Speaking of that “anxious moment” in the decisive battle of Königgrätz
before the arrival of the Crown Prince in the rear of the Austrians,
Bismarck, according to Mr. Schurz’s autobiography in _McClure’s
Magazine_, related the following incident showing von Moltke’s
coolness:
It was an anxious moment, a moment on the decision of which the
fate of the empire depended. Squadrons of cavalry, all mixt up,
hussars, dragoons, uhlans, were streaming by the spot where the
King, Moltke, and myself stood, and altho we had calculated that
the Crown Prince might long have appeared behind the Austrian
rear, no sign of the Crown Prince! Things began to look ominous.
I confess I felt not a little nervous. I looked at Moltke, who
sat quietly on his horse and did not seem to be disturbed by
what was going on around us. I thought I would test whether he
was really as calm as he appeared. I rode up to him and asked
him whether I might offer him a cigar, since I noticed he was
not smoking. He replied that he would be glad if I had one to
spare. I presented to him my open case in which there were only
two cigars, one a very good Havana, and the other of rather poor
quality. Moltke looked at them and even handled them with great
attention, in order to ascertain their relative value, and then
with slow deliberation chose the Havana. “Very good,” he said
composedly. This assured me very much. I thought, if Moltke can
bestow so much time and attention upon the choice between two
cigars, things can not be very bad.
(306)
=Calmness of Pupils=--See DISCIPLINE AMONG CHILDREN.