Turkish Campaigns
Although there were no telegraph stations at that time nor any
railroads, it soon became known in Versailles and Paris that the “little
abbé” had fought very gallantly, and that his bravery had received
recognition from the Emperor. What must Louis have felt when he heard
this news? He was too crafty to betray himself; but Louvois was less
self-contained, and cried in his wrath: “This fellow shall never again
enter France.” It was easy for this presumptuous minister to issue his
commands, but the fulfilment of his purpose was not in his power. Eugene
had now gained an assured position. His commanding officer, the
Field-Marshal General, Margrave Louis of Baden, a man for those times
very well informed and an accomplished soldier, possessed far more
discrimination than the King of France displayed in that memorable
audience at the Louvre; he recommended Eugene to the Emperor with the
words: “In time this young Savoyard will be the equal of all those whom
the world considers great generals.”
The campaign of 1684 was quickly opened, but without particular success.
It is a long distance from Vienna to Stamboul, and there was much to be
done before the enemy could be despatched thither. They still had their
strongholds in Hungary, and such neighbors were dangerous. It was
necessary above all to seize Buda.[3] At first this was unsuccessful;
indeed, the Germans were obliged to go into winter quarters without
having accomplished anything; then they had to put the city in a state
of siege and to resist the advance of the Turkish army of relief.
Starhemberg proposed to take Neuhäusel first, this being the only way to
approach Buda. The good advice of this experienced soldier was
disregarded, and therefore unfortunate consequences had to be endured.
It was not until the next year that the situation improved. Other powers
had gathered their forces under the banners of the Austrian Emperor,
including Bavaria, Saxony, Brandenburg and twenty thousand Hungarians
who were opposed to Tökely and chose to adhere to the Emperor rather
than to this impostor.
Since the siege of Vienna, by the enemies of Christianity, there had
been an awakening among the German princes; the common danger had called
for common defence. Of course Prince Eugene with his regiment was not
wanting. His post was on the left wing of the imperial cavalry commanded
by the Prince Salm. Everything prospered so that Buda was soon as
completely surrounded as Vienna had previously been by the Turks.
Eugene, with his dragoons, held a ravine road on the south side of the
fortress, which led between two mountains into a broad plain. From this
quarter the Turks in Buda were expecting their relief forces; and nearly
every day there were skirmishes, in which, however, the Turks always got
the worst of it. How dangerous these engagements were, is shown by the
fact that once Prince Eugene’s horse was shot under him, and another
time he was wounded by an arrow.
The Turkish supporting army at last arrived, but was completely
vanquished, and the city was then taken by storm. Eugene very nearly
missed this fun, for he was on sentry duty and was commanded to remain
at his post. But when he heard the thunder of the field-pieces, great
and small, the clash of swords and the sound of the trumpets, he could
no longer contain himself. He quickly ordered a part of his dragoons to
mount, battered down a gate with axes, and in a moment was in the thick
of the fray beside his victorious German brothers.
Now began the second rout. Valiant Eugene had the honor of chasing the
enemy over the Danube. Ha! that was merry work! Besides this,
Fünfkirchen was taken by Eugene’s unmounted dragoons. Once started, he
would have done still more, had not a very deplorable misunderstanding
and jealousy among the Emperor’s commanders stopped all important
operations for some time to come. None wished to obey another. Margrave
Louis of Baden dared to tell the Duke of Lorraine to his face, that he
was not obliged, as a German Prince, to take orders from him. The young
Elector of Bavaria, Maximilian Emanuel, also made trouble.
This was a great disadvantage to the Germans, and grieved Eugene deeply.
The situation did not improve until the Turks became more and more
menacing, and this danger brought the malcontents to their senses. At
last, on the twelfth of August, 1687, it was determined to attack the
Turks at Mohacz.
Here, almost on the same spot where, one hundred and sixty years
earlier, King Louis the Second of Hungary had lost empire and life to
Suleyman, he was at last avenged. The battle lasted only a short time,
but the victory was a decisive one. Like a wall of brass the Germans
slowly advanced. There was no break of which their opponents could take
advantage. The attacks of the enemy’s cavalry broke against it, like the
breaking of the sea against the rocks. Again and again the Turks
attacked, and were driven back each time. Added to this, a steady fire
of musketry raked their lines, and the cannon did their duty also. At
last there was no possibility of restraining the soldiers; and the time
had come, too, for Eugene to let loose his dragoons. Like a whirlwind
they threw themselves on the Turks, whole regiments were ridden down and
others taken prisoners. Once more the Turks made a stand behind their
intrenchments; they thought Eugene could not get at them there. But how
mistaken they were! Like lightning his dragoons were off their horses,
drew their sabres, stormed the barricades, and cut down all who did not
save themselves by instant flight.
Thus the battle was decided; the lion’s share of the victory and of the
glory was Eugene’s. This, no doubt, was appreciated by the Duke of
Lorraine; for as a reward for his daring dash at Mohacz, he sent him in
person to bear the news of victory to Vienna. It was certainly a proud
commission for the valiant Prince! Arrived at the castle, he instantly
received audience and was presented by the Emperor with his portrait
richly set in diamonds.
After the battle of Mohacz Eugene’s fame was assured, his name was on
every tongue. The king of Spain bestowed upon him the Order of the
Golden Fleece; and his cousin, the reigning Duke of Savoy, Victor
Amadeus the First, delighted with the brilliant success of his young
relative, supplied him royally with money.
How the gentlemen in Paris and Versailles must have opened their eyes at
all this! Their historical works, as one can well believe, do not tell
of any distinction that Eugene received. King Louis must have been
thoroughly ashamed of his shortsightedness; he had taken the rough
diamond for a common pebble. Prince Eugene became
Lieutenant-Field-Marshal in his twenty-fifth year. This was certainly an
unusual distinction. What is more important, he became
Lieutenant-Field-Marshal not through the favor of the king, but on his
own merits.
It was now most important for the Emperor to regain possession of
Belgrade. The last bulwark of the Germans could not be allowed to remain
in the hands of the Turks. The Emperor commanded; there was no
hesitation. The Elector of Bavaria, the Emperor’s son-in-law, was now
commander of the imperial army after the valiant Duke Charles of
Lorraine had been diplomatically removed.
The affair went splendidly. When the German cannon had shot but two
breaches in the walls, the assault was made. Two columns advanced to the
fortifications, led by the Elector and Eugene. The cry was: “Long live
the Emperor; long live Germany!” They advanced quite a long distance and
thought they had already won the day. But they were mistaken; for a deep
moat protected the real fort and made a dangerous obstacle. There was
little time to consider; it was do—or die! In spite of the continuous
fire of the Turks, young Count Starhemberg, nephew of the heroic Vienna
Mayor, called out: “Follow me, he who loves the Emperor and his
country!” He then sprang into the moat up to his belt, his whole
regiment following him. But this was by no means the end. As they
climbed out of the moat, dripping wet, they had to take the
intrenchments. The Turks defended themselves desperately, for they knew
what it meant to lose Belgrade. But the Elector and Eugene followed hard
upon the heels of the Starhemberg regiment. There was a terrible
hand-to-hand fight, while large and small missiles fell right and left
among the attacking army. The Elector received an arrow-wound in his
face, a janissary gave the Prince of Savoy a sword cut that clove his
helmet. Eugene, turning quickly, plunged his sword deep into the Turk’s
breast. At that instant a musket-ball penetrated his leg just above the
knee, and he dropped, still urging the attacking troops on to victory.
He was removed from the field, and soon the joyful news was brought to
him that Belgrade was taken.
The Prince’s wound was extremely dangerous, for the ball could not be
found for some time; and several months afterwards splinters of bone
were removed from the leg. Everything was done that science could
accomplish; Duke Victor Amadeus the Second sent his own physician to
Vienna. Later a lung trouble developed; and it was not until January of
the year 1689 that the Prince could journey to Turin to thank his cousin
personally for all the kindness and sympathy which had been shown him.
The victories of the Austrian Emperor over the Turks had aroused
tremendous jealousy at the court of Versailles. Louis, “the Most
Christian King,” instead of assisting in the defence, was much cast down
at the defeat of the Turks, for he could not bear to see a powerful
German Emperor as a rival. He now conceived a new plan and suddenly
attacked the Emperor and his strongholds. As both were unprepared, he
was very successful. Philippsburg fell; Mayence opened its gates to him;
and with the connivance of the traitor Fürstenberg, coadjutor of the
Cologne bishopric, Bonn, Kaiserswerth, and other fortified places passed
into the hands of the French. After these great victories over the
Turks, Emperor Leopold should have made peace with them and turned all
his energies against the French, an opinion shared by all the princes of
the empire. Incredible as it may seem, he did not do this, and as a
consequence suddenly found himself between two enemies. Now he had all
he could do to save his skin. It was a desperate situation; the hearts
of German patriots, and there were plenty at this unfortunate time, were
very heavy.
While Louis let loose in the Rhine provinces his marauding bands, which
plundered and burned more than a hundred villages (the empty
window-frames of Heidelberg Castle still testify to the shameful deeds
of the French), he allied himself also with the Duke of Savoy. He
believed it possible to make that country a point of vantage for attacks
on the Germans, although it was a somewhat roundabout route. This was a
very unpleasant surprise to the Duke of Savoy. He would much have
preferred to keep quiet, a neutral observer of the bloody game of war.
But there was no choice. He was obliged to decide and place himself
either on the Austrian side or else to make common cause with the
French. With a heavy heart, as is natural with weak characters, he
decided for the former. Eugene had labored hard with him—had represented
to him all that the family of Carignan had suffered from the French, and
what would befall him should he become a vassal of King Louis.
That decided him. A small German army (5,000 men) under the leadership
of Caprara, Eugene with them, entered Savoy; and as Spanish troops soon
came to their assistance, they confidently hoped to discipline the
arrogant French. But it turned out differently. The Duke of Savoy played
false, was bought by French money, and betrayed all the plans of the
imperial leaders to the French general Catinat. He permitted the
dangerous bandit warfare of the Piedmontese, the notorious
sharp-shooters of modern times, against the Austrians. The soldiers were
given poisoned food, several were murdered, small groups of them were
attacked, and even the life of Eugene, who meanwhile had become a
general of cavalry, was conspired against. A troop of at least one
thousand men attempted to overwhelm his camp, but were bravely routed by
the Taaffe regiment.
It was difficult for Eugene to believe in the perfidy of his uncle, whom
he had truly loved and honored. But the proofs accumulated. At last he
had an understanding with him, reproached him with his treachery, and
begged him urgently to desist and to remain firmly attached to the
Emperor’s cause. The Duke, who wished to aggrandize his domain, and saw
more advantage to himself through alliance with France rather than with
Austria, did not listen to this advice but remained, as before, the
secret ally of the King of France; thus he did more harm to the Austrian
cause than a strongly armed enemy would have done.
The war continued with varying success until the year 1696. But it
brought one real satisfaction to Eugene; he kept his promise to himself
and from the Savoy mountains he entered France sword in hand, at the
head of an army. He had occupied many French towns, when he received
orders to retire to Milanese territory. He obeyed with a light heart,
for an open-hearted, honest man is always at a disadvantage against
cunning, malignity, treachery, and assassination. In Vienna an
exceedingly gracious and brilliant reception awaited him. No one thought
of blaming him for the ill success in Savoy. He had done all that it was
possible to do. He became more and more devoted to the Emperor and to
the German cause; he wished to give loyalty for loyalty.