere  it  not  that  the  priests  kept  flitting  about,  good-naturedly 
proffering  food  and  drink  to  both  officers  and  soldiers  ;  for, 
■though  they  looked  on  both  as  the  enemies  of  their 
(country,  and,  perhaps,  even  of  their  Church,  they  knew 
•that  the  army  had  marched  far  and  fast,  and  they  practised 
ithat  charity  which  should  be  the  connecting  link  among  all 
Christian  creeds. 

From  the  church  close  by  the  monastery,  as  a  centre,  the 
(little  town  spreads  out,  its  white  houses  glistening  brightly  in 
the  sun,  along  four  streets,  almost  at  right  angles  to  each 
other.  Between  and  behind  the  houses  lay  little  gardens,  in 
iwhich  grew  most  English  greenhouse  flowers;  vines  were 
.trained  in  trellis-work  against  the  walls,  and  beyond  the 
fields  stretched  away,  covered  with  heavy  crops  ripening  for 
[harvest ;  and  between  the  cornfields  lay  long  belts  of  gaudy- 
Icoloured  poppies,  which  are  cultivated  in  this  country  in  great 
quantities.  The  church*  bell  sounding  slowly,  probably  for 
vespers,  for  the  day  was  Sunday,  and  a  few  women,  with 
shawls  in  Bohemian  fashion  thrown  over  their  bare  heads, 
(disappearing  into  the  church  door,  and  just  seen  within 
crossing  themselves  with  the  holy  water,  would  have  made 
the  whole  scene  one  of  perfect  peace;  but  the  piles  of 
bayonets  by  every  door,  the  perpetual  soldiers  bustling  along 
jthe  streets,  the  cantonniers  who  had  established  their  itinerant 
Istalls  close  outside  the  church  door,  and  were  squabbling  with 


346  SEVEN  WEEKS"    WAR.  [Book  IX. 


; 


soldiers  over  the  value  of  black  cigars  or  schnapps,  told  that 
this  smiling  little  town  was  ■  the  head-quarters  of  an  army 
which  had  just  marched  from  a  battle-field,  and  was  pressing  I 
forward  again  to  force  its  enemy  to  battle ;  for  the  policy  of 
the  Prussian  army  was  now  to  cling  to  the  heels  of  the 
retreating  Austrians  and  to  force  them  to  fight  before  they  had 
time  to  re-organize  their  forces.  On  the  9th  July  the  whole 
force  was  again  moved  towards  the  south-east.  That  night 
the  King's  head-quarters  were  at  Hohenmauth ;  the  head- 
quarters of  Prince  Frederick  Charles,  commanding  the  centre, 
were  at  the  village  of  Reichenberg,  about  twenty-five  miles 
south-east  of  Pardubitz.  The  Crown  Prince,  with  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Second  Army,  halted  for  the  night  at  Leito- 
mischl,  one  march  to  the  east  of  the  First  Army;  and  the 
Army  of  the  Elbe  was  pursuing  its  way,  at  an  even  pace  with 
the  two  others,  under  General  von  Bittenfeld,  along  the  road 
which  leads  to  Iglau.  No  intelligence  had  yet  been  received 
of  the  occupation  of  Prague,  although  it  was  considered  cer- 
tain that  Prussian  troops  must  have  occupied  that  town 
Tidings  of  the  capital  of  Bohemia  being  actually  possessed 
were  eagerly  looked  for,  not  only  by  those  who  took  a  stra- 
tegical interest  in  the  campaign,  but  by  all  who  wished  to 
receive  private  supplies  from  Berlin ;  for  till  the  railway  com 
munication  was  established  parcels  could  hardly  be  expected 
to  arrive  ;  and  tobacco  and  cigars,  which  rank  in  Germany 
almost  on  a  par  with  food,  were  very  scarce,  and  a  fresh 
supply  was  eagerly  desired.  This  day's  was  a  short  march, 
but  the  most  unpleasant  one  which  the  army  had  yet  had.  A 
drizzling  rain  fell  in  the  early  morning,  and  a  cold  wind  was 
blowing,  which  drove  their  wet  clothes  against  the  soldiers' 
bodies,  and  made  them  shiver  even  as  they  marched ;  but 
towards  mid-day  the  rain  ceased,  and  the  sun  burst  through 
the  clouds,  so  that  the  men  got  dry  ;  but  heavy  rain  again  fell 
in  the  afternoon,  and  the  bivouac  at  night  was  moist  and 
uncomfortable.  Again  this  day  the  country  was  found  fertile, 
and  the  inhabitants  still  in  their  houses ;  all  received  kindly 
the  soldiers  who  came  into  the  cottages  along  the  line  of 
march  to  buy  food  or  tobacco,  and  some  even  expressed  a 
desire  to  become  Prussians,   stating  as   a  reason   that   they 


:hap.  L]  ADVAXCE    TO  BRUNN.  347 

should  pay  less  taxes  than  under  the  Austrian  rule ;  but 
vhether  this  wish  was  sincere,  or  only  elicited  by  the  presence 
)f  the  Prussian  troops  and  from  a  desire  of  flattering  their 
lational  pride,  is  open  to  question. 

'  At  this  time  Feldzeugmeister  Benedek  was  working  hard  to 
reorganize  the  relics  of  the  Austrian  Army  of  the  North  at 
Jlmiitz.  Although  over  sixty  years  old,  he  displayed  a 
capacity  for  labour,  both  in  the  saddle  and  at  the  desk,  which 
vould  have  shamed  many  a  younger  man.  He  was  at  this 
ime  ordered  to  despatch  the  mass  of  his  army  by  rail  to 
j/ienna,  where  it  was  to  be  united  to  the  Austrian  army  from 
Italy,  under  the  command  of  the  Archduke  Albrecht* 
.  Count  Mensdorf  was  despatched  from  Vienna  directly,  after 
he  defeat  at  Koniggratz,  to  the  head-quarters  of  the  Army  of 
he  North,  in  order  there  to  inquire  into  the  circumstances  of 
jhat  disaster.  The  consequences  of  his  mission  were  that  a 
jnilitary  commission  was  later  assembled  at  Weiner  Neustadt, 
i>efore  which  Count  Clam  Gallas  and  Generals  Henikstein, 
vrismanics,  and  Benedek  himself  were  summoned  to  appear. 
|  General  von  John  was  appointed  Chief  of  the  Staff  to  the 
\rchduke  Albrecht.  The  Austrian  Government  wished,  by 
^ringing  up  its  Army  of  the  South,  to  oppose  a  force  to  the 
.dvance  of  the  Prussians,  but  the  troops  from  Italy  did  not 
rrive  quickly  enough.  It  was  only  on  the  12th  July  that 
he  first  detachment  of  nine  thousand  men  arrived  at  Vienna. 

From  the  time  of  the  battle  of  Koniggratz,  the  Prussian 
j.rmies  had  lost  all  traces  of  the  Austrians  until  the  8th  July, 
|vhen  some  of  the  Crown  Prince's  advanced  troops  fell  in  with 
in  outpost  of  the  enemy  before  Zwittau,  near  the  junction  of 
he  two  branches  of  rail  which  lead  from  Olmiitz  and  Briinn  to 
Bohmisch  Triibau.  After  a  slight  skirmish  the  Austrians  fell 
lack,  and  on  the  9th  the  Crown  Prince  occupied  Mahrisch 
Triibau  and  Zwittau,  two  towns  of  Moravia.  That  evening  the 
irst  corps  d'armee  halted  at  Zwittau,  the  Guards  at  Wilden- 
chwert,  the  fifth  corps  at  Landskron. 

.  The  first  intelligence  which  the  Prussians  received  of  the 
etreat  of  the  Austrian  army  had  made  it  appear  probable  that 

;  *  Letters  from  the  correspondents  of  the  Times  with  the  Austrian  army. 


34S  SEVEN  WEEKS"    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

Benedek  had  withdrawn  the  greater  portion  of  it  to  Briinn,  on 
the  direct  line  to  Vienna.  Now  the  whole  of  his  movements 
were  cleared  up.  An  Austrian  field  post  happened  to  be 
captured  in  front  of  Mahrisch  Triibau,  and  many  interesting 
private  letters  found  in  it,  which  established  the  demoralized 
condition  of  Benedek's  army,  as  well  as  a  copy  of  the  orders  of 
that  general  for  the  marches  of  his  corps,  and  the  movements 
of  his  administrative  services.  It  was  thus  discovered  that 
only  the  tenth  Austrian  corps  and  the  heavy  cavalry  of  the 
Prince  of  Schleswig-Holstein  had  been  sent  to  Briinn,  and 
that  the  rest  of  the  Army  of  the  North  was  seeking  shelter 
under  the  guns  of  Olmiitz  until  it  should  be  in  a  fit  condition 
to  attack  the  Prussians.  A  few  days  later  the  Austrian  cavalry 
retaliated,  and  captured  a  Prussian  field  post,  in  which  a; 
despatch  was  found  that  gave  them  some  valuable  information 
with  regard  to  the  Prussian  movements. 

On  the  ioth  July,  the  King  of  Prussia  moved  his  head 
quarters  to  Zwittau.  This  day  it  was  known  to  the  Prussians 
that  the  Austrian  Army  of  the  South  had  commenced  its 
journey  to  Vienna  from  Olmiitz  by  railway.  The  transport  ol 
this  army  was  conducted  as  quickly  as  possible,  and  betweer 
the  7  th  and  the  13th  Benedek  despatched  three  corps — thei 
3rd,  4th,  and  6th — to  the  capital.*  When  it  was  ascertained 
that  the  Austrian  army  was  moving  to  the  south,  the  march  0: 
the  Crown  Prince  was  directed  towards  Prerau,  that  he  migh' 
there  cut  the  railway  communication  between  Olmiitz  and  Vienna 

On  the  ioth,  a  long  march  of  twenty-five  miles  brought  th( 
head-quarters  of  the  First  Army  to  the  little  town  of  Neustadt 
which  lies  about  fifty  miles  to  the  northwest  of  Briinn.  It  wa. 
a  wet  morning  ;  the  clouds  hung  low,  and  a  drizzling  rair 
made  the  soft  country  road  deep  for  the  infantry  and  heavy  fo 
the  artillery  and  baggage  waggons,  for  this  day  the  army  die 
not  move  on  one  of  the  main  chaussecs,  but  by  one  of  th« 
lesser  roads  which  lead  through  the  highland  country  dividing 
Bohemia  from   Moravia.     As  the  road  ascended,  the  scener 


*  On  no  point  is  there  so  much  popular  misunderstanding  as  on  th 
transport  of  troops  by  rail  in  war.  The  experience  of  the  German  cam 
paign  proves  that  10,000  men,  equipped  for  the  field,  is  the  most  tha 
can  be  safely  calculated  upon  to  be  moved  per  day  on  a  single  railway. 


Chap.  L]  ADVANCE    TO  BRUNN.  349 

became  more  and  more  bleak  and  cold ;  the  corn  was  in  the 
lilgher  parts  quite  short  and  green,  and  in  some  places  not  in 
ear ;  cultivation  was  only  on  patches  of  ground,  and  where  the 
'■land  was  not  tilled  the  grass  grew  short  and  bare.  Cold,  hard- 
looking  rocks  projected  everywhere  from  the  soil ;  the  surface 
bf  the  ground  was  thickly  strewn  with  large  stones,  among 
jwhich  a  few  stunted  larch-trees  looked  as  though  they  had  to 
Struggle  hard  to  obtain  soil  sufficient  for  even  their  roots. 
Above  the  road  on  the  hill-sides  grow  dense  forests  of  spruce 
land  silver  fir,  the  tops  of  which  were  for  the  most  part  shrouded 
lin  a  thick  mist.  The  dwellings  along  the  line  of  march  were 
in  keeping  with  the  aspect  of  the  country — low,  dirty,  and 
[untidy,  without  any  gardens,  and,  generally  standing  alone  on 
the  bleak  hill-side,  they  seemed  fitting  habitations  for  the 
isqualid  and  starved-looking  inhabitants  who  lounged  in  their 
doorways,  watching  with  a  lazy  curiosity  the  soldiers  marching 
on  the  road.  The  men,  thin  and  with  sharply-drawn  features, 
seemed  to  have  no  work  to  do,  but  leant  lazily  against  the 
doorposts  smoking  long  black  pipes ;  the  women,  with  feet 
bare  and  garments  scanty,  shivered  beside  them,  holding 
in  their  arms  a  dirty  infant,  or  combing  out  their  tangled 
hair. 

The  foot-soldiers  trudged  sullenly  along;  the  march  was 
long  for  them,  and  the  road  bad,  but  they  kept  up  a  good  pace 
the  whole  way,  and  there  were  no  stragglers.  But  they  had 
had  enough  of  wet,  though,  in  defiance  of  the  rain,  they 
marched  with  their  cloaks  rolled  up,  mainly  to  keep  them  dry 
for  the  night  bivouac,  and  longed  for  dry  weather  or  a  harder 
road.  The  horses  of  the  artillery  laboured  heavily,  but  got  the 
guns  and  ponderous  waggons,  weighty  with  ammunition  and 
corn-sacks  full  of  forage  piled  up  on  them,  up  the  quickly- 
recurring  bits  of  steep  ascent  in  the  road.  At  every  sharp  rise 
the  drivers  flogged  and  spurred,  the  gunners  pushed  behind, 
and,  though  the  horses  stumbled  and  often  nearly  fell,,  and  the 
traces  were  stretched  so  tight  that  they  looked  as  if  they  must 
break,  no  accident  occurred,  and  every  artillery  carriage  arrived 
safely,  at  its  destination.  The  baggage-waggons  did  not  fare 
so  well.  Less  strongly  horsed  and  not  so  well  driven,  they  all 
dropped  far  behind   the  troops,  and  a  few  remained  stranded 


350  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

on  the  side  of  the  way  with  a  broken  axle-tree  or  a  shivered 
wheel. 

Near  the  little  town  of  Swratka  the  frontier  of  Moravia  was 
passed,  but  the  road  that  descends  from  it  still  ran  along  the 
hill  country  of  the  frontier,  and  only  came  down  into  a  valley 
near  Neustadt  to  rise  again  at  the  beginning  of  the  morrow's 
march.  Within  Moravia  the  country,  though  perhaps  even 
less  fertile,  was  more  pleasing.  All  pretence  of  cultivation  had 
been  given  up,  for  trees  grew  down  close  to  the  road,  and 
where  there  was  not  wood  the  ground  was  wet  and  marshy, 
and  showed  no  signs  of  ever  having  been  drained ;  and  the 
horses  of  the  cavalry  who  scouted  in  front  of  the  columns 
floundered  along,  sinking  in  it  above  their  fetlocks. 

The  monotony  of  the  march  was  relieved  by  a  spirited 
cavalry  skirmish  in  the  little  town  of  Saar,  which  is  about  six : 
miles  to  the  west  of  Neustadt.  On  the  previous  night  thei 
Austrian  hussars  of  the  regiment  of  Hesse-Cassel  held  Saar. 
The  Prussian  cavalry  was  to  proceed  on  the  ioth  to  Gammy, 
about  a  mile  in  front  of  Saar,  and  the  9th  regiment  of  Uhlans 
formed  its  advanced  guard  on  the  march.  The  Austrians 
intended  to  march  the  same  day  to  the  rear  towards  Briinn, 
and  the  hussars  were  actually  assembling  for  parade  previous 
to  the  march  when  the  first  patrols  of  the  Prussian  Uhlans  came 
rattling  into  the  town.  The  Austrians  were  collecting  together 
from  all  the  different  houses  and  farmyards;  mounted  men, 
filing  out  of  barns  and  strawhouses,  were  riding  slowly  to- 
wards their  rendezvous  in  the  market-place ;  men  who  had 
not  yet  mounted  were  leading  their  horses,  strolling  carelessly 
alongside  them,  when,  by  some  fault  of  their  sentinels,  they  were 
surprised  by  the  Prussians.  The  Uhlans  were  much  inferior 
in  number  at  first,  but  their  supports  were  coming  up  behind 
them,  and  this  disadvantage  was  compensated  for  by  the 
Austrians  being  taken  unawares.  The  Uhlans  quickly  ad- 
vanced, but  did  not  charge  before  one  Austrian  squadron  had 
time  to  form,  and  only  while  most  of  the  men  of  the  remaining 
divisions  were  quickly  falling  into  their  ranks,  though  some 
were  cut  off  from  the  rendezvous  by  the  Prussians  advancing 
beyond  the  doors  from  which  they  were  issuing,  and  were 
afterwards  made  prisoners. 


Chap.  L]  ADVANCE   TO  BRUXX.  351 

In  the  market-place  an  exciting  contest  at  once  began.    The 
celebrated  cavalry  of  Austria  were  attacked  by  the  rather  de- 
preciated horsemen  of  Prussia,  and  the  lance,  the  "  queen  of 
weapons,"  as  its  admirers  love  to  term  it,  was  being  engaged  in 
eal  battle  against  the  sword.     The  first  Prussian  soldiers  who 
ode  into  the  town  were  very  few  in  number,  and  they  could 
iot  attack  before  some  more  came  up.     This  delay  of  a  few 
ninutes  gave  the  hussars  a  short  time  to  hurry  together  from 
|he    other  parts   of  the  town,  and   by  the  time   the  Uhlans 
eceived  their  reinforcements  the  Austrians  were  nearly  formed. 
I   As  soon  as  their  supports  came  up  the  lancers  formed  a  line 
[cross  the  street,  advanced  a  few  yards  at  a  walk,  then  trotted 
lor  a  short  distance,  their  horses'  feet  pattering  on  the  stones, 
he  men's   swords  jingling,   their  accoutrements   rattling,   and 
lieir   lances    borne   upright,  with  the   black   and  white  flags 
I  treaming  over  their  heads;    but  when  near  the  opening  into 
he  broader  street,  which  is  called  the  Market-place,  a  short, 
(harp  word  of  command,  a  quick,  stern  note  from  the  trumpet, 
the  lance-points  came   down  and  were  sticking  out  in  front  of 
•  he  horses'  shoulders,  the  horses  broke  into  a  steady  gallop,  and 
he  lance-flags  fluttered  rapidly  from  the  motion  through  the 
;.ir,  as  the  horsemen,  with  bridle-hands  low  and  bodies  bent 
:  I'onvard,   lightly   gripped   the    staves,   and   drove    the    points 
[tiaight  to  the  front. 

I    But  when  the  Prussians  began  to  gallop,  the  Austrians  were 
;  klso  in  motion.     With  a  looser  formation  and  a  greater  speed 
{hey  came  on,  their  blue  pelisses,  trimmed  with  fur  and  em- 
broidered with  yellow,  flowing  freely  from  their  left  shoulders, 
•eaving  their  sword-arms   disencumbered.     Their  heads,  well 
!ip,  carried  the  single  eagle's  feather  in  every  cap  straight  in  the 
ir ;  their  swords  were  raised,  bright  and  sharp,  ready  to  strike, 
ls  their  wiry  little  horses,  pressed  tight  by  the  knees  of  the 
iders,  came  bounding  along,  and  dashed  against  the  Prussian 
anks  as  if  they  would  leap  over  the  points  of  the  lances.     The 
Jhlans  swayed  heavily  under  the  shock  of  the  collision ;    but 
ecovering  again,  pressed  on,  though  only  at  a  walk.      In  front 
)f  them  were  mounted  men,  striking  with  their  swords,  parryino- 
he   lance-thrusts,  but   unable    to   reach  the  lancer ;  but  the 
;round   was   also   covered  with   men   and   horses,  struggling 


352  SEVEN   WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

together  to  rise ;  loose  horses  were  galloping  away ;  dis- 
mounted hussars  in  their  blue  uniforms  and  long  boots  were 
hurrying  off  to  try  to  catch  their  chargers  or  to  avoid  the  lance- 
points.  The  Uhlan  line  appeared  unbroken,  but  the  hussars 
were  almost  dispersed.  They  had  dashed  up  against  the  firmer 
Prussian  ranks,  and  they  had  recoiled,  shivered,  scattered,  and 
broken  as  a  wave  is  broken  that  dashes  against  a  cliff.  In  the 
few  moments  that  the  ranks  were  locked  together,  it  seems 
that  the  horsemen  were  so  closely  jammed  against  each  other 
that  lance  or  sword  was  hardly  used.  The  hussars  escaped  the 
points  in  rushing  in,  but  their  speed  took  them  so  close  to  the. 
lancers'  breasts  that  they  had  not  even  room  to  use  their 
swords.  Then  the  Prussians,  stouter  and  taller  men,  mounted 
on  heavier  horses,  mostly  bred  from  English  sires,  pressed  hard 
on  the  light  frames  and  the  smaller  horses  of  the  hussars,  and 
by  mere  weight  and  physical  strength  bore  them  back,  andj 
forced  them  from  their  seats  to  the  ground ;  or  sometimes,  sc 
rude  was  the  shock,  sent  horse  and  man  bounding  backwards, 
to  come  down  with  a  clatter  on  the  pavement. 

The  few  Austrians  who  remained  mounted  fought  for  a  shor; 
time  to  stop  the  Prussian  advance,  but  they  could  make  no  im 
pression  on  the  lancers.  Wherever  a  hussar  made  a  dash 
close  three  points  bristled  couched  against  his  chest  or 
horse's  breast,  for  the  Austrians  were  now  in  inferior  numb 
in  the  streets  to  the  Prussians,  and  the  narrowness  of  the  wa] 
would  not  allow  them  to  retire  for  their  reserves  to  charge.  S( 
the  Prussians  pressed  steadily  forward  in  an  invulnerable  line 
and  the  Austrians,  impotent  to  stop  them,  had  to  fall  bad 
before  them.  Before  they  had  gone  far  through  the  town,  fight 
ing  this  irregular  combat  more  Prussian  cavalry  came  up  behin< 
the  Uhlans,  and  the  Austrians  began  to  draw  off.  The  lancer 
pushed  after  them,  but  the  hussars  got  away,  and  at  the  end  c 
the  town  the  pursuit  ceased.  One  officer  and  twenty-two  nor 
commissioned  officers  and  privates  taken  prisoners,  with  nearl 
forty  captured  horses,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Uhlans,  as  th 
trophies  of  this  skirmish.  Some  of  the  prisoners  were  wounded 
a  few  hussars  killed,  and  two  or  three  Prussians  were  left  dea 
upon  the  ground. 

One  or  two  of  the  privates  taken  prisoners  were  German; 


: 


Chap.  I.]  ADVANCE    TO  BRUiVN.  353 

but  by  far  the  greater  number  were  Hungarians — smart,  soldier- 
like looking  fellows,  of  a  wiry  build  ;  they  looked  the  very  per- 
fection of  light  horsemen,  but  were  no  match  in  a  melee  for  the 
tall,  strong  cavalry  soldiers  of  Prussia,  who  seemed  with  one 
hand  to  be  able  to  wring  them  from  their  saddles,  and  hurl  them 
to  the  ground. 

The  inhabitants  of  Neustadt  reported  that  there  was  an 
Austrian  cavalry  division  of  four  regiments  at  Ostrau,  a  village 
about  six  miles  south  of  Saar,  and  it  seemed  clear  from  the 
reports  of  the  prisoners  that  there  was  a  strong  cavalry  force  in 
front  of  the  advancing  Prussians.  On  the  10th  July  five  hun- 
dred Italians,  deserters  from  the  Austrian  service,  surrendered 
themselves  to  General  von  Bittenfeld,  the  commander  of  the 
Army  of  the  Elbe,  and  volunteered  to  serve  during  the  war  in 
the  Prussian  army  ;  but  the  King  had  no  need  of  foreign  troops, 
and  very  naturally  declined  the  proffered  services  of  men  who 
had  been  faithless  to  one  cause,  and  ordered  that  they  should 
be  sent  to  Italy,  where  they  might  perhaps  have  an  opportunity 
of  proving  their  patriotism  on  the  Mincio. 

The  same  day  all  the  Saxon  prisoners  who  had  been  taken 
,  during  the  campaign  were  released  and  sent  to  their  homes,  on 
condition  of  taking  an  oath  not  to  serve  against  Prussia  during 
the  war.  They  all  took  the  oath,  and  went  to  Saxony ;  but 
'  many  seemed  to  quit  their  prisons  with  regret,  for  they  had  no 
money,  and  they  feared  that  there  would  be  no  work  to  be 
found  in  their  own  country;  but  this  fear  ought  not  to  have 
been  well-grounded,  for  the  harvest  in  Saxony  was  close  at 
lhand,  and  the  crops  there  had  not  been  trampled  down  by 
battles  or  bivouacs. 

The  weather  on  the  nth  was  better  than  that  of  the  previous 
day.  The  sun  shone  out  warm,  and  lighted  up  the  dark  groves 
of  fir-wood  which  hung  above  the  road,  and  shining  on  the 
trunks  of  the  silver  firs  relieved  the  monotonous  dark  green  of 
the  foliage.  The  road  was  very  hilly,  and  in  some  places  bad, 
but  it  was  drying  quickly  under  the  influence  of  the  sun,  and 
the  soldiers  marched  cheerfully,  careless  of  the  depressing 
weather  which  had  lately  been  the  rule.  The  way  still  lay 
through  the  Moravian  highlands,  but  the  increased  heat  of  the 
sun,  the  presence  of  oak  and  ash  among  the  firs,  the  yellower 

A  A 


354  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

crops  and  more  abundant  grass  showed  that  the  army  was  gra- 
dually working  down  towards  the  valley  of  the  Schwarzawa : 
but  the  country  did  not  become  more  plain,  nor  did  the  millets 
tumble  down  alongside  the  road  in  less  frequent  miniature 
cataracts  ;  on  the  contrary,  the  ground  was  more  broken  up  in 
hills  and  valleys.  The  former  were  not  high,  nor  did  they  run 
in  any  chain,  or  in  any  order  ;  sometimes  they  rose  as  huge, 
isolated,  rounded  masses,  the  tops  of  which  were  shrouded  in 
fir  plantations,  while  abutting  mica  rocks  projecting  from  their 
sides  reflected  brightly  the  rays  of  the  sun  ;  sometimes  they  ran 
in  tortuous  ridges,  breaking  suddenly  into  a  steep  ravine,  to 
allow  the  passage  of  a  watercourse  ;  or  throwing  up  some  huge 
masses  of  rock  which,  sparkling  in  the  sunlight,  contrasted 
strongly  with  the  dark  leaves  of  the  surrounding  trees,  seemed 
to  form  natural  castles  to  defend  the  road.  In  such  a  country 
a  few  riflemen  might  have  delayed  seriously  the  march  of  the 
army,  but  the  advanced  guard  had  patrolled  the  paths  through 
all  the  woods,  had  sent  scouts  to  the  top  of  every  hill,  had 
looked  down  into  every  ravine,  and,  though  the  Austrian 
cavalry  was  known  to  be  between  them  and  Briinn,  they 
marched  on  to  Tischnowitz  without  finding  an  Austrian  Jager, 
or  meeting  with  any  opposition  to  their  progress. 

Fifteen  miles  from  Neustadt,  where  it  had  halted  the  night 
before,  the  Head-quarter  Staff  turned  aside  from  the  road,  fol- 
lowed a  rough  country  lane  for  two  miles,  and  then  plunged  by 
a  rugged,  winding  path  into  a  deep  ravine  formed  by  one  of 
the  feeders  of  the  Schwarzawa.  On  the  side  of  the  ravine  over 
which  the  path  led  through  a  thick  wood,  perched  high  on  a 
prominent  rock,  and  rising  above  fir-trees,  stood  the  old  Schloss 
of  Bernstein,  where  it  had  been  considered  advisable  to  fix 
head-quarters  for  the  night.  The  battlements  and  loop-holed 
walls  of  the  old  castle  strongly  lighted  up  by  the  sun,  the  steep 
ravine  below  sunk  in  shade,  the  helmets  of  the  escort,  the  line 
of  armed  and  mounted  men,  fonned  a  scene  which  savoured 
more  of  romance  than  of  modern  war. 

The  Prince  Frederick  Charles  and  his  staff  turned  down  th 
twisting  path,  crossed  the  river  by  a  wooden  bridge  close  to  a 
water-mill,  and,  by  a  more  easy  ascent  on  the  other  side,  gained 
the  gate,  which  still  bore  the  marks  of  where  a  portcullis  had 


:hap.  I.]  ADVANCE   TO  BRUNN.  355 

neen.  But  in  the  yard  within  every-day  life  was  rudely  recalled. 
The  spare  horses  of  the  officers  had  already  arrived,  and  in- 
lignant  grooms  were  anathematising  fiercely  because  they  could 
ijet  no  stabling  for  their  charges ;  the  steep  road  forbade  the 
j.pproach  of  the  forage  waggons,  and  neither  hay  nor  corn 
jyere  to  be  found  in  the  antiquated  building.  The  appearance 
If  the  Commander-in-Chief  for  a  few  moments  hushed  the 
lamour,  but  when  he  rode  on  each  aggrieved  domestic  made  a 
lush  at  his  master,  and  loudly  poured  forth  the  tale  of  his 
jorrows.  A  compromise  was  effected,  for  hay  and  corn  had 
keen  provided  at  a  farmhouse  near  at  hand  ;  and  when  the 
fervants  were  assured  that  the  horses  should  have  food,  they 
[|ore  with  resignation  that  they  must  be  all  night  without  cover. 
But  attention  was  soon  called  away  from  both  the  scenery 
d  the  horses  by  the  arrival  of  an  Uhlan  officer  from  the 
vanced  guard,  who  rode  up  the  yard  at  a  gallop,  and, 
mping  off  his  horse  before  the  Commander-in-Chief,  with  his 
nd  to  his  forehead,  delivered  a  hurried  report. 
The  advanced  guard  had  found  the  enemy's  cavalry  in  strong 
rce  at  Tischnowitz,  and  the  Duke  of  Mecklenburg  had  sent 
m  to  Prince  Frederick  Charles  to  report  the  fact  and  receive 
orders.  The  orders  were  soon  written,  and  Major  von 
pprivi,  a  staff-officer,  who  has  a  high  reputation  in  this  army, 
as  entrusted  to  deliver  them  to  the  commander  of  the 
A I  Ivanced  guard. 

owll  Major  Capprivi's  horse  was  tired  with  a  long  march,  and 
,e  j  f schnowitz  lay  fifteen  miles  off,  but  he  had  no  choice  but  to 
rry  the  order,  and  in  a  few  minutes  he  was  ready  to   start. 
ith  him  went  three  officers,  who  had  been  employed  as  aides- 
amp  at  head- quarters,  but  whose  regiments  were  in  the 
vanced  guard,  and  who  went  to  join  them  for  the  action 
nich   was   expected.     Revolvers   were    inspected,   and    the 
:  ■  |iming  carefully  looked  to,  for  Austrian  patrols  were  expected 
be  on  the  road,  and  it  was  just  possible  that  the  little  band 
ht  have  to  ride  for  their  lives.     But  they  started  in  high 
rits,  for  the  excitement  of  probable  battle  nerved  them,  and 
hours  of  a  sharp  trot  brought  them  to  Tischnowitz. 
ere,  in  a  small  town  on  the  banks  of  the  Schwarzawa,  the 
strian  cavalry  had  taken  up  their  position.    The  road  leading 


356  SEVEN  WEEKS1    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

to  the  town  goes  straight  along  the  valley,  and  keeping  a  direct 
course  is  obliged  some  three  or  four  times  to  cross  by  wooden 
bridges  the  channel  of  the  stream,  which  is  here  about  fifty 
feet  wide.  When  the  Duke  of  Mecklenburg,  with  the  advanced 
guard,  was  approaching  Tischnowitz,  he  perceived  that  the 
enemy  was  in  the  town,  and  in  strong  force  of  cavalry  with 
artillery  in  the  plain  beyond,  where  he  occupied  a  position 
which  could  not  be  turned  by  cavalry  on  account  of  the  rugged 
nature  of  the  hills  on  either  flank.  But  the  Austrians,  besides 
the  horsemen  in  the  town  and  on  the  far  side,  had  thrown  out 
three  squadrons  in  the  direction  of  Tischnowitz,  of  which  the 
centre  one  was  in  the  road  and  between  the  bridges,  and  the 
right  and  left  were  thrown  into  the  corn-fields  on  either  side. 
The  Prussian  troopers,  few  in  number,  who  formed  the  advance 
of  the  advanced  guard,  had  ridden  forward  toward  the  bridges, 
and  had  almost  begun  to  cross  the  first  before  they  perceived 
the  hostile  cavalry.  Then  they  found  that  both  their  flanks 
were  exposed  to  attack,  and  that  the  squadron  in  the  road  in, 
front  of  them  was  getting  ready  to  charge.  The  Prussian 
advanced  guard  was  from  the  2nd  regiment  of  dragoons  of  the 
Guard  ;  the  Austrian  squadrons  were  lancers,  and  it  seemec 
that  the  skirmish  of  the  previous  day  between  sword  and  lance 
would  be  repeated  with  the  weapons  in  opposite  hands. 

But  the  lieutenant  commanding  the  small  Prussian  advancec 
guard,   seeing  that  he  was  too  weak  to  force  his  way,  anc*. 
fearing  to  be  surrounded  and  cut  off,  retreated  a  short  distanc< 
to  where  a  slight  rise  in  the  ground  gave  him  a  certain  ad  van 
tage  of  position,  and  there  drawing  up  his  little  force  awaite* 
an  attack,  but  with  no  intention  of  meeting  it  with  the  sword 
While  his  men  were  yet  retiring,  they  were  unbuckling  thei' 
carbines,  and  before  they  had  turned  to  stand,  their  quickl) 
loaded  arms,  constructed  on  the  same  principle  as  the  needle 
gun,  were  ready  to  fire.     And  not  too  soon,  for  the  Austrian 
had  begun  to  advance   quickly,  and  were   defiling  over  th 
bridge,  prepared  to  form  line  and  charge,  when  a  sudden  voile' 
from  the   Prussian   carbines   made  them  pull  up    sharp,  ha 
surprised,  half  frightened  to  find  that  a  carbine  could  be  of  ar 
use,  except  to  make  noise  or  smoke,  in  the  hands  of  a  mounte 
man.     But  the  Prussians  did  not  wait  to  observe  the  discor 


Chap.  L]  ADVANCE   TO  BRUNN.  357 

(iture  of  their  enemies  ;  their  officer  only  noticed  that  they  were 
1  too  strong  force  to  be  allowed  to  get  near  his  much  smaller 
and,  and  again  he  retreated  a  little  distance  ;  and  so  quick 
were  the  dragoons  with  their  loading  that  their  carbines  were 
ilmost  ready  to  fire  again  before  they  turned  to  retire.  The 
Austrians  again  formed  to  charge,  and  again  before  they  had 
ettled  into  their  stride  a  rapid  volley  stopped  their  career. 

ain  the  Prussians  retired,  and  again  faced  about  ready  to 
ire  another  volley.  Again  the  Austrians  came  on,  and  again 
e  fire  of  the  dragoons  stopped  them  short ;  but  this  was  the 
ast  time,  for  the  whole  of  the  first  squadron  of  the  dragoons 
ere  now  up,  and  had  formed  line  beside  the  few  who  had 
itherto  prevented  the  advance  of  the  lancers. 

Then  the  dragoons  advanced  to  charge,  and  the  Austrians, 
lad  to  exchange  the  chance  of  close  quarters  for  the  fire  of 
he  carbines,  came  forward  to  meet  them.  Both  sides  advanced 
.teadily :  the  lancers,  with  their  spears  in  rest,  came  on  in  an 
..pparently  impenetrable  line ;  but  the  dragoons,  with  their 
:word-points  to  the  front  and  their  horses  well  in  hand,  bore 
teadily  down  upon  them,  in  the  last  few  yards  let  their  horses 
0,  and  dashed  in  through  the  points  of  the  lances.  Their 
ommander,  Major  von  Shack,  went  down,  grievously  wounded, 
;ut  his  men  thought  of  his  fall  only  to  avenge  it,  and  rushed 
1  so  close  to  the  lancers  that  their  spears  were  useless,  smiting 
lem  heavily  with  their  keen  bright  swords.  A  few  moments 
nly  the  melee  lasted ;  then  the  lancers,  turning,  flew  towards 
ae  town.  The  dragoons  pursued,  but  their  officer  kept  them 
rell  in  hand^  and  they  did  not  lose  their  order.  When  the 
:reet  was  gained  the  lancers  turned  again,  the  swordsmen 
Hindered  down  upon  them,  and  by  sheer  weight  and  strength 
f  blows  bore  them  backwards  along  the  street.  The  fight  was 
>ng  and  hard.  The  men,  too  close  together  to  use  their 
eapons,  grappled  with  one  another;  the  horses,  frightened 
rid  enraged,  snorted,  plunged,  reared,  and  struck  out.  But 
le  Prussians  had  superior  weight  and  strength,  and  pressed 
leir  antagonists  back  along  the  streets  to  a  wider  space  in  the 
mtre  of  the  town,  where  a  high  image  of  the  Madonna, 
irved  in  stone,  looked  down  upon  the  fray.  Here  an  Austrian 
Oficer,  hurled  from  his  saddle  by  a  tall  Prussian  dragoon,  had 


358  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

his  brains  dashed  out  against  the  foot  of  the  monument,  and 
another  Austrian,  bent  backwards  over  the  cantle  of  his  saddle, 
had  his  spine  broken  by  the  strength  of  his  assailant.  The 
light  Austrian  men  and  horses  had  no  chance  in  this  close  con- 
flict, and  soon  they  were  obliged  to  turn,  and  fled  down  the 
street  to  where  their  supports  were  drawn  up  behind  the  town. 
Here  there  was  a  strong  force  of  Austrian  cavalry,  and  a 
battery  of  horse  artillery  was  placed  so  as  to  sweep  the  road. 
But  the  cavalry  drew  off  without  waiting  for  an  attack,  and  the 
artillery  retired  without  firing  a  shot ;  which  can  only  be 
accounted  for  by  believing,  as  the  country  people  said,  that 
there  was  no  ammunition  with  the  guns.  The  Prussian 
supports  came  up  and  pushed  two  miles  beyond  the  town,  but 
the  Austrians  had  drawn  off  too  quickly  to  again  allow  an 
engagement;  and  the  outposts  were  placed  here  for  the  night. 
Then  the  Duke  of  Mecklenburg  made  his  arrangements  for  his 
advance  to  Briinn  the  next  morning ;  and  when  he  had  given  a 
general  sketch  of  his  plans,  Major  von  Capprivi  and  Captain 
von  Bergmann,  the  staff  officer  attached  to  the  advanced 
guard,  retired  to  a  back  room  in  the  small  country  inn  of 
Tischnowitz,  and,  by  the  light  of  a  single  tallow  candle, 
discussed  till  late  into  the  night,  and  sketched  upon  their  maps, 
the  details  of  the  occupation  of  the  capital  of  M oravia. 

The  march  was  ordered  for  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  for 
it  was  expected  that  the  Austrian  cavalry  would  defend  the 
approach  to  the  town,  and  it  was  intended  to  surprise  them' 
before  they  had  made  their  dispositions.     It  was  after  midnight 
that  the  two  staff  officers  threw  themselves  on  some  trusses  of 
straw  to  catch  a  few  short  hours  of  sleep  before  the  commence 
ment  of  an  operation  which  might  perhaps  have  been  one  of 
the  most  decisive  of  the  campaign,  for  the  plans  were  skilfull) 
laid,  and  it  seemed  that  if  the  Austrians  attempted  to  stand  in 
front  of  the  town  a  great  part  of  their  cavalry  would  have  beer 
captured.      All  that  the  staff  appeared  to  fear  was  that  the 
cavalry  would  draw  off  through  the  town  before  daylight,  anc 
too  early  for  the  dispositions  for  their  capture  to  be  earned  ou 
— for  the  infantry  who  were  required  to  invest  the  further  sid< 
of  Briinn  had  marched  far  in  the  day,  and  were  too  tired  to  b< 
sent  forward  before  daybreak. 


Chap.  L]  ADVANCE    TO  BRUNN.  359 

At   three    o'clock   on   the   morning   of  the    12th  July,  the 
soldiers  of  the  advanced  guard  of  the  First  Prussian   Army 
jwere  roused  from  their  billets,  and  began  making  their  prepara- 
tions for  the  march.     Horses  were   saddled  ;    the  cloaks  in 
i  which  the  men  had  been  sleeping  were  rolled  up   and  buckled 
on  the  pommels,  girths  and  bridle  reins  carefully  inspected,  and 
jthe  troopers,  before  they  mounted,  drew  their  hands  along  the 
edges  of  their  swords  to  test  the  sharpness  of  their  weapons. 
The   officers   looked  to   the  loading  of  their  revolvers,  and 
:  buckled  their  pistols  round  their  waists,  so  that  they  might  be 
;;easily  got  at  in  case  of  need  ;  and  it  was   expected  that  they 
would  be  required,  for  three  divisions  of  Austrian  cavalry  were 
reported  to  be  between  the  small  town  where  the  advanced 
tjguard  halted  the  previous  night  and  Briinn,  and  the  Duke  of 
;Mecklenburg  had  only  three  cavalry  regiments  with  him. 
i    At  a  quarter  before  four,  before  the  sun  was  up,  the  troops 
began  marching  out  of  Tischnowitz,  and  in  three-quarters  of  an 
iour  formed  up  before  the  little  village  of  Hradschau,  which 
:he  most  advanced  outposts  had  occupied  during  the  former 
light.     Here  the   Duke  of  Mecklenburg  called  his  principal 
officers  round  him,  and  told  them  that  he  expected  to  find 
:hree  divisions  of  the  enemy's  cavalry,  forming  together  a  force 
of  twelve  regiments,  in  front  of  him  ;  but  that  his  orders  were 
!:o  occupy  Briinn  if  possible,  and  that  he  intended  to  advance 
immediately.     The  troops  were  then  formed  in  the  order  in 
.vhich  they  were  to  move  behind  a  ridge  of  rising  ground,  over 
vhich  the  Briinn  road  rises  and  falls,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
beyond  Hradschau.      The   2nd  dragoons  of  the  Guard  led; 
hey  were  followed  by  the  Ziethen  Hussars  and  a  battery  of 
lorse  artillery ;  then  came  a  battalion  of  Jagers,  followed  by 
he  rest  of  the  infantry  and  artillery,  and  a  regiment  of  lancers 
:losed  the  rear. 

As  soon  as  the  formation  was  complete,  the  dragoons  sent 
>ut  their  scouts,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  top  of  the  ridge  was 
tudded  with  mounted  men  who  showed  out  clear  against  the 
norning  sky.  Every  horseman  carried  his  carbine  in  his  right 
land,  ready  to  fire ;  but  the  staff  listened  in  vain  for  the  sharp 
'.rack  which  would  tell  that  the  enemy  was  in  sight ;  and  the 
couts,  after  peering  forward  for  a  few  moments,  dipped  down 


360  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

behind  the  ridge,  and  were  hidden.  Then  the  dragoons  ad- 
vanced along  the  road.  When  their  leading  troops  gained  the 
top  of  the  ascent  they  spread  out  right  and  left,  and  pushed 
across  the  fields  that  lay  on  either  side  of  the  way.  The 
hussars,  in  column  of  troops,  followed  along  the  highway, 
raising  a  cloud  of  dust  which  almost  hid  them,  and  from  its 
midst  rose  the  steady  patter  of  horses'  feet  and  the  jingle  of 
steel  which  mark  the  march  of  cavalry.  The  guns  rumbled 
behind,  with  rammers  and  sponges  ready  for  action,  and  limber- 
boxes,  unlocked,  each  closely  followed  by  its  mounted  gunners, 
prepared  to  spring  down  and  twist  the  muzzle  round  towards 
the  front.  Carefully  beating  through  the  corn,  and  covering 
every  piece  of  rising  ground,  the  dragoons  steadily  advanced ; 
but  no  sign  of  an  enemy  was  seen,  and  the  advanced  scouts 
reached  the  village  of  Tschepen  without  finding  traces  of  even 
a  last  night's  bivouac. 

Here  the  road  ran  through  a  narrow  defile,  with  high  banks 
covered  with  plantations,  and  the  houses  of  the  village  standing 
across  the  pass  would  have  formed  a  strong  position  for  the 
Austrians  to  hold.     On  approaching  the  village  the  cavalry  was 
halted,  and  the  riflemen  were  sent  for  to  beat  through  the  wood 
and  push  in  among  the  houses.     The  halt  was  not  long,  for  in 
a  few  minutes  the  Jagers  came  up  quickly  with  a  long  swinging 
stride,  passed  by  the  cavalry,  and  burst  like  a  pack  of  hounds 
into  the  village  and  up  the  sides  of  the  slopes.     Now  and  then; 
a  dark  green  uniform  appeared  among  the  trees  only  to  dis- 
appear again ;  and  here  and  there  among  the  houses  the  sun-j 
light  glancing  back  from  a  rifle  barrel,  ever  further  advanced,! 
showed   that   the   skirmishers  were  working  forward,  but  the] 
sound  of  no  shot  came  back,  and  it  was  clear  that  the  village; 
was  deserted.     The  cavalry  and  guns  then  moved  on,  and  filed, 
along  the  narrow  street ;  but  the  Jagers  were  still  kept  in  front,! 
for  the  defile  did  not  end  till  the  village  of  Gurein  was  passed.' 
The  dragoons  then  spread  out  again,  and  went  peeping  in- 
quisitively into  every  hollow,  ferreting  out  the  inhabitants  oti 
the  cottages  to  give  information,  and  stopping  every  peasant 
who  seemed  to  be  in  too  pressing  a  hurry  to  get  away  in  the 
direction  in  which  the  Austrian  cavalry  was  supposed  to  lie. 

The  country  people  asserted  with  one  accord  that  the  Aus 


Chap.  I.]  ADVANCE  TO  BRUNN.  361 

trians  had  retired  through  Briinn  the  night  before  or  early  that 
morning,  and  there  were  no  troops  in  front  of  the  town ;  that 
a  few  dragoons  and  lancers  had  bivouacked  the  previous  even- 
ing just  outside  Briinn,  but  had  passed  through  at  daybreak, 
and  were  already  far  on  the  road  to  Vienna. 

The  road  ran  over  successive  ridges,  each  of  which  would 
have  been  an  advantageous  standing-point  for  the  Austrians 
had  they  meant  to  oppose  the  Prussian  advance  into  the  town. 
As  position  after  position  was  covered  by  the  scouts  without 
finding  the  enemy,  and  as  the  stories  of  the  country  people 
were  always  the  same,  the  staff  began  to  believe  that  the 
Austrian  cavalry  had  really  retired,  and  that  their  troops  would 
seize  the  place  without  opposition.  The  road  from  Tischno- 
witz  strikes  the  high  road  from  Zwittau  to  Briinn  about  six 
miles  before  reaching  the  latter  town,  and  when  this  point  was 
passed  it  seemed  almost  sure  that  the  way  was  clear,  and  that 
the  Austrians  had  drawn  off;  and  here  this  assurance  received 
a  further  confirmation,  for  at  this  point  a  dragoon  came  in 
bringing  with  him  two  travellers,  who  had  in  the  morning  left 
Briinn  for  Zwittau,  and  had  been  stopped  on  their  way  by  the 
foremost  Prussian  patrol.  Glad  to  exchange  their  information 
for  permission  to  proceed  on  their  journey,  they  willingly  told 
that  the  town  was  deserted  by  troops,  and  that  all  the  Austrians 
had  retired  early  in  the  morning. 

But  the  march  was  continued,  notwithstanding  these  reports, 
with  even  greater  precaution;  the  scouts  were  as  alert  as 
before,  and  the  main  body  moved  through  the  corn  land  by 
the  side  of  the  road,  prepared  to  form  line  of  battle.  About 
eight  o'clock  the  leading  troops  ascended  a  gentle  slope, 
from  the  top  of  which  the  capital  of  Moravia  could  be  seen 
lying  four  miles  before  them.  Here  a  halt  was  called,  and  the 
staff-officers  went  forward  a  little  way  to  reconnoitre. 

The  sun  shone  brightly  on  the  spires  of  the  churches  and 
on  the  roofs  of  the  houses,  but  no  swords  or  spear-heads 
glittered  in  its  light ;  and  on  the  fort  of  the  Spielberg,  on  the 
western  side  of  the  town,  no  guns  could  be  seen,  and  no 
sentinels  stood  upon  the  ramparts.  White  flags  of  truce  were 
flying  from  every  steeple  and  from  every  tower,  and,  instead  of 
the  Austrian  colours,  a  white  sheet  waved  from  the  flagstaff  of 


362  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

the  fort.  It  was  evident  that  the  town  had  surrendered.  In 
a  few  minutes  a  deputation  from  the  magistracy  arrived  to 
announce  officially  that  the  town  was  deserted  by  the  Austrian 
troops,  and  praying  that  it  might  not  be  given  up  to  pillage. 
The  Duke  of  Mecklenburg  willingly  promised  that  the  pro- 
pertv  of  the  inhabitants  should  be  secure  to  them,  for  there 
had  been  no  intention  to  allow  plundering. 

Then,  after  an  hour  s  halt,  the  troops  again  advanced,  and 
soon  got  between  two  lines  of  villas  which  stand  outside  the 
town  on  each  side  of  the  road.  The  scouts  came  cantering 
in,  and,  drawing  together  on  the  road,  formed  an  advanced 
guard,  behind  which  the  Duke  of  Mecklenburg  and  his  staff 
rode.  Before  the  actual  town  was  reached,  a  deputation — the 
burgomaster  and  magistrates — were  seen  coming  to  meet  the 
troops  in  cabs  with  white  flags  flying  from  them,  and  each 
with  a  broad  band  of  white  round  his  arm.  As  soon  as  they 
saw  the  staff  they  sprang  out  of  their  carriages,  and,  with  hats 
in  hand,  came  forward  bowing,  with  many  prayers  for  the 
preservation  of  their  city  from  pillage.  They  had  much 
wealth  in  the  city,  and  they  feared  for  their  property. 

The  Prussian  commander  answered  them  courteously,  but 
told  them  that  his  men  had  marched  early  and  had  no  pro- 
visions, and  that,  therefore,  he  should  be  much  obliged  to 
them  to  furnish  dinner  for  8,000  soldiers,  and  forage  for  2,500 
horses.  The  magistrates  started  back  to  the  town  to  procure 
the  rations. 

When  the  deputation  was  dismissed  the  troops  again  ad- 
vanced. The  line  of  spectators  became  thicker  along  the  side 
of  the  road,  crowds  of  inhabitants  along  the  side  of  the  way 
courted  the  smiles  of  the  soldiers,  white  flags  hung  from  every 
window,  and  the  inmates  of  many  houses,  with  a  mockery  of 
enthusiasm,  had  hung  out  green  boughs  and  wreaths  of  leaves 
to  welcome  the  invaders  of  their  country. 

The  dragoons  were  sent  on  in  advance,  and  went  clattering 
through  the  town  to  occupy  the  bridges  on  the  further  side ; 
Jagers  swung  swiftly  forward  to  seize  the  railway  station,  the 
post-office,  and  the  telegraph  bureau ;  and  the  rest  of  the 
infantry  marched  in  with  music  playing,  seized  the  Spielberg, 
and  took  possession  of  the  capital  of  Moravia 


Chap.  L]  ADVANCE   TO  BKUNN.  363 

Prince  Frederick  Charles  came  in  late  in  the  afternoon  at 
the  head  of  General  Manstein's  division.  When  he  reached 
the  Platz  he  halted,  and  drew  on  one  side  to  see  his  men 
march  past  him.  The  soldiers  had  been  on  the  road  since  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  but  the  regiments  marched  as  if  they 
had  not  come  two  miles.  With  steady  tramp  and  all  in  step, 
with  unbroken  ranks  and  battalions  undiminished  by  stragglers, 
they  marched  into  the  town.  Dusty  and  worn  boots  alone 
showed  that  they  had  come  across  Bohemia,  fought  a  great 
battle,  and  had  been  marching  lately  over  twenty-five  miles  a 
day ;  for  they  had  halted  outside  to  brush  their  clothes,  and 
they  came  in  with  cloaks  well  folded,  knapsacks  as  well  put  on, 
and  arms  as  clean,  as  if  they  had  been  in  garrison  at  home. 
The  60th,  a  regiment  renowned  for  its  marching,  well  sustained 
its  reputation;  the  men,  shoulder  to  shoulder,  close  as  if  linked 
together,  moved  forward  like  a  solid  wall,  and  notwithstanding 
their  fatigue,  for  they  had  come  over  thirty  miles,  stepped  in 
such  perfect  cadence  from  front  to  rear  of  the  regiment  that 
only  one  footfall  was  heard  upon  the  pavement.  The  24th, 
tall  men  and  well-built,  came  along  with  heads  well  up  and 
rifles  carried  as  if  they  could  not  know  fatigue,  and  were  quite 
unaware  that  they  bore  a  heavy  knapsack  on  their  shoulders. 
The  other  regiments  also  marched  bravely,  and  their  chief 
looked  that  day  as  proud  of  his  troops  as  when  he  stood 
among  them  victorious  on  the  summit  of  the  Sadowa  hill ; 
and  well  he  might,  for  the  Prussian  army  had  given  proof  of 
an  endurance  of  fatigue  and  of  a  power  of  marching  which 
have  rarely  been  equalled  in  the  annals  of  war;  for  the 
marches  had  not  been  made  by  small  detachments  or  over 
open  ground,  but  by  large  masses,  along  deep  and  heavy 
roads,  encumbered  with  artillery  and  crowded  with  car- 
riages. 

The  head-quarters  of  the  First  Army  halted  at  Briinn  on  the 
13th  July.  The  troops  had  marched  their  shoes  off  their  feet, 
and  no  repairs  could  be  made  during  the  late  rapid  marches  ; 
the  horses  of  the  cavalry  wanted  rest  and  shoeing,  the  sad- 
dlery required  looking  to,  reserves  of  ammunition  had  to  be 
brought  up,  and  it  was  necessary  to  establish  depots  and  hos- 
pitals.    The  advanced  guard  was,  however,  pushing  on  that 


364  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

morning  to  Medritz,  about  six  miles  beyond  the  town,  on  the 
road  to  Vienna.  All  day  long  the  remaining  troops  of  the 
First  Army  were  marching  in.  Regiment  after  regiment,  with 
band  playing  and  drums  beating,  tramped  steadily  along  the 
pavement,  drawing  behind  its  long  line  of  glittering  bayonets 
the  heavy  waggons  which  carry  reserve  cartridges  and  hospital 
stores,  and  always  follow  close  in  rear  of  the  battalions.  The 
townspeople  had  quite  recovered  from  the  panic  caused  by  the 
approach  of  the  Prussians.  All  the  shops  were  open,  the 
manufactories  were  at  work,  the  market-place  was  studded  with 
country  women  who  sat  among  the  piled  arms  or  on  the  poles 
of  the  artillery  carriages,  making  up  nosegays  or  selling  fruit, 
for  which  there  was  a  great  demand  among  the  soldiers.  These, 
for  many  days,  had  tasted  little  but  black  bread  and  commis- 
sariat meat,  carried  straight  to  the  camp  cooking-fire  from  the 
newly-killed  ox;  for,  in  order  to  save  transport,  the  bullocks 
for  food  were  marched  in  rear  of  the  regiments,  and  on  arriving 
at  the  halting-place  were  killed,  to  be  immediately  cooked  and 
eaten.  But  here  the  men  had  good  food,  for  the  magistracy 
was  held  responsible  that  they  should  be  supplied  with  their 
rations. 

Every  hotel,  every  restaurant,  every  cafe,  was  crowded  with 
officers,  who,  having  laid  aside  their  dusty  marching  clothes, 
were  dressed  in  uniforms  as  bright  as  would  be  worn  in 
Berlin ;  but  unshaven  beards,  close-cropped  hair,  and  the 
absence  of  epaulettes,  showed  that  they  were  still  on  a 
campaign. 

Soldiers  with  cleaned  and  pipe-clayed  belt,  well-brushed 
coats,  and  smart  white  trousers,  which  had  been  carried,  by 
some  wonderful  means,  unsullied  in  the  recesses  of  their 
knapsacks,  crowded  the  streets,  filled  the  beershops,  and  drove 
bargains  with  the  proprietors  of  the  tobacco  and  pipe  stalls. 

The  lower  class  of  inhabitants  mixed  freely  among  the  sol- 
diers, and  under  their  guidance  inspected,  half  timidly,  half 
curiously,  the  wonderful  needle-gun  of  which  they  had  heard 
so  much,  and  numbers  of  which,  piled  four  together,  were 
standing  in  long  lines  in  the  market-place. 

Newspapers  containing  Imperial  decrees  dated  from  Vienna 
were   freely  hawked  about  the  street.       One   of  these   told 


Chap.  I.]  ADVANCE    TO  BRUJSTN,  365 

officially  that  Field  Marshal  the  Archduke  Albrecht  had  been 
appointed  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  whole  Austrian  army, 
with  Field  Marshal  von  John  as  his  Chief  of  the  Staff;  and 
another,  that  Austria  was  about  to  open  a  loan  of  200,000,000 
guldens.  Cabs  pushed  about  the  town,  through  the  crowded 
streets,  conveying  impatient  staff  officers,  who  had  to  find 
quarters  for  some  general,  or  billets  for  some  regiment  which 
was  just  arriving — no  easy  task,  for  nearly  the  whole  infantry 
of  the  First  Army  was  in  Briinn,  and  though  the  magistracy, 
anxious  to  please  the  Prussians,  crowded  the  men  upon  the 
householders,  accommodation  was  scarce.  Every  house  had 
twenty  or  twenty-five  soldiers  quartered  upon  it,  but  they  did 
not  give  the  inmates  much  trouble,  for  a  couple  of  rooms  with 
a  few  trusses  of  straw,  and  the  use  of  the  kitchen  fire  to  cook 
their  food,  was  all  they  wanted  ;  and  they  did  not  stay  much 
in  their  billets,  but  wandered  about  the  town  or  sat  in  the 
beerhouses  smoking  with  quiet  enjoyment  the  long  wooden 
pipes  which,  from  want  of  tobacco,  had  been  useless  for  some 
time  past,  but  which  had  seldom  been  forgotten  or  left  behind 
on  the  line  of  march,  while  some  wrote  long  letters  to  their 
friends  at  home,  and  sent  off  to  wives  or  mothers  in  Prussia 
all  that  they  could  save  from  their  small  pay. 

The  King  arrived  that  afternoon,  and  established  his  head- 
quarters in  the  town-hall.  With  him  came  Count  Bismark  and 
the  Minister  of  War.  Few  people  had  collected  to  see  him 
enter  the  town,  and  the  populace  made  no  demonstration  of 
any  kind ;  the  magistrates  received  him  with  politeness,  each 
with  the  white  and  red  badge  of  neutrality  bound  broad  round 
the  left  arm. 

Many  rumours  of  an  armistice  were  flying  about,  for  M. 
Benedetti,  the  French  Ambassador  at  Berlin,  was  there,  and  it 
was  known  that  the  Emperor  of  the  French  was  bringing  his 
influence  to  bear  upon  the  Prussian  Court  in  favour  of  peace. 
Count  Bismark  was  for  some  time  closeted  with  the  Ambas- 
sador in  an  upper  room  of  the  town-hall,  where,  undisturbed 
by  the  hum  which  rose  from  the  crowded  streets,  they  were 
supposed  to  be  discussing  the  conditions  of  an  armistice.  The 
latest  Austrian  newspapers  said  that  the  Kaiser  had  deter- 
mined that  no  attempt  should  be  made  to  defend  the  capital 


366  SEVEN  WEEKS"    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

itself,  for  it  was  thought  better  to  let  the  town  be  occupied 
peaceably  by  an  enemy  than  be  exposed  to  the  possibility  of 
a  bombardment.  But  though  at  this  time  it  might  have  been 
intended  that  the  Austrian  troops  should  abandon  Vienna, 
preparations  were  being  made  to  continue  the  war.  The  army 
from  the  Italian  frontier  was  being  brought  up  towards  the 
Danube,  to  add  120,000  men  to  the  troops  at  present  round 
the  capital. 

While  the  army  halted  here,  reserve  troops  were  being  ad- 
vanced into  Bohemia  to  secure  the  communications  with 
Saxony,  and  to  keep  order  in  rear  of  the  armies,  where  the 
peasantry,  having  possessed  themselves  with  weapons  from  the 
fields  of  battle,  had  begun  to  plunder  convoys  and  to  attack 
small  escorts  or  patrols.  The  first  reserve  corps  occupied 
Bohemia.  Prague  and  Pardubitz  were  garrisoned  in  force, 
and  the  second  reserve  corps  had  been  organized  at  Leipzig  to 
act  against  the  flank  of  the  Bavarians.  General  von  Falcken- 
stein  was  named  Prussian  Commandant  ot  Bohemia,  and 
General  ManteurTel  took  his  place  in  the  command  of  the 
Army  of  the  Maine. 

But  many  considered  that  all  these  precautions  were  useless, 
and  that  the  army  would  never  move  south  of  Briinn. 
The  visit  of  the  French  Ambassador,  quickly  reported  from 
billet  to  billet,  fell  as  a  cold  chill  on  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
troops,  for  they  longed  to  go  to  Vienna,  and  conclude  the 
campaign  by  an  entrance  into  the  capital.  But  they  also 
wished  for  the  end  of  the  war,  and  longed  for  home,  so  they 
hated  the  idea  of  delay,  and  anticipated  with  disgust  an 
armistice,  by  the  conditions  of  which  the  army  might  be  re- 
tained at  Briinn  for  a  considerable  time.  A  flag  of  truce  was 
sent  that  day  to  the  Austrian  advanced  guard,  which  lay 
beyond  Medritz,  and  the  staff  officer  who  went  with  it  carried 
a  letter  to  be  given  to  the  Austrian  Commander-in-Chief.  The 
contents  of  the  letter  were  known  only  in  the  King's  head- 
quarters, but  popular  rumour  did  not  fail  to  assert  that  the  flag 
of  truce  carried  with  it  a  despatch  to  open  negotiations  which 
would  conclude  a  peace. 

The  railway  communication  with  Saxony  was  all  but  restored, 
and  was  actually  opened  on  the  15th. 


Chap.  I.]  ADVANCE   TO  BRUNN.  367 

When  Prague  was  occupied  by  the  Prussian  troops  on  the 
8th,  thirty  locomotive  engines  and  some  thousand  railway 
carriages  were  found  at  the  railway  station,  and  with  this 
supply  of  rolling  stock  the  railway  was  soon  opened  for  mili- 
tary purposes  between  Prague  and  Briinn.  A  broken  bridge 
between  Miinchengratz  and  Jung-Bunzlau  required  several 
days  for  its  repair,  and  still  prevented  communication  with 
Berlin,  but  as  soon  as  this  viaduct  was  restored  the  army  was 
able  to  receive  supplies  by  the  route  of  Tiirnau,  Prague,  and 
Pardubitz.  The  line  was  long,  because  the  shorter  route 
through  Josephstadt  and  Koniggratz  was  closed  by  those  for- 
tresses, and  the  guns  of  Theresienstadt  prevented  the  line 
to  Dresden  from  being  used;  but  communication  by  it  re- 
quired much  less  time  than  by  the  rough  roads  over  which  the 
convoys  had  hitherto  to  travel,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  open 
supplies  arrived  much  more  quickly  than  while  they  were 
carried  for  many  long  miles  over  rough  hill  roads,  along  which 
the  waggons  jolted  slowly  and  painfully. 

The  Army  of  the  Elbe,  after  the  battle  of  Koniggratz, 
formed  the  right  wing  of  the  general  advance  of  the  Prussians 
from  Przelautsch  and  Pardubitz.  It  followed  the  most  direct 
road  southwards,  and  on  the  10th  July  reached  Iglau,  and 
there  crossed  the  boundary  line  between  Bohemia  and  Moravia. 
'Here  it  found  detachments  of  General  Edelsheim's  cavalry  in 
its  front,  but  they  retired  without  making  any  resistance  to  its 
advance.  The  capture  of  the  imperial  manufactory  of  cigars 
at  Iglau  supplied  Herwarth's  soldiers  with  plentiful  rations  of 
tobacco,  the  want  of  which  is  so  much  missed  by  German 
troops.  In  the  neighbourhood  of  Iglau  Herwarth  captured 
ne  hundred  transport  waggons.     He  then  moved  forwards  in 

e  direction  of  Znaym. 


CHAPTER   II. 


TOBITSCHAU. 


When  the  Archduke  Albrecht  assumed  the  command  of  al 
the  Austrian  troops  in  the  field,  he  could  not  retain  Benedek' 
army  in  Olmiitz,  unless  -he  consented  to  sacrifice  Vienna  with 
out  a  blow,  for  it  was  not  strong  enough  to  delay  the  advano 
of  the  Prussians  by  acting  against  their  flank  and  communi 
cations.  He  might  have  determined  to  occupy  the  line  of  th 
March  with  the  Army  of  the  North  and  the  troops  from  Italy 
but  he  had  not  time  to  take  up  a  strong  position  here  befor 
the  Prussians  would  be  upon  him.  The  line  of  this  river  wa 
also  badly  suited  for  a  defensive  position,  as  an  army  lyin 
along  it  would  have  had  a  range  of  mountains,  that  of  th 
Lower  Carpathians,  in  its  rear.  An  occupation  of  the  line  c 
the  YVaag,  with  his  left  wing  supported  on  Komorn,  his  centr 
at  Leopoldstadt,  and  his  Army  of  the  North  posted  along  th 
hills  on  the  left  bank  of  that  river,  which  entirely  comman 
the  plain  on  the  right  bank,  while  his  Army  of  the  South  hel 
the  Danube  near  Vienna,  would  have  afforded  the  Archduk 
many  advantages.  The  Prussians  could  not  have  advance 
against  Vienna  without  exposing  their  flanks  and  commun 
cations  to  the  Army  of  the  North,  nor  could  they  have  movei 
against  this  army  without  placing  themselves  in  unfavourabl 
circumstances.  They  would  have  been  obliged  to  cross  th' 
March  and  the  Lower  Carpathians,  to  fight  a  battle  where  thei 
would  have  had  a  river  and  a  line  of  hills  in  front  of  them,  f^ 
chain  of  mountains  and  a  river  in  their  rear.  It  appear, 
however,  that  the  Archduke  feared  that  the  Prussians,  t 
seizing  the  passes  of  the  Carpathians,  might  have  neutralize 
the  action  of  his  Army  of  the    North,  and  have  pushed  o: 


Chap.  II.]  TOBITSCHAU.  369 

against  the  capital,  for  he  determined  take  up  the  line  of  the 
Danube  from  Krems  to  Pressburg,  with  his  centre  resting  on 
the  fortifications  of  Florisdorf,  in  front  of  Vienna.  Yet  a 
battle  lost  here  would  have  yielded  up  all  Hungary  to  his 
enemy,  and  have  placed  Austria  entirely  at  the  mercy  of 
Prussia.  Benedek  was  ordered  to  send  his  army  from  Olmiitz 
to  Vienna,  and  by  the  14th  July  he  had  despatched  his  third, 
fourth,  and  sixth  corps  by  railway  to  the  capital.  On  the  15th, 
while  more  of  his  troops  were  actually  upon  the  line,  the 
railway  communication  between  Olmiitz  and  Vienna  was  cut 
near  Lundenburg,  by  the  cavalry  of  the  advanced  guard  of 
Prince  Charles,  which  had  been  pushed  forward  from  Briinn.* 
Benedek  could  send  no  more  troops  by  rail ;  he  resolved,  with 
the  first,  second,  and  eighth  corps,  which  still  remained  at 
Olmiitz,  to  march  by  road  to  the  Danube.  One  brigade  of  the 
eighth  corps,  followed  by  a  large  proportion  of  artillery,  moved 

f  by  way  of  Tobitschau  and  Kremser,  on  the  right  bank  of  the 

1::  J  March.     The  main  body,  accompanied  by  Benedek  in  person, 

moved  on  the  left  bank  of  the  March,  by  way  of  Prerau  ;  while 

\  a  garrison  of  twenty-five  thousand  men  was  left  in  Olmiitz. 
This  movement  of  the  Austrian  general  brought  on  the 
iW 


ACTION    OF   TOBITSCHAU. 

The  army  of  the  Crown  Prince,  after  leaving  Pardubitz,  was 
directed,  as  has  been  already  seen,  in  the  direction  of  Olmiitz. 
;•  j  On  the  14th  July,  the  advanced  guard  of  the  first  corps 
d'arme'e  reached  Prossnitz,  about  twelve  miles  to  the  southward 
of  Olmiitz.  This  advanced  guard  consisted  of  General 
Buddenbrock's  brigade,  which  had  been  reinforced  by  some 
additional  artillery,  and  was  accompanied  by  the  first  regiment 
of  hussars.  Near  Prossnitz  some  detachments  of  hostile 
cavalry  made  their  appearance,  advancing  from  Wrahartz. 
.  These  were  Saxon  dragoons,  which,  after  a  slight  skirmish,  the 
Prussian  hussars  drove  back  to  Kralitz  and  Biskupitz,  on  the 
river  Blatta.  On  the  12th  the  Crown  Prince  determined  to 
leave   only   one   corps    to    mask   Olmiitz    and    the   Austrian 

*  See  page  384. 

B  B 


37o  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

entrenched  camp.     With  his  other  corps  he  resolved  to  lean 
towards  his  right,  and  keep  open  his   communications  with 
Prince   Frederick  Charles.     On  this  day  the  Guards  were   at 
Konitz,  the  fifth  corps  at  Plumenau.     Orders  were  issued  that 
on  the  15  th  the  cavalry  reserve  by  way  of  Plin,  and  the  first 
corps  from  Prossnitz,  should  make  an  attack  on  Prerau,  and 
there  cut  the  railway  between  Olmiitz  and  Lundenburg.     Thusi 
on  the  15th,  while  the  main  body  of  the  Crown  Prince's  army 
was  moving  southwards  by  Urtschitz  and  Ottaslawitz,  General 
Malotki's  brigade  of  the  first  corps,  consisting  of  six  battalions 
and  a  4-pounder  battery,  was  at  daybreak  to  march  to  the  east 
of   Plumenau,  to    seize    Tobitschau    and  Traubeck,  thus   toi 
secure    the    passages   over  the    Blatta,   the    March,   and   the] 
Beczwa,  and  to  hold  them  until  General  Hartman's  division  of| 
reserve    cavalry   could    reach    Prerau,    destroy    the    railway 
and    return.      From     Plumenau,    by    way    of    Prossnitz,    to) 
Hrubschitz  is  ten   miles.     Malotki    reached    the    heights    ofj 
Hrubschitz  soon  after  six  o'clock  in  the  morning.     From  this 
position  he  could  see  a  part  of  the  road  from  Olmiitz  to  Tobit- 
schau, and  on  it  a  heavy  Austrian  column  moving  towards  the 
latter  place.     This  was  Rothkirch's  brigade,  in  rear  of  whichj 
Benedek,  either  ignorant  of  the  proximity  of  the  Prussians,  oij 
anxious  to  have  a  strong  force  of  artillery  to  cover  his  lef 
flank,  had  caused  a  considerable  portion  of  his  artillery  train  tcl 
march.*     At  this  time  the  Prussians  were  ignorant  of  whs 
Austrian  force  still  remained  at  Olmiitz,  although  it  was  calcuj 
lated,  as  was  afterwards  proved  correctly,  that  forty  thousancj 
men  could  have  been  moved  to  Vienna  before  the  railway  w£ 
broken. 

The  Austrian  troops  in  front  of  Malotki,  under  Rothkirch\ 
command,  consisted  of  the  25th  Hungarian  regiment,  the  7tl 
Hungarian  regiment,  and  one  Jager  battalion  :  in  all,  sevei 
battalions,  which  were  accompanied  by  a  squadron  of  Uhlan 
and  three  field  batteries. 

*  The  accounts  of  the  object  with  which  Rothkirch's  brigade  moved  alon 
this  road  are  varied.  Some  say  that  he  was  intended  to  occupy  a  positio] 
on  the  rivers  which  unite  near  Tobitschau,  in  order  to  cover  the  march  d 
the  main  body.  Others  that  Benedek  moved  him  along  this  route  ignorar 
that  the  Crown  Prince  was  so  close  at  hand,  and  committed  the  artiller 
train  on  it  because  of  its  being  the  better  road. 


Chap.  II. ]  TOBITSCHAU.  371 


1st 

ioo 

.a 


:i 


Malotki  deployed  his  brigade  on  the  east  of  Hrubschitz  to- 
wards Wiklitzer  Hof  and  Klopotowitz,  with  the  44th  regiment  in 
the  first  line,  the  4th  in  the  second,  and  posted  his  artillery  on 
the  left  flank  of  his  infantry,  just  south  of  Klopotowitz. 

The  Austrian  general  brought  up  twenty-four  guns  to  the 
hills  between  the  Blatta  and  the  March,  and  smote  with  them 
I™      upon  the  Prussian  flank. 

These  guns  were  engaged,  but  at  much  disadvantage,  by  the 
Prussian  battery  which  was  attached  to  Malotki's  brigade. 
After  a  short  time,  however,  General  Hartman's  division  of 
Prussian  cavalry  arrived  on  the  ground,  and  reinforced 
Malotki's  guns  with  two  batteries  of  horse  artillery,  which  took 
up  a  position  more  to  the  north,  and  gradually  advancing  to 
the  Blatta,  in  about  an  hour's  time  succeeded  in  somewhat 
silencing  the  Austrian  pieces. 

Already,  before  the  artillery  on  either  side  had  opened  fire, 
the  44th  regiment,  which  formed  the  first  line  of  Malotki's  in- 
"'""  I  fantry,  began  to  advance.  The  fusilier  battalion  of  this  regiment 
moved  against  Wiklitzer  Hof,  the  second  battalion  on  its  left 
towards  Klopotowitz,  and  the  third  battalion  between  the  two 
others.  Without  coming  into  collision  with  the  enemy,  these 
battalions  gained  the  western  bank  of  the  Blatta.  The  river 
was  so  deep  and  broad  in  consequence  of  the  late  heavy  rain 
that  it  could  only  be  crossed  at  Wiklitzer  Hof,  where  there 
were  two  bridges.  Had  the  enemy  occupied  these  passages, 
the  advance  of  the  brigade  would  have  been  exceedingly 
difficult,  perhaps  prevented  altogether.  The  fusilier  battalion  of 
the  44th,  which  first  passed  the  stream,  came  on  the  further  side 
upon  two  Austrian  companies,  which  had  been  thrown  out  to 
cover  Rothkirch's  right  flank.  These,  on  account  of  some  undu- 
lations in  the  ground,  had  as  yet  seen  nothing  of  the  Prussian 
advance.  They  now  threw  themselves  into  a  small  plantation 
which  lay  on  the  south  of  Tobitschau,  and  a  musketry  fight  com- 
menced between  them  and  the  fusiliers,  during  which  the  first 
and  second  battalions  of  the  44th  deployed  to  the  left  of 
the  fusiliers.  Each  battalion  threw  two  companies  forward  in 
skirmishing  order,  and  retained  its  two  others  as  reserves  in 
close  column  of  companies.  The  4th  regiment,  which  formed 
Malotki's  second  line,  crossed  the  stream  after  the  44th,  with 

b  b  2 


hiird 


372  SEVEN  WEEKS'   WAR.  [Book  IX. 

its  fusilier  battalion  leading.  Two  companies  of  this  battalion 
were  directed  to  occupy  Tobitschau,  seize  the  passage  over  the 
March,  and  to  bear  upon  the  Austrian  left  flank.  The  rest  of 
the  regiment  followed  the  first  line. 

The  main  body  of  the  brigade  then  made  an  attack  against 
the  plantation,  but  was  received  with  such  a  heavy  fire  of 
artillery  and  musketry  that  it  reeled  under  the  iron  storm.  It 
paused  a  few  moments  to  steady  itself,  then,  covered  by 
skirmishers,  sprang  forwards  upon  the  trees.  The  Austrians, 
against  overpowering  numbers,  stood  their  ground  with  won- 
derful determination,  and  it  was  not  till  bayonets  had  been 
crossed,  that  they  quitted  the  cover.  The  Prussians  halted  to 
rally  at  the  further  edge  of  the  wood,  while  the  Austrians  drew 
slowly  back  along  the  road  towards  Olmiitz,  but  lined  the 
ditches  in  the  fields  by  the  wayside  with  sharpshooters. 

All  the  Austrian  battalions  had  meanwhile  formed,  and; 
Rothkirch  advanced  them  for  a  counter-attack,  by  which  he 
hoped  to  recover  the  wood,  and  drive  the  Prussians  again  over! 
the  Blatta.  The  Prussians  awTaited  their  approach  till  theyj 
came  within  one  hundred  yards  of  the  trees.  Then  the  needle 
gun  opened  with  its  deadly  rapidity,  and  with  rapid  and  per- 
petual volleys  broke  down  the  heads  of  the  assailant  columns. 
The  Austrian  battalions  were  crushed  beneath  the  greeting) 
and  in  partial  confusion  drew  back.  The  Prussians  rallied,* 
and  followed  them  as  they  retired  to  some  open  ground  neaij 
the  village  of  Wierowan,  beside  the  road  to  Olmiitz. 

During  the  whole  of  this  combat,  the  Austrian  artillery  hac 
played  upon  the  Prussian  left  flank.  General  Malotki  directed 
two  hundred  of  the  4th  regiment  to  attack  the  guns  in  skirj 
mishing  order.  The  biting  fire  of  the  sharpshooters,  couplec 
with  the  salvoes  of  the  Prussian  batteries  on  the  west  of  the 
Blatta,  forced  the  enemy's  pieces  to  withdraw  to  a  more  con; 
venient  distance,  and  Malotki  could  make  his  preparations  fo: 
a  further  advance. 

In  the  meantime,  Hartman's  cavalry  had  not  been  idle.  A- 
the  same  time  as  Malotki  advanced,  on  his  left  flank  a  Prussiar 
detachment  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Kehler,  who  commander 
the  1  st  Royal  hussars,  was  pushed  forward  from  Prossnitz,  b;1 
way  of  Wrahowitz,  towards  the  village  of  Dub  on  the  March 


Chap.  II.]  T0B1TSCHAU.  373 

This  detachment  consisted  of  the  1st  Royal  hussars,  a  4- 
pounder  battery,  and  one  battalion  of  the  5th  Prussian  regiment 
of  the  Line.  East  of  Wrahowitz,  it  fell  in  with  the  Austrian 
flanking  parties.  As  these  were  apparently  in  much  superior 
force,  it  retired  behind  the  Wallowa,  and  from  the  right  bank 
of  this  stream  its  artillery  opened  a  fire  which  at  least  detained 
some  of  the  Austrian  artillery  accompanying  Rothkirch's  brigade 
in  this  direction. 

On  the  morning  of  the  15th  July,  after  Malotki's  brigade 
had  marched  on  Wiklitzer  Hof,  Hartman's  cavalry  division  of 
three  brigades  took  post  near  and  behind  it,  about  Klopotowitz 
and  Biskupitz.  Hartman's  three  brigades  were,  the  light 
brigade  of  Landwehr  cavalry,  consisting  of  the  2nd  regiment 
of  Landwehr  hussars  and  the  1st  regiment  of  Landwehr 
Uhlans,  a  light  brigade  of  the  Line,  consisting  of  the  2nd 
Royal  hussars  and  the  10th  Uhlans,  and  a  heavy,  or  cuirassier 
brigade,  consisting  of  the  1st  and  5th  regiments  of  cuirassiers. 

As  Malotki  pressed  upon  the  Austrian  brigade,  and  it  began 
to  retire  from  the  direction  of  Tobitschau  towards  Wierowan, 
Hartman,  in  order  to  harass  its  retreat,  formed  the  design  of 
passing  his  cuirassier  brigade,  which  formed  his  extreme  left, 
over  the  Blatta,  and  with  it  acting  against  the  Austrian  right 
flank.  Some  officers  sent  to  reconnoitre  found  that  the  bridge 
over  the  river  near  Biskupitz  was  neither  held  nor  had  been 
destroyed  by  the  enemy. 

When  the  5th  cuirassiers  had  crossed  the  bridge  and  had 
gained  the  further  bank,  it  perceived  the  Austrian  artillery  train 
on  the  road  between  Olmiitz  and  Tobitschau,  which,  on 
account  of  the  action  going  on  near  the  latter  place,  had  been 
halted  north  of  Rakodau,  and  appeared  to  be  without  any 
escort. 

Colonel  Bredow,  who  commanded  the  5  th  cuirassiers,  sought 
permission  from  General  Hartman  to  attack  the  artillery  train. 
This  permission  was  accorded  to  him,  not,  however,  till  the 
Austrian  artillery  had  noticed  the  Prussian  cavalry.  The 
gunners  unlimbered,  and  opened  upon  the  horsemen  with 
shell,  but  at  a  long  range,  for  they  saw  not  the  5th  cuirassiers, 
who  were  on  their  own  side  the  stream,  but  the  1st,  who  were 
still  near  Biskupitz. 


374  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

Bredow,  under  cover  of  some  undulating  ground,  formed  his 
regiment  in  echelon  of  squadrons,  for  the  attack  of  the  guns. 
The  first  squadron  he  kept  towards  his  right  to  cover  the  flank 
of  his  attack  from  any  Austrian  cavalry  which  might  lie  in  that 
direction,  the  second  and  fourth  squadrons  he  directed  full 
against  the  front  of  the  batter}',  and  supported  the  second  with 
the  third  as  a  reserve. 

The  squadrons  moved  forward  in  perfect  lines,  slowly  and 
steadily  at  first,  seeming  to  glide  over  the  field,  gradually 
increasing  their  pace,  regardless  of  the  tremendous  fire  directed 
upon  them,  which  emptied  some  saddles.  When  within  a  few 
hundred  paces  of  the  battery  they  broke  into  a  steady  gallop, 
which  increased  in  rapidity  at  every  stride  that  brought  the 
horses  nearer  to  the  Austrian  line.  All  the  time  of  their 
advance  the  gunners  poured  round  after  round  into  them, 
striving  with  desperate  energy  to  sweep  them  away  before  they 
could  gain  the  mouths  of  the  cannons.  Rapid  flashes  of  flame 
breaking  from  the  mouths  of  the  guns  accompanied  the  dis- 
charge of  the  shells,  which  were  being  blurted  forth  with  a 
nervous  haste  through  the  thick  clouds  of  smoke  that  hung 
heavily  before  the  muzzles.  The  flank  squadrons,  bending  a 
little  away  from  their  comrades,  made  for  either  end  of  the 
line  of  guns,  in  expectation  of  finding  there  some  supporting 
cavalry.  The  two  centre  ones  went  straight  as  an  arrow  against 
the  guns  themselves,  and  hurled  themselves  through  the 
intervals  between  them  upon  the  gunners.  Then  the  firing 
ceased  in  a  moment,  and  the  smoke  began  to  drift  slowly 
away,  but  all  noise  was  not  hushed ;  shrieks  from  men  cut 
down  by  the  broad  blades  of  the  cuirassiers,  cries  for  quarter, 
the  rapid  tramp  of  snorting  and  excited  horses,  the  rattle  of 
steel,  shouts,  cheers,  and  imprecations  from  the  excited  com- 
batants, rose  up  to  heaven  in  a  wild  medley,  along  with  the 
prayers  which  were  being  offered  up  by  another  armed  host  not 
many  miles  distant  at  Briinn,  where  on  this  Sunday  the  army 
of  Prince  Frederick  Charles  was  engaged  in  a  solemn  thanks- 
giving for  their  hitherto  victorious  career.  Eighteen  guns, 
seven  waggons,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  horses,  with 
one  hundred  and  seventy  prisoners,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
Prussian  force — a  noble  prize  to  be  won  by  a  single  regiment 


Chap.  II. ]  TOBITSCHAU.  375 

It  lost  only  twelve  men  and  eight  horses,  for  the  swelling 
ground  and  rapid  motion  of  the  gliding  squadrons  baulked  the 
aim  of  the  gunners,  who  mostly  pointed  their  pieces  too  high, 
and  sent  their  shells  over  the  heads  of  the  charging  horsemen. 
Of  the  eighteen  captured  guns  seventeen  were  conveyed  to 
Prossnitz.     One  was  too  much  disabled  to  be  moved. 

While  the  Prussian  cuirassiers  were  engaged  in  drawing  the 
captured  guns  to  a  safe  place,  a  squadron  of  hostile  cavalry 
deployed  from  Nenakowitz.  Colonel  Bredow  placed  himself 
at  the  head  of  his  first  squadron,  and  charged  to  cover  the 
retreat  of  his  regiment's  spoils.  This  squadron  dashed  with  a 
heavy  surge  upon  the  hostile  ranks.  The  lighter  Austrian 
horsemen,  borne  down  and  scattered  by  their  ponderous  shock, 
broke  in  wild  confusion,  could  not  rally,  and  were  driven  far 
beyond  Nenakowitz. 

The  Austrian  infantry  still  held  Wierowan,  and  was  thus  in 
rear  and  flank  of  the  cuirassiers,  who,  under  the  fire  of  musketry, 
could  not  hold  their  position  on  the  plateau  in  front  of 
the  Blatta,  and  were  obliged  for  a  time  to  retire  towards 
Klopotowitz. 

The  village  of  Wierowan  was,  however,  soon  carried  by  the 
Prussian  infantry,  as  well  as  that  of  Rakodau,  which  lay  behind 
it.  Both  places  were  occupied,  and  one  of  the  Prussian 
batteries  crossing  the  Blatta  opened  upon  the  retreating 
Austrians,  who  drew  off  towards  Dub.  About  mid-day  the 
combat  terminated  at  this  point.  But  while  this  action  had 
been  going  on  northwards  of  Tobitschau,  the  Prussians  had 
reaped  other  successes  in  the  direction  of  Traubeck.  The  two 
fusilier  companies  of  the  4th  regiment,  which  soon  after  the 
commencement  of  the  action  had  been  directed  upon  Tobit- 
schau, at  that  place  fell  in  with  three  Austrian  companies. 
These  they  drove  out  of  the  town,  after  a  short  though  sharp 
engagement,  and  captured  from  them  several  prisoners.  Another 
battalion  and  the  two  remaining  companies  of  their  own 
battalion  were  then  sent  by  Malotki  to  support  the  Prussian 
advance  in  this  direction.  They  advanced  towards  Traubeck, 
and  occupied  that  place  without  any  serious  opposition, 
although  some  stray  detachments  of  the  Austrians  were  in  its 
immediate  vicinity.     Under  the  cover  of  the  garrison  of  Trau- 


376  SEVEN  WEEKS'   WAR.  [Book  IX. 

beck,  a  detachment  of  Hartman's  cavalry  advanced  against 
Prerau.  This  detachment  consisted  of  three  squadrons  of  the 
second  Royal  hussars,  the  regiment  of  Landwehr  hussars,  a 
squadron  of  Polish  Uhlans,  and  a  battery  of  horse  artillery, 
and  was  accompanied  by  a  company  of  fusiliers,  who  were 
quickly  mounted  on  some  waggons  near  at  hand.  Before 
Hartman  could  develop  his  attack  towards  Prerau,  an  Austrian 
column  was  seen  advancing  from  Olmiitz  towards  Dub.  It 
consisted  of  six  battalions,  a  battery,  and  some  squadrons. 
These  had  been  despatched  by  the  commandant  of  the  fortress 
to  support  Rothkirch's  brigade  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Tobit- 
schau.  At  the  same  time  as  these  Austrian  reinforcements 
approached  the  scene  of  action,  Prussian  supports  were  also 
coming  up.  General  von  Bonin,  who  commanded  the  first. 
Prussian  corps  d'armee,  and  had  ordered  Malotki's  advance,  at 
the  commencement  of  the  engagement,  not  knowing  in  what 
strength  the  Austrians  were,  had  sent  his  aides-de-camp  to 
order  the  remaining  brigades  of  his  corps  to  move  on  Tobit- 
schau.  The  commanders  of  these  brigades,  hearing  the 
cannonade,  had  of  their  own  accord  moved  in  the  direction  of 
the  sound,  and  the  advanced  guard,  formed  of  Barnekow's 
brigade,  which  mustered  six  battalions  and  a  battery,  had 
already  reached  Biskupitz  when  the  Austrian  reinforcements 
from  Olmiitz  came  into  sight.  Biskupitz  lies  about  a  mile  to 
the  west  of  Wierowan.  The  rifled  battery  of  Barnekow's 
brigade  immediately  came  into  action,  and  fired  against  the 
right  flank  of  the  Austrian  advance.  At  the  same  time  a 
battery  for  which  Bonin  had  sent  came  up,  and,  joining  the 
battery  Malotki  had  previously  with  him,  took  up  a  position  on 
the  west  of  the  main  road.  The  Austrian  guns  advanced  to 
Dub,  and  there  near  the  church  came  into  action  to  cover  the 
deployment  of  their  infantry.  But  the  quick  handling  of  the 
Prussian  guns  and  the  advance  of  Barnekow  were  too  formid- 
able for  the  sallying  troops,  and  they,  without  engaging  with 
Malotki,  retired  again  to  the  fortress. 

About  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  General  Hartman,  with  ; 
his  detachment  of  cavalry,  approached  Prerau.     He  found  a 
good  ford  through  the  Beczwa  near  Wichowitz,  and  passed  the 
stream  by  means  of  it,  leaving   his  company  of  fusiliers  to 


WB 


Chap.  II.]  TOBITSCHAU.  377 

jsecure  the  passage.  With  his  horsemen  he  passed  on  towards 
pluhonitz  and  Roketnitz.  As  soon  as  he  had  crossed  the 
railway  he  discovered  an  Austrian  battalion  on  the  west  of 
pluhonitz,  and  other  detachments  of  hostile  infantry  could  be 
made  out  partially  concealed  in  the  ripe  corn.  General  Hart- 
man  deployed  his  cavalry.  In  the  first  line  he  placed  the 
Landwehr  hussars  and  the  squadron  of  Uhlans  with  the  battery 
Dn  their  left  flank,  covered  by  the  fourth  squadron  of  Royal 
hussars.  The  second  and  third  squadrons  of  the  latter  regiment 
formed  his  second  line.  As  soon  as  the  battery  had  shaken 
the  detachments  of  Austrian  infantry,  Hartman  attacked  them. 
In  vain  the  Austrians  attempted  to  form  company  squares ;  the 
horsemen  were  too  quick  for  them,  got  among  them  before 
their  formation  was  complete,  and  made  a  large  number  of 
prisoners,  but  however  without  very  severe  loss  to  themselves. 

During  this  attack  a  large  number  of  Austrian  baggage 
waggons  were  hurrying  along  the  road  from  Roketnitz  towards 
Prerau.  Hartman  sent  his  three  leading  squadrons,  under 
Colonel  Glasenapp,  against  the  road  to  cut  off  the  baggage 
trains,  and  sent  away  his  prisoners  with  an  escort  to  Tobitschau. 
The  drivers  of  the  baggage  waggons,  perceiving  the  threatened 

il  attack,  began  to  overturn  the  carts  in  the  ditches  alongside 
the  way.  In  the  meantime  some  Austrian  artillery  had  come 
into  action  on  the  hills  north  of  Roketnitz,  which  told  with 
ffect  on  the  Prussian  troops.  At  the  same  time  five  squadrons 
of  an  Austrian  cuirass  regiment  appeared  on  the  left  flank  of 
the  Prussians,  while  five  squadrons  of  Austrian  hussars  also 

:   dashed  into  the  field  to  protect  Feldzeugmeister  von  Benedek, 
ho  with  his  staff  had  been  mixed  up  with  the  escort  of  the 
baggage  train,  and  had  been  personally  engaged  in  the  melee 
with  the  Prussian  cavalry. 

Colonel  Glasenapp  tried  to  retire,  but  the  Austrian  Haller 
hussars  came  down  upon  him,  and  he  was  forced  to  turn  to 
face  them.  The  attack  on  both  sides  could  only,  on  account 
of  the  standing  corn,  be  made  at  a  trot.  The  hand-to-hand 
combat  which  ensued  endured  for  some  ten  minutes.  Man 
pressed  against  man — horse  against  horse ;  swords  and  revolvers 
were  freely  used,  Glasenapp  himself  went  down,  and  many  of 
his  troopers  beside  him  were  borne  to  earth.     At  last  the  relics 


378  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

of  his  squadrons  shook  themselves  free  from  the  rough  embrace 
of  their  assailants,  and  managed  to  gain  a  retreat.  As  far  as 
possible  in  the  time  they  could  spare  they  broke  the  railway 
and  the  telegraph ;  and  then,  recrossing  the  Beczwa,  took  up  a 
position  on  its  western  bank.  The  Austrian  cavalry  did  not 
pursue.  Benedek,  threatened  on  his  right  flank  by  the  approach 
of  the  Crown  Prince's  army,  pushed  by  forced  marches  towards 
Vienna,  and  Rothkirch's  brigade,  which  had  been  engaged  at 
Tobitschau,  retreated  by  Kohe,  and  followed  him  along  the 
Prerau  road.  When  the  Austrian  general  reached  Hradschin 
he  heard  that  the  railway  at  Lundenburg  had  been  cut  by 
Prince  Frederick  Charles.  He  then  crossed  the  Carpathians, 
and  by  a  flank  march  down  the  valley  of  the  Waag,  gained 
Pressburg  by  way  of  Tyrnau.  Here,  on  the  21st  July,  he 
placed  the  leading  divisions  of  his  army  in  direct  communica- 
tion with  that  of  the  Archduke  Albrecht,  which  was  round 
Vienna. 

On  the  17th  the  army  of  the  Crown  Prince  occupied  Prerau, 
which  by  that  time  was  entirely  deserted  by  the  Austrians 
This  was  the  result  of  the  action  of  Tobitschau,  which  cost  the 
Austrians  about  five  hundred  killed  and  wounded,  five  hundred 
prisoners,  and  seventeen  guns ;  the  Prussians  about  three 
hundred  killed,  wounded,  and  missing. 

The  army  of  the  Crown  Prince,  after  the  action  of  Tobit- 
schau, left  the  fifth  corps  d'arme'e  to  watch  Olmiitz,  and  moved 
in  two  columns  upon  Briinn,  which  place  it  reached  on  the 
19th  July. 


k1 

gedi 

dschi 


Hi 


URTHER  ADVANCE  OF  THE  PRUSSIAN  ARMIES  FROM  BRUNN 
TO  THE  DANUBE. 


CHAPTER    III. 


While  the  Crown  Prince  had  moved  in  the  direction  of 

:  5rerau,  Prince  Frederick  Charles  had  occupied  Briinn  on  the 

2th  July.     Here  the  First  Army  halted  on  the  15th. 

All  the  14th  the  possibilities  and  probabilities  of  an  armistice 

|.nd   of  a  subsequent   peace   were    discussed   warmly  by  the 

en  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  Prussian  army  at  Briinn.     In  every 

estaurant  and  in  every  taproom,  over  bottles  of  champagne  or 

iagons  of  beer,  amid  the  light  blue  smoke  of  cigars  and  the 

lark  clouds  of  strong  tobacco,  there  was  only  this  one  subject 

in  if  conversation.     All  kinds  of  theories  were  broached ;  knots 

f  officers  discussed  it  quietly  in  the  hotels  and  in  their  quarters, 

jrowds  of  soldiers   in  the    streets   stopped    every  orderly  to 

uestion  him  as  to  his  knowledge  of  passing  events,  or  collected 

ound  some  comrade  supposed  to  have  good  information,  to 

tear  him  dilate  upon  the  intentions  of  the  Emperor  of  the 

rench,  or  the  private  views  of  the  Kaiser.     But  those  who 

eally  knew  what  was  to  happen  preserved  a  profound  silence, 

nd  nothing  was  authentically  known  beyond  the  precincts  of 

he  headquarter-house,  and  there  only  to  a  very  few. 

In  the  meantime  the  advanced  guard  was  ordered  to  march 

rward  the   next  morning  as  far  as   Moschau,  twenty  miles 

m  Briinn,  on  the  road  to  Vienna,  and  the  greater  part  of  the 

roops  who  were  at  Briinn  that  night  were  at  the  same  time  to 

nove    in   that   direction.      But   the    King    remained   in   the 

oravian  capital,  and  the  headquarters  of  Prince  Frederick 

arles  also  halted  there  another  day.     The  town  was  still 

onged  by  a  multitude  of  Prussian  soldiers,  who  wandered 


380  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX, 

about  idly,  looking  into  the  shop  windows,  or  trying  to  read 
the  notices  placarded  on  the  walls  in  the  Moravian  dialect. 
Prussian  sentries  were  mounted  on  the  main  guard,  and  looked 
out  of  place  by  the  side  of  the  sentry  boxes  and  door  posts^ 
painted  with  the  black  and  gold  colours  of  Austria.     In  front 
of  the  Rathhaus,  where  the  King  was  lodged,  a  Prussian  guard  :: 
and  numerous  sentries  had  taken  the  place  of  the  civil  watcfy 
who  usually  stand  at  the  gate  of  the  meeting-house   of  the 
Town  Council.     In  front,  in  the  Platz,  artillery  carriages  werej 
closely  parked,  and  were  surrounded  by  the  piled  arms  of  a 
regiment  which,  billeted  in  the  houses  round,  had  here  its  place  $ 
for  assembly.     Thick  crowds  of  the  inhabitants,  with  soldiers 
sprinkled   among   them,  stood   to   listen   to   the   music  of  a; 
regimental   band   which,   standing   between   the   gate    of  the! 
Rathhaus  and  the  guns,  was  playing  Prussian  airs.      Country 
women  with  bright  coloured  handkerchiefs  over  their  heads.;  - 
and   dressed  in    highly  tinted   muslins,  wandered    about   the 
crowd,  selling  from  their  baskets  gingerbread  and  sweetmeats 
to  the   people   and   the  soldiers  equally.      The   theatre  was 
crowded  with  uniforms,  knots  of  officers  were  smoking  at  ever) 
hotel  door,  and  the  whole  town  was  alive  with  a  lazy  activity    t 
except  where  the  closed  railway  station  looked  down  upon  the 
bare  line  and  its  deserted  warehouses.     There  were  sentinels    • 
now  upon  the  Spielberg,  and  Prussian  colours  floated  from  it:: 
flagstaff.  Numbers  of  soldiers  were  leaning  against  the  parapet:* 
talking  with  earnestness,  for  they  were  deep  in  discussion  o 
the  probabilities  of  peace,  and  questioned  every  one  who  cam<i 
into  the  fort  as  to  the  latest  news,  half  afraid  to  hear  that  ai 
armistice  was  already  concluded,  and  that  they  would  neve 
see  the  capital  of  Austria.     Nor  were  the  privates  alone  ill 
pleased  with  the  prospect  of  so  speedy  a  peace ;  the  officer 
wished  for  the  glory  of  marching  into  Vienna,  and  of  endmj 
the  campaign  by  the  occupation  of  the  enemy's  capital ;  higJ 
and  low  seemed  to  think  that  this  would  only  be  the  jus- 
reward  of  their  hard  work ;  and  while  the  younger  ones  onl 
looked  forward  to  the  excitement  of  entering  a  large  town,  ani 
hoped  for  a  little  more  fighting  and  higher  promotion,  thos 
who  had  planned  and  carried  out  the  strategy  of  the  campaig 
regarded,  the  visit  of  M.  Benedetti  to  head-quarters  much  in  th 


Ihap.  III.]        ADVANCE   TO    THE  DANUBE.  381 


ame  light  as  that  in  which  a  skilful  chess-player  about  to 
heck-mate  his  adversary's  king  would  view  the  intrusion  of  an 
>fficious  stranger,  who  suddenly  stopped  the  game  by  sweeping 
:;   he  men  off  the  board  and  putting  them  into  his  pocket. 

The  order  for  the  march  of  the  troops  on  the  following 
2  norning  gave  rise  to  hopes  that  a  further  advance  was  actually 
:    iecided  upon. 

By  the  evening  of  the  14th  it  was  known  that  the  negotia- 
ions  for  an  armistice  had  failed.     The  Prussians  sent  to  the 
Vustrians    the  conditions    on  which   they  would  agree  to  a 
;essation  of  hostilities,  and  at  the  same  time  stated  that  no 
ilteration  in  the  terms  would  be  permitted.      One  of  these 
:    ;onditions  was  that  the  Prussian  army  should  occupy  the  line 
; :   5f  the  Thaya,  and  consequently  have  possession  of  the  railway 
station  at  Lundenburg.     The  Austrians  sent  back  a  proposal 
:    that  an  armistice  should  be  granted  for  three  days,  and  during 
:  this  time  that  the  Prussian  army  should  remain  in  its  actual 
position.      As  the  acceptance   of  this   proposal   would   have 
allowed  time  for  the  Austrian  army  at  Olmiitz  to  be  withdrawn 
;  to  the  neighbourhood  of  Vienna,  and  to  be  placed  across  the 
i  line  of  march  of  the  Prussians  towards  the  capital,  it  seemed 
clear  that  the  intention  of  the  Austrians  was  not  to  conclude 
;:    peace,  but  only  to  gain  time  for  the  concentration  of  their 
■    troops.     Negotiations  were  in  consequence  broken  off,  and  the 
march  southward  was  ordered  to  be  continued. 
All  was  again  activity  and  excitement  in  the  Prussian  army ; 
:    the  whole  of  the  troops  who  were  at  Briinn  on  the  14th,  with 
the  exception  of  one  division,  marched  out  on  the  morning  of 
the  15th,  and  pushed  forwards  towards  Thaya.     The  men,  re- 
freshed by  their  halt,  equipped  anew  with  supplies  of  the  articles 
which  had  been  worn  out  or  lost  during  the  late  marches  and 
actions,  went  forth  in  high  spirits,  for  they  thought  that  now 
they  were  certain  to  reach  Vienna.     They  had  no  doubt  of  the 

I  result  of  a  battle,  if  one  should  have  to  be  fought  on  the  way  to 
the  Austrian  capital,  and  their  fears  that  peace  might  be  con- 
cluded had  been  allayed  by  the  news  of  the  failure  of  the  nego- 
tiations; for  it  was  known  early  on  the  15  th,  that  the  armistice 
had  not  been  agreed  to,  and  the  intelligence  spread  quickly 
from  company  to  company,  and  from  regiment  to  regiment. 


3S2  SEVEN  WEEKS"    WAR.  [Book  IX.  J 

General  von  Moltke  retired  to  his  quarters,  and  was  closeted  1 
with  his  maps,  making  new  plans  for  the  further  progress  of  thef 
campaign,  and  for  the  occupation  of  Vienna.  This  skilfulj 
strategist,  who  had  been  the  chief  director  of  the  movements! 
by  which  the  three  Prussian  armies,  starting  from  different] 
points,  were  collected  at  the  necessary  hour  on  the  field  ofj 
Koniggratz,  never,  except  at  that  battle,  appeared  in  the  front] 
of  the  armies.  Some  distance  in  the  rear,  sitting  calmly  at  hisl 
desk,  he  traced  on  the  map  the  course  of  his  troops,  and,  byl 
means  of  the  field  telegraph,  flashed  his  orders  to  the  different] 
generals  in  more  immediate  command,  with  such  skill  and  fore-] 
sight  that  not  a  movement  failed,  and  every  combination  wasl 
made  at  exactly  the  right  moment.  A  quick,  light-blue  eye,  aj 
high  forehead,  and  a  well-set  figure,  mark  him  an  intellectual] 
and  energetic  man,  but  though  quick  in  action  he  is  so  prudent! 
in  discourse  and  so  guarded  in  his  speech,  that  from  this  quality 
and  his  wide  knowledge  of  European  languages  he  is  known  in  - 
the  Pnissian  army  as  the  man  who  is  silent  in  seven  tongues. 
Careful  and  laborious,  he  worked  out  with  his  own  hand,  and 
himself  calculated,  almost  every  detail  of  the  operations  in 
which  he  took  Europe  by  surprise  from  the  lightning  rapidity 
of  his  strokes  and  the  tremendous  consequences  of  his  disposi- 
tions, before  which  the  Austrian  army  withered  away  almost 
before  it  was  gathered  together,  and  which  have  won  for  him 
from  his  countrymen  the  title  of  the  first  strategist  in  Europe. 

But  though  General  von  .Moltke  in  so  short  a  time  deservedly 
obtained  such  a  high  reputation  in  Prussia,  the   soldiers  and    ■ 
officers  of  the  two  armies    thought  almost  as  highly  of  the 
Princes  who  have  carried  out  so  ably  the  plans  which  were 
formed   by  the  Chief  of  the  Royal  Staff.     Prince  Frederick*) 
Charles,  with  all  the  dash  and  fire  of  a  cavalry  officer,  can 
equally  well  lead  his  squadrons  to  pursue  the  broken  enemy,  1 
and  direct  with  patience  his  infantry  and  artillery  in  an  attac 
against  a  firm  and  steady  line ;  but  his  qualities  as  a  general  do 
not  shine  out  more  in  the  exciting  duties  of  the  battle-field  the 
they  do  in  the    more  tedious   and   laborious    work   which  is  I 
necessary  for  the  comfort  of  his  soldiers  in  quarters  or  on  the 
line  of  march.     He  has  a  singular  power  of  making  his  troops  I 
care  little  for  fatigue  and  hardship ;   on  the  line  of  march  he  is 


EaTOf 

sew 


Chap.  III.]        ADVANCE  TO   THE  DANUBE.  383 


always  with  them,  and  often,  from  his  knowledge  of  how  to  deal 
with  his  men,  can,  by  a  few  happy  words,  close  np  the  strag- 
gling ranks  of  a  weary  battalion,  and  send  the  men  forward 
cheering  loudly.     In  the  bivouac,  often  in  person,  he  inspected 

k  the  rations  and  heard  the  applications  of  the  men  for  favours  or 
indulgences,  and  few  applied  in  vain  to  their  Commander-in- 
ichief.  He  had  both  the  confidence  and  love  of  his  troops,  who 
regarded  him  as  a  skilful  leader  and  a  powerful  friend. 

The  Crown  Prince,  by  a  series  of  victories  in  three  succes- 
sive days,  established  his  title  to  be  considered  a  general.  In 
the  Second  Army  he  was  looked  upon  with  the  same  affection 
and  confidence  as  Prince  Frederick  Charles  is  in  the  First.  By 
the  men  of  Silesia  he  was  particularly  beloved ;  for  he,  as  a 
colonel,  commanded  a  regiment  at  Breslau,  and  became  well 

.   known  then  to  the  whole  province.     Careless  of  trouble,  ever 
anxious  for  the  welfare  of  his  troops,  he  visited,  personally, 
'llets  and  hospitals,  and  took  the  most  kindly  interest  in  every 

..  individual  soldier.  But  in  the  hour  of  need  he  did  not  spare  his 
troops,  for  his  affection  for  them  sprang  from  a  sense  of  duty 
and  from  no  mere  desire  of  popularity.  The  march  from 
Miletin  to  Koniggratz,  and  the  attack  on  the  Austrian  right  in 
that  battle  which  crushed  Marshal  Benedek's  army  and  shook 
the  Austrian  dynasty,  say  more  for  his  energy  in  action  than 
could  be  written  in  any  words. 

With  such  leaders  and  so  well  led,  with  a  better  arm  than 
their  enemies,  with  every  mechanical  contrivance  which  modern 
iscience  could  suggest  adapted  to  aid  the  operations  of  the  army, 

.  it  is  little  wonder  that  the  stout-hearted  and  long-enduring 
"russian  soldiers  proved  victorious  on  every  occasion  on  which 
they  went  into  action. 

The  head-quarters  of  the  First  Army  were  ordered  to  move 
forward  on  the  16th,  to  Pawlowitz,  a  small  village  twenty-five 
miles  from  Briinn.  The  advanced  guard,  on  the  15th,  moved 
upon  Moschau ;  the  whole  of  the  army,  except  one  division, 
which  stayed  another  day  here  to  guard  the  King's  head- 
quarters, marched  to  the  vicinity  of  Medritz,  and  the  campaign 
already  recommenced  with  energy. 

M.  Benedetti,  unsuccessful  in  his  attempt  to  procure  an 
armistice  through  the  mediation  of  France,  left  the  Prussian 


384  SEVEN  WEEKS'   WAR.  [Book  IX. 

head-quarters  on  the  afternoon  of  the  15th.  He  was  accom- 
panied by  Count  Cohered o,  an  Austrian  officer,  who  had  come 
in  with  a  flag  of  truce,  and  a  Prussian  staff-officer  went  with  him 
to  take  him  through  the  outposts,  for  he  went  to  Vienna. 

The  Prussians  had  now  quite  got  their  blood  up;  in  the  army  it 
was  regarded  as  an  established  fact  that  the  conditions  proposed 
by  Austria  for  an  armistice  were  intended  only  to  gain  time  to! 
move  the  army  of  Feldzeugmeister  Benedek  from  Olmiitz  to 
the  south,  and  their  national  feelings  were  wounded  by  the  idea 
that  the  Austrians  should  imagine  that  they  could  be  so  easily 
duped.   On  the  afternoon  of  the  15th,  the  patrols  of  the  cavalry 
of  the  Prussian  advanced  guard  pushed  forward  as  far  as  the 
railway  station  of  Goding,  which  lies  on  the  line  that  leads  from  r 
Olmiitz  to  Lundenburg.     When  the  leading  horsemen  came  in 
sight  of  the  railway  they  could  distinguish  two  trains,  one  close 
behind  the  other,  with  engines  puffing  and   snorting  violently, 
as  if  drawing  a  heavy  load,  steaming  slowly  in  the  direction  : 
of  Lundenburg.     There  could  be  little   doubt  that  in  the: 
trains  were  portions  of  the  Austrian  army  from  Olmiitz,  which1 
were  on  the  way  to  Vienna.    To  prevent  any  more  troops  fromj1" 
being  taken  south  by  this  line,  it  was  immediately  resolved  tol 
break  up  the  line.     Some  troopers  dismounted,  a  few  pickaxes* 
spades,  and  axes  were  found  in  the  neighbouring  cottages,  anw 
the  men   on  foot  quickly  set  to  work,  while  the  others   held* 
their  horses.     There  was  no  Austrian  cavalry  to  guard  the  line*  • 
no  infantry  picket  in  the  station-house,  and  the  demolition  olg- 
the  line  by  which  alone  General  Benedek  could  hope  to  reunite 
his  army  to  protect  the  capital  of  the  empire  began  without  an; 
opposition.    Blows  fell  heavily  on  the  rails  and  on  the  sleepers. 
the  rails  were  wrenched  out  of  their  places,  thrown  upon  om 
side,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  line  was  useless  for  railwa) 
traffic.     The  work  was  hardly  completed  when  another  trair 
came  in  sight,  but  before  it  came  up  to  where  the  rails  wen  j 
taken  away  the  engine-driver  saw  the  Prussian  cavalry,  reversec 
his  engine,  and  the  train  drew  up  short,  and  after  a  moment's 
pause  began  to  back  slowly  in  the   direction  from  which 
came. 

The  great  problem  now  for  the  Prussian  staff  was  to  discovei 
how  much  of  their  northern  army  the  Austrians  had  been  abk 


Chap.  III. J        ADVANCE   TO    THE  DANUBE.  385 

to  move  to  Vienna,  and  how  many  troops  were  still  in  the  camp 
before  Olmiitz.  From  the  experience  of  this  war  many  facts 
have  been  ascertained  relative  to  the  railway  transport  of  troops 
which  were  now  useful  in  assisting  this  calculation.  When  the 
Prussians  were  concentrating  their  army  for  the  invasion  of 
Saxony  they  found  that  it  required  100  trains  to  move  a  corps 
d'armee  of  30,000  combatants  with  all  its  train  and  baggage, 
.and  that  it  was  rarely  possible  to  despatch  more  than  twelve 
I  trains  a  day — so  that  it  required  nearly  ten  days  for  the  move- 
ment of  a  corps.  The  Austrians,  during  the  concentration  of 
their  army,  despatched  fifteen  trains  a  day ;  but  at  that  time 
they  are  supposed  to  have  moved  with  baggage  and  train  com- 
plete. On  such  a  pressing  occasion  as  the  present,  they  pro- 
Ibably  might  let  the  troops  move  with  almost  no  baggage  and 
(little  train,  and  might  have  managed  to  despatch  twenty  trains 
per  day,  for  they  had  most  of  the  rolling  stock  which  used  to 
(run  upon  the  line  between  Vienna  and  Tiirnau  by  Josephstadt, 
land  on  this  calculation  40,000  men  could  be  moved  in  about 
px  days.  This  calculation  was  subsequently  found  to  be 
correct. 

[  Another  fact  concerning  railway  transport  dictated  by  com- 
jpon  sense  has  been  fully  confirmed  by  the  experience  of  the 
German  war.  Railways  in  an  enemy's  country  have  been  proved 
..  :o  be  of  no  use  for  the  transport  of  the  troops  of  the  invader 
iuring  his  advance  ;  the  army  acting  on  the  defensive  always 
Dreaks  them  up,  and  they  cannot  be  repaired  quickly  enough 
:o  allow  of  troops  being  moved  by  them.  But  for  the  carriage 
:  )f  provisions  and  stores  they  are  invaluable.*  The  more 
niickly  an  advancing  army  can  lay  down  the  rails  the  more 
niickly  can  it  move  forward,  and  the  more  free  are  its  motions, 
or  the  line  of  railway  is  the  great  artery  which  leading  from  the 
eart  supplies  the  extremities  of  the  army  with  means  of  life  and 
.ction.  In  laying  down  the  broken  lines  the  band  of  workmen 
vho  accompany  the  Prussian  army  were  singularly  rapid  and 
uccessful,  but  quick  as  they  were  they  were  not  yet  quick 
•nought,  for  the  army  transport  was  conducted  by  road  for 
ome  days,  even  after  Prague  was  occupied,  and  no  enemy  on 

*  This  has  been  amply  verified  by  the  late  campaign  in  France. 
*  c  c 


3S6  SEVEN   WEEKS'   WAR.  [Book  IX. 

the  line  stopped  the  passage  of  convoys.  A  broken  bridge,, 
even  though  the  breach  was  but  only  a  few  yards  wide,  caused 
a  dead  stoppage  in  the  locomotion,  and  the  time  required  to 
shift  stores  from  a  train  on  one  side  of  the  impediment  to  that 
on  the  other  was  very  great.  An  engineer  who  would  find 
means  of  constructing  rapidly  field  bridges  which  would  bear 
the  weight  of  a  railway  train,  would  cause  an  advance  in  the 
art  of  war.  The  road  transport  of  the  Prussian  army  was  very 
well  organized,  but  long  distances,  rapid  marches,  hilly  roads,. 
and  accidents,  were  too  much  in  some  cases  for  even  its  powers. 
With  each  army  corps  there  were  five  provision  columns,  in 
every  column  there  were  thirty-two  waggons,  each  drawn  by  five  j 
horses,  some  spare  horses  being  also  supplied  to  the  column  to 
replace  animals  which  may  fall  lame  or  get  galled  by  the  saddle 
or  collar.  These  five  columns  were  under  the  control  of  the 
Intendantur,  and  were  never  used  for  any  other  purpose  than 
the  supply  of  food  for  the  soldiers ;  the  forage  for  the  horses 
was  carried  in  waggons  hired  in  the  country  where  the  war  was 
being  carried  on,  which  were  also  placed  under  the  control  of 
the  Commissariat. 

Stores  of  clothing  and  arms  were  carried  as  much  as  possible 
by  railway,  and  were  brought  to  the  army  from  the  nearest 
practicable  railway  station  by  trains  of  waggons,  which  were 
also  under  the  control  of  the  Intendant-General ;  but  each  bat- 
talion carried  with  it,  besides  a  medicine  cart,  a  waggon  for 
spare  ammunition,  and  an  officers'  baggage  waggon,  a  waggon 
which  held  materials  for  the  repair  of  clothes  and  shoes,  and 
which  were  thus  always  present  with  the  troops,  so  that  the  old 
proverb  that  "a  stitch  in  time  saves  nine"  might  be,  as  far  as 
possible,  acted  upon. 

For  the  transport  of  ammunition  the  commanding  officer  oJ 
artillery  was  entirely  responsible;  and  it  was  conducted  by 
means  of  trains  of  waggons,  which  were  under  his  sole  control. 
There  were  nine  ammunition  trains  with  each  corps  d'armee. 
Each  train  consisted  of  thirty-three  waggons,  and  was  individuallj 
organized  so  as  to  carry  ammunition  for  infantry,  cavalry 
4-pounder,  6-pounder,  and  12-pounder  guns. 

A  long,  hot  march,  over  a  road  covered  deep  with  dust 
which  rose  in  thick  stifling  clouds  from  under  the  horses'  feet 


3hap.  III.]        ADVANCE    TO   THE  DANUBE.  3S7 

md  deposited  gritty  particles  in  every  pore  of  the  skin,  brought 
:he  head-quarters  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles  to  Pawlowitz, 
-vhich  is  about  six  miles  south-west  of  the  town  of  Auspitz,  and 
ibout  twelve  north-east  of  the  railway  junction  at  Lundenburg. 
This  day  the  army  entered  a  country  where  the  low,  rounded 
hills  were  covered  with  vineyards,  and  from  which,  as  a  con  se- 
ntence, trees  had  almost  disappeared.  Down  by  the  courses 
)f  the  streams  there  were  a  few  pollard  willows  dotted  along 
he  narrow  belts  of  sward  which  fringed  the  banks,  and  some 


-• 


lumps  of  fir-trees  could  be  made  out,  stuck  like  black  patches 


.gainst  the  blue  sides  of  the  Pollauer-Gebirge,  which  stands  up 
ligh  above  the  surrounding  country ;  but  everywhere  else 
tothing  could  be   seen   except,   on  the  lower   ground   nearer 

•  he  water-courses,  long  stretches  of  unbroken  corn-land,  backed 
m  either  side  by  the  undulating  mounds  rather  than  hills  on 
vhich  the  vines  twined  round  their  poles,  planted  in  straight 
nes  with  a  monotonous  regularity.  The  aspect  of  the  little 
wn  showed  its  proximity  to  the  Hungarian  frontier.  The 
len,  dressed  in  white  trousers  gathered  tight  in  below  the 
nees,  and  contained  by  a  long  black  boot,  with  their  black 
ickets  trimmed  with  a  bright  edging  and  braided  almost  like  a 

...  ussar's  pelisse,  and  with  their  low  broad-brimmed  black  hat, 
3und  which  a  red  riband  was  bound  with  the  ends  hanging 
own,  looked  rather  like  stage  peasants,  and  had  little  resem- 
lance  to  the  heavy  bloused  vine-dressers  that  are  seen  on  the 
i  anks  of  the  Rhine.  The  women,  with  their  short  bright- 
oloured  skirts,  white  bodices,  and  handkerchiefs  for  the  head, 
pt  up  the  theatrical  appearance  of  the  population.  The 
ouses  were  low  and  small,  and  not  nearly  so  large  as  the 
.able   which,    without  exception,  was    an    adjunct    to    every 


tthe 


On  the  night  of  the  16th  the  First  Army  had  its  advanced 
jard  at  Lundenburg,  and  the  Duke  of  Mecklenburg,  who 
nnmanded  it,  threw  some  detachments  across  the  Thaya  by 
eans  of  a  pontoon  bridge,  for  the  Austrians  had  destroyed  all 
ie  bridges  which  led  across  the  river.  General  Manstein  also 
.rew  a  pontoon  bridge  near  Wisternitz,  and  led  the  sixth  divi- 
on  across  at  that  point,  and  two  other  divisions  crossed  the 
ream  a  little  higher  up.     The  cavalry  was  at  Feldsburg ;    and 


:.. 


388  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

the  eighth  division  was  atGoding,  on  the  line  to  Olmiitz.     The 
rest  of  the  army  was  round  Pawlowitz. 

On  the  15th  July,  the  same  day  that  Prince  Frederick 
Charles  pushed  forward  his  troops  from  Brimn  and  with  his 
advanced  guard  cut  the  railway  from  Olmiitz  to  Vienna,  near 
Lundenburg,  and  that  the  Crown  Prince's  cavalry  after  the 
action  oc  Tobitschau  cut  the  same  railway  near  Prerau,  Heft 
warth,  with  the  Army  of  the  Elbe,  occupied  Znaym,  and  secured 
there  the  passage  of  the  Thaya,  the  boundary  between  Moravia 
and  the  Crown  lands  of  Austria. 

On  the  1 6th,  Herwarth  was  to  have  pushed  his  left  wing 
down  the  Thaya,  to  assist  in  cutting  the  railway.     As  its  ad-j 
vanced  guard  approached  the  road  from  Nikolsburg  to  Vienna.! 
it   received  intelligence   that    Prince    Frederick    Charles    had: 
already  secured  the  railway,  and  that  Man  stein's  division  oa 
his  army  was  moving   along   that  road.      Herwarth,   on   th(' 
receipt  of  this  intelligence,  drew  his  left  back  to  the  ZnayrrS 
road,  and  pursued  his  way  along  it  towards  the  Danube.     Aj 
Jetzelsdorf  the  advanced  guard  of  Herwarth's  centre,  whiclj 
had  been  pushed   along  this  road,  fell  in  with  the  Austria^ 
cavalry   of  Wallis's   brigade.      A  slight   skirmish    took   place: 
between  Wallis's  horsemen  and  the  first  Prussian  light  cavalrj 
division,  after  which  Wallis  drew  his  troops  off,  and  the  Prus] 
sians  occupied  Hollabrun,  thirty  miles  south  of  Vienna.  EtzeF, 
division  was  at   the  same  time  directed  in  a  south-wester! 
direction   on  Krems,  where  the  Austrians,   on   its    approach 
blew  up  the  bridge  over  the  Danube.     On  the  20th  July,  Hei 
warth's    outposts  were   pushed  forward   to    Stockerau,   withii 
fifteen  miles  of  Vienna.     From  the  hills  near  Weikersdorf,  th 
advanced  guard  first  saw  the  Imperial  city,  which  could  be  di 
tinguished  easily  from  afar  off  by  the  tall  spire  of  the  Cathedra 
of  St.  Stephen,  and  the  tower  of  the   Castle  of  Schonbrunr 
glittering  in  the    sloping    rays  of  the    evening  sun.      In   th 
foreground,    on   the    Marchfeld,    lay   the    famous   villages    ( 
Wagram,  Aspern,  and  Eszling,  in   the  midst  of  rich  corn-Ian 
and  fields  of  bright  poppies,  which  from  the  distance  looke 
like  pieces    of  dazzling  mosaic  let  into  a  golden  pavemen 
fringed  by  the  silver  band  of  the  Danube  studded  with  emeral 
islets.     Near  the  stream  were  the  swelling  undulations  of  th 


C 


:hap.  III.]        ADVANCE   TO   THE  DANUBE.  389 

3isamberg,  and  beyond  the  river  were  seen  the  purple  high- 
ands  of  Austria,  with  the  heavy  masses  of  the  Wiener  Wald, 
vhile  the  dark  blue  Carpathians  bounded  the  prospect  towards 
Hungary.  Such  a  view  was  a  fitting  reward  for  Koniggratz.  No 
Russian  army,  not  even  that  of  the  Great  Frederick,  had  ever 
azed  upon  the  same. 

Late  on  the  night  of  the  16th,  it  was  ascertained  that  the 
Austrians  had  sent  forty  trains  from  Olmiitz  to  the  neighbour- 
ood  of  Vienna  before  the  railroad  between  those  towns  was 
iroken  up  by  the  Prussian  cavalry  on  the  15  th.  The  last  six 
rains  were  known  to  have  been  filled  with  Saxon  troops.  It 
'as  tolerably  certain  that  all  the  trains  contained  infantry  only, 
nd  that  the  proper  complement  of  cavalry  and  artillery  to 
ccompany  these  foot  soldiers  had  in  all  probability  marched 

road.  This  being  the  case,  every  train  was  estimated  to 
ave  carried  1,000  men,  so  that  the  Austrian  army  round 
ienna  had  been  reinforced  by  34,000  Austrian  and  6,000 
axon  infantry,  and  very  likely  also  by  some  cavalry  and 
rtillery. 

Under  these  circumstances  the  head-quarters  of  the  First 
Lrmy  were  on  the  morning  of  the  17  th  moved  forward  to  the 
nportant  railway  junction  of  Lundenburg;  the  cavalry  was 
stained  for  the  morning  at  Feldsberg ;  the  Army  of  the  Elbe 
nd  some  portions  of  the  First  Army  were  on  the  right  flank, 
nd  the  advanced  guard  was  pushed  forward  a  short  distance 
1  the  road  to  Vienna.  But  at  the  same  time  the  eighth 
vision,  which  had  been  detached  to  the  left  bank  of  the 
larch,  marched  by  way  of  Coding,  and  occupied  Holitsch. 
rom  that  point  this  detachment  was  held  able  either  to 
ombine  with  the  rest  of  the  army  in  a  movement  upon 
ienna,  or  to  be  pushed  forward  further  into  Hungary  as  an 
dvanced  portion  of  the  First  Army ;  for  the  previous  night  in- 
wmation  was  received  by  Prince  Frederick  Charles  which 
lowed  that  the  Austrians  had  been  moving  troops  from  the 
Duntry  round  Vienna  towards  Pesth,  and  it  was  possible  that 
ie  regiments  taken  from  Olmiitz  might  have  been  also  sent 
lto  Hungary  by  Preszburg,  in  order  there  to  concentrate  an 
rmy  for  future  operations.       If  the   Austrians  had  concen- 

ated  in  Hungary,  it  is  probable  that  Prince  Frederick  Charles 


ko 


390  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

would  have  been  sent  across  the  Carpathians  to  act  against 
them  there. 

The  17th  was  a  fearfully  hot,  burning  summer  day,  not  a  bit 
of  shade  was  to  be  found  on  the  road  by  which  the  army 
marched,  except  where  sometimes  the  way  ran  close  by  the 
side  of  the  Thaya,  and  a  few  pollard  willows  which  fringed 
the  edges  afforded  a  Moment's  relief  from  the  scorching  rays  of 
the  sun,  but  not  from  the  dust  which  rose  in  a  thick,  heavy 
cloud  from  the  soft  deep  powder  on  the  road  ever}-  time  a  man 
stepped  on  it,  or  a  horse,  restive  from  the  attacks  of  innu- 
merable flies,  stamped  savagely  upon  the  ground.  The  bright, 
thick  groves  of  poplars,  intermingled  with  oak,  springing  from 
beautifully  soft  and  velvety  turf  which  fringed  the  further  bank 
of  the  river,  tantalized  the  troops  by  their  proximity. 

At  Lundenburg  the  midday  sun  was  pouring  down  on  the 
wide,  unpaved,  dusty  streets,  and  glaring  while  houses.  Von 
Tiimpling's  division  lay  here  that  day,  and  the  soldiers  wandered 
about  slowly,  seeking  for  anything  to  drink,  or  for  shade  from 
the  rays  of  the  sun.  Every  house  was  a  billet,  and  the  atmos- 
phere of  the  close,  small  rooms  was  stifling,  while  the  sun 
poured  hotly  in  through  the  small  windows,  and  made  the 
insides  of  the  houses  almost  as  hot  and  more  disagreeable  than 
the  open.  Several  of  the  houses  had  no  roofs,  the  thatch  bore 
signs  of  having  been  recently  torn  off,  and  was  thrown  away  to 
some  distance  ;  the  bare  timbers  stood  out  against  the  cloud 
less  sky,  and  some  rough,  rugged  openings  made  in  the  walls, 
which  looked  as  if  an  unskilful  mason  had  been  trying  t 
break  down  the  walls,  were  in  reality  loop-holes  ;  for  in  thi 
evening  of  the  15th  the  Austrians  held  Lundenburg,  and  meani 
to  fight  to  keep  it. 

Here  that  day  were  collected  Mondel's  infantry  brigade 
consisting  of  the  12th  battalion  of  Jagers,  the  10th  regiment  0 
foot  (Mazuchelli's),  and  the  24th  regiment  of  foot  (Duke  0 
Parma's),  with  some  artillery  and  some  of  the  cavalry  0 
General  Edelsheim's  division.  They  had  orders  to  hold  th 
town  to  the  last  extremity,  and  they  began  to  make  some  0". 
the  houses  into  temporary  fortresses.  The  inhabitants,  afraic 
of  coming  involuntarily  under  fire,  mostly  fled,  and  left  thei 
town,  expecting  never  to  return  and  see  its  houses  standing 


Chap.  III.]        ADVANCE    TO    THE  DANUBE.  391 

but  before  the  preparations  for  defence  were  concluded  the 
Prussian  cavalry  had  broken  up  the  line  at  Goding,  and  the 
railway  junction  of  Lundenburg  had  lost  its  military  value. 
[Before,  however,  the  Austrians  evacuated  the  town,  Lieutenant 
von  Radowitz,  who  had  been  sent  by  Prince  Frederick  Charles 
to  take  M.  Benedetti,  the  French  Ambassador,  as  far  as  the 
Austrian  outposts,  arrived  with  the  Minister  at  Lundenburg. 
The  Austrians  would  not  allow  the  Prussian  officer  to  return 
at  once  to  his  head -quarters,  for  fear  that  he  might  carry  back 
with  him  intelligence  that  the  place  was  being  given  up,  but 
thought  it  necessary  that  he  should  follow  the  Ambassador  to 
Weibendorf ;  so  he  was  put  into  the  railway  and  taken  to  that 
station.  As  soon  as  he  arrived  there  he  got  leave  to  return, 
but,  only  able  to  come  by  road  and  in  a  country  waggon,  he 
iid  not  reach  Pawlowitz,  the  head-quarters  of  Prince  Frederick 
Charles,  till  the  evening  of  the  16th.  So  far  the  Austrians 
were  successful,  for  they  managed  to  detain  the  staff-officer ; 
but  long  before  his  arrival  at  Pawlowitz,  Prince  Frederick 
Charles  knew  of  the  evacuation  of  Lundenburg ;  and  the  staff- 
Dfficer,  by  being  taken  south  among  the  Austrian  troops,  saw  a 
*reat  deal  which  could  never  have  been  known  at  the  Prussian 
lead-quarters,  had  he  not  been  forced  to  make  his  involuntary 
railway  journey  in  the  direction  of  Vienna. 

General  von  Manstein  had  occupied  Nikolsburg  with  his 
livision,  after  crossing  the  muddy  Thaya  by  a  pontoon  bridge, 
vhich  he  had  to  throw  across  the  stream  to  replace  one  that 
lad  been  destroyed  by  the  retreating  [Austrians.  It  was 
inticipated  that  the  boggy  banks  and  unsound  sides  of  the 
iver  would  cause  a  good  deal  of  difficulty  in  throwing  the 
I  bridge  ;  but  if  there  were  difficulties  Manstein  overcame  them, 
|md  said  nothing  about  them.  But  this  is  no  proof  that  his 
passage,  although  unopposed  by  the  enemy,  was  an  easy  one, 
is  he  was  renowned  in  the  army  for  a  quiet  determination 
pombined  with  a  high  daring,  and  gave  many  proofs  of  both  as 
j.vell  in  the  war  with  Denmark  as  in  the  Bohemian  campaign. 
.  A  short  halt  in  the  hot,  bare  town  of  Lundenburg,  and  then 
:he  inarch  was  continued  to  Feldsberg,  through  the  beautifully 
vooded  park  of  the  Prince  of  Lichtenstein.  The  cavalry  corps 
noved  forward  in  the  evening,  and  there  were  no  troops  in 


392  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 


| 


Feldsberg-on  the  evening  of  the  17th,  except  the  head-quarter 
staff,  for  whom  the  Prince's  large  castle  afforded  plenty  of 
accommodation,  and  a  few  battalions  who  were  billeted  in  the 
town  for  the  night.  The  little  town  nestles  round  the  foot  of 
the  castle  in  a  dip  in  the  ground,  beyond  it  to  the  south  rises  a 
gentle  rounded  elevation,  and  beyond  that  lay  nothing  but  flat 
plains  as  far  as  the  Danube. 

Nothing,  on  the  evening  of  the  17th,  was  known  of  the 
direction  of  the  morrow's  inarch  ;  at  nine  o'clock  at  night,  no 
orders  had  yet  come  from  the  King,  and  it  was  all  uncertain 
whether  the  First  Army  was  to  move  on  Florisdorf  or  Hungary. 
There  was  a  general  impression  that  there  would  be  fighting 
in  a  few  days.  The  troops  looked  forward  to  the  possibility  of 
meeting  the  enemy  with  the  most  perfect  confidence  of  success, 
and  they  had  every  reason  to  do  so  on  account  of  both  their 
generals  and  their  arms.  It  cannot,  however,  be  denied  that  : 
the  army  had  a  most  difficult,  and  perhaps  even  dangerous, 
operation  before  it  if  it  meant  to  go  to  Vienna,  had  the 
Austrian s  held  fast  by  Florisdorf  and  the  Bisamberg.  The 
passage  of  a  river  is  always  a  dangerous  undertaking,  and  as 
the  Austrian  army  from  Italy  was  in  Vienna,  and  garrisoned 
the  intrenchments  in  front  of  the  Danube,  while  a  strong  force 
of  troops  brought  from  Hungary,  whither  Benedek  was  also 
hurrying,  was  at  Preszburg,  the  Prussian  generals  had  a  piece  of 
work  before  them  difficult  of  execution. 

On  the  morning  of  the  18th  the  sun  shone  bright  and  warm 
on  the  Schloss  and  town  of  Feldsberg.  The  day  seemed 
likely  to  be  as  hot  as  the  previous,  and  consequently  the  march 
was  ordered  for  the  evening.  But  about  two  o'clock  a  sudden  ' 
change  occurred  in  the  weather.  The  sky  became  in  a  few 
moments  covered  with  clouds,  and  an  extraordinary  darkness 
set  in.  Up  to  windward  a  thick,  dense  black  cloud  could  be 
seen  bearing  dowm  steadily  towards  the  castle ;  but  not  on  the 
sky  alone,  for  like  a  great  volume  of  heavy  smoke  it  seemed 
rising  from  the  earth,  and  filled  the  air  for  miles.  Nearer  and 
nearer  it  came.  When  it  got  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  a 
sudden  tempest  of  wind,  which  seemed  bearing  this  cloud  be- 
hind it,  burst  upon  the  place.  The  trees  swayed  about,  rocked 
by  the  strong  continuous  gust,  branches  were  torn  off,  sheaves 


L  . 


Pi- 


:hap  III.]         ADVANCE   TO   THE  DANUBE.  393 

)f  corn  were  torn  up,  and  taken  through  the  air,  the  Indian  corn 
ind  standing  crops  in  the  fields  were  swept  down  almost  level 
vith  the  ground,  and  the  heavy  cloud  of  dust,  which  looked  in 
he  distance  like  smoke,  was  driven  about  by  the  wind  and 
vhirled  up  and  down  in  a  most  fantastic  manner.  For  a  few 
ninutes  only  this  tornado  lasted,  and  then  was  followed  by  a 
:remendous  downpour  of  rain,  which  fell  for  about  half  an 
jiour ;  but  so  dry  and  parched  was  the  ground  that  though  the 
rater  came  down  in  torrents  it  was  sucked  in  in  a  moment, 
nd  when  the  rain  ceased  not  a  puddle  stood  upon  the  surface 
f  the  thirsty  earth. 

But  the  rain  laid  the  dust,  and  the  march  was  more  agreeable 
:han  it  had  been  for  some  days  past.  The  way  lay  down 
he  valley  of  the  March,  which  divides  the  Crown  lands  of 
\ustria  from  Hungary.  Flat  wide-stretching  plains  lay  on  the 
right,  in  parts  covered  with  standing  barley  or  Indian  corn ;  in 
)arts  black  and  bleak  where  the  soil  had  already  been  turned 
lp  and  prepared  to  take  the  seed  for  the  second  crop ;  and 
ppere  and  there,  where  the  corn  had  been  cut,  the  sheaves, 
Which  had  been  carried  hither  and  thither  by  the  afternoon's 
itempest,  were  strewn  about  in  confusion.  On  the  left  the 
Isluggish  March  twisted  about  in  many  channels  through 
pumerous  marshy  islets,  on  which  short  willows  grew  densely 
springing  up  from  sedgy  ground,  which  is  covered  with  beds  of 
'tall  bulrushes  or  tangled  water  plants.  Further  on  the  left  the 
[blue  ridge  of  the  Carpathians  stood  out  against  the  sombre 
jsky,  lighted  up  here  and  there  by  some  rays  from  the  watery 
isun,  which,  sinking  rapidly,  had  before  going  down  lighted  up 
in  the  west  one  small  portion  of  the  cloudy  sky. 

The  road  lay  close  along  the  railway,  upon  which  the  officials 
;of  the  field  telegraph  division,  the  principal  instrument  of  the 
i  success  of  the  campaign,  were  riding,  carefully  inspecting  the 
wires.  Every  post  was  looked  at,  every  joint  inspected  with  a 
1  careful  scrutiny  ;  but  as  long  as  the  diligent  inspectors  could  be 
'seen,  no  break  was  found  which  called  for  the  assistance  of 
their  workmen,  who  followed  alongside  with  their  waggons 
;  filled  with  tools  and  materials  to  repair  a  flaw,  and  that  night 
J  telegraphic  communication  was  open  between  Prince  Frederick 
Charles  at  Hohenau  and  the  King  at  Nikolsburg.     And  it  was 


n 

n 


394  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

required,  for  the  approach  to  the  Danube  required  new  combi- 
nations, and  again  the  whole  forces  of  the  field  were  about  to 
be  removed  in  unison  by  orders  flashed  from  the  head-quarters 
of  the  King. 

When  the  staff  reached  Radensburg,  a  little  village  about 
two  miles  from  Hohenau,  a  Vienna  droschky  was  seen  draw: 
up  on  one  side  of  the  road,  with  two  gentlemen  in  plain 
clothes  and  wideawake  hats  standing  beside  it,  chatting  quietly! 
with  a  group  of  Prussian  officers  who  had  their  billets  in  a  road- 
side public-house.  A  little  flag  beside  the  coachmen  showed 
that  the  travellers  who  had  come  by  the  carriage  were  engaged 
in  some  neutral  duty,  and  a  footman  dressed  in  livery,  with  a 
broad  lace  band  round  his  cap,  who  stood  with  the  handle  of 
the  carnage  door  in  his  hand,  showed  by  his  dress  that  he  was 
the  servant  of  some  high  official.  A  nearer  approach  showed 
that  the  travellers  were  M.  Benedetti,  the  French  Ambassador 
at  Berlin,  and  his  secretary,  who  had  gone  to  Vienna  after  thS 
unsuccessful  attempts  to  procure  an  armistice  at  Briinn,  and 
were  now  on  their  way  back  to  the  King's  head-quarters,  which 
had  been  established  on  the  17th  at  Nikolsburg,  in  the  old 
castle  of  Prince  Dietrichstein.  The  King  of  Prussia  during 
his  stay  here  slept  in  the  same  room  which  Napoleon  had 
occupied  in  1805  after  the  battle  of  Austerlitz,  and  before  his 
entry  into  Vienna  on  the  9th  December. 

Prince  Frederick  Charles  dismounted  from  his  horse,  and  in 
the  middle  of  the  road  held  a  long  conversation  with  the 
Ambassador.  Perhaps  they  were  discussing  on  that  rainy 
evening,  in  the  middle  of  the  country  road,  questions  which 
might  affect  the  destinies  of  Europe — perhaps  they  were  only 
having  a  friendly  chat.  Numbers  of  suppositions  were  broached 
by  the  officers  of  the  staff,  but  no  one  except  the  two  who 
engaged  in  that  conversation  know  what  passed,  for  all  others 
drew  out  of  ear-shot  as  soon  as  the  Ambassador  approached 
the  Prince. 

The  officers  of  the  staff  were  not  so  delighted  to  see  the 
bearer  of  news  which  might  possibly  lead  to  an  armistice  as 
they  would  have  been  to  receive  him  if  he  had  come  in  a 
private  capacity,  for  they  feared  that  negotiations  might  stop 
the  campaign  before  it  found  its  just  conclusion  in  the  occupa- 


Chap.  III.]         ADVANCE    TO    THE  DANUBE.  395 

don  of  Vienna,  and  with  the  feelings  of  true  soldiers  they  had 
little  sympathy  with  the  diplomacy  which  might  arrest  the  pro- 
gress of  their  armies. 

The  marches  of  the  18th  were  short,  for  the  armies  were 
[drawing  together,  perhaps  for  the  attack  of  the  Austrian 
intrenched  position  at  Florisdorf,  perhaps  to  force  the  passage 
of  the  Danube  at  some  other  point,  and  the  army  had  to  move 
slowly  in  order  to  give  General  Herwarth  time  to  close  towards 
it  from  the  right,  and  to  let  the  Army  of  Silesia  come  up  into 
line.  On  the  19th  Prince  Frederick  Charles's  head-quarters 
were  established  at  Duernkruth  ;  his  advanced  guard,  with  part 
of  the  seventh  division,  that  afternoon  reached  and  occupied 
the  railway  junction  at  Ganserndorf,  where  the  lines  of  Presz- 
burg  and  Vienna  unite.  Another  portion  of  the  seventh 
division  occupied  the  passage  of  the  March  at  Marchegg.  The 
cavalry  corps  under  the  command  of  Prince  Albrecht  was 
round  the  little  town  of  Anger,  about  five  miles  north  of 
Ganserndorf.  The  light  infantry  division  was  across  the  March, 
and  on  the  road  which  leads  from  Holitsch  down  the  left  bank 
of  that  river  billeted  in  and  about  St.  Johann  and  Malarzka, 
while  the  rest  of  the  army  was  clustered  round  the  head-quarters 
of  its  Commander-in-chief. 

The  Crown  Prince  in  person  this  day  reached  Brunn,  but  his 
army  was  pushing  rapidly  forward,  and  the  Guards  had  already 
arrived  at  Lundenburg  ;  he  had  left  a  force  to  mask  Olmiitz, 
but  the  garrison  of  that  place  was  not  watched  by  this  detach- 
ment alone,  for  Knobelsdorf's  troops  from  Silesia  were  being 
pushed  on  to  aid  in  preventing  the  occupants  of  the  great 
fortress  of  Moravia  from  making  any  demonstration  against  the 
Prussian  line  of  communications. 

It  was  quite  evident  from  the  movements  of  the  Prussian 
troops  that  some  great  operation  was  meditated,  and  it  was  but 
natural  to  suppose  that  the  present  combinations  were  being 
made  with  the  design  of  striking  a  heavy  blow  against  the 
capital  of  the  Austrian  empire. 

The  Prussian  cavalry  was  being  collected  together  into  one 
mass,  and  when  united  formed  an  enormous  number  of  sabres, 
of  which  it  was  expected  that  some  use  would  be  made  within 
the  next  few  days  \   for  from   Ganserndorf  to   the   Danube 


3/}  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR  [Book  IX. 


stretches  the  wide  flat  plain  of  the  Marchfeld,  on  which  the 
Austrian  cavalry  might  have  a  fair  field  for  action,  and  where 
it  might  strive  to  regain  the  world-wide  reputation  which  was  so 
rudely  shaken  by  the  charges  of  the  Prussian  squadrons  in  the 
earlier  parts  of  the  war.  The  Austrians  had,  in  retreating, 
destroyed  the  bridges  across  the  March,  in  order  to  prevent 
communication  between  the  Prussian  columns  which  might 
advance  on  either  bank  of  the  stream.  That  of  Anger  had 
been  burnt,  and  a  few  charred  piles  peeping  above  the  water 
were  all  that  showed  where  the  bridge  stood  ;  but  the  Prussian 
engineers  had  already  replaced  it  by  another  bridge,  made  out 
of  such  materials  as  came  readily  to  hand,  and  had  thrown 
another,  supported  upon  trestles,  at  Duernkruth,  so  that  by 
these  means  infantry  and  artillery  could  cross  from  one  side  of 
the  river  to  the  other,  and  many  fords  had  been  found  of  which 
the  cavalry  could  make  use. 

On  the  morning  of  the  1 9th,  Count  Hasler,  an  officer  of  the 
staff,  rode  forward  beyond  the  outposts  on  the  northern  bank 
of  the  Danube  to  destroy  the  telegraph  which  communicates 
between  Vienna  and  Preszburg,  At  Ganserndorf  he  found  two 
cuirassiers,  who  formed  his  working  party,  and  picked  up  a 
hatchet  near  a  roadside  house,  which  formed  the  whole  of  the 
tools  required.  When  the  point  at  which  the  wires  were  to  be 
broken  was  reached,  the  chief  difficulty  of  the  undertaking  was 
found,  for  the  lines  ran  along  the  tops  of  a  succession  of  bare 
slippery  poles,  up  which  it  was  very  difficult  to  climb.  Several 
attempts  were  made  to  ascend  up  the  pole,  but  just  as  the  piece 
of  bent  iron  which  supported  the  porcelain  knob  round  which 
the  lowest  wire  was  turned  for  a  support  was  reached,  arms  and 
legs  gave  way  and  the  man  came  sliding  down  the  dry  polished 
wood.  At  last  one  of  the  cuirassiers,  making  use  of  his 
comrade's  shoulders  as  a  starting  point,  began  on  better  terms 
than  before,  and  got  his  hand  upon  the  bent  iron  ;  then  to  haul 
himself  up  to  the  top  was  comparatively  easy,-  and  as  he  had 
got  the  hatchet  between  his  teeth  he  began  to  deliver  some 
smart,  quick  blows  upon  the  uppermost  wire.  A  few  strokes 
severed  it,  and  the  two  portions  of  the  broken  line,  parting 
from  each  other,  came  surging  down  to  the  ground.  The  same 
process  was  repeated  with  the  others,  and  in  a  few  minutes,  all 


IChap.  III.]        ADVANCE    TO   THE  DANUBE.  397 

■the  wires  being  broken,  the  man  threw  his  hatchet  to  the 
■  ground,  saying,  "  There,  they  won't  be  able  now  to  telegraph 
from  Vienna  to  Preszburg,"  and  came  sliding  down  the  post. 
There  was  no  need  to  break  up  the  railway,  for  the  Austrians 
•had  already  blown  up  the  bridge  over  the  March  ;  and  if  they 
had  not,  the  Prussian  advanced  guard  had  arrived  at  Gansern- 
dorf,  and  their  outposts  were  pushed  in  advance  of  the  railway 
junction. 

Rumours  of  peace  were  flying  about  the  camp  all  the  1 9th ; 
•jsome  people  asserted  that  a  three  days'  armistice  had  been 
agreed  upon,  and  that  this  was  the  reason  that  the  marches 
I  were  so  short,  but  that  M.  Benedetti  had  terms  to  propose 
ifrom  the  Kaiser.  Nothing  certain  with  regard  to  a  cessation 
■of  hostilities  was  yet  decided  upon,  and  the  shortness  of  the 
i marches  can  be  accounted  for  by  the  necessity  of  allowing 
'time  for  the  Army  of  the  Elbe  to  make  its  lateral  movement, 
*and  for  that  of  the  Crown  Prince  to  come  up  close  to  the  First 
(Army. 

In  the  army,  at  this  time,  no  one  except  those  in  high 
command  had  any  idea  of  whither  the  next  advance  would 
lead  :  some  supposed  that  the  whole  Prussian  force  was  to  be 
dashed  against  the  parapets  and  heavily-armed  embrasures  of 
Florisdorf;  others  that  a  sudden  raid  was  to  be  made  by  a 
large  force  into  Hungary  to  beat  up  the  quarters  of  the  Kaiser 
at  Pesth,  whither  the  Imperial  family  had  retired  from  Vienna. 
But  all  feared  the  results  of  M.  Benedetti's  mission,  and  were 
much  afraid  that  diplomacy  would  stand  in  the  way  of  an  entry 
into  the  capital  of  Austria,  and  would  deprive  the  army  of  what 
they  considered  would  be  only  a  just  and  fitting  termination  to 
their  rapid  but  glorious  campaign. 

A  welcome  capture  had  been  made  by  the  Commissariat  of 
the  First  Army  by  the  occupation  of  Goding,  the  place  near 
which  the  cavalry  of  the  advanced  guard  broke  up  the  railway 
between  Olmiitz  and  Lundenburg  on  the  15th.  Immense 
magazines  of  Austrian  stores  had  been  found  there,  and  among 
other  valuable  commodities  about  50,000/.  worth  of  cigars, 
intended  for  issue  to  the  Austrian  troops,  which  were  confiscated 
for  the  use  of  the  Prussians,  and,  in  consequence,  the  soldiers 
received  liberal  supplies.     They  were  most  grateful,  for  in  the 


59S  SEVEN  WEEKS'  WAR.  [Book  IX, 


German  armies  tobacco  is  considered  almost  necessary  to 
existence,  and  in  importance  as  a  ration  ranks  only  second  to 
bread  or  meat. 

Head-quarters  were  established  on  the  19th  at  Duernkruth, 
in  a  small  white  Schloss,  which  afforded  the  most  limited 
accommodation  even  for  the  small  number  of  officers  who 
comprised  the  head-quarter  staff.  Few,  very  few,  indeed,  had 
beds ;  colonels  and  subalterns  lay  side  by  side  on  mattresses 
or  trusses  of  straw  upon  the  floor;  a  few  specially  favoured 
had  sofas.  Among  these  was  Count  Stolberg,  the  President  of 
the  Prussian  House  of  Lords,  who  was  with  the  army  as  a 
Knight  of  St.  John  of  Jerusalem.  But  all  were  very  cheerful 
and  happy,  and  would  have  been  perfectly  well  pleased  with 
everything,  except  that  the  younger  officers  expressed  loud 
wishes  that  M.  Benedetti  was  anywhere  except  in  the  King's  I 
head-quarters,  for  they  feared  that  his  presence  meant  peace, 
and  they  wanted  more  fighting,  more  promotion,  and  more 
glory,  and  were  extremely  anxious  to  march  into  Vienna. 
And,  although  their  elders  did  not  express  their  opinions,  it 
was  tolerably  evident  that  in  their  eyes  also  the  prospect  of  an 
immediate  peace  was  looked  upon  as  anything  but  a  blessing.  \ 
On  the  further  side  of  the  March,  which  lay  about  half  a  mile  j 
from  the  head- quarter  Schloss,  wide  pasture  lands,  dotted  with 
clumps  of  willow-trees,  stretched  over  a  flat  plain,  which  was 
raised  but  a  few  feet  above  the  level  of  the  water  in  the  river 
towards  the  Carpathian  Mountains,  that  rise  about  fifteen  miles 
to  the  east.  This  plain  was  covered  with  droves  of  horses, 
pigs,  and  large  white  cattle,  with  broad  outstretched  horns 
about  as  large  as  those  of  buffaloes.  These  droves  were  tended 
by  boys,  clad  some  in  proper  Hungarian  costume,  but  more 
frequently  in  a  white  flannel  cloak,  which,  hanging  from  their 
shoulders  down  to  their  ankles,  formed  their  only  covering. 
But,  wild  though  the  country  might  be,  the  Prussian  generals 
viewed  it  with  favour,  for  it  was  generally  clear  and  open,  and 
would  be  a  fair  field  for  their  needle-guns  and  rifle  artillery. 
Over  this  plain,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  March,  the  eighth 
Prussian  division  scoured  the  whole  country  between  the  stream 
and  the  mountains. 

But  it  did  not  seem  probable  that  these  weapons  would  be 


*:-: 


Hap.  III.]        ADVANCE  TO  THE  DANUBE.  399 

squired  till  tile  Prussians  advanced  on  Vienna.  No  Austrians 
rere  reported  in  front  of  the  outposts,  and  it  appeared  that  the 
Lrchduke  Albrecht  intended  to  wait  in  his  works  at  Florisdorf 
ntil  the  Prussians  either  attacked  him  there,  or  attempted  the 
assage  of  the  Danube  at  some  other  point  In  the  meantime, 
'hile  the  needle-gun  was  not  in  active  use,  its  merits  formed  an 
ndless  topic  of  conversation  in  the  army.  Of  course,  its  success 
.ad  made  it  a  great  favourite,  and  the  Prussians,  both  men  and 
officers,  considered  the  victories  which  were  won  at  Gitschin 
nd  Podoll  by  its  means  to  have  established  its  claim  to  be  re- 
;arded  as  the  best  weapon  in  existence.  It  has  certainly  been 
nost  satisfactorily  proved  that  the  zundnadel-getuehr  is  better 
han  the  Austrian  muzzle-loader,  but  we  had  a  pretty  good  idea 
>efore  this  war  took  place  that  any  breech-loader  would  be  a 
>etter  arm  for  infantry  than  any  muzzle-loader ;  and  though  the 
jreat  slaughter  of  the  Austrians  in  the  actions  of  this  campaign 
>rought  the  fact  more  forcibly  before  our  notice,  nothing  has 
>een  elicited  in  the  late  war  to  prove  that  the  needle-gun  is 
letter  or  even  equal  to  many  breech-loading  rifles  that  have 
leen  invented  more  lately.  The  success  of  the  needle-gun  has 
established  the  superiority  of  the  breech-loading  over  the 
nuzzle-loading  principle ;  but  there  are  many  breech-loaders 
setter  adapted  for  all  the  purposes  of  warfare  than  the  needle- 
Bh,  and  any  nation  which  may  arm  its  troops  with  a  servile 
mitation  of  the  Prussian  arm  may  probably  find  that  the  next 
European  war  will  show  the  trouble  to  have  been  in  vain,  and 
;he  expenses  of  the  armament  thrown  away.* 

Many  attempts  were  made  on  the  afternoon  of  the  19th  to 
>ee  the  Stephanenthurm  of  Vienna,  but  the  tower  could  not  be 
seen  ;  for,  although  the  country  is  in  general  flat,  many  swelling 
indications  of  ground  lay  between  Duernkruth  and  the  capital, 
vhich  impeded  the  view.  Even  from  the  railway  embankment 
it  Ganserndorf  it  could  not  be  made  out,  for  a  rising  ground 
covered  with  corn  lay  directly  between  the  village  and  the  city, 
and  a  man  standing  on  the  embankment  was  not  raised  high 
enough  to  see  over  the  swell.     Nor  could  a  glimpse  be  caught 


k  In  1870-71  the  chassepot  was  universally  acknowledged  to  be  a  better 
weapon  than  the  needle-gun. 


4oo  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

of  the  position  of  Florisdorf,  or  even  of  the  Bisamberg,  whichi  jfr 
was  also  reported  to  be  intrenched,  and  defended  by  heavy  -. 
artillery.  The  Prussian  advance  had  been  so  rapid  that  it  was  t 
almost  impossible  to  realise  that  the  army  was  within  thirty  -. 
miles  of  the  Austrian  capital,  and  the  troops  of  the  First  Army  ; 
would  have  been  glad  of  some  visible  proof  which  would  assurej  $. 
them  of  its  proximity ;  but  as  yet  they  could  have  none,  and 
many  thought  that  perhaps  the  first  palpable  proof  of  their 
near  approach  to  Vienna  might  be  the  reports  of  the  Austrian  < 
guns,  which  were  to  dispute  the  passage  of  the  Danube. 

On  the   evening  of  the   21st  July  the   Cabinet  of  Vienna  - 

expressed  itself  willing  to  enter  upon  a  suspension  of  hostilities  r 

for  live  days,  on  the  basis  of  the  Prussian  proposals,  and  on 

the  evening  of  the  22nd  an  armistice  for  that  time  was  agreed  f. 

upon  at  Xikolsburg.     It  came  into  effect  at  noon  on  the  22nd,  : 

and  was  to  expire  at  mid-day  on   the  following  Friday,  the 

27th.     But  an  action  was  fought  on  the  morning  of  the  22nd,| 

by  the  seventh  and  eighth  divisions,  who  moved  at  daybre 

that  day  on  Preszburg,  by  the  left  bank  of  the  March.     Tht 

eighth  division  had  moved  down  the  left  bank  of  that  riveijs 

from  Goding  by  way  of  St.  Johann  and  Malaczka  in  Hungary,!. 

and  on  the  21st  had  neared  Stampfen.    On  the  21st  the  seventh \\ 

division  crossed  the  March,  at  Marchegg,  under  General  Fran-] 

zecky,  who  was  placed  in  command  of  all  the  troops  on  the 

left  bank  of  the  stream.     Prince  Frederick  Charles  knew  tha 

on  the  22nd  General  Benedek  would  throw  his  leading  divisions) 

over  the  Danube  at  Preszburg.     If  then  he  could  seize  that 

place,  the  remainder  of  the    Feldzeugmeister's  troops  wouk 

have  to  make  a  detour  by  Komorn  before  arriving  at  Vienna. 

The  Commander-in-chief  of  the  First  Army,  not  being  aware 

that  any  decision  had  been  arrived  at  relative  to  the  suspension' 

of  hostilities,  on  hearing  on  the  night  of  the   21st  that  the 

Austrians  were  in  position  to  bar  the  way  near  the  village  oJ. 

Bystenitz,  was  forced  to  order  General   Franzecky  to  attack 

them,  and  so  a  combat  was  commenced. 

On  the  evening  of  the  21st  the  seventh  and  eighth  divisions.' 
under  the  orders  of  General  Franzecky,  were  bivouacked  on 
the  road  which  leads  down  the  left  side  of  the  March  from 
Goding  to   Preszburg,  and  occupied  a  position  on  that  roadji 


ith 

lat 
ns 
at 
Id 

a. 


hap.  III.]         ADVANCE  TO   THE  DANUBE.  401 

:etween  the  villages  of  Stampfen  and  Bystenitz,  with  their 
[Ivanced  guard  pushed  forward  a  little  in  front  of  the  latter 
fllage.  The  Quartermaster-General  of  the  First  Army,  General 
felpnagel,  attended  by  Count  Hasler,  of  the  general  staff,  had 
tat  afternoon  been  making  a  reconnaissance  of  the  Austrian 
bsitions  on  the  north  of  the  Danube,  and  arrived  in  the 
Veiling  at  the  bivouacs  of  Franzecky's  divisions.  It  was  soon 
i>und  that  the  Austrians  held  the  village  of  Blumenau,  which 
Ss  on  the  same  road,  about  five  miles  nearer  Preszburg,  in 
rong  force ;  and  as  it  was  extremely  desirable  to  secure  the 
jiwn  of  Preszburg  as  quickly  as  possible,  Count  Hasler  was 
fispatched  to  Ebenthal  to  request  Prince  Frederick  Charles's 
Amission  for  an  attack  to  be  made  on  Blumenau.  The 
laff-omcer  reached  head-quarters  towards  midnight.  At  this 
me  Prince  Frederick  Charles  was  ignorant  that  an  armistice 
jould  be  agreed  to,  and  he  sent  back  the  desired  permission. 
;'  little  after  midnight  Count  Hasler  left  the  head-quarters  of 
le  First  Army  at  Ebenthal,  and  started  on  his  return  journey, 
iirrying  this  important  order,  on  which  so  much  might  depend. 
Ihirty  miles  of  bad  road  lay  between  Ebenthal  and  Bystenitz ; 
Le  night  was  very  dark,  there  was  no  moon,  and  clouds  shut 
{it  even  the  dim  light  which  the  stars  might  have  afforded ; 
jit  the  staff-officer  pushed  his  horse  resolutely  over  the  March 
jy  the  repaired  bridge  at  Anger,  along  twisting  country  lanes, 
list  wide  ditches  and  morasses,  reached  Bystenitz  safely  at  the 
frst  streaks  of  dawn,  and  communicated  the  Prince's  message 
f>  General  Franzecky.  Franzecky  at  once  made  his  disposi- 
jons  for  attack.  At  the  same  time  Prince  Frederick  Charles 
j:nt  orders  to  General  Hann  to  support  Franzecky  with  his 
^vision  of  cavalry. 

The  road  from  Bystenitz  to  Blumenau,  which  is  a  distance 
|r  about  five  English  miles,  runs  close  below  the  extreme 
esterly  spurs  of  the  Lower  Carpathians,  which  rise  high  on 
le  left  of  a  traveller  journeying  from  the  former  to  the  latter 
ace.  The  ground  on  the  right  until  the  road  strikes  the 
;.ilway  from  Ganserndorf  to  Preszburg  is  flat  and  level.  The 
ountains  on  the  left  are  broken  by  steep  and  rough  ravines, 
3wn  which  run  little  rivulets,  making  their  way  with  perpetual 
iscades  towards  the  March  or   the    Danube;   between   the 

D   D 


402  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

courses  of  these  rivulets  the  spurs  of  the  mountains  swell  out 
in  bluff  undulations   into  the  plain   through  which  runs   the5 
river  March.     The  ground  on  the  mountain   sides  is   every- 
where rough  and  broken,  large  stones  are  scattered  over  it,  and^ 
in  many  places  jagged  lumps  of  rock  start  out  of  the  soil  and) 
form  natural  fortresses  to  oppose  the  passage  of  troops  up  the1 
hills.     A  dense  forest  of  oak  and  pine  trees,  which,  from  being; 
untended,  have  grown  close  together,  and   intertwined   theii- 
branches  so  as  to  form  a  network  of  dark-green  foliage,  through1 
which  a  man  can  hardly  penetrate,  grows  upon  the  sides  of  tb 
ravines  and  the  less  steep  spurs  of  the  mountains,  and  runs  up 
the  sides  of  the  hills  all  the  way  from  Bystenitz  to  Preszbu: 
The  roads  through  the  wood  are  few  and  at  long  distano 
apart ;  none  are  practicable  for  any  troops  except  foot  soldi 
and  only  for  these  when  moving  with  a  very  narrow  front. 
Blumenau   the   road   leads   to   the  left,  and   runs  straight 
Preszburg  through  a  defile  in  the  hills,  being  crossed  near 
this   village    by   the   railway   which    leads   from    Ganserndo: 
to  Preszburg,  and  which,  after  crossing  the  road,  runs  alon 
the  left-hand  side  of  the  latter  through  the  same  defile.     0:; 
the  side  of  the  road  and  railway  opposite  to  Blumenau,  an»j 
about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  to  the  right,  lies  the  little  village 
of  Kaltenbrun,   situated    on   rough,   broken   hills    called  thJ  I 
Theben-Berger,  which  are  thickly  clothed  with  fir  woods,  an' 
fill  up  the  whole  triangle  enclosed  between  the  railway,  th!  .. 
March,  and  the  Danube.     About  three  miles  from  Blumenar 
nearer  Preszburg,  the  road  and  railway,  side  by  side,  pass  ov<*&: 
a  little  rivulet  which  supplies  the  stream  to  turn  the  wheels  « 
two  watermills — one  situated  upon  each  side  of  the  way;  abo^t' 
these  mills  on  the  left-hand   side  rises  a  portion  of  hill  rath 
higher  than  the  surrounding  spurs  and   less  thickly  covert 
with  forest,  called  the  Gamsen-Berg;  a  footpath  which  leav 
the  high  road  at  Bystenitz  leads  up  the  mountain  side  to  a 
left  of  the  road,  and  after  a  steep  and  rugged  ascent  descen 
equally  roughly,  and  again  joins  the  main  road   behind  tl 
watermills  coming  down  be§ide  the  Gamsen-Berg. 

The  Austrian  position  was  shrouded  by  the  woods  and  1 
the  broken  ground,  but  a  reconnaissance,  made  with  consid 
able  difficulty,  showed  that  they  were  in  great  force.     Th 


|iap.  III.]        ADVANCE    TO    THE  DANUBE.  403 

tre  held  the  villages  of  Blumenau  and  Kaltenbrun  and  the 
Dimd  between,  the  left  was  in  the  fir  woods  on  the  Theben- 
rger  stretching  toward  the  March.  Their  right  extended 
|>m  the  village  of  Blumenau  about  half  a  mile  up  the  lower 
lurs  of  the  Carpathians.  The  position  was  strong  and  formid- 
lle,  the  ground  was  extremely  favourable  to  the  defenders, 
Id  gave  no  open  field  for  the  play  of  the  needle-gun ;  but 
ianzecky  not  only  determined  to  carry  the  position,  but  also 
I  d  the  bold  design  of  cutting  off  from  Preszburg  and  capturing 
fe  greater  part  of  the  defending  force  and  all  their  artillery, 
Id  in  all  human  probability  he  would  have  done  so  had  not 
fc  good  fortune  of  Austria  brought  the  combat  to  a  premature 
ose. 

j>General  Bose  was  directed  to  take  two  regiments,  the  21st 
Id  71st,  each  of  three  battalions,  making  a  total  force  of 
Ider  5,000  men — for  these  regiments  had  had  their  ranks 
lamed  by  the  war — by  the  mountain  path  leading  from  Bys- 
liitz,  and  gain  the  rear  of  the  enemy  near  the  Gamsen-Berg, 
I  as  to  cut  off  their  retreat  to  Preszburg,  while  Franzecky  him- 
fslf  determined,  with  the  remainder  of  his  troops,  to  attack  the 
!j»sition  in  front.  About  half-past  four  in  the  morning  Bose's 
ien  began  their  march,  and,  disappearing  into  the  wood  to  the 
tt,  began  their  ascent  of  the  difficult  mountain  path.  Their 
*<|iy  was  long  and  rugged,  so  that  time  had  to  be  allowed  them 
t  gain  the  Gamsen-Berg,  and  it  was  not  till  after  six  that  Fran- 
icky  gave  the  signal  for  the  advance  of  the  troops  on  the  main 
xad. 

Then  the  advance  guard  began  to  move  briskly  forward,  and 
te  rest  of  the  little  army  followed  in  battle  array.  Skirmishers 
Jished  forward  through  the  fields  on  the  left,  pushing  up  close 
\  the  wood  on  the  mountain  side ;  their  supports  moved  in 
Mall  clumps  here  and  there  behind  them ;  a  larger  body 
Jirched  along  the  road,  and  behind  them,  spread  out  right 
id  left,  came  the  heavy  columns  of  the  infantry  and  the  broad- 
bnted  batteries  of  guns.  On  the  right  of  the  road  a  squadron 
i  the  10th  hussars  glided  with  the  cheery  noise  of  clinking 
:bres  and  ringing  steel  over  the  meadows  and  flat  stubble 
1  Id,  pushing  forwards  to  feel  their  way — scouts,  who,  carbine  in 
•  nd,  spread,  a  thin  curtain  of  horsemen,  before  the  main  body. 

D  d  2 


404  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  I> 

Scarcely  had  the  troops  begun  to  move  when  the  morning  si 
burst  brightly  from  the  clouds  over  the  Carpathians,  and  fe 
upon  the  bright  swords  of  the  cavalry,  the  glittering  bayone 
and  rifles  of  the  infantry,  and  even  managed  to  draw  a  twin 
ling  reflection  from  the  darkly-browned  steel  of  the  artille 
guns.     The  Prussian    soldiers   greeted   it  with   joy,  for  tht 
frames  were  chilled  with  their  night's  bivouac,  and  they  march 
in  the  full  confidence  that  before  it  set  it  would  have  light 
them  to  another  victory.      Slowly  and  steadily  the  colum 
moved ;    the  men  were  very  silent,  for  they  all  felt  that  st< 
subdued  excitement  which  always  appears  to  pervade  eve 
breast  when  a  battle  is  close  at  hand ;  and  the  sound  of  t 
measured  tread  of  the  battalions,  and  the  heavy  rumble  of 
guns,  rose  into  the  air  almost  unbroken.    The  advanced  gua 
consisting  of  the  72nd  regiment,  approached  to  within  thil 
thousand  paces  of  the  point  where  the  railway,  marked  byi 
long  line  of  spectral  telegraph  posts,  could  be  seen  closing  in 
the  road  from  the  right,  and  where  the  dark  green  fir-wol 
behind  it  showed  that  there  was  the  Austrian  position ;  but! 
signs   of  the  enemy  could  be  seen,  except  two  squadrons  If 
lancers,  one  considerably  in   rear  of  the   other,  which  stol 
on  the  level  ground  to  the  right  of  the  road  in  front  of  the  il- 
way,  motionless  as  statues,  with  the  pennons  of  their  lanfe 
faintly  fluttering  in  the  breeze.     Then  suddenly  the  well-kncii 
cloud  of  white  smoke,  which  shows  where  a  gun  has  been  fifl, 
rose  from  the  raised  ground  between  Blumenau  and  Kali  \ 
brun,  and  a  whizzing  whistling  shell  rushed  through  the 
over  the  heads  of  the  hussars  on  the  right  of  the  road.     I 
Prussian  guns  came  quickly  into  action,  and  opened  on    I 
spot  where  the  cloud  of  smoke  had  risen,  and  where,  in  a    v 
moments,  repeated  flashes  of  fire  and  many  more  clouds  f j 
heavy  hanging  smoke  announced  that  a  strong  Austrian  bat  y 
had  its  post.     While  the  artillery  fight  was  going  on,  the  ( 
green  hussars  on  the  right  began  to  move  quickly  forward, 
rushed  in  full  career  against  the  foremost  squadron  of  Aust  n 
lancers.     These  did  not  stand  motionless  now.    Slowly  at 
and  then  more  quickly,   they  began   to   advance  against 
hussars ;   and  when  the    two    squadrons   came   within   a    w 
hundred    yards     of   each    other,    both    urged    their    h(  is 


;hap.  III.]  ADVANCE   TO    THE  DANUBE.  405 

o  their   utmost   speed,   and   with   a   mighty   clatter    dashed 
og  ether. 

The  rough  embrace  lasted  but  for  a  moment ;  then  the 
ancers  scattered  and  fled,  for  the  hussars  were  stronger  and 
)etter  mounted,  and  their  mere  weight  smashed  the  lancers' 
anks.  These  pursued  a  short  distance,  capturing  several  pri- 
on ers ;  but  they  could  not  follow  far,  for  the  other  squadron 
)f  lancers  looked  threatening,  and  the  hussars  had  no  reserves 
lear  at  hand.  The  cavalry  combat,  though  so  short,  was  severe  ; 
nany  men  were  down  on  both  sides,  and  Major  von  Hymen, 
•.ommanding  the  hussars,  had  the  whole  side  of  his  face  laid 
>pen,  but  refused  to  quit  the  field,  and  commanded  his  squadron 
hroughout  the  day. 

In  the  meantime  the  cannonade  increased  in  the  centre,  more 
Prussian  guns  were  brought  into  action,  and  more  Austrian 
•  bieces  were  firing  between  Blumenau  and  Kaltenbrun  ;  and  at 
bight  o'clock,  when  the  action  had  lasted  about  an  hour,  forty 
Austrian  and  thirty-six  Prussian  guns  were  pounding  against 
;ach  other.     Casualties  began  to  increase ;   one  Prussian  bat- 
tery in  particular  was  rapidly  being  unhorsed,  for  the  Austrians 
j.vere  making  good  practice,  and  their  shells  were  generally 
J>ursting  at  the  proper  moment. 

Half  an  hour  later  an  officer  arrived  from  Prince  Frederick 
Charles  to  announce  that  an  armistice  was  agreed  upon,  and 
hat  it  was  to  commence  at  mid-day ;   but  Franzecky  could  not 
"stop  the  fight,  for  Bose  was  with  his  brigade  committed  in  the 
fountains,  and  if  the  grand  front  attack  ceased  he  would  pro- 
3ably  before  noon  be  captured.     But  no  infantry  was  sent  for- 
ward, and  the  combat  was  confined  to  artillery  fire  alone  for 
"Jmore  than  two  hours. 

Then  Franzecky,  fearing  for  Bose,  determined  to  attack  the 
i  Austrian  position  with  energy,  and  made  his  dispositions  for  a 
general  advance.  General  Gordon,  with  four  battalions,  was 
prdered  to  move  by  a  mountain  path,  which,  leaving  the  road 
laear  where  the  artillery  was  at  present,  runs  lower  down  the 
lulls  than  the  way  taken  by  Bose,  and  comes  out  on  the  road 
jagain  near  Blumenau ;  when  he  felt  the  Austrian  right,  he  was 
.Jto  attack  it  with  vigour  and  occupy  the  village  of  Blumenau. 
J  At  the  same  time,  two  battalions   were  sent  against  the  fir- 


406  SEVEN  WEEK'S   WAR.  [Book  IX; 

woods  near  Kaltenbrun  to  attack  the  Austrian  left,   and, 
possible,  to  seize  that  village,  while  the  main  body  and  th 
artillery  were  to  move  straight  against  the  front. 

The  guns  were  limbered  up ;  the  two  battalions  bega: 
moving  over  the  plain  towards  the  wood  of  Kaltenbrun 
Gordon  was  already  on  the  hill-side,  and  the  main  bod 
advanced  for  about  one  thousand  paces,  when  the  guns,  agai 
unlimbered,  came  into  action,  and  renewed  their  fire  on  tb:i 
Austrian  batteries.  About  eleven  o'clock  the  two  battaliorj 
came  within  easy  distance  of  the  wood  near  Kaltenbrun,  ar 
were  received  by  a  biting  fire  from  the  Austrian  sharpshoote 
among  the  trees,  while  to  the  rear  of  the  guns  between  Bl 
menau  and  Kaltenbrun  they  could  see  heavy  masses  of  infan 
ready  to  resist  the  front  attack.  The  Prussian  battalio 
immediately  opened  out  and  began  to  fire  against  the  infant 
in  the  wood ;  but  the  trees  hid  their  antagonists,  and  they  d 
not  seem  to  cause  much  diminution  of  the  fire  from  the  fore 

In  the  meantime  a  message  came  from  Bose  to  say  that 
had  debouched  on  the  Gamsen-Berg,  and  had  there  met  t 
celebrated  Austrian  Schwarz  and  Gelh  brigade.  A  severe  fig 
took  place  here ;  the  Austrians  poured  volley  after  volley 
the  head  of  Bose's  column  as  it  attempted  to  come  out  of  t 
trees,  and  so  tangled  was  the  jungle  that  the  Prussian  mar] 
men  could  hardly  force  through  it  in  order  to  spread  out 
either  side  and  open  fire  against  the  Austrians.  But  after 
time  they  succeeded  in  penetrating  through  the  thick  truri 
and  interwoven  branches,  and  the  Prussians  debouched  at 
deployed  on  the  Gamsen-Berg.  Still  the  fight  went  on,  II 
the  Austrians  were  driven  back  step  by  step,  and  at  last  Bel 
seized  the  water-mills  and  planted  his  brigade  across  the  rcl 
and  railway  to  Preszburg,  sending  a  messenger  to  Genef 
Franzecky  to  say  that  the  enemy's  retreat  was  cut  off,  and  til 
now  the  front  attack  might  be  pressed  hard.  It  was  the  recel 
of  this  message  that  caused  Franzecky  to  order  the  genetl 
advance,  but  before  the  combat  could  be  finished  the  laui| 
that  he  would  have  gained  by  the  capture  of  the  enemy,  whh 
would  have  certainly  been  the  result  of  his  skilful  disposition 
were  snatched  from  his  grasp. 

Time  was  getting  on ;    and   before   the  front   attack   *h 


pAP.  III.]         ADVANCE    TO    THE  DANUBE.  407 

leveloped,  the  sun,  standing  high  up  in  the  heavens  and 
jlirectly  south,  showed  that  mid-day  had  arrived.  In  a  few 
ninutes  an  Austrian  officer  came  out  from  the  Blumenau  posi- 
ion  with  a  flag  of  truce,  and  advanced  towards  the  Prussian 
ines.  He  was  met  by  a  Prussian  officer,  to  whom  he  reported 
.hat  an  armistice  had  been  agreed  upon,  to  date  from  mid-day, 
md  that  it  was  already  past  the  hour.  In  a  few  minutes  the 
signal  to  cease  firing  was  sounded  along  the  Prussian  ranks, 
md  the  combat  was  broken  off.  The  sudden  silence  was 
;urious  and  abrupt ;  there  were  none  of  the  dropping  shots  or 
single  occasional  reports  in  which  a  cannonade  generally  dies 
away ;  in  a  moment  the  roar  of  the  artillery  and  the  patter  of 
small  arms  ceased,  and  a  curious  hum  of  conversation  rose 
ifrom  the  astonished  soldiers. 

At  first  the  Austrians  would  not  believe  that  their  retreat  was 
cut  off,  and  that  they  had  been  in  such  imminent  danger  of 
being  captured,  for  no  report  had  been  sent  up  from  the  rear, 
and  they  still  thought  that  they  commanded  the  road  to  Presz- 
burg.  But  they  were  soon  convinced  that  they  were  really 
surrounded,  when,  on  sending  back,  it  was  found  that  Prussian 
troops  were  drawn  up  across  the  only  line  of  retreat  for  their 
artillery. 

The  Austrians  lost  in  the  combat  between  five  hundred  and 
six  hundred  men,  of  whom  one  hundred  were  taken  prisoners, 
and  over  three  hundred  were  wounded.  The  Prussian  loss 
was  reported  only  one  hundred  killed  and  wounded. 

To  speculate  on  what  would  have  been  is  generally  unprofit- 
able, especially  so  in  war ;  but  as  the  Austrians  fully  acknow- 
ledge that  they  were  only  saved  by  a  lucky  fortune  from  a 
terrible  disaster,  it  may  not  be  too  much  for  impartial  observers 
to  believe  that  the  action  was  virtually  gained  by  the  Prussians, 
and  that  if  it  had  continued  all  the  Austrian  artillery  must  have 
been  taken,  and  probably  the  greater  part  of  their  infantry 
captured  ;  for  there  is  no  road  except  the  one  occupied  by 
Bose  by  which  the  guns  could  have  been  withdrawn  from  Blu- 
menau ;  and  though  there  is  a  rough  country  lane  by  which 
men  on  foot  could  from  Kaltenbrun  reach  the  banks  of  the 
Danube,  it  is  extremely  doubtful  if  the  Prussians  would  not 
have  been  in  Preszburg  before  the  Austrian   infantry   could 


408  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX 

have  gained  that  line  by  this  roundabout  route,  and  then  theL 
capture  was  certain. 

The  number  of  men  engaged  on  each  side  was  about  equs 
The  Prussians  had  two  divisions,  which  together  consisted  o| 
twenty-five  battalions,  in  the  field,  with  forty-eight  guns,  bu 
twelve  of  these  were  always  in  reserve.  The  Austrians  had  thd 
i st,  2nd,  and  4th  brigades  of  their  second  corps  d'arme'e  am 
Mendel's  brigade  of  the  tenth  corps  engaged,  and  had  for 
guns. 

Had  this  action  been  allowed  to  proceed,  and  had  it  beei 
a  victory  for  the  Prussians,  it  would  have  been  won,  not  by  th<| 
needle-gun  so  much  as  by  the  brilliant  dispositions  made  bj 
General  Franzecky  for  turning  his  enemy's  right  flank.     Thij 
was  confessed  by  an  Austrian  officer,  who,  talking  to  a  Prussic 
officer  after  the  armistice  was  declared,  said,  "  Your  needle 
gun  may  be  a  terrible  weapon,  and  we  know  by  experience  ho^ 
well  it  shoots;  but  it  has   not  been  so  bad  for  us  as  yoi 
generals,  who  have  a  most  diabolical  power  of  manoeuvring." 
Directly  the  action  was  over,  General  Stiilpnagel  and  Coui 
Hasler  rode  into  Preszburg  to  settle  with  the  commandant 
that  place  the  line  of  demarcation  which  should  be  observe^ 
by  the  troops  during  the  armistice.      The  Prussian  troops  wei 
all  in  front  of  the  line  that  was  agreed  upon,  and  ought,  accorc 
ing  to  the  strict  letter  of  the  law,  to  have  withdrawn  at  once 
but  it  was  late  in  the  day  when  the  line  was   fixed.      Th 
Austrian  officer  consented  that  for  the  night  the  Prussians  shoulu 
remain  where  they  were,  and  retire  to  their  new  ground  in  tl 
morning. 

Then  occurred  a  curious  scene.  The  men  of  Bose's  Prussia 
brigade,  who  had  been  planted  across  the  Preszburg  road,  an 
a  few  hours  before  had  been  standing  ready,  rifle  in  hand,  tjj 
fire  upon  the  retreating  Austrian  battalions,  were  surrounde 
by  groups  of  those  very  Austrian  soldiers  whom  they  had  bee' 
waiting  to  destroy.  The  men  of  the  two  nations  mingle 
together,  exchanged  tobacco,  drank  out  of  each  other's  flask;; 
talked  and  laughed  over  the  war  in  groups  equally  compose 
of  blue  and  white  uniforms,  cooked  their  rations  at  the  samij 
fires,  and  that  night  Austrian  and  Prussian  battalions  lay  dow!j 
bivouacked  close  together,  without  fear  and  in  perfect  security 


Chap.  III.]        ADVANCE   TO   THE  DANUBE.  409 

On  the  morrow  all  along  the  line  of  the  front  of  the  Prussian 
army  the  divisions  took  up  the  positions  they  were  to  occupy 
during  the  temporary  peace. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  22nd,  commissioners  from  the 
I  Austrian  and  Prussian  armies  had  a  meeting  at  a  small  village 
between  Ganserndorf  and  the  Danube,  in  order  to  decide  upon 
a  line  which  should,  during  the  armistice,  form  the  boundary 
between  the  troops  of  the  two  nations.  The  Prussian  commis- 
sioners were  General  von  Podbielsky,  of  the  King's  head- 
quarter staff,  and  Major  von  Capprivi,  of  the  staff  of  Prince 
Frederick  Charles;  their  colleagues  from  the  Austrian  camp 
were  General  von  John  and  some  of  his  assistants  in  the 
Austrian  head-quarter  staff.  After  some  hours  of  consultation 
the  line  of  demarcation  was  decided  upon.  It  started  on  the 
Prussian  right  at  Krems,  on  the  Danube ;  followed  the  north 
bank  of  the  river  down  as  far  as  Stockerau ;  from  that  town 
ran  up  the  curve  of  the  Gollsbach  rivulet  to  the  neighbourhood 
of  Fellabrun;  then,  by  taking  a  line  to  the  village  of  Weinsteig, 
it  struck  the  Rossbach  rivulet  close  to  that  village,  followed  this 
stream  as  far  as  Leopoldsdorf,  then  ran  along  the  road  between 
that  village  and  Lasse,  and  was  then  drawn  along  an  imaginary 
straight  line  to  the  railway  bridge  over  the  March,  near  March- 
egg.  On  the  left  side  of  the  March  a  straight  line  from  the 
railway  bridge  carried  it  to  the  village  of  Bistritz,  whence  it 
followed  the  eastern  edge  of  the  Fahren  Wald  till  it  struck  the 
main  road  from  Skalitz  to  Tyrnau.  It  was  further  agreed  that 
commanders  of  detachments  and  of  troops  left  to  mask  fort- 
resses should  decide  with  the  commanders  of  the  troops 
opposite  to  them  upon  the  lines  of  demarcation  to  be  observed 
in  the  vicinity  of  their  own  commands. 

The  Prussian  cavalry  corps,  under  the  command  of  Prince 

Albrecht,  was  pushed  forward  to  the  line  of  the  Roszbach,  and 

had  its  head- quarters  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Deutsch  Wagram, 

whence  the  fortifications  of  Florisdorf  could  be  seen,  but  their 

,    details  could  not  be  made  out. 

While  the  action  of  Blumenau  was  actually  being  fought, 
General  Degenfeld  and  Count  Karolyi,  the  former  Austrian 
Ambassador  at  Berlin,  crossed  the  space  between  the  outposts 
on  the  other  side  of  the  March,  and  went  to  the  King's  head- 


410  SEVEN-  WEEKS'   WAR.     '  [Book  IX. 

quarters,  empowered  by  the  Austrian  Government  to  conclude 
a  treaty  of  peace. 

At  the  time  of  the  suspension  of  hostilities,  the  Prussian 
armies  on  the  Marchfeld  and  between  Vienna  and  Briinn 
consisted  of  the  three  corps  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles,  the 
cavalry  corps  of  Prince  Albrecht,  three  divisions  under  General 
Herwarth,  and  three  and  a  half  corps  under  the  Crown  Prince. 
These  formed  a  force  of  about  two  hundred  and  sixty-five 
thousand  combatants.  Behind  these  lay  the  first  reserve  corps 
under  General  Miilbe  at  Briinn,  half  a  corps  from  the  Crown 
Prince's  army  in  front  of  Olmiitz,  and  near  the  same  fortress 
Knobelsdorf's  corps,  forming  together  an  additional  force  of 
about  fifty-five  thousand  men.  The  corps  of  Knobelsdorf  had 
occupied  the  Austrian  town  of  Troppau  on  the  9th  July,  and 
had  then  been  pushed  forward  to  observe  Olmiitz  and  garrison  : 
the  line  of  railway  to  Briinn.  Count  Stolberg  was  left  in 
Silesia  with  about  ten  thousand  men  to  watch  the  Austrian 
detachments  in  Gallicia.  The  division  of  Landwehr  of  the 
Guard  was  in  Prague.  Detachments  of  Landwehr  held  Saxony 
and  garrisoned  the  capital  and  fortresses  of  Prussia. 

On  the  western  theatre  of  war,  Manteuffel  had  sixty  thousand 
men  in  the  field.  The  Grand  Duke  of  Mecklenburg  had  about 
twenty-five  thousand.  Five  thousand  men  held  Frankfort  and 
Hanau,  and  Landwehr  garrisoned  Nassau,  Hesse-Cassel,  an 
Hanover.  In  all,  Prussia  had  at  the  lowest  computation  five 
hundred  and  twenty  thousand  fighting  men  in  the  field — a 
stupendous  force  to  be  supplied  by  a  country  which  with  its 
allies  did  not  possess  a  population  of  twenty  million  inhabitants 
Besides  these,  there  were  depot  and  garrison  troops  retained  i 
the  provinces,  which  numbered  at  least  one  hundred  thousand 
additional  soldiers. 


jr. 


CHAPTER   IV. 


THE    TRUCE. 


During  the  armistice  of  five  days,  the  Prussian  troops 
remained  in  the  Marchfeld. 

On  the  morning  of  the  23rd,  the  troops  who  had  been  the 
previous  day  engaged  in  the  combat  of  Blumenau  marched 
back  to  their  positions  on  their  own  side  of  the  line  of  demar- 
cation which  was  to  be  observed  by  the  Prussians  during  the 
armistice.  Between  this  line  and  that  up  to  which  the  Austrian 
outposts  were  pushed  forward  extended  a  narrow  belt  of  neutral 
ground,  on  which  the  soldiers  of  either  side  were  forbidden  to 
tread,  and  where  the  labourers  were  cutting  the  corn  and 
carrying  in  the  harvest  as  peaceably  and  diligently  as  if  there 
was  no  enemy  in  their  country,  and  no  Prussian  vedettes  were 
posted  along  the  course  of  the  Roszbach.  The  troops,  not 
ungrateful  for  a  little  idleness  after  their  hard  work,  lay  billeted 
in  the  villages  between  Ebenthal  and  the  line  of  demarcation, 
knapsacks  were  unpacked,  and  their  motley  contents  laid  out 
on  the  banks  by  the  roadside  to  be  dried  and  aired  in  the  sun. 
The  artillery  ammunition  went  under  a  careful  inspection; 
groups  of  soldier-tailors  sitting  together  under  the  trees  patched 
up  holes  made  in  uniforms  either  by  the  wear  and  tear  of  the 
campaign,  or  by  the  too  near  approach  of  a  bullet  or  the 
splinter  of  a  shell.  Everywhere  through  the  cantonments  there 
was  a  listless,  idle  air  of  careless  comfort  and  rest,  such  as  can 
only  be  thoroughly  appreciated  by  those  who  have  been 
marching  and  fighting  for  weeks  past  under  a  burning  sun  or 
heavy  soaking  rain ;  except  where  the  sentinel  paced  up  and 
down  before  some  cottage  improvised  into  a  guardhouse,  where 
the  regimental  colours  were  deposited,  or  where  the  vedette 


412  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

sat  mounted,  with  pistol  in  hand,  peering  as  carefully  towards 
Florisdorf  and  the  Danube  as  if  there  were  no  truce  agreed 
upon,  and  as  if  he  expected  every  moment  to  have  to  give  the 
signal  of  the  approach  of  the  enemy's  columns.  No  one  who 
bore  any  look  of  being  a  spy  was  allowed  to  pass  either  out  of 
the  lines  or  into  them,  and  so  suspicious  were  the  sentries  that 
the  country  people  going  out  to  or  returning  from  work  had  to 
give  satisfactory  accounts  of  themselves  before  they  were 
allowed  to  pass.  The  Austrians  were  equally  careful  on  their 
side,  so  that  no  communication  could  take  place  with  Vienna ; 
and  the  Stephanenthurm,  which  looked  down  on  the  city  where 
so  many  would  like  to  go  if  only  for  an  hour,  only  tantalized 
those  who  could  see  it  from  the  line  of  outposts,  and  drew  forth 
many  exclamations  of  impatience  from  those  who  fretted  and 
fumed  at  being  tied  down  to  the  flat  plain  of  the  Marchfeld, 
in  the  very  sight  of  the  capital,  where  many  little  luxuries  which 
were  greatly  missed  and  wanted  in  the  army  could  so  easily 
have  been  purchased. 

In  the  meantime  the  military  authorities  were  not  idle  in 
their  preparations  for  the  continuance  of  the  campaign,  in  case 
the  diplomatists,  who  were  working  in  mysterious  silence  at 
Nikolsburg,  should  fail  to  come  to  terms  upon  the  conditions 
of  peace.  The  railway  was  crowded  with  trains  all  the  way 
from  Gorlitz  to  Lundenburg,  which  were  bringing  up  reserves, 
heavy  guns,  stores,  pontoons,  and  all  the  other  materials  which 
would  be  required  for  the  passage  of  the  Danube.  The  armis- 
tice had  not  done  the  Prussians  much  harm,  even  if  the  war 
should  have  broken  out  afresh,  except  by  stopping  the  action 
of  Blumenau,  for  they  would  probably  have  had  to  pause  in 
the  middle  of  active  operations  to  await  the  arrival  of  their  siege 
guns  and  their  bridge  material,  even  if  there  had  been  no 
suspension  of  hostilities  ;  and  the  five  days  which  gave  rest  to 
the  battalions  in  the  front  of  the  army  also  afforded  time  to  get 
forward  the  immense  train  of  boats,  pontoons,  and  planks 
which  the  engineers  would  have  required  if  they  had  been , 
called  upon  to  throw  bridges  across  the  broad,  rapid  stream 
which  flows  between  the  Marchfeld  and  Vienna,  although  the  i 
Danube  is  not  so  difficult  to  cross  as  most  rivers  with  an 
equal  amount  of  water,  for  it  is  broken  up  into  many  channels, 


Chap.  IV.]  THE    TRUCE.  413 

enclosing  numerous  islands  which  much  aid  the  construction 
of  a  bridge. 

Now  in  the   different  billets  many  stories  were  related  of 
individual  prowess  and  personal  bravery  during  the  campaign. 
There  was  not  a  battalion  or  a  squadron  which  had  not  its 
special  hero,    about  whom  some  particular  anecdote  was  re- 
corded ;  no  two  opinions  were  stated  concerning  the  organiza- 
tion and   equipment  of  the   different  branches  of  the   army 
from  those   who  have  had  the  most  practical  proofs  of  the 
working  of  them,  by  being  dependent  upon  them  in  the  real 
work  of  war.     There  were  no  grumblers  ;  and  though  the  staff 
officers,  who   observed   carefully  every  incident  of  the   cam- 
paign, with  a  view  to  profit  by  its  experience  for  further  im- 
provement and  for   further  progress,  had  noted  many  things 
which  were  changed  or  adopted  as  soon  as  peace  gave  time 
and   opportunity,  the   regimental   officers   were    well   content 
with  everything,  and  were  ready  to  stand  or  fall  by  their  con- 
viction that  the  Prussian  army  was  the  most  smoothly-worked 
piece  of  machinery  in  the  whole  world.     It  was  curious  to  find 
from  those  who  had  taken  part  in  the  cavalry  fighting  that  the 
epaulette,  which  has  of  late  been  discarded  in  many  armies  as 
a   useless    incumbrance,    had    again   risen   into   high   favour. 
None  of  the  Prussian  cavalry  wore  their  epaulettes  on  service 
except  the  Uhlans,  but  some  officers  of  these  regiments  spoke 
most  highly  of  the  good  service  the  little  plates  of  shoulder 
armour  had  done  in  warding  off  sword  cuts.     The  cuirass,  too, 
proved  more  useful  in  close  encounter  than  most  people  would 
have  given  it   credit  for,  and  was  in  more  than  one  case  the 
instrument  of  saving  a  man's  life,  and  yet  the  Prussian  cuiras 
ses  are  thin,  ill  made,  and  ill  fitted  in  comparison  with  those 
of  the  British  Household   Cavalry.     Still,  there  was  a  strong 
party  against  this  defensive  armour,  for  many  in  the  army  held 
that  its  use  does  not  repay  the  extra  weight  it  puts  upon  the 
horse,  but  this  party  was  for  the  present  silenced  by  the  great 
success  which  the  5  th  regiment  of  cuirassiers,  attached  to  the 
Crown   Prince's   army,   had  lately   been  in  the   combat  near 
Tobitschau,  where  it  took  seventeen  guns. 

The  needle-gun  was  of  course  an  immense  favourite,  and  the 
Prussian  officers  justly  held  that  an  army   provided   with   a 


414  SEVEX  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 


|l 


muzzle-loading  arm  can  never  hope  to  stand  up  to  their  troops 
in  the  shock  of  open  battle;  but  their  conclusion  that  the 
needle-gun  is  the  best  possible  breech-loader  was  founded  on 
nothing  more  than  the  fact  that  it  is  superior  to  a  muzzle- 
loading  rifle,  and  they  advanced  no  good  grounds  for  sup- 
posing that  no  breech-loader  has  been  invented  since  the 
introduction  of  the  needle-gun  into  the  Prussian  service,  which 
can  be  superior  to  the  arm  that  did  such  fearful  execution 
in  the  Austrian  ranks  at  Podoll,  and  in  the  actions  before 
Gitschin. 

The  Prussians  entered  upon  the  campaign  with  their  horse 
artillery  armed  with  smooth-bore  12-pounder  guns.  They 
had  long  before  the  armistice  bitterly  repented  this  error,  and 
will  take  care  to  remedy  it  before  they  are  embroiled  in  another 
war.  The  whole  of  their  field  artillery  is  to  be  armed  with 
steel  breech-loading  rifled  guns  constructed  on  Krupp's  system 
— good  ordnance  doubtless,  but  the  Prussian  guns  did  not 
appear  in  action  to  make  such  good  practice  as  the  Armstrong 
guns  did  in  China,  when  the  English  gunners  were  still  un- 
accustomed to  them,  and  as  yet  looked  upon  all  breech-loading 
ordnance  with  considerable  suspicion.* 

The  Prussians  on  the  24th  commenced  massing  troops 
towards  the  left  of  their  position,  with  the  view  of  being  able 
to  make  an  immediate  dash  on  Preszburg  on  the  afternoon 
of  the  27th,  if  peace  should  not  be  concluded  during  the  time 
that  the  armistice  lasted  ;  but  most  in  camp  looked  upon  this 
concentration  as  a  needless  precaution,  for  it  was  considered 
that  peace  was  perfectly  certain.  But  neither  the  staff  nor  the 
outposts  were  prevented  by  this  feeling  of  certainty  from  using 
all  precautions  from  being  taken  unawares;  the  railway  still 
teemed  with  trains  loaded  heavily  with  troops  and  stores. 

No  news  could  be  obtained  of  how  the  negotiations  were 
going  on  at  Nikolsburg,  for  the  diplomatists  preserved  the 
correct  diplomatic  silence,  and  took  care  that  the  profanum 
vulgus  should  gain  no  clue  either  to  the  progress  or  probable 
result  of  the  discussions   held  at  their  mysterious  meetings. 

*  In  1870-71,  a  portion  of  the  Prussian  field  artillery  was  armed  with 
bronze  breech-loading  guns,  and  probably  in  future  all  the  guns  for  the 
field  artillery  will  be  made  of  bronze. 


lltAP.  IV.]  THE    TRUCE.  415 

humours,  of  course,  were  rife,  and  all  of  them  prophesied 
teace;  some  went  so  far  as  to  assert  that  the  treaty  would 
Actually  be  signed  on  Thursday,  the  26th;  but  how  far  such 
Reports  were  to  be  trusted  could  not  be  established,  as  popular 
bpinion  was  now  swayed  about  in  the  most  extraordinary  way. 
rhe  sudden  glance  of  a  Minister,  or  the  wearied  look  of  a 
plenipotentiary,  was  interpreted  according  to  the  inclination  of 
Ihe  observer,  and  had  some  deep  meaning  attached  to  it,  pos- 
jsibly  very  remote  from  what  it  might  really  signify. 

Nothing  was  doing  at  head-quarters,  so  a  party  of  officers  of 
the  staff  was  made  to  visit  the  outposts,  partly  for  the  sake  of 
liomething  to  do,  partly  in  hopes  of  being  able  to  catch  some 
glimpses  of  the  fortifications  round  Florisdorf,  which  are  rapidly 
becoming  famous.  A  ride  of  fifteen  miles  over  the  flat,  wide- 
spreading  Marchfeld,  carpeted  with  meadows,  clover-fields,  and 
broad  belts  of  stubble,  from  which  most  of  the  corn  had  been 
Removed,  past  dark  woods  of  fir  and  lighter  copses  of  dark  oak, 
|;ook  them  to  Wagram.  More  than  once  some  one  exclaimed, 
<;'  What  a  beautiful  battle-field  for  cavalry  !  "  as  they  rode  for 
(miles  over  ground  unbroken  by  fences  or  brooks,  and  in  which 
[the  only  obstacles  to  the  free  gallop  of  horses  were  a  few  small 
iitches,  and  here  and  there  a  tiny  bank. 

The  village  of  Wagram,  celebrated  by  the  battle  won  here  by 
j:he  first  Napoleon,  contains  a  chapel  where  are  collected  many 
pf  the  arms  that  were  found  on  the  field  after  that  great  fight. 
■  strange  feeling  of  awe  comes  upon  one  when  brought  face  to 
[jface  with  these  truest  monuments  of  the  great  conflict  waged 
jlhere  by  the  mighty  dead ;  and  the  loud  talk  and  laughter  of 
■careless  soldiers  fresh  from  a  field  of  battle,  and  reckless  of  how 
soon  they  might  march  to  another,  were  hushed,  not  more  by 
the  sanctity  of  the  place  than  by  an  almost  involuntary  reve- 
rence for  the  visible  memorials  of  the  great  battle  and  of  the 
warriors  who  fell  in  it.     But  disappointment  has  also  its  place 
in  the  mind ;   for  how  clumsy,  how  old-fashioned,  according  to 
:our  ideas,  look  those  old  flint  muskets  and  heavy  swords  with 
which  but  a  few  years  back  the  fate  of  Europe  was  decided  ! 
Could  the  question  fail  ?  Shall  we  to  our  successors  in  the  next 
generation  appear  to  have  known  so  little  of  what  science  has 
in  such  a  short  time  developed,  and  to  have  been  so  ignorant 


4i 6  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

of  mechanical  appliances,  which,  when  once  unfolded,  appeal 
so  simple  and  so  palpable?  And  another  thought  came  intc  t 
every  mind,  which  struck  home  to  the  heart ;  for  it  told  that  in  £ 
a  few  short  years  those  who  had  fought  at  Koniggratz  and  sur-'  :: 
vived  the  long  summer  day's  slaughter  on  the  Sadowa  mT  -: 
would  individually  be  equally  lost  to  memory  as  those  who  fell 
at  Wagram — their  names  mostly  unknown,  their  private  deeds 
unrecorded  by  any  historian. 

About  two  hundred  yards  south  of  the  village  of  Wagram  lies 
the  watercourse  of  the  Roszbach  rivulet.     This  world-knew 
brook  is  about  ten  feet  wide  and  fifteen  feet  deep.     With  sharp 
sides  cut  almost  straight  down,  and  the  earth  thrown  up  or  fc 
either  bank  to  form  dykes  which  prevent  its  winter  floods  fronj  ki 
inundating  the  surrounding  country,  it  looks  more  like  a  huge 
artificial  drain  than  like  a  natural  rivulet.     Along  its  banks  £ 
grow  rows  of  pollard  willows,  closely  planted  together,  whicr. 
formed  a  grateful  shade  from  the  burning  July  sun.     The  roac 
which  leads  to  Florisdorf  crosses  the  brook  by  a  slight  wooder  : 
bridge   which   could   be  destroyed  in  a  few  minutes  by  the 
pioneers  of  a  single  battalion.     On  the  Wagram  side  of  the 
bridge  were  two  vedettes  from  Hohenlohe's  fine  regiment  o 
Uhlans,  crouching  for  shade  under  the  willow-trees,  but  steadilj  t 
gazing  out  towards  Florisdorf,  though  not  an  Austrian  vedettt  i: 
could  be  seen,  for  they  were  all  hidden  by  trees. 

But,  though  no  enemy  was  in  sight,  a  view  was  there  which 
well  repaid  the  long  ride,  and  which  even  the  soldiers,  accus  I 
tomed  as  they  had  been  to  marching  through  fine  scenery,  wen 
admiring  to  each  other.  On  the  right  lay  the  rounded  hill  o 
the  Bisamberg,  studded  with  vineyards,  corn-fields,  and  woods 
among  which  vain  search  with  glasses  was  made  to  discover  am 
signs  of  the  hostile  batteries.  Beyond  the  Bisamberg  could  b< 
seen  the  narrow  gorge  from  which  the  Danube  issues,  anc 
further  still  the  rough  rugged  recess  of  the  hills  above  Klostei 
neuberg,  rising  steeply  up  from  the  waters  edge,  with  thei 
summits  capped  with  heavy  masses  of  dark  green  foliage,  anc 
their  sides  sprinkled  over  with  fir-trees.  A  little  to  the  left 
and  at  the  foot  of  the  hills,  the  city  of  Vienna  lay  sparkling  id 
the  sun ;  the  tops  of  the  steeples  and  the  roofs  of  the  house: 
glittered  in  the  bright  flood  of  light,  but  not  too  powerfully,  fo: 


:hap.  IV. J  THE    TRUCE.  417 

he  air  between  Wagram  and  the  town  seemed  converted  by 

he  heat  into  a  heavy  transparent  ether,  which  spread  a  halo 

bund  the  city.     In  the  foreground,  a  little  to  the  left,  a  high 

:hurch  spire,  surrounded  by  tall  poplar-trees,  showed  the  situa- 

ion  of  the  village  of  Florisdorf ;  but  no  intrenchments  could 

)e  seen,  no  working  parties  could  be  discovered ;  they  were  all 

ridden  by  a  long  gentle  wave  of  the  ground,  which  would  not 

lave  been  noticed  except  because  it  excluded  from  the  view. 

Mr    away  on  the  left  front  spread   the    Marchfeld,  beyond 

vhich  could  be  seen  the  dim  blue  line  of  hills  which  gird  the 

galley  south  of  the  Danube,  while  directly  to  the  left  the  dark 

Carpathians  towered  up  to  the  sky,  and  the  gap  between  the 

rheben-Berger  and  the  main  ridge  showed  where  the  road  ran 

}o  Preszburg,  and  pointed,  out  the  situation  of  the  village  of 

l31umenau,  the  scene  of  the  combat  of  the  22nd. 

(   After  a  long  and  fruitless  search  among  the  poplar-trees  for 

By  signs  of  intrenchments,  during  which  heaps  of  earth  were 

tainted  out  as  redoubts,  which  may  have  been  or  may  not,  the 

Officers  turned  to  ride  down  the   Roszbach.     The  brook  was 

Llmost  entirely  dry ;  here  and  there  for  a  few  yards  a  thin 

iheet  of  water  a  few  inches   deep   covered   the    soft   muddy 

;>ottom,  and  gave  a  refuge  to  flocks  of  mud-bedaubed  ducks, 

mt  in  general  the  mud  which  forms  the  sole  of  the  watercourse 

ay  exposed  to  the  sun,  and  was  dried  and  broken  into  cracks 

nd  fissures,  which  ran  into  each  other,  forming  a  tracery  not 

.nlike  hieroglyphic  writing.     All  along  the  brook  were  constant 

edettes,  all   hidden  in  the  willows  on  the  bank,  which  the 

:onditions  of  the  armistice  had  declared  to  be  for  the  present 

Prussian  ground.     The  sound    of  horses'  feet  coming  along 

Irew  the  sentries  out  of  their  ambush  far  enough  to  let  them 

>e  seen,  but  as  soon  they  saw  the  uniforms  of  the  Prussian 

taff-officers  they  resumed  their  steady  stare  to  the  front,  retiring 

ato  the  shade,  and  let  the  officers  pass  them  as  if  they  were 

ot   aware    of  our   existence  ;    for   outlying  sentinels  pay  no 

ompliments  in  the  presence  of  the  enemy. 

The  Prussian  armies  were  by  the  25th  drawn  close  together, 
nd,  concentrated  in  one  huge  mass,  lay  like  a  crouching  lion, 
eady  to  spring  upon  the  Danube,  should  the  negotiations  for 
ieace  fail,  and  the  orders  for  an  advance  be  flashed  by  tele- 

E   E 


f 


418  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

graph  from  Nikolsburg  to  the  different  commanders.  The 
First  Army,  under  Prince  Frederick  Charles,  was  close  up  to 
the  Roszbach  and  the  line  of  demarcation,  with  a  strong  corps 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  March  to  guard  its  flank  or  form  its- 
advanced  guard  as  might  be  required,  in  case  the  signal  should 
be  given  to  move  forward.  General  Henvarth,  with  the  Army 
of  the  Elbe,  was  on  the  right,  perhaps  with  the  object  of 
crossing  the  river  at  a  lower  point  of  its  course.  The  Crown 
Prince  was  in  rear  of  the  first,  ready  to  move  in  any  direction 
which  occasion  might  require. 

On  the  27th,  at  mid-day,  the  armistice  would  expire,  and,  in 
case  that  it  should  not  be  prolonged,  or  preliminaries  of  peace 
were  not  agreed  upon  by  that  hour,  the  Prussian  troops  were; 
on  the  26th  held  in  readiness  to  march  at  the  shortest  notice 
If  an  advance  had  been  made,  there  can  be  no  doubt,  from  the 
positions  of  the  different  divisions,  that  the  great  attack  against  B 
the  line  of  the  Danube  would  have  been  made  towards  Presz  -: 
burg ;  probably,  at  the  same  time,  a  demonstration  might  havi 
been  made  towards  the  Prussian  right,  and  a  false  attad 
directed  on  Florisdorf,  in  order  to  retain  the  garrison  in  thei 
fortifications.  The  action  of  the  22nd,  which  at  the  momen 
of  certain  victory  for  the  Prussians  was  interrupted  by  th« 
armistice,  had  shown  the  Austrians  where  the  chief  attacl 
could  be  made,  and  the  Prussians  thought  that  by  the  27th  th 
position  of  Blumenau  would  in  all  likelihood  have  been  artj 
ficially  strengthened,  and  the  road  by  which  Bose  advance 
and  gained  the  rear  of  the  villages  would  certainly  be  watche 
on  a  future  occasion.  Yet,  though  there  could  be  no  hope  c 
succeeding  so  suddenly  as  on  the  22nd  in  gaining  the  comman 
of  the  defile  which  leads  to  Preszburg,  and  though  there  wa 
no  chance,  as  would  probably  have  been  the  case  if  th 
previous  Sunday's  action  had  continued,  of  driving  the  enem 
so  quickly  through  the  town  as  to  prevent  him  from  destroyin 
the  bridge,  the  advantages  to  be  gained  from  attempting  to  pas 
the  Danube  at  Preszburg  were  so  great,  that  an  attempt  woul 
probably  have  been  made  to  force  the  defile  and  to  secure  thr 
town.  The  fortifications  of  Florisdorf,  a  part  of  which  coul 
be  seen  from  the  church-tower  of  Wagram,  shut  out  the  accefj 
to  such  a  broad  piece  of  the  river  bank  that  very  differei 


m 
Ait 


■:0 


Chap.  IV.]  TBE    TRUCE.  419 


measures  had  to  be  taken  for  securing  the  passage  than  would 
have  been  most  expedient,  if  no  intrenchments  had  covered  the 

x  approach  across  the  flat  plain  from  Wagram  and  Aspern.  The 
portion  of  the  works  which  could  be  seen  through  the  clear  air 
from  the  church  spire  embraced  four  redoubts  on  the  Bisam- 
berg  hill,  and  three  on  the  flat  ground  between  the  Bisamberg 
and  Florisdorf;  there  was  also  another  work  on  the  hill  to 

01  guard  the  left  flank  of  the  position,  which  lying  more  towards 
the  river  could  not  be  seen  from  Wagram. 

The  Prussian  cavalry  had  gained  much  from  the  rest  afforded 
by  the  armistice ;  fatigued  by  long  marches  through  the  Mo- 
ravian highlands,  and  stinted  for  forage,  it  had  a  sufficiently 
long  period  of  repose  when  the  army  halted  at  Briinn  to  restore 
it  to  the  splendid   condition  in  which   it    entered   upon  the 

;:  campaign;  but  the  long  rest  in  the  Marchfeld  had  done  it  an 

r  immensity  of  good,  though  even  here  forage  had  not   been 

;v,  plentiful.  Notwithstanding  small  rations,  the  horses  had 
profited  by  their  rest,  for  time  had  been  given  to  replace  their 

■K  worn-out  shoes,  and  to  afford  relief  to  chafed  backs  caused  by 
the  late  long  marches.  The  troopers  were  in  high  spirits,  for 
jthey  had  overcome  the  famed  Austrian  cavalry  in  several 
encounters,  and  now  claimed  a  higher  reputation  than  that 
•which  for  several  years  past  had  been  accorded  to  their 
antagonists.      The   failures  of  the    Austrian    cavalry  in   their 

r  encounters  with  the  stronger  and  better-mounted  horsemen  of 
Prussia  had  not  so  much  astonished  the  thinking  officers  of  this 

\  army  as  had  the  singularly  little  use  which  General  Benedek 
had  made  of  his  light  horse.  Although  operations  had  been 
1  ^conducted  in  its  own  country,  where  every  infonnation  con- 
cerning the  Prussian  movements  could  have  been  readily 
obtained  from  the  inhabitants,  the  Austrian  cavalry  had  made 
no  raids  against  the  flank  or  rear  of  the  advancing  army,  had 
jcut  off  no  ammunition  or  provision  trains,  had  broken  up  no 
railway  communication  behind  the  marching  columns,  had 
destroyed  no  telegraph  lines  between  the  front  and  the  base  of 
supplies,  had  made  no  sudden  or  night  attacks  against  the 
outposts  so  as  to  make  the  weary  infantry  stand  to  their  arms 
and  lose  their  night's  rest,  and,  instead  of  hovering  round  the 
front  and  flanks  to  irritate  and  annoy  the  pickets,  had  been 


sell 
I 


I- 

z 

n 

Z: 


420  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

rarely  seen  or  fallen  in  with  except  when  it  had  been  marched 
down  upon  and  beaten  up  by  the  Prussian  advanced  guards. 

Yet  the  Prussian  cavalry  had  in  many  cases  lost  severely  in 
the  campaign,  especially  the  3rd  regiment  of  Dragoons.     This 
regiment   suffered    fearfully   from   its   rough   hustle   with   the 
Austrian  cuirassiers  at  Koniggratz,  and  now  mustered  but  half 
the  men  and  horses  with  which  it  entered  upon  the  campaign. 
More  than  half  the  officers  and  quite  half  the  men  who  followed 
across  the   Bohemian  frontier  the   standard  which  has    been 
cherished  in  their  regiment  since  the  year  1704  are  now  lying 
under  the  earth  of  Lipa,  or  were  in  the  hospitals  of  Tiirnau 
and  Gorlitz,  for  this  was  the  regiment  which   dashed  against 
the  heavy  mass  of  cuirass  horsemen  who  sacrificed  themselves 
to  cover  the  retreat  of  the  Austrian  battalions,  and  it  supported 
its  character  for  dashing  courage  at  a  tremendous  cost.     Very 
many  of  both  the  officers  and  men  who  were  not  now  in  the  \ 
ranks  were  victims  to  terrible  sword  cuts,  which,  coming  down 
upon  the  shoulder,  cut  clean  through  the  shoulder-blade,  and 
often  deep  down  into  the  body— awful  memorials  of  the  strength 
of  arm  of  the  Austrian  horsemen.     Much  did  the  officers  of 
this  regiment  complain  of  the  absence  of  epaulettes,   which 
they  estimated  would,  by  defending  the  shoulder,  have  saved 
half  the  men  they  had  left  behind  them — a  complaint  which 
was  to  some  extent  borne  out  by  the  fact  that  the  ultimate  \ 
overthrow  of  the  cuirass  regiments  of  Austria  was  due  to  the 
arrival  of  some  of  Hohenlohe's  Uhlans,  who   took   them  in 
flank.     Then,  though  the  heavy  horsemen  turned  upon  Hohen-  f 
lohe's  men,  their  swords  were  shivered  upon  the  brass  plates  * 
which  lay  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  Uhlans,  for  these,  unlike 
the  rank  and   file  of  the  rest  of  the  Prussian  cavalry,  carried 
epaulettes,  and  though  the  blows  were  aimed  at  the  head,  the 
smaller  object  was  nearly  always  missed,  and  the  sharp   edge 
descended  only  to  be  dinted   or  broken  upon  the  protected  j 
shoulder,  while  the    Uhlans,  with  their  lances   held  short  in  j 
hand,  searched  out  with  their  spear-heads  unguarded  portions  * 
of  their  antagonists'  bodies,  or,  dealing  heavy  blows  with  the 
butt  ends  of  their  staves,  pressed  through  the  thick  ranks  of  the 
heavy  horsemen,  marking  their  track  with  great  heaps  of  dead, 
dying,  or  wounded.     On  the  evening  of  the  26th,  there  was 


Phap.   IV.]  THE    TRUCE.  421 

still  no  definite  news  from  Nikolsburg,  but  every  rumour  which 
arrived  from  head-quarters  pointed  more  and  more  to  peace ; 
still  the  army  was  held  in  readiness  to  move,  and  the  officiers 
yPordonnatice,  or  "gallopers"  as  they  would  be  termed  in  the 
vernacular  of  Aldershot,  were  ordered  to  be  prepared  to  start 
with  orders  to  the  different  divisions  at  three  in  the  morning. 

The  preliminaries  of  peace  had  been  agreed  upon  at  Nikols- 
burg on  the  evening  of  the  26th,  and  the  war  was  certainly  at 
in  end  as  far  as  Austria  and  the  North  German  States  were 
concerned.  Late  on  the  night  of  the  26th,  a  courier  arrived 
rom  the  King's  head-quarters  at  Nikolsburg,  bringing  a  letter 
from  General  von  Moltke  to  Prince  Frederick  Charles,  which 
rave  no  details  and  no  information  as  to  the  conditions  of  the 
|!>eace,  but  said  simply  that  a  glorious  peace  had  been  arranged. 
The  news  spread  in  a  moment,  and  suddenly  all  was  changed. 
[n  the  evening  information  was  being  obtained  about  the 
trength  of  the  Austrian  position  at  Florisdorf,  the  preparations 
o  guard  the  defile  which  leads  to  Preszburg,  the  nature  of  the 
bridges  over  the  Danube,  or  the  chance  of  Edelsheim's  cavalry 
oming  forward  to  break  a  lance  in  the  Marchfeld.  On  the 
morning  of  the  27th,  these  things  were  held  of  no  account;  no 
Dne  would  have  cared  to  hear  accurately  where  every  battalion 
md  every  gun  was  posted  in  the  Austrian  lines ;  the  number 
Df  Edelsheim's  sabres  and  of  the  Archduke  Albrecht's  corps 
were  alike  disregarded ;  no  one  would  have  cared  to  hear  how 
many  of  the  regiments  from  Italy  were  actually  in  Vienna,  and 
the  intrenchments  of  Florisdorf  were  considered  a  matter  of 
history.  These  who  the  previous  night  seemed  to  have  no 
:hought  but  of  battle,  promotion,  and  an  entry  into  Vienna, 
:ould  speak  on  the  27th  of  nothing  but  home,  and  hardly 
ihought  of  anything  except  their  speedy  return  to  Prussia. 
Now  and  then  a  faint  discussion  arose  on  the  subject  of  the 
:onditions  of  peace,  but  so  little  was  known  in  the  army, 
nd  so  many  reports  were  flying  about,  that  these  soon  sub- 
sided, and  gave  place  to  conversations  about  home  and  home 
riends. 

Though  peace  had  been  actually  decided  upon,  no  one  con- 
nected with  the  army  was  able  to  go  across  the  two  miles  of 
leutral  ground  which  separate  the  Prussian  from  the  Austrian 


422  SEVEN  WEEKS    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

outposts,   so   that   there  was  almost  no  communication  with 
Vienna. 

The  great  desire  of  marching  into  the  Austrian  capital  had 
melted  away  under  the  genial  influence  of  certain  peace,  and 
there  had  sprung  up  instead  a  feeling  of  satisfaction  that  it  was 
not  necessary  to  humiliate  Austria  so  far ;  for  of  a  sudden  all 
the  affection  for  their  old  comrades  of  the  Danish  war,  which 
had  lain  latent  in  the  hearts  of  the  Prussian  soldiers  during  the 
campaign,  had  again  burst  forth  into  life,  and  there  were  pre- 
valent in  this  army  almost  a  kindly  pity  for  the  misfortunes  of  :- 
those  who  but  on  the  yesterday  were  regarded  as  deadly  ene- 
mies.   The  soft,  stout  hearts  of  the  Prussians  were  easily  turned' 
from  anger  to  sympathy,  as  was  so  often  shown  by  their  tender 
treatment  of  the  Austrian  wounded.      During  the   armistice 
there  was  a  feeling  of  suspicion  that  the  Austrian  diplomatists  *■■ 
would  be  shifty,  and  break  off  the  negotiations  as  soon  as  theii 
troops   were    concentrated.      This   feeling,    combined  with 
desire  of  mere  glory,  made  the  armistice  very  unpopular ;  bul 
now  that  it  had  been  proved  that  the  Austrians  were  reall) 
honest,  and  that  peace  was  really  to  be  concluded,  the  memory 
of  all  the  old  grudges  was  obliterated,  and  had  been  replaced  b 
a  rapidly  increasing  feeling  of  friendship.     If  an  Austrian  office: 
had  now  come  into  the  Prussian  lines  he  would  have  beer: 
received  by  the  officers  with  the  same  open-hearted  hospitality  - 
which  they  show  to  their  own  comrades ;  the  day  before  h< 
would  have  been  treated  with  the  most  polite  courtesy. 

The  troops  were  in  excellent  condition,  both  as  to  healtJ 
and  spirits,  and  quite  prepared  to  march  back  to  the  frontie 
at  the  same  rate  as  they  advanced. 

On  the  evening  of  the  26th  the  preliminaries  of  peace""  wer 
signed  at  Nikolsburg  between  Prussia  and  Austria;  the  term 
which  were  agreed  to  were — that  Austria  should  go  out  of  th 
Germanic  Confederation,  should  pay  a  contribution  toward 
Prussia's  expenses  in  the  late  war,  and  should  offer  no  oppc 
sition  to  the  steps  which  Prussia  might  take  with  regard  t 
Northern  Germany:  these  steps  were,  to  annex  Hanove 
Hesse-Cassel,  Nassau,  and  the  portion  of  Hesse-Darmstadt  whic 

*  See  page  449. 


(I 


ies  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Maine ;  to  secure  the  reversion 
I  Brunswick  on  the  death  of  the  present  Duke,  who  has  no 
ildren,  to  force  Saxony  to  enter  into  the  new  North  German 
onfederation  headed  by  Prussia,  and  to  hold  the  entire  mili- 
ary and  diplomatic  leadership  in  that  Confederation.  The 
var  contribution  to  be  paid  by  Austria  was  fixed  at  40,000,000 
fhalers,  of  which  15,000,000  were  to  be  paid  up,  15,000,000 
vere  credited  to  Austria  for  the  Schleswig-Holstein  expenses, 
-  5,000,000  for  the  support  of  the  Prussian  armies  in  Bohemia 
nd  Moravia,  and  5,000,000  were  to  be  paid  at  a  future  date  to 
)e  afterwards  settled.  The  Prussian  armies  were  on  the  2nd 
)f  August  to  retire  to  the  north  of  the  Thaya,  but  were  to 


hap.  IV.]  THE    TRUCE.  423 


>ccupy  Bohemia  and  Moravia  till  the  signature  of  the  final 
eaty  of  peace,  and  to  hold  Austrian  Silesia  until  the  war  con- 
ribution  was  paid. 

To  allow  time  for  the  preparation  and  determination  of  the 
lefinitive  treaty  of  peace,  an  armistice  for  five  weeks  was 
concluded,  to  commence  on  the  2nd  August,  to  which  day  the 
ive  days'  suspension  of  hostilities  was  extended.  The  conven- 
ion  for  the  armistice  determined  as  follows  : — 

That  the  line  of  demarcation  during  the  armistice  should 
am  from  Eyer  by  Pilsen,  Neuhaus,  Zlabings  to  the  Thaya : 
hen  follow  the  course  of  that  stream  to  its  junction  with  the 
March,  along  the  March  to  Napajedl,  and  in  a  straight  line 
om  Napajedl  to  Oderberg,  on  the  Prussian  frontier. 

Round  each  of  the  Austrian  fortresses  lying  within  the  terri- 
ories  occupied  by  the  Prussians  a  space  was  to  be  left,  in 
)rder  that  the  fortress  might  draw  provisions  therefrom.  Round 
31miitz  this  space  was  to  be  ten  miles,  round  Josephstadt, 
Theresienstadt,  and  Koniggratz  five  miles. 

The  Prussians  were  to  have  the  free  use  of  all  land  and 
vater  communications  within  the  ground  occupied  by  their 
irmies,  and  to  have  the  right  of  transport  by  the  railway  from 
~  erau  to  Bohmisch-Triibau,  which  runs  past  the  fortress  of 
31miitz. 

The  Austrian  troops  were  not  to  advance  from  their  actual 
positions  until  the  Prussian  troops  were  entirely  beyond  the 
Thaya. 

The  sick,  who  were  left  by  the  Prussians  with  doctors  and 


424  SEVEN   WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

attendants  in  their  actual  positions,  were  to  be  supplied  by  the] 
Austrian  Government,  and  no  impediment  was  to  be  made  to> 
their  removal  to  their  homes  as  soon  as  possible  by  the 
Prussian  Government. 

The  Prussian  troops  were  to  be  rationed  from  the  territories 
occupied.     No  money  contributions  were  to  be  raised. 

Negotiations  were  to  be  opened  at  Prague  for  the  definitive 
conclusion  of  peace. 

By  some  unfortunate  misunderstanding,  the  garrison  oj 
Theresienstadt  on  the  28th  July,  although  peace  was  agreec 
upon  on  the  26th,  sallied  from  their  fortress,  destroyed  the 
railway  bridge  near  Kralup,  north  of  Prague,  broke  the  teld 
graph  wires  near  the  same  spot,  and  captured  two  Prussian 
officers,  two  officials,  and  fifty  soldiers.  When  the  comman 
dant  of  Theresienstadt  directed  this  sally,  he  was  unaware  thai 
the  preliminaries  of  peace  had  been  agreed  to  ;  but  his  in 
opportune  vigour  caused  a  great  deal  of  inconvenience  to  tru  see: 
Prussian  army,  for  the  destruction  of  the  bridge  broke  the  lin«  i) 
of  communication  with  Tiirnau,  wThich  was  a  large  depot  a 
stores.  During  the  armistice,  too,  some  Austrian  hussars 
unconscious  of  the  existence  of  a  truce,  made  an  attack  on 
park  of  reserve  artillery  at  Znaym,  and  did  some  damage,  for 
on  account  of  the  conclusion  of  the  armistice,  the  guards  hac  h 
not  taken  precautions  against  a  surprise. 

On  the  evening  of  the  27th,  preliminaries  of  peace  wer< 
also  agreed  upon  with  Bavaria.  The  Bavarian  Ambassadoi 
Herr  von  der  Pfordten,  had  been  for  some  days  at  Nikolsburj  - 
unable  to  obtain  an  audience  of  Count  Bismark,  and  only  i) 
the  afternoon  of  the  27th  secured  a  few  moments'  conversatioi 
with  the  Prussian  Prime  Minister.  The  terms  of  peace  wer- 
quickly  stated :  the  cession  of  all  Bavarian  territory  north  c 
the  Maine  to  Prussia,  and  the  payment  of  a  war  contributior. 
The  Bavarian  demurred,  pleaded  he  had  no  instructions  t 
give  up  territory,  and  wished  to  enter  into  diplomatic  negotia 
tions  in  a  more  orthodox  manner,  for  to  the  Ambassado. 
trained  in  the  rules  of  his  art  it  seemed  almost  sacrilege  to  tur 
over  provinces  in  a  meeting  of  only  some  moments'  duration 
and  to  scratch  out  frontier  lines  with  one  or  two  dashing  stroke 
of  a  hurried  pen ;  but  the  plenipotentiaries  of  Prussia,  Coun 


Chap.  IV.}  THE   TRUCE.  42$ 

Bismark  and  General  von  Moltke,  would  listen  to  no  proposi- 
tions and  hear  no  objections,  they  required  an  immediate 
issent ;  the  representative  of  the  Court  of  Munich  did  not  feel 
justified  in  agreeing  to  such  conditions,  the  meeting  abruptly 
terminated,  and  orders  were  telegraphed  to  General  Manteuffel 
to  press  the  war  in  Bavaria.  News  came  in  from  that  country 
of  Prussian  successes  ;  the  Armies  of  the  Elbe,  of  Prince 
Frederick  Charles,  and  of  the  Crown  Prince  were  ready  to 
lurry  off  detachments  to  the  theatre  of  war  south  of  the  Maine, 
the  cause  of  the  decaying  Bund  was  evidently  hopeless,  every 
day  of  indecision  must  heighten  the  war  contribution ;  so  in 
the  evening  the  Bavarian  Ambassador  was  fain  to  declare  his 
agreement  to  the  terms  dictated.  Orders  were  then  tele- 
graphed to  General  Manteuffel  to  arrest  the  progress  of  his 
army,  and  preliminaries  for  a  peace  were  signed. 

On  the  27th,  after  the  preliminary  treaty  with  Austria  had 
been  signed,  the  King,  much  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  officers 
at  Nikolsburg,  who  in  this  case  certainly  represented  the  pub- 
lic opinion  of  the  whole  army,  conferred  on  General  von 
Moltke  the  Order  of  the  Black  Eagle,  the  highest  of  the 
decorations  of  Prussia,  not  more  as  a  sign  of  approval  of  the 
skill  with  which  the  General  had  carried  through  the  negotiations, 
than  of  the  strategy  he  had  displayed  in  the  conduct  of  the 
campaign. 

The  army  was  delighted  with  the  terms  of  the  peace  ;  all 
the  hardship,  all  the  danger  of  the  campaign  were  quite  for- 
gotten— all  desire  of  war  and  regret  that  peace  had  been  made 
so  soon  had  utterly  vanished,  giving  way  to  feelings  of  con- 
gratulation and  happiness,  because  few  men  really  thought 
that  the  dreams  of  a  United  Germany  and  of  a  common 
Fatherland  for  the  whole  Teutonic  race  were  now  visionary 
speculations,  but  were  results  which  must  follow  sooner  or  later 
from  this  campaign.  Count  Bismark  was  immensely  popular 
in  the  army  ;•  he  was  regarded  as  the  author  and  origin  of  this 
success,  so  rapid,  so  complete,  that  no  Prussian  dared  to  hope 
for  half  such  a  triumph  when  the  troops  dashed  into  Saxony 
nearly  seven  weeks  before. 

A  review  was  ordered  in  the  Marchfeld  for  the  31st,  but 
only  of  the  main  body  of  the  First  Army  and  of  the  cavalry 


Kl 


426  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR,  [Book  IX.  v 


corps.  The  Second  Army  and  the  Army  of  the  Elbe  were 
already  preparing  to  march  back  over  the  Thaya,  and  as  sooriij 
as  the  roads  were  clear  the  army  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles 
was  to  follow.  The  greater  part  of  the  Crown  Prince's  army, 
was  to  hold  Austrian  Silesia  and  Moravia,  while  the  First 
Army  and  the  Army  of  the  Elbe  occupied  Bohemia.  There 
was  one  dark  shadow  cast  over  the  troops,  although  it  was 
almost  disregarded  amid  the  universal  joy  caused  by  the 
glorious  terms  of  peace  which  had  been  obtained.  The 
cholera  had  broken  out  in  the  camp,  several  men  and  officers 
were  already  down  with  it,  and  great  fears  were  entertained 
that  the  hot  weather  might  cause  it  to  increase.  The  cases  at 
first  were  not  very  numerous,  but  they  were  not  confined  to  ;: 
one  particular  regiment,  or  one  particular  locality,  which 
makes  it  appear  as  though  the  disease  were  lurking  all  through  | 
the  lines,  ready  to  burst  forth  everywhere  if  a  day  hotter  than; 
usual  or  a  slight  failure  of  good  water  should  occur.  The 
medical  men,  however,  spoke  confidently  of  their  power  to 
keep  the  pestilence  under,  and  it  was  hoped  that  when  the  ■ 
troops  turned  their  faces  homewards  they  might  shake  it  off  by;  . 
change  of  quarters,  and  suffer  no  more  when  well  away  from 
the  flat  land  which  borders  on  the  Danube.  But  it  pursued 
them  as  they  moved,  and  during  the  whole  of  the  remaining 
time  which  the  Prussian  army  remained  on  Austrian  territory 
it  suffered  much  from  disease. 

By  the  29th  the  Prussian  army  began  to  withdraw  from  the 
duchy  of  Austria;  the  Crown-  Prince's  army  was  already 
moving  back  towards  Austrian  Silesia,  passing  through  Mo- 
ravia. The  second  corps  d'armee  of  the  First  Army  had 
commenced  its  movement  towards  Prague,  and  the  rest  of  the 
First  Army  was  also  to  begin  its  retrograde  march  on  the  1st 
August,  after  it  had  been  reviewed  by  the  King  in  the  March- 
feld  on  the  31st  July.  General  Miilbe,  who  had  come  with 
his  reserve  corps  from  Prague  to  Briinn  before  the  preli- 
minaries of  peace  were  agreed  upon,  was  retracing  his  steps. 
It  could  not  be  expected  that  the  return  march  would  be 
nearly  so  rapid  as  that  of  the  advance.  There  was  no  enemy 
now  in  the  front  to  be  turned  or  hurriedly  pushed  back,  so 
the  troops  moved  by  easy  stages  until  they  reached  the  posi- 


Ihap.  IV.]  THE   TRUCE.  427 


ions  they  had  to  occupy  till  the  treaty  of  peace  was  finally 

igned. 

The  troops  were  not  at  all  sorry  to  be  called  upon  to  march 

ain ;   they  had  had  more  than  enough  rest  after  the  quick 

harches   of  the  advance,  and  began  now  to  find  time  hang 

ather  heavy  on  their  hands.     Even   smoking  gets  tiresome 

dien  it  has  been  indulged  in  for  almost  a  week  continuously 

without  the  interruption  of  parades  or  inspections.     Helmet 

ops  had  been  polished  and  repolished,  needle-guns  had  had 

heir  complicated  mechanism  taken  to  pieces,  cleaned,   and 

mt  together  again,  swords  and  bayonets  had  been  burnished 

>ver  and  over  again,  accoutrements   and   appointments  had 

)een  inspected  closely  and  more  closely,  almost  in  the  hope 

)f  finding  some  rent  or  hole  which  might  have  to  be  repaired, 

ill  for  the  sake  of  something  to  do.     But  all  the  occupation 

vhich  their  accoutrements  could  afford  to  the  men  had  been 

exhausted,  and  now  they  were  reduced  to  strolling  about  list- 

essly,  or  hanging  over  the  fences  which  surround  the  gardens 

:>f  the  cottages  where  they  were  billeted,  sucking  gravely  at 

:heir  long  wooden  pipes.     Now  and  then  a  soldier  might  be 

een  starting  off  to  cut  Indian  corn  for  the  cow  of  the  villager 

an  whom  he  was  billeted,  but  he  was  seldom  allowed  to  enjoy 

ilone  his  temporary  occupation ;  a  group  of  comrades,  eager 

for  employment,  joined  him,  and  in  consequence  the  basket, 

the  filling  of  which  might  have  given  one  man  work   for  a 

couple  of  hours,  was  crammed  full  in  a  few  minutes  by  the 

thick   group  of  voluntary   labourers.      The   village    children 

alone  were  perfectly  satisfied  with  the  existing  state  of  affairs  ; 

they,  unlike  their  elders,  had  no  misgivings  about  heavy  taxes 

which  they  would  be  required  to  pay  for  the  expenses  of  the 

^Austrian  army  or  the  war  contribution  to  Prussia  ;  unlike  the 

soldiers,  they  were  not  far  away  from  friends  and  homes,  to 

whom,  now  that  the  legitimate  work  of  the  campaign  was  over, 

these  were  eager  to  return ;  careless  of  to-morrow,  they  were 

only  delighted   to  have  so    many  playfellows,  for  the   great 

strong  men,  who  had  been  but  the  other  day  pursuing  the 

iflying  Austrian  battalions  from  Koniggratz,  were  now  content 

to  let  the   children  beat  them,  pull  their  hair,   or  sometimes 

run  about  with  their  newly  cleaned  swords  trailing  in  the  dust, 


428  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX.  * 

and  were  well  pleased  aftenvards  to  instruct  the  urchins  in  the 
arts  of  converting  a  lump  of  deal  into  a  boat,  or  a  stick  o) 
sycamore  wood  into  a  whistle. 

A  little  after  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  31st  July.!  • 
1866,  the  5th,  6th,  7th,  and  8th  infantry  divisions  and  the  s: 
cavalry  corps  of  the  First  Prussian  Army  were  drawn  up  or  :: 
the  Marchfeld,  within  fifteen  miles  of  Vienna,  to  be  reviewed 
by  the  King  of  Prussia.  The  troops  were  formed  in  four  lines 
facing  towards  the  south,  where,  through  the  haze  which  always  : 
on  a  warm  day  overhangs  a  large  city,  could  be  indistinctl) 
seen  the  tall  Stephanenthurm  that  marked  the  situation  of  the  " 
Austrian  capital;  their  left  rested  close  to  the  village  0: 
Ganserndorf,  whence  the  lines  stretched  for  a  distance  of 
mile  and  a  half  over  a  slightly  undulated  plain,  from  which  the 
crops  had  already  been  removed,  in  the  direction  of  Auersthal 
but  did  not  extend  so  far  as  that  village.  The  two  front  line* 
were  formed  of  heavy  battalions  of  infantry,  each  clumpec 
together  in  close  columns  of  companies,  standing  out  a  darl 
blue  square  against  the  yellow  stubble ;  a  hundred  yard* 
behind  the  battalion  stood  a  long  line  of  the  cavalry  corpj 
under  the  command  of  Prince  Albrecht,  forming,  with  the 
cavalry  regiments  attached  to  the  infantry,  a  force  of  close; 
upon  to, 000  sabres  and  lances.  On  the  right  stood  the  heavj 
brigade  of  General  Pfuel,  consisting  of  the  two  cuirassie; 
regiments  of  the  Emperor  of  Russia  and  of  the  Duke  0 
Coburg,  tall  strong  men,  mounted  on  massive  horses,  wit! 
their  yellow  helmets  and  armour  glittering  in  the  hot  sunshine 
like  burnished  gold ;  next  on  the  left  stood  Rheinhaben'i 
brigade  formed  from  cavalry  of  the  Guard,  one  regiment  0 
dragoons  in  light  blue  uniforms  with  red  facings,  and  shining 
black  japanned  helmets ;  and  two  of  Uhlans,  the  black  anc 
white  flags  of  whose  lances  formed  a  strong  contrast  to  the 
bright  red  facings  and  lancer  caps  over  which  they  waved. 
Next  to  the  Guard  brigade  was  drawn  up  the  brigade  of  Duke 
William  of  Mecklenburg,  which  had  formed  the  advancec 
guard  of  the  First  Army  since  it  crossed  the  Elbe  at  Przelautsch. 
and  which  did  such  tremendous  havoc  among  the  Austriar. 
cuirassiers  at  the  end  of  the  battle  of  Koniggratz.  The' 
regiments  in  this  brigade  are  the  red  hussars  of  Ziethen,  the: 


*ap.  IV.]  THE    TRUCE.  429 


'iint   lebrated  yellow  Uhlans  commanded  by  Prince  Hohenlohe, 

stick    id  the  2nd  dragoons  of  the  Guard,  one  of  whose  squadrons 

de  down  the  Austrian  lancers  at  Tischnowitz.     In  the  next 

'■>:  Iti  igade  stood  the  thinned  squadrons  of  the  3rd  dragoons,  who 

I   st  more  than  half  their  numbers  at  the  great  battle,  side  by 

~  up  (  le  with  the  light  blue  and   silver  clad  Thuringian  hussars, 

mien  10   also    suffered    much    in    the    same  charge    as    the   3rd 

:riiai   agoons.     The   left  of   the   cavalry  brigade  was  formed  by 

■  ilwa  pltz's  heavy  brigade,  the  Queen's  own  cuirassiers,  and  the 

.-let  h  Uhlans,  the  regiment  in  whose  hands  the  lance  asserted  its 

soft   premacy  over  the  sword  in  the  cavalry  combat  at  Saar.     In 

vibge    e  fourth  line,  some  two  hundred  yards  in  the  rear  of  the 

-  e  of  |.valry,  were  drawn  up  the  ambulance  waggons,  ammunition 

il   iggons,   field    telegraph   division,  a  long  line  of  light  blue 

vr   xriages   with    companies    of    side    bearers,    and    engineers 

r  ii  ire  and   there   between    them,    while    on   the    left   lay   the 

-up  itteries    of    the    reserve   artillery.      Between    the    batteries 

::  ]  di   '  infantry  and  the  long  line   of    horsemen  stood  the  field 

;  ni  itteries  attached  to  the  infantry  divisions,  each  division  in  a 

■vco!  osed   column  of   four   batteries,    with    a   cavalry   regiment 

di  t  ;side  it. 

!'  do    About  half-past  nine  Prince  Frederick  Charles  galloped  on 

the  ground  and  took  the  command  of  the  whole  force.    The 

■jinssi  ^ops  were  not  quite  formed  up  when  he  arrived,  and  in  a 

,;    ort  time  they  had  all  taken  up  their  positions.     Officers  were 

-.:5i  i  nt  to  look  out  for  the  approach  of  the  King,  and  the  cavalry 

;:nj   smounted  and  stood  beside  their  horses,  the  infantry  piled  their 

1  ms  and  rested  beside  them  to  await  his  arrival.     In  about 

it    tlf  an  hour  an  officer  who  had  been  acting  as  scout  towards 

e  right  was  seen  coming  at  full  gallop  towards  the  Prince,  but 

:cl;2    e  purport  of  his  message  was  understood — he  had  no  need  to 

>:Wt   :liver  it.     Before  he  had  reached  the  Commander-in-chief  the 

0,    arp  words  of  command  calling  the  battalions  and  squadrons 

••  pi     "  attention  "  were  passing  quickly  along  the  line,  and  in  two 

;:    "  three  minutes   the  troopers  were  in  their  saddles,  the  com- 

inies  were  reformed,  the  gunners  sprang  to  their  posts  beside 

eir  guns,  and  the  whole  army  stood  silent  and  motionless ; 

'    e  bayonets   bristled    stiff  among  the    serried   ranks    of  the 

fantry,   the  lance-staves    and  swords  formed   a   perfect   un- 


430  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

bending  line  along  the  whole  cavalry  division,  the  troopers  sal 
as  still  as  statues,  for  the  horses  had  been  perfectly  quieted  by  <:. 
the  campaign,  and  the  only  moving  things  among  the  wide  i 
spread   hosts  were   the    standards    of  the   infantry,    and    the 
pennons  of  the  Uhlans. 

A  little  knot  of  horsemen  appeared  over  the  brow  of  a  gentle  : 
undulation,  and  came  quickly  towards  the  centre  of  the  line  ;  i  jj-v 
tall  man  with  grey  hair  and  moustache,  in  the  uniform  of  i  £- 
general  officer,  rode  in  front.     When  he  came  nearly  opposifc  j 
the  centre  of  the  army,  the  sword-point  of  Prince  Frederic!  p: 
Charles   was   lowered   quickly  towards    the   ground.     At  thi  £- 
signal  every  officer's  sword  went  down,  with  a  rapid  clatte  it' 
every  musket  came  to  the  "  present,"  the  lance-staves  and  glit  - 
tering  sword-blades  of  the   cavalry  stood   straight  up   at  th  ::, 
"  carry,"  while  every  band    struck    up    the  Prussian  nationa  ;: 
hymn  to  salute  the   King.     He  bowed  down   to  his  horse'  • 
neck  to  return  not  only  the  salute,  but  the  loud  cheer  whic  : 
went  up  from  the  ordered  crowd,  and  which  drowned  the  musi  j 
almost  as  soon  as  it  began  to  sound.     For  a  few  minutes  thi  • 
lasted,  and  then  it  died  away,  giving  place  to  the  last  few  note     - 
of  the  bands.     All  was  again  silent.     The  King  moved  to  th 
right  of  the  foremost  line,  and  rode  along  it,  stopping  here  an   . 
there    to    speak  to   soldiers  who  had    specially  distinguishe.  E 
themselves,  or  to  shake  hands  with  the  commanding  officer 
Even*  battalion  cheered  him  as  he  walked  along  its  front,  pausin  ■  _ 
to  address  to  each  a  few  words  of  praise  for  some  partialis 
action   during   the    campaign.      Along   the   second    line,    th 
cavalry,  and  the  carriages  in  the  rear  he  also  rode,  before  r    - 
took  up  his  position  for  the  army  to  march  past  him. 

The  first  troops  that  went  by  were  those  of  the  fifth  division 
commanded  by  General  Tiimpling,  who  fought  and  won,  froi 
a  superior  Austrian  force  strongly  posted,  the  action  of  Brad 
near  Gitschin.  The  whole  of  the  Prussian  infantry  had  we 
proved  during  the  war  its  power  of  marching  long  distances 
bad  roads  and  in  unfavourable  weather,  and  that  day  tr 
battalions  who  were  reviewed  on  the  Marchfeld  amply  demoi; 
strated  that  this  power  can  co-exist  with  the  most  beautifj 
exactness  of  parade  movements.  With  a  long  swinging  stric; 
the  men  passed  by,  keeping  perfect  line,  and  stepping  togeth«'i 


hap.  IV.]  THE    TRUCE.  431 


such  exact  time  that  they  could  not  have  done  better  if, 
stead  of  campaigning  and  bivouacking,  they  had  spent  the 
list  two  months  at  marching  drill.  In  the  centre  of  each 
attalion  was  carried  the  standard,  often  riddled  with  bullet- 
oles,  sometimes  so  torn  away  that  only  a  few  patches  of 
ittered  silk  were  left  hanging  on  the  bare  pole.  In  the  fifth 
ivision  were  the  8th,  12th,  18th,  and  48th  regiments,  all 
elow  their  proper  strength,  for  the  losses  at  Gitschin  had  not 
et  been  replaced,  as  the  reinforcements  which  were  coming 
p  were  stopped  as  soon  as  peace  was  agreed  upon.  After  the 
afantry  came  the  3rd  regiment  of  Uhlans,  which  was  attached 
this  division.  The  perfect  marching  of  the  foot  soldiers 
eemed  to  be  contagious,  for  the  squadrons  moved  in  such  even 
nes  that  as  they  passed  the  horseman  on  the  flank  utterly  hid 
11  the  rest  from  view.     Then  came  the  batteries,  two  abreast, 

:   lark   and   business-like,    with   the   guns   uncovered,    and  the 
ammers  ready,  as  if  pressing  forward  into  action. 

The  sixth  division,  under  General  Manstein,  followed  the 
ifth,  in  the  same  order;  it  consisted  of  the  24th,  64th,  60th, 
,nd  35  th  regiments,  all  marching  with  the  same  steady  step, 
nd  in  equally  perfect  lines  as  those  who  had  gone  before  them. 
Veil  they  looked  and  well  they  went ;  stout,  broad-shouldered 
nen,  well  grown  in  years,  with  thick  beards  and  moustaches, 
vho  swung  along  quickly,  without  a  thought  about  the  heavy 
ellow  knapsack  which  hung  upon  their  backs.  After  them 
followed  a  dark-green  battalion  of  Jagers,  linked  shoulder  to 
ihoulder  in  four  wall-like  lines,  marching  as  if  they  were 
ilways  in  this  close  formation,  though  really  they  have  been 
lsed  in  nothing  but  skirmishing  order  during  the  war.  The 
:avalry  of  this  division,  the  well-known  black  dragoons  of 
(Brandenburg,  with  their  light-blue  tunics  and  dark  velvet  collars, 
rom  which  they  get .  their  name,  formed  a  bright  contrast  in 
:olour  to  the  dark-green  riflemen,  but  moved  with  unwavering 
quadrons,  which  showed  perfectly  trained  horses  and  skilled 
lorsemen. 

Franzecky's  division  came  next,  the  heroes  of  Benatek  and 
Df  the  attack  against  the  Austrian  right  on  the  Bistriz,  where 

'   :hey   left   so  many  of  their  comrades.     Behind  this  general 
narched  the   26th,  66th,  67th,  and  97th  regiments,  the  last 


t- 


432  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

showing  by  its  diminished  front  the  severity  of  the  fire  to  which 
it  was  so  long  exposed  in  the  hardly-contested  wood  abovejfc 
Benatek,  and  the  sharp  fighting  of  a  later  date  near  Blumenau. 
With  this  division  passed  the  dark-green  and  gold  Magdeburg 
hussars,  one  squadron  of  which  made  the  successful  charge 
against  the  Austrian  Uhlans  in  front  of  Kaltenbrun. 

The  last  infantry  regiment  which  marched  past  was  the  8th, 
formerly  commanded  by  General  Home,  but,  since  that  generally 
had  gone  to  take  the  command  of  the  whole  of  the  infantry  of 
the   first  reserve   corps,  under  General  Schoeler.      It  was   a  z 
brigade  of  this  division  which  fought  by  night  the  first  infantry 
combat  of  the  campaign  in  the  narrow  street  of  Podoll,  where  4 
it  suffered  severely.     This  division  also  stormed  the  village  of  r_ 
Sadowa  on  the  morning   of  the  3rd   of  July,  and  spent  the  J]' 
greater  part  of  the  day  in  the  wood  above,  exposed  to  both 
artillery  and  musketry  fire.     The  companies  looked  weak,  for 
their  ranks  had  been  thinned  by  much  fighting ;  but  the  men 
who  had  come  through  it  went  past  their  King  with  a  proudf  : 
bearing,  more  like  fresh  troops  going  upon  service  than  like  men 
who  had  just  finished  a  campaign.     All  looked  splendid,  all 
called  forth  admiration,  and  a  loud  murmur  of  delight  went  up 
from  the  groups  of  officers  behind  the  King  as  the  tall  Jagers  ]■■ 
of  Magdeburg  passed  in  unbending  line  before  them.     These  * 
men,  recruited  from  the  Hartz  mountains,  and  bred  up  to  a 
forest  life,  are  the  very  beau  ideal  of  light  infantry  soldiers ;  tall, 
muscular,  and  wiry,  quick  of  sight,  and  rare  marksmen.     They* 
are  so  cool  under  fire  and  so  certain  of  their  aim,  that  it  is 
asserted  that,  like  the  English  archer  of  old,  the  Magdeburg 
Jager  carries  a  foeman's  life  in  every  bullet  in  his  cartouche. 
When  the  infantry  had  passed  away,  the  cavalry  in  a  long 
column  of  squadrons  filed  before  the  King,  and  in  the  column 
was  seen  every  class  of  cavalry  soldier  which  exists  in  the 
Prussian  service :  heavy,  broad-shouldered  cuirassiers,  clothed 
in  white  uniforms,  with  high  black  boots,  mounted  on  tall. 
strong  horses,  which  tramped  along  under  the  weight  of  their 
armour-clad  riders,  raising  clouds  of  dust,  which  half  obscured  j 
the  dazzling  reflection  of  the  sun  from  the  helmets  and  cuirasses 
tall  and  lithe  Uhlans,  carrying  with  an  easy  balance  their  long 
lances,  of  which  the  bannered  points  rose  in  an  even  line  above   :•. 


k 


:hap.  IV.]  THE   TRUCE.  433 

heir  heads ;  light  dragoons — for  in  this  service  all  the  dragoons 

re  light  cavalry,  armed  with  sword  and  carbine ;  and  lighter 

till,  bright-coloured,  rakish-looking  hussars,  active  little  men, 

n  strong,   short-legged  horses,  decked  out  with  gaudy  trap- 

ings,  which  gave  them  an  almost   Oriental  appearance.     In 

bar  of  the  cavalry  the  reserve  artillery   rolled  slowly   past, 

allowed   by   the   hospital   trains,   now  empty,   and  with  the 

itretchers,  which  used  to  be  carried  by  the  Krankentragers, 

low  folded  up  and  strapped  upon  the  carriages  ;  but  ugly  red 

Ijiains  upon  the  curtains  of  the  ambulance  waggons  showed 

:  lat  all  had  been  lately  used.     Last  of  all  came  the  very  useful 

eld  telegraph  detachment,  nine  carriages,  carrying  means  for 

ying  down  instantly  and  for  using  thirty  miles  of  wire.    When 

1  had  passed,  the  King  called  the  commanding  officers  round 

im,  and  said  :- 

:ii 

v  Gentlemen, — I  cannot  speak  to  all  the  soldiers  under  your  command 
they  are  too  many ;  but  to  you,  for  all,  I  must  express  my  thanks  tor  the 
induct  and  behaviour  of  this  army  during  the  campaign,  which  your  exer- 
ns  have  brought  to  such  a  glorious  conclusion.     I  shall  not  enter  into  the 
,  ;tails  of  the  gallant  conduct  of  your  troops  at  the  battle  of  Koniggratz, 
here  for  hours  you  stood  under  the  whole  artillery  fire  of  the  Austrian 
my,  and  resisted  successfully  all  the  attempts  of  the  enemy  to  crush  you, 
id  thus  break  the  centre  of  the  line  of  our  battle.     I  cannot  speak  as  I 
]"n3    ould  wish  of  Sichrow,  Munchengratz,  Pod  oil,  and  Gitschin.     I  can  but 
nbrace  my  nephew,  your  commander,  as  the  representative  of  you  all.     I 
n  but  tell  you  that  I  thank  you,  and  that  your  King  and  your  Fatherland 
1  that  you  have  nobly  done  your  duty.     I  am  sure  there  is  nothing  I 
u    iuld  say  which  could  be  more  pleasing  to  Prussian  soldiers.' 

Y.s!    Loud  cheers  greeted  the  conclusion  of  this  speech,  when  the 
ing  turned  his  horse,  and  rode  away. 

On  the  morning  of  the  31st,  Prince  Charles,  the  father  of 
irince  Frederick  Charles  and  Prince  Adalbert,  received  the 
rder  of  Merit  from  the  King,  the  same  Order  as  the  Crown 
rince  received  on  the  battle-field  of  Koniggratz.  General  von 
oigt-Rhetz  was  appointed  Governor  of  Hanover,  and  many 
her  officers  and  soldiers  received  military  honours.  Prince 
rederick  Charles  received  nothing,  for  there  was  nothing  left 
give  him ;  he  had  already  won  every  decoration  which  it  was 
the  power  of  the  monarch  to  bestow ;  but  he  was  well  cou- 
nted, for  the  troops  under  his  command  had  won  a  reputa- 

F   F 


* 


: 


434  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX; 

tion,  not  only  for  courage,  discipline,  and  endurance,  but  also 
for  tenderness  to  their  wounded  enemies  and  for  a  kindly  con- 
sideration for  the  peaceful  inhabitants  of  the  conquered  coun- 
tries, which  must  endure  as  long  as  history  lives.  The  King's 
speech  closed  the  last  scene  of  the  war  of  1866. 

The  King  started  for  Berlin  immediately,  and  the  troops  of 
the  First  Army,  who  were  reviewed  on  the   31st,  began  their 
northward  march  the  following  morning.     During  the  occupa- 
tion of  the  Austrian   provinces  the  head-quarters  of  Prince 
Frederick  Charles  were  ordered  to  be  established  at  Prague, 
and  his  army  to  lie  between  that  city  and  the  Thaya,  with  the1' 
Army  of  the   Elbe  on  its  west  and  the  Second  Army  on  its 
north  and  east.     On  the  morning  of  the  first  of  August,  the 
last  of  the  Prussian  troops  broke  up  from  their  positions  on  the  f 
Marchfeld,  and  began  to  retrace  their  steps  towards  the  north* 
There  was  no  need  now  to  advance  prepared  to  form  up  for 
battle,  no  scouts  were  required  to  steal  along  in  front  of  the 
columns,   skirmishers  were  not  required  to  beat  through  the  7 
woods  and  search  the  villages  alongside  of  the  line  of  march, 
the  staff-officers  did  not  need  to  ride  forward  to  gaze  anxiously 
through  their  field-glasses  for  indications  of  an  enemy,  so  the  c: 
troops  were  allowed  to  march  easily  and  carelessly  along,  ancf  -'■ 
as  far  as  possible  the  marches  were  arranged  so  that  the  infantry? 
might  move  by  separate  roads  from  the  cavalry  and  artillery, 
and  press  forward  at  their  own  pace,  unincommoded  by  horse- 
men or  waggons.     Though  only  two-thirds  of  the  First  Army  :; 
remained  to  be  reviewed  by  the  King  on  the  31st,  and  the  rest  V: 
were  already  several  marches  before  them,  it  was  wonderful  tc 
see  what  an  extent  of  country  was  occupied  by  the  same  troops 
when  moving  which  two  days  before  were  clumped  together  or 
the  small  strip  of  ground  near  Ganserndorf.     Along  every  road 
and  every  lane  poured  long  columns :  here  battalions  of  in 
fantry,  formed  of  soldiers  swinging  along  carelessly  in   loos« 
formation  and  with  open  ranks,  generally  singing  in  loud  chorus 
the    Prussian   equivalent   to    "  Home,    sweet   home,"    "  Meir' 
schones    Heimath's   Land;"    there,    long    glittering   lines   0 
cuirassiers  twisted  and  twined  between  willow-trees  and  vinef 
yards,  standing  out  with  their  burnished  armour  bright  an 
clear  against  the  green  foliage  of  the  copses  or  thickly-plantec 


to 


I'hap.  IV.]  THE   TRUCE.  435 

ines ;  further  off  the  march  of  a  regiment  of  Uhlans  could  be 
.  letected  by  the  tall  spears  and  fluttering  pennons  which  rose 
ove  a  swelling  piece  of  ground  or  a  plantation  of  dwarfed 
ak ;  while  a  heavy,  rumbling  noise,  toned  down  by  distance, 
.irough  which  rose  faintly  the  voices  of  the  singing  soldiers, 
aid  that  the  batteries  were  moving  along  the  main  road  to 
likolsburg.  Every  village  was  teeming  with  soldiers,  who 
ere  quartered  in  every  house ;  but,  though  the  inhabitants 
ere  often  inconvenienced  by  having  to  find  the  requisite 
ccommodation  for  the  men,  they  were  very  friendly,  though 
,  ley  did  not  scruple  openly  to  say  they  were  extremely  glad  it 
'as  the  last  time  they  would  be  obliged  to  be  the  involuntary 
osts  of  the  multitudes  of  foreigners  who,  however  agreeable 
nd  friendly,  still  took  up  a  great  deal  of  room.  The  villages 
f  this  part  of  the  country  had  a  harder  time  than  those  of 
tohemia  and  Moravia,  inasmuch  as  for  many  days  the  whole 
f  the  Prussian  armies  had  been  concentrated  between  Nikols- 
urg  and  the  Roszbach,  but  by  some  wonderful  means  every 
illage  now  had  plenty  of  food  and  wine  to  sell  to  hungry  and 
.lirsty  officers  and  soldiers — a  marvellous  fact,  for  they  had 
een  long  shut  out  from  Vienna,  whence  the  inhabitants  said 
hey  drew  all  their  usual  supplies ;  but  as  this  was  a  good  wine 
ountry,  and  poultry  and  eggs  do  not  generally  come  out  of 
apital  cities,  it  is  just  possible  that  these  statements  might 
iave  been  advanced  as  an  excuse  for  the  high  prices  by  means 
»f  which  they  were  doing  their  best  to  wring  from  the  pockets 
>f  the  passing  Prussians  a  set-off  against  the  heavy  taxes  they 
xpected  to  be  levied  by  the  Austrian  Government  to  pay  the 
xpenses  of  the  war.  Still,  the  villagers  and  the  soldiers  were 
>n  excellent  terms ;  and  as  the  troops  were  parading  on  the 
st,  to  march  away,  there  was  a  good  deal  of  hand-shaking  and 
|oud  protestations  of  mutual  esteem  and  good-will.  The  inha- 
lants made  no  complaints  against  the  troops,  and  had  no 
;rounds  to  make  any.  The  soldiers  spoke  well  of  their  enter- 
ainers,  though  there  was  a  theory  in  the  ranks  that  the  won- 
lerful  abundance  of  wine  was  only  a  direct  consequence  of  the 
.dmirable  supply  of  water  which  the  valley  of  the  March  boasts, 
nd  some  of  the  men  could  detail  graphically  the  different 
'    .Tadations  of  colour,  from  purple  to  very  light  red,  which  their 

T?      T7      -"> 


:etr« 


s: 

■r. 


p 


436  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

daily  beverage  underwent  during  the  period  of  the  Prussian 
occupation  of  the  district. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  1st,  the  head-quarters  of  the  First 
Army  were  all  ready  to  march  in  the  direction  of  Iglau,  en 
route  for  Prague,  where  they  were  to  be  established  until  the  Z 
conclusion  of  peace,  or  until  such  an  apparently  improbable 
event  should  occur  as  the  expiration  of  the  armistice  without 
the  conclusion  of  a  treaty.  When  all  was  ready,  horses 
saddled,  saddle-bags  packed,  and  every  preparation  had  been 
made  to  evacuate  Ebenthal,  a  telegram  arrived  ordering 
Prince  Frederick  Charles  to  march  to  Lundenburg,  and  thence 
to  proceed  by  rail  with  some  of  his  troops  to  the  capital 
of  Bohemia.  The  field  post-office  and  some  of  the  baggage 
had  already  moved  off  and  were  well  on  their  way  to  a  village 
named  Peirawerth,  which  would  have  been  the  first  halting- 
place  had  the  original  route  been  adhered  to.  It  was  useless 
to  recall  them,  so  orders  were  sent  to  them  to  move  to  Zister- 
dorf,  where  the  staff  joined  them  on  the  morning  of  the  2nd, 
after  a  short  march  over  the  undulating  country  which  lies 
between  the  March  and  the  great  highway  from  Nikolsburg  to 
Vienna.  The  land  was  now  bare  of  its  corn  crops,  for  the 
harvest  was  already  nearly  over,  and  stretched  away  in  a  rolling 
plain  of  bare  stubble  land,  broken  here  and  there  by  bright! 
green  patches  of  vineyard,  which  contrasted  refreshingly  with 
the  monotonous  yellow,  or  by  clumps  of  pollard  willows  or 
stunted  oaks,  which  cluster  round  the  little  water-courses  in 
the  holloAvs.  A  miserable  little  town  at  the  best  of  times,  off 
the  main  road,  hot,  white  and  dusty,  Zisterdorf  that  day  looked  r- 
worse  than  usual ;  it  had  been  for  some  time  occupied  by 
troops,  who  had  left  untidy  souvenirs  of  the  encampments  of 
horses  in  the  market-place  and  streets  in  the  shape  of  remnants 
of  down-trodden  straw  and  fodder.  Every  house  had  been 
more  or  less  tenanted  by  soldiers,  and  the  traces  of  their  visit 
were  still  extant  in  the  crushed  bundles  of  straw  which  formed 
their  sleeping-places,  and  now  lay  in  most  of  the  rooms  disre- 
garded by  the  dirty  inhabitants,  and  afforded  a  copious  supply 
of  waifs  and  strays  to  be  carried  by  the  feet  of  every  one  who 
went  out  of  the  house  along  the  passages  and  into  the  unpaved 
street,  where  the  marks  of  the  numerous  waggons  which  had 


dte 


hap.  IV.]  THE   TRUCE,  437 

assed  through  the  town  were  preserved  in  deep  rough  ruts 
ink  far  into  the  mud,  which  had  since  been  hardened  by  the 
eat  of  the  sun.  But  men  who  were  turning  homewards  from 
le  end  of  a  successful  campaign  faced  cheerfully  even  the 
irty  rooms  and  straw-covered  floors  of  this  worst  class  of 
•erman  village  ;  so  the  staff-officers  did  not  grumble,  but  made 
p  their  minds  to  it,  and  looked  forward  to  Prague  as  a  happy 
aven,  where  clean  beds  would  at  last  be  found.* 
A  march  of  twenty-five  miles  brought  the  head-quarters  of 
le  First  Army  on  the  3rd  August  to  the  village  of  Eisgrub, 
here  they  were  established  in  the  chateau  of  Prince  Lichten- 
ein,  said  to  be  the  most  beautiful  country-seat  in  the  terri- 
ries  of  the  Kaiser.  The  chateau  inside  consisted  of  long 
^ries  of  wide  halls,  high  corridors,  and  magnificent  rooms, 
scorated  and  adorned  with  oak  carving  of  rare  workmanship, 
id  precious  suits  of  ancient  armour,  where  stood  furniture  of 
quisite  finish  and  taste,  and  the  walls  of  which  were  hung 
ith  glorious  old  pictures  recording  the  noble  deeds  done  by 
e  house  of  Lichtenstein.  Outside  stretched  away  into  the 
r  distance  long  vistas  of  pleasure-grounds,  the  green  turf  of 
hich  was  thickly  studded  with  clumps  of  full-grown  cedars, 
lip-trees,   and   coppice-beech,    grouped    among   other   more 

*  It  may  not  be  uninteresting  for  any  one  who  happens  to  have  that  rare 
2ce  of  property,  a  good  map  of  this  part  of  the  country,  to  see  how  the 
fferent  divisions  of  this  army  were  billeted,  as  it  serves  as  an  example  of 
e  manner  in  which  divisions  have  been  quartered  during  the  advance,  and 
ows  what  extent  of  country  each  body  of  troops  occupies  in  its  nightly 
larters  when  moving.     The  fifth  infantry  division  occupied  Laab,  Hof- 

,  Ruhhof,  Rothenseehof,  Neudorf,  Neusiedl,  Hanitthal,  Reiselbrechts- 
>rf,  Wiilzershofen.  The  sixth  division  was  in  Gross  Teijar,  Erdberg, 
lein,  Grillowitz,  Waltrowitz,  Klein  Olkowitz,  Zulb,  Klietemanns,  Raissen- 
•iick,  Josewitz,  Isefeld,  Malberg,  Zwingendorf,  Derhhof,  Carlhof;  the 
venth    division,    in    Guttenfeld,    Bartelsbriinn,    Schafferhof,    Stuttenhof, 

rau,  Wildendiirnbach,  Poltenhof,  Ruffersdorf,  Kirchstatden,  Zabern, 
alkenstein,  Pugsbriinn,  Stutzenhofen,  Gutenbriinn,  Offenthal,  Schwen- 
irth;  the  eighth  division,  in  Nikolsburg,  Voitelsbrunn,  Drasenhofen, 
unstkirchen,  Steinabrun,  Garrenthal,  Haithof,  Feldsberg,  Eisgrub, 
eudek,   Pilgram,   Evrett,   Mitlowitz.       The  reserve  artillery  was  parked 

Grussbach,  Neuhof,  Sihoenau,  Grafendorf,  Auschanhof,  Trollersdorf, 
eusiedl,  Pardorf,  Illemnitz,  Bergen,  Dannowitz,  Weistenitz,  Gulden- 
rth.  It  may  be  seen  from  this  what  an  extent  of  country  even  a  small 
)rtion  of  this  army  required,  for  the  above  list  does  not  include  the 
larters  of  the  cavalry  corps,  but  of  only  four  infantry  divisions,  with  their 
serve  artillery. 


438  SEVEN   WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 


ieip: 
fan':' 

12: 

bottle. 


common  but  not  less  beautiful  trees,  with  so  high  a  skill  that 
all  trace  of  art  was  concealed,  and  Nature  was  courted  so 
skilfully  as  to  be  outrivalled.  The  river  Thaya,  which  flows 
through  the  grounds,  was  by  hidden  means  constrained  to  form 
wide  lakes  or  narrow  winding  creeks  of  dark  blue  water,  which 
in  some  places  washed  with  a  tiny  wave  raised  by  the  gentle 
summer  breeze  against  sloping  banks  of  emerald  turf,  sometimes 
lay  calm  and  still  under  the  shelter  of  the  woods,  reflecting  the 
light  green  weeping  willows  which  overshadowed  it,  and  floated 
their  lowest  leaves  upon  the  surface.  Where  the  trees  did  not 
occupy  the  ground,  bright  beds  of  carefully-tended  flowers, 
jets  of  water  springing  from  quaintly  constructed  fountains, 
orange-trees  loaded  with  bright  yellow  fruit,  flowering  shrubs 
covered  with  full  blossoms,  and  bushes  of  nearly  full-blown  \ 
roses  of  every  shade  and  hue,  threw  just  the  proper  amount  of  c 
life  into  the  picture  to  prevent  it  from  being  melancholy,  and 
make  it  sublime.  Never  had  it  been  more  admired  than  on 
this  day.  Men  who  had  come  over  down-trodden  corn-fields,  ."' 
destroyed  villages,  woods  cut  away  for  palisades  or  abattis,  and 
trees  torn  down  and  shivered  by  tempests  of  shells,  required 
no  knowledge  of  landscape  gardening,  no  wisdom  in  architec- 
ture, to  make  them  heartfelt  admirers  of  the  peaceful  prospect 
here;  they  saw  its  beauty,  and  felt  it.  Prince  Lichtenstein 
himself  could  not  have  been  more  satisfied  than  his  unknown 
guests  that  his  property  lay  where  no  skirmish  had  to  be 
fought,  no  defence  made  in  his  chateau,  and  no  attack  directed 
against  it. 

The  head-quarters  of  the  Crown  Prince  had  been  here  for 
twelve  days  before  the  place  was  occupied  by  Prince  Frederick 
Charles,  but  no  traces  had  been  left  of  the  former  tenants; 
either  in  the  house  itself  or  the  adjoining  grounds.  Troops 
had  been  in  and  around  Eisgrub  for  more  than  a  fortnight,  ye! 
no  trees  had  been  broken,  no  grass  cut  up  by  horses'  feet,  ncj 
flower-beds  trampled  down  ;  all  the  servants  and  inhabitants; 
with  two  exceptions,  were  well  pleased  with  the  Prussians,  anc 
were  perfectly  satisfied  that  the  soldiers  they  had  been  tolc 
were  little  better  than  barbarians  were  very  easy-going  quie 
sort  of  people  after  all.  The  two  exceptions  were  the  chie 
butler  and  the  head  gamekeeper.     The  former  had  a  grea 


:hap.  IV.]  THE    TRUCE  439 

grievance — the  whole  of  the  wine  in  the  cellar  of  Feldsberg,  a 
neighbouring  property  which  also  belongs  to  the  Lichtenstein 

)  family,  had  been  "  required"  by  the  Prussian  commissariat.  It 
was  in  vain  to  urge  that  some  of  it  had  been  thirty  years  in 
bottle,  that  it  would  not  bear  carriage,  or  even  that  the  key  of 
the  cellar  had  been  lost.  The  commissariat  officers  would  take 
no  denial ;  if  keys  were  not  forthcoming,  doors  could  be  broken 
open ;  as  for  the  not  standing  carriage,  the  troops  would  take 

,  their  chance  of  that,  and  probably  the  great  age  of  the  wine 
would  compensate  for  any  deterioration  it  might  undergo  by 
shaking.  Finding  all  excuses  unavailing,  the  unwilling  func- 
tionary had  to  yield  up  his  keys,  and  in  silent  agony  to  see 
what  he  had  watched  with  an  almost  fatherly  care  for  many 
years,  and  had  been  intended  for  the  consumption  of  far  more 
delicate  connoisseurs,  carried  out  of  the  cellars  by  working 
parties  of  soldiers,  stowed  away  in  rough  provision  waggons, 
and  carted  off  to  be  served  out  as  rations  to  Prussian  troops. 
What  comfort  was  it  to  him  that  he  was  assured  the  wine  would 
be  paid  for  when  the  war  was  over  ?  No  money  could  buy 
such  vintages  again,  and  even  if  it  could,  the  present  generation 
:ould  barely  hope  to  drink  it. 

The  second  complainant,  the  gamekeeper,  was  more  in- 
dignant than  sorrowful ;  it  appeared  that  a  number  of  soldiers 
belonging  to  some  regiment  of  the  Second  Army  quartered  near 
Eisgrub  organized  a  battue  on  their  own  account,  and  with 
their  needle-guns  succeeded  in  killing  a  large  number  of  the 
deer  which  were  in  the  park.  "  But/'  as  he  said  triumphantly, 
"we  forwarded  a  complaint  to  the  Crown  Prince  himself."  This 
step,  by  the  tone  in  which  it  was  announced,  seems  to  be  sup- 
posed to  have  resulted  in  some  terrible  punishment  being 
inflicted  on  the  nefarious  sportsmen  who  expended  Prussian 
Government  ammunition  on  unoffending  stags,  instead  of 
against  the  enemies  of  their  country  \  but  what  was  actually 
the  fate  of  these  violators  of  the  game  laws,  or  whether,  as  the 
gamekeeper  evidently  thinks,  the  Commander-in-chief  of  the 
Second  Army  carried  out  some  such  penalty  against  the  delin- 
quents as  those  which  were  enacted  by  the  laws  of  William  the 
Conqueror  against  similar  offenders,  has  not  been  recorded.  It 
is  certain  that  a  body  of  military  police  remained  as  watchers 


44°  SEVEN  WEEKS'   WAR.  [Book  IX. 


of  the  deer  park  during  the  rest  of  the  time  that  the  Army  of 
Silesia  was  here,  and  that  after  the  appeal  to  its  commander  no 
zundnadd-gewehr  prevented  the  deer  from  roaming  about  in 
undisturbed  safety. 

On  the  2nd  August  the  King's  head-quarters  moved  to 
Prague  ;  the  next  day  he  went  to  Berlin,  whither  he  was 
accompanied  by  the  Crown  Prince,  to  be  present  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  Prussian  Chambers.  The  troops  of  the  First  Army 
were  about  Eisgrub  that  night,  the  next  day  most  of  them 
crossed  the  Thaya.  The  head-quarters  of  Prince  Frederick 
Charles  left  Lundenburg  on  the  morning  of  the  4th,  and  by 
that  evening  every  Prussian  soldier  was  out  of  the  Crown  lands 
of  Austria.  There  was  great  reason  to  rejoice  that  the  army 
was  now  free  to  move  its  position,  and  was  not  tied  down  by 
the  necessities  of  war  to  the  Duchy  of  Austria,  for  cholera  had 
within  the  last  few  days  broken  out  among  the  inhabitants  with 
great  violence.  In  Lundenburg  the  people  were  said  to  be 
dying  at  the  rate  of  ten  an  hour;  this  appeared  to  be  the 
exaggerated  report  of  the  frightened  inhabitants,  but  there  is 
no  doubt  that  the  pestilence  was  very  prevalent,  and  was 
causing  much  mortality  among  the  country  people.  The 
Prussian  troops  had  suffered,  but  not  to  a  very  great  extent, 
and  more  cases  had  been  cured  than  had  proved  fatal.  It  was 
hoped  that  change  of  quarters,  rest,  and  plenty  of  food  would 
soon  free  the  troops  of  the  disease ;  but  it  was  feared  that  it 
would  rage  among  the  natives,  who  had  little  to  eat,  and  could 
hope  for  little  from  the  vintage,  for  the  late  frost  in  this  spring 
nipped  the  early  vines,  and  almost  ruined  the  crop  of  grapes. 

On  the  morning  of  the  5th  August,  at  four  o'clock,  the  head- 
quarters of  the  First  Prussian  Army  broke  up  from  Eisgrub,  by 
a  short  march  reached  Lundenburg  station,  and  thence  by 
railway  to  Prague,  where  Prince  Frederick  Charles  remained 
until  peace  was  definitely  signed,  and  no  possibility  remained 
of  his  army  being  required  again  for  the  present.  Although 
only  one  battalion  of  Jagers  formed  the  escort  of  the  train 
which  brought  the  Prince  and  his  staff,  yet  the  number  of 
carriages  required  to  convey  the  whole  of  the  heads  of  depart 
ments  who  moved  with  head-quarters,  their  servants  and  horses 
was  very  great ;  and  on  account  of  the  numerous  curves  in  the 


: 


•::: 


Chap.  IV.]  THE   TRUCE.  44i 

-Tnyi  line,  the  long  train  was  only  able  to  jolt  so  slowly  along  that, 
although  it  left  Lundenburg  at  half-past  six  in  the  morning,  it 
did  not  arrive  at  Prague  till  midnight.  Slow  and  tedious  as 
the  journey  was,  and  much  as  at  the  time  the  impatient  officers 
grumbled,  they  had  good  cause  to  be  grateful  for  the  tardiness 
with  which  it  was  driven,  for  the  next  morning  intelligence  was 
received  which  told  that  a  train,  following  a  few  hours  after,  in 
\~  trying  to  go  faster,  met  with  a  terrible  accident.  On  account 
of  the  great  amount  of  military  traffic  on  the  line,  which  had 
lately  formed  the  artery  of  communication  and  supplies  for  the 
three  united  Prussian  armies,  railway  carriages  had  been 
brought  from  Saxony  and  even  Prussia  to  supply  the  necessary 
transport.  These  carriages  for  the  most  part  ran  on  three 
pairs  of  wheels,  instead  of  on  two,  as  do  those  which  in  time  of 
peace  run  along  this  line,  and  which  for  the  most  part  the 
Austrian s  drew  back  with  them  when  they  retreated.  The 
Saxon  carriages,  built  for  straighter  lines  and  gentler  curves, 
were  very  liable  on  such  a  line  as  that  which  from  Briinn  twists 
and  winds  up  the  valley  to  Prerau  to  run  off  the  rails.  It  was 
thus  that  the  accident  occurred.  One  of  the  six-wheeled  car- 
riages flew  off  the  rails,  turned  over,  and  formed  a  barricade, 
against  which  and  each  other  the  twelve  succeeding  ones  were 
shivered.  Five  men  were  killed,  and  eight  were  seriously  hurt ; 
many  horses  suffered,  and  seven  belonging  to  the  King  were 
killed.  This  unfortunate  accident  affords  a  moral,  inasmuch 
that  it  shows  that  not  only  must  the  permanent  way  be  entire 
and  safe,  but  the  rolling  stock  used  must  be  suited  to  the  par- 
ticular line,  if  railways  are  required  to  afford  in  time  of  war  not 
only  powerful  but  also  rapid  means  of  transport. 

The  railway  journey  was  from  the  front  to  far  in  the  rear  of 
the  great  Prussian  armies.  At  Lundenburg,  and  for  some 
distance  north,  all  the  roads  which  could  be  seen  from  the  line 
were  swarming  with  infantry,  cavalry,  and  artillery,  winding 
slowly  along  in  a  northerly  direction ;  further  on  were  reserve 
store  trains,  ammunition  columns,  heavy  artillery,  and  all  the 
numerous  waggons  which  must  follow  in  the  rear  of  a  great 
host  of  fighting  men  ;  at  Briinn  was  a  garrison  of  Mulbe's  re- 
serve corps,  the  soldiers  of  which  crowded  the  station  to  catch 
a  glimpse  of  the  Commander-in-chief  of  the  First  Army ;  here, 


I 


442  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

too,  were  the  officers  of  the  staff  of  the  Crown  Prince,  who 
were  waiting  here  till  they  received  definite  orders  as  to  their 
further  journey  from  their  commander,  who  had  been  hurried 
to  Berlin  to  take  part  in  the  opening  of  the  Chambers.  Further 
north,  beside  roads  and  near  villages,  could  be  seen  dark  blue 
heavy  waggons,  packed  in  regular  order,  which  formed  the  rear- 
most line  of  the  reserve  artillery  and  ammunition  trains,  and 
further  north  still  the  stations  and  towns  were  garrisoned  by 
regiments  of  Landwehr. 

Nothing  could  be  more  striking  to  Englishmen,  who  had 
long  been  accustomed  to  hear  the  Prussian  army  described  as  a 
sort  of  hurried  levy  of  untrained  militiamen,  than  the  appear- 
ance of  these  troops.  Fine  and  strong  as  were  the  men  who 
fought  in  the  foremost  ranks  during  the  campaign,  Prussia  had 
in  reserve  behind  them  troops  formed  of  soldiers  equally  tall, 
equally  strong,  older  and  better  grown,  in  these  Landwehr 
levies.  Most  of  the  privates  are  men  of  good  situation  in  life, 
for,  after  completing  their  terms  of  service  in  the  Line,  they  go 
into  business  or  professions,  and  generally  have  secured  com- 
fortable incomes ;  but  at  the  call  of  their  country  they  quit 
their  affairs,  and  return  to  serve  in  the  ranks,  and  bring  with 
them  to  their  soldier's  duty  an  education  and  intelligence  which 
can  be  found  in  the  armies  of  no  other  country  in  Europe  ; 
nor,  as  can  be  seen  from  the  garrison  of  this  place,  have  they 
in  private  life  forgotten  one  item  of  their  former  military  train- 
ing. They  are  grand  troops,  the  very  beau  ideal  of  a  soldiery  I 
and  they  are  well  led,  for  their  officers,  nearly  all  of  noble 
birth,  are  men  who  have  formerly  served  in  the  army,  and  who 
in  time  of  peace  live  upon  their  estates  in  the  same  districts  as 
the  soldiers  they  command  in  war  are  drawn  from  ;  so  that 
these  Landwehr  levies  unite  with  their  superior  education  and 
intelligence  a  chivalrous  affection  for  their  chief,  such  as  cha- 
racterised the  privates  of  the  bands  who  fought  so  gallantly  for 
the  House  of  Stuart. 

The  Landwehr  soon  began  to  move  back  into  Prussia,  and 
were  disbanded  to  return  to  their  homes ;  their  places  were 
taken  by  the  troops  of  the  armies,  which  had  been  engaged  in 
the  field,  and  which  occupied  the  greater  part  of  Bohemia  and 
Moravia  until  the  conclusion  of  the  definite  treaty  of  peace. 


Chap.  IV.] 


THE    TRUCE. 


443 


The  city  of  Prague  was  not  visibly  affected  by  the  presence 
of  a  Prussian  garrison.  The  shops  were  ail  open  ;  trade  went 
on  even  more  briskly  than  usual,  for  the  Landwehr  officers 
were  generally  rich,  and  spent  their  money  freely ;  but  it  must 
have  taken  the  citizens  some  time  to  recover  from  the  officers 
and  soldiers  of  the  garrison  the  money  they  had  to  contribute 
for  the  expenses  of  the  occupation  of  their  town  by  the 
Prussians. 

Prince  Albrecht,  the  commander  of  the  cavalry  corps, 
reached  Prague  on  the  ioth  of  August,  but  he  did  not  bring  his 
troops  with  him,  for  they  had  been  scattered  through  the 
country  to  facilitate  the  supply  of  the  large  amount  of  pro- 
visions and  forage  which  so  many  horsemen  daily  required. 
The  infantry  of  the  armies  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles,  the 
Crown  Prince,  and  the  Army  of  the  Elbe,  were  also  scattered 
through  Bohemia  and  Moravia  in  small  divisions,  which  took 
up  the  positions  they  held  until  the  plenipotentiaries  who  were 
assembling  at  Prague  had  affixed  their  signatures  to  the 
definitive  treaty  of  peace. 

Some  of  the  infantry  corps  of  the  Guard  were  stationed  at 
Prague  for  a  few  days,  but  only  as  a  temporary  measure. 

On  the  ioth  August  a  brigade  of  cavalry  of  the  Guard 
corps  marched  through  the  town  on  their  way  to  the  north,  for 
the  whole  of  this  corps  was  to  be  scattered  among  the  villages 
between  Prague  and  Theresienstadt.  This  brigade  consisted 
of  the  garde  du  corps,  the  cuirassiers  of  the  Guard,  and  a  bat- 
tery of  the  horse  artillery  of  the  Guard;  it  was  the  heavy 
brigade  of  the  Guard  cavalry,  and  corresponds  in  the  Prussian 
service  to  our  Household  cavalry.  The  garde  du  corps  were 
dressed  in  the  same  way  as  our  cuirassiers  ;  their  men,  though 
not  so  tall  as  the  soldiers  of  the  Life-guards,  looked  as  if  they 
rode  heavier  upon  their  horses,  for  they  carried,  even  upon 
active  service,  the  long  black  boot,  and  were  encumbered  with 
an  enormous  kit.  Their  uniform  was  white,  their  cuirasses  and 
helmets  of  a  burnished  golden  colour ;  the  men  looked  strong, 
solid,  and  healthy;  the  horses  were  thin,  but  in  wonderful  con- 
dition, considering  that  they  had  within  seven  weeks  marched 
from  Prussian  Silesia  to  the  banks  of  the  Danube  and  back  to 
Prague.     The   Guard  cuirassiers,  who  followed,  were  dressed 


444  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

in  the  same  manner  as  the  garde  du  corps,  except  that  they  had 
blue  facings  instead  of  scarlet,  and  wore  the  ordinary  cavalry 
overall.  The  long  squadrons  of  bright  bay  horses  looked  ex- 
ceedingly well,  and  even  the  most  prejudiced  advocate  of  light 
cavalry,  and  nothing  but  light  cavalry,  if  he  had  that  day  seen 
Prince  Albrecht's  heavy  horsemen  returning  from  their  cam- 
paign, must  have  owned  that  the  days  in  which  heavy  cavalry 
are  of  use  in  war  are  not  yet  numbered.  The  experience  of 
this  campaign  has  taught  that  needle-guns  and  rifled  artillery 
have  no  more  driven  cavalry,  and  even  very  heavy  cavalry, 
from  the  field  of  battle  than  they  have  from  the  theatre  of  war; 
but  it  has  been  found  that,  in  the  shock  of  closing  squadrons, 
small  men  and  light  horses  must  go  down  before  the  powerful 
onset  of  stouter  assailants.  The  Prussians  found  that,  in  future, 
cavalry  must  be  formed  and  equipped  so  as  to  allow  strong 
troopers  to  be  brought  into  the  field ;  but  strong  troopers  ride 
heavily,  and  heavy  loads  tell  fearfully  on  horses  on  the  line  of 
march ;  so,  to  secure  power  in  the  charge  with  rapidity  of  move- 
ment, the  dead  weight  which  cavalry  horses  now  carry  must  be 
reduced  almost  to  nothing,  and  the  horse  must  be  required  to 
bear  little  more  than  the  rider,  his  amis,  his  cloak,  and  a  light 
saddle.  Valises  will  have  to  be  carried  in  waggons  in  rear  of 
the  regiments,  or  left  at  some  convenient  place  whence  they 
can  be  forwarded  to  the  front  by  railway  or  water  transport 
when  the  army  halts.  In  this  war  the  Prussian  cavalry  gained 
a  glorious  and  unexpected  reputation  from  its  conduct  in  the 
field ;  but  its  horses  suffered  much  from  marching,  especially 
in  crossing  the  highland  country  which  lies  on  the  frontiers  of 
Bohemia  and  Moravia.  The  cavalry  felt  the  effects  of  the 
rapid  movements  more  than  the  infantry;  yet  the  Prussian 
foot-soldier  marched  under  almost  every  disadvantage  which 
dress  could  inflict.  His  helmet  was  horrible,  both  as  to  com- 
fort and  appearance,  his  clothes  were  uncomfortable,  the 
trousers  without  gaiters  hung  clammily  against  the  calf  on  a 
rainy  day,  or  collected  inside  them  a  layer  of  mud  which 
rubbed  uneasily  against  the  ankle.  The  inconvenience  of  the 
dress  was  shown  whenever  a  battalion  started  to  march ;  the 
first  thing  the  soldier  did  was  to  divest  himself  of  his  helmet, 
and  sling  it  from  his  waist-belt,  where  it  dangled  uncomfortably 


Chap.  IV.]  THE    TRUCE.  445 

against  his  legs ;  he  unbuttoned  his  coat,  and  after  a  few  days' 
experience  scarcely  ever  omitted  to  stuff  the  lower  parts  of  his 
trousers  into  his  boots,  which  thus  afforded  a  gaiter  with  the 
advantage  of  requiring  neither  buttons  nor  straps,  as  do  those 
in  use  in  most  armies.  Prussian  officers  themselves  acknow- 
ledged that  the  dress  of  their  army  could  not  be  compared 
to  that  of  the  Austrians  either  for  efficiency  or  appearance.  It 
only  shows  what  splendid  stuff  the  Prussian  troops  are  made 
of  when  they  performed  such  prodigies  of  marching  as  marked 
their  victorious  course  under  these  disadvantages,  and  also 
weighed  down  by  their  heavy  knapsacks,  which,  although  of  a 
better  construction  than  those  of  most  armies,  were  hardly 
required,  and  though  present  were  seldom  looked  into  in  the 
actual  campaign.  Railways  and  improved  roads  have  made 
great  alterations  in  the  necessities  of  a  warrior,  both  by  short- 
ening the  duration  of  campaigns  and  facilitating  transport. 
Europe  will  never  again  see  any  decently-organized  army 
waiting  many  weeks  for  the  arrival  of  a  siege  train,  for  the 
carriage  of  which  all  available  transport  is  required,  so  that 
from  want  of  means  of  sending  stores  forward  the  troops  in 
the  front  are  shivering  in  tattered  clothes  and  suffering  pain- 
fully from  unbooted  feet.  Soldiers  need  no  longer  be  weighed 
down  by  heavy  loads  upon  their  backs,  held  back  from  their 
real  use-  -marching  and  fighting — to  be  converted  into  beasts 
of  burden.  A.  spare  shirt,  a  change  of  shoes,  and  a  pot 
of  grease,  is  about  all  that  a  foot-soldier  need  carry  with  him, 
besides  his  arms,  ammunition,  and  some  food. 

On  the  morning  of  the  17th,  the  greater  part  of  the  first 
division  of  the  infantry  of  the  Guard  marched  into  the  town, 
and  marched  past  before  Prince  Frederick  Charles.  Some  of 
the  division  had  arrived  a  few  days  before,  but  only  that  day 
made  their  formal  entrance  with  their  comrades,  who  early 
that  morning  reached  the  suburbs.  In  an  open  space  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  without  the  ramparts  the  whole  of  the  troops 
who  were  to  march  in  were  assembled  about  eight  o'clock,  and 
a  little  after  began  moving  towards  the  Ross  Thor.  There 
they  filed  through  the  gate,  halted  at  the  top  of  the  market- 
place for  a  few  moments  to  form  their  columns,  passed  before 
the  Prince,  and  disappeared  into  the  narrow  winding  streets 


446  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

beyond,  some  to  take  up  billets  for  a  few  days  in  the  town, 
others  to  pass  through  and  move  to  their  positions  in  the  vil- 
lages further  north.  The  scarlet  and  gold  squadrons  of  the 
Guard  hussars  led  the  way,  the  most  smartly-equipped  regiment 
in  the  Prussian  service,  whose  officers  wear  the  Hessian  boot, 
the  true  leg-dress  of  the  cavalry  soldier.  Behind  them  came 
the  first  infantry  regiment  of  the  Guard,  with  their  white  facings 
and  silver  ornaments  ;  this  is  the  celebrated  regiment  of  Pots- 
dam grenadiers,  to  fill  the  ranks  of  which  with  enormous  men 
Frederick  William  I.  culled  giants  out  of  every  country  in 
Europe,  and  made  every  Prussian  Embassy,  from  London  to 
Vienna,  a  recruiting-office.  The  men  are  not  quite  so  tall  now 
as  those  handed  down  to  Frederick  the  Great ;  but  still  they 
worthily  support  the  title  of  grenadiers,  for  no  private  in  the 
battalions  was  less  than  six  feet  high,  and  the  stature  of  the 
greater  part  exceeded  that  figure.  The  companies  were  weak, 
for  many  of  the  tall  soldiers  who  marched  with  their  eagles 
from  Prussia  sleep  at  Chlum  beside  the  chief  who  led  them 
forth,  General  Hiller  ;  many  were  in  hospital  with  wounds,  and 
not  a  few  had  been  left  behind  on  account  of  sickness  ;  for  the 
cholera  had  been  among  those  who  passed  through  the  action 
of  Trautenau  and  came  scatheless  out  of  the  battle  of  Konig- 
gratz.  Then  came  the  fusiliers  of  the  Guard,  not  quite  so  big 
as  those  who  had  gone  before,  but  on  the  average  taller  men 
than  the  English  Footguards.  Behind  these  marched  the  dark 
green  sections  of  the  Jagers  of  the  Guard,  whose  recruits  are 
picked  from  all  the  foresters  and  gamekeepers  of  Prussia — 
marksmen  of  unerring  aim,  skirmishers  of  high  intelligence, 
who  know  full  well  how  to  avail  themselves  of  every  stump  and 
hillock,  and  how,  lurking  behind  shelter,  themselves  in  safety, 
with  every  bullet  to  bring  down  an  enemy. 

A  gap  of  some  hundred  yards  separated  the  Jagers  from  the 
second  brigade,  first  in  which  came  the  2nd  regiment,  men  and 
officers  marching  in  forage  caps.  There  was  not  a  helmet  to 
be  seen  in  their  ranks,  for  on  going  into  action  at  Trautenau 
this  regiment  to  a  man  threw  away  their  heavy  helmets,  and 
thus  rid  themselves  for  the  campaign  of  a  cumbrous  head-dress 
in  a  manner  which  did  not  draw  forth  such  unqualified  approval 
from  the  military  authorities  as  did  their  conduct  on  the  line  of 


Chap.  IV.]  THE    TRUCE.  447 

march  or  under  fire.  Behind  the  foot  soldiers  came  the  artil- 
lery of  the  division,  followed  by  the  provision  columns  and 
ambulance  waggons,  whose  fine-drawn  horses  told  of  many  a 
heavy  pull  over  the  rugged  roads  of  Bohemia  and  Moravia. 

The  parade  marching  of  the  infantry  of  the  Prussian  Guard 
has  been  renowned  ever  since  its  recruits  were  so  harshly  drilled 
by  the  stern  soldier  who  first  formed  it.  Since  that  time  great 
alterations  have  been  made  both  in  the  tactics  and  treatment 
of  the  men  ;  the  Prussian  grenadiers  no  longer  move  in  the 
field  in  the  stiff  unbending  formation  which  regarded  soldiers 
only  as  machines.  But  while  the  Prussians  have  lately  adopted 
a  system  of  manoeuvres  for  field  service  which  unites  immense 
elasticity  with  great  rapidity  of  movement,  they  have  not  failed 
to  observe  that  the  foundation  of  all  tactical  pliability  lies  in 
previous  solidity  and  precision  ;  that  troops  who  cannot  move 
well  on  parade  rarely  can  be  of  much  use  in  service,  and  that 
before  infantry  soldiers  can  dash  about  as  skirmishers  they  must 
be  able  to  move  accurately  in  more  solid  formation.  This  was 
well  shown  by  the  Guards  who  marched  into  Prague  on  the 
17th  August.  As  the  battalions  passed  the  Prince  not  a  line 
wavered,  not  an  opening  was  seen  between  the  shoulders  of 
the  men;  solid  and  compact,  the  companies  swept  rapidly 
along  in  lines  as  even  as  if  they  had  been  ruled,  while 
every  foot  fell  in  measured  cadence  to  describe  a  step  of  equal 
length. 

The  1 8th  was  the  birthday  of  the  Emperor  of  Austria.  Not- 
withstanding the  presence  of  the  Prussian  garrison,  it  was 
celebrated  with  all  due  honours  by  the  civil  guard  of  the  town. 
Early  in  the  morning  the  town  guards  paraded,  and  marched 
through  the  street  with  sprigs  of  oak  leaf  in  their  hats,  music 
playing,  and  swords  drawn,  while  numbers  of  Prussian  soldiers 
off  duty  crowded  the  foot  pavements  to  gaze  at  them,  and 
Prussian  guards  turned  out  to  present  arms  to  the  Austrian 
standard  of  the  ancient  city  of  Prague,  which  was  carried  in 
their  midst.  After  the  civil  guard  had  marched  through  the 
principal  streets,  the  fire  engines  followed,  decked  with  flags 
and  preceded  by  a  band.  The  Prussian  authorities  made  no 
objection  to  the  celebration  of  the  day;  in  fact,  they  encou- 
raged it,  for  they  made  a  point  of  allowing  everything  to  go  on 


448  SEVEN   WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

in  the  Austrian  towns  they  occupied  as  if  no  foreign  troops 
were  present,  and  no  Prussian  sentries  stood  upon  the  ramparts 
or  occupied  the  guard  houses.  In  consequence  there  was  good 
feeling  between  the  soldiers  and  the  townspeople,  between 
whom  there  arose  many  personal  friendships,  though  the  latter 
did  not  scruple,  even  openly,  to  say  that,  though  they  found 
the  Prussians  much  more  pleasant  than  they  could  have  ex- 
pected any  enemies  to  be,  they  would  not  be  sorry  when  their 
visit  was  over,  and  Prague  was  again  garrisoned  by  the  white 
uniforms  of  the  Kaiser. 

On  the  19th,  some  more  of  the  Guard  corps  marched  into 
the  town,  while  those  that  arrived  two  days  before  marched  out 
to  the  north  to  occupy  positions  nearer  Theresienstadt,  and  to 
make  room  for  the  new  arrivals.     The  troops  that  came  in 
were  the  yellow  Uhlans  of  the  Guard  and  the  Elizabeth  regi- 
ment.    The  infantry  arrived  very  dusty,  for  they  had  a  long 
march  in  the  morning ;  but  they  went  through  the  streets  up  to 
the  Pulver  Thurm,  near  which  Prince  Frederick  Charles  was 
waiting  to  receive  them,  with  the  same  even  front  and  steady 
tramp   as   the  grenadiers  who  came  in  two  days  before,  and 
swept  past  the  Commander-in-chief  of  the   First  Army  in  the 
unwavering  lines  which  always  characterize  a  Prussian  parade. 
The  men  of  this  regiment,  destined  for  lighter  duties,  were  not 
so  tall  or  stout  as  those  of  the  first  brigade,  but  they  were  still 
large  men,  with  great  depth  and  breadth  of  chest,  and,  though 
dusty,   looked  anything  but  tired  from  the  hot  march.     The 
cavalry,  like  all  lancers,   looked  smart,  and,  except  that  the 
horses  were  thinner  than  when  they  left  Berlin,  and  that  some 
of  the  squadron  did  not  show  their  proper  strength,  exhibited 
small  signs  of  having  just  come  off  a  campaign.     The  people 
of  Prague  were  so  much  accustomed  now  to  the  perpetual 
arrival  of  troops  that  few  generally  collected  to  see  a  regiment 
march  in,  but  on  this  day,  as  the  troops  arrived  just  as  mass 
was    over   and   the    congregations   were   pouring   out   of  the 
churches,   a  considerable  crowd    stopped   to   gaze   upon   the 
Prussian  guardsmen,  who  marched  along  between  the  thronged 
pavements,   overtopping   like   giants    the   staring   Bohemians. 
Some  Austrian  officers  who  were  prisoners  on  parole,  several 
having  their  arms  in  slings,  on  account  of  wounds  received  at 


.:: 


(Chap.  IV.]  THE    TRUCE.  449 

JMunchengratz  or  Sadowa,  could  not  conceal  their  admiration 
of  the  Prussian  troops.  For  a  time  they  gazed  silently  ;  but  as 
company  after  company  swept  along,  their  countenances 
brightened  up,  and  as  the  last  battalion  came  they  could  no 
longer  refrain  from  expressing  in  words  their  surprise  and 
wonder  that  soldiers  could  be  so  perfectly  trained  within  a 
period  of  three  years'  service.  Fine  as  the  men  were  who 
marched  into  Prague,  many  held  that  they  did  not  come  up  to 
the  Landwehr  levies.  The  latter  are  older  men  and  better 
filled  out,  and  their  ranks  contain  those  whose  education  has 
been  supplemented  by  application  to  trades  or  professions ;  and 
Landwehr  men  are  not  men  who  have  been  hastily  recruited 
and  rawly  trained,  they  have  all  served  for  three  years  in  the 
regular  ranks,  they  are  all  true  soldiers,  and  soldiers  of  such  a 
sort  as  every  general  and  every  statesman  would  wish  to  see 
available  for  the  service  of  his  country. 

The  definitive  treaty  of  peace  was  signed  between  Austria 
and  Prussia  at  the  Blue  Star  Hotel  at  Prague,  on  the  23rd 
August  Austria  was  represented  by  Baron  Brenner,  Prussia 
by  Baron  Werther,  as  Count  Bismarck  had  gone  to  Berlin  at 
the  same  time  as  the  King,  to  be  present  at  the  opening  of  the 
Chambers  on  the  5th  August. 

The  treaty  of  peace  definitively  signed,  was  as  follows  : — 

"  In  the  name  of  the  Holy  and  Indivisible  Trinity. 

"  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Prussia  and  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  of 
Austria,  animated  by  a  desire  of  restoring  the  blessings  of  peace  to  their 
dominions,  have  resolved  to  convert  the  Preliminaries  signed  at  Nikolsburg 
on  the  26th  of  July,  1866,  into  a  definitive  Treaty  of  Peace. 

"  To  this  end  their  Majesties  have  appointed  their  plenipotentiaries  as 
follows:— 

*  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Prussia  : — 

'  His  Kammerherr,  Effective  Privy  Councillor  and  Plenipotentiary, 
Charles  Baron  von  Werther,  Grand  Cross  of  the  Royal  Prussian  Order 
Df  the  Red  Eagle  with  Oakdeaves,  and  of  the  Imperial  Austrian  Order  of 
Leopold;  and, 

"'  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Austria  : — 

'  His  Effective  Privy  Councillor  and  Kammerherr,  Ambassador  Extra- 
Drdinary  and  Plenipotentiary,  Adoiph  Marie  Baron  von  Brenner  Tilsach,  of 
.he  Imperial  Austrian  Order  of  Leopold,  and  Knight  of  the  Royal  Prussian 
Drder  of  the  Red  Eagle,  First  Class,  &c. 

"  Who  have  met  in  Conference  at  Prague,  and  having  exchanged  their 
Dowers,  drawn  up  in  good  and  proper  form,  have  agreed  to  the  following- 
articles  : 

"Article  i. — For  the  future  there  shall  be  lasting  peace  and  friendship 


45°  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 


between  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Prussia  and  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  of 
Austria,  as  well  as  between  their  heirs  and  descendants,  their  States  and 
subjects. 

"Article  2. — That  the  6th  Article  of  the  Preliminaries  of  Peace  signed 
at  Nikolsburg  on  the  26th  of  July  of  this  year  may  be  carried  out  ;  and  in- 
asmuch as  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  the  French,  by  his  authorised  emis- 
sary to  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Prussia,  officially  declared  at  Nikolsburg  on 
the  29th  of  the  same  month  of  July,  qtien  ce  qui  concerne  le  Gouvernement 
de  PEmpereur  la  Venise  est  acquise  a  P  Italie  pour  lui  etre  remise  a,  la  paix, 
His  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Austria  on  his  part  conforms  to  this  declaration, 
and  gives  his  consent  to  the  union  of  the  Lombardo-Venetian  Kingdom  with 
the  Kingdom  of  Italy,  without  imposing  any  other  condition  than  the  liqui- 
dation of  those  debts  which  have  been  acknowledged  charges  on  the  terri- 
tories now  resigned,  in  conformity  with  the  Treaty  of  Zurich. 

"Article  3. — The  prisoners  of  war  shall  be  at  once  released  on  both 
sides. 

"  Article  4. — His  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Austria  recognises  the  dis- 
solution of  the  late  German  Bund,  and  gives  his  consent  to  a  new  formation 
of  Germany,  in  which  the  Imperial  State  of  Austria  shall  take  no  part. 
Moreover,  His  Majesty  promises  to  recognise  the  closer  Federal  relations 
which  Flis  Majesty  the  King  of  Prussia  is  about  to  establish  north  of  the 
line  of  the  Maine,  and  also  agrees  that  the  German  States  to  the  south 
of  this  line  shall  form  an  union,  the  national  connection  of  which  with 
the  Northern  Confederacy  is  reserved  for  a  more  defined  agreement  be- 
tween both  parties,  and  which  is  to  maintain  an  international  independent 
existence. 

"Article  5. — His  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Austria  transfers  to  His 
Majesty  the  King  of  Prussia  all  the  rights  he  acquired  under  the  Peace  of 
Vienna  on  the  30th  of  October,  1864,  to  the  Duchies  of  Holstein  and 
Schleswig,  with  the  understanding  that  the  people  of  the  northern  district 
of  Schleswig,  if,  by  free  vote  they  express  a  wish  to  be  united  to  Denmark, 
shall  be  ceded  to  Denmark  accordingly. 

"Article  6. — At  the  desire  of  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Austria, 
His  Majesty  the  King  of  Prussia  declares  himself  willing,  on  the  approach- 
ing changes  in  Germany,  to  allow  the  territory  of  the  Kingdom  of  Saxony 
to  remain  within  its  present  limits,  reserving  to  himself  the  right  of  settling 
in  a  separate  Treaty  of  Peace  with  the  King  of  Saxony  the  share  to  be  con- 
tributed by  Saxony  towards  the  expenses  of  the  war,  and  the  position  hence- 
forth to  be  held  by  *he  Kingdom  of  Saxony  within  the  North  German  Con- 
federation. On  the  other  hand,  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Austria 
promises  to  recognise  the  changes  about  to  be  made  in  North  Germany  by 
His  Majesty  the  King  of  Prussia,  territorial  changes  included. 

"Article  7.  —  In  order  to  settle  the  property  of  the  late  Bund  a  Com- 
mission shall  meet  at  Frankfort-on-the-Maine  within,  at  most,  six  weeks 
after  the  ratification  of  the  present  Treaty,  at  which  all  formal  claims  and 
demands  upon  the  German  Bund  are  to  be  made,  and  to  be  liquidated 
within  six  months.  Prussia  and  Austria  will  be  represented  in  this  Com-  ?■ 
mission,  and  all  the  States  belonging  to  the  late  Bund  are  allowed  the  same 
privilege. 

"Article  8. — Austria  is  at  liberty  to  take  from  the  forts  of  the  late 
Bund  ail  that  belongs  to  the  Empire,  and  from  the  moveable  property  of  the 
Bund  the  proportionate  share  of  Austria,  or  otherwise  to  dispose  thereof. 
This  provision  extends  to  all  the  moveable  property  of  the  Bund. 

"Article  9. — The  civil  officers,  servants  and  pensioners  of  the  Bund 


f 


s-- 


Chap.  IV.] 


THE    TRUCE. 


45i 


will  receive  the  pensions  already  accorded  in  due  proportion,  but  the  Royal 
Prussian  Government  undertakes  to  manage  the  pensions  and  allowances 
hitherto  paid  from  the  Treasury  of  the  Bund  to  the  officer^  of  the  late 
Schleswig-Holstein  army  and  their  families. 

"Article  10. — The  allowance  of  the  pensions  granted  by  the  Imperial 
Austrian  Government  in  Holstein  is  agreed  upon.  The  sum  of  449,500 
dollars  Danish  in  4  per  cent.  Danish  bonds  now  lodged  in  the  hands 
of  the  Imperial  Austrian  Government,  and  belonging  to  the  Holstein 
Treasury,  will  be  repaid  immediately  after  the  ratification  of  this  Treaty. 
No  adherent  of  the  Duchies  of  Holstein  and  Schleswig,  and  no  subject 
of  their  Majesties  the  King  of  Prussia  and  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  is 
to  be  prosecuted,  troubled,  or  in  any  way  molested  in  his  person  or  his 
property  on  account  of  his  political  position  during  recent  events  and  the 
recent  war. 

"  Article  ii. — In  order  to  defray  a  portion  of  the  expenses  incurred  by 
Prussia  on  account  of  the  war,  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Austria  pro- 
mises to  pay  to  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Prussia  the  sum  of  40,000,000 
Prussian  dollars.  From  this  sum,  however,  the  amount  of  the  costs  of  war 
which,  by  virtue  of  the  12th  Article  of  the  before-mentioned  Treaty  of 
Vienna  of  the  30th  of  October,  1864,  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  claims  irom 
the  Duchies  of  Schleswig  and  Holstein,  and  which  are  valued  at  15,000,000 
Prussian  dollars,  together  with  5,000,000  Prussian  dollars  as  an  equivalent 
for  the  free  maintenance  of  the  Prussian  army  in  the  Austrian  States  which 
it  occupied  till  the  conclusion  of  the  peace,  is  to  be  deducted,  so  that  only 
20,000,000  Prussian  dollars  remain  to  be  paid.  Of  this  sum  half  is  to  be 
paid  on  the  exchange  of  the  ratifications  of  this  Treaty,  the  other  half  three 
weeks  afterwards. 

Article  12. — The  evacuation  of  the  Austrian  territories  now  occupied 
by  the  Royal  Prussian  troops  will  be  completed  within  three  weeks  after  the 
exchange  of  the  ratifications  of  the  Treaty.  From  the  day  of  such  exchange 
the  Prussian  General  Governments  will  confine  their  operations  to  purely 
I  military  matters.  The  details  with  respect  to  the  manner  in  which  this 
\  evacuation  is  to  be  effected  are  settled  in  a  separate  protocol,  which  forms 
Ian  appendix  to  this  Treaty. 

Article  13. — All  treaties  and  agreements  made  by  the  high  contract- 
ing parties  before  the  war  are  hereby  revived  in  full  force,  so  far  as  they  are 
inot  invalidated  by  the  dissolution  of  the   German  Bund.     More  especially 
ithe  General  Convention  between  the  States  of  the  German  Confederation  on 
tthe  10th  of  February,  1 83 1,  together  with  more  recent  resolutions  thereto 
ippertaining,  will  remain  in  full  force  as  between  Prussia  and  Austria.  The 
Imperial  Austrian  Government  declares,  however,  that  the  Coinage  T reaty 
of  the  24th  of  February,  1857,  is  deprived  of  its  chief  value  for  Austria  by 
(the  dissolution  of  the  German  Bund,  and  the  Royal  Prussian  Government 
.declares  itself  ready  to  join  with  Austria  and  the  other  interested  parties  in 
the  negotiations  that  may  arise  on  the  abolition  of  this  Treaty.     The  high 
contracting  parties  likewise  agree  that  as  soon  as  possible  they  will  enter 
into  negotiations  for  a  revision  of  the  Commercial  Treaty  of  the    nth  of 
April,  1865,  with  a  view  to  a  further  alleviation  of  burdens  on  both  sides. 
In  the  meanwhile,  the  said  Treaty  is  restored  to  its  full  force,  with  this  pro- 
"sion,  that  both  the  high  contracting  parties  reserve  to  themselves  the  right 
o  cancel  it  after  six  months1  notice. 

G  G  2 


45 2  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

"  Article  14.  — The  ratifications  of  the  present  Treaty  shall  be  exchanged 
at  Prague  within  a  week,  or,  if  possible,  within  a  shorter  period. 
"  In  witness  whereof,  &c. 

"WERTHER. 
"  BRENNER. 
"Prague,  August 2$rd,  1866." 

The  ratifications  of  this  treaty  were  exchanged  on  the  29th 
August  at  Prague. 

On  the  28th,  Prince  Frederick  Charles  broke  up  his  head- 
quarters at  Prague,  and  the  whole  of  the  Prussian  troops  who 
had  been  lying  in  Bohemia  and  Moravia  during  the  progress  of 
the  negotiations  for  peace  between  Prussia  and  Austria  com- 
menced their  march  back  towards  the  Prussian  frontier.  The 
men  were  not  sorry  to  leave  Bohemia,  for  the  cholera  had  been 
among  them  during  their  stay  in  that  country,  and  many  had 
fallen  victims  to  it. 

On  the  evening  of  the  26th,  General  von  Lengsfeld,  the 
commander  of  the  artillery  of  the  First  Army,  was  carried  off 
after  two  days'  illness — the  third  Prussian  general  who  had 
died  from  cholera  since  the  commencement  of  the  armistice. 

As  a  consequence  of  the  exchange  of  the  ratifications  of 
peace,  the  Prussian  troops  began  to  vacate  Austrian  territory, 
and  by  the  18th  of  August  there  was  not  a  spiked  helmet  or  a 
needle-gun  in  Bohemia  or  Moravia.  The  Guards,  the  third, 
fifth,  and  sixth  corps  d'armee  marched  by  road  ;  the  other 
corps  were  moved  by  railway.  The  first  corps  moved  by  Oder- 
berg,  the  second  by  Gorlitz,  the  fourth  from  Briinn  by  Prague, 
the  eighth  by  Niirnberg  and  Aschaffenburg,  the  fourteenth 
division  by  Gera  and  Cassel  to  Hanover,  the  second  reserve 
corps  by  Hof.  The  Army  of  the  Maine  held  its  position  until  I 
peace  was  concluded  with  Hesse-Darmstadt. 

A  Prussian  garrison  had  already  occupied  Mayence,  the  keys 
of  the  fortress  having  been  handed  over  by  the  Bavarians,  who 
were  in  garrison  there,  as  soon  as  peace  was  concluded  between 
Prussia  and  Bavaria.*  What  right  Bavaria  had  to  deliver  up 
the  fortress,  which  her  troops  avowedly  only  held  as  represen- 
tatives of  the  forces  of  the  Bund,  no  one  can  tell ;  but  as  no 
German  Power  was  in  a  position  to  remonstrate,  and  as  France, 

*  See  page  467. 


;:•. 


'■ 


Chap.  IV.]  THE    TRUCE.  453 

who  was  more  concerned  than  any  other  European  Power  in 
the  fate  of  Mayence,  appeared  to  consent,  though  not  quite 
tacitly,  to  the  arrangement,  the  Prussian  colours  waved  without 
molestation  over  the  fortifications  which  guard  the  mouth  of 
the  valley  of  the  Maine.* 

On  the  27  th  the  unwounded  prisoners  who  had  been  cap- 
tured during  the  campaign  were  exchanged  at  Oderberg.  The 
Prussians  liberated  523  Austrian  officers  and  35,036  non-com- 
missioned officers  and  men  ;  but  this  was  not  the  total  muster- 
roll  of  the  Austrian  prisoners  who  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy,  for  13,000  wounded  who  could  not  yet  be  removed  still 
remained  in  Prussian  hospitals.  Austria  gave  back  about  450 
Prussian  unwounded  non-commissioned  officers  and  men,  and 
about  120  wounded  were  unable  to  be  moved.  There  were 
also  seven  Prussian  officers  liberated.  On  the  same  day  about 
5,000  prisoners,  who  had  been  taken  from  the  Bavarian  and 
Hesse-Cassel  troops,  were  released. 

Count  Bismark,  who  was  formerly  a  major  of  cuirassiers 
was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Lieutenant-Colonel ;  but  this  pro- 
motion was  not  his  reward  for  the  part  he  has  taken  in  late 
events;  it  occurred  only  in  the  natural  order  of  things.  The 
head-quarters  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles  moved  by  rail  to  the 
Prussian  capital. 

Berlin  was  very  empty  :  the  usual  garrison  and  the  crowds  of 
officers  who  generally  fill  the  streets  were  all  away  with  the 
army.  Over  many  doors  were  painted  up  the  red  crosses  which 
marked  that  within  subscriptions  were  received  for  the  military 
hospitals  and  wounded.  At  the  doors  of  the  public  offices,  and 
at  those  of  several  shops  and  hotels,  little  padlock-boxes  painted 
with  the  black  and  white  stripes  of  the  Prussian  colours,  and 
labelled  "  Fur  die  Verwundete,"  invited  the  alms  of  those  who 
loitered  or  who  passed  by.  Here  and  there  a  convalescent 
soldier  was  seen,  with  his  hand  bandaged  up  or  his  arm  in  a 
I  sling.  Preparations  were,  however,  being  made  for  the 
triumphal  entry  of  the  army,  when  the  lamentations  of  the 
maimed  and  the  wailings  of  widows  and  orphan  children  were 
to  be  drowned  in  the  clash  of  military  bands,  and  the  applause 

*  On  the  6th  August,  France  demanded  Mayence  from  Prussia,  but 
afterwards  withdrew  the  demand. 


454  SEVEN  WEEKS"    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

of  the  crowd.  Would  not  the  money  that  this  festival  cost 
have  been  better  expended  on  the  families  of  those  who  died, 
and  on  the  men  who  had  been  rendered  unable  to  work  for 
their  livelihood,  in  fighting  the  battles  which  had  given  so  much 
glory  and  so  many  broad  miles  to  Prussia  ?  Military  pensions 
were  very  low.  Widows  with  helpless  children  and  disabled 
men  who  could  labour  no  longer  for  bread  could  hardly  regard 
one  day's  acclamations  from  an  excited  populace  as  a  compen- 
sation for  a  life-long  misery. 

In  the  first  sitting  of  the  Special  Committee  of  the  Prussian 
House  of  Deputies  on  the  loan  demanded,  which  was  held  on 
the  29th  August,  the  total  cost  of  the  war  was  stated  by 
Government  to  amount  to  88,000,000  thalers.  The  single 
items  wrere  as  follows : — 1.  Mobilization  of  eleven  corps 
d'armee  at  42,000  men  each,  25,500,000  thalers.  2.  Current 
expenditure  of  the  war  till  the  end  of  August,  33,800,000 
thalers.  3.  Demobilization  of  the  troops,  1,700,000  thalers. 
4.  Re-supplying  the  depots  of  arms  and  clothing  after  the  war, 
27,000,000  thalers.  To  the  total  of  88,000,000  resulting  from 
the  above  must  be  added  20,000,000  to  defray  the  cost  of 
keeping  the  army  on  a  war  footing  till  January  1,  1867.  The 
liabilities  incurred  mostly  remained  to  be  liquidated,  having 
hitherto  been  met  only  by  20,000,000  of  cash  .taken  from  the 
reserve  fund,  4,343,000  thalers  obtained  by  the  sale  of  railway 
stock,  and  some  12,000  thalers  of  surplus  moneys  from  the 
finance  administration  of  1865.  Large  quantities  of  victuals 
and  other  stores  were  furnished  by  Prussian  and  foreign 
subjects,  but  the  former,  though  legally  obliged  to  contribute 
gratis  horses,  corn,  &c  while  the  war  lasted,  had  to  be  paid 
within  a  year  of  its  close.  The  amount  of  this  and  other  debts 
contracted  by  the  Government  for  railway  transport,  &c.  was 
not  specially  mentioned  in  the  reports  published.  About  one- 
half  of  the  costs  were  covered  by  the  sums  exacted  from  the 
defeated  States,  estimated  at  a  total  of  45,143,000  thalers. 
Surely  the  Prussian  successes  have  been  cheaply  acquired,  if 
about  43,000,000  thalers,  with  20,000,000  more  to  insure  the 
maintenance  of  peace  during  the  next  three  months,  were  all 
that  had  to  be  actually  invested.  To  pay  off  debts  and 
replenish  the   Exchequer,  a  loan  of   60,000,000   thalers  was 


I  Chap.  IV.]  THE   TRUCE.  455 

|j  demanded  by  the  Government.  The  Ministers  also  asked  to 
I  be  empowered  to  sell  some  30,000,000  thalers'  worth  of  rail- 
I  way  shares  belonging  to  lines  hitherto  in  part  the  property  of 
I  Government,  but  lately  disposed  of  for  the  above-mentioned 
I  sum.  Of  the  money  thus  realized  27,500,000  thalers  were  to 
I  be  added  to  the  reserve  fund  to  raise  it  to  the  normal  height 
\  of  40,000,000  thalers,  while  the  remainder  was  to  be  employed 
I  on  two  iron-plated  vessels,  which  were  being  constructed  and 
I  already  partly  paid  for.  Another  interesting  item  of  future 
I  expenditure  occasioned  by  the  war  was  formed  by  the  con- 
Itemplated  purchase  of  one  more  iron-plated  vessel  for 
12,800,000  thalers,  and  the  strengthening  of  fortresses  at  a  cost 
I  of  3,500,000  thalers.  To  meet  these  sums  the  Finance 
I  Minister  had  4,000,000  thalers,  the  contribution  levied  on 
■  Frankfort,  in  hand,  and  hoped  to  realize  2,557,000  thalers 
I  more  from  the  sale  of  horses  on  the  demobilization  of  the 
I  army. 

On  the  20th  and  21st  September,  the  Prussian  fetes,  to  cele- 
brate the  return  of  the  army,  took  place  at  Berlin.  All  the 
evening  of  the  19th  and  till  late  in  the  dark  hours  of  the 
morning  of  the  20th  workmen  were  busy  by  torchlight  finishing 
the  preparations  for  the  festival,  and  at  sunrise  on  the  20th  the 
whole  of  Berlin  was  decked  in  holiday  garb.  From  every 
spire,  steeple,  and  dome,  from  the  heavy  tower  of  the  Cathedral 
and  rounded  cupola  of  the  Royal  Schloss,  from  every  housetop 
and  balcony,  waived  or  fluttered  a  thick,  rustling  crowd  of 
banners,  streamers,  and  gonfalons.  In  most  of  the  side  streets 
lines  stretched  from  house  to  house  across  the  way  supported 
flags,  which  swayed  backward  and  forwards  above  the  heads  of 
the  restless,  ever-moving  crowd  which  thronged  the  avenues 
leading  to  the  Linden,  while  in  the  Linden  itself  every  house 
was  decorated  with  festoons  of  evergreen  and  laurel,  and 
showed  prominently  from  some  balcony  or  window  the  black 
and  white  colours  of  Prussia,  often  coupled  with  the  crimson 
and  white  of  the  town  of  Berlin,  which,  fluttering  in  the  light 
breeze  and  the  bright  sunlight,  gave  an  appearance  of  intense 
lightness  and  life  to  the  heavy  masses  of  building  which  fringe 
the  street.  In  the  centre,  where  between  the  two  paved 
carriage-roads  the  avenue  of  the  lindens  runs  from  the  Branden- 


456  SEVEN  WEEKS    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

burg  Gate  to  the  open  space  in  front  of  the  Royal  Palace,  the 
captured  guns  were  ranged  in  double  line  below  the  trees,  with 
their  muzzles  pointed  inwards  towards  each  other,  but  with  a 
wide  space  of  some  fifteen  yards'  interval  between  them, 
through  which  the  troops  that  were  to  make  their  triumphal 
entry  were  to  pass.  Round  the  bright  yellow  barrels  of  the 
brass  ordnance  were  wreathed  garlands  of  green  leaves,  which 
were  in  many  cases  prolonged  so  as  to  cover  the  spokes  of  the 
wheels  or  the  yellow-painted  trails.  In  line  with  the  guns  and 
the  intervals  between  them  were  erected  trophies,  some  repre- 
senting golden  cannon  grouped  together  in  artistic  confusion, 
others  swords,  bayonets,  helmets,  and  muskets,  but  all  bearing 
groups  of  the  special  flags  of  the  different  provinces  of  the 
kingdom,  surmounted  by  a  black  and  white  banner,  which 
carried  in  its  centre  the  double  eagle  of  Prussia.  From  lamp- 
post to  lamp-post,  themselves  hidden  in  masses  of  foliage,  from 
trophy  to  trophy,  stretched  garlands  of  evergreens,  so  that 
from  the  top  of  the  avenue  near  the  Brandenburg  Gate  to  the 
equestrian  statue  of  Frederick  the  Great,  opposite  the  Palace, 
one  long  wreath  of  laurel  fringed  the  way  by  which  the  home- 
returning  warriors  were  to  advance  to  the  open  space  in  front 
of  Bluchers  statue,  where  they  were  to  march  past  the  King. 
The  Brandenburg  Gate  itself  was  converted  into  a  temporary 
arch  of  triumph.  On  its  summit  stood  a  line  of  flagstaffs, 
from  which  waved  long  standards  that  floated  heavily  even  in 
the  brisk  breeze  above  the  head  of  the  bronze  figure  of  Victory  - 
which  adorned  the  summit,  while  on  either  face  heavy  drape- 
ries of  bright-coloured  bunting  hid  beneath  their  well-arranged 
folds  the  stonework  and  the  preparations  for  the  evening's 
illuminations.  Before  daylight  people  began  to  assemble  in 
the  street,  and  to  take  up  places  from  which  the  march  of  the 
troops  could  be  advantageously  seen,  and  by  nine  o'clock  a 
double  line  of  spectators  fringed  the  Linden  Avenue,  while  the 
pavement  of  the  street,  which,  being  a  little  higher,  gave  an 
advantageous  position,  was  thickly  crowded.  Most  of  the 
windows  were  well  filled,  but  the  number  of  lookers-on  was 
not  so  great  as  might  have  been  expected,  and  neither  the 
streets  nor  the  houses  were  so  thickly  occupied  as  were  those 
in  London  on  the  entrance  of  the  Princess  of  Wales  before  her 


I: 


Ki     Chap.  IV.]  THE    TRUCE.  457 


ftW 

licl 

of  tin 

. :,: 
rcpn 


marriage.  Still,  the  number  of  people  that  collected  to  see 
the  entrance  was  very  large,  and  large  tribunes  which  had  been 
erected  in  the  Pariser  Platz,  just  within  the  Brandenburg  Gate, 
were  thickly  crowded  with  ladies. 

A  little  before  eleven,  the  hour  arranged  for  the  troops  to 
enter  the  town,  the  King  left  the  Palace,  and,  followed  by  his 
staff,  rode  up  the  avenue  towards  the  Brandenburg  Gate, 
outside  of  which  he  was  to  meet  the  troops.  He  was  enthu- 
siastically greeted,  and  a  loud  swell  of  shouts  of  welcome  traced 
his  path  till  he  disappeared  through  the  gate.     The  Queen  and 

lsion    the  Crown  Princess,  with  the  Royal  children,  followed  in  a 

ariij  carriage,  and  met  with  a  similar  reception  from  the  people,  and 
in  other  carriages,  which  were  equally  cheered,  the  Queen 
Dowager,  the  Princess  Frederick  Charles,  and  the  Princess  of 

■nip  the  Netherlands,  who  all  drove  out  to  the  place  where  the 
soldiers  assembled  before  their  entrance  into  the  town.  Out- 
side the  gate  the  King  was  received  by  the  troops  with  due 
honours  and  some  ringing  cheers,  which  had  hardly  died  away 

he;  before  he  had  passed  along  the  line,  quickly  followed  by  the 
:  carriages  which  contained  the  ladies  of  the  Court,  and  then 
took  up  his  post  in  front  of  the  troops.  The  line  of  march 
was  rapidly  formed,  and  the  head  of  the  column  began  moving 
towards  the  Brandenburg  Gate,  while  the  Royal  carriages 
turned  and  drove  quickly  back  again  down  to  the  Linden 
Avenue,  where  their  occupants  were  again  loudly  greeted,  so 
that  the  ladies  might  from  the  windows  of  the  Crown  Prince's 
palace  witness  the  parade  in  front  of  Bliicher's  statue. 

A  few  minutes  after  the  carriages  had  passed  down,  the  head 
of  the  triumphal  column  began  to  wind  in  at  the  gate,  led  by 
Field  Marshal  Count  Wrangel,  behind  whom  came  a  large 
mass  of  staff-officers  and  the  military  attaches  to  the  various 
Embassies.  After  a  short  interval  rode  General  von  Roon, 
the  Minister  of  War,  and  General  von  Moltke,  the  Chief  of 
the  Staff  of  the  King.  The  greeting  accorded  to  these  two, 
the  organizer  and  the  director  of  the  movements  of  the  army, 
was  loud  and  long,  as  also  that  to  the  two  Generals  who 
immediately  followed  them,  Von  Voigt-Rhetz  and  Blumenthal, 

(who  had  been  the  Chiefs  of  the  Staff  of  the  First  and  Second 
Armies  during  the  campaign.      Behind  these  generals  came 


trofl 
E 

tors 

■:;! 

1 
irap 


45§  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

their  adjutants,  assistants,  and  aides-de-camp,  and  the  whole 
of  the  staff-officers  of  the  two  armies.  There  was  then  a  pause, 
and  an  interval  of  some  hundreds  of  yards  in  the  column,  for 
the  King  had  halted  inside  the  gate  to  receive  an  address  from 
the  magistracy  of  the  town,  and  it  was  some  minutes  before  he 
himself  appeared.  But  when  he  came,  and  close  behind  him 
the  Crown  Prince  and  Prince  Frederick  Charles  were  seen 
riding  side  by  side,  the  enthusiasm  of  the  people  rose  high. 
Hats  were  taken  off  and  waived  in  the  air,  handkerchiefs 
fluttered  from  every  window,  and  the  cheering  went  up  from 
the  crowded  street,  and  was  echoed  by  the  houses  with  that 
mighty  roar  which  rises  from  a  great  multitude  when  its  heart 
is  touched.  Behind  the  Commanders-in-Chief  of  the  First  and 
Second  Armies  rode  Prince  Charles,  the  commander  of  the 
whole  artillery,  Prince  Albrecht,  the  leader  of  the  cavalry 
crops  of  the  First  Army,  Prince  Alexander,  and  Prince 
Adalbert. 

The  troops  followed,  preceded  by  a  small  detachment  carry- 
ing the  standards  taken  in  the  war,  which  were  borne  this  day 
through  Berlin  by  the  men  who  had  taken  them  in  battle. 
Close  behind  came  the  Potsdam  regiment  of  Guards,  with  the 
Prince  of  Wiirtemberg  at  its  head,  but  the  usual  fine  marching 
of  this  splendid  regiment  was  spoilt  by  the  narrowness  of  wray 
along  which  it  moved,  and  by  the  anxiety  of  the  soldiers  to 
exchange  greetings  with  their  friends  in  the  crowd,  a  lack  of 
discipline  which  to-day  was  excused.  Nor  did  the  big  men  of 
this  regiment  present  the  same  imposing  appearance  as  usual, 
for  most  spectators  saw  them  from  windows  raised  above  the 
street,  the  result  of  which  was  to  give  even  these  large  men  a 
dwarfed  appearance,  and  it  was  only  by  comparing  them  with 
the  lines  of  people  through  whom  they  passed  that  one  could 
actually  realize  their  true  stature.  Behind  these  followed  the 
3rd  infantry  regiment  of  the  Guard.  These  two  regiments 
formed  the  first  brigade  of  the  Guard,  and  were  commanded  by 
General  Alvensleben.  The  second  brigade  consisted  of  the 
fusiliers  of  the  Guard  and  of  the  2nd  infantry  regiment.  The 
latter  marched  into  Berlin  without  helmets,  for  the  cumbersome 
head-dresses  of  which  they  undertook  to  relieve  themselves  at 
the  action  of  Trautenau  had  not  yet  been  replaced ;  but  the 


Chap.  IV.]  THE    TRUCE.  459 

people  cheered  them  enthusiastically,  for  they  were  the  heroes 
of  Rosberitz,  and  the  regiment  which  left  so  many  of  its  soldiers 
round  the  spot  where  General  Hiller  fell. 

The  next  brigade  was  composed  of  the  Jagers  of  the  Guard 
— riflemen  recruited  from  all  the  foresters  and  gamekeepers  of 
Prussia,  renowned  marksmen,  who  had  done  much  hard  duty 
during  the  campaign,  and  reaped  their  reward  in  the  loud 
applause  of  the  people  of  Berlin — and  of  a  battalion  of  the 
Guard  of  the  Grand  Duke  of  Mecklenburg.  The  entrance  of 
this  battalion  was  a  compliment  on  the  part  of  the  Prussian 
Government  to  Mecklenburg  in  return  for  the  loyal  manner  in 
which  that  State  stood  by  Prussia  before  and  during  the  war, 
and  the  people  ratified  the  compliment  by  the  loud  greeting 
they  gave  to  these  troops  as  they  passed  down  the  Linden  by 
bursts  of  cheering,  which  were  renewed  again  and  again. 

After  the  infantry  came  the  scarlet  and  gold  regiment  of 
hussars  of  the  Guard,  followed  by  small  detachments  which 
epresented  the  1 2th  light  blue  and  silver  Weissenfels  hussars, 
who  suffered  so  severely  at  Koniggratz,  the  3rd  dragoons,  who 
were  nearly  cut  to  pieces  by  their  rough  melee  with  the  Austrian 
cuirass  brigade  at  the  same  battle,  and  the  Magdeburg  hussars, 
who  cleared  the  way  for  the  Prussian  infantry  at  Blumenau ; 
after  these  the  artillery,  in  a  long  column,  which  marched  with 
two  guns  abreast,  decorated  with  flowers  and  garlands.  As 
the  troops  came  out  of  the  Linden  Avenue  and  entered  the 
wide,  open  space  in  front  of  the  Palace,  they  formed  upon  a 
broader  front,  and  marched  past  the  King,  who  took  his  place 
in  front  of  the  statue  of  Bliicher,  with  his  staff  around  him, 
when  by  an  accidental  but  curious  coincidence  General  Moltke 
is  placed  below  the  statue  of  Gneisenau,  the  Chief  of  the  Staff 
in  the  War  of  Independence.  Here  the  whole  of  the  force 
passed  before  the  Sovereign,  and  then  filed  across  the  bridge 
Dver  the  Spree,  and  their  glittering  bayonets  and  shining  helmet 
spikes  disappeared  into  the  streets  beyond,  still  cheered  by  the 
:rowds  in  the  street  and  houses  until  the  last  were  lost  sight  of. 
By  one  o'clock  the  whole  of  the  troops  had  passed,  and  the 
people  quickly  separated  to  go  to  their  homes,  for  every  citizen 
)f  Berlin  entertained  a  detachment  of  the  men  who  made  their 
■try — the  rich  larger,  the  poorer  smaller  numbers,  but  all  some. 


460  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

A  fall  of  rain  during  the  night  of  the  20th  laid  the  dust,  which 
the  previous  day  blew  unpleasantly  about  the  streets.  A  cloudy 
morning  allowed  the  people  who  took  up  their  places  early  to 
see  the  entry  of  the  second  portion  of  the  troops  who  marched 
publicly  into  the  town  to  pass   the  hours  of  waiting  without 
being  incommoded  by  the  glare  which  the   day  before  was  ]:~ 
dazzling  to  the  eyes,  and  after  a  time  became  almost  painful  jj" 
Those  who  had  wished  to  obtain  good  places  from  which  to  see  I  ■'■ 
the  troops  pass  did  not  this  morning  take  up  their  positions  so  [: 
very  early  as  they  did  the  day  before,  since  it  was  found  that  ; 
the  crowd  was  not  so  great  as  might  have  been  expected,  and 
many  discovered  that  they  had  taken  a  needless  precaution  by 
being  in  the  Linden  before  daybreak.     The  consequence  was  r 
that  the  people  were  more  animated,  since  they  were  not  already 
weary  before  the  proceedings  commenced.      The  enthusiasm 
was  greater,  the  cheering  was  louder,  and  there  was  generally 
an  appearance  of  more  vivacity,  enjoyment,  and  relish  on  the 
part  of  both  the  populace  and  the  soldiery. 

The  arrangements  and  general  decorations  were  much  the 
same  as  on  the  previous  day.  The  ground  between  the  Bran- 
denburg Gate  and  the  Schloss,  or  old  Palace  of  Berlin,  which 
is  now  not  inhabited  by  the  Sovereign,  but  used  for  official  and 
state  occasions,  was  divided  into  four  portions.  The  first  was 
the  Pariser  Platz,  which  lies  just  inside  the  Brandenburg  Gate, 
and  was  used  as  the  place  of  the  formal  greeting  of  the  King 
by  the  magistracy  and  a  detachment  of  fifty-five  young  ladies, 
who  presented  an  address  in  poetry.  The  second  portion  was 
the  Linden  Avenue,  in  the  centre  of  the  Linden  Street,  down 
which  the  troops  marched,  and  which  in  the  Berlin  triumph 
played  the  same  part  as  the  Via  Sacra  in  those  of  Ancient 
Rome.  The  third  portion  was  the  open  space  which  extends 
from  the  statue  of  Frederick  the  Great  to  the  bridge  over  the 
Spree,  in  which  the  troops  marched  past  the  King :  and  the 
fourth  was  the  open  place  and  garden  in  front  of  the  Schloss, 
which  was  used  for  the  celebration  of  the  Te  Dcuni,  which  this 
afternoon  was  sung  after  the  last  of  the  troops  had  marched 
past.  On  each  side  of  the  Pariser  Platz  tribunes  were  raised 
for  spectators,  which  were  entirely  draped  with  the  red  and 
white  colours  of  the  town  of  Berlin.     Behind  these,  numerous 


am 


Chap.  IV.]  THE  TRUCE.  461 

masts  were  raised,  which  bore  gonfalons  of  the  black  and  white 

i   Prussian  colours,  with  silver-coloured  shields  deviced  with  the 
agle  of  Prussia  or  the  bear  of  Berlin.     On  either  side  of  the 
entrance  to  the  Linden  Avenue  from  the  Pariser  Platz   tall 

■  trophies  were  erected,  which  bore  groups  of  alternate  Prussian 
and  Berlin  flags,  raised  above  pedestals  formed  of  gilt  cannon. 

;•;  Along  either  side  of  the  Linden  Avenue  were  raised  on 
ri  toa  pedestals,  hidden  in  masses  of  garlands  of  laurels  and  oak 
:on^  [eaves,  gilt  bronze  figures  of  Victory,  each  of  which  bore  upon 
a.  shield  with  azure  ground  the  name  and  date  of  one  of  the 

Lv  actions  of  the  war,  inscribed  in  golden  letters ;  round  these 
shields  were  bronze  borders,  on  the  top  of  which  was  placed 
the  Prussian  eagle,  while  above  the  head  of  the  figure  drooped 
the  national  flag,  supported  on  either  side  by  the  more  cheerful 

1  colours  of  the  metropolis.  The  height  from  the  ground  to  the 
top  of  the  flagstaff  over  each  figure  was  thirty-two  feet.  The 
names  of  the  battles  inscribed  on  these  shields  were: — June  26, 
Liebenau,  Tiirnau,  Podoll ;  June  27,  Nachod  ;  June  27,  Lang- 
nsalza;  June  27,  Oswiecin;  June  27,  Hiinerwasser ;  June  28, 
Miinchengratz ;  June  28,  Soor;  June  28,  Trautenau ;  June  28, 
jSkalitz;  June  29,  Gitschin ;  June  29,  Koniginhof;  June  29, 
[aromier,  Schweinschadel ;  July  3,  Koniggratz  ■  July  4,  Derm- 
jbach;  July  5,  Hunfeld ;  July  5,  Zell ;  July  10,  Waldaschach, 
jHausen;  July  10,  Hammelburg,  Friedericshall ;  July  10,  Kis- 
singen ;  July  13,  Laufach ;  July  14,  AschafTenburg ;  July  1^ 
Tobitschau;  July  22,  Blumenau ;  July  23,  Hof;  July  24, 
Lauber-Bischofsheim ;  July  24,  Werbach,  Hochhausen;  July 
25,  Neubrunn,  Helmstadt;  July  25,  Gerchshein ;  July  26, 
Roszbrunn;  July  28,  Wiirzburg;  July  28,  Baireuth. 

In  the  alternate  spaces  between  these  figures  stood  on  each 
side  of  the  avenue  square  pedestals  ten  feet  high,  each  crowned 
with  a  gilt  eagle  with  wings  outspread.  On  the  sides  of  these 
pedestals  were  inscribed,  as  a  memorial  of  the  manner  in  which 
Berlin  heard  of  the  successes  of  the  army,  the  telegrams  re- 
vived from  the  seat  of  war  which  told  of  each  victory.  In  the 
space  of  each  of  these  pedestals  and  the  trophies  on  either  side 
bearing  the  names  of  the  battles  were  placed  two  candelabra, 
each  ten  feet  high,  formed  of  a  bronze  stalk,  standing  on  a 
triangular  pedestal  swathed  with  laurel  wreaths,  and  terminating 


462  SEVEN   WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

at  the  summit  in  a  gilt  basin,  which  was  used  in  the  illumina- 
tion for  burning  coloured  lights.  All  these  trophies,  pedestals, 
and  candelabra  were  connected  together  by  festoons  of  green 
foliage,  which  drooped  down  so  as  almost  to  kiss  the  bright 
barrels  of  the  captured  guns,  which  were  placed  between  the 
works  of  art,  and  were  themselves  wreathed  with  garlands. 
Two  hundred  and  eight  guns,  one  hundred  and  four  on  each 
side,  stood  in  the  Linden  Avenue,  with  their  muzzles  still 
begrimed  with  powder,  in  a  line  with  the  pedestals  and  figures, 
and  their  trails  just  inside  the  lines  of  linden  trees  which  give 
the  name  to  the  street  More  cannon  might  have  been  exhi- 
bited as  spoils  of  the  war,  for  many  more  were  taken;  but  it 
was  resolved  that  only  those  which  were  captured  in  open 
battle  should  be  here,  and  those  which  were  seized  in  arsenals 
or  fortified  places  that  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  victors  were 
not  brought  out  for  this  festival.  Only  at  the  places  where 
cross  streets  cut  the  Linden  Avenue  were  these  festoons  inter-, 
rupted.  At  the  four  corners  of  each  crossing  four  tall  obelisks 
were  raised  on  triangular  bases,  which  were  wound  round  with 
spirals  of  foliage  and  decorated  with  the  flags  of  the  provinces 
and  allies  of  Prussia,  while  from  the  top  of  each  the  national 
standard  floated  fifty  feet  above  the  ground.  On  each  corner 
of  the  triangular  pedestal  was  placed  a  golden  eagle,  and  dia- 
gonally from  obelisk  to  obelisk  festoons  were  stretched,  from 
which  hung  shields  carrying  the  arms  of  Prussia  and  Berlin  on 
either  side. 

From  the  end  of  the  Linden  Avenue  to  the  bridge  over  the 
river  the  open  space  was  left  clear  for  the  marching  past  of  the 
troops,  but  tall  masts  were  raised  on  either  side,  from  the  sum- 
mits of  which  long  streamers  fluttered,  and  festoons  were  led 
from  one  to  the  other.  On  either  parapet  of  the  bridge  four 
marble  statues  of  Victory  were  placed,  behind  which  hung  flags 
and  draper}-,  supported  by  masts  raised  from  rafts  anchored  in 
the  river. 

The  large  square  in  front  of  the  Schloss  beyond  the  bridge 
was  surrounded  with  black  and  white  painted  poles,  each  of 
which  carried  the  Hohenzollern  shield,  surmounted  by  a  banner. 
In  the  centre  was  placed  the  altar  for  the  public  Tc  Deum.  A 
square  pedestal,  four  feet  high  and  forty-eight  feet  long,  sup- 


ported  at  each  corner  a  figure  of  the  Angel  of  Peace,  with  a 
palm  branch  in  her  hand,  and  in  the  centre  of  each  side  a 
statue  of  Victory  distributing  laurel  crowns,  while  between  the 
figures  flights  of  low  and  easy  steps,  covered  with  rich  carpet- 
ing, were  placed  for  the  officiating  priests.  Further  steps  led 
from  the  pedestals  to  the  altar-place,  which  was  raised  seven 
feet  higher,  and,  surrounded  by  golden  candelabra,  supported 
the  altar,  draped  in  velvet,  above  which  stood  the  golden  cross, 
heavy  with  mouldings  of  exquisite  workmanship. 

Behind  the  altar,  between  it  and  the  heavy  pile  of  the  dome- 
topped  Schloss,  rose  a  towering  statue  of  Borussia,  the  classical 
cognomen  of  Prussia.  With  eagle-crowned  helmet  on  her 
head,  the  sceptre  with  the  iron  cross  grasped  in  her  left  hand, 
and  her  right  stretching  forth  the  crown  of  victory,  the  figure 
was  placed  there  as  a  token  to  signify  that  their  country  con- 
sidered that  her  warriors  had  done  well.  On  either  side  stood 
tall  trophies  of  drooped  flags  and  intermingled  arms,  the 
pedestals  of  which  bore  the  names  of  the  most  glorious  deeds 
of  Prussian  arms  in  the  last  two  centuries.  Emblazoned  in 
letters  of  gold  beside  Koniggratz,  Kissingen,  and  Skalitz,  were 
Fehrbellin,  1675;  Stralsund,  1678;  Hohenfriedberg,  1745; 
Prague,  1757;  Rossbach,  1757 ;  Leuthen,  1757;  Zorndorf, 
1758;  Leipzig,  1813  ;  Paris,  1814;  Belle-Alliance,  1815.  On 
either  side  these  trophies  were  ranged  figures  of  the  Electors 
of  Brandenburg  and  Kings  of  Prussia  ;  under  each  was  written 
his  motto,  war-cry,  or  favourite  expression,  with  the  date  of  his 
accession  and  death.  Some  of  the  most  striking  of  these  were 
those  of  Albrecht  Achilles,  1470 — 1486,  "  Nowhere  is  it  more 
glorious  to  die  than  on  the  field  of  battle  ;"  of  Friederich 
Wilhelm,  1640— 1688,  "  Mit  Gott;"  and  Friederich  Wilhelm 
III.,  1797 — 1840,  "  My  time  in  trouble,  my  hope  in  God." 

A  few  minutes  before  eleven,  the  King,  at  the  head  of  his 
Staff,  and  closely  followed  by  the  Crown  Prince  and  Prince 
Frederick  Charles,  passed  quickly  up  the  Linden  towards  the 
Brandenburg  Gate.  A  long,  rolling  cheer  marked  his  approach, 
which  swelled  into  a  louder  and  louder  shout  as  he  came 
nearer;  from  every  window  handkerchiefs  were  waved  and 
Prussian  colours  fluttered,  while  in  the  street  below  every  head 
was  uncovered,  and  the  exultant  people,  with  all  the  strength 


I 


464  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

of  their  hundred  thousand  voices,  roared  out  their  greeting  to 
their  Sovereign.  The  King  stopped  for  a  few  minutes  in  the 
Pariser  Platz,  and  spoke  to  the  wounded,  who,  still  not  re- 
covered sufficiently  to  march  in  the  ranks,  were  seated  in  front 
of  the  tribunes  on  either  side,  then  went  through  the  Branden- 
burg Gate,  to  place  himself  at  the  head  of  the  troops  and  lead 
them  into  the  town.  The  carriages  of  the  ladies  of  the  Royal 
family  followed  soon  after,  and  met  with  an  equally  enthusiastic 
reception  as  the  King  himself,  both  as  they  went  up  toward  the 
Brandenburg  Gate  and  on  their  return  after  a  short  inspection 
of  the  troops  outside  the  town.  Soon  the  Count  Wrangel,  who 
again  led  the  column,  came  down  the  avenue,  and  was  greeted 
very  warmly.  After  him  the  King's  staff  followed  in  the  same 
order  as  before,  last  of  whom  rode  side  by  side  the  triumvirate 
to  whom  so  much  of  Prussia's  success  was  due — Bismarck, 
Roon,  and  Moltke,  to-day  all  three  generals,  for  the  Prime 
Minister  was  promoted  to  that  rank  the  previous  day.  A  con- 
siderable space  separated  the  staff  from  the  King  himself,  for 
he  had  to  hear  again  to-day  the  address  of  the  magistracy  which 
he  had  already  received  on  the  former  day,  and  to  listen  to  the 
poetical  welcome  delivered  by  the  chief  of  the  detachment  of 
fifty-one  young  ladies.  When  he  came  he  was  welcomed  as 
loudly,  or  even  more  so,  than  before,  more  loudly  than  the  day 
before,  for  the  people  were  less  fatigued  by  waiting,  and  were 
not  annoyed  by  the  dust  which  blew  about  among  them  yester- 
day. From  the  time  the  King  came  down  the  avenue  with  the 
Crown  Prince  and  Prince  Frederick  Charles  close  behind  him 
one  incessant  shout  was  maintained  until  the  whole  of  the 
troops  had  passed,  which  sometimes  rose  very  loud,  sometimes 
slightly  fell,  but  never  died  away  entirely. 

The  troops  which  marched  in  this  day  were  the  brigades  of 
the  Guards  which  did  not  come  in  before,  and  some  detach- 
ments as  representatives  of  Line  regiments.  All  were  greeted 
loudly,  especially  the  2nd  dragoons  of  the  Guard,  who  defeated 
the  Austrian  cavalry  at  Tischnowitz.  To  those,  however,  who 
had  seen  the  same  troops  in  the  field,  or  directly  after  the 
campaign,  their  appearance  was  disappointing.  The  soldiers 
marched  carelessly,  and  did  not  preserve  either  the  even  for- 
mation or  the  measured  swinging  stride  which  distinguishes 


Chap.  IV.]  THE   TRUCE.  465 

the  Prussian  infantry  on  its  usual  parades.  The  day  seemed 
to  be  regarded  only  as  a  holiday  and  festival,  and  much  more 
attention  was  paid  to  friends  in  the  houses,  or  alongside  the 
avenue,  than  to  the  maintenance  of  that  perfect  order  in  the 
ranks  which  is  generally  so  rigidly  observed. 

After  the  troops  had  marched  by  the  King,  a  portion  of 
them  were  formed  up  in  the  square  in  front  of  the  Schloss 
around  the  altar.  The  King,  the  Prince,  the  staff,  and  the 
generals  came  to  the  same  place,  and  in  the  name  of  the  army 
and  nation  yielded  up  their  hearts  in  thanksgiving  to  Heaven, 
while  hundreds  of  priests  burst  forth  into  the  noblest  of  all 
songs  of  praise  to  the  Lord  of  Hosts  and  the  God  of  Vic- 
tories. 

On  the  evening  of  the  21st,   the   King  assembled  twelve 
hundred  of  the  generals  and  principal  officers  who  had  served 
in  the  campaign  at  dinner  in  the  Schloss.     In  the  later  part  of 
the  evening  the  town  was  illuminated.     Directly  after  dark  the 
whole  city  was  lighted  up.     The  Schloss  was  surrounded  by 
rows  of  lamps,  which  stood  out  bright  against  the  heavy  and 
indistinct  background  of  the  massive  building,  while  circlets  of 
coloured  lights,  high  up  in  the  dome,  seemed  as  if  suspended 
in  the  air  without  support.     Opposite  the  Schloss  bright  blue 
i lights  burnt,  and,  raised  high  upon  lofty  poles,  glistened  like 
iistars  of  dazzling  brightness  above  the  Museum.     These  cast  a 
■fitful  and  almost  mysterious  glow  upon  the  restless  crowds,  who, 
' notwithstanding  the  rain,  which  began  to  fall  early  in  the  after- 
Kjnoon,  thronged  every  street,   and  clustered  in  thick  swarms 
around  the  fountain  in  front  of  the  Museum,  where  gas  jets, 
jintroduced    among  the  pipes,  from   which   the   water   played, 
jglistened  through  the  sparkling  cascade.      Every  house  was 
illuminated.     On  public  buildings  and  in  many  private  resi- 
dences were  fiery  copies  of  the  national  arms,  or  names  of 
victories  inscribed  inflame.     Down  the  Linden  Avenue  and 
round  the  statue  of  Frederick  the  Great  large  basins  raised  on 
bronze  stalks  contained  blazing  flambeaux,  which  blew  about 
wildly  in  the  breeze.     In  many  places  words  of  webome  to 
jthe   returning   soldiers    or    mottoes    recording    victory   were 
traced  in  lamps,  which  burnt  with  coloured  flames,  but  no- 
where was  to  be  seen  a  single  signal  of  congratulation  for 

H   H 


466  SEVEN  WEEKS"   WAR.  [Book  IX. 

the  return  of  peace.  Every  fiery  inscription,  every  device  of 
flame,  told  the  fierce  joy  of  the  people  for  victory  and  conquest, 
and  to  the  minds  of  many  men  foreboded  that  thirst  for  further 
war  and  for  military  glory  was  taking  a  strong  seat  in  the  heart 
of  Prussia.  Where  the  exterior  of  the  houses  was  not  decked 
with  lamps,  or  where  burning  gas  did  not  trace  the  outlines  of 
the  national  eagle  or  the  names  of  victories,  inside  of  the 
windows  were  fringes  of  candles.  Everywhere  there  was  light. 
No  window  was  dark,  no  house  not  illuminated,  except  where 
the  Austrian  or  some  of  the  neutral  Embassies  broke,  by  a  gap 
of  darkness,  the  brilliant  aspect  of  a  lighted  street.  There 
were  few  carriages.  The  people  moved  through  the  city  a 
restless,  feverish  crowd,  from  which  rose  a  loud  continuous 
hum  of  approbation  and  of  triumph,  that  here  and  there  swelled 
into  a  cheer  before  the  residence  of  a  Minister  or  the  Palace  of 
the  King. 

A  long  list  of  promotions  and  military  advancements  was 
published  that  day,  and  it  was  also  notified  that  a  cross  of 
bronze  cast  from  the  metal  of  the  captured  cannon  was  to  be 
given  to  every  officer  and  soldier  who  had  passed  through  the 
campaign. 

An  amnesty,  dated  the  20th  June,  was  published  the  same 
morning,  which  remitted  any  punishments  not  yet  completed, 
or  any  fines  which  had  been  decreed  by  courts  of  justice 
against  persons  convicted  of  offences  under  the  87th  to  93rd 
paragraphs  of  the  statute-book  inclusive,  and  under  the  97th 
to  103rd,  or  under  the  law  for  the  control  of  the  press. 

In  the  evening  special  performances  were  given  in  all  the 
theatres  in  honour  of  the  triumphant  termination  of  the  war. 
Prologues  were  delivered  which  detailed  the  glorious  deeds  of 
the  army,  and  the  plays,  which  were  written  for  the  occasion, 
dwelt  upon  the  actions  and  personal  adventures  of  the  late 
campaign,  and  recalled  the  memories  of  the  concluding  wars 
of  the  first  French  Empire. 


CHAPTER    V. 

PEACE   WITH    THE   SOUTH-GERMAN    STATES. 

On  the  2nd  August,  armistices  between  Prussia  and  Bavaria, 
Baden,  Wurtemberg,  and  Hesse-Darmstadt,  were  established, 
which  were  to  endure  until  the  22nd  August  The  terms  of 
these  armistices  were  similar  to  those  made  with  Austria  ;  by 
them  stipulations  were  also  made  for  the  delivery  of  the  fortress 
of  Mainz  to  the  Prussians,  and  for  the  unimpeded  departure 
of  the  South-German  contingents  from  the  other  Federal 
fortresses. 

By  the  22nd  August,  peace  was  definitely  concluded  between 
Prussia  and  the  Governments  of  all  those  countries  except  that 
of  Darmstadt. 

The  treaty  of  peace  with  Bavaria  was  signed  at  Berlin  on  the 
22nd  of  August,  by  Count  Bismarck  and  Herr  von  Savigny 
for  Prussia,  by  Herr  von  der  Pfordten  and  Count  Bray  Stein- 
burg  for  Bavaria.  By  it  Bavaria  agreed  to  pay  Prussia  thirty 
million  gulden  as  a  war  contribution  in  three  instalments,  the 
last  instalment  to  be  paid  within  six  months  of  the  exchange  of 
the  ratifications ;  to  abolish  the  shipping  dues  on  the  Rhine 
and  Maine ;  and  to  give  up  the  telegraph  stations  on  the  north 
of  the  Maine  to  Prussia.  The  ratifications  were  exchanged 
within  twelve  days. 

Peace  with  Wurtemburg  was  concluded  at  Berlin  on  the 
13th  August,     The  text  of  this  treaty  was  as  follows  : — 

"  Their  Majesties  the  King  of  Wurtemberg  and  the  King  of  Prussia, 
actuated  by  the  desire  of  securing  to  their  subjects  the  blessings  of  peace, 
have  determined  to  come  to  an  agreement  as  to  the  clauses  of  a  Treaty  of 
Peace  to  be  concluded  between  them.  For  this  purpose  their  Majesties 
have  appointed  as  plenipotentiaries — The  King  of  Wurtemberg,  his  Minister 
for  Foreign  Affairs,  Baron  Karl  von  Varnbuler,  Grand  Cross,  &c.  ;  and  his 

H  H  2 


46S  SEVEN  WEEKS1    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

War  Minister,  Lieutenant-General  Oscar  von  Hardegg,  Grand  Cross,  &c. ; 
and  the  King  of  Prussia,  his  President  of  the  Council  and  Minister  for 
Foreign  Affairs,  Count  Otto  von  Bismarck -Schbnhausen,  Knight  of  the 
Black  Eagle,  &c,  and  his  Privy  Counsillor,  Chamberlain  and  Ambassador 
Karl  Friedrich  von  Savigny,  Grand  Cross,  &c.  These  plenipotentiaries 
having  exchanged  powers  and  found  them  sufficient,  have  agreed  upon  the 
following  clauses  : — 

"  I.  Peace  and  friendship  shall  henceforth  subsist  for  ever  between  His 
Majesty  the  King  of  Wurtemberg  and  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Prussia, 
their  heirs  and  successors,  their  States  and  subjects. 

"  2.  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Wurtemberg  engages  to  pay  His  Majesty 
the  King  of  Prussia  the  sum  of  8,000,000  fl.  within  two  months,  towards 
covering  part  of  the  costs  incurred  by  Prussia  in  the  war.  By  payment  of 
this  sum  the  King  of  Wurtemberg  fulfils  the  compensation  obligations  un- 
dertaken by  him  in  paragraphs  9  and  10  of  the  armistice  convention,  signed 
August  1,  1866,  at  Eisingen  and  Wurtzburg. 

"3.  As  pledge  for  the  payment  of  this  sum  the  King  of  "Wurtemberg 
will  deposit  34  and  4  per  cent.  Wurtemberg  State  bonds  to  the  amount  of 
the  sum  to  be  guaranteed.  The  bonds  to  be  deposited  will  be  calculated  at 
the  quotations  of  the  day,  and  the  guarantee  sum  wall  be  increased  by  10  per 
cent,  accordingly. 

"4.  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Wurtemberg  retains  the  right  of  paying  the 
above-mentioned  compensation  in  part,  or  wholly  at  an  earlier  date,  at  a 
discount  of  5  per  cent,  per  annum. 

"5.  Immediately  after  the  guarantee  being  given,  .in  accordance  with 
Article  3,  or  after  payment  of  the  war  contribution  has  been  made,  the  King 
of  Prussia  will  withdraw  his  troops  from  Wurtemberg  territory.  The  pro- 
visionment  of  the  troops  during  their  withdrawal  shall  be  according  to  the 
hitherto  existing  Federal  dietary  scale. 

' '  6.  The  apportionment  of  Federal  property  belonging  to  the  former 
Germanic  Confederation  is  reserved  for  a  special  agreement. 

"7.  The  high  contracting  parties  will  enter  into  negotiations  for  the 
settlement  of  the  Zollverein  relations  immediately  after  the  conclusion  of 
peace.  In  the  mean  time  the  Zollverein  Union  Treaty  of  May  16,  1855, 
and  the  conventions  connected  therewith,  which  have  been  rendered  inope- 
rative by  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  shall  again  come  into  operation  from  the 
day  the  ratifications  of  this  present  treaty  are  exchanged,  with  the  under- 
standing that  it  remains  reserved  to  either  of  the  high  contracting  parties  to 
allow  them  to  lapse  after  a  notification  of  six  months. 

"  8.  Immediately  after  the  restoration  of  peace  in  Germany  the  high  con- 
tracting parties  will  cause  the  assembly  of  Commissioners  to  agree  upon 
bases  calculated  to  further  passenger  and  goods'  traffic  upon  the  railways  as 
greatly  as  possible,  especially  to  regulate  the  relations  of  competition  in  a 
suitable  manner  and  to  oppose  the  efforts  of  individual  companies  disadvan- 
tageous to  the  public  interests  of  traffic.  While  the  high  contracting  parties 
are  agreed  that  the  establishment  of  every  new  railway  line  conducive  to  the 
public  advantage  is  to  be  permitted  and  supported  as  fully  as  possible,  they 
will  also  have  the  principles  demanded  in  this  respect  by  the  general  interests 
laid  down  by  the  aforesaid  Commissioners. 

"9.  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Wurtemberg  recognises  the  arrangements 
made  by  the  preliminary  treaty  concluded  between  Prussia  and  Austria  at 
Nikolsburg  on  the  20th  of  July,  1866,  and  acceeded  thereto  upon  his  part 
also,  so  far  as  they  affect  the  future  of  Germany. 

"  10.   The  ratification  of  this  present  treaty  shall  take  place  at  latest  by 


Chap.  V.]  PEACE  WITH  THE  SOUTH-GERMAX  STATES.  469 

the  21st  of  August  of  this  year.  In  token  whereof  the  above-named  pleni- 
potentiaries have  executed  the  same  this  day  in  duizdicate,  and  appended 
their  signatures  and  seals. 

"  Done  at  Berlin  this  13th  of  August,  1S66. 

"  VARNBULER,  "  HARDEGG. 

"  VON  BISMARCK,  "  SAVIGNY." 

Peace  with  Baden  was  concluded  at  Berlin  on  the  17th 
August.  The  first,  fifth,  sixth,  seventh,  and  eighth  articles 
were  the  same  as  those  of  the  treaty  with  Wiirtemberg ;  the 
tenth  and  eleventh  the  same  as  the  ninth  and  tenth  of  that 
with  Wiirtemberg.  By  the  second,  third,  and  fourth  articles, 
Baden  agreed  to  pay  Prussia  six  million  gulden  within  two 
months,  as  a  war  contribution.  By  the  ninth  article,  Baden 
agreed  to  abolish  the  shipping  dues  on  the  Rhine. 

Peace  with  Hesse-Darmstadt  was  only  concluded  on  the  3rd 
September,  to  which  day  the  armistice  was  extended.  The 
text  of  this  treaty  was,  exclusive  of  the  prologue,  as  follows  : — 

"  I.  Peace  and  friendship  shall  exist  between  the  Grand  Duke  of  Hesse, 
and  on  the  Rhine,  &c,  and  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Prussia,  their  heirs 
and  successors,  for  eternal  time. 

"2.  The  Grand  Duke  of  Hesse  engages  to  pay  to  the  King  of  Prussia 
within  two  months  the  sum  of  3,000,000  florins,  to  cover  a  part  of  the  ex- 
penses caused  to  Prussia  by  the  war.  By  the  payment  of  this  sum  the  Grand 
Duke  is  released  from  his  obligation  to  pay  the  war  contribution  which  he 
undertook  by  the  Treaty  of  Armistice  on  the  1st  of  August,  1S66. 

"  3.  The  Grand  Duke  provides  guarantees  for  the  payment  of  this  money 
by  depositing  bonds  of  the  Grand  Ducal  Loan,  when  the  4  per  cent,  bonds 
will  be  accepted  at  So  and  the  3  per  cent,  at  70. 

"  4.  The  Grand  Duke  has  the  right  to  pay  the  above  contribution  either 
in  whole  or  in  part  at  an  earlier  date,  and  if  he  does  so  will  be  allowed  a 
discount  at  the  rate  of  5  per  cent,  per  annum. 

"  5.  Immediately  after  the  deposit  of  the  guarantees  mentioned  in 
Article  3,  the  King  of  Prussia  will  withdraw  his  troops  from  the  Grand 
Ducal  territory.  The  supplying  of  the  troops  in  their  return  march 
will  be  conducted  in  accordance  with  the  supply  regulations  of  the  late 
Bund. 

"  6.  The  regulations  for  the  disposal  of  common  property  which  belonged 
to  the  late  Bund  are  reserved  for  special  agreement. 

"7.  The  high  -  contracting  powers  will  enter  into  negotiations  directly 
after  the  conclusion  of  peace  for  the  reform  of  the  Zollverein  Treaty.  In 
the  meantime  the  Zollverein  Treaty  of  the  i6thof  May,  1865,  and  the  agree- 
ments connected  with  it,  will  come  again  into  force  on  the  day  of  the  ex- 
change of  the  ratifications  of  the  present  treaty.  Each  party  reserves  the 
right  to  annul  the  same  after  six  months'  notice. 

"  8.  All  other  treaties  and  stipulations  concluded  between  the  high  con- 
tracting Powers  previous  to  the  war  come  again  into  force. 

"  9.   The  high  contracting  powers  will,  immediately  after  the  establish- 


470  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

ment  of  peace  in  Germany,  cause  Commissioners  to  meet,  in  order  to  esta- 
blish rules  to  facilitate  as  much  as  possible  the  railway  transport  of  pas- 
sengers and  goods  between  the  two  States,  and  to  oppose  the  pernicious 
effects  of  individual  administration  in  favour  of  common  interests  ;  and  as 
the  high  contracting  powers  are  agreed  that  the  establishment  of  a  new 
railway  communication  based  on  their  common  interests  should  be  allowed, 
and,  as  far  as  possible,  furthered,  they  will  cause  the  plans  thereof  to  be 
settled  by  the  above-mentioned  commissioners. 

"  10.  The  Grand  Ducal  Government  declares  itself  agreed  to  the  conven- 
tions which  Prussia  has  made  with  the  princely  House  of  Taxis  for  the 
abolition  of  the  Thurn  and  Taxis  postal  monopoly.  In  consequence  the 
whole  postal  administration  of  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Hesse  is  to  be  given 
over  to  Prussia. 

"n.  The  Grand  Ducal  Government  binds  itself  to  allow  no  other  than 
a  Prussian  telegraph  station  in  Mayence.  In  like  manner  the  Grand 
Ducal  Government  cedes  to  Prussia  unlimited  power  to  construct  and  to 
use  telegraph  lines  and  telegraph  stations  in  the  other  districts  of  the  Grand 
Duchy. 

"12.  The  Grand  Ducal  Government  will  completely  discontinue  to  levy 
navigation  tolls  on  the  Rhine,  and  also  navigation  dues  (Tariff  B  in  the 
Convention  of  the  31st  of  March,  1831),  as  also  dues  for  lading  (Supplemen- 
tary Articles  to  the  Convention  of  the  31st  of  March,  183 1),  from  the 
day  on  which  the  same  measure  shall  be  adopted  by  the  other  German 
States  on  the  banks  of  the  Rhine.  The  high  contracting  parties  under- 
take to  do  the  same  with  regard  to  the  still  existing  navigation  tolls  on 
the  Maine. 

"13.  The  Grand  Duke  of  Hesse  recognises  the  Definitions  of  the  Pre- 
liminary Treaty  concluded  between  Prussia  and  Austria  at  Nikolsburg,  on 
the  26th  July,  1866,  and  also  on  his  part  enters  into  the  same  as  far  as  the 
future  of  Germany  is  concerned. 

"  14.  His  Royal  Highness  the  Grand  Duke  of  Hesse  cedes  to  the  King 
of  Prussia  with  all  rights  of  sovereignty  and  dominion — (1)  the  country  of 
Hesse-Homburg,  inclusive  of  the  district  of  Meisenheim,  but  exclusive  of 
the  two  demesnes  Hotensleben  and  Oebisfelde  belonging  to  Homburg, 
which  lie  in  the  Prussian  province  of  Saxony.  (2)  The  following  portions 
of  territory  which  belong  to  the  province  of  Oberhessen  : — (i.)  the  district 
of  Biedonkofp  ;  (ii. )  the  district  of  Vohl,  including  the  enclaves  Eimelrod 
Horinghausen  ;  (iii.)  the  north-western  part  of  the  district  of  Giessen,  which 
includes  Frankenbach,  Krumbach,  Konigsburg,  Fellingshausen,  Biber, 
Haina,  Rodheim,  Waldgirmes,  Nauheim,  and  Hermannstein,  with  the 
ground  within  their  landmarks  ;  (iv. )  the  district  of  Rodelheim  ;  (v.)  the 
part  of  the  district  of  Nieder-Urfel  which  is  under  the  Grand  Ducal 
Sovereignty. 

"  15.  The  Grand  Duke  of  Hesse  enters  into  the  North  German  Confede- 
ration on  the  basis  of  the  reform  project  of  the  10th  June,  1866,  with  all 
his  territory  lying  north  of  the  Maine,  while  he  binds  himself  to  cause  the 
elections  to  Parliament  to  be  in  proportion  to  the  numbers  of  the  popula- 
tion. The  Grand  Ducal  contingent  from  the  territory  separated  in  conse- 
quence of  this  and  belonging  to  the  Northern  Confederation  passes  under 
the  supreme  command  of  the  King  of  Prussia. 

"15.  The  King  of  Prussia  cedes  to  the  Grand  Duke  of  Hesse,  in  lieu  of 
the  territorial  cessions  in  the  province  of  Oberhessen  the  following  districts, 
with  all  rights  of  sovereignty  and  dominion — 


Chap.  V.]  PEACE  WITH  THE  SOUTH-GERMAN  STATES.  471 

"(I.)  The  formerly  Hesse-Cassel  district  Katzenberg,  with,  the  places 
Ohmes,  Wolkenrode,  Ruhlkirchen,  Leibelsdorf. 

"(IT.)  The  formerly  Hesse-Cassel  district  Nauheim,  with  all  rights  of 
property,  the  bath  establishments  and  salt  works  in  Nauheim,  as  well  as  the 
places  Dorheim,  Nauheim,  Schwalheim,  and  Rodchen. 

"(III.)  The  district  of  Reichelsheim  which  lies  to  the  east  of  the  above, 
and  formerly  belonged  to  Nassau,  with  the  places  Reichelsheim  and  Dor- 
nassenheim. 

' '  (iv. )  The  enclave  of  Trais  on  the  Lunda,  which  formerly  belonged  to 
Hesse-Cassel. 

"(V.)  The  woodland  demesne  formerly  belonging  to  Hesse-Cassel 
which  lies  between  the  Grand  Ducal  districts  of  Altenstadt  and  Bonstadt. 

"  (vi. )  The  districts  of  Dortelweil  and  Nieder-Erlenbach,  which  formerly 
belonged  to  Frankfort. 

"(vn.)  The  district  of  Massenheim,  which  formerly  belonged  to  Hesse 
Cassel. 

"  (vill.)  The  district  of  Haarheim,  which  formerly  belonged  to  Nassau. 

"(IX.)  The  portion  of  the  |district  of  Mittel-Griindau,  of  about  1,700 
acres,  which  formerly  belonged  to  Hesse-Cassel. 

"  These  districts  enter  into  the  province  of  Oberhessen.  In  the  next 
place,  the  district  of  Rumpenheim,  which  formerly  belonged  to  Hesse- 
Cassel,  lying  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Maine,  is  Ceded  to  the  Grand  Duke, 
with  all  rights.     The  descriptions  of  the  boundaiy  lines  lie  over. 

"16.  Agreements  between  the  contracting  Powers  with  reference  to  the 
archives,  officials,  military  stores,  &c,  of  the  ceded  districts  will  be  con- 
cluded by  special  commissioners. 

"17.  The  books,  manuscripts,  and  other  articles  which  were  in  the 
library  of  the  Cathedral  of  Cologne  previously  to  the  year  I7945  an(i  are 
now  in  the  Grand  Ducal  museum  and  library,  are  to  be  handed  over  to  the 
King  of  Prussia  that  they  may  be  restored  to  Cologne,  to  which  the  different 
volumes  and  articles  belong.  There  shall  be  one  Commissioner  of  either 
side,  who  in  case  of  dispute  are  to  choose  £ach  an  impartial  referee,  to  whom 
the  case  shall  be  referred. 

"18.  The  Grand  Ducal  Government  agrees  to  prolong  the  present  con- 
tract between  a  number  of  bathing-house  proprietors  in  the  town  of  Kreuz- 
nach  and  the  Grand  Ducal  salt  work  of  Karl  Theodor  Hulle,  for  the  supply 
of  lixivium  and  salt  water  at  the  present  rate,  until  the  Prussian  Government 
shall  find  itself  able  to  acquire  this  salt  work. 

"  The  Grand  Ducal  Government  will  also  lay  down  pipes  for  the  supply 
of  this  to  Kreuznach. 

"  19.  The  ratification  of  the  present  Treaty  shall  take  place  at  the  latest 
on  the  15th  of  September. 

(Signed)  "DALWIGK  "BISMARCK. 

"HOFMAN  "SAVIGNY.  " 


A  supplementary  convention  with  reference  to  Articles  14 
and  15  was  to  the  following  purpose  : — 

"1.  Prussia  enters  into  all  rights  hitherto  possessed  by  the  Hessian 
Government  in  the  ceded  districts,  and  pays  pensions  in  the  hitherto 
existing  way.  Officials  and  servants  are  guaranteed  to  be  allowed  to 
remain  in  their  present  situations  if  they  will  enter  the  Prussian  service  ;  if 


472  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

they,  however,  return  to  the  Hessian  within  three  months  after  the  close  of 
this  treaty,  they  ai'e  to  be  paid  up  to  the  time  of  their  return  by  the  Hessian 
Government.  The  same  rule  applies  to  the  districts  ceded  to  Hesse  which 
formerly  belonged  to  Nassau  and  Cassel.  Soldiers  who  are  of  the  rank  of 
officers  in  the  ceded  districts  shall  be  sent  to  their  homes ;  and  their  time  of 
service  in  the  Hessian  army  will  be  reckoned  as  if  in  the  Prussian  service. 
Officers  and  military  officials  ranking  as  officers  are  to  be  allowed  to  choose 
into  which  service  they  will  enter. 

"2.  The  Commissioners  chosen  by  Article  1 6  of  the  Treaty  will  settle  all 
matters  of  detail  which  are  connected  with  the  present  negotiations. 

"3.  All  the  inhabitants  of  the  ceded  districts  are  to  be  allowed  full 
freedom  to  settle  in  whichever  country  they  choose  for  a  year  after  the 
exchange  of  the  ratifications. 

"4.  In  the  cession  of  the  country  of  Hesse-Homburg,  the  pictures, 
library,  and  such  things  in  the  Ducal  Castle  are  not  included,  as  likewise 
the  orangery.  These  all  remain  the  private  property  of  the  Grand  Ducal 
House. 

"5.  At  the  same  time  as  the  Prussian  troops  withdraw,  the  civil  officers 
in  the  lands  at  present  occupied  will  cease  to  act,  and  the  Grand  Ducal 
officials  will  return  to  their  duty. 

"6.  It  is  understood  that  the  same  regulations  for  the  post  and  telegraph 
services  as  are  to  come  into  force  in  the  province  of  Oberhessen,  from  its 
being  included  in  the  Bund,  are  by  this  Treaty  to  be  extended  to  the  pro- 
vinces of  Stachenburg  and  Rheinhessen,  which  are  south  of  the  Maine. 

"  7.  All  prisoners  of  war  are  to  be  exchanged  in  eight  days  after  the  rati- 
fication of  this  Treaty. 

"  8.  In  reference  to  the  right  of  garrisoning  Mayence,  which  is  to  remain 
to  Prussia,  the  same  arrangements  are  to  hold  good  between  the  Prussian 
garrison  and  the  territorial  Government  as  did  between  the  former  garrison 
of  Bund  troops  and  the  territorial  Government. 

"  9.  All  telegraphic  offices  in  Mayence  must  be  entirely  in  the  hands  of 
the  Prussian  Government.  The  railway  telegraphs  will  not  be  disturbed 
unless  in  cases  of  absolute  necessity  for  the  security  of  the  fortress. 

"  10.  The  Grand  Ducal  Government  is  ready  to  surrender  the  direction 
of  the  administration  of  the  Main-Weser  Railway  from  the  Hesse-Cassel 
frontier  to  Giessen  into  the  hands  of  the  Prussian  Government,  provided 
that  the  latter  will  give  to  the  former  a  yearly  account  of  its  receipts. 

"  11.  If  the  Prussian  Government  wishes  to  send  troops  returning  from 
Bohemia  or  Bavaria  by  the  Schwandorf  to  Wtirzburg  line,  the  Grand  Ducal 
Government  will  transport  them,  and  will  be  paid  for  the  same  by  the  Prus- 
sian Government. 

"12.  No  subject  of  the  Grand  Duke  or  of  the  King  of  Prussia  is  to  be 
annoyed  or  disturbed  in  person  or  property  on  account  of  his  conduct  during 
the  time  of  the  war. 

"13.  In  reference  to  Article  18  of  the  Treaty,  it  is  understood  that  this 
article  only  holds  good  till  the  year  1892,  if  the  said  saltwork  is  not  acquired 
by  Prussia  before  that  year. 

"  14.  The  ratifications  of  this  convention  are  to  be  exchanged  at  the  same 
time  and  place  as  those  of  the  above  Treaty. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

FORMATION    OF    THE    NORTH-GERMAN    CONFEDERATION. 

After  the  war  the  Prussian  Government  determined  to 
annex  the  territories  of  Hanover,  Hesse-Cassel,  Nassau,  and 
the  free  town  of  Frankfort.  On  the  17th  August,  Count 
Bismarck  introduced  a  bill  into  the  Prussian  House  of  Deputies 
for  this  annexation,  which  was  carried  by  two  hundred  and 
seventy-three  votes,  in  a  house  of  three  hundred  members  ;  and 
these  territories  became  provinces  of  the  Prussian  monarchy. 
By  the  treaties  with  Austria,  made  before  and  after  the  war, 
Schleswig,  Holstein,  and  Lauenberg  were  also  united  to 
Prussia.  The  area  of  Prussia,  which  before  the  war  was 
127,350  square  miles  was  increased  to  160,000.  Her  popula- 
tion was  raised  from  19,000,000  to  23,000,000  inhabitants. 

In  August  the  Governments  of  Prussia,  Mecklenburg- 
Schwerin,  Mecklenburg -Strelitz,  Saxe -Weimar,  Oldenburg, 
Brunswick,  Sachsen-Altenburg,  Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha,  Anhalt, 
Schwarzburg  -  Sondershausen,  Schwarzburg  -  Rodolstadt,  Wal- 
deck,  Reusz  (of  the  younger  line),  Schaumburg-Lippe,  Lippe, 
Liibeck,  Bremen,  and  Hamburg,  concluded  an  offensive  and 
defensive  treaty  for  the  maintenance  of  the  independence  and 
integrity  as  well  as  of  the  internal  and  external  security  of  their 
States,  and  undertook  a  common  defence  of  their  territory, 
which  they  guaranteed  by  this  treaty. 

"2.  The  aims  of  the  Confederation  shall  be  definitely  laid  down  by  a 
Confederate  Constitution  on  the  basis  of  the  Prussian  outlines  of  the  10th  ot 
June,  1866,  with  the  co-operation  of  a  common  Parliament  which  is  to  be 
called  together. 

"  3.  All  existing  treaties  and  agreements  between  the  Confederates  are  to 
remain  in  full  force,  as  far  as  they  are  not  expressly  modified  by  the  present 
Federation. 


474  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  IX. 

"  4.  The  troops  of  the  Confederates  are  to  be  under  the  supreme  command 
of  the  King  of  Prussia.  The  duties  during  war  will  be  arranged  by  special 
settlements. 

"  5.  The  Confederate  Governments  will  appoint  votes  to  be  taken  on  the 
basis  of  the  elective  law  of  the  Empire  of  April  12,  1849,  for  deputies  to 
the  Parliament,  and  will  call  the  latter  together  in  common  with  Prussia. 
They  shall  also  send  Plenipotentiaries  to  Berlin,  in  order  to  settle  the  Bill 
of  Confederation  in  accordance  with  the  outlines  of  the  10th  of  June, 
1 866,  which  is  to  be  laid  before  the  Parliament  for  its  consideration  and 
approval. 

"6.  The  duration  of  this  agreement  is  until  the  formation  of  the  new 
Confederation,  and  is  settled  for  one  year  if  the  new  Confederation  is  not 
concluded  before  the  expiration  of  a  year. 

"  7.  The  above  Treaty  of  agreement  shall  be  ratified  and  the  ratifications 
exchanged  as  soon  as  possible,  at  the  latest  within  three  weeks  of  the  date 
of  its  conclusion,  at  Berlin. " 

The  only  States  north  of  the  Maine  which,  on  the  conclusion 
of  this  treaty,  were  not  united  to  Prussia  in  the  North-German 
confederacy,  were  Reusz  (of  the  older  line),  Saxe-Meiningen, 
and  the  Kingdom  of  Saxony.  The  Regent,  Princess  Caroline 
of  Reusz,  soon,  however,  concluded  the  same  treaty  with 
Prussia. 

On  the  20th  September,  Duke  Bernhard  of  Saxe-Meiningen, 
who  did  not  approve  of  the  new  order  of  things,  abdicated, 
and  the  new  Duke,  George,  declared  himself  ready  to  enter  the 
Confederation. 

After  a  long  delay,  peace  was  finally  concluded  between 
Prussia  and  Saxony,  on  the  21st  of  October.  By  this  treaty, 
Saxony  entered  the  North-German  Confederation.  The  Saxon 
troops  were  to  form  an  integral  portion  of  the  North-German 
army,  under  the  supreme  command  of  the  King  of  Prussia. 
Saxony  was  to  pay  a  war  contribution  of  ten  millions  of  thalers,* 
in  three  instalments  \  the  last  instalment  was  to  be  paid  on  the 
30th  April,  1867  j  one  million,  however,  was  to  be  remitted,  in 
consideration  of  Saxony  giving  up  to  Prussia  so  much  of  the 
railway  between  Gbrlitz  and  Dresden  as  ran  on  Prussian 
ground.  A  direct  railway  was  to  be  constructed  from  Leipsic 
to  Zeitz.  All  the  Saxon  telegraphs  were  to  be  given  up  to 
Prussia.  The  salt  monopoly  in  Saxony  was  to  be  abolished. 
The  fortress  of  Konigstein  was  to  be  given  over  to  Prussia; 
Dresden  was  to  be  held  by  a  garrison  half  Prussian  half  Saxon, 

*  £1,500,000. 


Chap.  VI,]    NORTH  GERMAN  CONFEDERATION.  475 

the  latter  not  to  muster  more  than  three  thousand  men.  The 
commandant  was  to  be  appointed  by  the  King  of  Prussia,  the 
second  in  command  by  the  King  of  Saxony. 

The  conclusion  of  the  treaty  of  peace  with  Saxony  was 
virtually  the  last  act  in  the  formation  of  the  North-German 
Confederacy,  The  Parliament  had  afterwards  to  agree  formally 
to  the  settlement  of  the  Confederation,  as  it  did  in  the  early 
months  of  1867,  but  practically,  Northern  Germany  was  united 
into  one  confederate  power  under  the  sceptre  of  the  House  of 
Hohenzollern  by  the  end  of  October,  1866. 


BOOK  X. 
CHAPTER   I. 

THE    WAR    IN    ITALY. 

When  Prussia  declared  that  she  regarded  the  Austrian  pro- 
ceedings at  Frankfort  as  a  declaration  of  war,  King  Victor 
Emmanuel,  in  consequence  of  his  alliance  with  the  Govern- 
ment of  Berlin,  declared  war  against  Austria.  On  the  20th 
of  June,  General  La  Marmora,  the  chief  of  the  Staff  of  the 
Italian  army,  sent  an  intimation  to  the  commandant  of  Mantua 
that  hostilities  would  commence  on  the  23rd.  The  Archduke 
Albrecht  accepted  the  intimation,  and  made  ready  for  action. 

The  theatre  of  war*  in  which  the  troops  of  Italy  and  those 
of  the  Austrian  Army  of  the  South  were  about  to  engage  has 
formed  one  of  the  ordinary  battle-fields  of  Europe.  Its  com- 
munications with  Vienna  lay  along  two  lines.  The  railway 
which  from  the  capital  by  way  of  Trieste  runs  through  Goerz, 
Udine,  Treviso,  and  Padua  to  Verona,  connects  Vienna  with 
the  Quadrilateral :  and  the  line  by  Salzburg,  Innsbriich, 
Botzen,  and  Roveredo,  although  not  completed  between 
Innsbriich  and  Botzen,  afforded  a  subsidiary  line  for  the  supply 
of  troops  camped  under  the  protection  of  the  fortresses.  The 
Quadrilateral  itself  consisted  of  the  strongly  intrenched  camp 
of  Verona,  on  the  Adige,  the  smaller  and  less  important 
fortress  of  Legnano,  on  the  same  river,  the  lately  strengthened 
fortifications  of  Peschiera  at  the  issue  of  the  Mincio  from  the 

*  This  theatre  of  war  has  been  so  frequently  and  so  lately  the  scene  of 
memorable  campaigns,  and  so  many  good  maps  of  it  exist,  that  it  is  thought 
unnecessary  to  supply  one. 


Chap.  1. 1  THE    WAR  IX  ITALY.  477 

I  Lago  di  Garda,  and  the  fortress  of  Mantua,  which  lies  further 
I  down  the  Mincio,  with  its  citadel  and  Fort  St.  George  on  the 
|  left  bank,  and  its  minor  works  on  the  right  banks  of  the 
■  stream.  The  fortified  Borgo  Forte  supports  the  line  of  the 
i  Mincio  in  front  of  the  confluence  of  that  river  with  the  Po, 
<  while  Venice,  with  many  adjacent  forts,  protected  the  rear  of 
|  the  Quadrilateral  towards  the  sea. 

The  Italians,  in  acting  against  the  Quadrilateral  with  their 
army  concentrated,  could  either  advance  across  the  Mincio  and 
rush  headlong  against  its  parapets  and  embrasures,  or,  by 
advancing  from  the  Lower  Po,  push  towards  Padua  to  cut  the 
main  line  of  communication  with  Vienna.  General  La  Marmora 
had  a  very  difficult  problem  to  solve,  and  was  not  fortunate  in 
the  conditions  he  introduced  into  its  solution.  His  information 
as  to  the  Austrian  designs  was  manifestly  exceedingly  faulty, 
while  that  of  the  Archduke  Albrecht  was  excellent.  The  Italian 
general  was  bound  to  assume  the  offensive,  for  political  reasons. 
Neglecting  a  plan  for  his  campaign  which  had  been  forwarded 
from  Berlin,*  he  adopted  one  which,  as  is  believed,  had  been 
determined  upon  in  case  of  the  prosecution  of  the  war  of  1859, 
by  a  mixed  council  of  French  and  Italian  officers.  The  main 
attack  was  to  be  made  against  the  Mincio  and  the  Adige  by 
the  principal  army,  under  the  personal  command  of  King 
Victor  Emmanuel.  Each  corps  of  this  army  was  reinforced  by 
one  division,  so  as  to  consist  of  four  divisions.  These  corps 
were  the  first  corps  of  General  Durando,  consisting  of  the 
divisions  of  Cerale,  Pianelli,  Sirtori,  and  Brignone  ;  the  second 
corps,  under  Cucchiari,  consisting  of  the  divisions  of  Angioletti, 
Longoni,  Cosenz,  and  Nunziante ;  the  third  corps,  under  Delia 
Rocca,  consisting  of  the  divisions  of  Cugia,  Govone,  Bixio,  and 
the  Crown  Prince  Humbert.  If,  as  has  been  before  observed, 
each  division  may  be  reckoned  at  twelve  thousand  men,  with 
eighteen  guns,  the  whole  army,  including  the  division  of  reserve 

*  The  plan  of  campaign  forwarded  from  Berlin  is  supposed  to  have  been 
the  product  of  General  von  Moltke,  and  to  have  been  as  follows  :— A  corps 
of  Italians  of  about  one  hundred  thousand  men  was  to  cross  the  Lower  l'o 
to  the  east  of  the  Mincio,  and  take  up  a  strong  position  between  Mantua  and 
Legnano,  and  by  their  presence  hold  the  Austrian  army  within  the  Quadri- 
lateral, while  the  remainder  of  the  Italian  army,  by  aid  of  the  fleet,  disem- 
barked in  the  neighbourhood  of  Trieste,  and  pushed  directly  upon  Vienna. 


4/S  SEVEN  WEEKS'  WAR.  [Book  X. 

cavalry,  mustered  about  one  hundred  and  forty-six  thousand 
men,  with  two  hundred  and  twenty-eight  guns.  The  Italian 
staff  from  its  information  concluded  that  the  Archduke  Albrecht 
would  await  an  attack  behind  the  Adige,  and  determined  to 
cross  the  Mincio,  and  occupy  within  the  Quadrilateral  the 
ground  not  held  by  the  Austrians.  ^fter  taking  up  this  position, 
and  so  separating  the  fortresses  from  one  another,  the  main 
army  was  to  give  a  hand  across  the  Adige  to  General  Cialdini, 
who  with  his  corps  was  to  cross  the  Lower  Po  from  the  direction 
of  Ferrara.  General  Garibaldi,  with  his  volunteers,  was  to 
support  the  movement  on  the  left  by  attacks  on  the  passes 
which  lead  from  Northern  Lombardy  into  the  Tyrol.  On  the 
day  immediately  succeeding  the  declaration  of  war,  the  main 
body  of  the  King's  army  was  moved  towards  the  Mincio.  On 
the  22nd  June,  the  day  before  hostilities  were  to  commence, 
the  head-quarters  of  the  first  corps  were  at  Cavriana,  those  of 
the  third  at  Gazzoldo,  those  of  the  second  at  Castelluccio.  On 
the  night  between  the  22nd  and  23rd,  the  King  in  person 
moved  to  Goito. 

The  passage  of  the  Mincio  was  intended  to  take  place  at 
seven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  23rd,  by  the  division  of 
reserve  cavalry,  the  whole  of  the  third  corps,  and  Cerale's, 
Sirtori's,  and  Brignone's  divisions  of  the  first  corps, — altogether 
about  eighty-seven  thousand  combatants,  with  one  hundred  and 
thirty-eight  guns.  To  cover  this  advance,  Pianelli's  division  of 
the  first  corps  was  to  remain  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Mincio, 
and  watch  the  garrison  at  Peschiera.  Cosenz's  division  of  the 
second  corps  and  one  brigade  of  Nunziante's  division  were 
detached  towards  Mantua ;  the  other  brigade  of  Nunziante's 
division  was  posted  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Po,  to  keep 
open  the  communications  with  Cialdini,  and  to  observe 
Borgoforte. 

Angioletti's  and  Longoni's  divisions  of  the  second  corps 
were  to  remain  near  Castelluccio,  and  if  they  received  no 
further  orders,  to  cross  the  Mincio  on  the  24th  and  support  the 
other  two  corps,  which  on  that  day  were  to  be  in  position 
between  the  Mincio  and  the  Adige. 

On  the  morning  of  the  23rd  the  passage  of  the  Mincio  by 
the  Italians  commenced.    Cerale's  division  crossed  at  Monzam- 


Chap.  I.]  THE    WAR  IN  ITALY.  479 

bano,  Sirtori's  at  Borghetto  and  Valeggio,  and  Brignone's  at 
Molino  di  Volta,  between  Volta  and  Pozzolo.  The  reserve 
division  of  cavalry  passed  at  Goito,  and  was  followed  by  the 
four  divisions  of  the  third  corps.  The  two  divisions  of  Bixio 
and  of  Prince  Humbert  were  pushed  to  Belvedere  and  Rover- 
bella,  the  divisions  of  Govone  and  Cugia  encamped  near 
Pozzolo  and  Massimbona.  The  three  divisions  of  the  first 
corps  bivouacked  near  the  points  where  they  had  crossed  the 
stream  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Mincio. 

The  reserve  cavalry  pushed  patrols  to  Villafranca,  which  fell 
in  with  a  few  weak  detachments  of  Austrian  cavalry,  but  no 
other  signs  of  the  enemy  were  perceived. 

A  coronet  of  heights  lies  on  the  south  side  of  the  Lago  di 
Garda,  upon  the  left  bank  of  the  Mincio,  which,  on  the  south, 
between  Valeggio  and  Somma  Campagna,  sinks  into  the  plain 
of  Villafranca,  on  the  east,  between  Somma  Campagna  and 
Santa  Giustina,  drops  towards  Verona  and  the  valley  of  the 
A.dige.  Since  the  very  slight  nature  of  the  enemy's  detach- 
ments discovered  by  the  cavalry  confirmed  the  Italian  head- 
quarter staff  in  the  idea  that  the  Archduke  Albrecht  did  not 
intend  to  hold  the  ground  between  the  Mincio  and  the  Adige, 
but  to  await  an  attack  behind  the  latter  stream,  it  was  resolved 
to  occupy  these  hills,  and,  on  the  24th,  to  take  up  a  position 
on  the  heights  between  Valeggio,  Castelnovo,  and  Somma 
Campagna. 

The  orders  issued  for  the  Italian  advance  of  the  24th  June 
were,  that  the  first  corps  should  leave  the  division  of  Pianelli 
on  the  right  bank  of  the  Mincio,  and  should  move  the  head- 
quarters of  its  main  body  to  Castelnovo.  There  Cerale's 
division  was  to  assume  a  position  facing  towards  Peschiera, 
while  those  of  Sirtori  and  Brignone  at  Santa  Giustina  and  Sona 
should  form  front  towards  Pastrengo  and  Verona.  The  line 
taken  up  by  the  first  corps  was  to  be  prolonged  through 
Somma  Campagna  and  Villafranca  by  the  third  corps,  and  to 
Quaderni  and  Mozzecane  by  the  division  of  the  reserve 
cavalry.  The  divisions  of  Angioletti  and  Longoni  were  to 
cross  the  Mincio  at  Goito,  and  take  post  at  Marmirolo  and 
Reverbella,  as  reserves.  Orders  were  also  issued  that  a  field 
bridge  was  to  be  thrown  at  Torre  di  Goito,  above  Goito,  and 


480  SEVEN   WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  X. 

that  the  field-bridge  at  Molino  di  Volta,  as  well  as  the  perma- 
nent bridges  at  Monzambano,  Borghetto,  and  Goito,  should  be 
covered  by  bridge-heads. 

Confident  of  his  information,  and  without  scouring  the 
country  with  his  cavalry,  General  La  Marmora  ordered  the 
advance  of  the  24th  to  be  made  only  according  to  the  ordinary 
habit  of  route  marching.  The  troops  did  not  breakfast  before 
starting,  proper  rations  were  not  served  out  to  them,  and  the 
provision  trains  followed  the  columns.  No  preparation  appears 
to  have  been  made  for  combat.  Scouts  do  not  seem  to  have 
been  sent  out  to  observe  the  roads  from  the  fortresses,  and  the 
soldiers  of  the  infantry  were  loaded  with  their  knapsacks  under 
the  broiling  sun  of  Italian  midsummer.  This  negligence  and 
temerity  met  with  its  just  reward. 

The  Archduke  Albrecht  had  as  field  troops  under  his 
command,  the  fifth  Austrian  corps  d'arme'e,  led  by  Prince 
Liechtenstein,  the  seventh  corps,  under  Field  Marshal  Maroicic 
di  Madonna  del  Monte,  the  ninth  corps,  under  General 
Hartung,  and  a  division  of  reserve  infantry  formed  out  of 
fourth  and  border  battalions  under  General  Rodich.  After 
a  short  time  Rodich  replaced  Prince  Liechtenstein  in  the 
command  of  the  fifth  corps,  and  General  Rupprecht  received 
the  command  of  the  reserve  division. 

As  soon  as  the  Prussians  entered  Holstein,  the  Austrian 
commander  in  Italy  concentrated  his  troops  between  Pastrengo 
and  San  Bonifacio,"  so  that  they  could  be  united  with  facility 
on  either  bank  of  the  Adige,  in  case  of  necessity  for  action. 
After  deductions  for  necessary  detachments,  the  Archduke  had 
three  brigades  of  each  corps,  and  a  strong  brigade  of  the 
reserve  division  ready  for  battle.  His  force  was  thus  ten 
brigades,  mustering  about  sixty  thousand  combatants,  which 
the  cavalry  raised  to  sixty-two  thousand  five  hundred.  To 
these,  two  hundred  and  seventy  guns  were  attached. 

At  the  time  that  Italy  declared  war,  the  reserve  division  was 
posted  at  Pastrengo  as  the  right  Austrian  wing,  the  seventh 
corps  at  San  Bonifacio  as  the  left  wing,  the  fifth  and  ninth 
corps  were    concentrated  at  Verona.     A   few  brigades  were 

*  A  station  on  the  railway  between  Verona  and  Vicenza,  and  about  mid- 
way between  those  towns. 


Chap.  L]  THE    WAR  IN  ITALY.  4S1 

pushed  forwards  towards  the  line  of  the  Lower  Po,  to  watch 
Cialdini.  A  light  cavalry  brigade,  pushed  forward  towards 
the  Mincio  to  watch  the  army  of  King  Victor  Emmanuel, 
received  orders,  in  case  the  latter  crossed  that  river,  to  fall  back, 
without  committing  itself  to  any  serious  action,  by  way  of 
Villafranca. 

This  brigade  of  cavalry  withdrew  on  the  22nd,  as  soon  as 
the  Italians  seriously  showed  that  they  intended  to  cross  the 
Mincio,  to  Villafranca.  On  the  23rd,  when  the  Italians  crossed 
it,  they  withdrew  further,  with  no  more  resistance  than  the 
exchange  of  a  few  cannon  shots  near  Dossobuono,  and  that 
evening  took  post  under  the  forts  of  Verona. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  23rd,  a  staff-officer,  who  had  been 
sent  to  Somma  Campagna,  reported  to  the  Archduke  Albrecht 
that  the  heights  near  that  place  were  not  yet  occupied  by  the 
Italians,  but  that  heavy  clouds  of  dust  could  be  seen  to  the 
south  moving  towards  the  Adige. 

Archduke  Albrecht,  who  had  before  thought  that  the  Italians 
after  crossing  the  Mincio,  would  move  directly  upon  Isola  della 
Scala  to  join  Cialdini  on  the  Lower  Po,  was  confirmed  in  his 
I  idea  by  this  report  from  Somma  Campagna.  He  concluded 
that  King  Victor  Emmanuel  was  moving,  by  way  of  Isola,  to 
Albaredo  on  the  Adige,  there  to  throw  a  bridge  and  cross  that 
river.  From  Goito  to  Albaredo  the  distance  is  over  thirty 
miles.  The  Archduke  calculated  that  the  Italians  could  not 
[reach  Albaredo  before  the  evening  of  the  24th,  and  that,  as 
they  must  then  throw  a  bridge,  they  could  only  with  difficulty 
commence  the  passage  of  the  Adige  on  the  morning  of  the 
25th.  The  Archduke  calculated  that  on  the  23rd  he  could 
occupy  the  heights  by  Sona  and  Somma  Campagna,  and 
could,  on  the  morning  of  the  24th,  attack  with  strong  force  the 
Italian  flank  near  Villafranca,  while  his  reserves  could  at  the 
same  time  be  at  Castel  d'Azzano. 

Acting  with  this  idea,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  23rd,  the 
Archduke  removed  one  brigade  of  his  reserve  division  to 
Sandra,  whence  it  pushed  detachments  towards  Castelnovo- 
The  fifth  corps,  under  General  Rodich,  was  at  the  same  time 
to  move  to  Sona,  and  send  its  advanced  guard  to  Zerbare  in 
the  direction  of  Custozza  and  Valeggio.     The  ninth  corps, 


4S2  SEVEX  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  X: 

which  had  to  make  a  march  of  fifteen  miles  from  San  Boni- 
facio, could  only  reach  Verona  on  the  evening  of  the  23rd,  and 
was  therefore  ordered  to  be  held  as  the  reserve.  The  cavalry- 
attached  to  the  different  corps  d'armee  was  formed  into  an 
independent  cavalry  brigade,  so  that  the  Archduke  now  had 
two  brigades  of  that  arm.  On  the  night  between  the  23rd  and 
24th,  the  Austrian  head-quarters  were  moved  to  San  Massimo, 
and  orders  were  issued  that  on  the  24th,  at  early  morning,  the 
line  between  Sandra,  Santa  Giustina,  Sona,  and  Somma  Cam 
pagna  should  be  occupied,  and  that  then  a  wheel  to  the  left 
should  be  made  on  Somma  Campagna,  as  a  pivot,  which  would 
bring  the  troops  on  a  line  from  Castelnovo  by  San  Giorgio  and 
Zerbare  to  Somma  Campagna.  This  movement  was  to  be 
covered  by  the  two  cavalry  brigades,  which  were  to  advance 
by  Ganfardine  and  Dossobuono  towards  Custozza  and  Villa- 
franca. 

The  dispositions  on  both  sides  thus  rendered  a  collision  be- 
tween the  two  armies  imminent,  and  brought  on  the 


BATTLE    OF    CUSTOZZA. 

In  the  night  between  the  23rd  and  24th,  a  heavy  fall  of  rain 
took  place,  which  laid  the  dust,  and  made  the  air  cool  on  the 
following  day. 

At  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  24th,  the  sixth 
Austrian  corps  moved  on  Somma  Campagna,  the  fifth  corps, 
leaving  a  detachment  in  Sona,  moved  on  San  Giorgio;  the 
reserve  division  from  Sandra,  on  Castelnovo.  The  advanced 
guards  of  all  three  corps  were  pushed  further  forward,  and  the 
cavalry  brigades  spread  themselves  in  the  plain,  on  the  left  of' 
the  ninth  corps.  These  advanced  guards  fell  in  with  those  of 
the  divisions  of  King  Victor  Emmanuel,  which  were  moving  in 
the  opposite  direction,  first  with  those  of  the  reserve  cavalryf 
division  and  that  of  Prince  Humbert,  which  were  moving  from; 
Villafranca  on  Dossobuono  and  Ganfardine,  then  on  that  of 
Bixio,  which  followed  on  the  left  of  Prince  Humbert,  as  well- 
as  on  that  of  Cugia's  division,  which  was  moving  on  Staffalo,' 
and  which  was  supported  by  the  divisions  of  Govone  and  Brig- 
none.     The  above-named  Italian  divisions  were  engaged  on] 


Chap.  I  ]  THE    WAR  IN  ITAL  Y.  483 

the  eastern  bank  of  the  Tione.  On  the  western  bank  of  that 
stream  the  advanced  guard  of  Cerale's  division  fell  in  with  the 
Austrian  reserve  division  near  Alzarea,  and  under  the  pressure 
of  superior  force  was  compelled  to  retire  to  Oliosi,  where  Cerale 
made  a  determined  stand.  The  Archduke  Albrecht  reinforced 
his  reserve  division  by  Piret's  brigade  of  the  fifth  corps,  from 
the  eastern  side  of  the  Tione,  while  Moring  and  Bauer's  brigade 
of  the  same  corps  advanced  against  San  Rocco  di  Palazzuolo. 
The  communication  between  his  fifth  and  ninth  corps  was 
secured  by  the  advanced  guard  of  the  seventh  corps,  which 
was  marching  from  Sona  by  Zerbare.  After  a  hot  fight,  in 
which  great  bravery  was  displayed  by  both  sides,  Oliosi  caught 
fire,  and  Cerale  was  forced  to  retreat  about  one  o'clock,  to 
Monte  Vento.  Cerale  himself  was  wounded,  and  General 
Villarey,  the  commander  of  one  of  his  brigades,  was  killed. 
At  Monte  Vento,  Sirtori's  division,  which  had  advanced  from 
Valeggio  to  Santa  Lucia,  on  the  Tione,  covered  the  right  wing 
of  Cerale's  troops,  yet  without  effect,  for  the  Austrians  stormed 
Monte  Vento  and  drove  out  Cerale,  who  was  forced  to  retreat 
ion  Valeggio.  He  was  not,  however,  pursued.  General  Pia- 
[nelli,  who  had  been  left  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Mincio,  near 
Monzambano,  hearing  that  Cerale  was  hard  pressed  at  Oliosi, 
on  his  own  responsibility  led  one  brigade  of  his  division  across 
the  river,  and  threatened  the  right  flank  of  the  Austrian  ad- 
vance against  Monte  Vento. 

As  soon  as  Monte  Vento  was  evacuated  by  the  Italians, 
Bauer's  and  Moring's  brigades  advanced  against  Sirtori,  at 
Santa  Lucia.  The  Italian  general  quitted  his  position  here 
because  he  was  not  supported  on  his  left,  and  retreated  about 
(three  o'clock  to  Valeggio.  The  Austrian  reserve  division  had 
Sin  the  meantime  advanced  against  Salionze  and  Monzambano. 
-By  this  hour  the  left  wing  of  the  Italian  army  had  been  com- 
pletely driven  from  the  field,  but  the  battle  still  was  maintained 
ion  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Tione.  In  this  part  of  the  field 
the  Austrian  ninth  corps  had  received  orders  to  halt  near 
Somma  Campagna,  when  Cugia,  about  eight  o'clock,  advanced 
by  way  of  Madonna  della  Croce.  General  Hartung  occupied 
Berettara  and  Casa  del  Sole  in  force.  He  soon  received  orders 
I  to  advance  on  Custozza,  when  he  fell  in  with  Cugia's  division, 

1  1  2 


::■; 


484  SEVEN  WEEKS"    WAR.  [Book  X. 

which  was  supported  on  the  right  by  that  of  Prince  Humbert. 
The  latter  was  exposed  to  frequent  attacks  of  the  Austrian 
cavalry,  and  was  often  obliged  to  throw  its  battalions  into 
square,  in  one  of  which  the  Prince  himself  found  shelter  from 
the  enemy's  horsemen. 

On  Cugia's  left  Brignone  was  engaged.  The  latter  division 
was  led  into  action  by  General  La  Marmora  himself.  At 
Monte  Godio  it  was  attacked  by  the  Austrian  brigade  of 
Sardier,  supported  by  two  other  brigades  of  the  seventh 
Austrian  corps.  Shortly  after  mid-day,  and  after  two  com- 
manders of  his  brigades,  Gozzani  and  Prince  Amadeus,  had 
been  wounded,  Brignone  was  forced  to  retreat  to  Custozza. 
Govone's  division  was  pushed  forward  in  his  place. 

After  Cerale  had  been  driven  from  Monte  Vento,  and  Sirtori 
had  retired  from  Santa  Lucia,  the  seventh  Austrian  corps,  sup- 
ported by  the  left  brigade  of  the  fifth  corps,  which  had  now 
nothing  before  it,  pressed  hard  on  Govone  at  Bagolino,  and 
took  this  place  from  him.  Cugia,  now  outflanked  on  his  left, 
was  forced  to  quit  Madonna  della  Croce,  and  at  five  o'clock 
the  retreat  of  the  Italian  army  was  general.  Slowly  the  third 
corps  retired  beyond  Custozza,  with  its  left  wing  on  Prabiano, 
its  right  on  Villafranca.  It  was  not  till  seven  o'clock  in  the 
evening  that  the  Austrians  occupied  the  heights  of  Custozza. 
Bixio's  division  and  the  reserve  cavalry  covered  the  retreat 
across  the  plain,  where  some  detachments  of  the  second  corps 
also  came  into  action. 

The  two  divisions  of  Angioletti  and  Longoni,  of  the  second 
corps,  were  to  have  marched  from  Castelluccio  early  on  the 
24th,  and  crossing  the  Mincio  at  Goito,  have  moved  on  Villa- 
franca, where  they  could  easily  have  arrived  by  ten  o'clock  in 
the  morning.  They  did  not,  however,  march  at  daybreak,  and 
when  General  La  Marmora,  who  during  the  action,  for  some 
unexplained  reason,  instead  of  sending  a  staff-officer  rode  tc 
Goito  to  send  these  troops  forward,  he  found  there,  betweer 
three  and  four  o'clock,  only  a  weak  advanced  guard  of  those 
divisions.  This  was  sent  forward  towards  Villafranca,  and  tool 
a  slight  part  in  covering  the  retreat,  but  the  main  body  of  th( 
second  corps  had  not  moved  from  Castelluccio. 

The  Italian  retreat  was  made,  without  any  orders  from  th< 


Chap.  I.]  THE    WAR  IN  ITALY.  4S5 

Commander-in-chief,  by  order  of  the  commanders  of  divisions. 
Pianelli's  division,  after  repelling  a  sally  against  it  by  the  garri- 
son of  Peschiera,  retired  on  Monzambano,  Cerale's  and  Sirtori's 
on  Valeggio,  Brignone's  on  Molino  di  Volta.  Of  the  third 
corps  Govone  and  Cugia  retired  to  Valeggio,  Prince  Humbert 
and  Bixio  to  Goito.  The  first  corps  recrossed  the  river  on  the 
afternoon  and  evening  of  the  24th;  the  third  corps  and  the 
cavalry  in  the  night  The  third  corps  rallied  at  Volta,  the 
cavalry  between  Goito  and  Cerlango.  The  bridge  of  Valeggio 
was  destroyed. 

The  army  of  King  Victor  Emmanuel  was  withdrawn  behind 
the  Oglio.  Cialdini,  who,  on  the  news  of  the  battle  of  Custozza, 
did  not  cross  the  Lower  Po,  moved  towards  his  left,  and  posted 
his  troops  near  Mirandola  and  Modena,  so  as  to  be  in  close 
communication  with  the  army  of  the  King. 

The  Austrians  lost  nine  hundred  and  sixty  killed,  three  thou- 
sand six  hundred  and  ninety  wounded,  and  nearly  one  thousand 
prisoners,  who  wrere  for  the  most  part  captured  by  Pianelli. 
The  Italians  lost  seven  hundred  and  twenty  killed,  three  thou- 
sand one  hundred  and  twelve  wounded,  and  four  thousand 
three  hundred  and  fifteen  missing. 

A  pause  in  the  operations  was  necessary  to  allow  the  Italian 
army  time  to  recover  from  the  disaster  of  Custozza.  On  the 
30th,  detachments  of  the  Austrian  cavalry  crossed  the  Mincio, 
and  pushed  as  far  as  the  Chiese,  but  the  Archduke  Albrecht 
had  no  intention  or  design  of  invading  Lombardy. 

The  volunteers  under  General  Garibaldi  amounted  to  about 
six  thousand  men.  They  were  divided  upon  three  lines.  The 
main  body  was  collected  by  the  20th  June,  in  front  of  Rocc.x 
d'Ans,  a  small  detachment  was  placed  near  Edolo,  on  the  road 
which  leads  through  the  pass  of  the  Monte  Tonale  into  the 
Tyrol,  another  detachment  near  Bormio  on  the  road  which 
leads  over  the  Stelvio. 

On  the  22nd  June,  Garibaldi's  main  body  crossed  the  frontier 
near  Storo,  but  found  the  population  of  the  Tyrol  entirely  op- 
posed to  them,  and  staunchly  loyal  to  the  House  of  Hapsburg. 
On  the  25th,  a  sharp  combat  took  place  at  the  frontier  bridge 
of  Cassarobach,  in  which  the  Italians  were  worsted.  They 
retired  towards  Bogolino.     Near  this  town  they  were  attacked 


4S6  SEVEN  WEEKS'   WAR.  [Book  X. 

by  an  Austrian  detachment  on  the  3rd  July,  and  again  suffered 
a  reverse.  In  this  engagement  General  Garibaldi  was  wounded. 

The  Austrians  crossed  the  frontier  by  the  Tonal  and  Stelvio 
roads  with  small  detachments,  and  several  skirmishes  took  place 
in  these  directions  between  the  23rd  June  and  3rd  July. 

As  soon  as  after  the  battle  of  Koniggratz  Venetia  was  offered 
by  the  Government  of  Vienna  to  the  Emperor  of  the  French, 
the  fifth  and  ninth  Austrian  corps  were  withdrawn  from  Italy, 
and  forwarded  to  the  Danube.  There  then  remained  in  Venetia, 
besides  the  garrisons  of  the  fortress,  only  one  Austrian  corps, 
and  in  the  Tyrol  a  weak  detachment  under  General  Kuhn. 

The  Italian  army  rested  for  a  space  after  the  battle  of  Cus- 
tozza,  but  an  advance  was  rendered  necessary  by  the  alliance 
with  Prussia.  The  disaster  of  Custozza  had  caused  both  the 
country  and  the  army  to  lose  confidence  in  La  Marmora.  The 
command-in-chief  was  given  to  General  Cialdini,  who  was 
ordered  to  cross  the  Lower  Po,  and  push  troops  against  the 
Tyrol  and  into  Eastern  Venetia. 

On  the  evening  of  the  7th  July,  Cialdini,  leaving  a  division 
to  watch  Borgoforte,  and  another  near  Ferrara,  concentrated 
seven  divisions  near  Carbonara  and  Felonica,  and  that  evening 
threw  some  detachments  of  light  troops  across  the  Po  at  Massa. 
On  the  night  of  the  8th,  three  bridges  of  boats  were  thrown 
across  the  stream  at  Carbanarola,  Sermide,  and  Felonica,  and 
on  the  9th  the  army  crossed  at  these  points,  covered  from  any 
attack  by  the  marshes  which  in  this  direction  lie  between  the 
Po  and  the  Adige.  After  having  passed  the  Po  under  cover 
of  this  natural  obstacle,  Cialdini  made  a  flank  march  to  his 
right,  gained  the  high  road  which  leads  from  Ferrara  by 
Rovigo  to  Padua,  and  opened  his  communication  with  Ferrara 
by  military  bridges  thrown  across  the  river  to  replace  the  road 
and  railway  bridges  which,  on  the  night  of  the  9th,  the 
Austrians  blew  up,  as  well  as  the  works  of  Rovigo.  On  the 
10th  Cialdini's  head-quarters  arrived  at  Rovigo,  and  on  the 
14th,  after  securing  the  passage  of  the  Adige  at  Monselice,  his 
advanced  guard  occupied  Padua. 

The  division  which  Cialdini  left  under  Nunziante,  in  front  of 
Borgoforte,  besieged  that  place.  The  batteries  were  armed  by 
the  1 6th  and  opened  on  the  17th.     On  the  night  of  the  18th, 


^ 
fi 


Chap.  L]  THE    WAR  IN  ITALY.  487 

the  place  was  evacuated  by  the  Austrian  garrison,  which  retired 
to  Mantua,  and  was  occupied  by  the  Italians,  who  captured 
there  seventy  guns,  and  magazines  of  all  kinds. 

As  the  progress  of  events  in  the  north  pointed  to  the  con- 
clusion of  an  armistice,  the  terms  of  which  would  compel,  in 
all  probability,  the  troops  on  both  sides  to  remain  in  their 
actual  positions,  the  Italians  determined  to  gain  as  much 
I  ground  as  possible  before  diplomacy  might  cause  their  army  to 
halt. 

Cialdini,  on  the  19th,  had  with  him  about  seventy  thousand 
men,  and  an  expeditionary  force  to  reinforce  him  was  being 
prepared,  which  would  bring  into  the  field  about  seventy 
thousand  additional  combatants.  The  Austrian  troops  in 
Italy  which  could  take  the  field  mustered  little  over  thirty 
thousand  men.  That  day,  the  Italian  general  commenced  his 
advance  from  Padua.  To  Vicenza,  which  on  the  15th  had 
been  entered  by  a  weak  advanced  detachment,  one  division 
was  sent ;  the  remainder  of  the  army  moved  to  the  left  bank  of 
the  Brenta.  The  right  wing  marched  to  Mestre,  to  cut  Venice 
off  on  the  land  side,  while  the  fleet,  as  was  intended,  should 
attack  it  from  the  sea.  The  centre  was  directed  along  the 
railway  which  leads  by  Treviso  and  Udine  to  the  Isonzo  ;  the 
left  wing  was  to  act  against  the  Tyrol.  The  reserve,  which 
was  being  brought  rapidly  forward,  was  to  hold  the  line  of  the 
Adige.  Medici's  division  was  to  move  on  Primolano  and 
through  the  Sugana  valley  upon  Trent,  while  Garibaldi,  with 
his  volunteers,  was  to  act  from  the  west  against  the  same 
place. 

As  Cialdini  advanced,  the  Austrian  field  troops  under  General 
Maroicic  withdrew  from  the  Quadrilateral,  and  retired  gradually 
behind  the  Piave,  the  Livenza,  the  Tagliamento,  and  finally, 
behind  the  Isonzo.  On  the  22nd,  they  evacuated  Udine, 
which,  on  the  24th,  was  occupied  by  the  Italians,  with  two 
corps.  No  resistance  was  made  by  the  Austrians  until  the 
Italian  advanced  guard,  on  the  25  th,  passed  beyond  Palmanovo, 
when  a  sharp  skirmish  took  place  with  the  Austrian  rear-guard. 
As  a  truce  had,  however,  been  concluded  on  the  25th,  it  led  to 
no  results.  In  the  meantime,  Cialdini  had  pushed  detachments 
by  Schio  towards  Roveredo  and  by  Belluno,  as  far  as  Avronzo, 


4SS  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  X. 

on  his  left,  while  on  his  right  his  troops  were  close  up  to 
Venice  and  Chioggia.  A  truce  was  agreed  upon  on  the  22nd, 
which  was  extended  from  week  to  week,  until  on  the  12th 
August  an  armistice  was  concluded.  The  line  of  the  Indrio 
was  fixed  as  the  line  of  demarcation  between  the  troops  on 
either  side. 

As  soon  as  the  armistice  between  Prussia  and  Austria  had 
been  agreed  to  upon  the  22nd  July,  the  Austrian  troops  which 
had  been  transferred  from  Venetia  to  the  Danube  were  sent 
back  to  the  Isonzo,  but  on  account  of  the  subsequent  peace 
were  not  called  upon  to  act. 

In  the  meantime  operations  had  been  carried  on  against  the 
Soutiiern  Tyrol.  On  the  20th  July,  Medici  received  orders  at 
Vigo  dArzere  to  push  through  the  Val  Sugana  upon  Trent. 
He  reached  Bassano' on  the  21st,  with  about  twelve  thousand 
men  and  eighteen  guns :  the  same  evening  he  pushed  his 
advanced  guard  to  Carpano.  Hence  he  detached  a  regiment 
to  his  right  and  one  to  his  left  to  turn  the  works  which  the 
Austrians  had  thrown  up  at  Primolano,  to  cover  the  junction  of 
the  roads  to  Feltre  and  Trent.  On  the  22nd,  with  his  main 
body  he  marched  against  these  works,  which  the  Austrians 
evacuated  as  soon  as  they  heard  of  their  being  threatened  to  be 
turned.  On  the  23rd,  Medici  found  the  bridge  over  the 
Strigno  barricaded,  but  not  defended,  and,  after  a  slight 
opposition,  that  evening  entered  Borgo.  On  the  24th  he 
pushed  his  advanced  guards  to  Pergine  and  Vigolo.  That  day 
General  Kuhn  telegraphed  to  Verona  for  reinforcements,  and 
on  the  25  th  received  from  that  place  about  eight  thousand 
men.  With  them  and  the  four  thousand  he  had  near  Trent,  he 
determined  to  fall  upon  M edici,  and  push  him  back. 

On  the  25th  a  slight  combat  took  place  between  some  of 
Kuhn's  outposts  and  the  Italian  advanced  guard  near  Sorda; 
but  nothing  further  occurred  on  account  of  the  receipt  of  the 
intelligence  of  the  conclusion  of  the  armistice.  Garibaldi  had 
made  some  movements  from  the  west  against  the  Tyrol,  but 
without  great  success.  On  the  14th,  after  crossing  the  frontier, 
he  fixed  his  head-quarters  at  Storo.  On  the  19th  he  captured 
the  small  fort  of  Ampola.  The  Austrians  made  several  attacks 
against  the  Italian  volunteers,  who  tried  to  secure  the  roads 


Chap.  I.]  THE    WAR  IN  ITALY.  .  489 

leading  through  the  mountains.  This  irregular  warfare  led  to 
no  great  successes  on  either  side.  Though  Garibaldi  attempted 
to  gain  as  much  ground  as  possible,  he  did  not  occupy  much 
at  the  time  of  the  conclusion  of  the  armistice.  By  that  date 
he  held  the  valley  of  the  Chiese  for  a  length  of  only  ten  miles 
from  the  Italian  frontier,  and  in  the  Val  di  Conzei,  one  of  his 
regiments  was  advanced  two  miles  to  the  north  of  Riva.  On 
the  pass  over  Monte  Tonale  the  Italians  were  repulsed  by  an 
Austrian  detachment,  and  never  effected  a  lodgment  beyond 
the  frontier. 


CHAPTER   II. 


NAVAL   OPERATIONS. 


Of  the  Italian  fleet  great  things  were  expected.  The  long 
coast-line  of  Italy,  and  the  mercantile  habits  of  the  natives  of 
many  of  her  sea-board  towns,  had  for  a  long  succession  of  years 
been  calculated  to  foster  seamen,  and  to  lay  the  foundation  for 
an  efficient  navy.  The  result  of  the  war  caused  bitter  disap- 
pointment to  the  Italian  people. 

The  Italian  fleet  was  assembled  at  Tarento  in  the  middle  of 
May,  and  the  command  of  it  given  to  Admiral  Persano.  He 
divided  it  into  three  squadrons.  The  first  squadron,  under 
the  immediate  command  of  Persano  himself,  consisted  of  the 
iron-clad  vessels  Re  d'ltalia,  Re  di  Portagallo,  San  Martino, 
Ancona,  Maria  Pia,  Castelfidardo,  and  ArTondatore ;  a  flotilla 
of  five  gunboats  was  attached  to  this  active  squadron.  The 
second,  or  auxiliary  squadron,  was  formed  of  unplated  vessels. 
In  it  were  the  frigates  Maria  Adelaide,  Duca  di  Genova, 
Vittorio  Emanuele,  Gaeta,  Principe  Umberto,  Carlo  Alberto, 
Garibaldi,  and  the  corvettes  Clotilda,  Etna,  San  Giovanni,  and 
Guiscardo.  The  third  squadron  consisted  of  three  battering 
vessels  and  two  gunboats ;  and  the  transport  squadron  in- 
cluded fifteen  vessels,  which  could  convey  in  all  about  twenty 
thousand  men  across  the  Adriatic. 

On  the  declaration  of  war  the  fleets  sailed  from  Tarento  to 
Ancona,  and  cast  anchor  there  on  the  25th  of  June. 

Here  Persano  heard  of  the  disaster  of  Custozza,  and  re- 
solved to  wait  until  the  new  plan  for  the  operations  of  the  land 
army  had  been  decided  upon,  leaving  one  vessel,  the  Esplo- 
ratore,  to  cruise  outside  of  the  harbour. 

On   the    27th  the   Austrian  fleet,    under   the   command    of 


Chap.  II. ]  NAVAL   OPERATIONS.  491 

Admiral  Tegethoff,  appeared  in  front  of  Ancona.  Some  shots 
were  exchanged  between  the  Exploratore  and  the  leading 
Austrian  vessel,  the  Elisabeth,  but  no  further  engagement  took 
place,  for,  before  Persano  could  weigh  anchor  and  come  out  to 
fight,  the  Austrian  fleet  retired. 

For  a  length  of  time  Persano  remained  inactive  in  Ancona. 
When  Cialdini  advanced  into  Venetia,  he  was,  however, 
ordered  to  act,  and  he  determined  to  attack  Lissa. 

The  island  of  Lissa  lies  in  the  Adriatic,  some  thirty  miles 
south  of  Spalato.  Between  it  and  the  main  land  lie  the  islands 
of  Lesina,  Brazza,  and  Solta.  Between  Lissa  and  Lesina 
there  is  a  strait  of  a  breadth  of  about  fifteen  miles.  In  Lissa 
there  are  two  ports,  those  of  San  Giorgio  and  of  Comisa. 

On  the  1 6th  July  Persano  weighed  from  Ancona.  The  fleet 
which  accompanied  him  consisted  of  twenty-eight  vessels,  of 
which  eleven  were  iron-plated,  four  were  screw-frigates,  two 
paddle-wheel  corvettes,  one  a  screw  corvette,  four  despatch- 
boats,  four  gunboats,  one  hospital  ship,  and  one  store  ship. 
The  frigate  Garibaldi  remained  at  Ancona  on  account  of  ne- 
cessary repairs.  Messages  were  sent  to  all  vessels  at  Tarento 
or  Brindisi  to  sail  towards  Lissa,  especially  to  the  ram,  the 
AfTondatore. 

On  the  evening  of  the  17th,  Persano  issued  orders  that 
Admiral  Vacca,  with  three  iron-clad  vessels  and  a  corvette, 
should  bombard  Comisa;  that  the  main  force,  consisting  of 
eight  iron-clads,  a  corvette,  and  despatch-boat,  should  assail 
San  Giorgio ;  and  that  Admiral  Albini,  with  four  wooden 
frigates  and  a  despatch-boat,  should  effect  a  landing  at  the  port 
of  Manego  on  the  south  side  of  the  island,  in  rear  of  the  works 
of  San  Giorgio.  Two  vessels  were  to  cruise  on  the  north  and 
east  of  Lissa  during  these  operations,  in  order  to  give  timely 
warning  of  the  approach  of  the  Austrian  fleet. 

On  the  morning  of  the  18th,  Vacca  began  to  bombard  the 
works  of  Comisa.  He  soon  found,  however,  that  his  guns 
could  not  attain  sufficient  elevation  to  do  much  damage.  He 
gave  up  the  attack,  and  sailed  for  Port  Manego.     Albini  at 

I    Manego,  for  similar  reasons  as  Vacca,  could  not  effect  a  land- 
;    ing,  and  Vacca  sailed  to  join  Persano.     The  latter  had  begun 
to  bombard  San  Giorgio  at  eleven  in  the  morning ;  by  three 


Lo' 


492  SEVEN  WEEKS"    WAR.  [Book  X. 

o'clock,  when  Yacca  arrived,  he  had  blown  up  two  magazines, 
and  silenced  several  of  the  Austrian  batteries.  He  could  not, 
however,  succeed  in  sending  his  ships  into  the  harbour,  and 
the  prosecution  of  the  attack  was  postponed  till  the  next  day. 

On  the  evening  of  the  iSth  the  whole  of  Persano's  fleet  was 
assembled  in  front  of  San  Giorgio,  and  in  the  night  it  was 
joined  by  the  ram  Affondatore  and  three  wooden  vessels. 
That  evening  Persano  heard  that  the  Austrian  fleet  was  leaving 
Fasana  to  attack  him.  He  calculated,  however,  that  it  could 
not  approach  Lissa  before  nightfall  on  the  19th,  and  deter- 
mined to  make  a  second  attack  upon  the  island  on  that  day, 
and  issued  in  consequence  the  following  orders  : — 

Albini,  with  the  squadron  of  wooden  ships  and  the  gun- 
boats, was  to  attempt  a  landing  at  Port  Carobert,  south  of  San 
Giorgio.  The  ironclads,  Terribile  and  Varese,  were  to  bom- 
bard Comisa,  in  order  to  prevent  the  garrison  there  from  rein- 
forcing that  of  San  Giorgio.  The  floating  battery,  the  For- 
midabile, was  to  enter  the  harbour  of  San  Giorgio,  and  silence 
the  batteries  inside.  Vacca,  with  the  Principe  de  Carignano, 
Castelfidardo,  and  Ancona,  was  to  support  the  Formidabile; 
the  Re  di  Portagallo  and  the  Palestro  were  to  bombard  the 
outside  batteries ;  while  Persano  himself,  with  the  Re  d'ltalia, 
the  San  Martino,  and  the  Maria  Pia,  were  to  prevent  opposition 
being  offered  to  Albini's  landing. 

The  attack  was  postponed  from  hour  to  hour  in  case  Teget- 
hoff  might  arrive;  but  when,  in  the  afternoon,  the  cruisers 
signalled  that  no  smoke  was  to  be  made  out  on  the  horizon, 
the  attack  began. 

The  Formidabile  entered  the  harbour,  and,  taking  post 
four  hundred  yards  distant  from  the  Austrian  batteries  at  the 
extreme  end,  opened  fire.  A  battery  on  the  northern  side  told 
severely  upon  her,  and  Persano  ordered  the  Affondatore  to  open 
upon  this  battery  through  the  mouth  of  the  harbour.  This  was 
done,  but  without  much  effect. 

Vacca  formed  his  three  ironclads  in  single  line,  steamed 
into  the  harbour,  and  opened  on  the  batteries  inside  ;  but 
he  could  not  efficiently  support  the  Formidabile,  both  because 
she  herself  covered  the  Austrian  batteries,  and  on  account 
of  the    difficulty  of  manoeuvring  in  the  narrow  space  within 


Chap.  II.]  NAVAL   OPERATIONS.  493 

the  harbour,  which  is  only  about  one  hundred  fathoms 
wide. 

He  was  soon  forced  to  quit  the  harbour,  and  was  followed 
by  the  Formidabile,  which  had  lost  sixty  men,  and  suffered 
considerably.  The  latter  was  sent  the  same  evening  to  An- 
cona  for  repairs. 

The  landing  was  equally  unsuccessful.  The  wind  blew 
fresh  from  the  south-east,  and  the  boats  could  with  difficulty 
approach  the  beach  on  account  of  the  surf. 

On  the  night  of  the  19th,  the  ironclads  were  assembled  in 
order  of  battle  outside  of  the  harbour  of  San  Giorgio.  Early 
the  next  morning  the  Piemonte  joined  Persano,  who  had  now 
in  all,  thirty-four  vessels  under  his  command.  On  the  20th 
at  daybreak  the  weather  was  stormy ;  yet  Persano  ordered 
another  attempt  to  land.  The  ironclads,  Terribile  and 
Varese,  bombarded  Comisa.  Albini  and  Sandri,  with  the 
wooden  vessels  and  the  gunboats,  supported  the  landing  at 
Port  Carobert.  The  Re  di  Portagallo  and  the  Castelfidardo 
were  engaged  in  some  repairs  to  their  machinery ;  the  ironclads 
remained  under  steam  in  front  of  San  Giorgio,  awaiting 
orders. 

The  surf  ran  so  high  that  the  landing  could  not  be 
effected,  and  it  was  about  to  be  abandoned,  when  one  of  the 
cruisers  bore  hastily  down  through  the  rainy  mist,  and  sig- 
nalled that  the  enemy  was  approaching  from  the  north.  Teget- 
horT  with  the  Austrian  fleet  was  at  hand,  to  raise  the  attack 
upon  the  island. 

BATTLE   OF   LISSA. 

On  the  17th  July,  Admiral  Tegethoff  at  Fasana  heard  by 
telegram  of  the  Italian  fleet  being  near  Lissa.  He  concluded 
that  its  appearance  there  was  but  a  demonstration  to  draw  him 
away  from  the  coast  of  Istria.  On  the  19th,  however,  fresh  tele- 
grams assured  him  that  the  attack  on  the  island  was  serious.  He 
determined  to  proceed  there.  His  fleet  was  in  three  divisions. 
The  first  division,  consisting  of  the  ironclads  Archduke  Fer- 
dinand Max,  Hapsburg,  Kaiser  Max,  Don  Juan  d'Austria, 
Prince  Eugene,  Salamander,  and  Drache,  was  under  the  im- 


494  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  X. 

mediate  command  of  Tegethoff.  The  second  division,  con- 
sisting of  the  large  wooden  vessels  Kaiser  Novara,  Prince 
Schwarzenberg,  Count  Radetzky,  Adria,  Danube,  and  Arch- 
duke Frederick,  was  led  by  Commodore  Petz.  The  third 
division  consisted  of  the  smaller  wooden  vessels,  Hum,  Dal- 
mat,  Reka,  Seahound,  Streiter,  Velebich,  and  Wall.  Each 
division  of  the  fleet  consisted  thus  of  seven  vessels.  To  it 
four  despatch  boats  were  attached,  the  Kaiserin  Elisabeth, 
Andreas  Hofer,  Stadini,  and  Greif.  Tegethoff  had  with 
him  thus  twenty-five  vessels,  mounting  about  five  hundred 
guns. 

The  Austrian  admiral  left  the  roads  of  Fasana  about  mid- 
day on  the  19th  of  June.  On  the  morning  of  the  20th  his 
despatch  boats  reported  a  vessel  of  the  enemy  in  sight.  The 
wind  was  blowing  strong  from  the  north-west.  At  first 
Tegethoff  steered  a  course  from  the  north-west  to  south- 
east, parallel  to  the  Istrian  coast,  but  off  Zirona  and  Solta  he 
altered  his  course  to  one  directly  from  north  to  south. 

Persano,  as  soon  as  he  heard  of  the  Austrian  approach, 
ordered  his  vessels  to  form  line  of  battle.  The  Terribile  and 
Varese  were  in  front  of  Comisa,  so  that  he  had  only  ten  iron- 
clads. The  Italian  wooden  vessels  never  came  into  action  at 
all,  except  by  firing  some  long-range  shots. 

About  nine  o'clock  the  Italian  ironclads,  formed  in  single 
line,  were  steering  almost  from  west-south-west  to  east-north- 
east in  three  divisions.  The  first  division  consisted  of  the 
Maria  Pia,  the  Varese,  which  arrived  about  this  time,  and  the 
Re  di  Portagallo  ;  it  was  under  the  command  of  Ribotty. 
The  second  group  consisted  of  the  San  Martino,  Palestro, 
Affondatore,  and  Persano's  flag-ship,  the  Re  d'ltalia.  The 
third  group,  under  the  command  of  Vacca,  consisted  of  the 
Ancona,  the  Castelfidardo,  and  Principe  di  Carignano.  The 
Maria  Pia  was  at  the  head  of  the  column  \  the  Carignano  was 
the  sternmost  vessel.  When  the  Austrian  fleet  came  nearer, 
Persano  signalled  each  ship  to  go  about,  so  that  the 
Carignano  led,  and  the  column  took  a  course  from  west  to 
east. 

Persano,  at  the  same  time,  moved  in  person  from  the  Re 
d'ltalia  to  the  Affondatore,  which  he  ordered  to  take  up  a 


Chap.  II.]  NAVAL   OPERATIONS. 


495 


position  on  the  flank  of  the  column  furthest  from  the  Austrian 
attack.  When  Admiral  Tegethoff  could  clearly  make  out  the 
Italian  fleet,  it  was  steering  from  west  to  east.  He  bore  down 
upon  it  in  the  following  order  : — His  twenty-one  vessels  were 
arranged  in  three  divisions  of  seven  ships  each.  The  first 
division  consisted  of  ironclads  ;  the  two  other  divisions  of 
wooden  vessels.  The  line  of  ironclads  led,  with  the  admiral's 
flag-ship  slightly  in  advance,  from  which  the  other  vessels, 
falling  a  little  astern,  formed  a  wedge-like  order.  The  seven 
heaviest  wooden  vessels  followed  the  ironclads,  and  were 
themselves  followed  by  the  lighter  vessels  in  a  similar  for- 
mation. 

Tegethoff  bore  down  upon  the  gap  between  Vacca's  three 
vessels  and  the  central  Italian  group,  and  drove  his  own  flag- 
ship, the  Ferdinand  Max,  straight  upon  the  Re  d'ltalia,  which 
he  rammed  several  times,  and  sank.  Only  a  small  portion  of 
the  crew  were  saved.  The  Palestro  attempted  to  aid  the 
Re  d'ltalia,  but  Tegethoff  turning  upon  her,  ruined  her  steer- 
ing apparatus.  At  the  same  time  she  was  attacked  by  other 
ironclads,  and  quickly  caught  fire.  She  fell  away  before  the 
wind  ;  the  fire  could  not  be  got  under,  and  with  all  her  ship's 
company,  except  sixteen  men,  she  blew  up.  Thus  of  the 
Italian  central  division  two  vessels  were  lost,  while  the  Affon- 
datore  remained  inactive,  apart  from  the  battle.  The  third 
vessel  of  this  division,  attacked  by  the  seven  Austrian  iron- 
clads, as  well  as  by  three  wooden  vessels,  was  severely  handled, 
and  forced  to  retreat. 

The  Italian  division  under  Vacca  had,  with  a  north-easterly 
course,  sailed  along  the  flank  of  the  Austrian  ironclads  as  they 
advanced,  and  exchanged  some  broadsides  with  them.  When 
his  leading  ship,  the  Carignano,  was  clear  of  Tegethoff's  iron- 
clads, Vacca  ordered  a  change  of  direction,  and  brought  his 
three  vessels  in  line  between  the  second  and  third  Austrian 
divisions.  His  fire  told  severely  on  both,  especially  on  the 
Kaiser,  the  flagship  of  the  Austrian  second  division. 

The  Italian  division  under  Ribotty,  when  it  saw  the  central 
division  engaged,  altering  its  course,  moved  against  the  Austrian 
wooden  ships,  and  thus  brought  them  between  two  fires. 
Ribotty  fiercely  attacked  the  Kaiser,  commanded  by  Commodore 


496  SEVEN  WEEKS'    WAR.  [Book  X. 

Petz.  Petz,  using  his  wooden  vessel  as  a  ram,  ran  with  full 
steam  against  the  Re  di  Portagallo,  and  lay  then  alongside  of 
her.  At  the  same  time  he  was  attacked  by  the  Maria  Pia,  and 
his  vessel  suffered  fearfully. 

Tegethoff,  by  this  time,  had  disposed  of  the  Italian  central 
division,  and  he  brought  his  ironclads  back  to  aid  his  wooden 
vessels.  Under  their  protection  the  Kaiser  got  away,  and  was 
taken  to  Lissa.  A  close  and  fierce  battle  began  now  between 
the  whole  of  the  Austrian  vessels  and  the  six  Italian  ironclads, 
during  which  the  Italian  wooden  squadron  and  the  Affondatore 
looked  on  from  the  distance.  The  smoke  was  so  thick  that 
either  side  could  with  difficulty  tell  their  own  vessels ;  and  soon 
the  necessity  of  hauling  off  was  felt. 

Tegethoff  signalled  to  his  fleet  to  form  in  three  columns, 
with  a  north-easterly  course ;  the  ironclads  formed  the  northern- 
most line,  nearest  to  the  Italians.  By  this  manoeuvre  the 
Austrian  fleet  was  brought  in  front  of  the  strait  between  Lissa 
and  Lesina.  Vacca,  under  the  impression  that  Persano  had 
gone  down  in  the  Re  dTtalia,  ordered  the  Italian  ironclads  to 
assemble,  and  with  them  in  a  single  line  steered  slowly  towards 
the  west,  waiting  for  the  Palestro.  She  soon  blew  up.  It  was 
now  about  two  o'clock,  and  the  action  had  lasted  about  four 
hours.  At  this  time  Persano,  with  the  Affondatore,  joined 
Vacca's  squadron,  placed  her  at  the  head  of  the  line,  and 
ordered  the  other  vessels  to  follow  her  movements.  These 
movements  appear  to  have  consisted  in  no  more  than  a  steady 
pursuit  of  a  westerly  course  to  the  harbour  of  Ancona.  By 
the  battle  of  Lissa  the  Italians  lost  two  ironclads,  the  Re 
dTtalia  and  the  Palestro.  The  Affondatore  sunk  at  Ancona, 
after  reaching  harbour.  For  three  days  the  Italian  people 
were  led  to  believe  that  a  victory  had  been  won  at  Lissa. 
The  mortification  of  the  defeat  which  then  became  known 
was  thereby  increased.  Persano  wras  summoned  before  the 
Senate,  and  was  deprived  of  all  command  in  the  Italian 
navy. 

One  remark  appears  patent,  even  to  those  who  are  quite 
unskilled  in  naval  matters,  that  in  this  sea-fight  TegethorT 
led  his  fleet,  Persano  only  directed  his.  Another,  that  the 
Italian     admiral,    with     superior    forces    at     his     command, 


Chap.  II.]  NAVAL   OPERATIONS.  497 

allowed  an  inferior  force  of  his  own  vessels  to  be  attacked 
and  defeated  at  the  decisive  moment  by  a  smaller  force  of  his 
adversary. 

On  the  21st,  the  Austrian  admiral  returned,  without  a  missing 
vessel,  to  the  roads  of  Fasana. 


K   K 


CHAPTER   III. 

PEACE   BETWEEN   ITALY   AND   AUSTRIA. 

The  armistice  concluded  between  Austria  and  Italy  was  to 
last  from  mid-day  on  the  13th  August  to  the  9th  September. 

In  the  meantime,  negotiations  for  peace  were  opened  at 
Vienna  ;  and  on  the  3rd  October  a  definite  treaty  was  signed. 
By  it  Austria  recognised  the  kingdom  of  Italy,  and  the  cession 
to  it  of  Venetia  by  the  Emperor  of  the  French.  The  ratifica- 
tions were  exchanged  as  soon  as  possible.  The  Austrian 
Commissioner-General,  Moring,  formally  gave  over  Venetia  to 
the  French  Commissioner,  General  Lebceuf,  when  a  plebiscite 
took  place.  The  annexation  to  the  kingdom  of  Victor 
Emmanuel  was  almost  unanimously  voted  by  the  people  of 
Venetia,  and  Italy  became  one  great  country,  united  under  the 
sceptre  of  the  House  of  Piedmont,  and  free  of  any  foreign 
dominion,  from  the  Alps  to  the  Adriatic. 


APPENDIX  I. 

Peace  concluded  at  Vienna  on  the  30th  October,  1864,  between 
Austria  (Emperor  Francis  Joseph  I.)  and  Prussia 
(King  William  I.)  on  the  one  side,  and  Denmark  (King 
Christian  IX.)  on  the  other. 

Introduction.— In  the  name  of  the  Most  Holy  and  Inseparable 
Trinity,  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Prussia,  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  ot 
Austria,  and  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Denmark,  are  decided  to  convert 
the  Preliminaries  signed  on  the  1st  August  into  a  definitive  Treaty  of  Peace. 

To  this  end  are  named  as  Plenipotentiaries,  Baron  Charles  von  Werther, 
authorised  Minister  at  the  Austrian  Court,  &c. ,  and  Mr.  Louis  von  Balen, 
present  Privy  Councillor,  by  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Prussia  ;  Bernhard, 
Count  von  Rechberg,  Knight  of  the  Golden  Fleece  (until  27th  October, 
Austrian  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs),  and  Baron  Adolph  von  Brenner 
Felsech,  Ambassador  Extraordinary  to  the  Danish  Coui't,  by  His  Majesty 
the  Emperor  of  Austria  ;  Mr.  Quaade,  Minister  without  Portfolio,  &c, 
and  Mr.  Theodor  von  Kaufmann,  Colonel  in  the  General  Staff,  &c,  by  His 
Majesty  the  King  of  Denmark.  These  met  together  at  the  Vienna  Confer- 
ence, and  having  exchanged  their  powers  of  action,  and  proved  them  in  due 
order,  are  agreed  on  the  following  articles: — 

Article  i. — May  peace  and  friendship  exist  from  this  time  forth 
between  their  Majesties  the  King  of  Prussia,  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  and 
the  King  of  Denmark,  and  between  their  heirs  and  successors,  their  states 
and  subjects. 

Article  2.  — All  stipulations  and  agreements  which  existed  between  the 
contracting  Powers  before  the  war  shall  again  come  into  force,  in  so  far 
as  they  have  not  become  annulled  or  modified  by  the  sense  of  the  present 
treaty. 

Article  3.  —  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Denmark  gives  up  all  rights  in 
the  Duchies  of  Schleswig-Holstein  and  Lauenburg,  in  favour  of  their 
Majesties  the  King  of  Prussia  and  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  and  binds  him- 
self to  acknowledge  any  arrangements  relative  to  these  duchies  which  their 
aforenamed  Majesties  may  make. 

Article  4. — The  abdication  of  the  duchy  of  Schles wig  includes  all  those 
islands  belonging  to  it,  as  well  as  the  territory  situate  on  the  continent.  To 
facilitate  the  determination  of  boundary,  and  to  avoid  the  inconveniences 
which  arise  from  the  position  of  the  Jutland  territories,  which  are  circum- 
scribed with  those  of  Schleswig,  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Denmark  gives  up 
to  their  Majesties  the  King  of  Prussia  and  the  Emperor  of  Austria  those 

K  K  2 


500  APPENDIX  I. 

Jutland  possessions  lying  south  of  the  southern  boundary  of  the  Ribe 
district,  as  well  as  the  Jutland  territory  of  Mogel-Tondern,  the  Island  ot 
Amrum,  the  Jutland  share  of  the  Tohr,  Sylb,  and  Roms  Isles.  In  exchange, 
their  Majesties  the  King  of  Prussia  and  the  Emperor  of  Austria  concede  an 
equivalent  portion  of  Schleswig,  which  includes  territories  serving  to  secure 
the  connexion  of  the  above-mentioned  district  of  Ribe,  with  the  remainder 
of  lutland,  and  mark  the  boundary  between  Jutland  and  Schleswig,  on  the 
Koldnig  side,  which  portion  shall  be  separated  from  the  duchy  of  Schles- 
wig, and  incorporated  with  the  kingdom  of  Denmark. 

Article  5. — The  new  boundary  between  the  kingdom  of  Denmark  and 
the  duchy  of  Schleswig  will  proceed  from  the  centre  of  the  mouth  of  the 
Bay  of  Heilsminde,  on  the  little  belt,  and  after  passing  this  bay,  will  follow 
the  present  southern  limits  of  the  Heyl,  Weystrup,  and  Taps  parishes,  as 
far  as  the  course  of  the  river,  which  is  on  the  south  of  Geylbjerg  and 
Bronore.  It  will  then  follow  the  course  of  this  river  from  its  mouth  in  the 
Fovs  Aa,  the  extent  of  the  southern  limits  of  the  parishes  of  Peddis  and 
Vandrup,  and  the  west  boundary  of  the  latter,  as  far  as  Konge  Aa,  to 
the  north  of  Holte.  From  this  point  the  valley  of  Konge  Aa  will  represent 
the  limits  as  far  as  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  parish  of  Hjort-Lund.  From 
this  point  the  boundary  line  will  follow  this  east  limit  and  its  prolongation, 
as  far  as  the  jutting  angle  to  the  north  of  the  valley  of  Abbekjar,  and  lastly 
the  eastern  boundary  of  the  village,  on  to  Gyels  Aa.  From  there  the  east 
boundary  of  Seem  parish,  and  the  south  borders  of  the  Seem,  Ribe,  and 
Wester- Wedstedt  parishes,  will  represent  the  new  limits,  which  will  run  in 
the  North  Sea,  at  equal  distance  between  the  islands  of  Mano  and  Romo. 
In  consequence  of  this  new  determination  of  boundary,  the  common  title  to 
rights  and  possessions,  as  well  those  which  relate  to  the  secular  as  the  eccle- 
siastical, and  which  till  now  have  existed  on  the  islands  and  in  the  various 
parishes  of  the  district,  will  be  declared  null.  Therefore  the  new  sovereign 
powers  will  have  full  right  in  every  relation  to  the  territories  separated  by 
the  new  boundaries. 

Article  6. — An  international  commission,  composed  of  the  representa- 
tives of  these  high  contracting  Powers,  will,  immediately  after  the  exchange 
of  the  ratifications  of  the  present  treaty,  be  authorised  to  undertake  the 
drawing  of  the  new  boundaries,  according  to  the  stipulations  of  the  above 
article.  This  commission  will  also  have  to  divide  the  restoration  expenses 
for  the  new  high  road  from  Ribe  to  Tondern,  even  to  the  extension  of  the 
mutual  territories  through  which  it  runs.  Lastly,  the  same  commission  will 
lead  the  Presidentship  in  the  division  of  the  institutions  and  capitals  which 
till  this  time  belonged  in  common  to  the  districts  or  parishes  now  severed 
by  the  new  boundaries. 

Article  7. — The  arrangements  of  the  20th,  21st,  and  22nd  Articles  of 
the  Treaty  of  the  3rd  May,  181 5,  between  Austria  and  Russia,  which  re- 
presents an  essential  part  of  the  arrangements  relating  to  mixed  possessors, 
to  the  rights  which  these  may  exert,  and  neighbourly  relations,  with  regard 
to  the  possessions  separated  by  the  boundary  line,  will  find  their  application 
to  the  possessors,  as  well  as  to  the  possessions,  which  are  to  be  found  in 
Schleswig  as  in  Jutland,  in  the  cases  given  in  the  above-mentioned  arrange- 
ments. 

Article  8. — To  arrive  at  a  just  division  of  the  Danish  monarchy's  public 
debt,  according  to  the  proportion  of  the  population  in  the  kingdom  and 
duchies  concerned,  and  at  the  same  time  to  ameliorate  the  insuperable  diffi- 
culties which  a  detailed  liquidation  of  the  mutual  claims  and  pretensions 
would  call  forth,  the  high  contracting  Powers  have  fixed  the  debt  of  the 


APPENDIX  I.  501 

Danish  monarchy  with  which  the  duchies  will  be  burdened  at  the  round  sum 
of  20,000,000  thalers  (Danish  currency). 

Article  9. — The  share  of  the  public  debt  to  the  Danish  monarchy, 
which  according  to  the  above  Article  is  to  fall  on  the  duchies,  shall,  under 
the  guarantee  of  their  Majesties  the  King  of  Prussia  and  the  Emperor  ot 
Austria,  reckon  as  to  the  debt  of  the  above-mentioned  duchies  to  the 
kingdom  of  Denmark,  after  the  expiration  of  a  year,  or  earlier  if  it  be  pos- 
sible, from  the  time  of  the  definitive  organization  of  the  duchies.  For  the 
payment  of  this  debt  the  duchies  can  avail  themselves,  wholly  or  in  part, 
of  one  or  other  of  the  following  means: — I.  Payment  in  silver  currency, 
75  thalers  (Prussian)  equal  to  100  thalers  (Danish) ;  2.  Payment  to  the 
Danish  Treasury,  by  indissoluble  bonds  at  4  per  cent,  on  the  internal  debt 
of  the  Danish  monarchy;  3.  Payment  to  the  Danish  Treasury,  in  new 
Treasury  bonds,  given  out  by  the  duchies,  and  the  value  of  which  shall  be 
determined  in  Prussian  thalers  (30  to  the  pound),  or  in  Hamburg  marks. 
These  will  be  liquidated  by  a  half-yearly  annuity  of  5  per  cent,  upon  the 
original  amount  of  the  debt,  of  which  2  per  cent,  represents  the  interest  ad- 
judged to  the  debt  for  each  term,  while  the  rest  will  serve  to  pay  it  off. 
The  above-mentioned  payment  of  the  half-yearly  annuity  will  be  made 
through  the  public  coffers  of  the  duchies,  or  through  the  bankers  of  Berlin 
and  Hamburg.  The  bonds  named  under  2  and  3  will  be  accepted  by  the 
Danish  Treasury  at  their  nominal  value. 

Article  10. — Up  to  the  time  when  the  duchies  definitively  receive  the 
sum,  which  according  to  the  8th  Article  of  the  present  Treaty  is  that  which 
the  Danish  monarchy  has  to  pay  as  its  share  of  the  mutual  debt,  they  will 
pay  2  per  cent,  on  the  settled  sum,  that  is  580,000  thalers,  Danish  currency. 
This  payment  will  be  so  effected  that  the  interest  and  the  account  settle- 
ment of  the  Danish  debt,  which  to  the  present  has  been  assigned  to  the 
public  offices  of  the  duchies,  shall,  as  before,  be  paid  by  them.  These  pay- 
ments will  be  made  every  half  year,  and  in  case  they  do  not  reach  the 
above-mentioned  sums,  the  duchies  will  pay  off  the  remainder  in  cash  to  the 
Danish  Finance  Administration  ;  if  the  reverse,  the  overplus  is  to  be  like- 
wise repaid  to  them  in  cash.  The  liquidation  will  take  place  between  Den- 
mark and  the  highest  managing  authorities  of  the  duchies,  commissioned  for 
the  purpose,  according  to  the  stipulated  manner  of  the  present  list,  or  even 
quarterly,  if  it  be  considered  necessary  on  both  sides.  The  first  settlement 
shall  be  for  the  especial  purpose  of  arranging  the  interest  and  account 
payment  of  the  Danish  monarchy,  which  were  made  after  the  2nd  December, 
1863. 

Article  ii. — The  sums  which  represent  the  so-called  Holstein-Plousche 
equivalent,  the  remainder  of  the  compensation  for  the  former  possessions  of 
the  Duke  of  Augustenburg,  including  the  debt  of  precedence  with  which  it 
is  burdened,  and  the  Government  bonds  of  Schleswig  and  Holstein,  shall 
fall  exclusively  to  the  duchies. 

Article  12. — The  Governments  of  Prussia  and  Austria  will  repay  them- 
selves the  expenses  of  the  war  through  the  duchies. 

Article  13.— His  Majesty  the  King  of  Denmark  binds  himself,  imme- 
diately after  the  ratification  of  the  present  treaty,  to  give  up,  with  their 
freights,  all  the  merchant  ships  of  Prussia,  Austria,  and  Germany,  which 
have  been  taken  during  the  war,  also  the  cargoes  belonging  to  Prussian, 
Austrian,  or  German  subjects,  which  have  been  taken  from  neutral  vessels  ; 
lastly,  all  vessels  which  Denmark  had  taken  with  a  warlike  design  from  the 
abdicated  duchies.  These  objects  shall  be  given  back  in  the  same  condi- 
tion in  which  they  really  are  up  to  the  time  of  restoration.     In  case  the 


502  APPENDIX  I. 

objects  to  be  returned  no  longer  exist,  the  worth  shall  be  given  in  restitution ; 
and  should  the  value  have  considerably  diminished  since  their  seizure,  the 
owner  shall  receive  a  proportionate  remuneration.  It  is  also  acknowledged 
as  binding  to  make  amends  to  the  owners  and  crews  of  the  ships,  and  to  the 
owners  of  the  cargoes,  for  all  outlay  and  direct  loss  which  are  proved  to 
have  fallen  on  them  through  the  seizure  of  the  vessels ;  also  for  the  port 
duties,  quarantine  duties,  law  expenses,  costs  of  maintenance,  and  expenses 
of  sending  back  the  ships  and  crews.  Concerning  the  vessels  which  cannot 
be  restored,  the  value  of  these  at  the  time  of  seizure  will  be  accepted  as  re- 
muneration. Concerning  the  average  freights,  or  those  objects  which  exist 
no  more,  the  indemnification  will  be  fixed  according  to  the  value  which 
they  would  have  borne  at  the  place  of  their  destination,  at  the  time  when 
the  vessel  would  have  reached  it,  according  to  probable  calculation.  Their 
Majesties  the  King  of  Prussia  and  the  Emperor  of  Austria  will  also  give  up 
the  merchant  ships  which  have  been  taken  by  their  troops  and  men-of-war, 
with  their  freights,  as  far  as  these  are  the  properties  of  private  individuals.  If 
the  restoration  cannot  be  made  in  naturd,  the  indemnification  will  be  settled 
according  to  the  above-mentioned  principles.  At  the  same  time  their 
Majesties  bind  themselves  to  bring  to  a  settlement  the  sum  total  of  the  war 
contributions  which  were  received  in  advance  by  their  troops  in  Jutland. 
This  sum  will  be  deducted  from  the  indemnification  which  was  to  be  paid 
by  Denmark,  according  to  the  principles  of  the  present  act.  Their  Majesties 
the  King  of  Prussia  and  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  and  the  King  of  Denmark, 
will  name  a  special  commission  to  fix  the  sum  total  of  the  indemnifications. 
This  commission  will  assemble  at  Copenhagen,  at  latest  six  weeks  after  the 
ratification  of  the  present  Treaty,  and  will  endeavour  to  complete  their  task 
in  three  months.  If  at  the  end  of  this  term  they  have  arrived  at  no  under- 
standing about  the  claims  brought  before  them,  those  which  are  not  yet 
arranged  shall  be  submitted  to  a  court  of  separation  (Schneide).  To  this 
end  their  Majesties  the  King  of  Prussia,  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  and  the 
King  of  Denmark,  will  agree  on  the  choice  of  a  judge  (of  separation  ?).  The 
indemnifications  will  be  paid,  at  latest,  one  month  after  their  definitive 
appointment. 

Article  14. — The  Danish  Government  remains  burdened  with  all  sums 
which  are  paid  through  the  subjects  of  the  duchies,  communities,  public  in- 
stitutions, and  corporations,  to  the  Danish  pay  offices,  as  cautions,  deposits, 
and  consignments.  Moreover  shall  be  restored  to  the  duchies — I.  The 
deposit  fixed  for  the  payment  of  the  Holstein  Bank  certificates  ;  2.  The 
funds  appointed  for  the  prison  building  ;  3.  The  fire  insurance  funds ;  4. 
The  Savings'  Bank  ;  5.  The  capital  proceeding  from  legacies  belonging  to 
the  parishes  or  public  institutions  of  the  duchies;  6.  Bank  reserves  from  the 
special  receipts  of  the  duchies,  which  were  bond  fde'm.  the  public  coffers,  at 
the  commencement  of  the  Germanic  execution  and  occupation  of  these 
lands.  An  international  commission  shall  be  authorized  to  liquidate  the 
amount  of  the  above-mentioned  sums,  deducting  the  expenses  which  the 
special  administration  required.  The  collection  of  antiquities  at  Flens- 
burg,  relating  to  the  history  of  Schleswig,  and  which  during  the  late 
occurrences  have  been  for  the  most  part  dispersed,  shall,  by  the  assistance 
of  the  Danish  Government,  be  again  gathered  together.  Likewise  shall 
those  Danish  subjects,  communities,  public  institutions,  and  corporations 
which  have  paid  sums  of  money  into  the  public  coffers  of  the  duchies,  as 
cautions,  deposits,  or  consignments,  be  most  promptly  satisfied  by  the  new 
Government. 

Article  15. — The  pensions  which  depend  on  the  special  budgets,  be  it 


APPENDIX  I.  503 

ol  the  kingdom  of  Denmark  or  of  the  duchies,  shall  in  future  be  paid  by  the 
country  concerned,  and  the  holders  of  them  shall  be  free  to  choose  their 
domicile,  either  in  the  kingdom  or  in  the  duchies.  All  other  pensions,  civil 
as  well  as  military  (including  the  pensions  of  the  functionaries  of  the -civil 
list  of  His  late  Majesty  King  Frederick  VII.,  of  His  late  Royal  Highness 
Prince  Ferdinand,  of  Her  late  Royal  Highness  the  Margravine  Charlotte 
of  Hesse,  nee  Princess  of  Denmark),  and  the  pensions  which  till  now  have 
been  paid  through  the  Privy  Pui'se,  will  be  divided  between  the  kingdom 
and  duchies,  according  to  the  proportion  of  their  population.  To  this  end, 
a  list  of  all  these  pensions  will  soon  after  be  drawn  up,  the  value  of  the  life 
rents  converted  into  capital,  and  all  the  pensioners  invited  to  declare 
whether  in  future  they  desire  to  receive  their  pensions  in  the  kingdom  or 
the  duchies.  Should  it  happen  that,  in  consequence  of  this  declaration, 
the  proportion  between  the  two  parts,  that  is,  between  that  which  falls  to 
the  duchies  and  that  which  remains  as  a  charge  on  the  kingdom,  should 
not  be  according  to  the  proportionate  population,  the  difference  shall  be 
equalized  by  the  parties  concerned.  The  pensions  which  are  assigned  to 
the  General  Widows'  Pay-office,  and  the  Pension-fund  of  the  subordinate 
military,  will  for  the  future,  as  formerly,  be  paid  as  far  as  the  funds  reach. 
As  regards  the  additional  sums  which  the  State  will  have  to  advance  to 
these  funds,  the  duchies  will  be  charged  with  a  share,  according  to  the  pro- 
portion of  their  population.  The  share  of  the  Income  and  Life  Insurance 
Institution,  founded  at  Copenhagen  in  1848,  which  the  individual  rights 
belonging  to  the  duchies  have  attained,  they  shall  expressly  retain.  An 
international  commission,  composed  of  representatives  of  both  sides,  shall 
assemble  at  Copenhagen,  immediately  after  the  exchange  of  the  ratifications 
of  the  present  Treaty,  and  regulate  singly  the  stipulations  of  this  article. 

Article  16. — The  Royal  Government  of  Denmark  undertakes  the  pay- 
ment of  the  following  royal  annuities  :  Her  Majesty  the  Dowager  Queen 
Caroline  Amelia  ;  Her  Royal  Highness  the  Hereditary  Princess  Caroline ; 
Her  Royal  Highness  the  Duchess  Wilhelmina  von  Glucksburg  ;  Her 
Serene  Highness  the  Princess  Caroline  Charlotte  Marianne  of  Mecklen- 
burg-Strelitz  ;  Her  Serene  Highness  the  Dowager  Duchess  Louise  Caroline 
von  Glucksburg  ;  His  Highness  the  Prince  of  Hesse ;  and  their  Serene 
Highnesses  the  Princesses  Charlotte  Victoria,  and  Amelia  of  Schleswig- 
Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg.  The  share  of  these  payments  which 
according  to  the  proportion  of  the  population  falls  to  the  duchies  will  be 
repaid  to  the  Danish  Government  by  the  administration  of  the  duchies. 
The  selected  commissioners  mentioned  in  the  preceding  article  will  also  be 
charged  to  fix  the  arrangements  for  the  performance  of  the  present  article. 

Article  17. — The  new  Government  of  the  duchies  undertakes  the 
rights  and  obligations  of  all  contracts  and  objects  of  public  interest  (es- 
pecially those  which  concern  the  abdicated  country)  which  have  been  con- 
cluded, conformable  to  the  law  of  the  administration  of  His  Majesty  the 
King  of  Denmark.  It  is,  of  course,  understood  that  all  obligations  resulting 
from  contracts  which  the  Danish  Government  had  concluded,  in  reference 
to  the  war  and  the  Germanic  execution,  are  not  included  in  the  preceding 
determinations.  The  new  Government  of  the  duchies  will  respect  every 
right  or  title  of  individuals  or  civilians,  legally  acquired  in  the  duchies. 
In  case  of  dispute,  the  Lav/  Courts  will  find  their  matters  under  this 
category. 

Article  18. — The  native  subjects  of  the  relinquished  countries  serving 
in  the  Danish  army  or  navy  have  the  right  to  be  immediately  exempted 
from  military  service,  and  to  return  to  their  homes.     It  is  understood  that 


504  APPENDIX  I. 

those  among  them  who  remain  in  the  service  of  His  Majesty  the  King  of 
Denmark  need,  not  therefore  be  in  fear,  either  in  reference  to  their  persons 
or  their  estates.  The  same  rights  and  guarantees  will  be  mutually  assured 
to  the  civil  functionaries  born  in  Denmark  or  the  duchies,  and  who  have 
the  intention  either  to  give  up  or  retain  the  offices  they  hold,  either  in 
Denmark  or  the  duchies. 

Article  19. — The  subjects  domiciled  in  the  countries  relinquished 
under  the  present  Treaty  have,  during  an  interval  of  six  years  (reckoned 
from  the  day  of  the  exchange  of  the  ratifications),  by  means  of  a  preliminary 
declaration  before  the  authorized  jurisdiction,  full  and  entire  freedom  to 
carry  out  their  moveable  possessions  free  from  all  tax,  and  to  retire  with 
their  families  into  the  states  of  His  Danish  Majesty,  in  which  case  they  will 
retain  the  quality  of  Danish  subjects.  At  the  same  time  they  are  permitted 
to  keep  their  estates  in  the  abdicated  countries.  The  same  freedom  is  also 
mutually  allowed  to  Danish  subjects  and  individuals  born  in  the  duchies, 
who  are  established  in  the  states  of  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Denmark. 
The  subjects  who  make  use  of  these  arrangements  need  suffer  no  inquietude, 
either  for  their  persons  or  with  reference  to  the  properties  situate  in  both 
states,  on  account  of  their  choice  of  either  one  side  or  the  other.  The 
above-mentioned  respite  of  six  years  is  also  available  to  those  belonging 
either  to  the  kingdom  of  Denmark  or  to  the  ceded  country,  who  are  staying 
out  of  the  territories  of  the  King  of  Denmark,  or  of  the  duchies  at  the  time 
of  the  exchange  of  the  ratifications  of  the  present  Treaty.  The  nearest 
Danish  Embassy,  or  any  high  provincial  jurisdiction  of  the  kingdom  or  the 
duchies,  will  receive  their  declaration.  The  naturalization  in  the  kingdom 
of  Denmark,  as  in  the  duchies,  belongs  to  any  individual  who  has  possessed 
it  up  to  the  time  of  the  ratification  of  this  Treaty. 

Article  20. — The  titles  of  possession,  the  acts  of  administration  and 
civil  justice,  which  relate  to  the  ceded  countries,  and  which  are  in  the 
archives  of  the  kingdom  of  Denmark,  shall  be  surrendered  to  the 
Commissioners  of  the  new  Government  of  the  duchies  as  soon  as 
possible.  All  those  divisions  of  the  archives  at  Copenhagen,  which  be- 
longed to  the  ceded  country,  and  which  were  taken  from  their  archives, 
shall  be  given  up.  The  Danish  Government  and  the  new  Government  ot 
the  duchies  mutually  bind  themselves  to  divide  all  documents  and  manu- 
scripts which  bear  reference  to  the  common  concerns  of  Denmark  and  the 
duchies,  on  the  demand  of  the  high  administrative  jurisdiction.  The  trade 
and  navigation  of  Denmark  and  the  ceded  duchies  shall  enjoy  the  rights  and 
privileges  of  the  most  favoured  nations,  and  indeed,  until  a  special  Treaty 
settles  the  conditions,  the  exemptions  and  facilities  relating  to  the  transit 
duty,  which,  according  to  Article  2  of  the  Treaty  of  the  14th  May,  1857, 
is  allowed  to  the  goods  which  are  conveyed  on  the  highways  and  canals 
which  unite,  or  will  unite,  the  North  Sea  and  the  East  Sea,  will  find  their 
application  to  all  goods  which  the  kingdom  or  the  duchies  convey,  what- 
ever mode  of  communication  it  be. 

Article  21. — The  evacuation  of  Jutland  by  the  allied  troops  will  be 
accomplished  in  as  short  a  time  as  possible,  at  latest  in  the  course  of  three 
weeks  after  the  exchange  of  the  ratifications  of  the  present  Treaty.  The 
extra  arrangements  concerning  the  evacuation  are  fixed  in  a  Protocol  ap- 
pended to  the  present  Treaty. 

Article  22. — And  to  contribute  all  in  their  power  to  the  tranquillity 
of  every  mind,  the  high  contracting  Powers  declare  and  promise  that  no 
person  who  is  compromised  on  the  occasion  of  the  late  events,  because  of 
his  position  and  political  opinions,  shall  be  at  all  persecuted,  molested,  or 


APPEXDIX  II.  505 

alarmed,  either  in  his  person  or  with  reference  to  his  possessions,  whatever 
be  his  rank  or  situation. 

Article  23. — The  present  Treaty  will  be  ratified,  and  the  ratifications 
will  be  exchanged  in  Vienna,  within  three  weeks,  or  sooner.  In  witness 
whereof  the  Plenipotentiaries  have  signed  and  sealed  it  with  their  arms. 

Passed  at  Vienna  the  30th  October,  in  the  Year  of  Grace  1864. 

Werther. 
Balen. 
Rechberg. 
Brenner. 

Quaade. 
Kaufmann. 

[Here  follows,  as  Appendix,  a  Protocol,  which  decides  the  manner  in 
which  the  evacuation  of  Jutland  shall  take  place  within  three  weeks.  Then 
also  a  second  Protocol  of  the  same  30th  October,  which  says  :  "Immediately 
after  the  exchange  of  the  ratifications  of  the  above-mentioned  Treaties,  His 
Majesty  the  King  of  Denmark  will  issue  proclamations  to  the  inhabitants  of 
the  ceded  countries,  to  notify  the  change  which  has  taken  place  in  their 
situation  and  to  release  them  from  their  oath  of  fidelity."] 


APPENDIX  II. 

1865.  February  21. — Prussian  Despatch  to  the  Austrian  Ministry,  pro- 
nouncing the  conditions  the  fulfilment  of  which  is  demanded  by  the  Prus- 
sian Cabinet  in  the  duchies  of  Schleswig  Holstein,  for  the  safe  position  of 
the  German  interests.     There  are  six  Articles. 

1st. — Lasting  and  indissoluble  defensive  and  offensive  alliance  of  the 
duchies  with  Prussia.  To  make  this  feasible,  Prussia  binds  herself  to  give 
pi-otection  and  defence  to  the  duchies  against  all  attacks,  in  return  the 
future  Duke  will  place  the  whole  defensive  power  of  the  duchies  at  the 
disposition  of  the  King  of  Prussia,  to  apply  it  in  the  army  and  navy  to  the 
protection  and  interest  of  both  countries.  The  whole  military  disposition 
of  the  duchies  shall  be  placed  on  Prussian  footing.  It  shall  be  yielded  to 
the  Prussian  Government,  to  appoint  the  quarters  of  the  duchy  troops, 
either  in  Prussia,  or  the  duchies  ;  the  troops  shall  take  the  oath  of  alle- 
giance to  the  King.     The  same  principles  apply  to  the  navy. 

2nd. — The  Federal  obligation  of  the  sovereign  of  the  duchies  remains 
unaltered.  He  will  organise  his  Federal  contingent  from  the  Holstein- 
Prussian  troops  not  belonging  to  the  Prussian  Federal  contingent. 

3rd. — Rendsburg  shall  be  a  Federal  Fortress,  and  remain  occupied  by 
the  Prussians  as  hitherto. 

4th. — On  behalf  of  the  protection  of  the  duchies,  the  following  territories, 
with  full  sovereignty,  shall  be  resigned  :  (a)  The  town  of  Sonderburg,  with 
corresponding  dominions,  on  both  sides  of  the  Alsen  Sound,  (b)  The 
fortress  of  Friedricksort,  with  corresponding  dominions,  for  the  protection 
of  Kiel,  (c)  The  ground  necessary  for  the  establishment  of  fortifications  at 
the  mouths  of  the  canal  joining  the  East  and  North  Seas.  Prussia  demands 
that  the  levelling  of  the  canal,  the  guidance  of  the  structure,  and  the 
supreme  direction,  shall  be  given  up  to  her. 


506  APPENDIX  111. 

5th. — The  duchies,  with  their  entire  dominions,  shall  assent  to  the  Prus- 
sian tariff  system  (Prussian  tariff  union). 

6th. — The  postal  and  telegraph  affairs  of  the  duchies  shall  be  united  with 
those  of  Prussia.  The  surrender  of  the  duchies  to  the  future  sovereign  will 
follow  on  the  fixing  and  performance  of  the  above  conditions.  Be  they  not 
executed,  Prussia  will  again  enter  on  the  rights  appertaining  to  her  from 
the  Peace  of  Vienna,  and  will  reserve  to  herself  the  monetary  winding  up 
(Geltevtdmachnjig)  of  her  other  appertaining  pretensions  with  regard  to  the 
duchies. 

The  Austrian  Cabinet  answered  this  despatch  on  the  5th  March.  It 
declared  that  each  one  of  the  Prussian  demands  contradicted  either  the 
Federal  law,  or  the  independence  of  the  new  Federal  state.  The  Austrian 
Minister,  Count  Mensdorff,  had  however,  directly  from  the  beginning  set 
up  the  principle  in  regard  to  constituting  the  duchies,  that  the  new  Federal 
state  should  be  independent,  and  that  the  regulation  of  its  future  relations 
to  Prussia  should  take  place  within  the  limits  of  the  Federal  legislation. 
As  soon  as  these  two  demands  shall  be  fulfilled,  Austria  will  willingly  agree 
to  those  arrangements,  which  Prussia  may  judge  necessary  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  her  interests  in  the  formation  of  the  new  state. 


APPENDIX  III. 

ORDER  OF  BATTLE  OF  THE  PRUSSIAN  ARMY. 

Commander-in-Chief His  Majesty  the  King. 

Chief  of  the  Staff General  von  Moltke. 

Inspector-General  of  Artillery  .     .  Lieutenant- General  von  Hindersin. 
Inspector-General  of  Engineers     .  ,,  von  Wasserchleben. 

FIRST  ARMY. 

Commander-in-Chief H.  R.  H.   Prince  Frederick  Charles, 

General  of  Cavalry. 

Chief  of  the  Staff Lieutenant-General  von  Voigts-Rhetz. 

Quartermaster-General    ....     Major-General  von  Stulpnagel. 
Commandant  of  Artillery     ...  ,,  von  Lengsfeld. 

„  Pioneers     ...  ,,  von  Keiser. 

SECOND   CORPS   D'ARMEE. 

General  Commanding     ....  Lieutenant-General  von  Schmidt. 

Chief  of  the  Staff Major-General  von  Kamecke. 

Commandant  of  Artillery    ...  ,,  Hurrelbrink. 

,,  Pioneers     .     .     .  Lieutenant-Colonel  Leuthaus. 

Commandant  of  3rd  Division    .     .     Lieutenant-General  von  Werder, 

,,  5th  Brigade     .     .     Major- General     von     Januschowsky 

(2nd  and  42nd  Regiments). 
,,  6th  Brigade     .     .     Major-General  von  Winterfeld  (14th 

and  54th  Regiments). 
Blucher's  Hussars,  No.  5. 


APPENDIX  III.  507 

Commandant  of  4th  Division    .     .     Lieutenant- General  von  Herwarth. 

,,  7th  Brigade     .     .     Major-General  von  Schlaberndorf  (9th 

and  49th  Regiments). 
,,  8th  Brigade     .     .     Major-General   von   Hanneken  (21st 

and  6 1  st  Regiments). 
Pomeranian  Uhlans,  No.  4. 
2nd  Jager  Battalion. 

THIRD   CORPS    D'ARMEE. 

General  Commanding  .         .         .  .  None. 

Commandant  of  5th  Division         .     Lieutenant-General  von  Tiimpling. 

„  9th  Brigade  .     Major-General  von  Schimmelman  (8th 

and  48th  Regiments). 
,,  1  Oth  Brigade        .     Major-General  von  Kaminsky  (12th 

and  1 8th  Regiments). 
1st  Brandenburg  Uhlans,  No.  3. 

Commandant  of  6th  Division         .     Lieutenant-General  von  Manstein. 

,,  nth  Brigade        .     Major-General  von  Gusdorf  (35th  and 

60th  Regiments). 
,,  1 2th  Brigade        .     Major- General  von  Kotze  (24th  and 

64th  Regiments). 
Brandenburg  Dragoons,  No.  2. 
3rd  Jager  Battalion. 

FOURTH   CORPS    D'ARMEE. 

General  Commanding  .         .         .     None. 

Commandant  of  7th  Division         .     Lieutenant-General  von  Franzecky. 

,,  13th  Brigade        .     Major-General  von  Schwarzhoff  (26th 

and  66th  Regiments). 
„  14th  Brigade        .     Major-General  von  Gordon  (27th  and 

67th  Regiments). 
Magdeburg  Hussars,  No  10. 

Commandant  of  8th  Division         .     Lieutenant-General  von  Home. 

,,  15th  Brigade        .     Major-General  von  Bose  (31st  and  71st 

Regiments). 
„  1 6th  Brigade        .     Colonel  von  Schmidt  (72nd  and  4th 

Jager  Battalions). 
Thuringian  Uhlans'  No.  6. 

CAVALRY  CORPS   OF  THE  FIRST  ARMY. 

H.R.H.  Prince  Albrecht,  General  of  Cavalry. 
Commandant  of  1st  Cavalry  Division. — Major-General  von  Alvensleben, 

Commandant  of  1st  Heavy  Brigade. — Major-General  H.R.H 

Prince  Albrecht. 

Garde  de   Corps. 

Cuirassiers  of  the  Guard. 

Commandant  of  2nd  Heavy  Brigade.— Major-General  von  Pfuel. 
[Brandenburg  Cuirassiers,  No.  6. 
Magdeburg  Cuirassiers,  No.  7. 


508  APPEXDIX  III. 

Commandant  of  Light  Brigade. — Major-General  von  Rheinbaben. 
1st  Dragoons  of  the  Guard. 
1st  Uhlans       ,,  „ 

2nd      ,,  .,  ,, 

Commandant  of  2nd  Cavalry  Divi- 
sion      .....     Major-General  Hann  von  Weyhern. 
Commandant  of  2nd  Light  Brigade  ,,  Duke     William      of 

Mecklenberg. 
2nd  Dragoons  of  the  Guard. 
Brandenburg  Hussars,  No.  3. 
2nd  Brandenburg  Uhlans,  No.  1 1. 

Commandant  of  3rd  Light  Brigade. — Major-General  von  Groeben. 
Neumark  Dragoons,  No.  3. 
Thuringian  Hussars,  No.  12. 

Commandant  of  3rd  Heavy  Brigade.— Major-General  von  Der  Goltz. 

Queen's  Own  Cuirassiers,  No.  2. 

Second  Pomeranian  Uhlans,  No.  9. 


SECOND  ARMY. 


Commander-in-Chief 
Chief  of  the  Staff 
Quartermaster-General 
Commandant  of  Artillery 
Engineers 


H.  R.  H.  the  Crown  Prince. 

Major-General  von  Blumenthal. 
,,  von  Stosch. 

,,  von  Jacobi, 

,,  von  Schweinitz. 


FIRST   CORPS    DARMEE. 

General  von  Bonin. 


Chief  of  Staff  . 
Commandant  of  Artillery 
.,  Engineers 


Commandant  of  1st  Division 
1st  Brigade 


Lieutenant-Colonel  von  Borries. 
Colonel  Knotke. 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Weber. 


Lieutenant-General  von  Groszman. 
Major-General  von  Pape  (ist  and  41st 
Regiments). 
,,  2nd  Brigade         .     Major-General  von  Barnekow  (3rd  and 

43rd  Regiments). 
Lithuanian  Dragoons,  No.  I. 

Commandant  of  2nd  Division         .     Lieutenant-General  von  Clausewitz. 
,,  3rd  Brigade  .      Major-General  von  Malotki  (4th  and 

44th  Regiments). 
,,  4th  Brigade  .     Major-General  von  Buddenbrock  (5th 

and  45th  Regiments, 
ist  Royal  Hussars,  No.  1. 
1st  Jager  Battalion. 

Commandant  of  Reserve  Brigade  of  Cavalry  of  First  Corps. — Colonel 

von  Bredow. 

East  Prussian  Cuirassiers,  No.  3. 

East  Prussian  Uhlans,  No.  8. 

■Lithuanian  Uhlans,  No.  12. 


APPENDIX  III. 


509 


FIFTH   CORPS    D'ARMEE. 


General  Commanding 
Chief  of  the  Staff     _     . 
Commandant  of  Artillery 

,,  Engineers    . 

Commandant  of  9th  Division 
„  17th  Brigade 


General  von  Steinmetz. 
Colonel  von  Wittich. 
,,       von  Karwel. 
von  Kleist. 


Major-General  von  Lowenfeld. 
Major-General  von  Ollech  (37th  and 
58th  Regiments). 

„  18th  Brigade        .     Major-General  von  Horn  (7th  Regt.). 

1st  Silesian  Dragoons,  No.  4. 

Commandant  of  loth  Divison         .     Major-General  von  Kirchbach. 

,,  19th  Brigade        .  ,,  von  Tiedeman  (6th  and 

46th  Regiments). 
„  20th  Brigade         .     Colonel  von  Wittig  (47th  and  52nd 

Regiments). 
2nd  Royal  Hussars,  No.  2. 
5th  Jager  Battalion. 


SIXTH  CORPS   DARMEE. 


General  Commanding 
Chief  of  the  Staff.    _     . 
Commandant  of  Artillery. 

,,  Engineers    . 

Commandant  of  1  ith  Division 
„  2 1  st  Brigade 


General  von  Mutius. 
Colonel  von  Sperling. 
Major-General  von  Herkt. 
Colonel  Schulz. 


Lieutenant-General  von  Zastrow. 
Major-General  von  Hahnenfeld  (loth 
and  50th  Regiments). 
„  22nd  Brigade        .     Colonel  von  Hoffman  (38th  and  51st 

Regiments). 
2nd  Silesian  Dragoons,  No.  8. 
Commandant  of  12th  Division       .     Lieutenant-General  von  Prodzinsky. 

„  24th  Brigade         .     Colonel  von  Krauach  (22nd  and  23rd 

Regiments). 
2nd  Silesian  Hussars,  No.  6. 
6th  Jager  Battalion. 
N.B. — Two  infantry  regiments  of  the  12th  Division  were  detached,  the 
63rd  to  garrison  Neisse,  the  62nd  to  the  command  of  General  von  Knobels- 
dorf,  who  protected  Silesia  at  Ratibor,  and  to  whom  the  Silesian  Uhlans 
were  attached. 

GUARD  CORPS. 


General  Commanding       .         .     . 
Chief  of  the  Staff 
Commandant  of  Artillery  .     . 

,,  Engineers    . 

Commandant  of  1st  Division  of  the 

Guard 

Commandant  of  1st  Brigade 


Prince  August  of  Wlirtemberg. 
Colonel  von  Dannenberg. 
Major-General  von  Colomier. 
Colonel  Bichler. 


Lieut.  -General  Hiller  von  Gattringen. 
Colonel  von   Obernitz  (1st  and    3rd 
Guards). 


510  APPENDIX  III. 

Commandant  of  2nd  Brigade         .     Major-General  von  Alvensleben  (2nd 

Guards  and  Guard  Fusiliers). 
Hussars  of  the  Guard. 
Jagers  of  the  Guard. 

2nd  Division  of  the  Guard. 

Commandant  of  3rd  Brigade  .     Major-General  von  Budritzki  (Grena- 

diers of  Kaiser  Alexander,  and  3rd 
Grenadiers  of  the  Guard. 
,,  4th  Brigade  .     Major-General  von  Loen  (Grenadiers 

of  Kaiser  Franz,  and  4th  Grenadiers 
of  the  Guard). 
3rd  Uhlans  of  the  Guard. 
Sharpshooter  Battalion  of  the  Guard. 

N.B. — The  4th  Regiment  of  the  Guard  was  retained  at  Berlin,  and  sent 
later  to  the  Second  Reserve  Corps. 

RESERVE  CAVALRY   OF   THE   SECOND  ARMY. 

Divisional  Commander  .         .     Major-General  von  Hartmann. 

Commandant  of  9th  C.  Brigade     .     Major-General  von  Witzleben  (West 

Prussian  Cuirassiers,  No.  5,  Polish 
Uhlans,  No.  10). 
,,  1  Oth  C.  Brigade     .     Major-General     von     Schoen    (West 

Prussian  Uhlans,  No.  1). 
,,  I  ith  C.  Brigade     .     Major-General  von  Verstell  (Silesian 

Cuirassiers,  No.  1,  Silesian  Hussars, 
No.  4). 
„  I2th  C.  Brigade     .     Major-General  von  Kalkreuth. 

2nd  Landwehr  Hussars. 
1st  Landwehr  Uhlans. 

ARMY  OF  THE  ELBE. 

Commander-in-Chief        .         .     .  General  von  Hervvarth. 

Chief  of  the  Staff           .  .         .  Colonel  von  Schlotheim. 

Commandant  of  Artillery           .     .  , ,       von  Rozynski. 

,,              Engineers  .         .  Lieutenant-Colonel  von  Forell. 

Commandant  of  14th  Division       .     Lieutenant-General  von  Miinster. 

,,  27th  Brigade        .     Major-General    von     Schwarzkoppen 

(16  and  56th  Regiments). 
„  28th       ,,  .     Major-General  von  Hiller  (17th  and 

57th  Regiments). 
Westphalian  Dragoons,  No.  7. 

Commandant  of  15th  Division       .     Lieutenant-General  von  Canstein. 

,,  29th  Brigade         .     Colonel  von  Stiickradt  (40th  and  65th 

Regiments). 
,,  30th  Brigade         .     Colonel  von  Clasenapp  (28th  and  68th 

Regiments). 
Royal  Hussars,  No.  7. 


APPENDIX  III.  511 

Commandant  of  16th  Division        .     Lieutenant-General  von  Etzel. 

,,  31st  Brigade          .     Major-General  von  Scholer  (29th  and 

69th  Regiments). 
„  32nd       ,,  .     (31st  and  Sthjager  Battalion). 

2nd  Westphalian  Hussars,  No.  11. 

RESERVE   CAVALRY. 

Rhenish  Cuirassiers,  No.  8. 

Rhenish  Uhlans,  No.  7. 

Westphalian  Uhlans,  No.  5. 

FIRST   RESERVE   CORPS. 

Lieutenant-General  von  Miilbe. 

Landwehr  Division  of  the  Gua?'d. — General  von  Bentheim. 

1st  Brigade  of  Guard  Landwehr  (1st  and  2nd  Guard  Landwehr 

Regiments). 

2nd  Brigade  of  Guard  Landwehr  (1st  and  2nd  Guard  Grenadier 

Landwehr  Regiments). 

1st  Landwehr  Division. — General  Rosenberg. 

1st  Landwehr  Brigade  (9th  and  21st  Landwehr  Regiments). 
2nd         ,,  „         (13th  and  15th       ,,  ,,         ). 

2nd  Landwehr  Division. 

1st  Landwehr  Brigade  (2nd  and  12th  Landwehr  Regiments). 
2nd         ,,  „         (24th  and  31st  ,,  „        ). 

Landzvehr  Cavalry  Division. — Major-General  Dohna. 

6th  Landwehr  Cavalry  Regiment. 

I  Battery. 


ARMY  OF  THE  MAINE. 

Commander-in-Chief        .         .     .     General  Vogel  von  Falckenstein. 
Chief  of  the  Staff          .         .         .     Colonel  von  Kraatz-Koschlau. 
A.     i^th  Division. — Lieutenant-General  von  Goeben. 

Commandant  of  25th  Brigade         .     Major-General  von  Kummer  (13th  and 

53rd  Regiments). 
,,  26th       ,,  .     Major-General  von  Wrangel  (15th  and 

55  th  Regiments). 
Westphalian  Cuirassiers,  No.  4. 
1st  Westphalian  Hussars,  No.  8. 

B.      Combined  Division. — Major-General  von  Beyer. 
19th,  20th,  30th,  32nd,  34th,  39th,  and  70th  Regiments. 

N.B. — The  30th  and  70th  were  detached  to  garrison  Hesse-Cassel. 

2nd  Rhenish  Hussars,  No.  9. 

C.     Combined  Division  (for?nerly  in  Holstein). 
Lieutenant-General  von  Manteuffel. 
Commandant  of  1st  Com.  Brigade     Major-General  von  Freyhold  (25th 

and  36th  Regiments). 
,,  2nd     ,,  ,,  (nth  and  59th  Regiments^. 


512  APPENDIX  III. 

Commandant  of  Cavalry  Brigade  .     Major-General  von  Flies  (Rhenish 

Dragoons,  No.  9,  Magdeburg 

Dragoons,  No.  6). 

Two  Battalions  of  Coburg-Gotha. 

One  Battalion  of  Lippe. 

Five  Fourth  Battalions. 

9th  Jager  Battalion. 

Three  newly-raised  Regiments  of  Landwehr  Cavalry. 

Oldenburg,  Hanseatic  Brigade  (nine  Battalions,  three  Squadrons,  two 

Batteries). 

SECOND    RESERVE   CORPS. 


Commander-in-Chief. — His  Royal  Highness  the  Duke  of 

Mecklenburg-  Schwerin. 

a.  Mecklenberg  Division  (five  battalions,  four  Squadrons,  two  Batteries). 

b.   Combined  Prussian  Division  (sixteen  Battalions). 

c.  Two  Anhalt  Battalions. 

Two  Reserve  Regiments  of  Landwehr  Cavalry. 

Eight  Batteries. 


ORDER  OF  BATTLE  OF  THE  IMPERIAL  AUSTRIAN  ARMY 
OF  THE  NORTH. 

General-in-Chief      .         .         .     .     Feldzeugmeister  Ritter  von  Benedek. 
Chief  of  the  Staff ....     Lieutenant  Field-Marshal  von  Henik- 

stein. 
Director  of  Artillery  .         .     .     Lieutenant   Field- Marshal    Archduke 

William. 
,,  Engineers   .         .         .     Colonel  von  Pidoll. 

FIRST   CORPS    D'ARMEE. 

General  Commanding       .         .     .     General    of    Cavalry,    Count    Clara 

Gallas. 

Assistant General  Count  Gondrecourt. 

Chief  of  the  Staff     .         .         .     .     Colonel  von  Litzelhofen. 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Major-General  Poschacher. 

1 8th  Field  Jager  Battalion. 

30th  Infantry  Regiment  (Martini). 

34th  Infantry  (King  William  of  Prussia). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Colonel  Count  Leiningen. 

32nd  Field  Jager  Battalion. 

33rd  Infantry  Regiment  (Giulay). 

38th  Infantry  Regiment  (Haugwitz). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Major-General  Piret. 

29th  Field  Jager  Battalion. 

1 8th  Infantry  Regiment  (Constantin). 

45th         „  „         (Sigismund). 


APPENDIX  III.  515 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Major- General  Ringelsheim. 

26th  Jager  Battalion. 

42nd  Infantry  Regiment  (Hanover). 

73rd  Infantry  Regiment  (Mensdorf). 

To  each  Brigade  one  squadron  of  the  Nikolaus  Regiment  of  Hussars 

(No.  2),  and  one  4-pounder  Field  Battery,  were  attached. 

N.B. — To  the  Corps  were  besides  attached  one  Sanitary  Company,  two 
Field  Ambulances,  five  Companies  of  Pioneers,  four  Companies  of  Engi- 
neers, two  4-pounder  and  two  8-pounder  Field  Batteries,  one  4-pounder 
and  one  8-pounder  Horse  Artillery  Battery,  and  a  Rocket  Battery. 

second  coRrs  d'armee. 

General  Commanding         .  .     .     Lieutenant      Field-Marshal      Count 

Thun-  Hohenstadt. 
Assistant         .....     Major-General  von  Philippovicb 
Chief  of  the  Staff       .         .         .     .     Colonel  von  Dopfner. 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Colonel  Thorn. 

2nd  Field  Jager  Battalion. 

40th  Infantry  Regiment  (Roszbach). 

69th         ,,  ,,  (Jellachich). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Major-General  Henriquez. 
9th  Field  Jager  Battalion. 
14th  Infantry  Regiment  (Hesse). 
27  th         ,,  „  (Belgium). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Major-General' von  Saffrau. 
nth  Field  Jager  Battalion. 
64th  Infantry  Regiment  (Saxe- Weimar). 
80th         ,,  „  (Holstein). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Prince  Wurtemberg. 
20th  Field  Jager  Battalion. 
47th  Infantry  Regiment  (Hartung). 
57th         ,,  ,,  (Mecklenburg). 

To  each  Brigade  one  squadron  of  the  Imperial  Uhlans  (No.  6),  and  one 
4-pounder  Field  Battery,  were  attached. 

To  the  Corps  were  attached  the  same  as  to  the  First  Corps. 

THIRD    CORPS    D'ARMEE. 

General  Commanding      ....     Lieutenant   Field-Marshal    Archduke 

Ernst. 

Assistant Major-General  von  Baumgarten. 

Chief  of  the  Staff Colonel  Baron  Catty. 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Major  General  Kalik. 
22nd  Field  Jager  Battalion. 
35th  Infantry  Regiment  (Khevenhuller). 
72nd         ,,  ,,         (Ramming). 

N.B. — This  Brigade,  which  had  garrisoned  Holstein  on  the  outbreak  of 
hostilities,  was  attached  to  the  First  Corps  d'Armee. 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Major-General  Appiano. 
4th  Field  Jager  Battalion. 
46th  Infantry  Regiment  (Meiningen). 
62nd         ,,  ,,         (Archduke  Henry). 

1.  1. 


5  M  APPENDIX  HI. 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Colonel  Benedek. 
1st  Field  Jager  Battalion. 
52nd  Infantry  Regiment  (Archduke  Franz  Karl). 
78th  Infantry  Regiment  (Sokcsevics). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Colonel  Kirchsberg. 

3rd  Field  Jager  Battalion. 

44th  Infantry  Regiment  (Archduke  Albrecht). 

49th  Infantry  Regiment  (Hesz). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Colonel  Prohaszka. 
13th  Border  Infantry  Regiment. 
Four  Battalions  of  the  55th  Regiment. 
56th 

To  each  Brigade  were  attached  one  squadron  of  the  Lichtenstein  Uhlansf 
(Xo.  9)  and  one  4-pounder  Field  Battery. 
To  the  Corps  were  attached  the  same  as  to  the  First  Corps. 

FOURTH    CORPS    DARMEE. 

General  Commanding      ....     Lieutenant       Field-Marshal       Count 

Festetics. 

Assistant Major-General  von  Mollinary. 

Chief  of  the  Staff Colonel  von  Gbrz. 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Colonel  Kopal. 

27th  Field  Jager  Battalion. 

1 2th  Infantry  Regiment  (Archduke  William). 

26th  Infantry  Regiment  (Michael). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Colonel  Fleischhacker. 
13th  Field  Jager  Battalion. 
6th  Infantry  Regiment  (Coronini). 
61st         ,,  ,,         (Prince  of  Russia). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Colonel  Poekh. 

8th  Field  Jager  Battalion. 

37th  Infantry  Regiment  (Archduke  Joseph^. 

51st  Infantry  Regiment  (Archduke  Charles  Ferdinand). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Major-General  Archduke  Joseph. 

30th  Field  Jager  Battalion. 

67th  Infantry  Regiment  (Schmerling). 

68th         ,,  ,,  (Steininger). 

To  each  Brigade  one  squadron  of  the  7th  Hussars  and  one  4-pounder 

Field  Battery  were  attached. 

To  the  Corps  the  same  were  attached  as  to  the  First  Corps. 

SIXTH    CORPS    D'ARMEE. 

General  Commanding      ....     Lieutenant       Field-Marshal       Baron 

Ramming. 

Assistant Major-General  von  Kochmeister. 

Chief  of  the  Staff Colonel  Frolich. 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Colonel  von  Waldstatten. 
6th  Field  Jager  Battalion. 
nth  Infantry  Regiment  (Hartmann). 
-    sjrgth         ,,  ,,  (Frank), 


APPENDIX  Iff.  5*5 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Colonel  Hertwegh. 

25th  Field  Jager  Battalion. 

41st  Infantry  Regiment  (Kellner). 

56th         ,,  ,,  (Gorizutti). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Major-General  Rosenweig. 
17th  Field  Jager  Battalion. 
4th  Infantry  Regiment  (Deutschmeister). 
55th         ,,  ,,  (Bianchi). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Colonel  Jonak. 

14th  Field  Jager  Battalion. 

20th  Infantry  Regiment  (Prussia). 

60th         ,,  „  (Wasa). 

To  each  Brigade  one  squadron  of  the  10th  Uhlans  and  one  4-pounder 
Field  Battery  were  attached. 

Besides  were  attached  to  the  Corps  one  Sanitary  Company,  two  Field 
Ambulances,  one  battalion  of  Engineers,  one  battalion  of  Pioneers,  two 
4-pounder  and  two  8-pounder  Field  Batteries,  two  8-pounder  batteries  of 
Horse  Artillery,  and  a  Rocket  Battery. 

EIGHTH    CORPS    D'ARMEE. 

General  Commanding      ....      Archduke  Leopold. 

Assistant Major- General  Weber. 

Chief  of  the  Staff Lieutenant-Colonel  von  Majnone. 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Colonel  Fragner. 
5th  Field  Jager  Battalion. 
15th  Infantry  Regiment  (Nassau). 
77th         ,,  ,,  (Archduke  of  Tuscany). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Major-General  von  Docteur. 
31st  Field  Jager  Battalion. 
8th  Infantry  Regiment  (Archduke  Louis). 
74th         ,,  „  (Nobili). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — General  Count  Rothkirk. 
25th  Infantry  Regiment  (Mamula). 
71st         ,,  ,,  (Leopold  of  Tuscany  1. 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Major-General  Brandenstein. 
24th  Field  Jager  Battalion. 
2 1st  Infantry  Regiment  (Reischach). 
23rd         ,,  ,,  (Este). 

To  each  Brigade  one  squadron  of  the  Archduke  Charles's  Uhlans  (No.  3) 
and  one  4-pounder  Battery  were  attached. 

Besides  were  attached  to  the  Corps  the  same  as  to  the  First  Corps. 

TENTH   CORPS    D'ARMEE. 

General  Commanding  ....     Lieutenant  Field -Marshal  von  Gablenz. 

Assistant Baron  Roller. 

Chief  of  the  Staff Colonel  Bourgignone. 

Commandant  of  Brigade.— Colonel  Mondel. 
1 2th  Field  Jager  Battalion, 
loth  Infantry  Regiment  (Mazuchelli). 
24th         ,,  ,,  (Parma). 


5T6  APPENDIX  III. 

Commandant  of  Brigade.— Colonel  Grivicics. 
l6th  Field  Jiiger  Battalion. 
2nd  Infantry  Regiment  (Alexander). 
23rd         ,,  „         (Airoldi). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Major-General  von  Knebel. 
28th  Field  Jager  Battalion. 
1st  Infantry  Regiment  (Emperor  Francis  Joseph). 
3rd         ,,  ,,  (Archduke  Charles). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Major- General  Wimpffen. 
13th  Infantry  Regiment  (Bamberg). 
58th         „  ,,  (Archduke  Stephen^. 

To  each  Brigade  were  attached  one  squadron  of  the  1st  Uhlans  and  one 
4-pounder  Field  Battery. 

The  same  were  attached  to  the  Corps  as  to  the  First  Corps,  except  that 
this  Corps  had  only  one  4-pounder  Field  Battery. 

First  Light  Cavalry  Division. — Major-General  Baron  Edelsheim. 

Chief  of  Staff. — Major  Waldestatten. 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Colonel  Appel. 

2nd  Dragoons  (Windischgratz). 

9th  Hussars  (Liechtenstein). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Colonel  "Wallis. 
1st  Dragoons  (Savoy). 
ioth  Hussars  (King  of  Prussia). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Colonel  Fratricievics. 
5th  Hussars  (Radetzky). 
8th        ,,        (Hesse-Cassel). 

C 
Second  Light  Cavalry  Division. — Major-General  Prince  Thurn  and  Taxis. 

Chief  of  the  Staff.  —  Colonel  Rodakovszky. 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Colonel  Bellegarde. 
4th  Hussars  (Eseh). 
I2th       ,,         (Haller). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Colonel  Westphalen. 
6th  Hussars  (Wurtemberg). 
nth       „         (Palffy). 

First  Resn-ve  Division  of  Cavalry. — Lieutenant  Field-Marshal  Prince 
Schleswig-Holstein. 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Major  General  Prince  Solms. 
4th  Cuirass  Regiment  (Ferdinand). 
6th       ,,  „  (Hesse). 

8th  Uhlans  (Emperor  Max.). 


APPENDIX  HI. 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Major-General  Schindlocker. 
9th  Cuirass  Regiment  (Stadion). 
nth  Cuirass  Regiment  (Emperor  Francis  Joseph). 
4th  Uhlans  (         ,,  ,,  ). 


Second  Reserve  Division  of  Cavalry. — Major  General  von  Zajtsek. 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Major-General  Borberg. 
3rd  Cuirass  Regiment  (Saxony). 
7th         ,,  ,,  (Brunswick). 

2nd  Uhlans  (Schwarzenberg). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — General  Count  Soltyk. 
1st  Cuirass  Regiment  (Emperor  Francis  Joseph). 
5th  Cuirass  Regiment  (Nicolas). 
5th  Uhlans  (Walmoden). 

77/ / rd  Reserve  Division  of  Cavalry. — Major-General  Count  Coudenhove. 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Prince  Windischgratz. 
2nd  Cuirass  Regiment  (Wrangel). 
8th       ,,  ,,  (Prince  of  Prussia). 

7th  Uhlans  (Archduke  Charles  Louis). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Major-General  Mengen. 
10th  Cuirass  Regiment  (Bavaria). 
1 2th       ,,  ,,  (Horvath). 

nth  Uhlans  (Alexander). 

To  each  Cavalry  Brigade  was  attached  one  battery  of  Horse  Artillery. 


IMPERIAL  AUSTRIAN  ARMY  OF  THE  SOUTH. 

General-in-Chief Field-Marshal  Archduke  Albrecht. 

Chief  of  the  Staff Major-General  von  John. 

FIFTH    CORPS    D'ARMEE. 

Major-General  Rodich. 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Major-General  Daun. 
19th  Field  Jager  Battalion. 
38th  Infantry  Regiment  (Benedek). 
70th       „  ,,  (Also-Szopor). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Major-General  Moring. 
2 1st  Field  Jager  Battalion. 
53rd  Infantry  Regiment  (Archduke  Leopold  Louis). 
54th        ,,  ,,  (Grueber). 

Commandant  of  Brigade.— Major-General  Piret. 
5th  Imperial  Jager  Battalion. 
50th  Infantry  Regiment  (Baden). 
75th         ,,  ,,  (Crenneville). 


IS  A  FPU  XI)  IX  III. 


SEVENTH    CORPS    DARMEE. 


Lieutenant  Field-Marshal  Marivici  di  Madonna  del  Monte. 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Major-General  Emmerich  von  Thurn  and 

Taxis. 

7th  Field  Jager  Battalion. 

29th  Infantry  Regiment  (Thun). 

43rd       ,,  ,,  (Alemann). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Major-General  Scudier. 
10th  Field  Jager  Battalion. 
19th  Infantry  Regiment  (Crown  Prince  Rudolf). 
48th        ,,  ,,  (Archduke  Ernest  Charles). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Major-General  Hammerstein. 
4th  Imperial  Jager  Battalion. 
66th  Infantry  Regiment  (Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany). 
76th        ,,  ,,  (Paumgarten). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — 

6th  Imperial  Jager  Battalion, 
nth  Infantry  Regiment  (Crown  Prince  of  Saxony). 
59th        „  ,,         (Archduke  Rainer). 

NINTH   CORPS    D'ARMisE. 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Major-General  Weckbecher. 
23rd  Field  Jager  Battalion. 
63rd  Infantry  Regiment  (Netherlands). 
65th       ,,  ,,  (Archduke  Louis  Victor). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Major-General  Appiano. 
15th  Field  Jager  Battalion. 
5th  Infantry  Regiment  (Wetzlar). 
7th       ,,  ,,  (Maroicic). 

Commandant  of  Brigade. — Major-General  Gaal. 

3rd  Imperial  Jager  Battalion. 
31st  Infantry  Regiment  (Mecklenburg-Strelitz). 
39th       „  „  (Don  Miguel). 

Besides  these,  to  the  Army  of  the  South  were  attached  the  1st  and  2nd 
Imperial  Jager  Battalions,  and  the  17th  Hohenlohe),  22nd  (Wimpffen), 
36th  (Degenfeld)  Infantry  Regiments. 

The  Cavalry  consisted  of  the  12th  and  13th  Uhlans,  and  the  1st,  3rd, 
nth,  and  14th  Hussars,  the  Artillery  of  the  5th  and  7th  Regiments. 

N.B. — The  Border  Regiments  garrisoned  the  fortresses  and  the 
Littorale. 


APPENDIX    IV. 

PRELIMINARIES  OF  PEACE  AGREED  UPON  BETWEEN 
THE  TWO  GREAT  BELLIGERENT  POWERS. 

"  Their  Majesties  the  Emperor  of  Austria  and  the  King  of  Prussia,  after 
declaring  that  they  are  animated  by  a  desire  to  restore  to  their  peoples  the 
blessings  of  peace,  appoint  as  their  Plenipotentiaries — 

"  His  Apostolic  Majesty— Count  Karolyi  and  Baron  de  Brenner;  and 
the  King  of  Prussia — Count  Bismarck,  who  have  agreed  upon  the  followhv 
points  : — 

"The  integrity  of  the  Austrian  monarchy,  with  the  exception  of  Venetia, 
shall  be  maintained. 

"The  King  of  Prussia  shall  withdraw  his  troops  from  the  Austrian  terri- 
tory as  soon  as  a  peace  shall  have  been  signed. 

"The  Emperor  of  Austria  recognises  the  dissolution  of  the  Germanic 
Confederation  as  it  heretofore  existed,  and  accepts  the  new  organization  of 
Germany  without  the  participation  of  Austria  ;  he  undertakes  to  recognise 
the  closer  Federal  relations  {die  engern  Bimdesbande)  which  the  King  of 
Prussia  shall  establish  to  the  north  of  the  line  of  the  Maine  ;  he  also  accepts 
the  formation  by  the  States  of  the  South  of  a  separate  Confederation,  and 
that  the  national  connexion  with  the  North  shall  be  reserved  for  future 
arrangement  between  the  two  Confederations. 

"  His  Apostolic  Majesty  transfers  to  the  King  of  Prussia  all  the  rights 
which  he  had  acquired  by  the  Treaty  of  Vienna  of  the  30th  of  October 
over  the  Duchies  of  Schleswig  and  Holstein,  with  the  reservation  that  the 
population  of  Northern  Schleswig,  if  they  should  express  such  a  desire  by 
a  free  vote,  should  be  re-united  to  Denmark. 

"The  war  indemnity  is  fixed  at  forty  million  thalers.  From  this  sum 
fifteen  millions  shall  be  deducted  as  the  equivalent  of  the  amount  which  the 
Emperor  of  Austria,  by  virtue  of  the  Treaty  of  1864,  would  still  be  entitled 
to  claim  from  the  Elbe  Duchies,  and  five  millions  as  the  equivalent  of  the 
provisioning  of  the  Prussian  troops  which  still  continue  to  occupy  the 
Austrian  provinces  until  the  conclusion  of  peace.  There  will,  therefore, 
remain  a  sum  of  twenty  million  thalers  to  be  paid  in  specie. 

"  The  King  of  Prussia,  at  the  request  of  Austria,  consents  to  allow  the 
kingdom  of  Saxony  to  retain  its  present  territorial  limits,  but  he  reserves  to 
himself  the  power  of  settling,  by  a  special  treaty  to  be  concluded  with  the 
King  of  Saxony,  the  question  of  the  war  indemnities  as  well  as  the  future 
position  which  Saxony  shall  hold  in  the  Northern  Confederation. 

"The  Emperor  of  Austria  will  recognise  the  new  territorial  arrange- 
ments effected  by  the  King  of  Prussia  in  the  north  of  Germany,  and  also 
any  territorial  changes  which  he  may  complete. 

"The  King  of  Prussia  engages  to  obtain  the  adhesion  of  his  ally  of  Italy 
to  the  preliminaries  of  peace  and  to  the  armistice  as  soon  as  the  Emperor 
of  the  French  shall  have  declared  that  the  kingdom  of  Venetia  is  at  the  dis- 
position of  the  King  of  Italy. 


520  APPEXD1X    V. 

"  The  Emperor  of  Austria  and  the  King  of  Prussia,  after  the  exchange  of 
ratifications  of  the  present  preliminaries  has  been  completed,  shall  appoint 
Plenipotentiaries,  who  shall  meet  at  a  place  to  be  hereafter  selected,  in 
order  to  conclude  a  peace  upon  the  bases  of  the  present  preliminary  con- 
vention, and  to  negotiate  upon  questions  of  detail. 

"  For  these  purposes,  after  having  agreed  upon  the  present  preliminaries, 
the  high  contracting  parties  shall  conclude  this  armistice  between  the 
Austrian  and  Saxon  military  forces  on  the  one  part,  and  the  Prussian 
military  forces  on  the  other  part. 

"  The  conditions  of  this  armistice  shall  be  settled  immediately. 

"  The  armistice  shall  commence  from  August  2nd,  and  the  present  sus- 
pension of  arms  shall  be  prolonged  until  that  date. 

"There  shall  also  be  concluded  at  the  present  state  of  the  negotiations 
an  armistice  with  Bavaria,  and  General  Baron  de  Manteuffel  shall  be 
required  to  conclude  armistices,  to  commence  also  from  the  date  of  August 
2nd,  upon  the  bases  of  the  military  status  quo,  with  Baden,  Wurtemberg, 
and  Hesse-Darmstadt,  as  soon  as  these  states  shall  require." 


APPENDIX   V. 

Mich  was  said  and  written  at  the  time  of  the  armistice  on  the  state  of1 
the  Prussian  hospitals.  While  the  head -quarters  of  the  fine  army  lay  at 
Prague,  the  utter  stagnation  of  affairs  and  a  favourable  opportunity  induced 
the  author  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  line  by  which  the  Crown  Prince  advanced 
with  the  Second  Army  from  Silesia  to  the  battle  of  Koniggratz.  The 
train  glided  without  stopping  past  the  station  of  Koniggratz,  which  is  a 
short  distance  from  the  advanced  works  of  the  fortress,  and  where  a  guard 
of  the  Austrian  garrison  were  standing  beside  their  piled  arms,  past  Joseph-, 
stadt,  close  under  the  guns  of  the  bastions,  and  between  the  main  body  of 
the  place  and  an  outwork  on  which  an  Austrian  sentry  was  pacing  along 
the  rampart,  and  Austrian  soldiers  were  lying  listlessly  beside  the  big  guns 
looming  out  of  the  embrasures.  The  line  of  railway  was  itself,  by  the  condi- 
tions of  the  armistice,  available  for  Prussian  transport,  but  no  Prussian  was 
allowed  to  get  out  of  the  train  either  at  Josephstadt  or  Koniggratz,  nor  did 
the  trains  stop  at  either  place  unless  some  one  unconnected  with  the 
Prussian  army  wished  to  be  put  down  or  to  get  in,  in  which  case  a  momen- 
tary halt  was  made  at  the  station.  On  arriving  at  Kdniginhof,  we  found 
a  large  number  of  hospital  tents  filled  with  men  who  had  been  wounded  at 
Xachod,  Skalitz,  or  the  great  battle.  Prussian  and  Austrian  soldiers  lay 
side  by  side,  all  under  the  care  of  Prussian  surgeons,  but  tended  and  nursed 
by  a  large  number  of  Prussian  ladies,  and  by  many  sisters  of  charity.  Many 
of  the  Austrian  soldiers  were  Poles,  many  Italians  who  spoke  no  German, 
but  relied  upon  the  Prussian  ladies  to  act  as  interpreters  between  them  and 
the  surgeons.  Many  of  the  men  were  on  the  road  to  rapid  recovery,  and 
were  able  to  talk  cheerfully  and  smoke,  while  with  a  piece  of  green  bough 
they  brushed  away  the  flies  which  in  this  warm  climate  clustered  thickly  in 
the  hospital  tent,  and  tried  to  fix  themselves  upon  the  healing  wounds.  In 
one  tent  lay  two  or  three  who  were  considered  hopeless  cases ;  one  poor 
fellow,  an  Austrian  artilleryman,  who  had  lost  both  legs,  lay  upon  his 
mattrass,   moving  his  head  feebly  with  a  restless  motion.      "  He  must  die,!' 


APPENDIX   V.  521 

whispered  the  surgeon;  "  he  cannot  get  over  it."  But  going  forward  he 
stooped  over  the  much- suffering  man,  patted  his  forehead,  and  spoke  some 
words  of  consolation  to  him.  As  the  doctor  turned  to  leave  the  bedside, 
the  man,  who  seemed  to  derive  some  hope  from  his  presence,  began  to  moan 
feebly,  but  a  lady  who  was  sitting  near  him  came  over  to  him.  smoothed 
his  pillow,  and  by  a  few  kind  words  quieted  him,  and  induced  him  to  try  to 
go  to  sleep.  The  sufferer,  with  a  child's  obedience,  closed  his  eyes,  while 
his  nurse  sat  down  by  his  bed-head,  ready  to  frighten  away  any  fly  that 
might  threaten  to  disturb  the  fitful  slumbers  of  the  patient. 

In  another  tent  were  a  number  of  convalescents,  with  bright  eyes,  very 
different  from  those  which,  dull  and  hazy,  betokened  more  dangerous  cases. 
Here  Baroness  Seydlitz  was  serving  out  plentiful  partions  of  cigars  and 
tobacco,  which  were  eagerly  accepted  by  the  men  who  were  still  unable  to 
leave  their  beds,  and  whose  thinned  white  hands  told  how  much  pain  and 
illness  can  be  caused  even  by  the  tiny  bullets  of  the  needle-gun.  This 
noble  lady  had  two  sons  in  the  Prussian  army,  both  of  whom  had 
served  during  the  campaign.  At  the  beginning  of  the  war  she  was  made 
superintendent  of  one  of  the  many  companies  of  Prussian  ladies  who  formed 
themselves  into  charitable  bands  for  nursing  the  wounded,  and  was  now 
with  her  division  of  benefactresses  stationed  in  the  hospital  tents  of  Ko- 
niginhof.  Fortunately,  her  sons  had  passed  unscathed  through  the  actions  ; 
but  if  every  wounded  soldier  who  came  under  her  care  had  been  her  own 
child  she  could  not  have  shown  more  solicitude  for  them  than  she  did.  The 
Prussian  wounded  had  made  us  acquainted  with  their  love  and  estimation 
for  her  before  we  found  her  in  the  hospital  tent,  and  every  Sclave,  Pole,  or 
Italian- Austrian,  when  asked  who  had  given  him  any  little  luxury  which 
we  saw  by  his  bed-head,  knew  enough  German  to  answer,  **  Die  gute  Fran 
von  Seydlitz.'''' 

General  von  Lbwenfeld,  who  was  passing  through  Tvoniginhof  on  his  way 
to  review  the  battle-field  of  Nachod,  where  he  with  six  battalions  repulsed 
the  fierce  attacks  of  the  Austrians  until  his  supports  arrived,  was  visiting 
the  hospitals,  and  with  a  wonderful  power,  not  only  of  language  but  dialect, 
was  talking  kindly  to  every  patient  Many  of  the  Austrians  who  were 
lying  in  the  shaded  tents  of  Kdniginhdf  had  fallen  under  his  own  guns  or 
the  deadly  fire  of  his  own  infantry  at  Nachod  or  Skalitz,  but  they  bore  no  ill- 
will  to  the  Prussian  generak  The  Prussian  Krankentragers,  Prussian  sur- 
geons, and  Prussian  ladies  had  removed  any  animosity  which  they  might  at 
first  not  unnaturally  have  felt  to  not  only  an  enemy  but  a  conqueror.  All 
were  asked  how  long  they  had  lain  on  the  field  of  battle  ;  some  four  hours, 
some  ten,  some  said  thirty-six  ;  one  now  merry  Austrian  boy,  about 
eighteen  years  old,  told  us  that  he  had  been  wounded  in  the  Maslowed 
"Wood  during  the  battle  of  Koniggratz,  and  had  lain  there  lost  and 
hidden  in  the  trees,  and  suffering  fearfully  from  thirst  and  hunger,  until 
found  at  the  end  of  three  days  by  some  Prussian  soldiers.  An  amputated 
foot  showed  that  he  had  been  badly  wounded,  but  it  is  probable  that  suffering 
exaggerated  to  his  mind  the  length  of  time  lie  lay  upon  the  ground,  for 
the  woods  were  searched  by  the  Prussian  Krankentragers  the  day  after 
the  battle,  though  it  is  quite  possible  that  in  such  thick  foliage  a  wounded 
man  may  have  lain  long  undetected,  and  perhaps  been  missed  altogether. 
No  one  who  did  not  see  the  country  in  which  the  battles  of  the  war  were 
fought  would  realize  the  enormous  exertions  made  by  the  Prussian  Krank- 
entriigers  to  bring  in  wounded  men.  It  must  be  remembered  that  every 
piece  of  rising  ground  was  covered  with  thick  wood  or  high  standing  corn  ; 

M    M 


$22  APPENDIX  V. 

that  down  by  the  watercourses  the  long  grass  and  the  bulrushes  rose 
tall  in  all  their  summer  luxuriance.  The  wounded  invariably,  if  possible, 
crawled  under  cover  after  Kbniggratz,  and  sought  by  the  brooks  for  water 
to  quench  their  thirst,  or  in  the  trees  and  crops  for  shelter  ;  the  Krank- 
entragers  had  to  beat  carefully  over  every  yard  of  ground  which  lies 
between  Horonovvitz  and  Nechanitz,  between  the  Bistritz  and  the  Elbe — a 
space  of  nearly  forty-five  square  miles,  over  which  they  had  to  search  for  and 
carry  to  the  ambulances  many  thousands  of  wounded  men,  Austrians  and 
Prussians  alike  ;  and  there  are  but  1,900  of  these  men  with  the  whole 
Prussian  armies. 

The  usual  answer  to  the  question,  "  Who  first  relieved  you  after  the 
battle  ?  "  was  that  a  Prussian  soldier  had  given  the  speaker  something  to 
drink  out  of  his  water-bottle  directly  after  the  action  had  ceased,  and 
that,  after  some  time,  two  Prussian  soldiers  with  a  stretcher  had  lifted 
him  up  and  carried  him  to  the  divisional  hospital.  A  drive  down  the 
valley  of  the  Elbe  towards  the  mountains  brought  us  to  the  Castle  of 
Nachod,  which  lies  at  the  entrance  of  the  Nachod  Pass,  and  about  half 
a  mile  nearer  to  the  main  ridge  than  the  hill  upon  which  the  action 
was  fought.  From  every  large  country  house  waved  the  white  flag  with 
its  red  cross,  which  showed  that  the  building  was  being  used  as  a  hospital, 
and  that  under  its  roofwrounded  men  were  being  coaxed  slowly  to  recovery. 
The  Castle  of  Nachod,  itself  standing  on  a  high  spur  of  the  mountain 
chain,  and  overlooking  most  beautiful  scenery,  was  occupied  by  800 
wounded,  under  the  voluntary  superintendence  of  the  Prince  of  Salm- 
Horstmar,  who  had  left  his  beautiful  property  of  Rheingraf  to  work  for 
charity  in  the  hospitals  of  wounded  soldiers.  Long  lines  of  beds  stretched 
on  both  sides  of  the  oak  banqueting  halls  and  the  tapestried  chambers  of 
the  castle — beds  occupied  by  suffering  but  patient  men  ;  Prussian  ladies  in 
black  dresses  were  gliding  about,  noiselessly  carrying  medicines  or  medical 
comforts  to  their  grateful  patients  ;  Sisters  of  Mercy  were  sitting  by  the 
bedsides  reading  to  the  listening  occupant,  or  propping  up  a  feverish  head 
on  a  snowy  white  pillow  ;  while  in  the  corridors  outside  noble  ladies,  both 
in  the  dresses  of  the  Prussian  lady  volunteers  and  in  those  of  Sisters  of 
Mercy,  were  preparing  food  for  the  sick,  or  tearing  up  linen  and  sorting 
cotton  wool  to  assist  the  surgeons.  Most  of  the  patients  were  doing 
wonderfully  well.  The  fine  mountain  air  and  the  tender  care  of  the  nurses 
had  a  cheering  effect  upon  them,  which  led  them  on  to  recovery. 

Many  officers  were  in  separate  rooms,  most  of  them  Austrians,  brave 
men  who,  undaunted  even  by  pain,  expressed  their  opinion  that  their 
defeat  was  due  to  the  needle-gun  alone,  and  showed  no  want  of  desire  to 
fight  the  war  over  again  with  equal  arms.  All,  fortunately,  so  nearly  well 
that  a  few  weeks  more  restored  them  to  their  regiments. 

There  were  still  tenants  of  the  Castle  hospital  at  Nachod  and  of  the  tents 
of  Koniginhof  long  after  peace  had  been  signed,  and  after  the  Prussian 
armies  had  marched  out  of  Bohemia  ;  but  it  was  quite  wonderful  how  many 
of  the  men  who  were  wounded  at  Nachod  and  Skalitz  had  already  been 
dismissed  from  hospital.  After  the  action  of  Nachod,  3,000  wounded  were 
brought  into  the  castle  and  town  of  Nachod  alone,  besides  many  who  were 
withdrawn  by  the  retreating  Austrians  to  Skalitz  and  Koniginhof,  and 
afterwards  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Prussians.  Of  the  3,000  brought  to 
Nachod,  800  still  remained ;  but  the  rest  had  been  sent  away  as  convalescent, 
for  but  few  had  died,  defeating  the  cares  of  their  nurses.  The  soldiers  still 
in  hospital  could  not  find  words  to  express  their  gratitude  to  the  ladies, 


APPEXDIX    V.  523 

both  Catholic  and  Protestant,  who  had  been  their  constant  attendants  night 
and  day,  since  they  were  lifted  from  the  stretchers  of  the  Krankentragers 
into  their  beds  in  the  hospitals.  Many  of  the  recoveries  must  also  be 
attributed  to  their  care,  for  they,  as  all  women  by  a  bed  of  sickness,  had  a 
power  to  soothe  suffering  men  which  no  surgeons  or  professional  hospital 
attendants  ever  seemed  to  attain  to. 


THE    END. 


BRADBURY,    EVANS,    AND   CO.,    PRINTERS,    WHITEFRIARS. 


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