Napoleon and the Queen of Prussia

by L. Mühlbach

  CHAPTER XX.

  COUNT BUeCKLER.

  Perfidy and treachery everywhere! Magdeburg, Kuestrin, the most importantfortresses of Prussia, had fallen. Not only the hand of the triumphantconqueror had brought about their downfall, but the timidity andcowardice prevailing among the Prussians themselves. Magdeburg, althoughabundantly supplied with ammunition, and garrisoned by more than tenthousand men, had surrendered. Kuestrin, Hameln, and a large majority ofthe other fortresses, had voluntarily capitulated, almost without a showof resistance, on receiving the first summons to surrender; the firstcities of Prussia were now French; the French were lawgivers everywhere,and the humiliated Prussians had to bow to the scornful arrogance of thevictors.

  Still, there were at this time of sorrow and disgrace shining examplesof courage, of bold energy, and unwavering fidelity--there werefortresses that had not voluntarily opened their gates to the enemy, andthat, regardless of hunger and privation, were struggling bravely forhonor and victory. As yet Colberg had not fallen; this fortress wascourageously defended by Scharnhorst, the skilful and experiencedcolonel, by bold Ferdinand von Schill, and that noble citizen,Nettelbeck, who by word and deed fired the hearts of the soldiers andcitizens to persist in their patient resistance and in the determineddefence of the place.

  Graudenz had not surrendered to the besieging forces. The commander ofthis fortress, M. de Courbieres, had not yielded either to the threatsor the flatteries of the enemy. "If it be true, as you assure me, thatthere is no longer a King of Prussia, I am King of Graudenz, and shallnot surrender," he replied to the bearer of the French flag of truce,who summoned him in the name of the Duke de Rovigo to capitulate.

  Silesia also had remained faithful, notwithstanding the action ofMinister Count Hoym, who, in a public manifesto, had called upon theSilesians to meet the foe in the most amicable manner in case of aninvasion, and to satisfy as much as possible all the demands of thehostile troops. The Silesians, more courageous and resolute than theirminister, were unwilling to bend their neck voluntarily under the Frenchyoke; they preferred to struggle for their honor and independence. It istrue, the fortress of Glogau had fallen, but Breslau and Schweidnitzwere still holding out. Twice had Breslau repulsed Jerome Bonaparte withhis besieging troops--twice had the determination of the courageous inthe place triumphed over the anxiety of the timid and of the secretfriends of the French. At the head of these bold defenders of Breslauwas a man whose glorious example in the hour of danger had inspiredall--infused courage into the timid, and brought comfort to thesuffering. This man was Count Frederick von Pueckler. He did not taketime to recover from the wounds he had received in Jena. Faithful to hisoath, he devoted his services to his country, that stood so much in needof its sons. After a short repose on his estate at Gimmel, he repairedto the headquarters of King Frederick William at Ortelsburg.

  It is true, he could not bring him a regiment, or any material help;still he was able to assist him with his ideas, and to show him themeans of obtaining efficacious help.

  Count Frederick von Pueckler believed the king might derive assistancefrom the military resources of Silesia. He described to him, in ardentand eloquent words, the extensive means of defence retained by this richprovince; he assured him its inhabitants were faithful and devoted, andready to shed their blood for their king. He told his majesty, freelyand honestly, that the old civil and military bureaucracy alone was toblame--that Silesia had not long an organized effective system ofresistance--that this government had paralyzed the patriotic zeal of thecitizens, instead of stimulating it--nay, that, by means of itsinsensate and ridiculous decrees, it had impeded in every way thedevelopment of the military resources of the province. He had not come,however, merely to find fault and to accuse, but, in spite of hissickness and his wounds, performed the long journey to the king'sheadquarters in order to indicate to his sovereign the remedies by whichthe mischief might be counteracted, and the country preserved from uttersubjugation. He communicated a plan by which new forces might be raised,and be enabled to take the field in a few days. All the old soldierswere to be recalled into the service; the forest-keepers and theirassistants were to be armed, and from these elements the _landwehr_ wasto be organized, and intrusted with the special task of defending thefortresses.

  The king listened to the ardent and enthusiastic words of the count withgrowing interest, and finally Pueckler's joyful confidence and hopefulcourage filled him also with hope and consolation.

  "You believe then that we could really obtain, by these new levies,brave troops for the defence of the fortress?" asked he.

  "I am convinced of it," replied Count Pueckler. "Ardent love for theirfatherland and their king is glowing in the hearts of the Silesians, andthey will be ready when called upon to defend the fortresses. Hitherto,however, nobody has thought of appealing to the able-bodied men. CountHoym has retired to the most remote part of Silesia, and is nowwandering about from city to city. The military governor of Silesia,General Lindener, visited all the fortresses and told their commandersthat every thing was lost--that it only remained for them to protectthemselves against a _coup de main_, so as to obtain good terms on theirsurrender."

  The king started up, and an angry blush mantled his face for a moment."If he said that, he is an infamous scoundrel, who ought to lose hishead!" he exclaimed, vehemently.

  Count Pueckler smiled mournfully. "Alas!" he said, "your majesty wouldhave to sign many death-warrants if you punish in these days of terrorall who are wavering because their faith and hopes are gone. Possibly,only an admonishing, soul-stirring word may be required to invigoratethe timid, and to encourage the doubtful. Sire, utter such a word! Sendme back with it to Silesia! Order the governor to accept thepropositions which I had the honor to lay before your majesty, and whichI have taken the liberty to write down in this paper, and instruct him,in accordance with them, to garrison the fortresses with freshdefenders. Oh, your majesty, all Silesia is yearning for her king; sheis longingly stretching out her hands toward you; permit her to fightfor you!"

  "You imagine, then, that Schweidnitz, and, above all, Breslau, in thatcase, would be able to hold out?" asked the king.

  "I do not imagine it, I am convinced of it!" exclaimed the count. "Ipledge my life that it is so; I say that Breslau, permitted to defenditself, would be impregnable; I am so well satisfied of it that I swearto your majesty that I will die as a traitor if I should be mistaken.Sire, send me to Breslau--permit me to participate in the organizationof the new levies, and to arouse the zeal and energy of the authorities,and I swear to your majesty the Silesian fortresses shall be saved!"

  "Well, then, I take you at your word," said the king, nodding kindly tothe count. "I will send you to Breslau. Wait; I will immediately draw upthe necessary orders." The king went to his desk and hastily wrote a fewlines, Count Pueckler stood near him, and smilingly said to himself, "Iwill defend Breslau as Schill is defending Colberg! Both of us,therefore, will fulfil the oath we have taken!"

  "Read!" said the king, handing him the paper--"read it aloud!" CountPueckler read:

  "The enclosed proposition of Count Pueckler to reenforce the garrisons ofthe Silesian fortresses deserves the most serious and speedyconsideration. Hence, I order you to carry it out without delay, and tosave no expense in doing so. The fortresses must be defended at anyprice, and to the last man, and I shall cause such commanders to bebeheaded as fail to do their duty.

  "FREDERICK WILLIAM."

  "Are you satisfied?" asked the king, when the count had finished.

  "I thank your majesty in the name of Silesia," said the count, solemnly."Breslau will not fall into the hands of the enemy. I pledge you my headthat it will not. I now request your majesty to let me withdraw."

  "When do you intend to set out?"

  "This very hour."

  "But you told me you had arrived only an hour ago. You ought to takerest till to-morrow."

  "Your majesty, every day of delay exposes your Silesia to greaterdangers. Permit me, there
fore, to set out at once."

  "Well, do so, and may God be with you!"

  The king gazed after the count with a long, musing glance. "Oh," hesighed, mournfully, "if _he_ had been commander of Magdeburg, it wouldbe mine still!"

  Count Pueckler hastened back to Silesia with the king's written order. Hevisited all the fortresses and saw all the commanders. The king, to givemore weight to the count's mission, had instructed the provisionalauthorities and the chief executive officers of the districts, in aspecial rescript, to gather the old soldiers at the headquarters of therecruiting stations; he had ordered all the commanders to conferpersonally with Count Pueckler as to the best steps to be taken for thedefence of the fortresses, by the addition of the new soldiers andriflemen to the regular garrisons.

  Count Pueckler, therefore, had accomplished his purpose; he was able toassist his country and to avenge himself for the disastrous day of Jena.A proud courage animated his heart; his eye was radiant with joy andconfidence; his face was beaming with heroic energy. All who saw himwere filled with his own courage; all who heard him were carried away byhis enthusiasm, and gladly swore to die rather than prove recreant tothe sacred cause of the country. Every one in Breslau knew CountPueckler, and confided in him. Always active, joyous, and indefatigable,he was to be found wherever there was danger; he encouraged the soldiersby standing at their side on the outworks, by toiling with them, andexposing himself to the balls which the enemy was hurling into the city.He maintained the enthusiasm of the citizens by patriotic speeches, sothat they did not despair, but bore their sufferings patiently, andprovided compassionately for the men standing on the ramparts in thestorm and cold, in the face of an uninterrupted artillery-fire. Agenerous rivalry sprang up among the citizens and soldiers: the formercontributed all they had to provide the troops with food and comforts ofevery description; and the latter vowed in their gratitude to fight aslong as there was a drop of blood in their veins, and not suffer theinhabitants, in return for the privations they had undergone, and forthe sacrifices they had made, to be surrendered to the tender mercies ofthe enemy. But this enthusiasm at last cooled. Every one would haveborne days of privation and suffering courageously and joyously enough,but long weeks of anxiety and distress deadened the devotion of thebesieged.

  "Every thing is going on satisfactorily," said Count Pueckler, on comingto the governor of the fortress, General Thile, on the morning of the30th of December. "We shall hold out till the Prince von Pless, who haslately been appointed by the king governor-general of Silesia, arriveswith his troops to succor us and to raise the siege of Breslau."

  The governor shrugged his shoulders. "There will be no succor for us,and every thing will turn out wrong," he said.

  "But the soldiers are faithful, and the citizens do not waver as yet."

  The governor looked almost compassionately at the count. "You see nonebut the faithful, and hear none but the undaunted," he said. "I willshow you the reverse of your bright medal!" He took a paper from hisdesk and beckoned the count to approach. "Just look at this; it is themorning report. Do you want to know how many soldiers deserted lastnight? Over a hundred, and in order to put a stop to further desertions,the countersign had to be changed three times."

  "The deserters are the perfidious, treacherous Poles!" exclaimedPueckler, angrily.

  "Yes, the Poles were the first to desert, and, unfortunately, more thanhalf the garrison consists of Poles. They are the old soldiers who wereorganized in accordance with your proposition, my dear count. They areyearning for home, and long to obtain, in place of the scanty rationsthey receive here, the fleshpots which the Emperor Napoleon has promisedto happy Poland."

  "But they need not starve here; they are provided with sufficient food,"exclaimed Pueckler. "Only yesterday I saw a subscription-papercirculating among the citizens for the purpose of raising money tofurnish the men on duty on the ramparts with meat, whiskey, and hotbeer."

  "How many had signed it?"

  "More than a hundred, general."

  "Well, I will show you another subscription-paper," said the governor,taking it from his desk. "A deputation of the citizens were here lastnight and presented this to me. It contains a request to give them,amidst so many sufferings, the hope of speedy succor, lest they bedriven to despair. Over two hundred signed this paper. I could not holdout any hopes, and had to dismiss them without any consolationwhatever."

  "But succor will come," exclaimed Pueckler.

  "It will not come," said the governor, shrugging his shoulders.

  At that moment the door opened, and an orderly entered. "LieutenantSchorlemmer, in command of the forces at the Schweidnitz Gate, sent mehere," he said. "He instructed me to inform the governor that the firingof field and siege artillery was to be heard, and the village of Duergoywas burning!"

  "The enemy is manoeuvring, and, no doubt, set the villageunintentionally on fire. Tell Lieutenant Schorlemmer that is my reply."

  No sooner had the orderly withdrawn than the officer in command of theengineers entered the room. "Your excellency," he exclaimed, hastily, "Ihave just come from the Ohlau Gate. The enemy is hurrying with hisfield-pieces and many troops from the trenches toward the Schweidnitzroad, and the firing that began an hour ago is gradually approaching thefortress."

  "The succoring troops are drawing near," exclaimed Count Pueckler,joyfully. "The Prince von Pless at the head of his regiments hasattacked the enemy!"

  The governor cast an angry glance on the rash speaker. "It is true youknow all these things a great deal better than old, experiencedsoldiers" he said; "you will permit me, however, to be guided by my ownopinion. Now, I think that the enemy is only manoeuvring for the purposeof decoying the garrison from the city. We shall not be so foolish,however, as to be caught in such a manner. But I will go and satisfymyself about this matter. Come, Mr. Chief-Engineer, and accompany me tothe Ohlau Gate. And you, Count Pueckler, go to General Lindener toascertain his opinion. He has good eyes and ears, and if he view thematter in the same light as I do, I shall be convinced that we areright."

  Count Pueckler hastened away, and while the governor, with thechief-engineer, was walking very leisurely to the Ohlau Gate, Puecklerrushed into the house of General Lindener, determined to make the utmostefforts to induce the governor to order a sally of the garrison. ButGeneral Lindener had already left his palace and gone to the Taschenbastion for the purpose of making his observations. Count Puecklerfollowed him; he could make but slow headway, for the streets weredensely crowded; every one was inquiring why the enemy had suddenlyceased shelling the city.

  Count Pueckler rushed forward toward the Taschen bastion, and theconstantly increasing multitude followed him. General Lindener stoodamidst the superior officers on the rampart of the Taschenberg. He wasscanning the horizon with scrutinizing glances. The officers now lookedat him in great suspense, and now at the open field extending in frontof them. Count Pueckler approached, while the people, who had almostforcibly obtained admission, advanced to the brink and surveyed theenemy's position. The crowd, however, did not consist of vagabondidlers, but of respectable citizens--merchants and mechanics--who wishedfor the consolation the governor had refused them--the hope of succor!Gradually their care-worn faces lighted up. They saw distinctly that theenemy had left the trenches. Here and there they descried stragglingFrench soldiers running in the direction of the fight in front of thefortress. They heard the booming of artillery and the rattling ofmusketry, and they beheld the shells exchanged between the opposingtroops, exploding in the air. Keen eyes discovered Prussian cavalry inthe neighborhood of the Jewish burial-ground, near the Schweidnitzsuburb, and at this sight tremendous cheers burst from the citizens.

  "Succor has come!" they shouted. "The Prince von Pless is coming todeliver us!"

  All now looked to the general, expecting he would utter the decisiveword, and order the garrison to make a sortie. But this order was notgiven.

  General Lindener turned with the utmost composure to his officers. "Ihave
no doubt," he said, "that the enemy Is merely manoeuvring for thepurpose of drawing us out of the fortress. It is an ambush in which weshould not allow ourselves to be caught."

  "Your excellency," exclaimed Pueckler, in dismay, "it is impossible thatyou can be in earnest. That is no manoeuvre; it is a combat. Thelong-hoped-for succor has come at last, and we must profit by it!"

  "Ah," said the general, shrugging his shoulders, "you think because hismajesty permitted you to participate in organizing the defence of thecity, and to confer with the commander in regard to it, you ought toadvise everywhere and to decide every thing!"

  "No; I only think that the time for action has come," exclaimed Pueckler."Opinions and suppositions are out of the question here, for we candistinctly see what is going on in the front of Breslau. I beg the otherofficers to state whether they do not share my opinion--whether it isnot a regular cannonade that we hear, and a real fight between hostiletroops that we behold?"

  "Yes," said one of the officers, loudly and emphatically--"yes, I am ofthe same opinion as Count Pueckler; there is a combat going on; thePrince von Pless is approaching in order to raise the siege."

  "That is my opinion too!" exclaimed each of the officers, in succession;"the succoring troops have come; the enemy has left the trenches inorder to attack them."

  "And as such is the case," exclaimed Count Pueckler, joyfully, "we mustmake a sortie; prudence not only justifies, but commands it."

  "Yes, we must do so!" exclaimed the officers. The citizens standing atsome distance from them heard their words, and shouted joyously: "Asortie, a sortie! Succor has come! Breslau is saved!"

  General Lindener glanced angrily at the officers. "Who dares advise thecommanding general without being asked?" he said, sharply. "None of youmust meddle with these matters; they concern myself alone, and I ampossessed of sufficient judgment not to need any one's advice, but tomake my own decisions!" With a last angry glance at Count Pueckler, heleft the bastion to return to his palace. Governor Thile was awaitinghim there, and the two ascended to the roof of the building to surveythe environs. The fog, which had covered the whole landscape until now,had risen a little, and even the dim eyes of the general and of thegovernor could not deny the truth any more. A combat was really goingon. The smoke rising from the ground, and the flashes of powder fromfield-pieces, were distinctly to be seen. It was a fact: succor was athand: a Prussian corps was approaching the city. The two generals leftthe roof, arm-in-arm, in silence, absorbed in their reflections, anddescended to the ground-floor, where a luncheon had been served up forthem. An hour later, they assembled the garrison, in order to make anattack, "in case the enemy should be defeated!"

  But it seemed as if the enemy had not been defeated. The firing in frontgradually died away; the sally did not take place, and in the eveningthe French recommenced throwing red-hot shot into the city.

  "We have been betrayed," murmured the citizens, as they despondinglyreturned to their homes.

  "The general did not want to make a sortie--he had no intention to saveBreslau," groaned Count Pueckler, when he was alone in his room. "All islost, all is in vain! The wish of the timid sacrifices our honor and ourlives! Oh, my unhappy country, my beloved Prussia, thou wiltirretrievably perish, for thy own sons are betraying thee! Thyindependence and ancient glory are gone; conquered and chained, thouwilt prostrate thyself at the feet of the victor, and with scorn he willplace his foot upon thy neck, and trample thy crown in the dust! I shallnot live to see that disgrace! I will fulfil my oath, and, not beingable to save my country, I must die with it! But not yet! I will waitpatiently, for there is a faint glimmer of hope left. The Prince vonPless may make another attempt to raise the siege, and the citizens andsoldiers may compel General Lindener to order an attack, and not tosurrender. That is my last hope."