by G. A. Henty
Chapter 20: Torgau.
After many marches and quick blows at the Confederate armies, anddriving them beyond the borders of Saxony, Frederick moved towardsTorgau, where Daun had established himself in a position that hedeemed impregnable. It had been Prince Henry's camp during theprevious autumn, and Daun had in vain beleaguered it. Hulsen hadmade it his headquarters during the summer.
Torgau was an old-fashioned town, surrounded by tracts of pinewood, with pleasant villages and much well-cultivated land. Thetown rose above the Elbe, on the shoulder of a broad eminencecalled the Siptitz. This height stands nearly a mile from theriver. On the western and southern side of the town are a series oflakes and quagmires, the remains of an old course of the Elbe.
Set on Siptitz's heights was Daun's camp, girt about byintrenchments. The hill was mostly covered with vineyards. Itsheight was some two hundred feet above the general level of thecountry, and its area some five or six square miles. Covered, asits flanks were, by heights, woods, ponds, and morasses, theposition was an extremely strong one, so much so that Daun had notventured to attack Prince Henry, though in vastly superior force;and still more difficult was it for Frederick to do so, when heldby an army greatly superior to his own, for the Austrian forcenumbered sixty-five thousand, while the king, after being joined byall his detachments, had but forty-four thousand. Nothing, indeed,but the most urgent necessity could have driven the king to attemptso difficult an enterprise.
[Map: Battle of Torgau]
His plan was to attack it simultaneously in front and rear; and todo this he decided that half the force, under Ziethen, shouldattack the Siptitz hill on the south side; while he himself, withthe other half, was to make a long detour and assault it, at thesame moment, on the north.
Frederick's march was some fifteen miles in length, while Ziethenhad but six to traverse; and as the route was through forests, thedifficulties in the way of the two columns arriving at their pointof attack, simultaneously, were great indeed; and were increased bythe fact that the weather was wet, the ground heavy, and thestreams swollen.
The king's force marched in three columns, by roads through theforest. There were no villages here, no one to question as to theturns and branchings of roads, thus adding to the chances that evenFrederick's force would not arrive together at the point of attack.Frederick's own column contained eight thousand grenadiers and footguards, with a force of cavalry; and his line of march was by theroad nearest to Daun's position.
Two other columns--Hulsen's, composed principally of infantry; andHolstein's, chiefly of cavalry--marched on parallel roads on awider circle; and the baggage, in a column by itself, outside all.
Daun had news of Frederick's approach, and had strong detachmentswatching in the woods. The scouts of one of these parties broughtin news of the king's march. A signal cannon was fired immediately,and Daun learned thereby of the movement to attack him from thenorth.
Daun at once wheeled round a portion of his force to receiveFrederick's attack. Lacy, with twenty thousand men, had been placedas an advanced guard; and now shifted his position westward, toguard what had become Daun's rear; while two hundred fresh cannonwere added, to the two hundred already placed, to defend the facethreatened by Frederick.
For an hour before the king arrived at his point of attack, a heavyartillery fire had been heard from Ziethen's side; and it wassupposed that he had already delivered his attack. Unfortunately,he had not done so. He had calculated his pace accurately, but hadcome upon a small Austrian force, like those Frederick hadencountered. It had for a time held its ground, and had replied tohis fire with cannon. Ziethen, not knowing how small the force was,drew up in order of battle and drove it back on Lacy, far to theeast of his proper place of attack. Here he became engaged withLacy, and a cannonade was kept up for some hours--precious timethat should have been spent in ascending the hills, and giving aidto the king.
When Frederick's column emerged from the woods, there was no signof either Hulsen or Holstein's divisions. The king sent out hisstaff to hurry them up, and himself reconnoitred the ground andquestioned the peasants.
The ground proved so boggy as to be impassable, and Frederickwithdrew into the wood again, in order to attack the Austrian left.This had, in Prince Henry's time, been defended by a strongabattis; but since the cold weather set in, much of this had beenused by the Austrians as firewood, and it could therefore bepenetrated.
Frederick waited impatiently. He could hear the heavy cannonade onZiethen, and feared that that general would be crushed before hecould perform his part of the plan arranged. His staff were unableto find Holstein's cavalry, which had taken the wrong turning atsome point, and were completely lost. Hulsen was still far away.
Nevertheless, in his desire to give support to Ziethen, the kingdecided upon an attack with his own column, alone. The grenadierswere placed in the front line, the rest of the infantry in thecentre. The cavalry, 800 strong, followed to do any service thatchance might afford them.
It took some time to bring the troops into their new position and,while this was being done, Daun opened fire, with his four hundredcannon, upon the forest through which they were marching, with adin that Frederick declared exceeded anything that he ever heardbefore. The small force of artillery took its place outside thewood to cover the attack but, as soon as a few shots were fired,the Austrian guns opened upon them and they were silenced.
Frederick's place was between the two lines of his grenadiers, andthey issued from the wood within eight hundred yards of PrinceHenry's abattis, and with marvellous bravery ran forward. Moweddown in lines by the storm of cannon shot, they suffered terribly.One regiment was almost entirely destroyed, the other pressedforward as far as the abattis, fighting so desperately that Daunwas obliged to bring up large reinforcements before he could drivethe survivors back.
The Austrians, believing that victory was won, charged down inpursuit; but the second line met them firmly, drove them back and,following hotly, again reached the abattis; and only retreatedslowly before the overwhelming forces which the Austrian thenbrought up. The battle had lasted only an hour, but halfFrederick's column were already killed or wounded.
Shortly after they had retired, Hulsen's column came up. The fourhundred guns had never ceased pouring their iron rain into theforest, but the newcomers arrived in splendid order. The remnant ofFrederick's column joined them, furious at defeat and burning tomeet the enemy again.
So stern and resolute was the attack that, for a time, it carriedall before it. Daun's line of defence was broken, most of hiscannon silenced, and for a time the Prussians advanced, carryingall before them. Had Ziethen been doing his part, instead of idlycannonading Lacy, the battle would have been won; but hisinactivity enabled Daun to bring up all his forces against theking. These he hurled at the Prussians and, foot by foot, drovethem back and pushed them down the hill again.
Frederick himself had been struck from his horse by a piece of caseshot, fortunately almost spent, and which failed to penetrate histhick pelisse. He was badly contused, and for a short timeinsensible; but he quickly sprung to his feet again, mounted hishorse, and maintained his place in the fight as if nothing hadhappened. After this second repulse he again formed up his troops,and at that moment he was joined by Holstein with his cavalry.
The sun had already set, and the darkness favoured the attack. Daunhad not yet recovered from the terrible confusion into which histroops were thrown by the attack, and the Prussians again mountedthe hill, Holstein attacking Daun's right wing.
The main body of the cavalry found the morasses and obstacles soimpracticable that they were unable to attack as arranged, but tworegiments succeeded in gaining the plateau. One of these dashedupon the Austrian infantry. They met, broke into fragments, andtook two whole regiments prisoners; and brought them and six gunstriumphantly off. The other regiment charged four Austrianbattalions, broke them, and brought the greater portion off,prisoners.
Night fell upon a scene of general confusion. The
two armies werecompletely mixed up. In some places Austrians were in the rear ofthe Prussians, in others Prussians in the rear of Austrians.
Nothing more could to be done. So far Frederick had gained asuccess and, thanks to the extraordinary bravery and determinationof his soldiers, had broken up Daun's line and planted himself onthe plateau; but he had suffered terribly in doing so, and couldhardly hope, in the morning, to make head against the vastlysuperior forces of the Austrians.
Daun himself had been wounded in the foot, and had gone down to thetown to have it dressed. Had he been able to remain on the field,late as it was, he might have been able to restore order and tocontinue the battle; as it was, gradually the firing ceased.Exhausted by the long march and the desperate efforts they hadmade, the Prussians wrapped themselves in their cloaks, and laydown to sleep where they stood--if sleep they could, on so bitterlycold a night.
On the hilltop there was no wood to be had, but in the forest greatfires were lighted. Round these Prussian and Austrian stragglersalike gathered. In the morning they would be foes again, but fortonight they were content to lay their quarrel aside, none knowingwho was victor and who vanquished; and which, in the morning, wouldbe prisoners to the others.
The king, now that the excitement was over, felt the pain of his wound.He descended the hill, and took up his quarters in the church at thelittle village of Elsnig, where every house was full of wounded. He hadleft Hulsen the charge of endeavouring to reform the scattered troops,but he could do but little that way. In vain did the generals andofficers move about with orders, expostulations, and threats. For oncethe Prussian soldier was deaf to the word of command. He had done allthat he could do, and nature triumphed over long habits of obedience;even the sound of cannon and musketry, on the other side of the hill,fell dead upon his ears. Ziethen had been cannonading all day. Nothinghad come of it, and nothing could come of it.
Still, Hulsen did a good deal, and by six o'clock had got some ofthe cavalry and infantry battalions in fair order, on the extremeright; where, in the morning, Daun's left flank stood.
Ziethen, ordinarily a brilliant and active man, had been a strangefailure that day. Not even the terrible din of the king's battlehad roused him to take any measure to support him, or even to makea diversion in his favour. In vain Mollendorf, an active andenterprising general, had implored him to attempt something, ifonly to draw off a portion of the Austrian strength from the king.Saldern, another general, had fruitlessly added his voice to thatof Mollendorf.
A feeling of deep gloom spread through the army, a feeling that theking had been deserted, and must have been crushed; just as, on theother side, all felt certain that some serious misfortune must havehappened to Ziethen.
At last, as darkness began to set in, at four o'clock, Ziethen waspersuaded to move. He marched towards the left, to the point wherehe should have attacked in the morning, but which he had passed inhis hot pursuit of the small Austrian force; but first sent Saldernagainst the village of Siptitz.
Burning with their repressed impatience, Saldern's infantry went atthe enemy with a rush, captured the battery there, and drove theAustrians out; but the latter fired the bridge so that, for thepresent, farther advance was barred to the Prussians.
Fortunately at this moment Mollendorf, more to the west, came uponthe road by which Ziethen should have marched. It was carriedfirmly over the marsh ground, and by a bridge over a stream betweentwo of the ponds. Seizing this pass over the morasses, Mollendorfsent to Ziethen; who, roused at last, ordered all his force tohurry there.
The Austrians had now taken the alarm, and hurried to oppose thepassage; but Mollendorf had already many troops across the bridge,and maintained himself till he was sufficiently reinforced to pushforward.
For an hour and a half a desperate fight raged. The Prussiansgained but little ground, while the Austrians were constantly beingreinforced from Lacy's command, on their left. Hulsen, however,just as he had got a portion of his infantry and cavalry into somesort of order, had marked the sudden increase of the cannonade onthe other side of the hill; and, presently seeing the glow of agreat fire, guessed that it must come from the village of Siptitz.Then came a furious cannonade, and the continuous roar of musketrythat spoke of a battle in earnest. Ziethen, then, was coming atlast, and the old general determined to help him.
His own riding horses had all been killed, and he had been sorelybruised by the falls. Sending for a cannon, he got astride of it,called up the infantry round him--the brigade of GeneralLestwitz--begged the drummers to strike up the Prussian march and,through the blackness of the night, started for the point where thedin of battle was going on unceasingly.
Forgotten now were the fatigues of the day. The Prussians pressedon with their quick strides, their excitement growing higher andhigher as they neared the scene of action; and breaking out into aroar of cheering as, sweeping round on the side of the hill, theyjoined Ziethen's hardly-pressed troops and rushed upon the enemy.
But though the news of their coming cheered all the line to freshexertions, not yet was the combat finished. The whole of Lacy'scommand was opposed to them, swelled by reinforcements sent downfrom above by O'Donnel who, in Daun's absence, was in command. Itwas another hour before the foe gave way, and the Prussians pressedsteadily up the hill; until at nine o'clock they were planted onthe top of the Siptitz hill, on the highest point of the plateau,whence their cannon commanded the whole ground down to Torgau.
Daun, conscious of the danger, had, as he heard of Ziethen'sadvance, sent order after order that he must at all costs be drivenback; and even when the Prussians gained the position, they hadstill to struggle fiercely for another hour to hold it. Daun knewthat, with Frederick established on one side of the position, andwith Ziethen well planted upon the other and commanding the wholeof it with his guns, there was nothing for it but to retreat; andalready he had sent orders that a strong force should form in orderof battle to repel an attack, close to the suburbs of Torgau. Assoon as this disposition was effected, he ordered the retreat tocommence.
Fortunately he had four bridges across the river; and he had, onthe previous day, taken the precaution of sending the whole of hisbaggage wagons over. On occasions of this kind Daun's dispositionswere always admirable, and he drew off his army across the river inexcellent order; half the Prussian army knowing nothing of what wasgoing on, and the other half being too exhausted to attempt tointerfere, ignorant as they were of the position and state ofFrederick's division.
Had the king known earlier what was taking place, comparatively fewof the Austrian army would have got across the river. But it wasnot until long after the battle was done that Frederick, sittingdepressed and heavy hearted, dictating his despatches in the littlechurch seven or eight miles away, learned that what had seemedlikely to terminate in a terrible disaster, had ended with adecisive victory. Daun lost in the battle twelve thousand killedand wounded, eight thousand prisoners, and forty-five cannon; whilethe Prussians lost between thirteen and fourteen thousand, of whomfour thousand were prisoners.
It was not until nearly one o'clock in the morning that Ziethenlearned that the Austrians were already across the river. Then hepushed down into Torgau, and crossed the town bridge in time tocapture twenty-six pontoons.
Daun retreated by the right side of the river, Lacy by the left;and the two forces rejoined at Dresden, and took up their position,as usual, in the Plauen stronghold; while Frederick, afterfinishing the clearance of all Saxony save the capital, took up hiswinter quarters at Leipzig on the 6th of December.
The result of the battle of Torgau was not to be measured by therespective losses of the two armies. It had the effect of entirelyundoing all the advantages that the Austrians had gained,throughout the campaign; and left the king in a better positionthan when it opened in the spring. The Russian army had beenattacked and beaten, while the Austrians were shut up in theirnatural stronghold, near Dresden. The whole of Saxony had beenrecovered; and Silesia, with the exception of one or twofortresses,
was still in Frederick's hands. How light hearted theking felt, after the load of care that had lain upon him had beenlifted, may be judged by an extract from a letter, written afortnight after the battle to an elderly lady of the court atMagdeburg.
"I am exact in answering, and eager to satisfy you (in that matterof the porcelain). You shall have a breakfast set, my good Mamma:six coffee-cups, very pretty, well diapered, and tricked out withall the little embellishments which increase their value. Onaccount of some pieces which they are adding to the set, you willhave to wait a few days; but I flatter myself this delay willcontribute to your satisfaction, and produce for you a toy thatwill give you pleasure, and make you remember your old adorer. Itis curious how old people's habits agree. For four years past Ihave given up suppers, as incompatible with the trade I am obligedto follow; and on marching days my dinners consist of a cup ofchocolate.
"We hurried off like fools, quite inflated with our victory, to tryif we could not chase the Austrians out of Dresden. They made amockery of us from the tops of their mountains. So I havewithdrawn, like a bad little boy, to conceal myself, out of spite,in one of the wretchedest villages in Saxony. And here the firstthing will be to drive the Circle gentlemen (Reich's army) out ofFreyberg into Chemnitz, and get ourselves soon to quarters, andsomething to live upon.
"It is, I swear to you, a hideous life; the like of which nobodybut Don Quixote ever led before me. All this tumbling and toiling,and bother and confusion that never ceases, has made me so old thatyou would scarcely know me again. On the right side of my head thehair is all gray. My teeth break and fall out. I have got my facewrinkled like the falbalas of a petticoat, my back bent like afiddle bow, and spirit sad and cast down like a monk of La Trappe.I forewarn you of all this lest, in case we should meet again inflesh and bone, you might feel yourself too violently shocked by myappearance. There remains to me nothing but the heart, which hasundergone no change; and which will preserve, as long as I breathe,its feelings of esteem and of tender friendship for my good Mamma.
"Adieu."
Fergus knew nothing of the concluding scenes of the battle ofTorgau until some little time afterwards. He was not with the kingwhen the grenadiers first made their attack on the hill, havingbeen despatched to find and bring up Hulsen's column. Havingdiscovered it, he guided it through the forest to the point whereFrederick was so anxiously expecting its arrival; and when itadvanced, with the survivors of the grenadiers, to the secondattack, he took his place behind the king. They were halfway up theascent when a cannon ball struck him on the left arm, carrying itaway just above the elbow.
"As Fergus fell from his horse, Karl, who wasriding behind him, leapt from his saddle"]
As he fell from his horse, Karl, who was riding behind him, leaptfrom his saddle with a hoarse cry of rage. Then, seeing the natureof the wound, he lifted him in his arms, mounted Fergus's horse,and rode down through an interval between the regiments of thesecond line; and then into the wood, to the spot where the surgeonswere dressing the wounds of those hurt in the first charge. One whohad just finished attending one of the grenadiers, seeing that thetrooper was carrying a colonel of the king's staff, at once helpedKarl to lower him to the ground.
"You have done well to bring him down at once, my man," he said."It may be the saving of his life."
As he spoke, he was cutting off the tunic.
"There is not much flow of blood. You see, the contusion has closedthe main artery. If we can keep it from bursting out, he will do."
He took out from his case some stout tape, passed it round the arm,asked Karl for a ramrod out of one his pistols and, with this,twisted the tape until it almost cut into the skin. Then he gave afew more turns, to hold the ramrod securely in its place. Then hecalled a young surgeon to him.
"We had better make a good job of this, at once," he said. "This isColonel Drummond, one of the king's favourite officers, and a mostgallant young fellow. It will not take us five minutes."
The artery was first found and tied up; for Prussian surgery was,at that time, far ahead of our own. The bruised flesh was pressedup, the bone cut off neatly, above the point where it wassplintered, the flesh brought down again over it and trimmed, thenseveral thicknesses of lint put over it, and the whole carefullybandaged up.
"There," he said to Karl, as he rose from his work, "that is allthat I can do for him; and unless it bursts out bleeding again, heis likely to do well. If it does, you must tighten that tape stillmore. All there is to do is to keep him as quiet as possible.
"Have you any spirits?"
"Yes, doctor, there is a flask in his holster."
"Mix some with as much water, and pour a little down his throatfrom time to time. Fold his cloak, and put it under his head. Hewill probably recover consciousness in a short time. When he doesso, impress upon him the necessity of lying perfectly quiet. Assoon as the battle is over, we must get him moved into shelter."
In half an hour Fergus opened his eyes. Karl, who was kneeling byhim, placed one hand on his chest and the other on the wounded arm.
"You must not move, colonel," he said. "You have been hit, but thedoctor says you will get over it; but you must lie perfectlystill."
Fergus looked round in bewilderment. Then, as the roar of thebattle came to his ears, he made an instinctive effort to rise.
"It is going on still," Karl said, repressing the movement. "Weshall thrash them, presently; but you can do nothing more today,and you must do as the doctor bids you, sir."
"Where am I hit?"
"It is on the left arm, colonel. An Austrian cannonball did thebusiness. If it had been three or four inches farther to the right,it would have finished you. As it is, I hope that you will soon getabout again."
"Then it has taken off my arm," Fergus said feebly.
"Better that than your head, sir. The left arm is of no greataccount, except for holding a bridle; and there is a good bit of itleft.
"Drink a little more of this brandy and water. How do you feel now,sir?"
"I feel cold," Fergus replied. "My feet are like ice."
Karl wrapped Fergus's fur-lined pelisse round his feet, undid hisblanket and cloak from his saddle, and laid them over him.
"That will be better, sir. Now, if you will promise to lie quitequiet, I will fasten your horse up--I don't know what has become ofmine--and will go and collect some firewood and get up a goodblaze. I am afraid there is no chance of getting you into ashelter, tonight."
"I am afraid we are being driven down the hill again, Karl. Theroll of musketry is coming nearer."
"That is so, colonel; but we shall have the cavalry up soon, andthat will make all the difference."
Just as Karl came back with an armful of firewood, a staff officerrode up.
"The king has sent me to inquire how Colonel Drummond is," he said."His majesty has heard that he is badly wounded, and has beencarried here."
"This is the colonel, major," Karl said, leading him to the side ofFergus.
"I am sorry to see you here," the officer said. "The king has sentme to inquire after you."
"Will you thank his majesty, Major Kaulbach; and tell him that itis nothing worse than the loss of a left arm, and that thesurgeon's opinion is that I shall do well. How goes the battle?"
"Badly, badly; but Holstein will be up in a quarter of an hour, andthen we shall have another try. We broke their line badly, lasttime; and if we had had cavalry to launch at them, we should havemanaged the business."
"The king is unhurt, I hope."
"Not altogether. He was struck from his horse by a piece of caseshot, but his pelisse saved him. He was able to mount again in afew minutes, making very light of the affair; and was in the middleof the fight, as usual. I was next you when you were hit, and I sawyour orderly lift you on to your horse before him and, as soon aswe got down here, reported it to the king."
"Our loss must be terribly heavy."
"Terrible! There is no saying how severe it is, yet; but not halfthe grenadiers are on t
heir feet.
"There is nothing I can do for you?"
"Nothing at all. My orders are to lie still; and as I feel too weakto move, and there is no one to carry me away, and nowhere to takeme to, I am not likely to disobey the order."
The officer rode off again. Karl soon had a fire lighted,sufficiently close to Fergus for him to feel its warmth. Woundedmen, who had made their way down the hill, came and sat down on theother sides of it. Many other fires were lighted, as it grew dusk.
In front the battle had broken out again, as furiously as ever; andere long wounded men began to come down again. They broughtcheering news, however. The Prussians were still pressing forward,the cavalry had thrown the Austrian line into terrible confusion.No one knew exactly where any of the Prussian battalions had gotto, but all agreed that things were going on well.
At five o'clock the roar gradually ceased, and soon all was quiet.The wounded now came in fast, but none could say whether the battlewas won or lost; for the night was so dark that each could onlyspeak of what had happened to his own corps.
Presently the number round the fires was swelled by the arrival ofnumerous Austrians, wounded and unwounded. Most of these laid theirrifles by, saying:
"It is a bitter night, comrades. Will you let us have a share ofthe fire?"
"Come in, come in," the Prussians answered. "We are all friends fortonight, for we are all in equally bad plight. Can you tell us howmatters have gone, up there?"
But these knew no more than the Prussians. They had got separatedfrom their corps in the confusion and, losing their way altogether,had seen the glow of the fires in the forest, and had come down forwarmth and shelter.
Presently Major Kaulbach rode up again.
"How have things gone, major?" Fergus asked eagerly.
"No one knows," he said. "The Austrians are broken up; and ourbattalions and theirs are so mixed that there is no saying wherethey are, or how matters will stand in the morning. The king hasgone to Elsnig, two or three miles away."
"Is there no news of Ziethen?"
"None. They have just begun to fire heavily again in thatdirection, but what he has been doing all day, no one has anyidea."
But little was said round the fires. A short distance away thesurgeons were still at work with the more serious cases, while thesoldiers roughly bandaged each other's wounds; but as, gradually,the distant firing increased in fury, and seemed to grow indistinctness, men who had lain down sat up to listen. There was nolonger any talking, and a hush fell upon the forest.
"It is certainly coming closer, colonel," Karl said at last. "Itseems that Ziethen has woke up in earnest. May the good God grantthat he win his way up on to the heights!"
"If he does, we shall have the Austrians, in the morning. If hedoesn't, we shall have a poor chance with them."
"I am afraid we sha'n't, colonel; but it certainly sounds as ifZiethen was making way."
At nine o'clock a cavalry officer came riding along. He drew reinat the fire.
"Can anyone tell me where I can find the king?"
"He is at Elsnig, captain," Karl said, rising and saluting. "May Iask what is the news, sir?"
"The news is good. Ziethen has gained the heights. We can see theflash of fire round the Siptitz hill."
A cheer broke from all the Prussians within hearing. There was nota man but knew that the fate of Prussia hung on the result of thisbattle, and for the moment wounds were forgotten. Men shook hands,with tears of joy streaming down their rugged cheeks; and as otherscame running up from the other fires, to know what was the news,and then hurried off again to tell their companions, the forestrang with their cheering.
All was not over yet. For a time the firing was louder and heavierthan before, but towards ten o'clock news came that Ziethen wasfirmly established on the Siptitz hill, and that the Austrianbattalions were drawing off. Then all lay down to sleep, rejoicedand thankful; and even the Austrians, disconcerted as they were,were not altogether sorry that they must now consider themselvesprisoners; and free, for a long time to come, from further risk ofbattle.
The news, in the morning, that the Austrian army had alreadycrossed the river and was in full retreat southwards, afforded themost intense satisfaction. There was now a hope of shelter and restin Torgau, instead of the prospect of remaining in the forest,drenched to the skin by the rain that had come down, withoutintermission, for the last twenty-four hours.
An hour later Major Kaulbach again rode up, accompanied by fourinfantry men bearing a stretcher.
"The king has already gone on to Torgau, and he has given me ordersto see that you are carried there, at once. There will be no morefighting, at present. Daun has got a long start, and there will beenough to do here, for the next twelve hours, in collecting thewounded. Lacy has retreated this side of the river, and Ziethen'scavalry started in pursuit, some hours ago."
Fergus was carefully lifted onto the litter, and carried down toTorgau; where several large houses had already been assigned forthe use of wounded officers, while the soldiers were to be placedin the hospitals, public buildings, and churches, Austrians andPrussians being distributed indiscriminately; and by nightfall sometwelve thousand wounded were housed in the town. A small body oftroops was left there. The inhabitants undertook the charge of thewounded, and the next morning the king marched away south, with thearmy.
Soon after Fergus was brought in, Frederick paid a visit to thehouse where he had been carried, and said a few words to each ofthe wounded officers.
"So you are down again, Drummond. Fortune is not treating you sofavourably as she used to do."
"It might have been a good deal worse, your majesty. I think thatone who has got off with only the loss of his left arm has noreason to complain."
"No, it might have been worse," the king replied. "I have lost manygood friends, and thousands of brave soldiers. However, I too mustnot complain; for it has saved Prussia.
"Don't hurry to rejoin too soon, Drummond. Another month, and weshall all be in winter quarters."
Chapter 21: Home.
Fergus remained at Torgau for six weeks. He had, two days after thebattle, sent Karl off to carry a letter to Thirza; telling her thathe had been wounded, but that she need have no uneasiness abouthim; the surgeon saying that the wound was going on well, and that,should it not break out bleeding in the course of another week, hewould make a quick cure, and would be fit for service again, longbefore the spring.
Karl had not found his horse again, but had bought, for a trifle,an Austrian officer's horse that was found riderless; and hadbecome the prize of a trooper, who was glad to part with it at aquarter of its value. He took with him the disguise of acountryman, to put on when he approached the ground held by theAustrians near Dresden; and, leaving his horse fifteen miles away,had no difficulty in making his way in on foot. Karl went round tothe back of the house. The servants recognized him as soon as heentered.
"Will one of you ask the count to see me? Let him have the messagequietly, when he is alone."
"Your master is not killed?" one of the women exclaimed, inconsternation.
"Killed! No, Colonel Drummond is not so easily killed," he repliedscornfully. "I have a letter from him in my pocket. But he has beensomewhat hurt, and it were best that I saw the count first, andthat he should himself give the letter to the Countess Thirza."
In two or three minutes the man returned, and led Karl to a roomwhere the count was awaiting him, with a look of great anxiety onhis face.
"All is well, your excellency," Karl said, in answer to the look."At least, if not altogether well, not so bad as it might be. Thecolonel was hit at Torgau. A cannonball took off his left arm atthe elbow. Fortunately, there were surgeons at work a quarter of amile away, and he was in their hands within a very few minutes ofbeing hit; so they made a job of his wound, at once. They had nottaken the bandages off, when I came away; but as there had been nobleeding, and no great pain or fever, they think it is going onwell. They tell him that he will be fit for s
ervice, save for hishalf-empty sleeve, in the spring.
"Here is a letter for the Countess Thirza. It is not written by hisown hand, except as to the signature; for the surgeons insist thathe must lie perfectly quiet, for any exertion might cause the woundto break out afresh. He is quite cheerful, and in good spirits, ashe always is. He bade me give this note into your hands, so thatyou might prepare the young countess a little, before giving it toher."
"'Tis bad news, Karl, but it might have been much worse; and itwill, indeed, be a relief to us all; for since we heard of thatdesperate fight at Torgau, and how great was the slaughter on bothsides, we have been anxious, indeed; and must have remained so, forwe should have had little chance of seeing the list of the Prussiankilled and wounded.
"Now, do you go into the kitchen. They all know you there. Makeyourself comfortable. I will give orders that you shall be wellserved."
He then proceeded to the room where Thirza and her mother woresitting. The former was pale, and had evidently been crying.
"Some news has come," he said. "Not the very best, and yet by nomeans the worst. Drummond is wounded--a severe wound, but not, itis confidently believed, a dangerous one."
Thirza ran to her father and threw her arms round his neck, andburst into a passion of tears. He did not attempt to check them forsome little time.
"Now, my dear," he said at last, "you must be brave, or you won'tbe worthy of this lover of yours. There is one bad point about it."
She looked up in his face anxiously, but his smile reassured her.
"You must prepare yourself for his being somewhat disfigured."
"Oh, that is nothing, father; nothing whatever to me! But how is hedisfigured?"
"Well, my dear, he has lost his left arm, at the elbow."
Thirza gave a little cry of grief and pity.
"That is sad, father; but surely it is no disfigurement, any morethan that sabre scar on his face. 'Tis an honour, to a bravesoldier, to have lost a limb in battle. Still, I am glad that it ishis left arm; though, had it been his right and both his legs, itwould have made no difference in my love for him."
"Well, I am very glad, Thirza, that your love has not been testedso severely; as I confess that, for my part, I would much preferhaving a son-in-law who was able to walk about, and who would nothave to be carried to the altar. Here is a letter to you fromhim--that is to say, which has been written at his dictation, forof course the surgeons insist on his lying perfectly quiet, atpresent."
Thirza tore it open, and ran through its contents.
"It is just as you say, father. He makes very light of it, andwrites as if it were a mere nothing."
She handed the letter to her mother, and then turned to the count.
"Is there anything we can do, father?"
"Nothing whatever. With such a wound as that, he will have to lieperfectly still for some time. You may be sure that, as one ofFrederick's personal staff, he will have every attention possible;and were we all in the town, we could do nothing. As soon as he isfit to be moved, it will be different; but we shall have plenty oftime to talk over matters before that.
"For some few months travelling will be dangerous. Frederick's armyis in the neighbourhood again and, as Daun and Lacy are both intheir intrenchments behind the Plauen, there is no chance of hisagain besieging Dresden; but his flying columns will be all overthe country, as doubtless will the Croats, and the roads will bealtogether unsafe for travelling. No doubt, as soon as he is ableto be moved, he will be taken to Frederick's headquarters, whereverthey may be established. The king will assuredly have the hospitalsat Torgau cleared, as soon as he can; lest, when he has retired,the Austrians might make another dash at the town."
The next morning Karl set out again, bearing a letter from thecount; and one from Thirza which was of a much less formalcharacter than that which he had dictated to her, and which, as hetold her afterwards, greatly assisted his cure. A month after thebattle he was pronounced fit to travel, and with a large train ofwagons filled with convalescents, and under a strong escort, he wastaken to Leipzig; where the king had just established hisheadquarters, and to which all the wounded were to be sent, as soonas they could safely be moved. Here he was established incomfortable quarters, and Karl again carried a letter to Thirza.
Ten days later Count Eulenfurst entered his room.
"You here, count!" he exclaimed. "How kind of you! What a journeyto make through the snow!"
"I have been dragged hither," the count said, with a smile.
"Dragged hither, count?"
"Yes. Thirza insisted on coming to see you. Her mother declaredthat she should accompany her, and of course there was nothing forme to do but to set out, also."
"Are they here, then, count?" Fergus exclaimed incredulously.
"Certainly they are, and established at the Black Eagle Hotel. Icould not bring them here, to a house full of officers. You arewell enough to walk to the hotel?"
"Yes, indeed. I walked a mile yesterday."
As Karl was helping Fergus into his uniform, he asked:
"How long were you in coming here, count?"
"We did it in a day. I sent on relays of horses, two days before;and as the carriage is of course on runners, and the snow in goodorder, we made quick work of it. Your man went on with the horses,and rode with us from the last place where we changed. I did mostof the journey sitting by the coachman; which gave them more roominside, and was more pleasant for me, also."
In a few minutes they reached the hotel, and the count led Fergusto a door.
"You will find Thirza alone there. We thought that you had best seeher so, at first."
Half an hour later, the count and countess entered the room.
"He looks very pale and thin, mother," Thirza said, after thecountess had affectionately embraced Fergus.
"You would hardly have expected to find him fat and rosy," thecount laughed. "A man does not lose his arm, and go about as if thematter was not worth thinking of, a few weeks afterwards. He iscertainly looking better than I expected to find him.
"That empty sleeve is a sad disfigurement, though," he added slyly.
"How can you say so, father?" Thirza exclaimed indignantly. "Ithink quite the contrary, and I feel quite proud of him with it."
"Well, there is no accounting for taste, Thirza. If you aresatisfied, I have no reason to be otherwise.
"And now, Drummond, we want to hear all about Liegnitz and Torgau;for we have only heard the Austrian accounts. Dresden illuminatedover Daun's first despatch from Torgau, saying that the Prussianattacks had been repulsed with tremendous slaughter, and a completevictory gained. The next morning there came, I believe, anotherdespatch, but it was not published; and it was not until we heardthat Daun and Lacy were both within a few miles of the town that weknew that, somehow or other, there had been a mistake about thematter, a mistake that has not yet been cleared up, at Dresden."
"The defeat part of the business I can tell you from my personalobservation, the victory only from what I heard. Certainly, when Icame to my senses, after the surgeons had seen to my wounds, I hadno thought of anything but a disastrous defeat. Never did thePrussians fight more bravely, or more hopelessly. They had to mounta steep ascent, with four hundred cannon playing upon them; and anarmy, more than three times their number, waiting at the top toreceive them."
He then proceeded to tell them the whole story of the battle.
"Ziethen seems to have blundered terribly," the count said.
"I believe that that is the king's opinion, too; but Ziethenhimself defends his action stoutly, and maintains that he couldnever have succeeded in a direct attack, in broad daylight. Anyhow,as the matter came out all right in the end, the king was too wellsatisfied to do no more than grumble at him.
"The other was a hard-fought battle, too."
"The news of that was a relief to us, indeed," the count said. "Itseemed to everyone that Frederick was so completely caught in thetoils that he could not hope to extricate himself
. As you know, inthis war I have, all along, held myself to be a neutral. Iconsidered that the plot to overthrow Frederick and partition thekingdom was a scandalous one, and that the king disgraced himselfand us by joining in it; but since that time, my sympathies havebecome more and more strongly with Frederick. It is impossible notto admire the manner in which he has defended himself. Moreover,the brutality with which the Confederates and Austrians, wherevertheir armies penetrated Saxony, treated the Protestants, made oneregard him as the champion of Protestantism.
"He was wrong in forcing the Saxons to take service with him in hisarmy, after their surrender at Pirna; and the taxes and exactionshave, for the last three years, weighed heavily on Saxony, but Icannot blame him for that. It was needful that he should have moneyto carry on the war, and as Saxony had brought it on herself, Icould not blame him that he bore heavily upon her.
"Then, too, Thirza has, for the last two or three years, become aperfect enthusiast for the Prussians. Whether it was the king'sgracious manner to herself, or from some other cause, I cannot say;but she has certainly become an ultra-Prussian.
"And now lunch must be ready, and you look as if you wanted it,Drummond; and I am sure Thirza does. She was too excited to eatsupper, when we got here last night; and as for her breakfast, itwas altogether untouched."
"No doubt you think, Drummond," Count Eulenfurst said, when hecalled the next morning, "that you have done your duty fairly toPrussia."
"How do you mean, count?" Fergus replied, somewhat puzzled by thequestion.
"I mean that you have served five campaigns, you have been twicemade a prisoner, you were wounded at Zorndorf, you nearly died offever last winter, now you have lost your arm at Torgau; so I thinkthat you have fully done your duty to the king under whom you tookservice, and could now retire with a thoroughly clear conscience.
"My own idea is that the war has quite spent its strength. Franceis practically bankrupt. Austria and Russia must be as tired of thewar as Prussia, and this last defeat of their hopes cannot butdiscourage the two empresses greatly. I hear, from my friends inVienna, that in the capital and all the large cities they arebecoming absolutely disgusted with the war; and though it may go onfor a while, I believe that its fury is spent.
"At any rate, I think you have earned a right to think of yourself,as well as others. You certainly have nothing to gain by stayinglonger in the service."
"I was thinking the same, last night, count. Certainly one man,more or less, will make no difference to Frederick; but I thoughtthat, unless you spoke of it, I should let matters go on as theyare, except that I thought of asking for three months' leave to gohome."
"That you should go home for a few months is an excellent plan,Drummond; but I think it would be better that, when you were there,you should be able to stay five or six months, if so inclined. Goto the king, tell him frankly that you feel that you want rest andquiet for a time, that you have no longer any occasion in thepecuniary way for remaining in the army, and that you want to getmarried--all good reasons for resigning a commission. You see, wehave now some sort of right to have a voice in the matter. You hada narrow escape at Torgau, and next time you might not be sofortunate; and, anxious as we are for Thirza's happiness, we dothink it is high time that you retired from the service."
"That decides it, count. I myself have had quite enough of thisterrible work. Were I a Prussian, I should owe my first duty to thecountry, and as long as the war continued should feel myself boundto set aside all private considerations to defend her to the last;but it is not so, and my first duty now is assuredly to Thirza, toyou, and to the countess. Therefore I will, this morning, go to theking and ask him to allow me to resign my commission."
"Do so, Drummond. I thought of saying as much to you, last year;but the anxiety of those terrible three or four days after Torgaudecided me. If I thought that your honour was concerned inremaining longer in the army, I should be the last to advise you toleave it, even for the sake of my daughter's happiness; but as itis not so, I have no hesitation in urging you to retire."
"'Tis a good time for me to leave, now. My cousin, the EarlMarischal Keith, returned here three days ago, and I will get himto go with me to the king."
"I shall say nothing to my wife and Thirza about it, till I see youagain, Drummond. Of course the king cannot refuse, but I shouldlike him to take it in good part; as indeed, I doubt not that hewill."
"I have no doubt that he will, too, count. You may think it absurd,and perhaps vain of me; but indeed it is of the king that I amthinking, rather than of myself. During the past three years he hasbeen good enough to treat me with singular kindness. He has hadtrouble and care which would have broken down most men, and I thinkthat it has been some relief to him to put aside his cares andtroubles, for an hour or two of an evening, and to talk to a youngfellow like myself on all sorts of matters; just as he does to SirJohn Mitchell, and my cousin, the Earl Marischal."
"I have no doubt of it, Drummond, and I quite understand yourfeeling in the matter. Still, we are selfish enough to think of ourfeelings, too."
As soon as the count left, Fergus put on his full uniform and wentto the king's quarters. He first saw the Earl Marischal, and toldhim his errand.
"You are quite right," the old man said heartily. "You have donemore than enough fighting, and there is no saying how long this warmay drag on. I told you, when I first heard of your engagement tothe young countess, that I was glad indeed that you were not alwaysto remain a soldier of fortune; and I am sure that the king willconsider that you have more than done your duty, by remaining inhis service for a year, after having so splendid a prospect beforeyou. Frederick is disengaged at present, and I will go over withyou to him, and will myself open the matter."
Fergus had not seen the king since his arrival at Leipzig.
"I am truly glad to see you on your feet again," the latter said,as Fergus followed his cousin into the room. "I felt by no meanssure that I should ever see you again, on that day after Torgau;but you still look very thin and pulled down. You want rest, lad.We all want rest, but it is not all of us that can get it."
"That is what he has come to speak to you about, your majesty,"Keith said. "I told you, a year ago, that he was engaged to bemarried to the daughter of Count Eulenfurst."
The king nodded.
"I remember her, the bright little lady who received me, when Iwent to her father's house."
"The same, sire. He thinks that the warning he had at Torgau wassufficient; and that, having done his best in your majesty's cause,he has now earned a right to think of himself and her; and so hewould beg your majesty to allow him to resign his commission, andto retire from the service."
"He has certainly well earned the right," the king said gravely."He has done me right good and loyal service, even putting asidethat business at Zorndorf; and not the least of those services hasbeen that he has often cheered me, by his talk, when I sorelyneeded cheering. That empty sleeve of his, that scar won atZorndorf, are all proofs how well he has done his duty; and hisrequest, now that fortune has smiled upon him in other ways, is afair and reasonable one.
"I hope, Colonel Drummond," he went on in a lighter tone, "that asyou will be settled in Saxony--and this war cannot go on forever--I shall someday see you and your bride at Berlin. None willbe more welcome."
"He is going home to Scotland for a few months, in the firstplace," Keith said. "It is only right that he should visit hismother and people there, before he settles here. He will, likeenough, be back again before the campaign opens in the spring."
Fergus, whose heart was very full, said a few words of thanks tothe king for the kindness that he had always shown him, and forwhat he had now said; and assured him that he should not only cometo Berlin, as soon as peace was made; but that, as long as the warlasted, he would pay his respects to him every year, when he was inwinter quarters. He then withdrew, and made his way to the hotel.
"It is done," he said to the count as he entered. "I have resignedmy commis
sion, and the king has accepted it. He was most kind. I amglad that I have done it, and yet it was a very hard thing to do."
Thirza uttered an exclamation of joy.
"I am glad, indeed, Fergus, that you are not going to that terriblewar again."
"I can understand your feelings, Drummond," the count said, puttinghis hand upon his shoulder. "I know that it must have been a wrenchto you, but that will pass off in a short time. You have done yourduty nobly, and have fairly earned a rest.
"Now, let us talk of other things. When do you think of startingfor Scotland?"
"To that I must reply," Fergus said with a smile, "'How long areyou thinking of stopping here?' Assuredly I shall not want to begoing, as long as you are here. And in any case, I should like mymother to have a week's notice before I come home; and I thinkthat, in another fortnight, my wound will be completely healed."
"I was thinking," the count said, "that you will want to take anurse with you."
"Do you mean, count," Fergus exclaimed eagerly, "that Thirza couldgo with me? That would be happiness, indeed."
"I don't quite see why she should not, Drummond. There are churcheshere, and clergymen.
"What do you say, Thirza?"
"Oh, father," the girl said, with a greatly heightened colour, "Icould never be ready so soon as that!
"Could I, mother?"
"I don't know, my dear. Your father was talking to me an hour agoabout it, and that was what I said; but he answered that, althoughyou might not be able to get a great many clothes made, there willbe plenty of time to get your things from home; and that, in somerespects, it would be much more convenient for you to be marriedhere than at Dresden. Your marriage, with one who had so latelyleft the service of Prussia, would hardly be a popular one with theAustrians in Dresden. So that, altogether, the plan would beconvenient. We can set the milliners to work at once and, inanother fortnight, get your bridal dress ready, and such things asare absolutely necessary.
"Of course, if you would rather remain single for another three orfour months, your father and I would not wish to press you unduly."
"It is not that, mother," she said shyly; "but it does seem so veryquick."
"If a thing is good, the sooner it is done the better," the countsaid; and Thirza offered no further objection.
The next day an order appeared, that Colonel Fergus Drummond hadbeen advanced another step in the order of the Black Eagle,following which came:
"Colonel Fergus Drummond, having lost an arm at the battle ofTorgau, has resigned his commission; which has been accepted withgreat regret by the king, the services of Colonel Drummond havingbeen, in the highest degree, meritorious and distinguished."
The king, having heard from the Earl Marischal that Fergus was tobe married at Leipzig before leaving for Scotland, took greatinterest in the matter; and when the time came, was himself presentin the cathedral, together with a brilliant gathering of generalsand other officers of the army in the vicinity, and of many Saxonfamilies of distinction who were acquainted with Count Eulenfurst.Fergus had obtained Karl's discharge from the army--the latter, whohad long since served his full time, having begged most earnestlyto remain in his service.
On the following day Fergus started with his wife for Scotland,drove to Magdeburg and, four days later, reached Hamburg; wherethey embarked on board a ship for Edinburgh, Karl of courseaccompanying them.
It was a day to be long remembered, in the glen, when ColonelDrummond and his Saxon wife came to take possession of his father'sestates; where his mother had now been established for upwards of ayear, in the old mansion. It was late when they arrived. A body ofmounted men with torches met them, at the boundary of the estate;and accompanied them to the house, where all the tenants andclansmen were assembled. Great bonfires blazed, and scores oftorches added to the picturesque effect. A party of pipers struckup an air of welcome as they drove forward, and a roar of cheering,and shouts of welcome greeted them.
"Welcome to your Scottish home!" Fergus said to his wife. "'Tis apoor place, in comparison with your father's, but nowhere in theworld will you find truer hearts and a warmer greeting than here."
His mother was standing on the steps as he leapt out, and sheembraced him with tears of joy; while after him she gave a warm andaffectionate greeting to Thirza. Then Fergus turned to theclansmen, who stood thronging round the entrance, with wavingtorches and bonnets thrown wildly in the air; and said a few wordsof thanks for their welcome, and of the pleasure and pride he feltin coming again among them, as the head of the clan and master ofhis father's estates.
Then he presented Thirza to them as their mistress.
"She has brought me another home, across the sea," he said, "butshe will soon come to love this, as well as her own; and though Ishall be absent part of the time, she will come with me everysummer to stay among you, and will regard you as her people, aswell as mine."
Among the dependents ranged in the hall was Wulf, with whom Fergusshook hands warmly.
"I should never have got on as well as I have, Wulf," he said, "hadit not been for your teaching, both in German and in arms. Icommend to your special care my servant Karl, who speaks noEnglish, and will feel strange here at first. He has been mycompanion all this time, has given me most faithful service, andhas saved my life more than once. He has now left the army tofollow me."
Fergus remained three months at home. Thirza was delighted with thecountry, and the affection shown by the people to Fergus; andstudied diligently to learn the language, that she might be able tocommunicate personally with them, and above all with Mrs. Drummond,to whom she speedily became much attached.
At the end of April they returned to Saxony, and took up theirabode on the estate the count had settled on them, at theirmarriage.
For two years longer the war continued, but with much diminishedfury, and there was no great battle fought. The king plantedhimself in a camp, which he rendered impregnable, and theremenacing the routes by which the Saxon and Russian armies broughttheir supplies from Bohemia, paralysed their movements; whileGeneral Platen made a raid into Poland, and destroyed a greatportion of the Russian magazines in that direction, so that thecampaign came to naught. Ferdinand, with the aid of his English,defeated Broglio and Soubise at Villingshausen; Soubise remaininginactive during the battle, as Broglio had done at Minden.
At the beginning of 1762 a happy event for the king took place. TheEmpress of Russia died; and Peter, a great admirer of Frederick,came to the throne. The Prussian king at once released all theRussian prisoners, and sent them back; and Peter returned thecompliment by sending home the Prussian prisoners and, six weeksafter his accession, issued a declaration that there ought to bepeace with the King of Prussia, and that the czar was resolved thatthe war should be ended. He at once gave up East Prussia and otherconquests, and recalled the Russian army. He not only did this, buthe ordered his General Czernichef to march and join the king.
The news caused absolute dismay in Austria, and hastened the Swedesto conclude a peace with Frederick. They had throughout the wardone little, but the peace set free the force that had beenwatching them; and which had regularly, every year, driven themback as fast as they endeavoured to invade Prussia on that side.
In July, however, the murder of Peter threw all into confusionagain; but Catherine had no desire to renew the war, and it wasevident that this was approaching its end. She therefore recalledher army, which had already joined that of the king. England andFrance, too, were negotiating terms of peace; and it was clear thatAustria, single handed, could not hope to win back Silesia.
The king gained several small but important successes, andrecaptured the important fortress of Schweidnitz. Then came longnegotiations and, on the following February, a general peace wassigned by all the Powers; Prussia retaining her frontiers, as atthe beginning of the war.
From this time Fergus Drummond's life passed uneventfully. Everyyear he went to his old home with his wife, and as time went onbrought his children to Scotland; an
d every winter he spent afortnight at Berlin. When his second son reached the age of twelve,he sent him to school in England, and there prepared him to succeedto the Scottish estate. This he did not do for many years, enteringthe British army and winning the rank of colonel in the Peninsularwar; and it was not until some years after the battle of Waterloothat, at the death of his father, he retired and settled down onthe Scottish estates that were now his.
The rest of Colonel Drummond's family took their mother'snationality.
Fergus did not come in for the whole of the Eulenfurst estates,until thirty years after his marriage. He then took up his abode,with his wife, at the mansion where they had first met, nearDresden; and retaining a sufficient share of the estates to supporthis position, divided the remainder among his children, consideringthat the property was too large to be owned with advantage by anyone person. His descendants are still large landowners in variousparts of Saxony.
The king survived the signature of the peace for twenty-five years,during which he devoted himself to repairing the damage his countryhad suffered by the war; and by incessant care, and wise reforms,he succeeded in rendering Prussia far wealthier and more prosperousthan it had been when he succeeded to the throne. Lindsay rose tothe rank of general in the Prussian service, and his friendshipwith Fergus remained close and unbroken. The old Earl Marischalsurvived his younger brother for twenty years; and was, to thelast, one of the king's dearest and most intimate friends.