Napoleon and the Queen of Prussia

by L. Mühlbach

  CHAPTER XLVII.

  SCHILL TAKES THE FIELD.

  The following afternoon (March 28, 1809) Major Ferdinand von Schillproceeded with his regiment through the streets of Berlin to the Hallegate. The people saluted him everywhere with loud cheers and waving ofhats.

  Schill thanked them more gravely than he had hitherto done, and marchedhis soldiers out of the gate. No one was surprised at this; all supposedthat he only intended to-day, as he had often done, to drill his troopsand to encamp near the city. His adjutants, Baersch and Luetzow, were,however, aware of his plans, and had secretly made preparations to carrythem into effect.

  The regiment took the road to Potsdam. Major von Schill and his twoadjutants rode at its head, and patriotic songs from the soldiersresounded along their march. About half-way between Berlin and Potsdam,near the village of Steglitz, the major stopped his horse, and, with awave of his sword, ordered the regiment to halt; then to move from theroad into the adjoining field, and form in square. The command wasobeyed in a few minutes; and Major von Schill, resting in the centre onhis chestnut charger, surveyed his men with evident pleasure.

  All eyes were turned toward him--all hearts were beating with affectionfor that man of indomitable courage towering above them. Addressingthem, his sonorous voice rang over the welkin as the first notes of atrumpet summoning to the field of blood.

  "Soldiers," he said, "comrades! the moment has come to fight the enemy,against whom all our souls are filled with hatred--the despoiler ofthrones, who has plunged our fatherland into such distress; who hastrampled under foot all the rights of man; to whom no treaty, no peaceis sacred, and who is only waiting for an opportunity utterly to destroythe constitution of our country. The perfidious oppressor thus treatedSpain, after she had made numerous sacrifices to him in order topreserve peace. He intends to degrade Prussia in the same manner, andnot to rest until he has dethroned our beloved king and prostrated theillustrious dynasty of the Hohenzollerns. But never shall he succeed incarrying out so nefarious a plan! Austria, Germany, every patrioticheart is rising against him, and we Prussians cannot remain behind. Itis a sacred obligation to fight for the fatherland, for our belovedking, for the queen whom we all worship, a precious token from whom I amnow holding in my hand, and for whom we are ready at any hour to die!"

  While uttering these words, Schill waved the embroideredmemorandum-book, which flashed in the sunbeams as a trophy and pledge ofvictory.

  Shouts burst from the soldiers. "Hurrah!" they cried, "long live theking and the queen! long live Major von Schill!"

  "Boys," exclaimed Schill, "will you follow me, and fight for Germany andour king?"

  "Yes, we will, we will!" shouted the hussars, drawing their sabres andwaving them over their heads.

  "Will you swear to stand by your commander to the last extremity?"

  "We swear to stand by you to the last!" was the enthusiastic answer,while the soldiers looked exultantly at each other, and exchangedcongratulations at the opening of the campaign. But no one had thoughtof future dangers or the necessities of a soldier's life. They hadnothing but their uniforms; leaving in Berlin all their money andclothing, and, unaware of this sudden movement, they had not even takenleave of their parents, wives, and children. Every thing was forgottenin their partiotism, so soon and unexpectedly tested--in their glowingdesire to save their country, and gain a name on the field of honor.

  The march was continued to Potsdam. There they rested over night, andthe servants of the officers joined them in the morning, bringing fromthe governor of Berlin passports for Schill. The brave little regimentsoon after left for an assault on the fortress of Wittenberg. It was nottaken, but the commander of Wittenberg concluded an armistice withSchill, and permitted him and his soldiers, with their drums beating, tomarch under the cannon of the fortress, and to pass the bridge built atthat place over the Elbe.

  On the 2nd of May the regiment reached Dessau. The duke had fled, but theinhabitants received the Prussian hussars in the most ardent manner, andhailed Schill as the hero who would free the people from the yoke underwhich they were groaning.

  The expedition was no longer a secret. The joyful news spread: "Schillhas taken the field against Napoleon; he has called the Germans to arms,and they will rally around his banner!" He himself believed in success,firmly convinced that it was only necessary for him to issue aproclamation, and the people would rise _en masse_. He resolved to do sofrom his headquarters at Dessau. No sooner had he reached that city thanhe hurriedly prepared his call "To the Germans!" The ink was not yetdry, when he took the paper, and, accompanied by his adjutants, went tothe house of M. Hormuth, printer to the court, and asked to see him. Theprinter soon made his appearance, and anxiously asked Schill hisbusiness.

  "You will please print this proclamation, sir," said Schill, handing himthe paper; "it must be ready in an hour."

  "Major," said Hormuth, glancing despairingly at the scarcely legiblehandwriting, "I cannot print it, for I am unable to read it."

  "Oh, I will read it to you," exclaimed Schill, and he commenced:

  "To THE GERMANS!--Brethren, groaning under the yoke of a foreign nation!the moment has arrived when you are able to break your chains, and toregain the constitution under which you have lived in happiness andprosperity for centuries, until the boundless ambition of a conquerorbrought incalculable calamities upon our country. Rise! Be men! Followme, and we shall again be what we were! Ring the tocsin! Let this signalfan the flame of patriotism in your hearts, and be the death-knell ofyour oppressors! Take up arms! Scythes and pikes may take the place ofmuskets. They will soon be replaced by English weapons already arrived.Wielded by strong arms, even the peaceful scythe becomes fatal. Letevery one arm himself, and share the glory of the liberators of thefatherland, fighting not only for himself but for the safety andhappiness of future generations! He who is cowardly enough to disobeythis call, will be consigned to contempt and infamy. No noble Germangirl will ever bestow her hand upon such a traitor. Courage! God is withus and our just cause. Let the old men pray for us! The armies ofAustria are advancing victoriously, notwithstanding the boasts of theFrench; the brave Tyrolese have already broken their chains; thecourageous Hessians have risen, and I am hastening to you at the head ofwell-tried and skilful soldiers. The just cause will soon conquer, andthe ancient glory of our country will be restored. To arms! to arms!SCHILL."

  "Now, sir," said Schill, "I suppose you will be able to read myhandwriting and to print it?"

  "Now that I know the contents," said M. Hormuth, shaking his head, "Iknow also that he who prints this proclamation endangers his life, andthat he may lose it just as soon as Palm. Sir, I have a wife andchildren; I am happy with my family; hence life is dear to me, and Ishould not like to lose it like poor Palm. He did much less than you askme to do. He only circulated a pamphlet hostile to the French, but I amto print a proclamation calling upon all Germans to rise in arms againstthe Emperor of the French. Major, I risk my life by complying with yourorder."

  "What!" exclaimed Schill, angrily; "you are a German, and refuse toserve the holy cause of your country? You refuse to print thisproclamation?"

  "No, I will print it," said M. Hormuth, slowly; "I will print it, butonly on one condition."

  "Well, and that condition is--"

  "That you, major, be kind enough to hold a pistol to my breast andthreaten to shoot me, in case I refuse. You must do so in the presenceof my compositors, and give me a written certificate that I yielded onlyto violence."

  "M. Hormuth, you are a very prudent man, and it will afford me greatpleasure to fulfil your wishes," said Schill, smilingly, drawing hispistol and aiming at the printer.

  "Pray, major, do not cock it, for the pistol might go off," saidHormuth, anxiously. "Now be kind enough to hold it to my breast, andshout in a loud and menacing voice that you will shoot me like a dog ifI refuse to print this paper. Distribute also some insultingepithets--call me a coward, a renegade, any thing you can think of, andas loud and threat
ening as you can."

  "Very well, I will do all that," said Schill, laughing, and hisadjutants, as well as M. Hormuth himself, joined in the sport.

  "Now, let us go to work," said Schill.

  "Will you print this proclamation, you miserable coward? Why, you havenot pluck enough to be a German! I ask you, for the last time, will youprint the proclamation?"

  "Sir, have mercy upon me!" wailed M. Hormuth, in a terrified tone. "Icannot print it. It is impossible, sir; impossible!"

  "You villain, I will kill you on the spot if you dare resist me," criedSchill. "I--"

  "My compositors will be here presently," said M. Hormuth. "Please go onin the same strain."

  "I will shoot you like a dog if you do not obey!"

  "Help! help! oh, major, have mercy!"

  The doors opened, and there appeared at one door the compositors andpressmen; at the other, Madame Hormuth with her children.

  "Will you print my proclamation, you infamous scoundrel?" shoutedSchill. "Say no, and I will put a bullet through your cowardly heart!"

  "Sir, I cannot; I--"

  "Husband, I beseech you!" cried Madame Hormuth, rushing toward him."Husband, consider what you are doing; think of your children, think ofme, and comply with the wishes of the major."

  "No! I will die rather than print so seditious a paper!"

  "Very well, then, you shall die," said Schill. "You refuse to print, andI will assuredly shoot you."

  "M. Hormuth, you may as well yield," said the compositors.

  "It is prudent to submit to necessity. Besides, we are somewhatinterested, for your death would throw us out of work."

  "I will yield," said M. Hormuth, sighing. "Take away your pistol, major.I will print your proclamation; but be so good as to certify that Iconsent only on account of your threats and violence. My workmen willsign the certificate as witnesses, will you not?"

  "Yes, certainly, we will cheerfully witness what is true."

  "Very well," said M. Hormuth. "Now quick, boys; go to work! Here is themanuscript. Let four compositors take it. Divide the copy into fourparts; the composition must be done in fifteen minutes, and the printingin two hours. How many copies do you want, major?"

  "Ten thousand."

  "Very well, ten thousand copies to be done in two hours. We mustremember my life is at stake; for I suppose you will shoot me, major, ifwe should disappoint you?"

  "You may be sure of that. Now give me the pen and ink that I may draw upthat certificate for you."

  The ten thousand printed copies arrived exactly two hours afterward atthe headquarters of Major von Schill, and M. Hormuth, who refused totake any payment for them, received in return a certificate that he hadbeen forcibly compelled to print them.

  The brave regiment left Dessau on the following day, still in the joyfulhope that the German people would rise, and that a host of warriorswould respond to the call for the deliverance of the fatherland. Butalas! this hope was not to be fulfilled. The population of the citiesand villages received Schill's hussars and their heroic chieftain inthe most gratifying manner. His proclamation was read everywhere withunbounded pleasure, but no one dared to follow him; no scythes or pikeswere to be seen in the array of this little band of patriots. There wasbut one glad day for Schill; that was on the 12th of May, whenLieutenant von Quistorp, from Berlin, joined him with a hundred andsixty men, who had left their colors and came with him to reenforce"brave Schill, the liberator of Germany."

  But Quistorp brought at the same time bad news. The report of a victoryof the Austrians had proved unfounded. The Archduke Charles had obtainedno advantages; on the contrary, after a succession of desperateengagements, he was beaten on the 23rd of April at Ratisbon, and escapedwith the remnant of his army into the Boehmerwald. The Emperor Napoleonhad advanced with his victorious forces in the direct road to Vienna.

  "If Napoleon takes Vienna," said Schill to himself, "then we shall allperish! But we will still hope and trust; the fortune of war may turnyet. The Emperor of Austria is still in Vienna, and the citizens havesworn to be buried under the ruins of their city rather than open itsgates again to the enemy. Let us hope, therefore, and fight." Turning toQuistorp, he continued: "Every thing may yet turn out well. Myproclamation may find an echo in the hearts of my Prussian comrades, andthey may unite with us. To-day, you, Lieutenant von Quistorp, havearrived with one hundred and sixty men; to-morrow another friend mayjoin us with several thousand. Before long we shall have a considerablearmy, and this will inspire those still hesitating, and make the timidbold. The larger our force, the firmer will be the confidence of theking, and finally he will freely and openly order all the regiments tojoin us and commence the struggle."

  "Do not hope in the king, major," said Lieutenant von Quistorp, sadly."The failure of Doernberg's rising, the defeat of the Archduke Charles,and the new victories of Napoleon, have made him more resolute thanever; he is afraid of Napoleon's anger and vengeance, and, moreindisposed than ever to incur them, he has publicly and solemnlyrepudiated your bold movement."

  "What has the king done?" exclaimed Schill, turning pale; "what do youknow?"

  "I know that the king has also issued a proclamation, in which he saysthat he cannot find words sufficiently forcible to express hisdisapproval of your illegal and criminal conduct; he calls upon thearmy not to be seduced by your example, and orders you, and all withyou, to be tried by a court-martial."

  "That is impossible!" cried Schill, in great excitement; "the kingcannot forsake me in so shameful a manner! You have been misinformed,Quistorp; certain persons have tried to deter you from joining me byfalse reports."

  "No," said Quistorp, "you are mistaken. I was already on the march toArneburg, when, a few miles from here, a courier, under instructionsfrom General Chassot, overtook me. In order to warn me, the general sentme the proclamation of the king, and ordered me to face aboutimmediately and return to my regiment. He added that this was the lastorder he would issue, for he, as well as General Lestocq, governor ofBerlin, had been called, by order of the king, to Koenigsberg, where bothof them were to be tried by a military commission. Here are the papers,major."

  Schill glanced over them, and, while reading, his hands trembled. "Thisis a terrible blow," he said, sighing. "The king proscribes me, andbrands me as a traitor and deserter. It is all in vain! Germany isasleep, and our voice will not awaken her; Germany lies in the dustbefore the French tyrant, and the King of Prussia will punish astraitors those who act courageously! Oh, my country, thou art lost, forthy own princes betray thee!"

  He sank despairingly on a chair, and hid his face with his hands. Inthis attitude he remained, groaning piteously, a prey to his anguish.The adjutants entered the room, but Schill did not notice them. Absorbedin his reflections and forebodings, his mind, as it were, had passedfrom the contemplation of the present, and beheld nothing but the awfulfuture.

  The three young officers, Luetzow, Quistorp, and Baersch, well known fortheir intrepidity, stood sad and dejected before their brave major.

  Suddenly rising from his chair, he said: "I thank you, Lieutenant vonQuistorp, for having joined me with your faithful men. Germany will seeat least that there are still brave men who do not forsake theircountry, and if we sacrifice our lives for her, she will at leastengrave our names on the tablets of her martyrs. We cannot retrace oursteps, my friends; we must advance, though death stare us in the face.This very night we leave Arneburg, and continue our march. We may stillsucceed in what Doernberg and Charles have been unable to accomplish. Weshall appeal again to the patriotism of the Germans. Perhaps theirhearts will practically respond--they may hear our voice and follow us.But if fortune have decided against us, if we succumb without deliveringour country, very well! 'An end with terror is better than terrorwithout end!' Before us is honor, and at the worst, a glorious death;behind us, contumely and disgrace. Therefore, forward!"