It was before the middle of May, not of June as Friedrich had expected,
that serious news reached Chrudim. May 11th, from that place, there is
a Letter to Jordan, which for once has no verse, no bantering in it:
Prince Karl actually coming on; Hussar precursors, in quantity, stealing
across to attack our Magazines beyond Elbe;--and in consequence, Orders
are out this very day: "Cantonments, cease; immediate rendezvous, and
Encampment at Chrudim here!" Which takes effect two days hence, Monday,
13th May: one of the finest sights Stille ever saw. "His Majesty rode to
a height; you never beheld such a scene: bright columns, foot and
horse, streaming in from every point of the compass, their clear arms
glittering in the sun; lost now in some hollow, then emerging, winding
out with long-drawn glitter again; till at length their blue uniforms
and actual faces come home to you. Near upon 30,000 of all arms; trim
exact, of stout and silently good-humored aspect; well rested, by this
time;--likely fellows for their work, who will do it with a will. The
King seemed to be affected by so glorious a spectacle; and, what I
admired, his Majesty, though fatigued, would not rest satisfied with
reports or distant view, but personally made the tour of the whole Camp,
to see that everything was right, and posted the pickets himself before
retiring." [Stille, p. 57 (or Letter X.).]
Prince Karl, since we last heard of him, had hung about in the Brunn and
other Moravian regions, rallying his forces, pushing out Croat parties
upon Prince Dietrich's home-march, and the like; very ill off for food,
for draught-cattle, in a wasted Country. So that he had soon quitted
Mahren; made for Budweis and neighborhood:--dangerous to Broglio's
outposts there? To a "Castle of Frauenberg," across the Moldau from
Budweis; which is Broglio's bulwark there, and has cost Broglio much
revictualling, reinforcing, and flurry for the last two months. Prince
Karl did not meddle with Brauenberg, or Broglio, on this occasion;
leaves Lobkowitz, with some Reserve-party, hovering about in those
parts;--and himself advances, by Teutschbrod (well known to the poor
retreating Saxons latcey!) towards Chrudim, on his grand Problem, that
of 25th February last. Cautiously, not too willingly, old Konigseck and
he. But they were inflexibly urged to it by the Heads at Vienna; who,
what with their Bavarian successes, what with their Moravian and other,
had got into a high key;--and scorned the notion of "Peace," when
Hyndford (getting Friedrich's permission, in the late Chrudim interval)
had urged it again. [Orlich, i. 226.]
Broglio is in boundless flurry; nothing but spectres of attack looming
in from Karl, from Khevenhuller, from everybody; and Eger hardly yet
got. [19th April (_Guerre de Boheme,_ ii. 77-81.) Fine reinforcement,
25,000 under a Due d'Harcourt; this and other good outlooks there are;
but it is the terrible alone that occupy Broglio. And indeed the poor
man--especially ever since that Moravian Business would not thrive in
spite of him--is not to be called well off! Friedrich and he are in
correspondence, by no means mutually pleasant, on the Prince-Karl
phenomenon. "Evidently intending towards Prag, your Majesty perceives!"
thinks Broglio. "If not towards Chrudim, first of all, which is 80 miles
nearer him, on his rode to Prag!" urges Friedrich, at this stage: "Help
me with a few regiments in this Chrudim Circle, lest I prove too weak
here. Is not this the bulwark of your Prag just now?" In vain; Broglio
(who indeed has orders that way) cannot spare a man. "Very well,"
thinks Friedrich; and has girded up his own strength for the Chrudim
phenomenon; but does not forget this new illustration of the Joint-Stock
Principle, and the advantages of Broglio Partnership.
Friedrich's beautiful Encampment at Chrudim lasted only two days.
Precursor Tolpatcheries (and, in fact, Prince Karl's Vanguard, if we
knew it) come storming about, rifer and rifer; attempting the Bridge of
Kolin (road to our Magazines); attempting this and that; meaning to
get between us and Prag; and, what is worse, to seize the Magazines,
Podiebrad, Nimburg, which we have in that quarter! Tuesday, May 15th,
accordingly, Friedrich himself gets on march, with a strong
swift Vanguard, horse and foot (grenadiers, hussars, dragoons),
Prag-ward,--probably as far as Kuttenberg, a fine high-lying post, which
commands those Kodin parts;--will march with despatch, and see how that
matter is. The main Army is to follow under Leopold of Anhalt-Dessau
to-morrow, Wednesday," so soon as their loaves have come from
Konigsgratz,"--for "an Army goes on its belly," says Friedrich often.
Loaves do not come, owing to evil chance, on this occasion: Leopold's
people "take meal instead;" but will follow, next morning, all the same,
according to bidding. Readers may as well take their Map, and accompany
in these movements; which issue in a notable conclusive thing.
Tuesday morning, 15th May, Friedrich marches from Chrudim; on which same
morning of the 15th, Prince Karl, steadily on the advance he too, is
starting,--and towards the same point,--from a place called Chotieborz,
only fifteen miles to southward of Chrudim. In this way, mutually
unaware, but Prince Karl getting soonest aware, the Vanguards of the
Two Armies (Prince Karl's Vanguard being in many branches, of Tolpatch
nature) are cast athwart each other; and make, both to Friedrich and
Prince Karl, an enigmatic business of it for the next two days. Tuesday,
15th, Friedrich marching along, vigilantly observant on both hands, some
fifteen miles space, came that evening to a Village called Podhorzan,
with Height near by; [Stille, pp. 60, 61.] Height which he
judged unattackable, and on the side of which he pitches his camp
accordingly,--himself mounting the Height to look for news. News sure
enough: there, south of us on the heights of Ronnow, three or four miles
off, are the Enemy, camped or pickeering about, 7 or 8,000 as we judge.
Lobkowitz, surely not Lobkowitz? He has been gliding about, on the
French outskirts, far in the southwest lately: can this be Lobkowitz,
about to join Prince Karl in these parts?--Truly, your Majesty, this is
not Lobkowitz at all; this is Prince Karl's Vanguard, and Prince Karl
himself actually in it for the moment,--anxiously taking view of your
Vanguard; recognizing, and admitting to himself, "Pooh, they will be
at Kuttenberg before us; no use in hastening. Head-quarters at Willimow
to-night; here at Ronnow to-morrow: that is all we can do!" [Orlich, i.
233.]
To-morrow, 16th May, before sunrise at Podhorzan, the supposed Lobkowitz
is clean vanished: there is no Enemy visible to Friedrich, at Ronnow
or elsewhere. Leaving Friedrich in considerable uncertainty: clear only
that there are Enemies copiously about; that he himself will hold on for
Kuttenberg; that young Leopold must get hitherward, with steady
celerity at the top of his effort,--parts of the ground being difficult;
especially a muddy Stream, called Dobrowa, which has only one Bridge
on it fit for artillery, the Bridge of Sbislau, a mile or two ahead of
this. Instructions are sent Leopold to that effect; and farther that
Leopold must quarter in Czaslau (a substantial little Town, with bogs
about it, and military virtues); and, on the whole, keep close to heel
of us, the Enemy in force being near, Upon which, his Majesty pushes on
for Kuttenberg; Prince Leopold following with best diligence, according
to Program. His Majesty passed a little place called Neuhof that
afternoon (Wednesday, 16th May); and encamped a short way from
Kuttenberg, behind or north of that Town,--out of which, on his
approach, there fled a considerable cloud of Austrian Irregulars, and
"left a large baking of bread." Bread just about ready to their order,
and coming hot out of the ovens; which was very welcome to his Majesty
that night; and will yield refreshment, partial refreshment, next
morning, to Prince Leopold, not too comfortable on his meal-diet just
now.
Poor Prince Leopold had his own difficulties this day; rough ground,
very difficult to pass; and coming on the Height of Podhorzan where
his Majesty was yesterday, Leopold sees crowds of Hussars, needing a
cannon-shot or two; sees evident symptoms, to southward, that the whole
Force of the Enemy is advancing upon him! "Speed, then, for Sbislau
Bridge yonder; across the Dobrowa, with our Artillery-wagons, or we are
lost!" Prince Karl, with Hussar-parties all about, is fully aware of
Prince Leopold and his movements, and is rolling on, Ronnow-ward all
day, to cut him off, in his detached state, if possible. Prince Karl
might, with ease, have broken this Dobrowa Bridge; and Leopold and
military men recognize it as a capital neglect that he did not.
Leopold, overloaded with such intricacies and anxieties, sends off three
messengers, Officers of mark (Schmettau Junior one of them), to apprise
the King: the Officers return, unable to get across to his Majesty;
Leopold sends proper detachment of horse with them,--uncertain still
whether they will get through. And night is falling; we shall evidently
be too late for getting Czaslau: well if we can occupy Chotusitz and the
environs; a small clay Hamlet, three miles nearer us. It was 11 at night
before the rear-guard got into Chotusitz: Czaslau, three miles south of
us, we cannot attend to till to-morrow morning. [Orlich, pp. 236-239.]
And the three messengers, despatched with escort, send back no word.
Have they ever got to his Majesty? Leopold sends off a fourth. This
fourth one does get through; reports to his Majesty, That, by all
appearance, there will be Battle on the morrow early; that not Czaslau,
but only Chotusitz is ours; and that Instructions are wanted. Deep in
the night, this fourth messenger returns; a welcome awakening for Prince
Leopold; who studies his Majesty's Instructions, and will make his
dispositions accordingly.
It is 2 or 3 in the morning, [Ib. p. 238.] in Leopold's Camp,--Bivouac
rather, with its face to the south, and Chotusitz ahead. Thursday, 17th
May, 1742; a furiously important Day about to dawn. High Problem of the
23th February last; Britannic Majesty and his Hyndfords and Robinsons
vainly protesting:--it had to be tried; Hungarian Majesty having got,
from Britannic, the sinews for trying it: and this is to be the Day.