Gustavus Adolphus writes in a letter that the war would be long drawn
out and stop from exhaustion. The original purpose of the war was the
suppression of the Protestant faith, but the victories of Gustavus
Adolphus made the Catholics hopeless. Also other interests of a
political nature rose up, the war passed from a German to a European
question. Though there were times when peace might have been made, the
side who had the best of it for the moment deemed it folly to stop when
victory was in reach. The other side thought it base and cowardly not to
continue, as some turn of fortune might repair the losses. Many a war
has dragged on after the purpose for which it began had become
unattainable, because those who began it were too vain to admit that the
objects of the war were impossible from its outset.
In a long war also individuals rise up to whom fighting becomes a second
nature, who know nothing else but violence and murder. Thus many
soldiers were indignant when the Westphalian peace was signed, for they
felt they had a vested right to plunder and murder, looking upon a
wretched, helpless population as their just prey.
A further reason for the long continuation of the war was the very
exhaustion of both sides; there was not enough strength on either side
to strike a decisive blow, nor sufficient energy left to make a vigorous
effort for peace, making it seem useless to try. In the earlier and
middle period of the war there were many cries for peace, but in the
last eight years there was a terrible silence of death and such utter
desperation that no one dared to speak of peace, so great was the
exhaustion. The soldiers decreased as it became more and more difficult
to recruit and feed them; the military operations grew feebler and more
desultory, the fighting more inconclusive, though the misery did not
diminish. But while the people and soldiers had become tired of the
interminable struggle and wanted peace, many of the diplomats did not
appear to desire it.